lazy days & mondays......

I have been very busy lately and really needing a little time of rest.  Monday was just the day I needed.  I didn't have to work and I found myself just laying around doing really nothing but reading.  My hubby was home but he was off doing some yard work so as I sat and read I came across something I want to share with you and it reads:

I believe that true identity is found...in creative activity springing from within.  It is found, paradoxically, when one loses oneself.  Woman can best refind herself by losing herself in some kind of creative activity of her own....Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Creative activity might mean bird watching, tennis, quilting, cooking, painting, and writing.  Creative activity immerses us  fully in the here and now, and at the same time it frees us.  We become one with the activity and are nourished by it.  We grow as the activity grows.  We learn who we are in the very process of not thinking about who we are.

   Spirituality and creativity are akin.  There is an exhilaration rooted deep within us that is a lifeline to God.  Creative activity releases the exhilaration, and the energy goes through us and out to others.  We find ourselves....through the loss of our self-conscious selves while creating--a picture, a sentence, a special meal.

 I thought that this is so true at least with me.  I read this the night before and as you know  ideas just come to me when you least expect them.  

I was using this pillow on my lap while I was reading and then this flower caught my attention.  Can you see it? the cream one, so faint but beautiful with all its individual pedals just begging me to paint it.  Since I started a class on making goals I started making notes on what I want to achieve.  One of the goals I have is to learn to paint flowers.  I just looooovvvve floral and really want to learn how to paint them in all kinds of forms so with some research on the Internet, a few YouTube videos, I was ready to give it a try.  I have tried some in the past and some worked out and some didn't but that never stops me if I am on a mission.  So here is the result.......

I am a lover of anything vintage and just using things that aren't the norm for my art projects.  So I used this old book for my canvas.  I laid the book cover flat and cut it down the middle of the spine.

Then I used modge podge to glue the flap down.  I do this so it will cover the raw edge of the cover.  I will also cover the back with some fabric or scrapbooking paper when I am done.

The flap is glued down and ready for paint.

I started with a base of orange because I decided to have the background a brown tone and this was a good accent color. 

I found also, that using just orange didn't really give me the solid color I was looking for so I added some white gesso to the paint and that did the trick.  I normally don't need to do this but this type of fabric on the cover needed it.

I started with a simple sketch just so I knew where everything would go and also fit the size of the cover and started painting the flower.  But as you can see on the next photo that really isn't the steps you do it in.

You really need to do the background first with the picture in mind and then do the sketching.  As you can see I lost the flower that looked so great before.  Lesson learned....

I wasn't sure what colors I was going to use really only that I knew that I would paint the flower cream. I also had a different shape of pot but as I drew the sketch this is what came out and I love it.  I love the colors too.  I need to learn a lot about where the light comes from and how to paint that but for know I love this little painting and can't wait to do some more.

This is the pillow and the painting together.

When I finished it I put the painting on the fireplace and sat back and just enjoyed it but as I looked I knew there was something wrong with it.  So back to the studio it goes....

The stem was to dark so I needed to add the highlight to it so you could see it and now I am done. 

I just love it and this type of painting type is called free painting which is fast and not so precise.  You are to just let it flow without much thought.  I found that this is just how I like to paint.  This painting only took me about 1/2 hour to 45 mins. to complete and to me that is the instant satisfaction I need.  I can't spend hours and hours on trying to make something look "real"  because I found I don't like painting that way it almost stresses me out.  So now I have found my type of painting and need to learn some more and practice. 

Plus, as I was painting this I was thinking about the devotional I had read to you at the beginning that I truly do get lost in my creativity that I do forget about the world and find a peace about it.  So sit down and think about what your creative passions are and maybe you have a goal of trying something new....find the time to research and give it a try it will give you such a satisfaction of completing a goal you have had for years.  Really it is worth it my friend....now go find yourself.

xo

barbara lynn

mini album for my Mom......

I had been working hard on finishing this mini for my mom for Mother's Day and was glad when I got it in the mail knowing she would receive it before Mother's Day.  This is my first completed mini and I absolutely love it!!!  So much so that I am almost finished with one for myself.  I make so many things and give them away that I decided to start making one for myself too.  This mini was made with K&Company the Madeline collection paper and some Madeline die cuts.  So lets begin.....

I used gold embossing power for the outside edge and the die cut frame, the sentiment was from the paper line, and the floral from some silk flowers I took apart and a faux pearl button from Walmart.

The pictures used in this mini were taken two years ago but knew they would be perfect for this mini.  My grandkids just love to have their pictures taken and will just pose for me and I love that about them.  So now that I found mini albums on YouTube I can't wait to do more.  I have sooooooo many pictures but found the traditional 12 x 12 scrapbooking books to much for me and so overwhelming so these mini's are perfect for me.  This mini was taken from an idea off of YouTube by Lake Avenue Designs, she does just beautiful minis and I followed her design but then added some of my own touches as well.  Here is the first two page spread......

on this page I just did a corner punch on the photo and added a burgundy flower that I painted from the multi colored flowers by Recollections, added the pearl button and two small white flowers from my silk flower stash and put two bling centers, and added a spray stamp image under the photo.  I just love how Austin is folding his hands together like he is just loving these picture taking shoots.  How adorable is what my granddaughter would day.  All the pictures taken for this album were taken in a hotel room when we went to go see them for Christmas.  It was wonderful on the color of clothing and how it worked perfect for this mini.  I had them stand in front of the white wall and away we went.  Unfortunately my hubby is not a picture man so he did not want to get in on the pics.  But he did a great job capturing us all together.

I just loved working with this paper line because its so me love everything about it except that they stopped making it in the 12 x 12 paper stack!!  You can only get the 8 x 8 now and not sure how long that will last.  I got mine from AC Moore Craft store.  Well, anyway this page I loved how it turned out.  I did a dimensional butterfly with two blings down the center, added a pocket with some pink ribbon glued on the inside edge, cut down on the front pocket and added a white bow and inserted three photo mats.

I really didn't add words to this mini and just let the pictures do the talking.  The top picture of my daughter, ganddaughter and me is a three generation pic and we took it at McDonald's if you can believe it.  I love that when you do something in black-n-white how professional it becomes.  The other two photos are the ones my daughter had done professionally and they turned out beautiful.  What I did was take the photos she sent me and added them into power point and printed them onto white cardstock and that work perfect.

I just noticed I didn't take a picture of the next two page spread together so I guess I will have to do them individually.



This page was made with three pockets (made from envelopes and cut down to the size I wanted) and glued down in three different directions.  I added a sentiment here and put a clear acetate mat over it so to protect the photo on the other side.

I added pink glitter ribbon from a bow bought from the Dollar Tree and added three heart shaped brads for the centers so they could be used as a pull tab.

Here is how it looks without my eyeballs staring at you.

This side picture was taken more than two years ago but wanted to make sure I had a picture of my hubby in this mini.   This page is actually has a flap and this pic is on the front of that.  I used my favorite corner punch on it too.

When you open it whaa la....

Austin has such wonderful facial expressions and am glad when I capture them.  This is such a sweet picture of them two together.  They are the kind of kids that don't mind hanging out together and taking pics together!!!

My daughter isn't a picture taker like her dad so I am really glad when she will let me just get some pics.  This is my favorite for sure.  I loved how the pink silk ribbon mirror our arms hugging each other.

This flower I took off another silk bunch and added only the pearl part of the buttons I got from Walmart.  Love it!!  They look as good as the prima flowers if I do say so myself.

This is the next page spread.

On this page I added a picture of my son and the two grandkids here and added some bling and a spray clear stamp image.  Oh, I also antiqued all the edges with Distress Walnut Satin.

This is one of my favorite pages.  It looks like a corset and it held the two photo books perfectly.

Here are the two books I added......

The first one I added the flower that I made......

and added these portrait size pics.  I loved the pic of Cheyenne because when we were taking pictures she said here grandma take this.  She made a heart with her hands and said she was saying I love you to me.  Do you just love it???  Wiping away a tear from my face I tell ya.

The next one reminds me of a checkbook cover.

I added a die cut oval from the collection and embossed around the edge with gold.  The pink was already on there.

Aren't these photos beautiful just look at Cheyenne she is such a natural, who knows maybe she will become a model.

Here is a closer look at the front of the pocket page.  I stacked two butterflies for dimension and added two sliver blings for a pop.  Added two half circles to each edge and punched seven holes on each side for the ribbon.  You can add as many photo books or mats to this pocket you just need to loosen the ribbon to allow for them.  Love It.

The last two page spread....

I added just a photo, bling, and a spray stamp image.

Here is another favorite.  This is an envelope pocket page with a flip.

I added a dimensional butterfly, a blue bling to the center for interest, and for the two pocket pull tabs I added my favorite buttons.

I added my sentiment to this page and put another clear acetate page over it so it wouldn't ruin the photo page.

Here is the picture I used on the very first page but did it in black and white I thought it was a nice ending photo.

I love the two slide out pictures on this page!!!!!!

Sooo adooooorable!!!!

Here is the back page with my handmade stamp, and a smaller mat that I used some gold embossing powder on the edge to tie it in with the cover.  So that is it and I thought it turned out BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, & BEAUTIFUL!!!!!  I am so hooked on mini albums!  My mom called me and said she just looooooooveed it and was sooooo surprised too.  I was glad she loved it and you can guess she will be getting many more.  Thank you for looking at my first completed mini with me, I hope it may have inspired you to make mini's too.  Happy Mother's Day!!

xo

barbara lynn