I created this little owl drawing the other day so i could put it on t-shirts and other products for myself and for possible xmas gifts. I did it in zazzle. Now i plan on opening a small shop to sell these and see how it goes. The shop will probably be open tomorrow. I'm not sure how much money you make at these things - i was never very successful with Cafepress but then again i never really promoted it.

My idea was to create an image that was positive that i would actually wear. I was going to draw a woman's face but then i thought (and i got this tip from the greeting card industry) that it's a better idea to make an animal that way it's more universal and will have meaning for folks of all colours. Why owls? Well owls are quite popular right now and so that's why i created an owl. I love frogs too so maybe some frog illustrations will spring to life! Many years ago i created some greeting card designs for a local company - one of the most popular designs was my leaping frogs!

More Serenity Pictures

This bathtub on a small cliff overlooking the ocean was very enticing however the cold rainy weather kept me from using it! I should have planned ahead and brought a housecoat with me so i could have enjoyed the stunning scenery while being all warm and cozy in the tub!

This awesome chair - purported to be great for your back was positioned so that i could look over the water while reading, writing and drawing. It was such a treat sitting in this spot - many happy hours were spent there! That's the Dan Millman book next to it as well as my notebook for jotting down notes. The cup of tea is actually thin slices of ginger root, hot water, a bit of rice milk and a touch of honey. It's a very comforting drink on a cold winter's day!

This is the lovely chalet i stayed in - off to the right there was a small labyrinth

Can you see why i fell in love with this whimsical trailer?

For some reason i had a fascination with the mushrooms growing in the forest

Gorgeous Arbutus tress in Montague Harbour

Montague Harbour park.....stunningly beautiful

An abandoned Ford truck captured my attention. The forest had reclaimed it and all kinds of plant life, mosses were growing around it. Fascinating!

When i arrived at Serenity and dropped my suitcase, art stuff and all my other paraphenalia off in my cabin i panicked! I thought to myself "What they heck am i going to do with myself? What if i get bored, what if i can't stand being alone, what about no internet, what am i going to do with all my alone time?" It was so weird since i desperately wanted to have some time away in nature far, far away from the internet and other responsibilities. My internal dailogue was pretty hilarious. It rained most of the time i was gone but that didn't stop me from going out for a few walks. I even went to Montague park and took a bunch of pictures in the pouring rain - i was underneath a big golf umbrella so was still able to take photos. Some orbs did show up in the photos but i believe the majority of them were caused by rain droplets.

It was so wonderful and healing to be out in nature walking around - the rain kept people away so my walks were pretty quiet and special. I drank in the scenery and the quiet and thought that i could hear the trees whispering to me. Well they did whisper when i turned off the inside chatter. The trees and mushrooms found their way into my art. Did you see i put them in the hair of the woman in a Journal page (yesterday's entry)?

While at Serenity i was shown the Dan Millman book The Life You were Born to Live. It pretty much blew my socks off! It was uncannily accurate - especially when i had devised my life path - there are 37 of them. It was incredibly humbling. I was able to see where i have stumbled over and over again due to not having a proper foundation. It was so embarassing at times i wanted to turn away from the book however i knew it held some big truths for me which could help me live a much more honest and real life. I gained greater clarity and direction - now i just need to change my past patterns to move forward. Don't you just love coming across a book that shakes your life up to it's very core?

This project appeared on the Art Glitter site last weekend so i'm posting it late here for you to enjoy!

Christmas Crow Ornament

Can you imagine a Christmas tree bedecked with fun glittery crow ornaments? Now that would be something to crow about! This whimsical magical crow has just flown in to help your tree sparkle and shine! The crow ornament is an easy project that even kids can get involved in creating! You can use your ornament as a present topper or hang all year round in a special spot.

Supplies:

#724 No moon transparent microfine glitter
#263 Bright Gold Ultrafine opaque glitter
#742 Rock moss transparent microfine glitter
Fantasy fiber Snowflake
Fantasy Film – Blue Nile
Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
sticky strips
cardboard
acrylic paints – assorted
metallic paint - copper
feather
glue gun, glue stick
glittery string
masking tape
tissue paper

Directions:
1.create a pattern of a crow head – draw 2 (as shown), draw 2 circles for the halo. Draw an eye shape for the bottom of the crow head. The crow head is 4�h x3�w (without the halo).

2.Cut pattern out and tape together using masking tape. Leave opening at the bottom to stuff the head. Stuff head with tissue and tape the bottom up.

3.Brush Designers Dries clear adhesive onto the crow head and add bits of torn tissue paper to completely cover the head. Tape the halo together and cover with tissue the same as you did for the head.

4.With your glue gun add radiating lines on the halo.

5.Paint crow head and halo black.

6.Paint beak and halo with metallic paint. Paint eye.

7.Add a strip of sticky tape to the bottom of the crow head. Remove red coating and then sprinkle on no moon transparent microfine glitter.

8.Apply designer dries clear adhesive to halo and beak and sprinkle on glitter – bright gold ultrafine glitter to the halo and rock moss transparent microfine glitter to the beak. Add a bit of sparkle to the eye if you like! Sprinkle excess off.

9.Cut Blue Nile Fantasy film into thin strips approximately 15� x 1/2� long. Gather in the center and tie with string. Add a bit of Snowflake Fantasy fiber to the center and tie on with the string.

10. Poke a hole in the bottom of the crow head with an awl and stuff the bundle of fantasy film/fiber (folded in half) into the hole. You can hot glue it to secure.

11. Poke a hole in the top of the crow head and stuff a feather in – add a dab of hot glue or Designer dries clear adhesive to secure.

12. Hot glue halo to head. Poke a hole at the top of the halo and thread a piece of sparkly string through. Voila! Your ornament is complete. Enjoy!

I created a video a couple of years ago where a group of my girl friends got together with me to create similar crow ornaments

This is Chenoa with her painted purse she created on Friday. Didn't she do a great job? Chenoa is very meticulous and deliberate when she creates something unlike her sister Talia who jumps in with wild abandon. It's fascinating to witness everyone's different style of creating! This project was based on the Graffiti purse i created a while ago along with a video

Tomorrow i'll post pictures i took while away on retreat and blog a bit about that!

Creating a Journal page around my personal retreat.

A closer look at the page before putting it together. I wrote a bunch of stuff with 3 different coloured sharpies in 3 different directions (on top of each other). Then i brushed on a layer of gesso. When the gesso was dry some of the words came through - a cool ghosting effect (learned about it on youtube).

The Journal page put together - you can see some of the ghosting lettering in the background. The idea behind it is to write about how you feel so you get the energy onto the paper without anyone being able to read it.

Detail of the page

Hello I'm back again but to tell you the truth i'm not ready to be back......could have stayed away for a couple more days. So i won't blog too much about the retreat but will tell you that it was marvelous to be in the woods at Serenity by the Sea - spend time in nature, visit with creative spirits like Shera and Chidakash of Serenity and yesterday before coming home i was able to have a lovely visit with the talented Annette Shaw - another artist and kindred spirit. I was able to create 2 journal pages, write and read to my hearts content! No internet! Yay! Even though having the internet is amazing it can also be a bit of an albatros at times when you can't get away from it. While at Serenity i came across a book (which Chidakash brought out) which i'll talk about on Monday that gave me an aha moment about my personality, my strengths and challenges. I spent a few hours reading it and trying to understand myself better so that i don't sabotage myself. It was very enlightening!

Well i have to go and answer a kajillion e-mails and get ready for Talia's sister Chenoa (14 years old) to come over to paint a purse - that's her Birthday present. Hopefully i will be more energetic on Monday!

Have a lovely weekend!

Love Violette xo

This is a photo of yours truly walking amongst the Redwoods in California a couple of years ago.

It was my daughter-in-law Kathryn's birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday Kathryn! I know my son is treating you well! He has so much more to love now with your big baby belly and YOU!

Please come and see me..... I'll be at Opus Langley (95-5501 – 204 Street, Langley) tomorrow from 2 – 4 pm doing a demo – a visual journaling page from start to finish......demo of painting backgrounds, borders, faces, lettering etc. I'll bring my Journal pages for you to view so you can see lots of finished pages!

The Winner is........
And the winner of Rice Freeman Zachary's book Creative Time and Space is Krystin! Congrats Krystin! Could you please contact me so I can send you the book?

Getting Right with myself
I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going away on retreat by myself for 4 days starting on Sunday. I haven't gone away on a personal retreat to a quiet place (I'm not talking about going away with girlfriends or partners) for over 3 ½ years. If you are anything like me going away somewhere close to nature is a balm for the soul. Lately I've experienced a fair amount of anger, rage and upset around a certain issue. I've journaled about it, written, created art and even spoken to a therapist and a coach about it. For some reason I can't move past the upset (it goes deep) which has spiraled into negativity and inappropriate behaviours and comments (from me). Mr. G is pretty open and honest with me and has mentioned that my negativity has gotten out of control and that I needed to do something about it. We had a discussion about it and decided that I needed to go and be by myself for a while. I plan on walking in nature, writing, drawing and doing whatever moves me. Hopefully the quiet and nurturing island of Galiano will help me move back to my center and feel human once again.

The reason why I mention this rather than just posting a brief “I'll be away on holidays for several days� and won't be blogging kind of post is because I hope that you too will honour the place that you are at and listen to the whispers of your soul. I had wanted to go away for quite some time but didn't think Mr. G would go for it since we are rarely apart. I had not realized that he probably wanted some peace from my tourette – like rants which had become uncontrollable........they even scared me! The thing I value so much – peace of mind – had totally eluded me. This anger was like a spinning ball of mud splattering everything in its path. I deeply apologize to anyone who had to endure my misplaced wrath.

So I won't be blogging until next friday (when I come back). Hopefully I will have been able to dust myself off, listened more clearly to my heart and written down my authentic feelings. I need to breathe in the clean air of the ocean and walk in the forests.

I wish you all a wonderfully peaceful weekend and week!

See you soon!

Love, Violette xo

I'm going to post this trailer print and laminated magnet set on my etsy site in a short while. I've always thought it was nice to get something along with a print don't you? The print size is 8 x 10 with a white border and the laminated magnet is 4" x 5". It's glittered too! I have to prevent myself from glittering the print too - i need to realize that not everyone is as fanatical about glitter as i am!

This morning i'm going to make some Virgin Mary buttons and some trailer buttons - my daughter Jessica and i traded button machines. She has my large button maker and i have her 1 inch button maker. It's funny but i have difficulty figuring out which piece goes in first - like i mentioned before i do believe i am dyslexic - or getting worse as i get older. I wonder if that is a menopausal symptom? Poor menopause gets blamed for so many things these days!

I'll be adding the Virgin Mary button along with a trailer button to my Running shoes - it's sort of like a protection. You've probably heard of St. Christopher and how he protected travellers? Well many people would wear St. Christopher medals or have them in their cars as protection. I decided since Mary is my prefered Saint she'll be my protector. The trailer button will remind me to be a traveller wherever i go and to look at things with "fresh eyes". If i can figure out how to incorporate the Mary button into a jewelry piece then i will and of course i'll show you the results!

Last night's radio show went well i think. The host Brenda and I spoke about art and spiritual matters as well as EFT (Emotional Freedom technique) and how it could help you to unblock creatively. I've found that if i begin the morning with an EFT session about intending to have a great day then it actually sets me off on a positive course. All of the tapping may look silly but in my experience it really works! You just might want to try it!

I created this illustration a couple of years ago and thought it was appropriate to repost it now! Tonite at 6 pm PST I'll be on OM radio show for one hour. I'm not really sure what we will be talking about but i'm sure there will be a bit of art and spirituality in the mix. This is the description of the show:

Description: This space is provided to uplift humanity, increase awareness to the world around us and to share the multifaceted talents of people around the world.

You'll be able to call in, make comments or ask questions. Also there will be a Journal Bliss Book giveaway too so you get the chance to win a copy of my book. If you are unable to listen to the live broadcast you can always listen afterwards - the show will be archived. I hope you will tune in to Brenda's show!

Zen Habits
On Zen Habits there is a wonderful article on "The Key to Dying Happy". Basically the article talks about living with the end in mind (Stephen Covey talks about it) - what would you want people to say at your funeral? Knowing this will help you formulate your life purpose. Check it out......i think you will be inspired!

Who's your Dada?

I haven't read this book yet but everytime i see the cover and read the title i smile bigtime! Linda O'Brien and Opie O'Brien teach you how to create mixed media dolls with unusual items. I would think with the popularity of robots that Who's your Dada will do very well. I did thumb through the book at the bookstore and it seemed pretty interesting. I might put it on my Christmas list.

And speaking of robots...... Amy Flynn creates wonderfully whimsical robots and has now come out with a Robot Calendar! How cool is that? There is a fabulous article on Amy Flynn and her robots and studio of course in the magazine Where Women Create! A couple of years ago when i was exibiting at the Craft and Hobby Association gift show Amy had a booth near my tabletop display. She was promoting her whimsical designs for stationary products. With the downturn of the economy Amy found that her business was struggling........so what did she do? She decided to do what she loved best and that was to create whimsical robots. Amy is a survivor indeed! Take a look at her awesome robots....they will bring a smile to your face!

You have a couple more days to sign up for the Creative Space book giveaway - please sign up on the messageboard or send me an e-mail! Good luck!

Land of the Misfit Art
Remember the caddy that was in the picture with me? Well here it is - it toppled over when i bumped it last nite. Apparently i didn't do enough research and development regarding gluing plastics to wood. I had freshly painted the plastic containers and then glued (with a strong glue) dowels to them. The dowels came off with the glue stuck to them. What i should have done was sanded the plastic, left the area clear of paint and then adhered the dowel to the plastic. Live and learn. Next to the broken caddy is the fused plastic bag purse i made a while ago - some of you will remember it? I got sick while fusing the plastic bags together. I painted the purse with acrylics, added a face, sewed it and then brought it to a party. The fused bag was so popular that people there wanted to order some. Unfortunately after a few uses the paint began to quickly peel off revealing the plastic Safeway bags beneath it. Clearly research and development was needed for both of these items! It's always suggested that when you create something new you should try it out on friends and family to see how they like it and to see how it holds up. I was reading that many new indie product lines sprouted because the artisan began to make things for their friends who ended up loving them so much and then the demand for the product came from there. I had wanted to mail the caddy to a magazine for possible inclusion in their publication so it's a good thing this happened beforehand!

This morning i'll be teaching Visual Journaling to a group of teens at a local High School so i'm looking forward to that. A number of my classes had been cancelled due to low enrollment or no shows so it's nice to see this one going ahead. Many folks have difficulty understanding what it's about (Visual Journaling) unless they can see an actual product before they sign up so it can be difficult to promote. I think in the States (especially in California) there is a huge market for art classes, there are many venues too so it makes it easier for artists hungry for new techniques to attend workshops. Up in Canada we don't have as many venues plus people are not as quick to sign up for something they are not familiar with - of course Scrapbooking is another story - it's very popular here just like it is in the rest of the world. It is more of a challenge here to find a place for my work and classes. I keep trying different things to see what works and what doesn't. A number of teachers told me they would love me to come and teach all day in their classrooms but unfortunately they can't pay me. When the economy is faltering the school system slashes money for the arts so it's not surprising. I know that there is money to be had for worthwhile endeavours that help enrich students lives! I just need to be creative to find it!

My friend Joanna and her husband - this photo was taken down at the beach on Nov. 11 at 11:11 in the morning! Isn't it awesome? My friend Sandra and her husband are both professional photographers who happened to be invited to the ceremony. Being photo buffs they had their cameras with them and took some totally gorgeous candid shots......this is one of many! What a gorgeous moment captured on camera!

This is the "before" picture of my photo shoot the other day........what a difference eh? It's amazing what a bit of makeup, clothes for props and attitude can do!

This is the after shot...same person......just jazzed up a bit.

My friend Gemma sent me a picture she took during a visit to the magic cottage. The picture was of me standing on a stool about to take a picture of the Glittersisters...she said it was one of her favourite shots. I was explaining to the group about how much more flattering it would be if i took the photo that way. Of course if you are a teenager you'd look good any which way......from a camera angle on the ground to up on a ladder. I don't know about you but i always want to tear up photos where i look crummy, washed out or sad.

Capturing the past
Speaking of capturing moments yesterday i went to my Mom and Stepdad's home to shoot a video of them talking about the old days - telling their story. I wanted to make videos to give my kids and also for Ron's (my stepdad) son and my sister's kids. I'm not the best videographer but at least this video will be a bit of documentation that we can look back on. My Mom and Ron had many interesting stories to share which would be lost forever if they were not documented. Listening to their stories (and every now and then prompting them to tell the story about.....) made me realize how incredibly easy we had it growing up. My Mom lived in poverty for a while after her father died and her Mom had to make do with so little - the kindness of a social worker and the church helped them survive in Morocco. Ron lived in Germany and had some pretty harrowing stories of living in Berlin as a young boy in the midst of the war. He shared stories of collecting bombs and grenades that had not detonated (as a tiny little guy) near his home and bringing them to the local policeman's house to detonate. Their were stories of the kindness of the French who were imprisoned nearby but were allowed to go to the beach on weekends. They shared chocolate with the German children. There were stories of the kindness of German commandants and the Russians. Basically what i took away from it all was that people are people everywhere........there are good and bad in every group. How we demonize (through propaganda) an entire group is beyond me. What i noticed from Ron's stories despite living through bombings and fighter plane crashes (in their neighbourhood) was a deep love for their family and an appreciation for the little things in life. For example Ron developed a love for classical music because his father played the piano constantly.........through discord, fighting.......through it all the music helped save them. In fact the music really did save Ron's father when he was imprisoned - he got to play the piano for the officers and was spared what the other prisoners had to endure. Amazing isn't it?

I was pretty emotional while listening to the stories as i stood behind the camera.

Consider capturing the stories of your parents or grandparents - in their words before it's too late. You can buy an inexpensive video camera or borrow one and simply shoot. There are video editing programs that come with computers to make it easy for you or you can buy a program like i have - Pinnacle. What a great gift this would be for a family member for Christmas!

Inspired at Home Live
This morning i was watching and listening to the Inspired at Home live show on facebook. I'm amazed by the technology available to us that enables creative spirits like us learn about creative products, meet some of our favourite designers and learn some new techniques. If you have a webcam you can even ask questions on the air. There is a chatroom where you can also chat away (that's where i was). This is what the facebook page says about the weekly event:

Join host Tiffany Windsor, arts and crafts expert, for Inspired at Home LIVE! Your gathering place to join in regular creative lifestyle discussions including interactive video, audio and chat. Learn about new products, project ideas, participate in product reviews and join in creative lifestyle interviews. Learn, socialize, collaborate and connect with your creative friends!

Brenda Pinnick has been sharing advice about colour on Inspired at home Radio and the live event too........do check out her fabulous illustrations and products. She's an amazing artist!

They even have a wednesday night pjamma party with Maria Nerius! Fun stuff!

Don't forget to sign up for my book giveaway contest here!

Last night Mr. G took some photos of me for promotional purposes. Some of the photos i have been sending out are a bit outdated. For example the one on my about me page in front of the Glittergirl van is approximately 8 years old...YIKES! Last night we experimented with the flash and without. The colours are so much more saturated without the flash we found. I had Mr. G take some pics before i got dressed up - without makeup and wearing my sweat pants - it was a lovely sight indeed.....so i had trundle into the washroom and add some foundation (which gave me hot flashes - my face can't breathe), mascara, lipstick, lipgloss, eyeliner and a wee bit of lipstick on the cheeks (don't have any blush). I've been looking rather grey these days so need all the help i can get. I added one of my many pashminas so i could look a bit more interesting without overpowering. I have read that artists/designers need to have professional photographs taken since doing so conveys a message of professionality. In the past i have had some professional photos taken but have not always preferred them to the more candid shots taken by friends and family. Last night though we did remove a decorative plate from the wall behind my head so it wouldn't interfere with the photo - so i guess in a way we did some "photo styling". It helps if you study photos of other artists in their studios and homes - what entices you, what helps to make their environment exciting? There is so much eye candy in the magic cottage that sometimes it interferes with things - it's hard to focus. It just dawned on me that another thing to consider is the colour bouncing off of a surface and hitting the subject. I'm sitting at the counter/table which is green so the colour will bounce onto my face making me even look paler which means if i want the shot there i have to bump up the makeup a bit. Interesting eh? Another thing to consider - when you are "mature" ( i say that with a smile :)) it's a good idea to be shot from above so you simply look better! I asked Mr. G to stand up on a stool to take the shots. At first he didn't listen to me and took them while standing on the floor. Then when i asked again "Could you PLEASE get on the stool and take some pics" he too could see the difference. That is something for you to consider when having photos taken.

I'll bet you thought i'd forget about the Creative Time and Space (Rice Freeman Zachary's lovely book) book giveaway eh? Well i didn't.....even though i REALLY want to keep the book for myself i want you to enjoy it too! North Light was kind enough to send me a copy to give away on my blog. Please enter your name and a comment here and i'll throw your name in the hat (haven't got a random number generator yet and don't even know what one is!). If you are not a member fear not.......your name can be entered in the contest if you send me an e-mail . I'll be drawing a name next friday! Good Luck to all!

I'm off to meet my Mom and Step-Dad at the coffeeshop. Mom wants me to show her how to draw and colour some poppies so she can add them to a scrapbook page for her Dad - she wanted to honour him for having served in the war.

Just to let you know that my class at the Upstart Crow was cancelled for tomorrow due to low enrollment - they are rescheduling it for January.

Don't forget Nicci's Creative Finds Craft Fair tomorrow and Sunday! I'll bet she is going crazy right now setting up the hall. Should be a wonderful fair!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Love, Violette xo