Hope

Mixed Media 5 x 8
Words added digitally

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all …

Emily Dickinson

Happy New Year!

Make Time for Art

Poured inks on canvas panel
words added digitally

I have allowed myself to be so "busy" this past year with my Etsy shops, that I neglected to make enough time for my art. And I miss it, the joy of constantly creating, be it a journal spread, a little ornament or a painting. 

I've been in a rut. The past few months, most mornings I get my tea brewing and head to the computer to check on the shops... and start working on packing up orders or listing things and a hour or two later I'm still in my sweats working away. (Ah, the dangers of working at home.)  Now to clarify, I do get up and out on certain mornings, with places to be early in the day. 

However most of my days have not included time in the studio. I am challenging myself to get up a bit earlier (I'm usually up by 6:30) and get in the studio with my cup of tea and create/work on some project BEFORE I go check on the shops. We'll see how that goes. :D

Revisiting old favorites

I have a few pieces in progress... however have been so busy keeping up with my Etsy orders with the Christmas rush, that I haven't had time to finish anything. 

So I'm posting one of my favorites from a few years ago... 

Sunflower Field
10 x 10 inch
Mixed media on muslin

Sharing with Paint Party Friday 

December Bird Watching

A break in the rain Friday prompted quick trip to the Lummi Flats to bird watch. It's so gorgeous out there even without the birds. Mount Baker - the great white watcher - in the background.

Forgetting the "big" camera, I only had my cell phone. Impossible to zoom in on the Bald Eagle, Red Tail and Rough Legged Hawks, Northern Harriers, and Swans. I was able to get a (not great) photo of a blue heron hiding in the field... he was fairly close to the ditch at the side of the road.

And while we were out... saw some vintage war birds flying overhead. :) 

Happy Sunday! 

Winter is coming...

Solstice Snow
4x4 Mixes Media

Sharing with Paint Party Friday 

Gratitude #2 - Sunshine

I'm so grateful to see sunshine on this cold and blustery day. Sunshine always lifts my spirits. 

And - it may be silly to be grateful for sunflowers, but I am! Having photos of sunny sunflowers helps keep me cheerful on our cold  gray winter days. 

Sunny Sunflowers
Greeting Card Pack

Gratitude #1 - Treasure Hunting

I'm grateful for the opportunity to "find" treasures that will make someone's day.  When I'm "picking" at estate sales or thrift stores, I tend pick out things that I'd buy if I were keeping them for myself. Not sure it's good business sense, but it works for me. 

This particular item I thought was so "homely" that he was cute.  And so I bought him. 

And he was just what someone was looking for! And he makes her happy! 

"I was so excited to receive my piggy bank today.  He's beautiful and arrived so quickly and in such good condition all the way from Washington - hard to believe.  It looks brand new and I love it.

My mom died 3 years ago and this was one of the things she bought me as a child.  Just seeing it again (in person) makes me happy thinking of those good old days.

Thanks so much for the great service and for having it in the first place."

A simple letter of gratitude from a customer brings a smile to my heart. 

An Autumn Walk

Taking advantage of a sunny autumn day at Hertz Trail on Lake Whatcom. 

 Along the trail. 

Big Leaf maple and my feet.

 Fungi! 

 Looking back at the creek from the bridge.

Water

Kokanee heading up stream. 

These were just up from where the mouth of the creek comes into the lake. 

Loving Yourself

"The fact that someone else loves you 

doesn’t rescue you from the project of loving yourself." 

~ Sahaj Kohli

Little Map Owl

I love playing with torn papers to create little birds...  like this little map owl.  

What have you been working on? 

Orange Mums

Journaling with friends

Last weekend we had an art retreat type gathering at my home; a special group of ladies whom I adore from around the Pacific Northwest. There is something about being with like minded folks and just creating. 

This is one of the spreads that is mostly finished... 

and more in process...

Happy Friday! 

Hope is the thing

Hope is the thing with feathers, 

that perches in the soul, 

and sings the tune without words, 

and never stops at all."

Emily Dickinson

October morning

October morning

wandering the garden path

dew drops glistening

Autumn Mountain

Autumn Mountain
by Helen Campbell

The leaves are turning...

Autumn Web
photo by Helen Campbell

Autumn! The leaves are turning and the mornings are heavy with dew. 

Sparkles abound if you're out early enough to catch sight of them. 

Prints available here.

Little Birds make me happy!

Just added some new little bird ornaments to the shop, and thought I'd share...

Remember Blackbird 

Charmed Owl

Hawk Magic 

Starry Night Tree is a winner

Oh my goodness, I'm a winner!

The theme for July's monthly ATC contest on ATCsforALL.com was black and white. I submitted the following "Starry Night Tree.

It was created using a stencil and spraying Dylusions ink spray (White Linen) on heavy black card stock. I love it when things turn out the way you hoped they would. :)

The members vote on the entries for the month, and my card had the most votes! Cool, huh?

And even more, I get prizes! A set of 24 Derwent Inktense pencils, palette paper, paint brushes and ATC blanks.

Can't wait to get them to start playing around. Happy Friday! 

Instant Ancestors

At a recent estate sale, I found some lovely old photo portraits from the early late 1890s - 1900s, and thought I'd share a couple here.

These sisters, Hatty and Jennie, are dated 1902.

This guy looks a bit freaky... 

And this little one is just as cute as a bugs ear! 

I have a variety of instant ancestor photos in my vintage shop here, and am beginning to add digital downloads in my art shop here. 

Artist Appreciation - Tracie Lyn Huskamp

I recently read a blog post by Cathy Johnson at Artists' Journal Workshop, that August is Artist Appreciation Month. She challenged readers to share an artist who had inspired them. I LOVE that idea!

I rediscovered my artistic self around 2005, by a chance encounter at a photocopy shop with someone who invited me to a local art group that was just starting up. Now... I had been doing crafty things all along, but not what I'd call "art". I had just retired myself from a large insurance firm in Seattle (one can only take so much stress) and was working part time at a college and so had more time on my hands for ME. :)

It was through that newly formed art group that I found out about Artfest, put on by Teesha and Tracy Moore in Port Townsend, WA. There I discovered and took classes with Tracie Lyn Huskamp. I love her focus on nature and using vintage bits and pieces in her art. She's on a well deserved sabbatical this year, but you can find her blog here and her Pinterest here.

This is one of the pieces I created during an abstract landscape class I took from Tracie at Artfest.

And here's a couple of lovely pieces from Tracie!

Stay tuned for another artist appreciation soon! 

Little Birds

A couple of new little bird ornaments in the shop - these are such fun to create and they just make me happy! Made from recycled bits of vintage sheet music / vintage text and bird images, melded with beeswax.

Lofty Heights 

Believe 

Tiny Shrines

I really enjoy creating with recycled bits such as old sheet music and vintage postage stamps. I've created a series of art pieces / ornaments using mostly vintage recycled papers. 

This series are tiny Madonna shrines using vintage postage stamps on vintage sheet music, using bits of leftover mat board as the substrate. Various inks add the colors. 

Botticelli Madonna and Child 

Correggio Madonna and Child

Altered Bits

I taught a demo last week at the local art store, Stampadoodle and the Paper Cafe, and one of the things I played with was big puzzle pieces from a floor puzzle for kids. My stash was gleaned from the free pile at an estate sale. Missing puzzle pieces? Not a problem, alter 'em!

This piece measures about 5 x 4 inches, and uses vintage sheet music, text pages, postage stamps, bits and pieces from decorative papers, and the baby image is from an old catalog page. 

Recycled Artist Trading Card Challenge

I'm hosting a swap on atcsforall.com, the Recycled Artist Trading Card Challenge. I've included a list of various recycled type items and the requirement is to use at least three different items from the list on your ATC. These are some of the samples... 

This ATC uses a 1) security envelope liner as background, 2) vintage text, 3) paper napkin and 4) old sheet music. 

 This card also has a 1) tissue box background, 2) foreign text, 3) used postage stamps, 4) part of an old asian envelope and washi tape. 

This one has a 1) vintage dictionary page text as background, 2) used postage stamps and 3) bit of an old ticket and washi tape. 

Cat Artist Trading Cards

Sharing some artist trading cards made for a swap on atcsforall.com. Theme is Purrrfect Cats. I spent last weekend with a group of artists I met on atcsforall. Online friends in person can be such fun. We're heart sisters. :) Anyway, Christine is hosting a swap, and I decided I had to join, helped along with some postage stamp cats from Cynthia. Two are using backgrounds I'd intended for a swap I'll have posted next week - recycled bits. They use tissue box as background, vintage text, used postage stamps and other images and papers.

Low Tide at Marine Park

 Low tide on the 4th of July at Marine Park. So many people (and herons) enjoying the water on the lovely warm day.

About the time we were nearly back to the car, the heron moved closer to the "beach". I'd have loved to be where the lady on her cell phone was; she didn't seem to even notice the gorgeous creature near her.

How is your summer going?

Hiding in Plain Sight

We found (and left) this nest sitting on ferns about an arms length off one of the trails at Whatcom Falls Park. It's the coolest thing. Babies have fledged, but I can imagine how cool it would have been to see them. It blends in and one has to really look.

It's quite amazing what you see when you look around you.