When in doubt, reach for your favorites!!

What do you do on a hot summers day? I, for one, do not do well in the heat (triple digits all week) so an indoors activity (aka: ART ) is my first choice!! When in doubt, I pull out the "old tried & true"... Jacquard Dyes are my "go to" medium of choice... I love the vibrant colors, the way they flow & saturate the paper leaving behind a welcoming surface for my favorite pen... I never tire of working with them!    

I really enjoy making postcards, the size seems just right... not too small & not too big... the plus being, when you're finished you can slap a postage stamp on it and share a bit of yourself along the way by sending a little greeting to someone that you've been thinking of! 

Pictured below are some postie "blanks" waiting to be Janoodled... 

 

Pictured below are the finished postcards awaiting their postal journeys... I originally planned to write different versus on each, but for some reason I felt what I had to say could just bear repeating... 

My "ART" is not what I do, it's who I am!

 I'm very glad you stopped by to see what's new... 

Until next time,  Happy ARTing!!

One brushstroke at a time!

Good news everyone... I am not going to "beat the dead horse" with any more excuses of an absentee muse in my world... It's time to move on!!  

 Below you will find a few recent projects... just for fun!!

First of all... 

 Happy Summertime to All...  

Hope you are enjoying fun filled adventures that are sure to make many wonderful memories?!

"Starry Nite" Janoodle Envie - Shimmer background doesn't show up

 Janoodle "Puzzle" -  created for an AFA Swap   

 

"Living Canvas" - clumsy me, I dropped a bottle of dye

As usual, thanks for stopping by...

Blessings to you all!!

 

Oh where, oh where can my little "muse" be... ?

If I were an author I'd be describing my recent frustration as "writer's block"... but instead, as an artist with an "awol" muse, I seem to be experiencing what I'll simply refer to as "artblock"! To be honest, I can't remember a time when I have ever been so "uncreative" since giving up the old "9 to 5" many years ago! It seems that lately every time I attempt to escape into my work space for an art inspired endeavor, my attention and energy gets diverted elsewhere and it's beginning to take it's toll on my normally sweet & amiable attitude!! I pray for the sake of all those around me, that these distractions are short lived and all things in my art-universe return  to normal sooner than later!! Until then, I choose to just believe that, this too will soon pass!!

I did become intrigued with a swap on AFA that one of my favorite hosts organized, "Junker Jane" style dolls... it seemed like fun and I couldn't resist giving it a try even though it would entail "sewing" which is definitely not one of my strong points! If you are not familiar with "Junker Jane", there are many examples to see on the internet. These unique dolls are what might be called "creepy & cute" all at the same time! I soon discovered that my attempts at creating dollies in this style were falling way short of the quality & vision that I had hoped to achieve... after more failures than I care to count, I only managed to create 2 dollies that I would dare make claim to and in all good conscience I knew that they are not what my fellow artists deserved to receive in return... so I did what I very rarely do, I withdrew from the swap! 

Well, you can't hit a home run every time at bat, but if you don't step up to the plate, you'll never know!! 

Below are pics of my two surviving dollies... (not sure where they will end up but for better or for worse they deserve to at least be seen!!)

 Thanks for stopping by, until next time...

Blessings to you all & HAPPY ARTING!!

 

Give a hand to someone who may need it !!

Just a short little Show & Tell to let everyone know that I am alive and well... whew, I'll bet some of you did have your doubts?! However... my muse has been MIA this month... I've sent out the hounds, hopefully she will get tired or hungry or cold and return home soon...(I have left the door unlocked & all of the windows open)!!

Below is a pic of some "Janoodle" Hands to symbolically wave goodbye to May and hello to June!! I got inspired to try my hand at creating these from a swap on AFA... I've been doing soooo many different shapes lately that a rectangle seems to have lost it's appeal to me (for now anyway, I can be a bit fickle!!)

 "With This Ring"                    "Live Long & Prosper"

 Thanks for your continued interest in my work... 

you are truely appreciated!!

Until next time... Blessings to you All!! 

F is for Feather or Fish... definitely, for FUN!!

Just a little quickie Show & Tell for today... My favorite "take home" inspiration from SeARTle was a template for creating a "feather"... several of us did join an impromptu 6:6 feather swap while there, it was a fun challenge having the pressure to create on the spot and in the end it was a great beginning for a continuing collection! (My feathers were included in the pics on the last post)

Upon my return home, I promptly got to work creating feathers to fulfill some promised trades. Below is a pic of some feathers that I have come up with so far, there is definitely more on the horizon... hopefully I can convince some other artists to trade with me... I've become obsessed, I want more!!

Janoodle Style Feathers

One of the projects that I created to take along in hopes of trading were my "Funky Fingerlings"... I fashioned them after a PIF Swap on AFA called "Funky Fish"... the difference being the size, my fingerlings are much smaller at only about five inches in length. They were well received but no one else had the template ahead of time... I was thrilled to extend "fish credit" and await my fish when their muse inspires them!

Below are a few fingerlings that I'm sending out to honor additional trades!

"Funky Fingerlings"

Thanks for dropping in to take a peek...

Until next time... Keep on ARTing!!

Great People + Great ART = Great FUN!!

Whoa, whatever happened to April? It seems that it has come & gone without this absent blogger giving it even the slightest bit of acknowledgement... I thought about coming on to post an exciting tale of intrigue & mayhem to explain where I've been, but I guess that a big fat lie would not turn "two wrongs into a right"... In actuality, life just got in the way!

Let's start off with a little recap... in one of my last posts, I mentioned that I was preparing to go to an artist gathering in Seattle, Washington aptly named SeARTle 2016. I'm happy to report that I did indeed travel across the state last week-end to meet up with fellow "AFA" members and that I enjoyed myself completely! It was indeed a pleasure to meet so many talented artists that I had traded artwork with during these past 3 years as well as having the chance to  watch them in action as they worked in their own unique styles... I picked up some wonderfully creative tips that I definitely plan on trying out!! 

Almost immediately upon arrival, the trading began... at times it felt like the action became as frenzied as one would imagine the "trading floor" at the Stock Exchange on Wall Street to be like!! Artwork changing hands, right & left... deals being made for future trades and negotiations for "on the spot creations"... the only thing missing was a "closing bell" at the end of the day!!

I managed to score some wonderful works of art... (I didn't dare leave them lying around for fear that they would be swept away in all of the excitement!!) 

Below are pics of my "Treasured Trades", (all works are copyrighted by each individual artist...  not to be reproduced without permission!)

Feathers, Domi-Book, Fingerling, Hearts, ATC's & SeARTle Block Print

USK tip-in pages - approx. 3 3/4" X 5 3/4"

 

Thank you for stopping by, until next time...

Happy ARTing & Blessings to All!!

 

Hippity, Hoppity, Happy Easter!

"Springtime Flutter" - Jacquard Dyes w/Ink

Blessings for a 

Joyous Easter Season 

to You & Yours...

He Is Risen!!

Jump on the "Zine" wagon straight to Funsville!

 

I may have come late to the party but several months ago I came across something of interest that apparently was not a new idea at all... where had I been? This was just up my alley, it's hard to believe that I hadn't gotten in on the ground floor of the "ZINE" phenomenon... for those of you who are even farther behind than I am, here's what some main stream resources have to say...

Wikipedia 

• A zine (zeen; an abbreviation of fanzine or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts images reproduced via photocopier.

  
Even Merriam Webster Dictionary came on board: Zine

• a small magazine that is written by people who are not professional writers and that usually has stories about a particular subject
• a non-commercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter

  The Urban Dictionary chimed in with...

•   "Zine" is short for fanzine. For all intensive purposes, a zine is a cheaply-made, cheaply-priced publication, often in black and white, which is mass-produced via photocopier.

• Most zines revolve around a music scene of some sort, but others are dedicated to artwork, poetry, cartoons, editorials and short stories.

So, I guess it's official... Zines are simply a creative, self expressive and fun way to share just about anything of interest to anyone who'll take the time to read it!!

For the past few months I have been working on my first Zine... every time I got started, I allowed myself to get side tracked... not sure why, but I just couldn't get it done! Recently, my interest was rekindled by a fellow artist at AFA who completed her first zine and has made it available for trading. So, I jumped in and persevered until I had once and for all finished my own zine in hopes of trading with her! 

Janoodle Art-Zine

Below is a pic of the finished layout of my zine... (I decided on a single page, 8 panel style zine)... It is now ready to print on the color paper of your choice... (* take note that the top & bottom rows are going in different directions, this is necessary for all of the pages to be correct when folded in half)

Zine Layout - 8 Hand Drawn Panels

Below is a template to show how to fold and cut your 

printed page to create your finished booklet

Zine Template - easy to follow guidelines

Below pics show steps of folding after cutting the opening to 

create a finished booklet... give it a try, 

it actually is quite easy once you see it in person!

 Hope you will jump in and try your hand at a "Zine"...

you just might have fun!

Until next time, Blessings to one & all!!

Gearing up for ART & Fun... what's not to like?

The last week-end of April, I will be attending "SeARTle", an art retreat and gathering of fellow artists from the website ATCsforAll in Seattle, Washington. This will be my maiden voyage into an event of this kind, I was tempted out of my "solo artist" comfort zone at the prospect of meeting several artists who's works and talents I have come to appreciate as well as admire since joining AFA. So, how could I possibly pass this opportunity up with it being so close to home? From reports of past events around the country, I am sure that a good time will be had by all!

With my decision to attend, I now need to work towards creating some "trade" inventory... I definitely want to walk away with a treasure trove of work from my fellow artists... the best souvenir of all! Soooo, production has begun... trading is much like selling... my motto: the more choices there are, the easier it is to hook them in!! (Selling 101, hehehe!) 

Today's Show and Tell is a look at a few projects that I have started to make for SeARTle. A couple of them I have created in the past but with a bit of "design tweaking" to make them new & unique to this event! 

Below: First up are my... Mini SeARTle Domi-Books... much like regular sized domino books, this version is created from miniature dominoes that I recently came across... they were just too cute to pass up!! 

Inside: Janoodle Style - Jacquard Dyes w/Ink 

Below: Next up... "Mini Muse" Dollies... in the past, I have created these little dollies in a variety of sizes but these are the smallest version yet, approximately 5 inches (hair included)... even though their message may be the same, each doll has it's own unique Janoodle design as well as stylin' with a variety of hair colors!

 

Below: Finally... "Tip-ins" for a Universal Sketchbook aka "USK"... if you're not familiar with these little books, they are a blank accordion style hard cover book to either create directly on it's pages or in this case, insert "tip-ins" that are created on separate pieces of paper & attached to the inside panels of the USK. I have recently become addicted to making these pages, mostly because of their size (3.5 X 5.75 inches)... not too small & not too big, just right for my attention span!! (Color is kinda weird in this pic, just couldn't do them justice!)

Assortment of USK's for trading

As usual, I do appreciate that you stopped by to take a peek...

Until next time, Happy ARTing!

Is it a postie, is it an envie... no, it's weirdy mail?!

Just a quickie Show & Tell for today... It's Weirdy Time February! If you follow my blog regularly, you already know that a couple times each year my Envie Addicts Unite! mail art group ventures off the normal path and sends out what we call "weirdy" mail to our monthly partners. For those of you who don't know, the challenge is to send out something "weirdy" (such as; an unusual shape or "naked" unwrapped item) to see if our local Postal Peeps will accept it & deliver it intact to it's destination! (If interested, you can check out my blog archives for February or October 2015 to see my past weirdy mailings!) 

Below are photos of the "weirdy" that I sent out to my partner in Texas... good news, it made it there safe & sound! 

I started with an empty Cranberry Juice jug, I cut off the bottom and filled the jug with some Valentine themed works of art that I created as well as a couple fun treats... after reattaching the bottom, I addressed & prepared the outside for mailing!

   

Inside Surprise - Hand Painted Tote, Bookmark, Heart Garland & Treats

Thanks for stopping by...

Happy Valentines Day to one & all!

A spoonful of "ART" helps the medicine go down!

There really aren't many things that can stand in the way of my desire to create artwork, unless of course it's an untimely, irritating, and thoroughly icky winter cold... several days of head pounding, post nasal dripping, nose stuffing, and cough inducing germs had me down for the count!! Good news, I'm finally on the mend and back in my muse groove!

Today's Show & Tell is all about Domino Books... several months ago, I participated in a swap on AFA and experienced domi-books for the first time. Recently, when the opportunity arose to join another swap, I jumped at the chance to join in the fun! 

Below are photos of my four domi-books: I decided to construct each one using the same techniques and materials... in the end, each one has it's own unique look and theme! The front panels on each domi-book were made using paper clay, the dominoes were painted with acrylic paint and sealed with a clear gloss acrylic spray, the inside accordion pages were created using Jacquard Dyes w/ink.

 Beware: Domi-Books can become addictive!   

 

Thanks for stopping by, until next time...  

Brighten your days with color!!

Fill your pockets full of fun and ART!

For today's Show & Tell I thought that I would revisit an idea that I came up with last spring. This project came to mind after participating in an AFA Swap for Pocket Letters. (you can refresh your memory in my archived post of April 2015) I only participated in one partner swap before deciding that I just didn't enjoy the process enough to inspire me into creating more! Even though I have seen some wonderfully creative Pocket Letters that were made by some very talented artists, I just didn't feel that they were for me! There was something about the plastic "9 pocket" binder sleeve that bothered me... even if I did make all of the items in the pockets, I wish I could have presented them in some other way! As they say, to each their own... I have resigned myself to the fact that I find my greatest enjoyment in constructing my projects from start to finish! I felt that a smaller format could be used to showcase an artist's unique style in a more personal way... after much consideration, I decided that an individual pocket format was just what I had in mind! <drum roll> and soooo, The "Pocket Tag" was born!! 

"Pocket Tags" are just the right size to hold a few works of art from an artist as well as the tag itself can be a canvas for the artist's own unique style... the creative possibilities are endless! The finished "Pocket Tag" is a fun and compact presentation that can easily be gifted or traded!

Below is a photo of my first "Pocket Tag"... I started with a black tag and constructed the front pocket out of a Janoodle painted on watercolor paper. I created one of my "Mini Muse" Art Dolls and a Mini Janoodle Journal to fill the pocket of the tag. Finally, colorful ribbons were added to complete the project!

The Debut of the "Pocket Tag"

Below are the individual components of my "Pocket Tag" 

 Hope this has inspired you to use your own unique talents to create a  

"Pocket Tag"... whether you decide to gift it or possibly to trade it, 

the most important thing (above all else) is to have FUN with it!!

 

Until next time, Happy ARTing... Ciao!!

Pretty in pink... it must be a Flamingo?!

It seems like I've been saying this a lot lately but isn't a little "quickie" better than "no" Show & Tell?! (Well, I'm just gonna go with it no matter what the answer may be!) As we all know, I do have a tendency to curl up in my own little creative comfort zone... when in doubt, here a Janoodle, there a Janoodle, everywhere a Janoodle, enough already!!! Don't get me wrong, I do love what I do... I always return to my own little brand of art because it really is how I see the world around me... colors & shapes, negative & positive spaces and how they are connected to each other... some people have called it chaos (which never ceases to amaze me!) but in actuality, it is what totally grounds me!! 

In honor of the New Year, I have vowed to stretch my "creative" self on a more regular basis by honing my drawing and painting skills. While working on my monthly project for "Envie Addicts Unite!" (an AFA group that I am a member of), it became very obvious to me that I have become quite rusty when it comes to realistic drawing. Right from the beginning I knew what I wanted my partner's envelope to look like, it seemed rather easy until I actually started to draw... who knew that Flamingos could be so difficult?! (Just how long are their necks? Which is bigger the head or the beak?? Oh my, just because it's pink doesn't mean it looks like a flamingo!) I truly wanted to create something that my monthly partner would enjoy (and recognize!)... in the end, after going back & forth to the "drawing board", I was content with what I saw on the paper in front of me!! This experience, wrought with frustration, made it apparent that I must take the time to reacquire some much needed drawing skills that I have been ignoring!!

Below is a pic of my Flamingos... I cropped the photo to provide privacy for my EAU partner... The next pic is the "back side" design of the envelope, (as you can see, I did a bit of Janoodlin', just because!!)

"Flamingo" January Envie - front

January Envie - back

 Thank you for stopping by...  

 Blessings to you all!!

Put your best ART forward, the rest will follow!

Just a quickie Show & Tell for today... In my last post I mentioned an AFA swap for Two Sleeve Art Dolls that I have found difficult to muster up any inspiration for completing! I have made them in the past for other swaps but to be honest they have always been a huge challenge for me... Faces & Figures are definitely not my forte but I keep trying to stretch myself by stepping out of my comfort zone in hopes that someday I will improve!! As they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day" but then again, they also say "Don't beat a dead horse!" (by the way, just who are "they" that know so much!!) 

Finally, I came up with my plan... compromise, it seemed the only way to get past this immediate creative block! I opted to do what I do best, with an added face... meet my "Janoodlettes" (sounds like they could actually be back-up singers, maybe even for Lady Gaga)  or possibly they are "Cocoon Coquettes" (wrapped up tight, just waiting to emerge in all of their glory)... there's one thing that I have learned as an artist; no matter what you intended to create, there is no guarantee anyone else sees it the same way and that's just fine with me!

Janoodle Dollies  -  Jacquard Dyes w/Ink

To "ART" each day, 

keeps the Doctor away!!

Until next time, Blessings to you all!!

Oh where, Oh where, has my little muse gone... ?

What better way to start the New Year than with ART? So let's hit the road running with a little Show & Tell... It seems that my "Muse" used the Holiday Season as an opportunity for a little vacation of her own, but all things must come to an end and it's time to get back to the job at hand... inspiring me!!! I have been trying to come up with some new ideas for an AFA swap for Two Sleeve Art Dolls... even though I have created these Dollies in the past, I'm coming up empty this time around! Rather than continue with my frustration over this project, I decided to just let myself loose to play and art around for the sake of having some fun... no guidelines, no deadlines!!  

I soon discovered that I still had Dollies on my mind... I kept coming up with a design for a paper doll that I just couldn't shake off... so, why fight it?

When I'm looking for a little inspiration, I seek out my own comfort zone to kick start my creative juices into flowing... I can "Janoodle" my way through any dry spell that I come against!! 

As usual, I started out with my favorite colors of Jacquard Dyes and a blank piece of watercolor paper to paint a free form background... I then designed a doll shaped template and cut out two mirror image shapes from the painted sheet. They are now ready to "Janoodle" and decorate in any way I choose!

Painted "Mirror Image" Doll Shapes - any thing goes, create away!!

 

In the end, the two shapes will be attached back to back to create one doll... let your imagination loose, use your favorite mediums & techniques to personalize a doll in your own unique style!! 

Below: My finished doll, "Twin Muses" (a picture of each side) I decided, why have only one muse when two would be even better? Now, if one wanders off, the other can still keep me on track! 

Thank you for stopping by... 

I do hope that you have found a little inspiration along the way!!

Until next time... Happy ARTing!!

 

"POP" a cork, raise your glass...Hello 2016!!

  

Below:  I know that this video is old but I couldn't resist 
sharing it... just too spectacular to keep to myself!! 

My little town had our first-ever New Year's fireworks celebration tonight... Of course, it wasn't this grand but there were plenty of "oooh's & aaaah's" ringing out in the cold night air as each explosion of color lit up the sky!! (I couldn't help it, I love fireworks!)

 

Blessings for a New Year filled with...

Love, Good Health, Creativity, Prosperity & Joy!

 Dare to Dream... (go ahead, it won't hurt!) 

 ART + more ART ="World Peace" 

Make ART not WAR... Global Artists Unite!!

(Just one more glass of "bubbly", then off to bed... Ciao!!)

  

Rejoice... there is a reason for the season!

 

Joyous Blessings of Love & Peace as we celebrate this Christmas Season...

  
May God Bless You and Yours, 

not only for today but always!