Princess Bubbles Creates

Well, I guess I jumped the gun! My book has been accepted to be in Sue Bleiweiss's new book. http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/ So out of respect to Sue I have removed the one picture of the book. I have left up the photo of the inside of the cover as that won't be in Sue's book. I am so excited!!!! I will be a published artist!! How cool is that!!!

I created this book a while ago and submitted it to two different publications. It was not accepted by either of them. I just can't believe it. I think it's a beautiful book! Why wouldn't they want it in their publication? I painted two artist canvases and used them as the book covers. I also painted the backsides of the canvases and attached some sea shells. The backside of the canvas acts as a shadow box of sorts. The pages of the book are made up of white copy paper as well as pages from an old atlas. I adorned the spine with wires, beads and a small glass bottle that contains some tiny pieces of beach glass that I have collected.

These are some papers that I dyed with fabric dye. The colors are so rich and intense. I just love the way they turned out! I will probably use them in an artist journal. This is a nature print of sorts. I followed the directions in the book Mixed Media Nature Journals by L.K. Ludwig. Again this is done with fabric dye.

These pages are a bit juvenile but I like them. They're so bright and cheerful. We can all use more cheer in our life! I used Caran d'ache watercolor crayons to color these pages. I love Caran d'ache watercolor crayons so much I bought the biggest set they make. 126 glorious colors! One of the best tips I learned for working with these crayons is to spread the color with a damp sponge rather than a paint brush. It works great and you don't have to get your page so wet. I cut the pages into the flower and leaf shapes. It's just a bit of joy in the middle of my journal. You can't tell from the pictures but this is a really large journal. About 14 x 18 inches. It's a challenge for me to work in a journal this big. But I'm always up for a challenge!

Art journaling for a week was great - so much art time and so few responsibilities. Diane Eastham is a very good teacher but I still struggled to create something 'good'. Unfortunately, I don't do very good work in a workshop. I create best when I am at home in my studio with all my stuff. It seems you pack everything you possibly can for a workshop but there is always something at home that you wish you had brought. We came together at the end of each day to share our journal pages. I'm not all that keen on sharing everything that I create in a class but there were a number of people who were in the class that were more than glad to share everything they made. I could have lived without that. My art time is precious and I have to guard it carefully so I am quite selfish about it when I do get it! There were definitely some good ideas shared though. It was great to spend time with my friends Mary Lynn and Nancy. They are two very creative ladies and they...

I started a week long workshop in Elora today. The workshop is run by the Wellington County Museum http://www.wcm.on.ca/event-details.php?eid=64&type=norm I have taken workshops there since 2004. By far the best workshop I have taken there is the workshop taught by Gunnel Hag. http://www.colourvie.com/ Gunnel is an excellent teacher and I highly recommend taking a class with her. I learned a great deal and this workshop took my art in a new direction. Gunnel really encourages exploration and that is one of my favorite things to do. I also made a divine connection the week I took Gunnel's class. I met my dear friend Carol Wiebe. http://silverspringstudio.wordpress.com/ Carol has a great sense of humour and I was drawn to her immediately. Carol and I have been friends for four years now and it feels like we've always known each other. I thank God for all my friends but especially my art friends. They get me! This picture is a nature print I did with the...

I am so excited to go shopping with my friends tomorrow! We are going to Toronto to shop for art supplies. Of course, none of us really need more art supplies but that's okay, we'll buy some anyway. We plan to hit a number of places on Queen St. I love Queen Street. I just have to pop into Mokuba Ribbon and some of the bead stores. We also want to go to Curry's Art , Above Ground Art Supplies, Gwartzmann's and the Art Gallery of Ontario gift shop. I'm hoping to find some Inktense watercolor pencils. I already have some but I want every color! I really like how well the pigment spreads when you add water. We'll probably stop for a bite to eat at some trendy pub on Queen St. Don't you want to join us? I hope the weather co-operates with us. I love having friends that are into art! They inspire me.