My Trip to Dick Blick and Famous DAVES, etc...

After work yesterday, Family and myself took a road trip to Dick Blicks!!!! ART Supplies!!!

I felt the need for some Faber Castell Pitt Pens, that Our Crowabout mentor Nancy B. has spoken about and blogged about. I read up on them and they are the BOMB! So I bit the Gasoline bullet and loaded up the miniVan and we drove the 30 something miles up to Wheaton to the Dick Blick store. It was heaven on EARTH--So many art supplies so little money....

I kept fairly close to the list I had made and only overspent a little. I got the great Pitt Pen below

and some micron pens. Also, Goldens matt medium-this time I am trying the liquid version, as I did not like the gel type I got this summer. I also picked up a 5 pack of canvas board for some bigger collage ( for ETSY store, maybe?), an 8"X8" stretched canvas-just because and some heavy coldpress watercolor paper for ATC cards.
Both Ryan and Brianna begged for and got large spiral bound drawing pads that were on sale for $4.98--Bri already drew JONAS BROTHERS stuff over a dozen pages!!!
I was so "high" on being there that I didn't blink, just said, "oh, yeah, sure, you can have it, what ever, oh look, more paint, more pens, mmmmmmmmm,ahhhh".
Anyway, made some great friends with the people at that Dick Blicks. The young girls who worked there were SO NICE. It has been MY recent experience that store clerks/associates in specialty stores or almost anywhere anymore are just not so nice. They have been patronizing or just plain ignore you if you are over 30. These young ladies were just so nice and helpful. They treated me like a person, instead of an irritation, which was refreshing. All my goofy questions were answered without a huge sigh of disgust-with a smile even. And they treated the kids very nicely too. All too soon, we had to leave--I am already planning my next trip up there.
OH--AND I got these cute little mini wooden clips by Cavallini & Co. I had to have em!

ADB-After Dick Blick--we went to Famous Dave' in Naperville, for dinner. We do not go out to dinner very often (McDonald's doesn't count). It was so nice to have some one wait on us, the kids had a great time. We shared Highs and lows and it that was nice since we all had Highs and no one had a low. Afterward, on the way home Joe and Ryan tried to spot Mercury and Venus on the horizon, but one turned out to be an airplane!!!! Then we made up a silly song about Pluto not being a planet any more and Ryan was so impressed with my ad lib rhyme. All in all it was a fun night. We got home early enough for me to unpack all my purchases, and play with my new pens. Ahhhhhh-HAPPY DAY. Below--Two great Kids

Collage Play with Crowabout Week 5-Happiness

We are into week 5 in CollagePlay with Crowabout on Flickr and below is my submission. I really like how it turned out. It is simpler that previous ones, but that is ok--I kept telling myself as I was creating it. I looked at the pieces and was lost-What "theme" would I use this week. I was feeling down in the past week, had been thinking alot about my youngest son who died several years ago at the age of 30-so my first instinct was to do something to express that sadness. I am so glad that I waited a couple of days before starting ,as I came across this quote-really common sense--that I had jotted down in my thoughts notebook. It was so on the spot. Because I really do believe that you make your own happiness. It was just the nudge I needed to get me out of that dark place where my grief and sorrow take over.
A greater tribute to my boy is happiness he gave us all.

SO
HERE IT IS--

CollagePlay with Crowabout Week 4 and Busy as a BEE

It has been several days and I have not only been working full time but creating like crazy. There never seems to be enough hours in the day-at least when I am home. Work is another story. Why is it that time speeds up when you are home and sloooooows way down when you are at work--at least that is what happens to ME.

I got the collage elements from Nancy's Flickr site on Saturday Morning and it took a while for me too decide on what I was going to do. I knew I wanted to do a quote style page and looked for one that I felt mirrored the look on the girls face. This is one of several Hellen Keller Quotes that I love.

I got busy on Saturday night and made some ATC's while watching TV. I used some digital collage sheets that I got from DigitalCollageSheets.com. They are wonderful people who produce the Very nice quality images. Plus, if you want--instant gratification via download!!!
These are from their ATC collection and as you can see I was thinking Halloween

I have a few more to upload a little later. I am currently participating is several Swaps and am excited to see what cards I get in return. I got a beautiful RAK card from a Very Talented artist from California, Lisa Goldman.

New ART-Collage Play Week Three

I had to go back to work last week--can you tell how enthusiastic I am--not! But I still managed to do some ART play--I finished the Week Three Challenge for Collageplay with Crowabout on Flickr.
It is soooo scary for me--I try not to think about how many REALLY TALENTED people are in this group. I feel like such a poser--I have to keep reminding myself that I am learning and have my own style and talent to bring to the group too. So---Here is my Week Three Page

I sat down the other night and started to ONCE AGAIN try to get control of my art table--It's and unending task--and I pulled out a file of images and collages sheets. backgrounds, etc. and just decided to use what was in my hand-no extra printing, looking for images, digging in boxes for something else--just what was in the file at hand and came up with the following . Most of the hard work was done. All of the backgrounds were cut or made, and most of the images were already cut or colored. I did it in a limited, intuitive process--

ABOVE---The vintage images of Hot Air Balloons -I have more somewhere- in a box ??? That will be another clean up day.

I used some ArtChix elements on these two cards--the crown and quote on the "Pretty Little Baby "and the transparent Paris element on "Philosophie"


I just love this guy---I hope to do a series of Mr Carl Cards

LAST VACATION DAY

Well, today is my last vacation day, and I have been enjoying my creative freedom so much for the past 12 days. I hate for it to end. Well, not end of course, but be limited to evenings and weekends. Yesterday and today for a while, I did a lot-LOT of Creating--as well as tidy'd up my work space-put all my paints and pencils in their proper containers-cleaned all of my stamps and put them back in their boxes.
I started using my Moleskine journal while I was in Michigan and did a couple of pages using some Collage sheets from "Jack & Cat Curio" I have posted those two page sets below. Hope you like them, I do
This first pair I did yesterday

This pair of pages I did today

Collage Play with Crowabout Week 2

Just as I was starting to work on my First Challenge my printer ink ran out. Oh, I know, it was getting there-stuff had been looking funny for days. But I like to try to print til the thing is dry--They are soooooo expensive.
Off to Staples for more ink--reward card rebate check in hand!! They actually do send you a check based on a percentage of what you spend in the store over time- 6 months I think. Got ink and a ream of paper, some pens, Daughter tagged along and conned me out of a drawing pad-she is an Artist too.
I already had worked out my theme for the page, and put it together while watching "Jumper" on DVD with my son. Posted it VERY late last night/this morning.
I am pretty happy with it. It is more Vibrant than the scan depicts. My only self critique is that I do not like my handwriting--
Here is my first little Zetti---
Pieced her together last night as well Vintage photo, Tessha Moore hat and Inspiration--

CREATIVE BURST!!!

Yesterday, I finished unpacking the suitcases and catching up on the laundry from Vacation. I also unpacked the box of art supplies I took with me to Michigan--Most of which I did not use, of course. Cleaned up my art table and cleared some space and GOT a huge burst of Creativity!!
While clearing out a file of paper scraps I came across some large pieces of Watercolor paper, so while cutting it down to ATC size, cut the little scraps into Twinchies--something I have not tried before since they are so little-So to challenge myself, I first just did the background with my Aquarell crayons. Then I started looking for tiny images and set a minimum of 3 elements per card and away I went. I am very pleased with the result. I hope you like them.