Sunday, February 19, 2012

More Hand Carved Stamps!

I've made some more hand carved stamps as well as one using that Magic Foam.  You can see the details in the video.  I am definitely hooked on this hand carving thing.  The only thing delaying further creation is my lack of original ideas of things to carve!

Have an artful day!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Not my usual content... but very, very important!

I am not a particularly politically minded person and sometimes I feel a little guilty about that.  However, when I find a topic (typically animal rights related) that so moves me, I am willing to take a stand.  I hope the data in this post doesn't offend anyone who might be reading, but I am OK with it if it does.

Freedom of the Internet is at stake.  ACTA is a pending law which (like many) appears to make sense on the perimeter, but when you get to the middle, is very scary.  Please take a moment and watch the 2 videos above to learn more about this.  It is something that will threaten anything from generic drugs to using content others have made freely available, to the extent that you could be banned from the internet.  I know... it sounds so "sci-fi," doesn't it?  It looks like it has already passed in the US and is now in several European committees.  Someone smarter than me might understand this better. 

Here is a site you can go to and sign a petition in protest.

A couple of years ago, I started a blog about dating and attempted to use Adwords.  Well I must have done something wrong, because Google banned me.  I could never find out what I did or how to fix it or reach anyone to get any information.  This is so much worse.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Making Lists, Life Lists...and Telling Stories

I've been at home sick with a silly cold the past couple of days and so what better to do when I'm tired and feeling blechey (practice word flexibility) than surf the web, in between naps, that is.  Of course I'm not just surfing the web... I'm in my craft room/art studio and doing some art journaling, watching technique videos, tearing apart layers of decorative napkins and other things constructively crafty.  But you know how it goes when there is a computer at your fingertips and your mind is kind of fuzzy... and of course, surfing the web is kind of like a journey to far away places without a map - you never know where you will end up or what amazing things you'll run across!

So, anyway, as I was surfing, mostly various blogs... BTW, I want to say that people have some really cool stuff on their blogs - from art, quotes, pictures, to DIY projects, personal stories and of course, links... oh, the links!  It's like a treasure map, right?!  OK, I guess I'm not wrapping up that incomplete sentence (more flexibility, please).

And finally to the point of this post, a theme I noticed in my blog hopping was lists.  Teesha Moore (if you ever want to start art journaling, check out her videos; she is amazing and I must credit her with my first exposure into the world of the amazing art journal) talked about making a list of 49 things she is going to do this year (apparently, it was her 49th birthday).  Willow has LifeBook 2012 (while not really a list, it seems to fit here, which has been very tempting as soon as I can put together the funds.  Effy Wild has her Book of Days 2012 which I have been inconsistently following but really enjoying (I made my first altered book journal!)  She is offering this as a free course, folks!  Ali Edwards has this Project Life thing going on... I've tried to stay away cuz I'm already so distracted by everything I think I want to be doing, but, it was apparently not meant to be.

I've been hearing about To Do and Ta Da! lists (I think once you've completed a thing, it goes on the Ta Da! list).  I know I am more productive when I have a list, so I have come to the conclusion that the universe is trying to tell me something and I should pay attention.  And while we are talking about lists, The Organic Sister has a great list of 47 Ways to be better to yourself.

My goodness, I can ramble on, can't I?  Funny, sometimes I stare at my art journal page wondering what to write, maybe I should try digital art journaling if I write more with keys under my fingers.  OK, I'll put that on the list.  I did just download GIMP, a Photoshop like program that is free to download - another sign from the universe!!

I kind of liked Teesha's approach, the 49 things... but since I turned 56 a month or two ago, my list will be 56 things I want to keep or newly, do, see, learn or otherwise accomplish in the year 2012.  I will be adding as I go, the list is not yet complete but here ya go!

  1. Blog weekly, at least
  2. Take 3 (or more) online art classes in art journaling, drawing, etc.
  3. Research buying a house
  4. Finish my taxes
  5. Work out consistently and continue to attend Weight Watchers meetings
  6. Fit into a size 16 (or smaller) by year end (I've lost 4 sizes in the last couple of years, from a 28 to a 20)
  7. Volunteer
  8. Go out on at least 3 dates
  9. Use my art journal as a spiritual practice (arting, writing, "what if")
  10. Start a small book just for art journal prompts
  11. Reorganize my craft room
  12. Renew the purge of "stuff" in my apartment
  13. Save money every month
  14. Continue growing my Meetup group, meeting new people and developing friendships
  15. Regularly journal on gratitude
  16. Stay in better touch with friends in Chicago
  17. Try one new recipe each month - put it on the calendar!
  18. Start a list of recipes to try
  19. Learn to use GIMP
  20. Try my hand at digital art
  21. Spend more time with family on Facetime or Skype
Wow, 56 is a really big number!  I might be happy with the list above...  Stay tuned!
I found the above quote on one of Crafty Dayeseye blogs; it is by Ben Okri.  In fact, she may get the credit for the graphic in which the quote appears.  She too has a list - A Stupendous Life List!

Here is another of Ben Okri's quotes that I really liked:  Only those who truly love and who are truly strong can sustain their lives as a dream. You dwell in your own enchantment. Life throws stones at you, but your love and your dream change those stones into the flowers of discovery. Even if you lose, or are defeated by things, your triumph will always be exemplary. And if no one knows it, then there are places that do. People like you enrich the dreams of the worlds, and it is dreams that create history. People like you are unknowing transformers of things, protected by your own fairy-tale, by love.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Another First - Hand Carved Stamp!

Check it out! It has everything to do with the material - I had tried one of those wood backed lino blocks with no success. The pic below was with the Speedball pink rubber - soft like butter! Really easy - give it a try.

For some help, see Lindsay's (The Frugal Crafter) video.  She inspired me to try it again.



Here's her blog address





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