Not Too Shabby Doodles - They Are Good For You !

So did you see the article floating around this weekend (I found it in the Newsweek Health section) about how doodling actually helps you concentrate and retain information better ? I could have told you that ! The margins of the pages of loose leaf in my binders in high school were filled with doodles. And I was a really good student ! The pad of paper I keep beside me when I make business-type phone calls inevitably gets filled with flowers, spirals, points, faces and dots as well. I guess I was aware that doodles help me concentrate but really I just love making them ! I find it soothing, I think. This Queen is a Mistress of Doodles as well !

So when my blogpal Arlene at ArtdeMe gave me a new fabric-covered doodle journal (Gorgeous and custom made just for me ! She calls them Shabby Doodles) as part of our recent Canadian Artist Valentine's Swap, I was of course thrilled ! The paper in the journal is not appropriate for paint but perfect for ink, markers and glued down papers ! Perfect for DOODLES !

I have been kind of taking of an unintentional break from paint in the studio right now. Necessity in a way. I am working on some stuff for the Etsy shop (in bad need of an update!!!) and to sell in Montreal, all in the hopes of raising my tuition for Squam. That stuff involves the sewing machine and my jewelry making stuff which means that there is no room for spreading out the paint on the old cluttered work table !!!

That said, it has been great having a little place to do some journaling with a little less spreading out and clean up than my usual style.

Page 1 - Thanks to Arlene

The pages in my new journal seemed dauntingly blank at first so I decided to prep some pages for myself. This was fun ! I quickly grabbed a magazine and clipped a pile of words, images or whatever else grabbed my interest. I also took some scraps from my pile of painted papers.

Then I randomly glued down the stuff on whatever page felt right, here and there throughout the journal.

I also got out some of my favorite stamps and some black ink (should have used Staz-On though - a lot of black ink smudges going on but oh well ! I used my heat gun to set some of them.) and stamped away anywhere and everywhere I felt like it.

Now I have a lot of places to choose from when I sit down to doodle - blank pages or something with a little inspiration involved !

Here are a couple of recent doodle pages :

Magazine Paper collage - "Buds Bloom"

The background was done with a old worn green ink pad, a sponge and a stencil .

"Dance, Little Sister, Dance"

The dancer is a vintage image printed on acetate. Letters cut "ransom note" style from magazines.

"Om is Where the Heart Is" - two page spread

Color comes from colored pencils, markers and gel pens.

I know I won't be without my paints for very long ! They are definitely my medium of choice for their vibrancy and versatility. I am missing them already in spite of the fun I am having with doodling ! It has been fun scaling things down a bit though, making play time easy and very accessible. And it has the added plus of being good for my brain !!!

Now go doodle somewhere...it's good for ya !

Happy Monday !

Some Cool Canadian Chicks Create !

So this month, I was lucky enough to participate in the Canadian Artist Valentine Swap with 10 other fantastic Canadian women. I was the token "displaced" Canadian living in the US but believe me, these ladies did so very much to make my heart feel like it was home again !

We each made 10 gifts for our exchange and mailed them out at the end of January to begin our fun opening ceremonies on Feb.4. We opened gifts for 10 days, the last one being this morning. I has been so fun celebrating the talents of all of these artists and the thought, care and LOVE they have put into each of their creations !

I was invited to participate by Arlene at ArtDeMe and this was my first real swap. It was a fantastic experience ! I learned a lot, as Dawn at Art of Humungous Proportions, our noble leader, can attest to if you ask her about my packing job ! But most of all I had such fun and pleasure giving and receiving a little extra love for every day during our swap process !

Big thanks to Arlene, Dawn, Laura, Holly, Lisa, Martha, Mar, Nicolette, Sabina and Vanessa, some wonderul Canadian Soul Sisters ! Check out their blogs if you have a chance - you will meet some really cool, talented and loving chicks !

I will end this post with some photos of the wonderful gifts I received. I think I have shots of everyone's treasures here except for Laura's lovely and sweet smelling hand sewn heart sachet which arrived a little late to my mom's Canadian address and which I will pick up in March. (Sorry Laura !!!) For better pictures and for shots of each individual artist's work, you can check out the blog at Canadian Valentine Swap where Arlene and Dawn have done a much better job than I have documenting all the fun !

Here you will see all the treasures including Martha's spectacular crazy stitched heart hanging, Lisa's pretty lacy bookmarks,

Vanessa's lovely and delicate hand-drawn seed packets, Nicolette's romantic and pretty hanging ATC ,

Arlene's gorgeous and beautifully detailed fabric journal, Holly's delicate and perfect earrings also custom made to our favorite colors,

Sabina's awesome collage custom done with our loves in mind,

Mar's magnificent book mark with my favorite theme of mermaids gracing it,

and Dawn's little pile of treasures including "Donut Seeds" (ooh, donuts...) and the sweet and glittery "key to love" necklace.

Thanks again to all of you and I will see you at the next one, Ladies !