I’m a collector of inspiring quotes and came across this one which I wanted to share with you. I added it to one of my abstract paintings with bold autumn colors. It’s a motivating quote that rings so true:
“Your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” ~Unknown
You can set all the goals you want but if your heart’s desire isn’t in it, if you can’t envision your dream or get discouraged after a few bumps in the road you can bet your bippy, you won’t be successful at it.
Hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!
Pyrography also known as wood burning is a beautiful form of art. I made this piece a while ago but love it because it’s unique and very different from my other art. I initially thought it would’ve been easy to create so when I made this I just dove right in.
I played with a scrap piece of wood trying to get the hang of it before starting on this piece and quickly learned there’s more to it! After doing a bit of research I found books on this art form and learned that not all wood is the same. I also learned that how you use the different tips in your pyrography set will greatly affect the outcome. Very important: Do this in a well ventilated area and wear a mask because there will be smoke from burning the wood.
There are some very talented artists who make super detailed pyrography art pieces that are just stunning. This is a simple piece which I loved plain, but as most of you know, I’m a bit of a color nut. So I ended up adding watercolor paints to the wood. Since wood is porous, it absorbs the paint giving it a softer look and allows the grain to show through. I finished it off with a few embellishments for more interest and bling✨
If you’re interested in trying pyrography, I highly recommend getting a book or watching a few tutorials online so you can decide if it’s something you’d enjoy.
Hope this inspires you to create art, thanks for stopping by!!
You may have heard the term “encaustic art.” It gained a lot of popularity in recent years but this is actually a 2,000 year old technique which had been lost over time. Encaustic art is a process of painting with heated wax that has been colored with pigment and as a result produces luminous and transparent works.
The word “encaustic” originated from an Ancient Greek word that means “burning in or to burn.” The earliest encaustic paintings came from Ancient Egypt where they created detailed portraits to cover the clothed faces of mummified bodies during the burial ceremony (100-300 AD). The photo below of Fayum is one of those burial paintings. But it was also a common technique used in ancient Greek and Roman paintings.
However, during the 18th century encaustic art lost it’s popularity because it became too costly and was basically replaced with tempera paint. I was very interested in this technique and created the encaustic artwork below as a tribute to my parents which included bits of sheet music composed by my father.
To create this artwork I collaged my background pieces in place and then added beeswax pellets on the canvas which I carefully melted with a small mini quilting iron (available on amazon). I added bits of color and small pieces of heart confetti in between the layers of wax and mixed it in as I went. I finished it off with sheer flowers and a drawer pull at the top. As you can see the end result is a very soft and delicate, dreamy affect.
There are plenty of books available online and in the bookstore on how to create encaustic art. It was a fun learning experience creating my first piece and I plan on making a more of it. There are so many things fun ways you can incorporate this medium into your art.
I hope you enjoyed this post today, thanks for stopping by!!
I needed to take a little break so I made a few inchies. Creating these mini pieces of art is the perfect way to destress and unwind. And for some unknown reason, I find drawing the tiny little circles very calming😊
I like to paint a handful of inchies in advance so they’re completely dry and ready to use when I feel the need. I store them on my desk in a handmade ceramic bowl. The designs were made using a Sakura Micron Pen and of course I couldn’t resist adding some glitter✨
How do you destress and unwind?
Hope this inspires you to create art this weekend, thanks for stopping by!!
I ended up making this mixed media canvas a while ago which was inspired by their book. I used a page from an old recipe book for the base of the cupcakes. If you look closely, the cut pieces of the book are actually part of a cupcake recipe and I thought that was a cool factor.
The letters for “Celebrate” were cut using a die cut machine. I stamped the word “Everyday” onto premade inchies I found in a stamp store and distressed them. Plus there’s lots of texture in this piece, especially the frosting which I love.
If interested, the book is available on Amazon and I included live links (including the book image) in this post. They also have a blog: “Everyday is a Holiday.”
Hope this inspires you to create this weekend, thanks for stopping by!!
Just wanted to show you how easy journaling can be. I made these fun doodles in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal using nothing more than a ball point pen.
Most of you know I’m a bit of a color nut, so I prep pages in advance with splashes of watercolor paint and let them dry. Normally I’ll prep a handful of pages at a time so I have them ready to go.
Then when I’m on a trip or waiting for an appointment I just pull out my small journal and pen from my bag and let the fun begin. It’s easy, relaxing and calms the mind plus the supplies are minimal. Journaling doesn’t have to be complicated to make it enjoyable. Simple art is extremely fun and satisfying to create.
There are a lot of holiday sales coming up so make sure to buy a small journal and create some art!
The idea is to create ink blots on your paper and then turn them into some type of image using your imagination. My inkblots are all weird but somewhat cute little monsters and these are my new pages. I don’t know what’s more fun, creating these little monsters or coming up with the fun names for them 😂🤣
Pearl and her entourage
Fluffy Muffins and her BFF, Jams
Agnus and her eclectic brood
Hope you’re enjoying these, thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy💖
“You have the greatest magical power within you, it’s called imagination.” ~Nitin Namdeo
I painted this Autumn abstract a while ago but thought this beautiful poem by George Cooper fit it perfectly:
“Come, little leaves” said the Wind one day, “Come to the meadows with me and play. Put on your dresses of red and gold; for summer is past, and the days grow cold.”
Hope you enjoyed this today, thanks for stopping by!
This started as a plain, unfinished wood birdhouse which I transformed into a fun spooky haunted house. To get that old vintage painted look you need Folk Art Crackle Medium which is available on Amazon. It’s super easy to use. I simply painted the house with black paint first, allowed it to dry and then applied a coat of crackle medium and allowed that to dry. Last I painted it orange and as that layer of paint dries, it begins to crackle. Very cool product!
I added embellishments I found at the craft store but was having no luck at all finding a ghost. And you can’t have a haunted house without a ghost👻 So I made this one using a Styrofoam ball and covered it with a small piece of sheer fabric.
This is a fun Halloween decoration and would also be a great and easy project to make with kids! Hope this inspires you, thanks for stopping by!!
I really love creating these watercolor abstracts. The splashes of colors are happy and uplifting making them perfect for birthday celebrations!
This was a card I made for my cousin. I thought it would be nice to add few flowers to front for more interest. She called last night to say how much she loved the beautiful card and said “this one’s a keeper.” 😊
I wanted to find something fun for the inside so I looked online and found this rhyming poem. I don’t know who wrote it but it went perfectly with this handmade card:
Instead of buying an expensive machine made card the next time someone’s birthday rolls around, try making one instead and touch their heart 💖
Flowing Waters Art 