Handling Stress

A friend posted what you do doing stressful times. I had to really think about it for awhile. My work schedule is crazy, not because it's very physical (I am always moving when working) but dealing with all the new procedures because of the virus and how people are reacting to them. It's very draining mentally. :(
To me cooking is a creative outlet. Using what I already have in my kitchen and garden is what I enjoy and calms my brain. I sometimes follow a recipe but most of the time I just wing it. I made this stewish thing becasue I had a big can of tomato sauce. Not sure how I ended up with it since I don't eat things from a can. I didn't even own a can opener until recently.  Everything came from what I already had and it turned out great!

Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks 2020

If you're into crafting, you have to watch Tim Holtz's Facebook videos he has been doing every Saturday during the shut down. The videos are two hours long. Tim goes into details (reason the videos are so long) about the product, why it was developed (that's the part I like most) and what you can do with it. It's so inspiring to watch and encouraging to just be creative. I have it playing while I'm cleaning up my work table. Yes it takes hours for me to get things cleaned up. :) 
The crane is a die I borrowed from a friend so I don't know the company that makes it. The gold is wallpaper from FabMo, which is now open. You can find some really cool stuff in the wallpaper section.
 I do plan to add a sentiment to the card at some point but the inspiration just hasn't hit yet. Having too much fun making backgrounds. Thanks Tim!!!!

In the garden 2020

It's been a crazy month working 6 days a week while my office figures out all the new protocols we have to follow. We had hopes that the rest of the staff would return but with the virus spiking with places opening up, we're still working with a skeleton crew. 
Spending time in my garden is my escape from all the stress. Annie likes it too, more time to play fetch. 
My daughter likes spearmint tea so I started growing it in my garden making sure not to mix it up with my regular mint. I let my
cilantro (the white flowers) and regular mint flower for the bees. I really don't use cilantro but it's easy to grow, nothing likes to eat it and the bees love it. :) 

Get Well Card for Tui

One of Annie's doggie buddies was attacked by a coyote a few weeks ago. Tui was in her yard with her owner going into the house. It is strange for the coyote to get that close to a human let alon
e that close as they were going into the house! She has a case on her front leg but is doing well. 
Where I live every property owner has to clear their hillsides of all weeds so it's been non stop weed whackers and chain saws. People are also cutting down trees because of the wild fires CA has had. It's sad to see the trees go down but I'm sure the insurance companies are having a say in all that. With all that happening there are a lot of sticks on the ground, which is a favorite of Annie. She keeps bringing me them to me to throw. I saw on Pinterest someone had wrapped yarn around a tree branch so I decided to use a stash of "thrums" (end cuts from a loom) and give it a try. Then I thought it would make a cute card to send to Tui, Annie sending one of her favorite things all dressed up. 

Alter art house - 2020

I was inspired by all the big YT artists I follow on just making art for the fun of it and using what you have. 

For me, when I'm in a creative blah time, I just break out my twinkling H2O watercolors (I like the shimmer of the watercolors and I have a lot of them) and slap color down on paper. Never sure what I will do with the paper once I'm done with it but I know at some point in the future I will find a use for it. 

I saved a post from Pinterest about making these little houses from the paper used to protect your work surface when painting. I decided to give it a try. I realized that the artist who posted the original photo had to have made some of the elements (color of windows, doors etc...) to accent her houses because I doubt that those highlights would have been randomly found on her scrap paper but still a great idea!

My card design sat on my desk for a few days because I wanted to add a sentiment but could find the right one. I also don't have a printer at home or stamp letters small enough to write my own. During this down time of having to stay home I put all my wood mounted stamps that I store in my printer's cabinet back in order of theme. Over the years they have gotten put back in wrong drawers. Two hours later, everyone was in the correct place and I found the perfect stamp for my card. It is an old  wood mounted Amuse stamp from years ago. 

So today I'm going to try and finish off a dozen cards to send off to my friends. There are weeds outside that need my attention but with unlimited time at home now, one more day won't  make any difference. :) 

Creative Block Challenge

It’s been hard finding the creative energy to do anything being in lock down and dealing with all the red tape that comes with it. I decided to go with my method of getting out of a creative funk and just slap paint down. Was inspired by an alter art photo I saved on Pinterest a while back making little houses from the paper used to protect your work surfaces when you paint. Made several backgrounds while enjoying spending time outside. Also inspired by Sandy Allnock and Tim Holtz videos on trying something different

Water Color Pencils - Beach Backgrounds 2020

I've been practicing working with my watercolor pencils to make background. Being very heavy handed, it's hard of me to get that airy brush look. 
I've started turning them into cards. I couldn't find the sentiment I wanted (it's somewhere in my stash) so I used words from a Hero Arts set (think it's the Koi Fish set) which I think works out well. It is very hard to get it to line up and to stamp well on watercolor paper plus the ink isn't as dark as I would like. But I have to work with what I have. ;)
There is a great story about throwing a starfish back into the ocean. You may not be able to save all of them but you did save one. It's a good little story you should read. If I had a printer (it's on my list to buy when I go back to work and have a savings account again) I would include it in my cards. 
I like the look of the stillness with just the starfish but I also like the sentiment. They just don't work together, at least in my mind. ;) 

Staying Positive 2020

Beach 2020

It's hard to stay positive and creative during these very stressful times. It's like always waiting for the next pin to drop or that last straw that will break the camel's back. 
Card making for me is a hobby I enjoy and I do have enough supplies (other than tape) to last me forever. Having this much time at home I've realized that for me it's getting into the creative zone that I like. Making a card is just the result. 
For many years I made and sold cards but never sent any out. I decided that was so silly so I make the effort to mail them out now too. 
Depression doesn't help the creative process at all and I have to force myself to sit in front of work table and stare at my stuff. Surfing online for ideas is like going down the endless bunny hole and at the end of the day having done nothing. I'm trying really really hard to spend a few hours  a day internet free but boredom is a killer! Even my garden is on hold becasue the garden centers are closed and my landlord has decided to increase my rent by 20%-30% (he said it's an adjustment not an increase) so my water and electrical use has to be monitored more closely now.
When life overwhelms me, I escape to the beach when I can. The hour spent walking on the beach gives my mind a break from having to be an adult. Seeing Annie so happy and relaxed is an added bonus. Annie is getting older so marathon hikes or multiple walks a day are just too hard on her. Annie does enjoy a car ride so she's loaded up into the car every time I go out even if it's just to the post office. My car has to be driven everyday to keep the small starter battery charged, it's a hybrid. 

watercolor pencils 2020

With all the lock down free time, I've finally sat down and worked with my watercolor pencils. Many professional artists don't understand why someone would want to use watercolor pencils instead of regular watercolors in a pan. The pencils work great for card makers since we don't work on big canvas and most of the time just need a little bit of color. 
I'm very heavy handed with any type of color media but I like the wispyiness (sp?)  look of watercolor. So having the time to practice with my pencils and brushes, I finally found a way to  get that look. The fun part is every painting comes out different. I do have two sets of watercolor pencils and the cheaper brand worked out better, at least for me. That was a total surprise! So now I'm going to try and turn them into cards then try once again try to file for unemployment.
Stay safe everyone and see you at the other end. :)

Creative Cakes 2020

It’s been a really bad month and I ran away to my happy place - the beach house. I decided I didn’t want to be an adult for a few weeks and just spend time being creative. 
I know there are others being bored and stressed during this lock down. These cakes are from a very bored baker with a lot of talent. The TP cake made it to the beach house 😄
The creativeness of her work is impressive and tasty! 

Annie is very sad

It's been tough on Annie with all that is going on. Getting out to play and freely roam the property isn't something she can do anymore. With more people hike up our road all day, I can't take the chance Annie will go up and say hi and ask to play. I've fenced in part of the yard and that has made Annie very sad. No more chasing the bunnies or turkeys off the property, no more picking the best spot to do her busy. We still go for our walks but it's not the same. 
I made some ginger and mint tea since my mint plant is going crazy in my garden.  Very refreshing!

Brown Cow Towels

Before the shut down, I had special ordered these dish towels to be made for my daughter's baby shower. A brown cow was my mother's lucky charm, so the theme for the baby shower was going to be a brown cow. But now with all that is going on I don't think there will be a shower but still the towels turned out super cute! Fingers crossed that the baby's daddy will be able to be there when the baby arrives and my daughter stays healthy.