Send out some sweet spots…

So I am participating in the

hosted by the awesome Kat of Kat’s Eye View.

Artists from all different media and styles, and from all over the world are taking part.

I had some fun going through art journal pages from Jan. – June 2011,

looking for sweet spots to feature on my postcards.

I was focusing on bits that really spoke to me. That reflect what I feel is my style at the moment.

I cropped and framed up the images, added a digital signature and printed them out on 4X6 photo paper.

Then I printed out a postcard back with my Queen of Arts logo and one of my favorite quotes onto white card stock.

I glued the photo to the postcard blank and voila, awesome postcards that liberate and accentuate my art, ready for their journey !

“My Green Angel”

“Just Open the Door”

“Be Okay Today”

plus a few more that I forgot to take pictures of !

They are all on their way to Kat now, who will address them and send them out to their new owners. Thanks so much, Kat, for all the hard work you have put into this great swap !

In return, I will receive 5 art postcards of my own, plus one from Kat herself !

I made a couple of extra postcards that I will liberate and send to some of my Blogland pals as well, just because…

I do love this generous artist community on line ! It brings me so many gifts.

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Another gift I am getting today is a visit from my friend Suzanne from Montreal.

I have to admit that I am very tired and burnt out with all stress and the work we have been doing to fix up our rental apartment for new tenants. It doesn’t make me the most excited or best hostess in the world!

But that is the great thing about visits from old friends who know you really well, (Suzanne and I were actually roommates way back when), and who won’t judge the dust kangaroos in your house, and who are really just coming to BE with you.

Plus we have a girls weekend at a trailer in Wells Beach, Maine  planned for later this week !

So come on down, Lovely Suzy ! I am so ready just to BE…

Happy Wednesday, Beautiful Ones !

Sunday Artwork–No. 3

We had about half a day of sun yesterday. Enough to do a little yard work and feel the warm rays on my back.

Today, the grey is back.

And with it, a little grey-ness in my mood.

Time for art.

Begin with some of the great new stamps I bought from Scrollwork, this great little stamp company which is unfortunately going out of business. I treated myself before they are all gone…

I found this prepped page in the art journal – bits of spray residue in a perfectly greyish palette…

What do you see in the blobbies ?

I saw the profile of a woman, and added the pointy hat stamp with StazOn in black to form a crown of sorts.

I pinked her up with Twinkling H20’s and Inktense water color pencils and some blending with a paintbrush and water.

Added the birds on a wire (with some Twinkling H20’s on the birds for some shimmer),

and the “ No. 3” with the black ink and my stamps,

followed by a few lines from a Fleetwood Mac song…

and the piece felt done.

I love this sweet spot…

Going to spend the day looking for more sweet spots in spite of the greyness.

Listen to this cool version of this song if you have a chance…a sweet spot moment.

Happy Sunday, Beautiful Ones.

Looking for the Sweet Spots...

So the funny thing is that even though both Kims are avid photographers (Though the Chicklet is far superior in skill, I think), the cameras never came out !

There are no photographs recording the wonderful time shared by the Queen and the incredible Bodhi Chicklet but there are many great memories of the event.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to learn some very cool lessons in a week long workshop with the awesome mixed media artist Lynne Perrella. The number one thing I came away from that workshop with was to "look for the sweet spots". Lynne had us create a frame with our fingers and pass it over our art work in order to locate those spots in it that really "work" for us or that touch our artist soul. I have been using this trick in my art making ever since. It may not all be beautiful, but every piece has a "sweet spot" to savor.

I shared that lesson with Kim this past weekend when we played at art making for an entire day with our multitude of juicy art art supplies. Yeehaw, was that fun !!!

As I reflected on the time we spent together this morning after my return home, I realized that lesson can apply to our life moments as well. There were so very many "sweet spots" from the three days I spent with Kim, Riley and the doggies at her home that are framed and living on in my memory.

This morning, I took a few pictures of some the pages that I created during our play day. We used a whole series of art journal prompts that I have gathered from a variety of sources (Sarah Ahearn, Sarah Whitmire , Judy Wise and yours truly...) and filled a couple of pages each. Such fun, paint and ink a-flying, lots of sharing and story telling, color galore, no judgement, lots of support both ways...who could ask for more from play time ?

"One Song" (in progress)

One Song sweet spot...

The Queen's Progress (in progress ;))

the sweet spot...a passage cut out of "Sage Women" magazine that fit so well...

"The Bird's Plan"

Birdie's sweet spot.

"Kim's House" - finished piece and my favorite!

"Kim's House" sweet spot...

So not only do I have a ton of sweet spots in my memory after three days spent with my art-making friend,

but Kim, the Bodhi Chicket extraordinaire, has a big sweet spot in my heart as well !

I made sure to :

So here's to a fun Monday in the afterglow...

Keep looking for those sweet spots, Beautiful Ones !