Saying Goodbye to July

Where has the Summer sped off too?  This year Summer seems to have flashed before my eyes.  I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet, but it won't be long.  School starts here in just a couple of weeks and my mom flies in a week!!!  On that note let's look at the last week.

I created some bookmarks from an experimental page that I just didn't love, and then I gave them away on my Instagram page.  They really turned out cute and it was fun to set them free in a giveaway.

These bookmarks are just a reminder that not every piece is meant to stay in one piece.  I really love how these turned out.  Cutting something up can make all the difference.  I used a corner rounder and an edge punch on a few of them.  I added some word stickers and some seam binding tape.

During an Instagram Live, this tree was born and I finished it on Saturday night.  This one is a 4x6 piece.  The background is gessoed and Distress Inks were used in creating a watercolor background.  I used Liquitex Basic Gesso, it has a bit of texture and is a bit on the thicker side.  While it's not a heavy body gesso it is stiff enough to use with a stencil to add a light texture to a piece.

Not all my art is created in the studio.  I did a bit of work on my fairy garden Saturday.  This planter has always been a challenge, most things don't like the dirt in it.  Over the past couple of years I have tried a few things, but this year I gave up and decided to start building rock art and terracotta ponds in it.  I finally have a beautiful space.

The center pond has mermaid tears in it, aka glass rocks.  I'd like to get a few bags of these for the other five ponds, but won't be able to do that until we make out next trip to Fairbanks.

I'm one of the converts in the world of reading, as a general rule I'd rather read on my Kindle than read a real book.  Did you hear that?  Every librarian in the world just gasped.  The exceptions in my world are how-to books - i.e. cookbooks, crafting books, and books about drawing.  So let's talk about what's on my reading list...

Currently on my nightstand is Blog Inc.:  Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community.

This one is a real book, as my lovely librarian handed it to me the other day.  She knows me so well.  I'm only 19 pages in, but it's a slow starter and I'm hoping it gets better.   This book is written by Joy Deangdeelert Cho, the blogger behind Oh Joy!

Over the weekend I also added a few books to my Kindle.  There were a couple of books on sale that have been on my want-to-read list for a long time.

The Renaissance Soul:  How to Make Your Passions Your Life, I'll be honest I already owned this in hardback, but could never get myself to stick with it.  Mostly because it's a book that I feel compelled to take notes from.  By adding it to my Kindle list I'll be able to just highlight the things that strike a chord with me.

I'll donate the hard copy to the library.  It will either make it to the shelves or onto their sale table.  Either way, it will find a new home.

I added Art Inc:  The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist.  I know nothing about this book, but it piqued my interest and at $1.99 I didn't feel like I had anything to lose.  Here's hoping that tiny investment will pay off.

The last book I'm going to talk about is another that's been on my list for a long time - Art Before Breakfast:  a Zillion Ways to be More Creative no Matter How Busy You Are.

I've had this on my list for so long that I don't remember where the suggestion came from.  I'm gonna guess I heard about it on a podcast.  As someone who only works part-time, I'm not really short on time, but I'm trying to build some new habits and I think this one could help me change my direction and where I spend my time.  Less Facebook zoning and more creativity.

I hope you're enjoying these little snips into my creative life.  I'm trying to hard get back into a blogging schedule.  I'm working to create more content.  I'd love more feedback on what you'd like to see more of.