Art, in the Style of Julie Nutting

Caution:  This post contains shameless promotion of my new favorite book.  Proceed at your own risk.

So, after waiting (impatiently) for my copy of Julie Nutting's book, Collage Couture, to come in the mail, it finally got here last Wednesday!  I have had an absolute ball looking through the book and designing paper fashions!

If you don't yet know about Collage Couture, well you are missing out!  Not only is the book beautiful to simply look at, it also contains excellent tutorials on painting backgrounds onto canvas and other substrates, and of course the best part of the book, drawing and designing lovely girls and their fashions!  Julie presents the material in an fun way, encouraging us girls to don our tiaras and connect with that little girl that may have been forgotten amidst the busyness of the everyday.  And if that wasn't enough, she even includes some of the most fun gift ideas I've ever seen!  I couldn't stop flipping to the gift section of the book and brainstorming all of the ways I could bless the ladies in my life with a gift, Julie Nutting-style.  I may be knee-deep in patterned papers for a very long time.

And now, for the reveal, (drum-roll, please) I give you my interpretation of Collage Couture girls...

Jenny:  She likes to make up stories using characters she meets on the street.

 

Elle:  She hates playing the piano in front of others...but she's very good.

So there you have it, friends!  Run, don't walk to get your copy of Collage Couture!  (And no, Julie did not pay me to write this...I really do love this book that much!)

Oh, and if you're needing a little extra inspiration, I highly recommend watching old episodes of Project Runway on Hulu.com, and feel good about the fact that you don't have to hem anything!

Happy creating!

Art Trading: "Owl"

And another attempt at mastering tiny art is almost finished.  And yes, I'm running behind...AGAIN!  I must confess that this time it was mainly because I realized that owls really aren't my thing.  They're a bit artistically intimidating to me, and I'm STILL struggling with the second one.  I absolutely HAVE to get them in the mail tomorrow!!  So for now, I will post what I have, and just know I will be FRANTIC in trying to fix the second one before I mail.  Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and if you have NO idea what this tiny art is that I'm referring to, check out my (also tiny) explanation here.

Owl #1...not too scary, right??

Owl #2:  WHAT WAS I THINKING!!  (being reworked ASAP)

And there you have it, friends!  Art and fear...all right out there where you can see it!! :)

Art Trading: "Umbrella"

So I entered my very first ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap.  For those of you that don't know what an ATC is, it is a small piece of art that you simply trade...like baseball cards for artists!  The only rules are that it must be 2.5" by 3.5" and that you must give them away (rather than sell them).  So I'm finding the hardest part is mailing them on time!!  Oh, and sending them away, not knowing what the recipient will think of them.  (Scary!)  However, the small format is great fun and much less intimidating than a full-size painting...so I shall keep on with these swaps.  Hopefully I'll get better with meeting the deadlines...I'm pretty sure deadlines are my "kryptonite" (as my husband would say).  Anyway, I'd love to know what you think!  They shall hit the mail tomorrow, and there's no turning back! 

 "June Idyls" ATC, courtesy of Katie Holmes

"Rain, rain, go away" ATC, courtesy of Katie Holmes

Art and Devotions

I'm okay!!  Haven't fallen off the face of the planet...just too much going on!  I just wanted to take this opportunity to share something I read in a book that a friend loaned to me.  It was definitely a timely thought and I hope it encourages you as it did me.  Oh, and of course I sketched a little something to go with it. 

From the journal of Katie Holmes.

"Our daisy-petal (i.e. He loves me, He loves me not) approach to Christianity can be swallowed up by the undeniable proof of His love for us on the cross of Calvary.  That's the side of the cross that has all but been ignored in recent decades.  We did not see what really happened there between the Father and His Son that opened the door to His love so vast that it cannot be challenged even by your darkest of days."  -excerpt from He Loves Me, by Wayne Jacobsen

Decisions...

All I can think about this morning is "Am I making the right decision?  Should I rethink what I said I wanted?"  I mean, my job is a good job.  And my house?  It's a good (cheap) house.  But now is the season for hiring new teachers to replace the ones who've moved on or retired, and maybe I should apply.  Not necessarily because I'm absolutely 100% ready to move on, but because those jobs come with (MUCH) better pay.  And boy, could we use it.  Am I not applying because I'm afraid?  Or because there's something more for me here?  Questions desperately needing answers...

Trusting God for guidance today.

Celebrate inner beauty.

Loving this one.  Okay, sure, her eyes are a little uneven, the writing is a little wonky, and her mouth took me FOREVER to get right, but inner beauty is the point here anyway, right?  (That's what I'm telling myself so I can move on and not agonize over perfection).  Hope you like her. 

"Celebrate inner beauty", courtesy of Katie Holmes. 

Prints (and original) available in my Etsy shop!

Oh, and one more thing.  I'm right proud of that nose!  I'm getting better at NOSES!!  (Insert happy dance here.)  :)  Enjoy!  And celebrate your beautiful self today!

Come to the well, and drink deeply...

In our fast-paced, busy lives, sometimes it seems like there is no time to savor anything...relationships, art, beauty, God.  But what if we made the time?  What if we just decided, "Today, I'm going to make it a point...to stand at the well and drink.  Not just a sip.  I choose to drink until I can't fit any more water anywhere."  My lesson for today.  And tomorrow.  And...well, always. 

"drink deeply", mixed media artwork by Katie Holmes