My favorite artist

Vincent Van Gogh

Ok, I need to take a break from all the craftiness.  I miss fine art.  I've been working on photographing my artwork this summer and I came across some Van Gogh studies I did a few years ago when I was student teaching.  Van Gogh is definitely my favorite artist.  His paintings have so much feeling and movement.  They are captivating.

 Study in tempera paint- who would have thought you could get a Van Gogh effect with tempera paint?!

Studies in oil pastels

And a study of my favorite Van Gogh painting "Irises".  I did this with acrylic paints on a canvas board.  This was really fun to do.  I have to try a Van Gogh study in oils someday.

Gift Shop: Red Butte Gardens

Gift shops are some of the best places to find creative inspiration.  I happened upon one such a gift shop last weekend at the Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake.  I got a few shots of my favorite things in the shop.  Cute stuff!  So feast your eyes on.....

some creative and inspirational canvases,  (I found a small typo in the one on the left- oops!)

the most gorgeous vases I have ever laid eyes on,

a happy, metal, and pricey ladybug,

pressed flowers in a frame,  (I could totally make this)

cute paperclips, ( I think someone stole my idea from my pinwheel appliques)

a snail out for a cruise in the windowsill, 

AND...

a delicate wind chime, which I think looks great just as a sculpture!

Photo of the week

Sweet summer roses.  I think yellow roses are my favorite.

Flower Cards

Here are some new card designs!  These are my new favorites.



 Linked To:
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.luckystarlane.com/
http://733blog.blogspot.com

New Bedroom Decorations

When I moved to a new apartment, I needed to figure out some new decorations for my bedroom.  I love the frame collages I've been seeing everywhere, so I made one of my own.  I bought some thrift store frames and painted them with white spray paint.  I actually ran out of spray paint and didn't get them coated completely.  There is just a little of the original wood color showing through, but I like it this way.  It makes the frames look weathered and kind of antique.

The artworks in the frames are my very own too!  Mostly stuff from my college days that were just sitting around collecting dust.

I also found this nice little hanging board at the thrift store.  It just needed a little cleaning.  Its perfect for my room!  I now have a handy dandy place to hang my purse and camera.

Printable Bookmarks

 I love the lazy days of summer!  With it being so hot out, I'm staying indoors and reading more that usual.  Hence the need for some more handy bookmarks.  I designed a few that I'm sharing today.  Just click here to download a pdf.  Print your bookmarks on some card stock and laminate them if you wish.  Happy summer reading!
P.S.  What's your favorite book you are reading or have already read this summer?

Photo of the week

My sister from Oregon left last week and now it is just boring around here.  I need to visit you, Kristin, in Oregon, where I took this picture three years ago.  Maybe next year!

Sea Creatures Decorations

I finally made use of the sea shells and other creatures I collected on trips to Mexico and Oregon.  I found some frames at the DI and painted them white.  I hot glued the sea shells to some card stock and popped them in the frames.  Super cheap way to decorate a bathroom!

Photo of the week

I have some company this week!  This is why I'm late it posting my photo.  My nephew and son have been playing with (or fighting over) trucks and cars most of the time, so I thought this photo was fitting.

Pollyanna Party

I attended my first ever Pollyanna Party on Monday night!  

 

If you haven't seen the old Disney movie, Pollyanna, you have got to go rent it.  This movie is amazing!  The main message is about love and they just don't make movies that wholesome anymore.  In the movie, there is a big party ( or bazaar as they call it) and there is lots of food and games going on.  The coolest part is the Japanese lanterns hung all around.

So... we re-created the scene of the movie, by hanging up our own Japanese lanterns around my inlaws' deck.  The lanterns were gorgeous.  I plan to either make some of these or buy them in the future to create a tradition of Pollyanna parties with my own family.

 

Napkin flowers

Remember those cute flowers from this post?  Well, I finally tried it out!  First I tried tissue paper, which didn't turn out.  I used full sheets of tissue paper and it was huge- didn't even look like a flower though.  So next I tried using your everyday napkins and that turned out much better.

If you want to make some yourself, head on over to MADE for instructions.

Photo of the week

Happy 4th of July!  My first time ever photographing fireworks!

Another re-fashioned shirt

 

This boring brown shirt was in desperate need of some life, so I made another variation of my pinwheel appliques for it.  I sewed around the center of a piece of circle fabric and pulled it tight to bunch it up.  Then I put a pinwheel with a button in the middle!  Pretty darn cute, if I say so myself.