Project #2 for the "Artistic Mother" Workshop

It makes perfect sense that if you have a wonderful journal you need to have a wonderful tote bag to carry it in wherever you go. You never know when the muse may strike and an amazing idea may come to mind.

T'was a really fun project. My only problem was that after it was all finished I noticed that I had put the handles in wrong! Being the OCD fanatic I can be, I know that I will pull it apart and fix it. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon. It will make me crazy until I do.Until then Kate doesn't care. She just loves her awesome tote bag.

Keep on creating!

The Perfect Gift

This past weekend my dear friend Karen and I finally got to see " Alice In Wonderland". It was an artist's delight, visually stunning with breathtaking color, amazing sets and costuming. After the movie she gifted me with this charming book.

She knows that I have been following the workshop from the wonderful book by Shona Cole, "The Artistic Mother" with my four year old granddaughter Kate. I absolutely adore this book and love sharing it and making art with my little artist Kate.

Sunshine By Kate

We've been working on many projects none of which are ready for blogging. I thought a little music might do for Artistic Mother followers. You will want to disable the music at the bottom to hear this.

The Artistic (grand) Mother :

Project #1

The studio is finally dried out after all the rain we've had. I couldn't wait to get started following the workshop section of Shona Cole's book: "The Artistic Mother". I am taking my granddaughter Kate along with me on this fabulous journey. She is my little artist. The journal is to keep track of her artful journey. She is already a little crafty diva and wants to try everything. Yeah Kate!

My daughter and her two children have moved in with us after a rough divorce and we've been trying to fit three more people into our little house. My studio has been split in half so that she could have her own room. This week the wall between the two rooms has finally gone up so that I now have a dedicated space of my own again.

As you can see I have a real issue with being organized. I can't function without it. This isn't even the half of it. Maybe someday we'll go on a tour. Like I said, I have issues.

I had so much fun with the background papers. It was different to just play. It's something I've been working on for a while. Hopefully I'll find more time to play again.

Little by little the more that I worked on Kate's journal the deeper into supplies I got. This kind of chaos I like!

This is my finished project. A journal to keep Kate's progress as an artist from the very beginning and a record to help her remember when she made art with her Nana.

I would love to hear feedback on this project. Is it done? Is it too cute? I tend to stray to the cute side. On to project two.

A New Artistic Adventure

Artist Shona Cole has just released her long awaited book for busy moms trying to combine motherhood and the need to be creative. Fellow artist Trudy Callan has been inspired by this wonderful book to bring together a group of artists to follow the 12 week workshop and relate their experiences trying to combine motherhood and art. If you would like to join or follow these artists on their journey you can find all the info you need on Trudy's website. I am thrilled to be the only ,so far, grandmother in the group. There are many grandmothers out there caring full time for their grandchildren. It's the same work as moms with a different dynamic and lifetime of experiences involved. A different perspective. I am looking forward to this exciting adventure. Hope that you can join us. I am off now to play with paint etc. and start my backgrounds.

Ta Da!!!!!!

They are done. They are done on time. They will hopefully go out in the mail tomorrow. Good thing too because I now have water being soaked up into the carpet on my basement studio floor. Things need to be moved. Floors need to be dried out. This is going to drive me crazy.

Enough with the bad news and back to the fun stuff. These are the last two blocks for the "In This House and Garden" website swap. We have the travel agency and the Post Office.

The Post Office is my favorite of them all. I am definitely going to make one of these for myself and also for one of our web site members who wasn't able to be in the swap. Surprise!!

Now I only hope that my studio doesn't take too long to dry out and put back together, it's the only thing that keeps me sane some days. It's my sanctuary.

Blocks Two and Three

Block number two is: "Brook's Books". I am really enjoying this swap from the Yahoo Group, In This House and Garden. At first I thought I would never be done in time. I now seem to be on a roll and have only two more to go.

I added a little 3 dimensional book to the back.

The roof, door, and corners are done in embossed metal.

Block number three is: " Polly's Petals", a sweet little flower shop. My work sometimes tends to get a little too cute, which drives me crazy, but I finally accepted the fact that's just how I see things.

I wish I had the time to make two of each so that I could keep one. Oh well, you just have to let go and send your art out into the world. It's good to know that they will go to others who appreciate what you do. Can't wait to see what ends up in my mailbox at the end!