Saturday, March 27, 2010

Work In Progress

Picture of my beautiful daughter who I miss so much!!




Yeah thats what I feel right now....I am a work in progress. We all are really.

For me tho, I am seeing a change come about. The direction my crafting and or art is going. In some ways it is back to my roots, the place I started but in other large ways, it is on to new things. Using old and new products.

I am really liking this place, of....growth? I guess thats what it is.

I haven't blogged in a while. I had too much going on with the business and also, well I had to do some stepping out/back/around, LOL.

I did a sort of soul search. I knew I had gotten off track in my artful journey. I had found myself sitting on the side lines and comparing myself to others. I had gotten into a rut. Too many youtube videos was the beginning. I DO NOT mean the youtube videos that show you projects or instructions. I am talking about the videos that focus on buying. I had gotten too caught up in that while I was sick and having 4 surgeries over last summer. I started spending more time looking around at products on line then just creating and playing and scrapping and you know...crafting!! So first thing I did.....stop watching youtube haul videos!!

Then second....there are just a couple youtubers that seem to me to come off a little to....how to say it,....liking themselves and what they do a little too much. Now go ahead...hit me, its how I feel. I do not like it when someone says..."I want to just SHARE this with you"....but it just feels like....I want to show off and have you tell me how great I am. I am sorry....it is just how I see it.

NOW let me say there are tons of fantastic ladies on youtube!! 99.9% of the gals on youtube are not like this!! I sub to so many awesome talented ladies and look forward to the projects they create! I get inspired and encouraged by them.When they teach how they created something, you know its from the heart!! So don't go getting all upset thinking I mean everyone...or most, or something else silly!

So I have just stopped watching a couple people. Don't bother guessing who it is either! You may not even have heard of them anyway!

I would just get to feeling too insecure or I would just end up trying to re create something that I saw, but honestly, I didn't really want to. It was weird. Prob just me, I can be strange this way, LOL!

So I am on a complete inspiration only diet!

This week has been billing for the business so not much creating going on this week, but it has been great all the same. The time to reflect and re think my goals and directions.

But I am happily gearing up for creating!! I have ordered all the new cricut cartridges...crazy I know, but I had stopped buying things for a couple weeks waiting for this time.

I have plans not just for 12 x 12 LO, but all so for some mixed media using many images I have seen on the cartridges.

I think we all get off track at times. Fades come along and products are released that look so exciting that we may jump on bandwagons that do not keep us on the crafting creating road that is the most fullfilling. So I say...BE YOU!!!

Get off the fade wagon, don't follow be yourself. Create from the eye you have!! The heart that leads you!!

Have a great Saturday!!

Friday, March 12, 2010

I am so Happy!!! Creativity!!

I am so imspired!! I have been collaging and doing mixed media all day!! I am just mixing the two, scrapbooking and collage/mixed media. I have been trying to seperate the two. I do not know why. I was keeping my painting, collage and drawing all seperate from scrapbooking.

It doesn't work for me. I hate boxes. I do not fit well into boxes. I love the unusual, different. I have tried to just do the simple grunge scrapbook pages, but its not enough most times. Sometimes it is, but really I was always so tempted to put other things or do other things to the page. But resisted.

Now thanks to some great ladies on youtube, I am comfortable to just be me. To just create my way. I want others to like it of coarse. Don't we all? But really I have to create first for me. Cause it is my love, my passion!

It is my memories. All my art is some how connected to me and what is happening at the time. Weather it is my art journal, or scrap pages. It is always some how connected to moments in time. Emotions.

I am weary of some of the same old things on youtube, but if you search you will find others who are just who they are and are doing scrap art to suit themselves!!

I have always loved the vinatge and grunge and Tim Holtz!! I also love tons of scrap paper and all the products, but I also love the vinatge odd one of a kind things.

I also found a fabulous vintage ephrema store on line!! Hooooray!!! I just placed a large order and cannot wait to get the stuff. I have tons of it already, but it seemed fitting to order today cause of my new determination to just be who I am and create for myself.

To allow the ideas in my head to merge into projects and not try to keep scrapbooking seperate from my other creative passions.

So as of this post.....things change. I have thought of getting rid of all old posts...but haven't decided yet. It is a part of my journey. Good or bad....it is the road and struggle I went through...I have always been so insecure about posting any work, art or scrapping. I have posted tags done in a rush, posted old LO, posted unfinished card....all things that if rejected I can tell myself it doesn't matter cause my heart wasn't really in to them.

But it does matter....and now as of today, pics will be posted of what I have worked on that day...iunfinished, good bad, things I like, love and hate...

There are times I have done a collage and then tore it up and put it into other projects...LOL Love this in a way.

So to myself, Go boldly in the direction of your dreams...live the life you have imagined. I am me, no one else. I do the best me I can. I can create what I want how I want. I do not need to be in a box!!

There! Done. No pics today. I spent the day shopping at my new favorite vintage store on line and did start a collage, also a LO of myself! First one ever!! They aren't done and I didn't even think to snap pics. Maybe I will later just to record the progress.

To you I say...don't buy the latest and greates...don't try to be like someone else! Scrap your way!! Create your way!! Use products you like, love!! Not what you see everyone use just cause everyone is using it!!

I am an artist, I create and document time and memories....I am good at being me!!

Just Melly

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Card..Not done

So today I wanted to try out the blending of my colored pencils with baby oil. I love the look!! I used a little too much in some spots and it ran. So lesson one, easy on the baby oil!! But Love the look.

I am not done with this card at all, but thought I would post a pic anyway. I'll post the finished card tomorrow.

Hope your day is Creative!

Just melly




The First LO I ever did...Flashback!

This is the very first LO I ever did!! LOL!! It was done, I think, 3 years ago. I had been searching on line for some blogs for inspiration. I was doing a collage work at the time and had hit a brick wall. So bored I started looking up blogs.

I came across a couple of art blogs and the gals also did scrapbooking and had posted a few LO's they had just done. I was hooked!! So I started searching blogs for scrapbooking!!


Well I spents days, weeks reading and looking and learning. I found a few message boards and just fell in love with scrapbooking and all the products!! LOL

It was 6 months or more later before I made a LO. This is it. LOL! I love the LO don't get me wrong, but it is so funny to see how I did things back then.

It is a LO of my Macaw Lillian. She was pretty young. I got her as an egglet, REALLY I did. I adore her! Here she is playing with her Winnie the Pooh toothbrush. :)

She is such a ham!! Loves her picture taken.

But anyway, wanted to post the first LO I ever did. It is sweet pictures, but so funny. Do you ever pull out your old LO's?

Blessings
just melly

Best Book, MUST READ!!

I have had this book for almost 2 years I think, maybe 18 months, but anyway, GREAT BOOK!!! I saw Yoliebean on youtube talking about it. I think she had just gotten it.

She was telling how much this book had inspired her and gave her courage to follow her artists heart. That is exactly what this book does!! It set my heart ablaze in news ways.

Years ago I started doing collage, then mixed media and moved into painting and drawing faces and then combining them on one canvas at times. I always have trouble sharing my work with others. I want so much for others to see it and share the whole process, but I am my biggest critic and the fear of rejection is so huge to me.

But this book really helped me step out a little. I am now re reading it. After hearing Yolie talk about this book I got it back off the shelf and started reading it again.

In the short time since I first read it until now, I see so much growth in my attitde and comfort level with myself and my art.

Yes I said art. I am now more into scrapbooking, 12x12 LO, 8x8 LO, minis....cards, but still do my other work.

Yes I consider this all art. Crafting is art. It is an art form. Your an artist! Now if that seems crazy I am sorry but this is my opinion. You and I take material and put them together and alter them and cut and glue and glimmer mist and stamp and arrange.....this is art!!

I know that there are some offended if someone calls themselves an artist if all they do is scrapbook, LOL, seems so silly to me that this would get under anyones skin! But it does indeed.

I don't know why. Maybe someone will tell me.

But back to this book. No matter what type of craft you do this book is a must read!! Her story of finding her passion in her 30's is very inspiring. Realizing that how ever we create is fantastic!! There is no right or wrong way to make art, creat...scrapbook.

There are great projects in there too. Some step by step. Maybe even will get you out of your comfort zone and get you trying some new things with products you had never heard of!

If you read it or have read it, leave me a comment please. Love to hear your thoughts on it!!

Blessings

just melly



Hubby's Birthday

Sunday was Alex's birthday. So after church we went to IHOP to pick up lunch to take it home to eat. I snapped this picture as he was opening the door for me to get into the car. My man, so kind! Always opens the door for me.

We hardly ever eat out. It is just more comfortable for us to take food home. If we even get food out. We just are more of an "eat at home" kind of people. Health being a big reason.

But it was a sweet day. Church was great as always. Message was about not getting discouraged. Keeping hope alive.

It was suiting. It has been very hard since our daughter moved to texas to be closer to her fiance.Being our only child, and one we waited for 11 years to have, makes it more intense it seems.

I have at times struggles with insecurity. As I get older I have less trouble with it, but fear of whatever always seems to get my mind racing.

I made red velvet cupcakes and a pineapple upside down cake for alex's birthday. Being just the two of us I gave some away to some of our customers...LOL we could never eat it all.

I love to bake from scratch. When I have good enough days to that is. Having MS can make life unpredictable. My legs can go right out from in under me or just be too weak to walk well or stand. Then the shakes that creep up on me, yikes!!

But it was a good day!!!

Happy Birhtday my dear sweetheart of over 30 years!!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Napkin mini album



I am making a mini album using pretty paper napkins. The base is the dollar minis from Mike's. Then I have collected some pretty paper napkins from different places over the last few months. I applied the napkin with gloss medium. Using it under and on top of the napkin. Let it dry for an hour and then trimmed and sanded.

Because the chip board used in these type of mini albums isn't super heavy the medium makes it soft at first but as it dries it gets hard. It also adds the extra protection the napkin needs. It sanded really nice. This is the cover of the mini.

I still have 4 other minis going in different stages. LOL! But just had to use this sunflower today.

Do you evre do that? See paper or an embellishment that just grabs you but just won't fit into any project that is in progress. So off you go to start yet another project, :)

It is part of what I adore about this passion. The ability to flow with the mood, weather, happenings. I love to allow things to take the lead.

Today it was the weather. After many many days of rain, today was sunny for the most part. I threw open all doors and sliders and did all the Monday laundry. So downy filled the house. As I walked to our mailbox I noticed all the neighbors yards had flowers blooming. The first touch of spring!!