A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk

one more secret revealed!

Here's one secret you can blab all you want: we have been having so much fun over at 21 Secrets that we decided to keep the playground open for the rest of the year! Yessiree. That's right. 21 fabulous art journaling class with 21 teachers and hundreds of students learning and creating and basking in the glow of fabulous art. What could be better? To keep the fun going until January 1, 2012? Sure, you got it!

So if you haven't registered for 21 Secrets yet, do it now! And if you're already registered, relax and keep enjoying the fun. There is more than enough time left now to revel in each and every class. I've got all kinds of fun things planned to keep it all interesting including giveaways, journal pages out the wazoo and inspiration galore so check it out. And if you register through my blog, let me know and I'll send you some special freebies to get you started right. Let's go! Click here for more information and to register.

happy friday = art night

Happy Friday! Today is especially happy because it's a 3-day holiday weekend with cook outs, early morning fishing trips, conversations with friends over good food and good wine, something new we're calling 'wine slushies', watering the new grass and walking over its dewy softness in our bare feet.... ah, so many things to make the heart glad. (Speaking of happiness, I just picked up The Happiness Project and predict that it'll be a life changer; I've only read the first chapter but I'm hooked. More on that later.)

Tonight it will be grilled steak, charro beans, yummy guacamole and wine slushies but every other Friday we're still enjoying the most fabulous art nights. I wanted to give you a little update and a peek into the fun we've been having to inspire your weekend plans.

 

Meet cousins Melissa & Ashley. On this night--Melissa's first--they decided on a collaborative painting. So many beautiful things to gaze upon.

 

 

On art night, you will find plenty of...lovely blended backgrounds,

 

...happy landscapes,

 

...striking florals,

 

...and mysterious visitors.

 

Lydia and I met at our favorite local brew pub. She wowed us with 2 amazing canvases and a stack of spray painted papers all in the same night!

 

 

 

 

 

I showed her a few things with stencils and spray cans and she took off on her own. I hope she framed some of these--so gorgeous!

 

 

 

Whatever plans you have for this holiday weekend, I hope it includes lots of art, good friends, and big belly laughter. If you're now dying to make your own spray painted masterpieces, its not to late to join me in Playing With Pattern over at 21 Secrets. You can have your very own art night adventure too so, check it out here and I guarantee you a whirlwind artful weekend!

still falling

A few more pages from my daily scrap journal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

falling headlong

 

I made this journal a while back to sell but  never got around to posting it in my Etsy shop. Then one day I felt like working in something new and decided to keep it for myself. These types of scrappy layered books are perfect for daily journals. For remembering and salvaging the bits and pieces of daily life that normally get scattered and forgotten or even completely overlooked but are often meaningful and even beautiful.

 

 

 

It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of this new book. Each one has its own personality before I ever even put pen to paper and speaks to me in its own voice. But now we're getting along  nicely. It doesn't usually take long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're looking for a new journal to record the good, the bad, and the ugly of your own days (and it is okay to remember the ugly), I have a few journals in the shop just waiting to become your new bff.

want to be a part of something good?

 

Have you ever had an idea for something, one of those really great ideas that you know in your bones would allow you to finally quit the job you hate, or would change the world, or make someone's life  easier or just make everyone who heard of it say "I want one!" or "Why didn't I think of that?" and then...nothing happened? Or are you the kind of person who never thinks of these things on your own, but when you hear about a great new idea get all fired up and want to get behind that person or idea and help make it happen?

My new favorite thing: Kickstarter.com. This is one of those ideas I wish I would have thought of and one of the things I love most about the Internet (And there are so many things I love about the Internet right now: umm, Pinterest! Eeeek! But that's another post.) Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects providing a place for ordinary people like you and me to learn about and help fund amazing inventions, thought provoking films, indie books, etc. or even to announce your own amazing idea to the world so others can help you make it a reality.

A place to learn about and support the thousands of creative ideas out there that might not otherwise be heard? Brilliant! Being a part of making someones dream come true just by giving a couple of bucks away? Yes, please!

Can you tell I think this is the coolest idea ever?? And no, I'm not affiliated with Kickstarter, but I do have a friend Jonathan Almanzar who's latest brilliant idea I'm particularly excited about. Telling stories of those who have no voice. Stories that need to be heard. And the fact that this brilliant idea happened to be inspired by mine and his wife's latest collaborative painting have absolutely nothing to do with my excitement. But I have to admit that does make it particularly cool! You can learn more about Jonathan's latest book idea over at Kickstarter by clicking here. I think you'll see why I'm so excited about it. And excited to have a tiny part in the collaborative effort (If you pledge $10 or more, you get a signed print of the painting!) So, please check it out. And keep in mind that there is a deadline to fund the project: June 15, 2011. If the final goal isn't pledged by the deadline, no money will be exchanged. Also, if after watching the promotional video you think you have a story that would fit nicely with the book, a story that needs to be heard, email me (top right hand sidebar) and we'll talk. Thanks for listening!

journal catch up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

cultivate

 
Do you dream of becoming a writer someday? Do you have a fabulous idea for a book but don't know where to start making it a reality? This post is for you.

Rhizome Publishing, started by a friend of ours, is currently having a contest to give away a publishing contract. Rhizome Publishing is a full-service publisher, specializing in e-books and digital publishing, and seeking to re-imagine culture through creative stories and ideas. The contest is open to both fiction and non-fiction in most genres with the two exceptions at this time of children's picture books and photo essays. Accepted genres include historical fiction, young adult, sci-fi, mystery, western, essays, poetry, and how-to among many others. The winner of the contest will receive a publishing contract that will include cover design, layout, editing, royalties, marketing and more.

If you are ready to take the first step in making your dream a reality, just send an email to contest@rhizomepub.com to receive a submissions packet. Your manuscript must be completed and emailed no later than Sunday May 29^th, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.  It must include an Author Bio sheet, a brief synopsis of the book, and designated genre selected from the list of eligible genres.

So what are you waiting for? You don't have anything to lose and so much to gain! Click here for full details and let them know you heard about it through littleblackkittyART!

abstract adventures

I have to admit that it was a little hard to chose from 21 incredible classes just which one I would jump into first. But since Maisey and I were needing some mother-daughter time, I thought Connie's Abstract Adventures class would be a good place to start. The two of us giggled and squealed all through the first 6 videos then rushed out to the studio to dive into our own adventure.

 

I loved working in the extra large journal! There was something so freeing about working on the larger scale but without the extra worry of 'ruining' a whole canvas. I've been painting for years and I still struggle with that one! If there is one thing that Connie will inspire in you it will be to enjoy the process of creating and not to worry about the outcome. I passionately believe that there is no better piece of advice, especially for new painters and journalers.

 

I thought I'd finish this one up with some pen work, maybe some text around the bottom but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

We had a great afternoon playing together and letting Connie's enthusiasm inspire us from one painting to the next.

 

I usually don't have any trouble sticking to the abstract but I've been so fixated on these drippy flowers lately that it was inevitable that they'd show up somewhere. But, they are a little abstracted, aren't they? And, besides, I've learned that it's best to follow the muse wherever she leads and just be thankful for her appearance.

 

Here's what the flowers look like after some detailing in pen. I love the messy, dreamy look of the petals.

 

 

 

Next time I find myself struggling to get started painting or listening to what the 'fear gremlin' is whispering in my ear, I'll head right back to these videos to banish those ugly thoughts and get my butt to work. Honestly--and I'm not saying this just because she invited me to teach or even because everything that I've learned about Connie  tells me she is one amazing lady in all areas of life--if Connie can't inspire you to paint your heart out, no one can.

It's not too late to get started on your own painting and journaling adventure over at 21 Secrets. The techniques and inspiration you will find can be applied to all areas of your art, not just visual journaling. It's also been interesting to see how the classes overlap and the techniques and processes from one class can be used in the others. And--again, I'm not saying this just because I'm teaching but because I feel compelled to share with you the good things I find!--you truly won't find a better deal out there. See the right-hand side bar for more details, if you're so inclined.

inspiration

 

We're back from visiting family in Texas and even though we had a great time catching up, celebrating my birthday and seeing my husband finish his first half-marathon, it feels good to be back into our normal routine. And my waistline is thanking me daily for not continuing to subject it to Southern homecooking, mucho Tex-Mex, and fast food on the road--but it was wonderful while it lasted! One of my favorite things about going home is the food!

It is always good to be home and I have so many plans for our little house! For my birthday, my bff bought me a gallon of paint for my dining room--now that's a good friend! We finally got around to painting the living room and I'll have some photos of that soon. But first I want to show you my newest creation for the house!

  

Back in March, I ran across this amazing DIY scrap paper lantern on Design Sponge, one of my favorite design sites. I immediately knew I would make it but was waiting for the right time to start a new project. In other words, I needed to finish a few lingering projects first. I love the original lantern in all white but knew I had to put my own spin on it by using my painted papers as scraps. I love, love, love, love those all white houses--you know the ones with white walls, white furniture and white floors...swoon!--but in my home, I need color. And lots of it. For me, color is one area where more will always be more. Thankfully, I had a big old stack of painted papers sitting around from my 21 Secrets class demos and a few too many  paper lanterns, so the whole thing didn't cost me a penny. You gotta love that!

   

So what do you think?? It'll look even better once I get my green walls painted (Thanks, Shannon!). My husband told me very kindly that it wasn't his favorite creation of mine. But then I hung it over the dining room table anyway.

 

Some other things that are inspiring me now:

-Seeing the man I've known and loved since I was 16 (the same one who hates to run) accomplish his dream of finishing a half-marathon after training for it for months. And he looked amazing doing it!!

-Watching this life changing documentary on PBS: Waste Land (from the website: "Brazilian artist Vik Muniz creates portraits of people using found materials from the places where they live and work. His Sugar Children series portrays the deprived children of Caribbean plantation workers using the sugar their parents harvest. We meet Muniz as he embarks on his next project, inspired by the trash pickers at the largest landfill on earth.") Watch it.

-21 Secrets: An Art Journal Playground. Another reason to be glad for home is that I can get back to enjoying the amazing classes over at 21 Secrets! Registration is open through May so it's not too late to join in the fun. And I have to tell you, I've barely gotten my feet wet and am having a blast!! See the right hand sidebar for more info. I'll have more on my adventures with the workshops coming soon!

new canvases

 

We haven't been able to have our art night in a few weeks and I'm really missing it! It was nice to know that even if the week was busy and there hadn't been much time for art, I'd have Friday night to really let lose and play! Thankfully, this weekend my honey took the kids for an afternoon out to give me some much needed creative time alone. It was glorious and I managed to finish up a couple of paintings I started a few weeks ago.

 

Untitled, mixed media on canvas, 16x20

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled, mixed media on canvas, 20 x 16

 

 

 

This week we're headed back home to Texas for some time with family, a half marathon for John (his first), and lots and lots of Mexican food, hopefully! I'll leave you with a few cool things I found online recently:

-Amazing upcycled woven bench by Cardboard Sea. Keep an eye out for her upcoming tutorial. I know I will!

-Fascinating discovery. How could no one report this for 5 years??

-Really cool stencils. (Perfect for using in my 21 Secrets class! See side-bar for class details.)

-I want one of these for my next journaling-on-the-go bag.