Bringing In The New Year with My Marion Smith Day Planner for 2014

Hello All! So much trouble with Blogspot these past months - I am happy to be back online and able to post! I am so happy to have finally gotten a chance to make something fun - yet useful for myself, taking me into 2014 ...here is Part One and Part Two of my Marion Smith Day Planner. Enjoy the videos - and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

When I Am in A Creative Slump ... I Do Something Else Creative

I have been in a creative slump for a couple of months now ... not even wanting to sketch. It happens - and people always ask me what do I do when I hit a wall ... and for me - I do something else creative. Crocheting, Knitting...and these days - just simple scrapping. Nothing fancy - no mixed media masterpieces ... just simple scrapping.

To boost myself along, I decided not to scrap alone either! LOL

Tiare Smith, the creator of Scraps of Color was introducing a club - the Creative Circle - ..and the most attractive part to me since funds are so tight - was the payment plan option - so I hopped on it.

Here is what I have done so far this week...and I feel the creative juices beginning to flow again.

Quick and Easy ...and Cheap - Recycled Packing Boxes

Hello Everyone! School is finally out here in Northern Virginia, the weather is breaking .... and I am in a cleaning mood. For me, it's not just the clutter I see ...it's the fact I have nothing to put things in - and my space and funds are limited.

Previously, I'd begun to purchase the Rubbermaid tubs and plastic drawers when they were on sale ... but even a good sturdy set of plastic drawers - is still between 15-25.00 ... and I don't know about you - but that van still put a dent in my pocket, considering I need a lot of storage options!

Soooo ... the other week I was inspired to try something with some Amazon boxes I was getting ready to cut down and put away (I can't seem to throw away a good cardboard box!). I'd been in Target, and saw some funky shelf liners ... and I figured - why not? The worst that could happen was I make a mess of it ... and I'd throw it in the bottom of a closet somewhere. Though what I REALLY wanted, was some inexpensive - but nice looking storage boxes that I could keep out, hide my clutter in plain sight, so to speak.

Gather Your Supplies:

Grip Prints by Contact - 5.24 per roll

Scotch White Glue - 4.79

Scissors

Get a Sturdy Box:

It only took 20 minutes, and not a lot of cutting to glue the shelf liner to the box...and VOILA!!

Now, I'm keeping my boxes simple ... . because I am going to stack them on bookshelves, on top of each other in corners, etc ... so I want them to all look uniform - and remain stackable....but you see where I'm going? I'm not spending a lot of money ... I'm using what I already have - and the shelf liner is a lot sturdier - at least to me - than the regular contact paper. Also - it's not so fancy that I am afraid to "mess it up" ... but in the end... it is for storage.

Hope this helps someone out there ... because if you have ever looked at the nice storage options - they still are a little pricey ... and life is too short to spend all your money ...for anything!!!...Enjoy the rest of your week.

Twenty Minute Scrappy Box

Seems as if I am always running late ... and this weekend was no exception. I had a baby shower to attend - and realized that I'd forgotten to buy a gift bag.

Soooo...down to my creative space I went, to pull something together - Quick, Fast and In-A-Hurry.

Good thing? I always have basecoated paper mache boxes on hand. I started with a base coated paper mache box:

Looked through my scraps to see what I had ... and pulled out an old pack from the defunct ScrapGoods Kit club:

Using my Fiskar cutter, I cut plain 12x12 pieces cardstock to size and glued them to the sides of the box, using Scotch glue:

After all 4 sides of the box were covered, I took smaller squares of patterned paper and glued right on top of the larger squares.

Once the sides were done, I took washi tape and adhered to the cover:

Then, using the same technique as the box - I completed the top of the box:

I put the goodies inside, closed with ribbon - and I was done!

No More Swaps For Me

I recently participated in a swap, creating something a little more labor intensive than I normally do .. a fabric journal. It was fun, intimidating...but in the end - I was so proud of myself for having created something so totally different.

Well .. I filmed it for posterity ... put some nice little goodies in there...and mailed it off.

I waited in anticipation for what my partner would come up with.

Now, I knew she would be a little late, as we had exchanged some very pleasant emails ... both of us were running a bit behind - busy schedules ... but all was well...we'd be mailing our packages out a week after the posted due date.

Nothing. I sent an "Hey Hiya Doin'" email...nothing. Finally, I had to let the swap coordinator know .. I mean, maybe something happened to her? Nothing. I looked on the site to see if she was posting somewhere...Nothing.

Surprisingly .. I wasn't even angry. But what surprised me...I was incredibly sad...and disappointed....and done. I think I have just reached the point of no return with these swaps. I KNOW people have things come up in their lives.. goodness knows, I do. But it's just the inconsiderate aspect of it all.

This isn't the first time I have been burned .. but it is the last time I will be burned. My advice to those who do this ... if you have no intention on following through - don't swap. If life is a little too hectic and you are not sure that you will be able to fulfill your end of the swap - don't swap.

So ... this is it for me. I will continue to craft, scrap, sew, paint ... and as much as I love receiving goodies and such from my fellow creative sisters ... I don't enjoy putting my heart and soul into projects...swaps ... to be left wondering...What Happened?

From Broken Lamp ... to Camera Stand_Crafting On A Budget

Happy May Everyone!!

Just a quick hello - wanted to share something that I made over the weekend.  I have wanted something to hold my camera, other than my traditional tripod - on my painting table ... and I stumbled on something this weekend.  I made a camera stand, with a movable arm,  out of a broken lamp that I was going to throw in the garbage.

It Is National Scrapbooking Day!!

It's the weekend - and National Scrapbooking Day!!! I hope everyone is having a creative day!!

My First Fabric Journal

I joined a swap at Your Paper Pantry ... they were doing a fabric journal swap. I've never done one - but decided to give it a shot. Here is my version of a Fabric Junk Journal:

Quick and Easy ...and CHEAP Desk Set for the Office

I hate spending money for anything at the office - especially in an open cube environment. I have seen the strangest things "walk away" from people's cubes...mugs...bottles of lotion...etc And while I hate a barren cube - I also am NOT going to spend any real money trying to spiffy it up either.

So ... rifling through papers that I've never used ... I took 4 empty sugar containers out the recycling bin at work (only one is shown in the pic) ... and I had an empty Boca Java shipping box at home...and I turned this:

Into this:

EASY PEASY! :) Have a Great Weekend ... and Happy Easter.

Hello Spring Mini Album by Kay Tee

I had a lot of fun making this mini album. I really took my time, going through all of my scraps, and devoting time to each page - trying to pack them all with a Springtime Punch!

This mini album is the second one I've done for 2013, after taking a long hiatus from creating.

What I love most about this album, is I managed a lot better with incorporating painting touches throughout the mini album. I left a lot of room for journaling and photos ... so it's a nice mini album to present pics, thoughts, etc.

A New Medium ... Watercolor

I have different journals for different things. I have a hug 11x9 journal devoted to face portraits ... I have another 11x9 devoted to mixed media ...then I have a 4x6 and 5x7 in my purse ...those I doodle in at work and on the go, mixing in daily to do lists, thoughts, etc.

By my bed, I have more journals ... one for sketching, one for watercolor ... one a mix of watercolor and mini scrappin.

I like to think I'm not the only one out there who has all these journals going at once ... LOL

Well ... this year ... I am determined to play with watercolor. Not my favorite medium by any means ... but I don't like that have have these beautiful looking paints - and they are just sitting there!LOL

So ... if you have a collection of anything sitting around ... break it open. Use it! Learn it! ... and enjoy it.

Have a great weekend.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ►Kay~Tee◄ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

If I Were A Man ....

Good Morning! I have been doodling, doodling, doodling. I refuse to call it zentangling, art journaling ... I'm just a doodler. Seems as though, when I formally set up sketchbooks, with the intention of "art journaling" - I draw a big ol' BLANK.

Sooooo ... I doodle.

I started a new job recently ... and had 2 interesting conversations with "one who is in charge" ... and it seems one of my new co-workers is "perturbed" that I do not "chit chat".

huh?

Was I SERIOUSLY being chastised for not participating in idle chit chat aka GOSSIP.

After the second "encouraging talk" ... of course ... I'm infuriated - and any inkling of wanting to talk has flown out the window. I am polite ... if they need me I respond ... but otherwise - I stay to myself.

So ... as I'm doodling and talking on the phone ... I see the words forming on the page.

"This wouldn't even be an issue if I were a man."

When is the last time anyone had a hissy fit, because a MAN didn't stop by their cube and say hello? Why is it that women are so ... so... insecure? catty? I don't get it.

I just want to come to work ... do my job ... and LEAVE.

If I were a man ... it wouldn't be an issue.

That is my story - and I'm sticking to it.:)

Have a great Weekend!

You Tube Videos - Do You Fast Forward?

Recently, I posted a video to an art group ... just a short clip showing how I paint skin tones ... and was advised that after 10 minutes, videos get boring. The advice to me was to utilize the fast forward option. I have to admit - I initially was insulted, taking the advice as a criticism, that I was boring!! ROFL But then ... I went back and thought about it ... and wondered if this were true? Now, I did go and delete the video from the group ... as I am still in the learning process myself ... and since bandwidth is also an issue for the site - I felt it was best to remove the 17 min clip. I thought about my favorite videos on You Tube ... the ones I watched more than once - and almost all of them do NOT fast-forward. As an artist, I do like to watch in real time...to hear the artist speak as they are going through their creative process. Videos that have a lot of fast forwarding - at least for me - do not keep my interest .. as I can't really follow along at a pace that is comfortable for me to learn. I then realized, I film videos the way I like to watch videos...in real time. What about you guys? Do you fast forward your videos? Do you prefer to watch videos that rely more on speed up and less on real time? Would be interested in hearing the pros and cons from others.

Painting with Stamps_Journal in Progress_ Part 3

Painting With Stamps_The Journal Cover_Painting Faces Part 2

Hello there! I get many emails and messages regarding painting African American skin tones .. so I thought I'd give a a close up view of how I build up colors to achieve one of the darker skin tone shades that I use.

Hope you enjoy - and thanks for watching!

Sketch of the Day

In a sketch book that I've dedicated to 15 min sketches ... here is one I finished today of my Great Great Grandmother ... it's titled "The Elder McLeod". It's based off of a picture she took when she was approx 86 yrs old.

Trying to stick to my 2013 to Persevere and Just Wing It!

Playing With Stamps_The Journal Cover Part One

I haven't been feeling well, so I didn't really feel like talking as I started on the cover to this journal. This is just an impromptu vid of how I am using my hand carved stamps to decorate an old journal cover

:

Ten Minute Sketch

In the painting world, there are funny little expressions to describe us artists and our funny little quirks.

One expression that comes to mind, and hilariously defines many of us...are those that are called "panty folders". Panty folders are the artists that follow the rules. The right brand of paint ... the correct brush ... line drawings are a must ... no rule breakers there.

I don't know if I'm as rigid in my creating - as I try to wing it as much as possible ... but I do find myself falling into the trap of "looking for rules" ... How to start...how to do it... how to...how to ... when I think I lose the point of JUST CREATING.

So, I'm back to doing 10 minute sketches ever couple of days. No thought ... no plan...I just get-to-sketching as much as I can in 10 minutes. I'm happy to say I pleasantly surprise myself as to how much I sketch in 10 minutes ... trying not to put too much though into it either.

Here's to "Just Winging It" in 2013.

Don't Wait to Create

I think I used to spend more time daydreaming about what I wanted to create than actually creating! I used to REALLY envy my prolific fellow artists, who seemed to create masterpiece after masterpiece.

Every creation seems perfect ... every posted image so perfect.

So there I sat ... daydreaming about creating the perfect piece.

And one day ... after another fantastic online course by fellow artist Sharon Tomlinson, I decided to take a creative leap of faith - in myself.

That is what this year is for me ... a gigantic leap of faith in myself. My own ideas. My own creations. Carving these stamps is that for me ... I'm taking what is in my head and putting it out there in the universe.

Affirming to myself that there is room .... for me too.

Let Your Mind Wander

Ever catch yourself daydreaming - and catch sight of your expression in the reflection of a mirror ... your smartphone screen...your PC?

I'm a big doodler, I love to journal and scribble on the odd note or in one of the many notebooks I have tucked away everywhere.

It's those daydreams that give me my most creative ideas ... and when I finished sketching this piece ... I imagined her to be caught up in her daydreams.

Playing With Stamps

For a long time now, I've wanted to see what my designs would look like in a stamp. Unfortunately, I was not able to get many answers to my questions from some artists who have successfully made the jump from decorative art to stamps ... sooooo...

I took matter into my own hands and made my own. Stamp carving on lino blocks was challenging at first, but I got the hang of it.

Stay tuned to see what I have in store for my stamps!