My Workspace

I would like to tell you that my work area doesn't always look like this but the truth is, it very often does. I usually work in about 12 inches square.  I have a tendency to toss things when I'm creating. I always need one more piece of paper or another brush or some doo dad.

What is odd is at my day job my desk is neat and tidy more often than not.  There is something about creating that frees me to be as messy and playful as I want. This use to concern me but not anymore. This is the creative me. The happiest me and I'm embracing every messy inch of her.

Seth Apter is hosting a honest look at our workspaces over on his blog this week so I'm linking to his blog. Thanks to Seth Apter for this idea and for allowing me to play along.

Happy Mail and Swaps

 Happy Mail!!  

"What is Happy Mail?" you ask? Artists send happy mail to each other. It may be a card, a drawing or a small gift. It often includes little bits of things we, mixed media artists, think would be fun to use in a project.

I recently participated in a one for one swap.  We used the Hot Air Balloon from Stampington's Tempting Templates.  If you have never visited their page.. check it out. They have very cool templates.   

When my Hot Air Balloon arrived from Scotland it came loaded with other goodies.  Wee Man sent me a personalize ICAD with a dog on it.  He knows dogs are my favorite animals.

Mo included a whole passel of Mixed Media goodies: die cuts, book pages, a page from her newspaper with my birth date on it, feathers and ribbons.  I will have a great time playing with all this ephemera.  

Isn't this balloon just darling? I've hung it from my living room curtain so I can see it every time I sit down.

I'm feeling like a Renegade

The Documented Life Project theme this week was Black and White. I had a really hard time with this one. I thought and thought about it and nothing came to mind. I finally decided that I could doodle on birds. I like the contrast of the white on the black and black and the white.

The birds are cut with a Taylored Expression die I borrowed from Ann. I tore the edges of the black paper to give it a bit more texture.  Three birds in black and white complete with doodled bodies as well as background. I wasn't thrilled with the page but had no clue what else to do with it so I went to bed.

I woke the next day still bothered by all that black and white.  It was just too dull for me.  Then I remembered I still had the cutout of one of the birds and I went looking for the sharpies. I made marks all over a piece of white card using lots of different colored markers.  I began to feel better.  

I glued the bird cutout to the speckled paper and attached it to my book as a tag size inclusion. I love knowing that bit of color is behind the polka dots. 
Yep, I'm a renegrade,