A journal page I am working on

A sunset picture taken by Mr. G on the Okeover Inlet close to Desolation Sound

A  buddha in the garden at Ruby Lake Resort

The safari tent we stayed in at Ruby Lake – cool eh?

Mr. G and I on a tiny island in Ruby Lake – we canoed there

Mr. G paddling the canoe (with a kayak paddle) ……boy was I spoilt!

Glitter cast enjoying the beach while Mr. G is kayaking Ruby Lake (I was envious)

Having a rest in a fancy tree-trunk carved chair – whimsy and magic abounded at Ruby Lake Resort

Here I am sketching in a park while Mr. G kayaks

Bidding a fond farewell to the lovely upper Sunshine Coast

Our vacation is almost over – we’re spending the next couple of days down in Gibsons Bay and will be leaving for home tomorrow.

So I should be blogging again regularly  – as soon as I get the hang of the voice recognition software to help me along.

Love,

Violette

Thank you once again for all the warm wishes and thoughts from everyone.

Good grief! Our poor Violette! Were you all as surprised as I was to hear about her mishap? But, of course I love the cast! lol What a perfectly Violette way of making the best of the situation! I can hear myself in the future saying “what would Violette do” when something unexpected comes up!

Another way to decorate a cast, or, hopefully something pleasanter, is with Zentangles! Violette talked about Zentangles in one of her 5 days of frogs post and I did something similar earlier this year, but with the stencil of a woman, rather than a frog. The pattern that I used is from the book, Creative Paper Dollmaking, by Rhonda Rainey, but Violette suggested to me that you could just cut out a person from a magazine and trace it on to your canvas or sheet of paper. BTW, I am really, really into Zentangling and have covered the surface of everything from a light switch cover to a wooden craft stick. But the way that I do it is a little different than shown on the original Zentangle site.

My favourite method of Zentangling is to divide the surface that I am going to decorate into many squares and then fill each one with a different pattern. The photo is of a 5″ x7″ gallery stretched canvas, divided freehand into 40 squares. First, I draw the patterns in with pencil and yes, I DO erase until I like how it looks. True Zentangling encourages you not to worry about it and just keep going, but that thought doesn’t relax me, so I erase quite wantonly! Sometimes I change my mind completely about which pattern I will use so the eraser really comes in handy then.

A Sharpie extra fine point black pen on this and a mechanical pencil and am very pleased with the results. Now I have a unique and contemporary piece of wall art and a great reference guide to 40 Zentangle patterns! And it is just the beginnning!

With the papier mache butterfly mask, I used the sampler method again, but without a stencil. It seemed unnecessary in light of the cool shape. Next I will be using this method to cover a white cotton fedora I bought expressly for the purpose. And I’ve been using individual Zentangle squares to make Scrabble tile pendants for necklaces and bracelets! With the same idea, last week I painted 12 4″ x 4″ canvasses black, leaving a white space in the middle. Then I used dimensional fabric paint to make one large Zentangle pattern in each centre! I love it and will be posting photos on my blog soon!

There are currently 4 wonderful books about Zentangling from Design Originals. While you are waiting for them to be delivered, you can start Zentangling right away with ideas from the original site and other cool sites like Tangle Patterns.

What will you Zentangle first?

Wendy Gibson of Craft Dinner

FYI – The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Just a reminder that Wendy Gibson of Craft Dinner will be guest posting on monday. yay wendy!

I’m off to the hospital to get my wrist x-rayed and possibly have a new cast put on – so i’ll post a few photos later….oh and i’ll show you a journal page i’ve created here!

Yesterday we went on an amazing 5 hours lunch-time cruise into Desolation Sound with Beyond the Road Adventures

Ted and Joanie – thank you for being such wonderful and gracious hosts and guides.

Good morning all you good people.

I decided to highlight the patterns on my cast with a sharpie black pen and I don’t know if you can see but I have glittered a few “strategic” stylized flowers, just to make me happy when the sun catches it

Doesn’t this remind you of Polyanna’s “Glad-game” when you try to think of something good that came out of a bad situation???

“EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH GLITTER ON IT”

What a beautiful sunset to send you off to dreamland?

i could not have just a plain jane cast even if the doc said it might be removed on friday and possibly replaced – i’ll be in a cast for 6 to 8 weeks….blech….is the universe trying to tell me something? patience maybe?

i love painting dots

in my jammies as usual

i was able to take a pic of mr. g from the deck

this one finger typing is taking forever……i’ll have to think of some other way to blog when i get back……any ideas?  xo

Here’s a few photos from Desolation Sound Resort.

We are having a wonderful time here, it’s beautiful and the pristine beauty of the area is all-inspiring.

Unfortunately Violette had a little accident getting out of her kayak on a rocky beach and fractured her wrist and her arm is now in a plaster-cast and won’t be kayaking for awhile,  so MisterGee is the “Editor” for now.

On arriving, at happy hour we were enjoying a refreshment – and how appropriate – the owner/manager had just launched his “Chitty-Bang” hang-glider.

Hello everyone! What an honour it is to guest blog here and to share with you a really fun and frugal project! A big, glittery thank you to my inspiring friend, Violette, for this opportunity to connect with more creative spirits!

Paper Rose topiary
Originally uploaded by Sister Wend

I had to make these Twisted Paper Roses the moment I saw Alisa Burke’s tutorial. She really has been “redefining my creativity”! Alisa uses many different materials to make these but I just love the idea of using flyers and the free newpaper that comes twice a week. Experiment with how tight you coil or twist. You can vary the results easily by increasing or decreasing tension and using different parts of the flyer or newspaper sheet, where one colour predominates. Catch Alisa Burke’s tutorial here.

This is how I made the roses:

Choose a flyer or newspaper and rip or cut it from the fold.

Twist and coil glue, twist and coil, glue

Make a whole bunch! To make the topiary, I then took two styrofoam balls, shoved the bigger one onto a dowel, about a quarter of the way in. I then bruted the dowel entirely through the smaller ball. I shoved it in, first on one end, and then the other, working it gently through. Then I used pretty pins to fix the flowers on the balls. You can paint the balls and the dowel if you want, add a ribbon, stick it in a terracotta pot and there you have a really beautiful centre piece as well as a conversation piece!

These would be nice at a handmade wedding!

If you make some, will you please tell me? Thanks!

–
>Wendy T. Gibson<

A note from Violette – I will be back in a day or two with a few photos of our trip, which has been awesome so far.

I am such a creature of habit.  I like drawing on the same size paper most of the time – 8 1/2 x 11 so every now and then it’s a good idea to get out of being so complacent!  The above pages are done on what i believe is mulberry paper – it’s kind of porous and not something i’ve ever worked with before.  It was a stretch to create these two journal pages – the Omm page was almost ruined as i added water media to it – the paper began peeling and buckling………my first thought was “ACK!!!!!!!  I’ve ruined it!”  But then i put a piece of wax paper underneath and dried it with a hair blow dryer.  Did you notice i have a bit of a theme going there?  It’s all about nature and peace!  When working on your journal page it’s a good idea to go with where you are at at the time.  That’s what i do anyways – it always has to be personal with me.  If you like to be inspired by checking out the journals of other people you can always go to flickr and search for art journals – you’ll find tons of them.  Or if you are like me and are a bit old fashioned you’ll also enjoy holding a paper arts magazine in your hands and flipping through the pages while being inspired – i love love love the flippy noises the pages make as you leaf through them. 

Art Journaling!

For my birthday i received lots of Chapters/Indigo gift certificates so i was in book/magazine heaven.  I bought some paper arts magazines as well as arts and crafts related books.  One of the magazines i bought was Art Journaling Magazine by Somerset Studio .  I just LOVE it!  Pam Carriker has a lovely article in the magazine featuring her hauntingly beautiful women, Cathy Bluteau has a gorgeous, juicy and oh so colourful spread called Following the Doodle – you can imagine that i would love that!  Her colourful art makes me happy!  Orly Avineri almost made me SCREAM when i saw her Passport journal…….oh my gosh…..it looks like something you’d find in a pirate’s treasure chest……….all poofy and bursting with juicy goodness.  Orly uses all kinds of stuff to “poof out” or trick out her journal – coins, cork, gum wrappers, dried flowers, beads and more!  I hope you check out Orly’s art journal pages on her blog and hope that you are as enchanted as i was by her gorgeous handmade journals!

Going to Disneyland………whoops….Vacation!

Guess what?  Mr. G and i are going away on vacation for 2 weeks starting tomorrow. We are going to a gorgeous area called Desolation Sound, B.C. We’ll naturally be kayaking and enjoying being in nature!  I’m inspired to paint some pages from cardboard discards, like packaging boxes, spagetti, cereal, etc. to ready them so i can create some journal spreads while i’m away.  Just reading the Art Journaling magazine and also making the Junk Journal the other day is prompting me to make a different kind of journal for a change.  Should be heaps of fun!

Guest Blogger

While we are away i’ll have sporadic internet access so i plan on posting photos and maybe even pics of my journal as it evolves on my blog.  My friend Wendy Gibson of Craft Dinner has graciously accepted to be a guest blogger here on the two mondays while i’m away so stay tuned for Wendy’s lovely projects. Thanks Wendy!  Speaking of my artsy friend check out her article on the Retro fitness craze of hooping.  You just might want to take up hula hooping for fun and fitness.

Okay………so i’ll be seeing you next week…until then have a fabulous weekend!

Love, Violette xo

Check out the chippy nail polish!

Last nite I wanted to take a picture of myself walking on coals to demonstrate a point on this morning’s blogpost and in doing so I singed my toe. I let out a small YELP……..but apparently it wasn’t loud enough to rouse Mr. G from the kitchen table since on a scale from one to ten i’m guessing he thought it was a 3 YELP on the pain spectrum…….but I digress……

I liken tackling your FEARS and limitations to walking on Hot Coals. Many years ago Business and motivational Guru Anthony Robbins was taking folks on firewalking expeditions as a metaphor of embracing your fears and doing the things that scare you. We have limiting beliefs imposed upon us by society, our family of origin or maybe even genetically programmed into us. So we go through life perhaps not experiencing things that will enrich us because of some of these limitations. Maybe they served us as a child – don’t touch the stove it’s hot, you might burn yourself – but they are no longer helpful or needed as we become adults. So when you let go of these limiting beliefs all kinds of magical things happen. You begin to take that course you’ve always wanted to take even though you’re a total newbie and might look silly and awkward. You start a brand new JOURNAL even though you were afraid to mess up that gorgeous stark white BLANK BOOK! You ask that artist you’ve always admired out for lunch so you can learn about her art journey. You banish fears of rejection and ask that cute fellow at the pub to dance.

Your world begins to expand and you start to think that the sky’s the limit! I’m not saying that I am never fearful – GOSH no…..i am afraid quite often but quite frankly the alternative to NOT embracing my fears and doing what would enrich my life is worse. Living in regret is worse than stepping timidly towards your dreams and embracing tiny goals.

Have I ever walked on hot coals you ask? No…i almost did a few times but I understood what was behind it and that it was a metaphor and a personal growth tool and did not feel the need to do it. Whenever i’m fearful of something I ask myself “what’s the worst thing that could happen?”….the answer is usually not as bad as I had thought. I might get rejected but that’s okay – that’s just one step closer to a YES…….and it builds strength and character……i might get laughed at because i’m not very adept at using a particular art tool (highly unlikely that we would be laughed at)…….or we could send a crafty project to that paper arts magazine we adore and have it sent back (no biggie, we didn’t have it in the magazine before anyways and guess what? Another magazine might just snap up our jazzy crafty project!) We can just verbally shout NEXT!!!!!!!!!

So what are you wating for? What fears are you ready to embrace?

This is the one of the backgrounds i created for my Junk Journal.  I love creating grungy – graffiti-ish backgrounds!  I thought today i would do a simple post on what i was grateful for – this is a good prompt to use in your Journal on a regular basis:

• my family – especially grandbaby Sammy
• the magic cottage and colourful garden in the backyard
• Mr. G and his infinite patience and blossoming creativity
• my friends
• the frogs in the nearby park
• my tree i visit several times a week
• my online friends i have never met in real life but who i feel so connected to
• kayaking and being out in nature
• going on vacation (on Saturday) to Desolation Sound!  Yay!
• EFT (emotional freedom technique)
• artistic ability and the gift of being able to share it
• my book Journal Bliss
• the kindness of strangers
• paper arts magazines like Cloth Paper Scissors, Artful Journaling, Somerset Studios etc.
• art books, how to books
• Sunshine on my face
• walking barefoot
• quinoa salad
• the infinite inspiration that can be found on the net
• little cute facial nuances
• quiet
• gyspy kings
• supertramp
• dancing in the backyard
• my new hand painted silk jacket
• having a creative problem to solve – that gives me juice!
• sleeping better
• my new earthbed and pad - thank you Bernie – i’m having fun “earthing” !
• oh….lots more……i’ll probably keep adding things as i think of them!

Now it’s your turn! xo

Here is one more thing i am grateful for…….all of the wonderful bloggers out there who have been kind enough to feature me on their blogs.  Nellie Jacobs featured me yesterday on Igniting your Imagination .  Thanks so much Nellie for featuring me! xo