WOYWW at Stamping Ground

I found out about this great daybew at Stamping Ground and heard about it from Kylie Fowler at Blissful Pumpkin. Daybew is a funny word, and I didn't know how to spell it:) Many people have signed up to show what their desk in their art studio looks like when they are working hard at their creativity. So I thought, "Why not"! My pictures are from cleaning up though. I am artist of the month for Artbundance. I am becoming a life coach at Artellaland and I use art and writing with my clients. So when I was asked to be the artist of the month for November, I was so excited. So I did a cleanup job just for the pictures. My room is quite small I'd say 12x12 or so, but I have two huge doorways that enter into the kitchen and the other into the dining room. My house is a small what they called "colonial" on the closing papers. I think it is a cape, but it was built in 1900 and is nothing fancy, very plain with small windows. I need to keep up a small curtain or a sheer, so I have up lace right now and painted my oak cabinet a shabby chic white to brighten up the room. I also have a growth light next to my plants which gives a nice feel to the room of life and greenery, knowing that winter is coming, and having the bright light, along with my other lights at my desk, make a room feel a bit more welcoming.

I have been trying to incorporate sewing into my collage, so I figured I would put out my little vintage sewing machine that should not go to waste in its case, but be displayed as a hard working machine. I need alot of light. Not that I am that old yet, but my glasses broke, so I have to wear cheapies from the Dollar Store and I can't see well, so I have two lights, one cute little pink one and then one that has a magnifier on it also. The pieces on my desk/table are pieces I am working on or have finished.

Journal Pages-New and Different

I am changing my blog look like the way I like to change my hair color or redecorate my mantels in my home. Over and over. I had a white background, then I wanted it to look warmer for the fall and Christmas and made an awesome red, but then I noticed people were not coming to my blog as much, kind of odd, maybe my writing or photos aren't attracting anyones interest, so I am back to a white background, with my photos all displayed, and you just touch a picture with your cursor and up comes my details in writing. It is kind of cool how it works. We will see I guess. I love seeing people from all over the world come to my sight.

Fall and Decorating

As you can see, I love to decorate and I consider that Crystals Creations. I am an artist, but I absolutely have a passion for beauty and incorporate texture, color, light, furniture, house accessories and pictures and art work to be my surroundings that comfort my soul. I am one of those ladies that perhaps puts too many things around, but because I love vignettes or little areas where there are things next to things upon things, I feel like I am doing a 3 Dimensional collage of house decorations. Freecycle, yard sale giveaways, thrift stores, sales in stores and cheap stores like the dollar store keep my inventing. Blogging is another way along with Pinterest for ideas that just keep coming, thanks to many others that are like minded. To be a decorator, you don't have to be like me though. Yesterday, while at the bookstore, I was parusing through many magazines. Boy what great ideas this fall. Endless do I want to say. I keep a notebook and jot down ideas and I draw quick little sketches of ideas, color combos, items that I know I can find free, recipes, crafts and on and on. Overwhelming, but I enjoy it. When my husband sits down on the free leather couch I got and looks around the living room at the trunk I got free at an antique shop that was closing and moving, and the pumpkins I made out of sparkles and sweaters and says, "I really like it in here. It looks really nice" there is just something about that that cheers me up and makes me want to please him more. My living room mantle consists of an antique sailor that I got free from that same antique shop that closed. His hand was off and I glued it. I went to a yard sale and an elderly couple were getting rid of their treasures and were narrowing things down to live in a mobile trailer; I was able to buy a large brown antique bottle from them. I am going to make one of those labels on the computer that is a french label and apply it to the surface. I have my grapevine balls filling little spaces around the old world ocean vignette. Those grapevine balls have been in a box to give away a few times, when I grab them out thinking "What am I thinking" I can use those over and over and even cover them with moss or decorative paper. I can hang them up in a window, fill a bowl with potpourri, fill a basket with the balls and pinecones. Why would I want to get rid of such an item to only buy something like them again. I collected chinese lanterns from my garden and have them in a basket with a lighthouse in the basket. Behind the antique free trunk, I have a white wicker mirror inside the fireplace. On freecycle, someone was giving away fireplace tools. I do not have a working fireplace yet, but I do have a pellet stove and two faux mantles so I received them and put them in front of the fireplace. Next to the mentle, I have a peddle from a singer sewing machine. I got a free square black frame with a print in it. The print is autumn colors. I placed that picture on top of the trendle peddle of the machine to make a table. Place a victorian style lamp and two awesome fall colored/metalic plates on it, I have another little vignette. The plates have seated on them two votive candles. I keep a list of what I am always looking for, whether it be burlap, ribbon, candles, a certain idea to make a pillow and I need the filler, I keep a look out. I collect grasses and dried flowers and pods to make little arrangements and just fillers into those areas that need texture or color. Yesterday, I listed all the various styles I like for decorating, and truly am having a very very hard time deciding. When I look at folk art, I want to paint everything black, gold, burgundy, cream. Then I see a room that is shabby chic or a Swedish country, and I want all my chairs covered in white, white walls, only white dishes and sparse. Now there is a bohemian country, that is very different. The decorative items are brightly colored, various colors, items from different countries, little things hanging here and there, different chairs made of metal and bright colored seats, stripes, polka dots. Then there is the beach look; shells, comfy big furniture usually covered with white and or striped fabric for pillows, ships and sailboats, navy and or red stripes. Oh then the mint green and red with polka dots and burlap and canvas...I want a room of each style. The vintage 50's looks is awesome too. Oh boy, what do you think? What do you like? How do you determine what you are going to do.

Mixed Media and Collage Artists I love

These have been some of the sites I have gone to for three years or so now. Check them out. I will be posting more as I can remember and check my address book. Milliande-nothing new lately, but love to check SuziBlu-havn't received emails from her for awhile but check up for new updates Hands and Heart-Love her accent and site MotleySoulMixedMedia- I am doing a class from her Roses On My Table-I stay tuned daily Willowing-I am doing classes for the year 2012 from her, includes many artists

Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals

Everyone has got to get this book.  It is so worth the money.  it is by an artist Named carla Sonheim, the author of Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists.
I found her online a couple of weeks ago and found her book today as I am at Barnes and Noble with my husband and two children.  We had our internet shut off at home, so we have to go out now to work.  I checked out the craft section to see if there were new books.  Low and behold, her new book out on imaginary animals was on the shelf.

I am having a ball.  I am not an artist that has used creativity to this ultimate way ever before.  When I began drawing from my imagination a couple of weeks ago, my 17-22 year old kiddos thought they were cool.  I thought they would have laughed at me instead they seemed to have enjoyed them.  I want to continue this idea, especially for my grandkids.  I will post soon some of my drawings.

Fall Decorating

This fall decorating season, I decided to color my living room with black, and orange, keeping to an ocean theme, old world look, and added black and orange pumpkins to my decor, little pumpkin and goard men intermingled the regular decorations.  I just didn't want to put away my new decorations, so decided to just add into them.  I may do the same for Christmas where I will keep it simple and just add greens and berries over frames and on the mantle.
If you are going through things in your life, and don't have the time or the same season you have in the past where you took everything down, and redid every spot in the house, just impliment the fall colors:  beige, tan, cream, off white, peach, orange, black, grey, reds, purple, gold, and silver.

Artbundance and November's Artist of the Month

Yea, I am going to be featured as Artist of the month at Artbundance.  I had to pull together a short autobiography and share the reasons I love art and creativity; and where I do it.

Here are just a couple of pictures for you to see and then when I am featured, I will let you know,and you can maybe see the journal.  I have been preparing to be a life coach using art and writing with my clients and if you are ever interested, let me know, and we can work something out.