Practice! Practice! Practice!!

I am fascinated with the human face- I've always wanted to draw realistic features but just couldn't get it. I would set down and think, ok draw an eye. But, if broken down you don't see JUST an eye. You see circles, angles, squares and lines. I found a tutorial on Pinterest ( Sorry I don't have the link) that shows the eye and steps for drawing one. That is all well and good- the single eye here was drawn from that. The problem lies in the fact that doing two that mirror each other is a horse of a different color! I did it, but not without a headache in the end. My hand, eyes, and brain do not want to work together to do this. I tried, and will keep trying. Next will be the nose- and it is another thing I jsut have never been able to get figured out.

WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE 2014

Welcome to my blog and my creative space!! It is where I work and play, relax, watch TV, read, or just escape from everyday life. I have a major obsession with paper! I have way too much and really need to purge! Well, I need to purge more than paper but just can't part with it! I have been scrapbooking since 1996 and teach scrapbook and mixed media classes. I like to dabble in anything crafty or scrappy! It makes my heart happy! I have had another blog for years but neglected it badly so I came from MY OLD BLOG HERE If you go to that blog you will find posts from a few other Where Bloggers Create events. So happy that KAREN does this! I'm going to post, link then stalk!!! Can't wait to see the other spaces out there! Follow me if you please, I'm going to be posting things I make here and plan to do a much better job that before!! Thanks for stopping! Please leave a comment so I can come see you! God Bless!!

This is my main place to work and get messy. I have all my painting supplies at hand as well as my Faber-Castell markers, pencils, stamps and such.

This one totally speaks for itself! :-) Love Teresa Collins and Love my eBosser!!

I keep my paper pads here and other misc. supplies

My girl made from a Christy Tomlinson stamp, some markers - they are in a plastic toilet paper holder that I refinished with some pretty paper.

Some more original artwork - the framed one is a postcard of a Mindy Lacefield painting that came in one of the Somerset magazines I ordered long ago.

Another original... I LOVE joint compound and this is made using just that! I will be offering an online class soon teaching this technique! Be watching for that announcement very soon!!

This chair was beautiful but the chair pad was covered in hideous fabric. I recovered it with  an apron I cut apart. It is from the  Full Circle Exchange (this is a lovely place to visit and such meaning behind the products! Please go HERE and check it out!)

Supplies and yes! MORE paper!!

Glitter, Liquitex mediums, misc things

Close up of my main work space. The tray with stamps was found at a flea market, I saw it and grabbed it up and held on tight! Wasn't gonna let that baby get away from me!!

Paper, stamps, stickers, stencils, more misc. supplies

My antique curio cabinet my hubby got for me... loaded with my favorite things. The next few pictures are what is inside- some things I've made, some are just collected things over the years..

Music box that my hubby got me for Christmas one year. It is bears on a sewing machine that plays Christmas music. Different, but I treasure it for sure!!

Christmas and Halloween things that are my favorites- I couldn't stand to put them away for a whole year, so I kept a few out to enjoy all year.

My attempt at a  Faux Cake

I made these, well I covered some cheap Dollar Tree round containers and gave them detail with pretty papers, washi  tape, and glass glitter.

This was a great find! Bought cheap and painted with chalk paint and then distressed it. It holds my dies and punches and some things I've made. This makes me a VERY happy crafter!!

Where I peek into blog land, a bulletin board made from an ugly yardsale picture frame that I painted and added my old bulletin board to... you can see some Kelly Rae Roberts here and the red wings are my Ode to JUNK GYPSIES. Love them, their style and their show!

Made from the BEST APP EVER - from Rhonna Farrer - Go check out here BLOG HERE for more details! (The frames and little added elements are from her app. I took all the pictures with my phone, edited them and added the elements and frames right on my phone from the app, saved them, emailed them to myself and saved to my computer.)

THANKS FOR  STOPPING BY TO SEE ME HERE AT MY NEW BLOGGITY BLOG AND VISITING MY SPACE. 
Please let me know you were here and follow me if you would, I would love to come and see your space. 
God Bless!!
Lisa

We Were Made to THRIVE!!!

John 10:10 says this
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. God wants us to have MORE! We weren't put here just to survive- we were put here to THRIVE. Just as in the Casting Crowns' song, Thrive... that is it! There is so much more than ordinary lives out there.
     I was taught about God growing up. I went to church with my aunt and uncle and learned about Jesus and what He done for me, for us. I've attended church growing up and have always felt His presence, always known right from wrong (sometimes did things anyway but that is a another story for another day). Until I was around 25 I never knew how much more there was. I was invited to church by my friend, but this was a different church than I'd ever known. I grew up Baptist but this was Pentecostal. I was scared of what I might find because it was so different. I went on the day they had a special speaker. Now, I can't tell you what I had for supper last week but I can tell you all about that day and the man's name ( and I don't remember names - EVER) His name was - and still is- Dane Hall.
     That day impacted my life like no other! I was awakened to something extraordinary! God is more, so much more, than all I was ever taught! He is here! He's with us... every day! Along the way since that day I've had MANY ups and downs, I've chosen the wrong path so many times and I reaped what I sowed more times than I can count. I'd do what I wanted, regardless of the outcome. With that being said, my life has been harder than it had to be. I didn't go to God in prayer to seek His Will in my situations. Now I do. I want that MORE that John speaks of! I want to live MORE ABUNDANTLY!

Matthew 6:33 says But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 Listen to the words of this song and let is soak into your heart and mind.
 Be Blessed!

Where Bloggers Create 2014

Are you ready? I'm getting there! I have a new space to work in since the last time I participated, which was 2012. I missed last year due to some life changing things- I didn't have a craft space period. It . was . awful. I NEED to make stuff- mixed media art, scrapbooks, crafty projects. God has blessed me and gave me back what all I had lost -not only gave back but made over, made new, made much, MUCH better! So, this year I have a room that is all mine... a place to paint and make pretty things, blog, write, and do whatever I feel like doing.

To God Be ALL the Glory!!

If you go to Karen Valentine's blog and you can find all the details there. While you're there check out all the beautiful things she has on her blog!

Here are a few of the things I've been working on lately. I am totally, 100% hooked on joint compound!! I simply LOVE the stuff!! In the pictures here I used it in every project shown.

Photo 1 - on canvas board layers of joint compound ( i mix paint in to color it) layers of paint and book paper. I scratched a flower pattern into the JC when it was starting to set up. After a coat of Modge Podge I gave the flowers some color with FABER- CASTELL Big Brush Pitt Pens. For a finishing touch I added some word stickers from Tim Holtz and gave everything a nice shadowy look with a gray Pitt Pen.

Photo 2- This was a 10X10 canvas class that I taught at our local art studio.The blue pattern is joint compound, we used a vinyl stencil for the lettering and a pieced paper bird. FABER-CASTELL Big Brush Pitt Pens were used to give everything a shadow.

Photo 3- One of my favorite pieces yet- it is a 6X6 canvas painted a yummy orange color with old dictionary papers. I mixed  blue paint with the JC and spread it over the canvas (like spreading on cake icing) letting color and words peek through. 

Photo 4- I painted an 8X10 canvas a pale yellow then mixed some turquoise paint with more JC. I painted yhe JC on in a heart shape.  I dried that layer and painted on another layer of it.  Finished it with a hand drawn word with VERY watered down black paint.

I am about to start a BIG canvas with LOTS of old papers and more joint compound.  Getting so excited to play again!!!!!!!!!!!

New Beginnings

When we receive Jesus in our hearts we are renewed, reborn, given another chance to live and love and have a blessed eternity. He is our strength, our song. He is MY strength and my song. He lifts me higher with each prayer I pray and every word I read in His Word. I am getting stronger each day. In that I am feeling a need to share His word and the reason I'm doing what I do. I am a Christian first, for without that I am nothing. period. nothing. But through Him I am EVERYTHING! I can't NOT share that! Second, I'm a momma. 3 boys and one daughter-in-law that might as well just be mine. I love that girl!! Thirdly, I'm an artist. It feels good to say that. Accepting that as who I am and who i am becoming.

I want to embrace all that i am, all rolled into one thing, to create a much better me. while doing all of this mixing of the three i want to share it here. i have another blog but have neglected it so badly that i have decided to scratch it and just pitch it in- start new, fresh.

will i be here everyday? no, probably not.
will i use correct spelling and grammar? nope, not me. but i hope to get my words, my heart song, my artwork out there to be seen.
will i answer all comments? i hope to have so many that it'll be impossible to answer them all - "...With God ALL things are possible." Matthew 19:26

i will be offering classes locally and workshops online very soon - that is the plan- so stay tuned!

if you need an ear, a prayer, or anything at all- email me! I will do my best to reply and help in anyway i can.

if i post a project, i will list the materials (in most cases) that i've used to make the project.
techniques- step by step instructions for some projects.
videos? i'm not sure. i'm very bashful ( you would never, ever think this if you met me!) camera shy? oh yes!

Pictures coming soon!
Have a blessed day!
Lisa