Stamping

Autumn Art Sonnet

/ Jodi / 57 Comments

Autumn Art Sonnet.

I recently took my very first online art course at the gentle urging of my blogging friend Jill at Jill’s Art Journal.  Actually it is my first-ever any kind of art course.

The class was hosted on Carla Sonheim’s website and presented by the amazing Lendon Noe.  The short 2-week, 6-session class was on Meaning Making:  Inspired by Poetry.   They were short 20-minute recorded sessions that you could watch at your own pace and at a convenient time for you.

I LOVED it!  I learned so much from Lendon – about art, mixed media, poetry, and even about myself.

My first art love is watercolor, but I loved dabbling into the mixed media world.  And what fun it was to combine my love of words, writing, poetry, watercolor, and stamping.

In my art piece here, the lines are actually an artistic version of a Shakespearean sonnet, where verse is written in a pattern of AB AB CD CD EF EF GG.  You might notice that the lines are repeating in the same pattern.  I used a combination of Sumi Ink, Walnut ink, watercolor, water soluble pencil, and a splash of Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Gold Ink.

I photocopied (directly on my photocopier) a sprig of burning bush leaves and berries from my front yard and gesso‘d it right on top of the “sonnet.”  I drew a trio of leaves directly onto the piece, stamped some patterns and words, and then “scribbled” a collection of autumn words on top with a Pilot Parallel Calligraphy pen.

I woke up early yesterday and created this piece after considering all the things I learned in the class.  It is my little mixed-media sonnet about Autumn.

The air is finally a bit crisp and cooler than it’s been in a long time this weekend. It is really feeling like Autumn.

And Autumn is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of year.  I wonder if it is because I am in the Autumn stage of life too…

Have a wonderful day – whatever season you are in or love.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

My New Creation Station

/ Jodi / 66 Comments

My New Creation Station / Art Studio is just about done.

A few pieces of art need framed for the walls and some fabric is needed for a window treatment, but besides splashes of paint and scraps of paper on the floor, we are about done.

Hubby has been working so hard this past month transforming  a 22′ x 13′ bonus space we had in our home into a usable space for a few of my “creative life in between” hobbies.

Duct work had to be moved for the air flow of heat and air conditioning.
A cold air return had to be added.
Recessed lighting and a ceiling fan were installed.
Walls were painted.
Flooring was laid.  (And I’m so grateful to my son, Nick, for pitching in last Saturday to help Hubby with the underlayment, padding and laminate flooring.  They did it all in a day!)
Trim was stained and cut and nailed in.

And then I got to start filling it with my painting and stamping and crafting and sewing and photography supplies.  The weekend was spent cleaning out a walk-in-closet that could not be walked in anymore and an office that doubled as a craft room.

Our large garbage receptacle was filled.  The office is now streamlined and breathable.  The walk-in-closet can now be walked in.

It was cleansing and fulfilling and back-aching and tiring work, but so wonderful to accomplish.

And one of the best parts about it all is the only new things furnishing my art studio (besides lighting and fan and flooring) are the Husky Adjustable Wood Work Table and Chrome Shelving Hubby bought me for Valentine’s Day and the fabric organization boxes I bought to organize things in.

Leftover cans of paint from other home projects were used to paint the walls and ceiling.

A very old 8′ folding table that was stashed in the basement, as well as a small four-drawer wooden baby dresser, got a fresh new look with a coat of Tuscan red chalk paint.

I’m keeping one tall wall clear and open for possible photography use.  I received the reflector and Genaray light for Christmas.  Another little spot houses my light box for photographing smaller things.

Another corner is reserved for sewing.

A very special corner is set aside for grandies and other children that may visit with a small child’s art desk that holds a roll of paper (gifted to use by some very special peeps), plastic drawers filled with wooden stamps and a carousel of crayons and markers.

It’s been fun organizing paints and supplies.  I even created a long-needed paint chart for my watercolors and am trying to decide which 20 colors to add to a new palette.

Enjoy this little 30-second Hyperlapse visit of my new little Creation Station.  Can’t wait to splash it up!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS – If you can’t view hyperlapse video above, click here to watch video on Youtube.

She is Beautiful

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

scan20161220_11004501

“She was beautiful,
but not like those girls in the magazines.
She was beautiful for the way she thought.
She was beautiful for the sparkle in her eyes
when she talked about something she loved.
She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile
even if she was sad.
No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks.
She was beautiful deep down to her soul.
She is beautiful.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Let’s teach this to our daughters
and granddaughters
and sisters
and friends.

And….
let’s teach this to
ourselves.

#BestGiftEver #LoveYourself

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Thankful – Grateful – Blessed

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

thankful-grateful-blessed-thanksgiving-card-stampinup

Thankful thoughts,
Grateful glow,
Blessed beyond belief.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Thanks Stacey Ailes of Studio Designers for hosting the StampinUp card-making class where I made this Thanksgiving card.  It was so fun to create this and a few other fun projects a couple of weeks ago with friends and my daughter-in-law.  And hopefully this card made it to its intended recipients today in time to show my thankfulness, gratitude, and blessings.

A Bevy of Birthday Best Wishes

/ Jodi / 52 Comments

abstract watercolor happy birthday card

I have a number of special February birthdays, so I had fun making a bevy of birthday cards to send out to family and friends.  This first one above is my fave (and it is already on its way to a special cousin whose birthday is Monday!).  I love the combination of purple, turquoise and yellow, and I used texturizing paste on the watercolor paper before painting to add some fun drama and dimension.

PP280 2

The Paper Players Challenge (PP280) this week is a Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge, so I chose, the diagonal of Purple, Pink, and Yellow which I did in Brusho Watercolor after embossing the coneflower silhouettes on these two cards – one in black and one in white.

pp280

PP280

Some of you may recognize this card below.  I had made this random abstract watercolor a while back, so I topped it off with this fun  Happy Birthday Die Cut I cut out in several colors.

Birthday card red white blue black abstract watercolor

For this last one, I splashed some fun green-gold olive and burnt umber watercolor paint and then spritzed it all with some gold glimmer mist.

birthday card gold green brown watercolor abstract

Wishing all February birthday friends and family the best of birthdays!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Love is in the Air

/ Jodi / 27 Comments

valentines pink and gray wondrous wreath

Love is in the Air….

Only a few weeks until Valentine’s Day, so time to play with all things lovely and pink and red and hearts and lacy  or whatever makes you feel Valentiney.

This card was made for a special someone that requested a “girlie and pretty” card for someone very special to them.  I had a lot of fun creating it with that special someone in mind.

For this card, I used the StampinUp Wondrous Wreath that is typically used for Christmas cards, but I made it in shades of pink and gray, added some tiny pearls, and backed it with a lacy doily to make it feminine and delicate and Valentiney.

This week’s Paper Players’s Challenge  #PP275 is a CAS Valentine’s card.  My card is not quite “clean and simple,” (I’ve created a few more layers than that!) but it is Valentine’s!

Our little corner of the world is bracing for a bit of a snowstorm in the next few days.  We will see.  No matter the weather – hope you are feeling warm and safe and loved wherever you are.

Remember love is a not only a noun – it is also a verb.  It is something we can give as well as receive.  And it is in giving that we receive.

Cherish the Moments.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

 

Mixed Media Hug

/ Jodi / 34 Comments

PP277

Time to join The Paper Players and play along in the color challenge Claire put out this week for all our crafting, painting, stamping friends.

I couldn’t resist participating with the fun colors this super sweet lady chose: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, and Real Red!  Oooo Laaa Laa!

I wanted to do something different and had bought some fun new stuff while shopping this past weekend with Hubby at Tuesday Morning before our movie date to see “The Revenant.”   (Did YOU see it yet?!)   I bought the corrugated papercraft cardstock paper and the Tim Holtz Alpha Parts Punch Out letters.  Combined that with some fun flowers sweet Eileen at My Creative Resolution gifted me with that just happened to exactly match “Melon Mambo,” embellished with one of my fave new dies – the pine branches from Gina Marie Designs, die cut some paper with my favorite stitched rectangle dies, added a pearl, and Voila – my Mixed Media Hug card!

It’s a bit of a quirky card, and I’m still trying to decide if I like it, but I’m guessing there will come an occasion or a person who it will end up being just right for at just the right time one of these days, so I’ll be holding onto this “hug” until then.

I sure miss being on the design team with the amazing creative Paper Players team, but it’s great to still play along!

Oh – and check out the amazing new guest designers!  WOWZA!  They have so much creativity to share!

Happy Friday!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Do More of What Makes YOU Happy

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

do more of what makes you happy watercolor card

Painting, drawing, creating….

Cooking, baking, feeding….

Eating, exercising, relaxing..

Reading, writing, rhyming…

Exploring, photographing, dreaming….

Celebrating, experiencing, observing…

Singing, laughing, talking…

Watching, crying, listening..

Loving, sharing, growing…

Working, playing, enjoying time with family and friends…

It isn’t that hard!

Do More of What Makes YOU Happy!

#CherishTheMoments

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Thank You!

/ Jodi / 60 Comments

 

watercolor thank you christmas 2015 1

Happy New Year friends, and thank you for being here with me this past year at lifeinbetween.me!

I had fun with one of my Christmas gifts from hubby – my new art easel – one day this week on my holiday break and spent a little time watercolor painting.

easel art

I thought it was a good time to design a holiday thank you note,

watercolor thank you christmas 2015 2

so I goofed around with a few loose pine tree designs that I can copy and create cards from.

watercolor thank you christmas 2015 3

Wishing you a happy new year filled with many moments to cherish!  Take the time to notice them,

to appreciate them,

to truly cherish them –

for it is these moments

that create a lifetime.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Last Paper Players Guest Design Team Post

/ Jodi / 59 Comments

PP275 Watercolor Color Challenge Christmas Mittens

It is my last week as a Paper Players Guest Design Team Member.

For this week’s color challenge, I decided to watercolor some Christmasy mittens and hang them from some greenery and red button “berries.”

pp275

The sentiment is from StampinUp’s Endless Wishes stamp set.  The greenery is cut from a Pine Needle Gina Marie die, and I simply mixed and matched some cherry red buttons to use as berries.

PP275 Watercolor Color Challenge Christmas Mittens flat closeup

I hope you will continue to follow and participate in the Paper Players Challenges.

It has been a fun six months, and I so enjoyed challenging myself, sharing with all of you, and the wonderful ladies of the Paper Players Design team!  Thank you all!  It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of your team.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi