Looking Back at 2014 ... Creative Journey

Wow ... I look back to last year at this time and I feel such a change in my atmosphere, my thinking, my goals, my accomplishments, and most of all my creativity.  

I was introduced in an online way to Christy Tomlinson in 2013 but it was once I went to one of Christy's "She Matters Retreats" that my world changed and my need to stay creative and to grow in my creativity really took off.  And THEN I also found Dawn Pritchard from The Inked Stampers and her wonderful mixed media classes keep me inspired to continue to learn.  
I became addicted to Instagram - thanks to the awesome quick tutorials from Christy, Chrissy Gardner and Margie at the retreat.  And I opened up my creative world by diving into the world of mixed media artists, and art forms of all kinds.  I started to figuratively really stretch my inspired creative wings. 

 I have take some awesome online courses from Christy, Margie Romney-Aslett, Danielle Donaldson, Junelle Jacobsen, and wonderful Jeanne Oliver - who opened my world up to many more artists both of this time and those long gone - with her wonderful "Studying Under the Masters" course.  I have participated in the Documented Life Project with The Art of the 5th gals - Robin-Marie Smith, Sandi Keene, Barbara Moore, Rae Missigman and Lorraine Bell .  
I participated in a in-person class this fall from the talented Christy Riopel - fun to go to a class like that and learn tips and tricks of doing something you love to do, which for me is Art Journaling.

I have taken many courses with Dawn from The Inked Stampers - she introduced me to the Dylusions journal, and all sorts of new and lovely products I have never tried before and I love her mixed media classes ~ Some inspired by the amazing Dyan Reavely - also through Dawn's store I have also taken in person classes from the amazing Dina Wakley and Donna Downey.  So MUCH Fun - and learned so much! 

We as a small group at Inked Stampers are working through the lovely Jamie Dougherty's online workshop "Blooming through the Seasons" - looking forward to finishing up the second half of these classes monthly with my Blooming group ha ha, and have fallen in love with my Blooming girls stamps and stencils.  A lot of the online workshops I have signed up for I still have a lot of delicious information and projects to get through - which I so appreciate when the Artists give us 1-3 years or sometimes forever class times- and at reasonable prices too.

 
It has been a busy creative year - I have filled my hurting seeking soul with Art and have come out of it feeling stronger, clearer, more at peace with my world and hungry to continue to learn and grow.   I have pictures and pages that I want to share from all these experiences - but working full time, trying to have a family life and friends, AND digging into my creative side leaves me with little time and I find blogging is where I drop the ball.  I don't usually make resolutions for a new year (as I find resolutions really should mean - plans made that never come to be ha ha) - but I really want to try and blog more regularly.  Maybe shorter blogs - more snapshots of my creative life will be something I can handle?

I started this post as a looking forward to what already I have planned creativity wise in store for 2015 ... but as I was writing realizing all that I have touched in 2014 has been amazing and had to write about that first.  Through Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Online classes, I have learned so much and have followed and sampled so much amazing art work in all forms - from not only established artists but so many other creative souls that are doing amazing and cool forms of art.  I have just "touched" on it all. 

I have sampled and tried out new art mediums (to me) - such as metal stamping and bracelet making from Christy to pan pastels from Donna and Jamie - to learning how to use mediums I have in new ways - stamping and paints from Dina to watercolour works from Danielle.  I have been introduced to many different techniques different styles and through learning and watching I am starting to feel my own creative voice starting to squeak ha ha - and it is exciting to listen to and know there is just so much more out there I want to try. 

 I sincerely thank all the amazing artists above for inspiring me through their talents and to start a healing in my soul.   And through your works and collaboration with others have opened up my creative world to following and inspiring me to seek out more artists ... Now I just need a fairy godmother to give me about 2 or 3 extra days to the weekends lmao.  ;)

A creative world is a great world to be in.
Thank you - hugs and kisses
Cheers
Sherri 

*****Oh and I should add as a postscript that the reason I first started to write this blog was because of looking forward to all the upcoming artists I have yet to get to know and projects I am exploring - such as Life Book 2015 with Tamara Laporte - Willowing Arts and Effy Wild - Love & Glitter - and tonnes of other artists, The Journal - with the Art to the 5th gals, Journaling with Suzi Blu on "Paint and Chronicle" and more ... BUT that's another blog post for another day.  :) 

Jamie Dougherty's "Blooming through the Seasons" and The Inked Stamper Boutique

I signed up for Jamie's Dougherty's "Blooming through the Seasons" online workshop (there is still time to get in on the last 6 months of this awesome fun Bloom Girls experience) ...  

 Myself and a bunch of ladies are graciously (by Dawn's invitation) getting together at The Inked Stampers to do the class together.  It has been so much fun, and definitely a huge perk to be going each month to the store and doing the class together!

Every month Jamie has introduced me to a product I have never used before or in using a product I have in a different way, it has been inspiring! 

A little taste of what we have been up to!

Month 1 - this one I was too excited to wait to do it with the girls ha ha and forged ahead and created this two page layout after watching Jamie's class ...

 Still Month 1 - the evening with the ladies at The Inked Stamper I started this two page layout - using the same technique and flowers. 

 Month two - We created this lovely lady with the beautiful turquoise flowing hair.  

 Month three - We used Jamie's "Sharon" Bloom Girl stencil and did this two page layout ... this is now my favourite stencil I just love her.  :)

Month Four - Jamie class lead us to create this lovely - with special lovely flowers full of texture and colour ... I learned about a product I have never used before .... Prima Elements Powder ... Awesome. 

Month Five - this was my first experience working this intensively with Pan pastels - I struggled with my girl at first but I have come to love how she is turning out ... I haven't decided where and if I am going to add the lovely bloom for this month, and I turned my girl into a pixie.  :) 

 Every month Jamie is bringing something new to the table and we end up with these delightful two page spread in our journals - it has been so much fun not only learning how to draw the girls but also the blooms every month.  

And so blessed to be sharing the process with the girls down at The Inked Stampers  I get to be inspired by the others doing the pages and we encourage and help each other along.  

Looking forward to the last 7 months of this course - 
Thank you Jamie  :) 

Cheers
Sherri :) 
 

Jamie Dougherty "Bloom Girls Creative Group"

Jamie Dougherty has a Bloom Girls Creative Group - which she has recently appointed a design team made up of very talented ladies - they have posted an August Challenge with an amazing colour palette.   Click on the link to see all the amazing talented designer takes on this challenge.  :)

I was working on my second month of her awesome course "Blooming through the Seasons"  and finishing that I was inspired to work with this palette also and draw a "Bloom Girl" that I have been thinking of trying, one with blowing hair.

So using the colours I have on hand in my Lycra Aqua Colours and my Derwent Inktense and Watercolour pencils I spent a lovely day drawing and then adding colour to my "Bloom Girl".

My Bloom Girl for the August Challenge 1 -

I really enjoyed this - to me it is amazing what I have learned in the last year - I have watched and learned from more than one teacher - all these amazing talented women have their own styles and techniques and it is a pleasure to learn and grow in my own style while watching them. 

I am loving this amazing "YEAR of Creativity"
Thanks for looking
Cheers :)

Stitching ... good for my soul

A bit ago I received the most thoughtful gift from my "She Matters Soul Sister" Michelle - in her little package of original little art pieces she made - was this little stitched pouch with these Brave Girl River stones inside.  I have been enchanted with this little pouch ... there was a time where I did a bit of embroidery and seeing this little piece of work had me digging into my supplies to find my embroidery floss and felt.  :)

One of my new Instagram friends Sandra @sandieloves2art put out a call to her instagram friends to help her fill her beautiful big canvas full of hearts #igheartcanvas  - What a cool idea and as the hearts are only 3' big - not a big time commitment - I decided I wanted to send Sandie some hearts too!
But what?  The possibilities were really endless but then I thought since I want to do some stitching what better idea than to start with doing some little hearts, and then maybe send Sandie a couple of those!  :)

So I started with felt hearts and have started to do a little flower pattern on them - so far some of my finished ones.  :)

Tried adding a ribbon flower to this last one and actually really pleased with the finished look.  :)

Having fun doing something a little different - very portable and can sit and stitch easily while watching my shows or chatting with my guys.

****
Oh and Sandra has posted another swap on Instagram with the hash tag #happyIGheartswap where we will start to get some hearts back for our own little project.  So excited because I am going to participate in this one also, and maybe start on my own studio heart canvas.  :)  So cool.

thanks for looking,
Sherri :)

Inspired - a little Art Journal layout

One of the Artists I follow is Dina Wakely - I love the loose and free style of her art journaling and her vibrant colours - she recently has come out with her new Mixed Media Line that includes: New Heavy Body Acrylic Paints, Brushes, Stamps, Stencils and mediums and there will be much more I imagine.  :)

I love her new heavy body paints - the creamy thick consistency and the amazing yummy vibrant colours - the local stores here just started carrying them last week or so and I almost have them all by now I believe ha ha, and have enjoyed using them in my latest projects. 

The colours are just as bright and beautiful as the dots on the packaging which is cool and they dry staying that way - which is amazing!

The other night I just wanted to use some of these paints and get some colour down, so decided to pull out my Dylusion Journal and do a little creating.  I was fortunate also to have recently printed out a free and generous PDF by Terri Kahrs of Pringle Hill Studios another inspiring artist who gets the most gorgeous saturation of colours in her work.  I love looking at her pages in her Documented Life Project Planner - every week is just a burst of colour-y goodness - oh yes I made that up ha ha. :)

This was also in a time where inspiring poet and author Maya Angelou passed away at 86 years old - often her quotes have inspired me, she was and is an amazing woman and role model.  I spent a lot of this week reading again about her life and reading pages and pages of her most famous words and quotes. 

So what do you get when you throw the inspiration of women into your creative brain and start to create??? 

You get this:

So in love with the end result - I think this is one of my favourite art journal pages ... love the colour and the sentiment.

Feeling pretty amazing at times this year --- this is good for my soul.
Cheers
Sherri :)

P.S. thanks for looking :)

Documented Life Project - Weeks 19-21

Ok almost getting caught up on my posting for the awesome Documented Life Project Planner
I know I keep repeating this (as I imagine I will all year round ha ha) but I am so pleased that I decided to jump in and do this project - along with the other 8,100 plus thousand men and women from around the world.  It has kept my creative mojo in kick start ... I am finding I can incorporate other classes and art experiences I have learned - some I haven't used for years.  :)  And continues to keep my creative edge sharp and hungry(?) for want of a better word.  I am finding it is opening up the need to get other projects off the ground, or try new ones!  Love Love Love it!  :)

 Week 19 - Document a Random Act of Kindness from you

As I started my Danielle Donaldson's awesome - Creative Girl - Land of the Light and Shadows online course during this time, I did one of the projects so I could put it in my journal.  :)
 

 I wanted to place it face front in the week that I finished it and it fell on our RAK week, so what to do?  At first I was going to write on it but then I decided I really did not want to do that so instead I did my challenge page on the inside of the tip in page.   

I did a pocket on the Challenge page so that I could write a private note to place inside - the flowers I used on the pages were actual flower pictures I took of my garden last year.  I love taking pictures of growing things.  :)  So that made this page even more special.  Used a couple quotes on kindness and a whole bunch of little pictures documenting the week and I was done.  :)

Week 20 - Use a Rubber Stamp in a New way
I do have a lot - and I say that mildly ha ha - of rubber stamps - well stamps period - think I am kind of addicted to buying stamps just don't use them enough!  And seriously how the heck to display them so I would use them more - this is something I constantly search for ideas on.  So if you find any cool ones please pass my way haha.  :)

But when I came to this challenge I decided I wanted to "stamp in a new way" versus using a stamp - an idea came to me right away so I knew I needed to go with my gut.  So I pulled some of these chipboard pieces I had and decided to maybe try to use paint and stamp. 

Well it was definitely a messy messy way to express myself ha ha, but I had fun and though it didn't give me as clear an image that I wanted - I was pretty pleased with the effect.  :)

As this was a week where I had a lot of pictures I wanted to use I knew that most of my art work would be covered in the end, so I took a picture BEFORE I finished up :) 

Week 21 -  Add embroidery or embroidery floss to your page - no floss? use thread.
This idea too came to me rather quickly so I needed to go with it ... I had received a beautiful creative gift from my friend Michelle and she did a cute little felt stitched purse and it inspired me to want to do some flowers and use embroidery floss - so an idea took shape.

In our watercolour class Danielle says what a good tool instagram is sometimes to take picture as you work through a project, it certainly was in this case.  When I looked at this picture in the light of the day the next morning after I had posted it  - I realized I had put my little center of french knots on the wrong side of the bottom flower!!!  ha ha Stuck out in this picture!  Thank goodness I found it before I put the very strong two sided tape to stick it to the page ;)  this way I just cut the french knots off and redid them.  Thank goodness for wanting to post a cool close up right?!!!

There is always a lot of discussion about the Moleskin planners thinner pages and what to do with them - I love how this watercolour background on these pages turned out, so soft and almost water like - what I did with these pages is first applied some white gesso with an old gift card and then I used my pan watercolours and did not worry about the amount of water on the pages.  Yes - the pages had a slightly wrinkled look but I don't mind that in my planner. 

thanks for looking and hope you enjoyed taking a boo at these weeks in my planner.
Cheers
Sherri :)

Documented Life Project - Weeks 16-18

I am certainly loving what a little story book, art journal, documented momento that my planner is becoming - even my son said the other day what  cool little book it is turning out to be.  It is certainly been a labour of love ... and I do think it is a grand idea and I hope the Art of 5 talented ladies decide that they have enjoyed this experience as much as the now over 8,000 members and continue the journey next year as well.  :)

Week 16 - Add a cardboard food box in a creative way

Fun fun - again this week was about my niece so I wanted something that I could incorporate into  the challenge that would be about her.  Lucky for me we had a box of Gluten Free Gorilla Munch in the cupboard with the cutest baby gorilla on the front!  PERFECT!  A tip by one of the members suggested to save a little on bulk to photocopy the box, which I did ~ Loved the finished very simple layout.   I also incorporated a second page on to the already added tip in so I could continue my photo journey of her first year.  :)

Week 17 - photograph or draw your favourite SHOES
I decided to use my slippers for my favourite shoes - I wear the all the time - as soon as I walk in the door from work or anywhere - I slip out of my shoes and slippers on and they are the last thing I take off before I put my shoes on and head out the door.  We have hard wood and tile floors through out our home and I could not live without my slippers - ALL YEAR LONG!  :)

AND I found a quote with the word slippers in it! 

A few more weeks of challenges - thanks for looking :)
Cheers
Sherri :)