I Have Lived to Teach Another Day

Ok there's the group of brave souls that allowed me to teach them mixed media! Bless you all! These were 4 of my Margarita Girlfriends ... and the two owners of Elderberry Place. I was glad the owners did the class because if they get questions about the classes I'm doing they will be able to tell what it's all about!

So what did I learn???

1. I have too many stencil / foam stamp / mark making choices. I make many of my own stencils and foam stamps, so I kinda went overboard I guess. I was concerned that when everyone was in the phase of stenciling/stamping there wouldn't be enough things to go around and people (kids) would be WAITING on a certain stamp ... I will definitely pair down the selection. The kids will go into sensory overload just looking thru the paper scraps!

2. Two hours is going to be plenty of time to work these projects. We had bits of down time while things dried (and yes I did have 3 blow dryers to work with) and people got ahead and were waiting for the 'next step'. That will be the kiss of DEATH for kids if they have 'down time'. Daughter #2 suggested I have a side project they are working during 'downtime' ... like a card or a big tag or something.

3. Better organization of supplies ... we had crap everywhere to the point that I knew there were 7 pair of scissors on the table but couldn't find ONE ... LOL ... now I don't know if I can fix that cauz you know how it gets when you're creating ... and multiply that by 6 other people and you gotta supply tornado!

4. I personally created one of the best pieces I have done. And I did it by not "overthinking" ... FINALLY! All I was doing was grabbing pieces of paper just to show them the steps. I picked up pieces that I would never have put together. I picked up paint that didn't go w/ the papers I picked out ... I randomly stamped w/ colors I didn't think would go together. I was just grabbing what was in front of me to show them how to do each step. It was amazing.

5. Take.Pictures. I took NONE of the process of these ladies ... I only have this one of my own finished project.

All the ladies said I did a great job of teaching, but I'm not so sure. One of my friends said in all honesty "if you've never done something like this, it is very hard to grasp". That's fair. I'm asking you to tear up and glue down all kinds of papers NOT knowing what your end result will be. "And then we're putting paint over those papers? Why?" That was a question from another of my friends.

I get it. This is not their passion. They haven't spent 3-4 years watching every tutorial on the planet dealing w/ mixed media. They haven't played and played endlessly with all kinds of supplies to layer. So in that vein I don't feel like I taught them well enough to understand what each layer is and why (there are no whys really ya know?).

However, one of my friend is a retired schoolteacher and she said the kids will get it ... they won't CARE that it doesn't make sense to glue down papers and then put paint and stamps on top of them. They will live in the moment and happily create a masterpiece that is theirs and theirs alone.

I have a month to prepare for THAT class!

TERROR!!!!!

Tonite is my test run of Mixed Media Art Class.

They are my friends .... (and one of my daughters) but still it's been a panic making sure I have all the supplies ready to go. Last nite in bed I realized I didn't have Mod Podge for the class, which is only the FOUNDATION of mixed media art. Nor did I have sponges for stenciling (I use cosmetic sponges).

So I have a couple MORE things to do b/4 I go to the shop tonite to set up for the class. Hopefully I will have presence of mind to take some pics!!!

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's way

Ok so it's still a little ways off ... (and it's late this year) but I'm already creating some Easter stuff for my Elderberry Place booth.

Pastels are NOT me ... but I am really enjoying working w/ all these cool colors ... here's just a hint ... I'll be back showing you more finished projects soonly!

VD Art w/ My Youngest Artists

Ok these two ... so cute ... can't even stand it ... they are besties and the youngest of the grandkids. Friday nite I had the BRILLIANT idea that they should come over and do a VD project while their dads moved a treadmill for us. My eldest daughter (and #6's mom) was there also but she was doing her OWN craft project for the nursery (yes, #8 is due in June!) so I was working w/ these two crazies. They had a blast, and Grandma exhaled when we heard the guys yell from upstairs "PIZZA IS READY!".

Still I am hoping this has been a memory made for these two and someday they'll look back fondly .. at Grandma w/ her hair standing on end ... LOL LOL LOL

Love you two babies so so much!!!

And then THIS happened!

Got those boards cut up into various sizes ......... 3x3, 6x6, 10x10, 12x12 ... and some assorted odd pieces from the end of the boards. ALL that from one sheet of MDF! And now let the projects begin!!!

Studio Demo Begins!

I currently have a small bedroom in the finished portion of our basement that houses my studio. Studio Blog

I have outgrown it. LOL ... I have seen the small spaces some GREAT artists work in, and I have no idea HOW they do it! Anyway a few months ago my husband said to me 'we aren't using the other bedroom and the media room that was built down there -- let's just extend you into that area too.' ... knock me over w/ a feather ...

I immediately started measuring the area and plotted on graph paper WHAT the room would be like.   There are 4 windows in that side so I'm thrilled at the aspect of natural light! I was also wanting more room to have more than 2 grandkids in the studio at once painting w/o walking all over each other!   I didn't push the demo cauz it would be a big project, we had things going on, then husband had shoulder surgery/recovery time ... etc etc etc ...

We decided to start the demo this past weekend

It is HARD work and I am so so appreciative to him that he's willing to do this for me. We (HE) worked Sat and Sun in there ... I was clean up girl cauz there was really nothing I could do. I was working in my studio on the class projects I have planned for the next two months at Elderberry. In between coats of ModPodge and paint I would run in there and move drywall out of the way, throw ceiling tiles into the hallway ... offer support, encouragement and THANKS ...

It's going to be a long hard project, but the end result is firmly planted in my head and it could NOT be more gorgeous!!!

Thanks Sweetie for all you do for me!

It Happened On The Way to the Pedicure

So I was heading out to meet my daughters for a mani/pedi/dinner evening ... on a lark I decided to stop by Lowes to see pricing if I had them cut a huge sheet of MDF into manageable sizes for me. End result ...

So come to find out, Lowes will cut for free! So I had a large sheet of MDF cut into assorted strips from the short side and they slid right into my SUV! SCORE! (thank you Shawn Petite for THAT idea!) Now I have several shorter boards for 12x12, 10x10, 6x6 canvases! I have a chop saw at home and can make the rest of the cuts myself!

I sent the pic to my husband, who replies "some wives go out and buy clothes and jewelry, mine buys lumber."

You're welcome sweetie.

The Ellie Project

So ... grandchild #5 is my artistic one (so far ...) and loves to spend time in my studio working and creating. We rarely get the chance to do it alone because #6 and #7 are younger, and while they wanna be in the thick of it, they lack ... uh ... control, attention span, etc etc etc. I love working w/ them too but they are more hands on! LOL

Last nite Ellie came over to work in a journal I had made for her. I cut a couple file folders in half, taped them together and accordion folded them into a book. I showed her mine and told her it's just to mess around w/ different art ideas, and a way to keep them all in one place to look back at what techniques were done and what the result was. (and to have fun w/ Grandma in the studio)

She worked on the cover first:


Did an amazing job!

Then we moved to a piece of wood (4x4 I think) and she did more mixed media. I love that her statement was "LIFE IS AWESOME" cauz that's clearly how she was feeling! (Ditto Ellie!!!)





then she opened two pages in her journal and started work on this:


I think it's amazing! She's loving the process so much and I'm learning so much! She left her journal at my house and we'll work on it any chances we get in the future.


Ellie Aftermath!

It was a fun fun nite!!!

The Coffee Project

Ok .... finished and somewhat pleased. I think I need to work on the mug more ... it seems kinda stark. I'm not sure how to add dimension. I might continue to mess w/ it.

This will be the project for the girls in a couple weeks. I have drawn out templates of different kinds of cups, have a ton of paper scrap for them to paw thru, and have many different 'sayings' they can use. I sincerely hope they enjoy the art journey ... and hope I am a good teacher. May the Force Be With Me.

Trial Class Project - Take 1 ... and 2

So I am going to host a trial Mixed Media class at Elderberry Place in a couple weeks. I only invited my Margarita Girls (4 girlfriends) and my two daughters. They will be my guinea pigs to see if I have the chops to do these mixed media classes for kids. They are very much like children when they are together so this will be a good barometer ... LOL

Anyway ... I need to have a prototype project ready to SHOW the girls what we're going to make. They can put their own spin on it, but I'll step-by-step them thru the process. I picked a coffee theme cauz they are all coffee drinkers and I found some very funny coffee sayings on the 'net and some great mixed media ideas for coffee mugs / cups.

Here's what happened last nite:


I liked the backgrounds .... clearly I am SCARED to mix any colors together, so those are brown, dark turquoise (which was a mix and turned out SOOOO pretty) and a pale yellow. I was trying to keep in mind my mug colors. AND I didn't want to overwhelm the mugs w/ the background.

Attempt #1 ... see the error? I put the 2nd cup BEHIND the first one, not IN it. LOL I was mad and threw the whole thing in the trash (later retrieved it cauz afterall it's a piece of board w/ a whole lotta layers so at the very LEAST it's a playground for later!!)

Attempt #2 ... didn't get the 2nd mug 'into' the bottom cup far enough and it should have been further fwd in the cup so as not to see so much "coffee". Cue the gesso.

So I have scrapped the idea of doing a mug stack that looked SOOO easy on the 'net. I did one w/ one big coffee mug. Didn't take a pic yet. I do like it thus far. Will post a pic.