Cartoon Art Museum

I'm currently in SanFran and visited the Cartoon Art Museum. I have to admit, besides seeing Sargent's and members of the Bay Area Figurative's work, this has been my favorite douse of art. It also is a great example of the merits of line. So on the left is my CAM-inspired drawing. There will hopefully be more.

Save the Dates

These are our ultra home made Save the Dates. I was up until almost 2 working on them. Tonight will be another late night but we'll have basically all the inside-envelope work finished. Woohoo!

Happy Happy Happy

I've been having a hard time with birthday cards of late. Normally birthdays are where I excel. Weddings are the killer for me. I am yet (barring one) to make a wedding card I really really like. It's like the pressure gets to me or something.

I need to go back through my blog and find examples of cards that I've done and really liked and use those ideas for birthdays and weddings. I have to remind myself it's not terrible to use a design I've already used. It sounds silly to say out loud but there you have it :)

Oh happy day (indeed!)

This was from a friend's birthday months ago. Sometimes I get sizing wrong. Cupcake should have been larger. It's a fine example of how idea and execution are two different things.

Aug 14th Stamp

This is for our Save the Dates. Stamp made from rubber 3M adhesive stuck on a large tile. I made this for a test but then we really liked it. Our Save the Dates aren't very formal. OK actually nothing at our wedding is going to be very formal.

Thank You Card

These are the thank you cards I made for the surprise engagement party. (I'm engaged!)

I took an already really pretty card (I will find the name of these later in that I can't remember) and I cut a circle at one side. On the inside, I glued down a pretty piece of paper that coordinated with the outside (like the purple polkadots.)

Then I glued in a string. On the string I had another tiny piece of card stock that read "thank you."

One note: Originally I was going to use a punch to make a super clean circle but I ended up having to cut them by hand because the punches only go in so far. Also, next time instead of thread to hold the "thank you."

Oh hello there

So I have been absent for awhile, but while away my hands have been busy. Crafts await!

Yay Card

Happy Birthday Laurel!

This is my sister-in-law's birthday card. It's suppose to be a chihuahua. Her and my brother have two chihuahuas and they really do think of them as children.

Collage Journal 10

Collage Journal 9

Collage Journal 8

Collage Journal 7

Collage Journal 6

Collage Journal Day 5.1

Right side of page.

Collage Journal 5

Left side of page.

Collage Journal Day 4

I normally don't try anything with figures from magazines. I don't do very good with them aaand I should learn that's no reason not to try. So try I shall.

Collage Journal Day 3

This has nothing to do with this page but last night my family and I went up to Portland to join with the rest of our immediate family to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. My brother organized this whole night where we started for drinks at the top of a hotel bar, then proceeded on a tour of Portland's waterfront in bicycle cabs, had dinner at a fantastic Italian restaurant in our own room and finished with Voodoo doughnuts. My brother can work a night. It was all a surprise to my SIL and family is a great way to spend a night.

So happy birthday Laurel! May your 34th year be the sweetest yet. 

Collage Journal Day 2

I've been working on cleaning, really cleaning, my studio lately. The result is random Tupperware containers filled with tiny scraps. One is full of wisps of tissue paper. Another brims with card stock scraps. I hate throwing this stuff out because it just seems there must be *something* I can do with it.

And wallah. The collage journal has made these Tupperware containers gold minds. Today's entry, for example, consists mostly of those tiny pieces. It's also good practice for my brain to turn of its analytical harpy and just be able to grab paste grab paste my way through a night.

Collage Journal Day 1

The past few months I've been working on arts and crafts but have kept my head down in terms of this blog.

I've started working in a collage book, and I'm going to try and post an image a day from this visual journal.

The visual journal is a board book, and I'm spending a small amount of time in my studio every night working with paint and collage. I'm not trying to create anything grand here. I'm just trying to keep my hands in the materials and form the discipline of doing a little something every day.