Dion Dior & More ...

Watercolor Pencil Mysteries Revealed

2012-02-21T09:14:00.002-06:00

In two days my Watercolor Pencil Workshop through www.joggles.com begins. I'm am wildly excited about this class as it's been a joy to prepare. I get asked so many questions about how to use these little sticks of beauty. They are hugely underestimated, and as anyone who has ever picked up a watercolor pencil will know, they are inexpensive, no-mess, easily portable, come in a huge array of colors and are PERFECT for art journals and sketchbooks on the go. Yet still, understanding how to get the best from them is elusive to so many people.

I've been using watercolor pencils for a long time and it's only been in the past year that I have really embraced them. Preparing projects for this class, I've learnt so much more about ways to use them, and like any artistic endeavor, the more you do it, the better you become. This is especially true for watercolor pencils.

Watercolor pencils can be used in so many different ways, and in this class, we delve into the mysteries and myths through a series of projects and exercises that attempt to uncover some of their best kept secrets.

This autumn leaf was done using several different techniques, which I will show you as we will work through lots of step-by-step exercises. You will learn how to get the best from your own watercolor pencils.

I use watercolor pencils a lot and they are especially perfect for travel. In fact, I'll be packing a little set into my carry-on luggage next week as my husband, children, and I take a little trip down-under to visit my family.

Yep...after months of home-sickness, we're finally heading south for a dose of Aussie...everything. Yep, Australia, the land of gum leaves, Vegemite, surf, and the endless summer. Of course, it's artistic business as usual for me as I'll be blogging about my adventure and deeply engaged in my Watercolor Pencil Workshop. In fact, participants of this class will get to hear about some of my Aussie fun first hand.

However, I'm a little nervous about taking my toddler on such a long trip, but the hospital has given us the ok...in fact they are encouraging it because here in North America, we are heading into the worst time for respiratory viruses. It has been March/April every year since his birth that Thomas has been in the PICU fighting for his life against a common cold. We're hoping to avoid that this year by heading down to what is turning out to be a beautiful summer down under. If you have any tips for traveling with a toddler, I'd love to hear them.

I hope to visit many of my beautiful art and play friends while I'm there, so let me know what you've got going on and I'll try to drop by. In the meantime, it's not too late to sign up for Watercolor Pencil Workshop.

Thanks for stopping by xx

Worthy of Friendship

2012-02-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, there are people in your life that are very special. Some people just stand back and love you from afar. No fuss, no bother, no fanfare. It's obvious they love you for who you are, nothing else. They give you what your need, which is mostly understanding, and they ask nothing in return.

I have a friend like this, in fact I have several. They're the kind of people who stick with you through life...regardless, who share your ups and downs, and make you feel supported. One in particular is Elizabeth, another is Amy! They are both generous, kind, loving people. Always positive, always happy, always with a kind encouraging word. They are the kind of people I value so very much, and often feel completely unworthy of.

Last week, just because she knew I was trying to keep my kids healthy (unsuccessfully I might add), because she knew I had a lot going on, because she knows how homesick I get for Australia at this time of year, Amy turned up on my doorstep with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She didn't want to stay, didn't expect crazy gushing squeals of delight, didn't want to add to my load, and didn't expect anything in return. She just wanted to let me know that she was thinking of me, that she is there for me, and that she loves me.

And a couple of weeks ago, just because she was visiting the States for a few weeks, because she was already trekking half way around the planet, because she knew how homesick I am, Elizabeth arrived in the US with a HUGE box of Aussie goodies for me. She didn't crash on my doorstep, didn't mind the excess luggage, just wanted to let me know she was thinking of me.

Have you ever felt unworthy of such friends? Wishing that you were just better at being a friend in return? I do. Someone once told met that if you feel unworthy of someone, then you probably are...I don't think I buy into that sentiment. But I do wish I had the capacity to express my friendships better than I do. I'm not one of those people who gushes, and goo's over babies, who oozes charm in social situations, who dazzles a crowd with fascinating stories or glamorous shoes. I'm quite a plain and simple person really, there's nothing flash about me at all, I'm just...well...me!

Don't get me wrong. I'm very happy in my own skin. I'm happy with my life, my family, my interests. I think I'm probably what you call well-rounded. But I'm not an alfa, I'm just doer, a quiet, in-the-corner kind of person, a reader of books, a thinker, an artist...plain and simple.

But these expressions of friendships were profound. They made me realize how loved I am, how lucky I am to be loved, and I want these women to know that I love them back. I want them to know what beautiful people they are, what special friends they are, and how grateful I am to have them in my life. Even if I don't express my friendship in ways I wish I could, I do love and appreciate you both for everything you are.

This journal page was a flower from the bouquet Amy gave me. It's done in watercolor pencils, paint and ink. I did it as a way to express my gratitude to them, and to all my friends.

Thanks for checking in. xx

Silky Wisdom

2012-02-13T16:52:00.000-06:00

Lately, I've been absorbed in preparing my Wisdom Circles workshop as part of 21 Secrets. It's been quite the journey as I've been giving myself over the healing, calming process of making mandalas. It's a passion of mine, and is a very personal art journaling experience, especially when I'm trying to deal with the issues and anxieties of a micro-preemie. Sometimes, I need to find a way to abstractly weave my frustrations into my art journal.

Writing about adversity doesn't always come easily, so when I'm facing challenges and roadblocks, as any parent does, all I can do is plunge my mind into the sacred circle and let all the fears and frustrations pour out onto a page in the form of color and symbols.

My little guy, who was born 16 weeks premature, has faced many challenges in his short 2 year life, none more than the challenge of breathing. A baby born after only 24 weeks gestation doesn't have much in the way of lungs. Well, they're little lung buds really, and if they survive, then they face a lifetime of pulmonary challenges. Every tiny little cold or sniffle can turn into a 4 day stay in the ICU, and often does. Needless to say I spend a lot of time trying to keep the bugs away, especially at this time of year...and not always successfully I might add!

My 6yo came home from school last week with a raging sore throat. She's such a trooper, taking it all in her stride and trying to so very hard not to pass germs to her brother. But it's probably inevitable that Thomas will get it. How it plays out is another matter altogether. For now, I'm just pushing forward with all my commitments and hoping like crazy that I don't have to spend any sleepless nights in the PICU over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I've been playing with Luminarte's new line of Silks Acrylic Glaze. Oh my, if you haven't tried them, you simply MUST get your hands on them. These little babies are exquisite. They are a liquid acrylic form of Twinkling H2O's that result in a simply stunning, semi-transparent, and insanely shimmery coverage. They can be used on virtually any surface, including fabric and wood, with incredible results. This page was done by layering Silks over black gesso in my sketchbook. It's like the circle has been illuminated from behind. I'll be using them as part of my Wisdom Circles workshop so you'll be able to see how they perform. I highly recommend you hop on over to Dreaming In Color or Creative Imaginations to check them out.

21 Secrets begins on April 1st and runs for 10 full months. As a participant you get to take all 21 workshops from an incredible team of instructors and its only $59. Workshops are self-paced and include pdf's and video, and there's still time to register. Click here for more information.

Thanks for stopping by. xx

An Artist You Should Know

2012-02-10T10:59:00.000-06:00

When I first started sharing my art, it was as part of The Sketchbook Challenge. I set up an account through Flickr so I could participate in the group. WOW, little did I know where that would lead me. I remember looking through the gallery of work and being so inspired by the way the participants courageously interpreted the monthly themes.

One of those artists was Catherine Parkinson. Catherine set herself a challenge, to create every single day, and she was inspiring. As I followed Catherine's inspirational journey through the Sketchbook Challenge I got to know her. I was humbled to discover that her primary focus is art quilts and photography. Catherine's quilts need to be seen to be believed. She is an award winning quilt artist, mother of 5, New Zealand dairy farmer with the most amazing fortitude, generosity, and kindness.

Catherine and I have become friends beyond our online endeavours, and that alone makes this art journey worthwhile. She has two blogs, here and here. You must check them both out, and if you're a mother, then you'll especially LOVE her second blog. Catherine isn't just an artist you should know, she is a person you know, and one you'll LOVE.

Iam Catherine Parkinson a quilt artist, art journal-er and photographer.

Iam married to an amazing man who supports me and loves me in all my endeavors.

Iam a mother to 5 beautiful children who range in age from 7 to almost 20. They are a great joy and inspiration in mylife. They make life worth living.

Welive in South Auckland, New Zealand on a dairy farm. It is the most beautiful country to live inand inspires me daily to create art. Ifyou haven’t been here Google some images and you’ll see what I mean, it's just a daily feast of eyecandy.

Iam an artist who uses fabric and textiles to express myself.

Froma young child I have enjoyed the feeling of fabric, the way it moves and how itcan be manipulated. I love working with fabric and fibres, it is the tactilenature of textiles that appeals to me. Quilting has to be touched and felt tobe appreciated and to be understood. One of the nicest things I get asked is"can I touch your art?"

Lastyear I began doing The Sketchbook Challenge. My goal was to draw a page every day of the year. Although I didn’t quite make that goal Imanaged to draw a page for most of the year. Doing this has really improved my drawing skills and pushed me to aplace with my drawing I have never been before. I now consider art journaling a medium of mine too. I have overcome manyfears of paint and putting colour onto a page. This has taken a lot of courage and been worth every particle of energyand time.

Lifeis a journey that keeps evolving through experiences and relationships. Art is the same. It moves and evolves through a process. It is a fun ride which I love being on. It is not always an expected journey. Many experiences of life have sent me off ontangents and down surprising roads to explore. If anyone had told me 10 years ago that I would be an art quilter andartist I wouldn’t have believed them.

Anotherpath of art I have been exploring for a few years is photography. Photography fulfills my instant gratificationside of my personality. I love how it isonly a click of a button and a few minutes on the computer to create awork. Photography has also helped me torecord ideas for future work and future themes. It has given me a selective eye, helps me with design and has helped myeye to notice detail.

Artis a wonderful way to express my inner feelings and to see the world for itswonderful possibilities. The lightaround us needs to be captured and injected back into our society so that wecan really see clearly the potential human beings have in our world.

Pleasecome visit me at:

http://catherineparkinson.blogspot.com

http://onemotheratatime.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewarty/

Wisdom Circles

2012-02-07T16:17:00.000-06:00

This month was always going to be a crazy one for me. Two of my classes are running in Feb, as well as deadlines for other projects. I love it!! I've been enjoying teaching my "Mastering Twinks" class through Joggles.com immensely. The participants are amazing and I'm blown away with their work. Next up for me is "Watercolor Pencil Workshop" which starts on February 23rd, I can't wait. Registration is still open for both classes, but if you can't make them this time around, they'll definitely be running again. Watch this space!!

In the meantime, I've been burning the midnight oil in preparation for my contribution to "21 Secrets". This beautiful program is being hosted by Dirty Footprints Studio and offers 21 amazing workshop. My little piece in this class is called "Wisdom Circles". It's a workshop that uses myth and legend to infuse the art of making mandalas. I've just finished this short little video to give you a taste of what to expect.

Wisdom Circles from Dion Dior on Vimeo.

21 Secrets begins on April 1st. Click here for more information.

Thanks for checking in. xx

Off & Running

2012-02-01T09:28:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, the first of my online classes for Joggles.com, Mastering Twinks, started. Wow, I'm just thrilled at the response so far, but more excited about the incredible group of participants. I'm still getting to know them, and there are a few I'm yet to meet, but I have to say....who's teaching who??

These people have shown themselves to be generous, considered, and very very smart. I love it when a class asks lots of questions, offers lots of ideas, and most importantly, helps each other out. I'm quite simply humbled, moved, and blessed to be in their company and to be touched by their enthusiasm and passion.

I'm very much hoping that as the class progresses, these wonderful artists will give me permission to share their work on my blog, and I hope they they will even allow me to include them in my An Artist You Should Know series, because really, they are artists you should all know.

Exceptional creative talent and passion isn't just the domain of professional artists. Ordinary people are doing extraordinary things in art, and the internet and online classes like this have enabled us to connect. I'm all the more blessed because of it.

It takes courage to open yourself to a learning process, and even more courage to share that process with people you've never met. I want to thank those of you who are allowing me to share with you my love of Twinkling H2O's, and trusting me to help you discover your own Twinkling passion through this class.

Hugs & Gratitude. xx

Sneak Peak into "Mastering Twinks"

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted togive you a sneak peak into my "MasteringTwinks" online class which starts on January 31st through joggles.com and runs for threeweeks. As part of this class we will be creating some fun filled art andI wanted to share with you a simple process for creating a beautiful butterflyusing masking fluid between layers of Twinkling H2O's.

Start with a very loose and simple sketch of a butterfly. Don't put in toomuch detail, just the basic outline and pattern on the wings. Keep it simpleand give yourself plenty of room.

Using "Solar Gold", paint a very light wet wash over the butterfly.Keep the wash withing the boundaries of the butterfly.

While this layer is still wet, apply several othercolors onto the wings. I used a combination of "Mediterranean","Ginger Peach", "Jasmine" and "TealZircon". Dot these colors around the wings, letting them feather outand blend into each other. This creates some lovely color mixes and the sparkleis beautiful.

Let the butterfly dry completely then apply a layer of liquid frisket ormasking fluid. Push the frisket around the surface of the butterfly, dotting itonly in places where you want to see the color shining through. Followthe contours of your design. Masking fluid is like a rubber or laytex cementthat is applied over a page to preserve the white or color washunderneath. You can paint directly over it after it has dried, then whenthe paint is dry, you just peel or rub it straight off. it doesn't tearor affect the paper underneath. I use it a lot in my twinkling projects,but beware, it can sometimes dilute the paint on which it sits and liftup some of the mica. Especially if the paint isn't fully dry before you applyit.

When the masking fluid is dry, paint over the entire butterfly with"Hunter Gray" or another dark color. You may like to paint a secondlayer to give more contrast to the patterns or you may like to keep it light toallow the color underneath to peak through.

When it is completely dry, gently peel off the frisket. Many brands of maskingfluid come with a special eraser, if you don't have one, use a regular eraseror just rub it gently with your finger to lift it off.

Finish it off by softening the pattern with a fine line market. Stipplethe edges of the patterns, or scribble and shade to create a soft effect.

You can see how some simple dots and lines create more definition to thebutterfly.

As a final touch, wash in a background to give the butterflydimension. Keep the intensity of background color close to the butterfly,and let the pigment wash out as you move away from it. For thisI used aTombow water soluble marker and blended the color with a wet brush.

It's a very simple, yet effective process and is great for so manysubjects. Remember, there's still time to sign up for "MasteringTwinks", click herefor more information.

Thanks for checking in. xx

An Artist You Should Know

2012-01-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

Artistic brilliance comes in many forms, and to me, some of the most brilliant artists are fiber artists, and art quilters. They epitomize creativity in so many ways. Their skill with a brush as well as a needle is unsurpassed. I admire these artists for their fortitude and astounding vision as they lovingly build up a piece of beautiful art in a way that requires amazing patience. One artist in particular who encompasses all that I admire, is totally inspiring, and extremely talented is Annie Wade, AKA Bohemiannie. Annie is a wonderful artist with a riotous sense of humor. Her writing is thoughtful and engaging and her art is breathtaking. You must check out her blog, I promise you'll be inspired. Annie is most definitely an artist you should know.

WhenDion asked me if I wanted to be part of her blog…’An Artist You Should Know’…Inearly fell off my chair. With excitement! And whoopdedoo!And wonder! And “YES”! I said uncertainly.

I’m not surewhat Dion wants in the way of information but here goes…

I’dbeen playing with arts and crafts most of my life…but NEVER with confidence orcertainty because of all the negative feedback I received as a child and young (really young) adult. – like – you know– don’t run with scissors, etc. I didget some good reviews when I made something using my mom’s sewing machine so Ilearned to sew – and then all of my clothes and lots of my friend’s clotheswere made strictly following a pattern for years thereafter. I dabbled withquilting but every time I tried something I was told by someone with goodintentions that I wasn’t using the correct fabric, thread, foot, ruler,scissors, etc., etc., etc.

WhenI started seeing art quilts about 12-15 years ago, I fell in L-O-V-E, love. HERE was something that broke the rules andI knew I could do it!!! After all, I’d been a rule breaker and rebel most of mylife! Here was something that used fabric of any description PLUS the addedbenefit of beads, baubles, bangles, glitter and wow - bottle caps! I could evenPAINT on it if I wanted to!!!

Butwhere to begin?!? (Still not much confidence).

Ichecked out every book I could find at the library since there were no artquilters in my sister’s quilt guild (at least not that I could find) and readbooks for years as a wanna-be. The problem was…there weren’t very many booksthat were helpful so…I just began doing my own thing.

WhenI moved to Florida I continued my reading venture and began to collect ephemera. A couple years later, I met my dearfriend Carol Holsopple, anaccomplished art quilter who quickly became my mentor. She began a group in LeeCounty - with a little help from me and many others called Art QuiltersUnlimited. We were fortunate that lots of ladies came out of the closet withwonderful creations to share! Who knew?!? I learned SO much from that group!!!

Itwasn’t until I moved a couple hours north however – to the Tampa Bay area –that my art life really took off. You see…those ladies didn’t know that I was a baby art quilter /mixed media artist. They just loved the work I’d done and wanted more. Theyasked me to show…teach… encouraged me to sell my work in boutiques andOMGoodness…EXHIBIT!!! So I did!!!

Twoshort years later, I moved to Colombia, South America. My granddaughter wasborn near Tampa which is why we ended up there in the first place (to help thekids finish school) and then her daddy came home to Barranquilla after earninghis PhD. Of course he brought our daughter and grandbaby with him…so what couldwe do but follow?!? (BTW- I must also mention that my daughter received herMaster’s Degree and my son is a SGT in the Army with a wonderful pharmacy techwife). (I had to toss that in). (I also have a grandson in MI that I don’t getto see L).

Anywho…aftersettling in Barranquilla, I started looking for like-minded artists. So far,I’m a thankful member of a small traditional quilting group but it’s not quitethe same! They don’t go ga-ga over my stufflike my friends back home! I know! You probably think that’s a terrible thingto desire!! But I really LOVE getting a pat on the back with a lot of goo-goo-ga-ga along with it!!!

So…Ibegan blogging. In the year and a half since, I’ve found an abundance of…WONDERFUL, awesome, talented, generous, simply lovely people on line thatdelight and amaze me. Yep…YOU! I never really knewmuch about blogging before 2k10 but I’m SO grateful this world has opened up tome!

AndI say to myself…”It’s a Wonderful World”.

The~~end~~ beginning of the story is that my art life is alive and well andkickin (I actually do consider myself an artist now) and I receive suchbeautiful comments, encouragement and support from the blogging world that I’msimply ON FIRE!

Thankyou Dion for asking me to share and for ALWAYS inspiring me with your art…words…and wisdom.

Letthe magic in you come OUT!!!

Mixing up the Media

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

I really want to thank everyone who has left me comments and feedback, particularly these past couple of posts. I feel really bad because I haven't been able to reply to everyone. There's no acceptable excuse...if you take the time to leave me a comment, then I should take the time to reply to you. However, I've been running ragged with competing priorities this past week, and some things have been put on hold. I want you to know I am grateful for your thoughts and encouragement.

We're only a couple of weeks away from the start of my "Mastering Twinks" online class, and then only a few weeks later is the start of my "Watercolor Pencil Workshop". I've been drowning in an ocean of color, finishing off projects and putting the finishing touches on the class materials. Online classes are so exciting, and so much fun to produce, but they take a lot of work, and when you have a little 2yo and a vivacious 6yo who take first priority, it means you burn lots of midnight oil.

In the midst of all that, I've had next to no time to art journal, or do much art for my own pleasure and growth. But I am enjoying the projects I'm preparing for my online classes, and I know that those of you who have already signed up will enjoy them as well. I've been particularly enjoying playing with my Twinks and mixed media. This apple was done primarily in Twinkling H2O's, with highlights, or in this case, low-lights, done in Neocolor II water soluble crayon.

These two are an unlikely match, but as you can see, the results are stunning. The shimmer and dimension of Twinks paired with the creamy matte of Neocolor II's is actually very effective. The key is to allow only one of the mediums to dominate, in this case the Twinks. The Neocolor II's are there to help mute the light that is being thrown around by the Twinks and direct the eye toward the shimmer. Don't let them compete with each other as the pigment in both mediums is very powerful, so a light hand and a damp brush are the ticket.

If you'd like to learn more about these mediums, there's still time to sign up for both of these classes.

For information on "Mastering Twinks", click here.
For information on "Watercolor Pencil Workshop", click here.

Thanks for checking in. xx

Imagine Your Life

2012-01-17T05:41:00.000-06:00

What age is considered 'mid-life'? The cookie-cut 'life stages' don't apply to me, unfortunately. I'm a woman who didn't find my husband until my late 30's, and didn't start my family until I was into my 40's. Yet many of my friends, who are the same age, journeyed a different path. They have children who are adults, and are at a completely different phase in their own lives. But really, our personal journey's are similar. At mid-life, many of us no longer grapple with 'who we are' and 'what we want to be', instead that perpetual search for 'ourselves' has crescendo-ed into a process of 'becoming' who we are meant to be.

My own journey isn't so much about 'who am I' anymore, as it is about 'who I am'. It's about embracing all that is 'ME', and putting into motion all that I am. Age and wisdom are so very precious, and it's with these gifts that I feel able to fully embrace my life. Still, it's a challenge when there are young children, when we are a young family still building our dreams and finding our way. The absence of time and the excess of stress are my enemies.

Over the years, my survival, and self-discovery has been fueled by art journaling. Writing my personal story through words and pictures has been an empowering experience. Weaving together the artful threads of my life has given me so much courage, especially when I look back through my books and see the depth of my endurance. My journals have been a way of reflecting on my life and telling my story, if only to myself.

Everyone has a unique story and I wonder if it is at the mid-point in life, we find that our story must be examined? How can we live fully and authentically in the second half of our lives if we can't reflect on the journey that has bought us to the point we're at today? When we examine our own lives, we connect to all the riches of the past, we honor all the sadness and adversity we've overcome, we grieve for the 'never to be' elements, and we are energized, ready to use our remaining years more wisely.

Art Journaling gives us permission to stop and listen to the story of our lives. It puts meaning in our past, and gives us a compass for the times when we are stuck, incapacitated, and petrified. It also gives us images and icons for our achievements. It solidifies our glories, and validates our victories. The gift of artful expression belongs to everyone, and rich are those who embrace it.

This journal page was done in response to Inspiration Avenue's weekly prompt..."Butterflies". It's done in Twinkling H2O's and ink. Don't forget, "Mastering Twinks" online workshop begins January 31st though joggles.com .

Thanks for checking in. xx

Tutorial: Neocolor II

2012-01-15T11:38:00.000-06:00

Last year I was invited to be a guest blogger for the verytalented Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. I’m an avid follower of Balzer Designs and avery willing participant in her Art Journal Every Day program. Julie is one of my greatest art journaling inspiration, and it is through her courage and creativity that I have learnt so much. Julie is also one of the incredible instructors on this years "21 Secrets" hosted by Dirty Footprints Studio. I was honored when Julie asked me to sharesome of my Neocolor II secrets with her followers. I will be including Neocolor II's in my upcoming "Watercolor Pencil Workshop" which starts on February 23rd through joggles.com. For those of you who missed this tutorial over on Julie's blog, here it is again.

Neocolor II's are little sticks of lusciousness and are one of my favorite mediums. They’re perfect for art journaling and canreally make a page POP. Carand’Ache, the makers of NeocolorII’s produce a wide range of artist materials, but these little watersoluble crayons are one of their best products, and perfect for art journaling. I especially like vibrant color on a black background so I often spread my journal pages with black gesso as abase layer first. Unfortunately, not many water soluble mediums workon black gesso, but I'vefound a way to make the Neocolor II’s work for me.

Started with a basic pencil sketch over blackgesso. Let it dry completely, preferably overnight. When it's fully dry goover the pencil lines with masking fluid, I use liquid “IncredibleWhite Mask Liquid Frisket”. Keep the lines basic and eliminate the detail, masking fluid can be a challenge to controland it’s better when you are not trying to put down fine detail. .Use a nip or a stick to apply it, don’t use a paintbrush or you’lldestroy it with one dip into the frisket.

Once the masking fluid is completely dry, you’re ready toput in some color. Writing with theNeocolor II for any small spaces will drive you crazy. You’ll find that the frisket is volatile andwill peel up with a firm sweep of the crayon. Instead, dip your brush in water and wash it thoroughly over the tip ofthe crayon. This way you’ll pick up thepigment and will be able to lay it down like paint. Gesso is not traditionally ‘water’ mediumfriendly so if you use too much water it’ll bead up. The more pigment you use, and the less wateryou have, the better chance you have of getting the color to stick to the page. Lay down a first layer of color this way,with particular emphasis on the edges of the frisket. Just paint right over the top of it, it won’tbleed through.

Once you’ve put down your first layer of color, you maynotice that it looks kind of washy and transparent. Don’t worry; this is only the firstlayer. When it’s dry, take your crayonsand start coloring in. Be careful toavoid touching or sweeping the frisket or you’ll lift it up. Lay the colors down thick, play around withcombinations and textures. Pick up abrush and with minimal water, wet and blend the colors. If it washes out too much, just wait for itto dry and lay down more color with the crayon.

When you’re happy with the colors and consistency, you canput in the background. In this case, Iused FolkArt Metallic Acrylic paint. It’s awonderful contrast to the crayons. It’sshimmery and makes the vibrant matte of the Neocolor’s literally POP off thepage. Put down your first layer with a paintbrush, then grab a sponge andlightly and gently work your background with a contrasting color. When it’s all completely dry grab your clean sponge,dip it in some more metallic paint and start sponging it over the crayon. Be very careful as too much acrylicover the crayon could ruin the picture, and if you’re too heavy handed, the wetacrylic paint will react with the Neocolor and swoosh it around. Subtlety is the key.

When it’s all dry, use an eraser or a silicone remover,which sometimes comes with the frisket, and remove the mask. Be very gentle and light. The mask will come off just by peeling itback with your fingers, and if you’re too heavy handed you’ll smear the crayoninto the black lines. Gently clean it up once all the mask is removed. Sometimes I go along the edges with a gel penand sometimes I don’t. Most pens won’twrite over the crayon, it just clogs the nib, but I’ve found certain Sakura Gelly Roll gel penswill write over it quite nicely. I oftenuse a dark metallic gel pen or something in the silver or gold range, depending onwhat I am trying to achieve.

I find that less is more when it comes to using NeocolorII’s on black, and when I say less I don’t mean with the layering of the Neocolor’s, I mean with the layering of other mediums onand around them. These crayons are sobrilliant in their own right that you only need to enhance and highlight, notoverwhelm. However, you need to playaround with them yourself, get to know what they can do. They are truly a ‘must have’ for any artjournaler and I guarantee that once you get to know them, you won’t be able tolive without them.

Don't forget, if you want to learn more about using water soluble pencils and crayons, consider signing up for "Watercolor Pencil Workshop". It's jam packed full of step by step projects, starts on Feb 23rd, and runs or 4 weeks.

Thanks or checking in. xx

Twinkling Color

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

This is a sneak peak into my "Mastering Twinks" online class which runs again in June 2012. For more information go here.

When it comes to colors, artists the world over organize their palettes based on the seven color of the rainbow. These colors are “Red”, “Orange”, “Yellow”, “Green”, “Blue”, “Indigo”, and “Violet”. The color wheel and all color theory have its foundation in these seven colors. However, in reality these groups are extended to include ‘natural’, ‘neutral’, ‘mono’, and any number of iterations of colors that don’t appear in the spectrum. There are so many beautiful colors in the Twinkling H2O range; it’s often difficult to know what to choose.

Because of the shimmer in Twinkling H2O’s, some colors aren’t what they seem. The reds and violets, for example, cross the boundaries of each other and it’s difficult to know where they belong. Violets also cross the boundaries of blues, as do greens, and the shimmer rather than the pigment can influence the exact hue of a color.

A great way to get to know twinkling colors is to prepare samples or swatches and divide them into color groups. The fun part is that there is no right or wrong when classifying your colors, it’s for you to decide how you will group your colors. There's no science to twinkling color groups, it is simply a way to organize and understand them. After all, your choices of color are very personal and must work for you. When grouping my own colors, I began with the basic colors of the spectrum, “Red”, “Orange”, “Yellow”, “Green”, “Blue”, and “Violet”. I added a group called “Magenta”, a black and white group for all the “Mono” colors, and a “Brown” or “Neutral” group.

When we group colors, we discover that each group has a profoundly different mood. Take this concept one-step further and you’ll discover that even different shades and intensities of the same color evoke different emotions. Shimmer and sparkle are known to have an eye-catching response on most people, and when you combine intense color with shimmer, as Luminarte have done, you have a very powerful result.

The names given to each color in the Twinkling H2O range can also be misleading. The names alone elicit some kind of personal, and often emotional response. Whether it is mouth watering fruit; a romantic meal; or memories of a cold wintery day, the names can change the way we perceive them.

What do you think about when you hear names such as “Stargazer”, “Wine & Roses”, “Rainforest”, “Dreams Bloom”, or “Moonbeams”? These names don’t give many clues about the actual shade, but they probably invoke images of candle lit rooms, romance, or sparkling skies. The names create ‘situation identification’, they help you identify with a state or situation, and that’s what makes Twinks so personal and exciting to use. But it’s not until you see these colors on paper with their exquisite shimmer that you begin to understand how unique working with “Twinks” can be.

If you want to learn more about “Twinkling Color”, sign up for “Mastering Twinks” online class through joggles.com starting January 31^st, 2012. And don't forget, Luminarte are having a great fun giveaway, so pop on over and check it out.

Thanks for checking in. xx

The Magic in Moments

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

“Only one person in a thousand knows the trick of reallyliving in the present.”

~Storm Jackson

At this time of year, we spend a lot of time thinking aboutresolutions, goals, dreams, and the future. Planning is an important part of living, but how often do we let themagical moments that exist in the ‘now’ pass us by in favor of our plans? Sometimes it’s just so liberating to throw the ‘plan’ out the window andgo with the flow…don’t you think?

When I talk about plans, I’m not talking about dreams. To me they are different, verydifferent. Dreaming is about where orwhat you want to be, plans are about getting there. Either way, when we areblinded by our plans, or dreams for that matter, we sometimes have our eyesclosed to the unexpected magic in every moment. That magic can hold great promise oropportunity, and it’s that magic that helps sustain us through the tough days.

One thing I’ve learnt over these past few years is to becareful what you wish for, because life, regardless of our well-laid plans,always gives us what we want, but NEVER what we expect. Mark van Doren believed that those who havethe least regrets are those who take each moment as it comes, for all that itis worth. It will never come again, for worse or better. It is ours alone, wecan make it what we will!

So, last night, as I plugged along with my classpreparation, swimming in circles of Twinks and watercolor pencils, I found myself unexpectedlybreaking from my plan. My 2yo, who hasgiven me so many adventures in his very short life, broke all the rules of hismicro-prematurity and ‘out-of-the-blue’ started reading letters. “A”, “B”, “K”,a hybrid form of “W”, and numerous others were pouring from his little mouth ashe flipped the pages of books. I immediatelystopped what I was doing, got down on the floor with him, and spent over anhour going through books while he exhaustively and creatively enunciated every uppercaseletter he could see. There was laughter, clapping, and a very self-satisfiedlittle guy, and before long my husband and our 6yo daughter were down on the floorwith us. Alphabet puzzles, magazines, andmagnetic letters were everywhere, and before we knew it, we were late for adinner date with neighbors.

Don’t worry, I called them and explained what had happened. They totally understood. It washilarious, exciting, and magical, and instead of it just being moment in brief passing,it is now a treasured memory of wonder, fun, and hope.

Over the years, I’ve had so many amazing (and not soamazing) experiences like this. But thanksto periods of throwing my plans out the window, one thing is for absolute certain…I havevery few, if any, regrets. My dreams are still very much alive, and as I learnto be more responsive to the world around me, I find myself living my dreams. Who would have thought? So in response to this moment, and despite my many commitments and deadlines, I opened my journal and created this page. I sat at my desk until the wee small hours, and now I have an extraordinary and endearing memory.

It was done using Twinkling H2O's, with fine liner for definition and a flourish of white gel pen for highlight. I invite you, if you are so inclined, to create a journal page based on one of your own magic moments. Feel free to share a comment with a link back to your own blog or pic for others to see. You could even do it as part of your other art journaling programs, it may just remind us all to "live in the moment".

Thanks for checking in.

"21 Secrets" Winner

2012-01-08T09:11:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the "21 Secrets" giveaway, and for blogging, Facebooking, and tweeting about it. I was thrilled to read everyone's thoughts about the teachers and their classes. I wish I had 200 places to give away on this incredible program, just so each of you who entered gets to have this experience. But as with all these things, there can only be one winner, and for those of you who missed out this time, I hope you you sign up to give yourself the gift of this class. It really is going to be quite the art journaling journey.

So as of this morning there were 181 entries and I paid a little visit to random.org

This is the result:

Congratulations to Julie (O-Kami) who said:

Julie, I will contact you with the details of your prize.

Thank you again to all of you for taking the time to enter this giveaway, and a special thank you to Connie from Dirty Footprints Studio for her vision and energy, and for this gorgeous program.

Hugs xx

A Sparkling Heart

2012-01-07T11:22:00.000-06:00

Kate Palmer, author of the blog "Sparkle Tart" has kicked off the new year with a series of posts about her 10 most Artistically Inspiring People of 2011. I was amazed when she contacted me to say she'd like to include me. My first thought was "Why? I'm not inspiring...I'm inspired". I then felt very humble and profoundly grateful for her honor. I thought she was simply going to list here faves, but she has put her heart and soul into posts about all of these wonderful artists. Kate has written an amazing, thoughtful, and very heartfelt commentary about who each of these people are and why they inspire her.

Today, Kate has featured me, and when I read her post, I was moved to tears. Thank you Kate for your beautiful words, your generous spirit, and sparkling heart.

(This "Highly Prized Hibiscus" was done in Twinkling H20's with a flourish of glitter, in honor of Kate.)

Don't forget, today is the last day of my "21 Secrets" giveaway. Go here to enter or for more information. I'll be randomly drawing the winner tomorrow.

xx

Doodling

2012-01-06T08:22:00.000-06:00

The January theme for the Sketchbook Challenge is "Doodling", and who doesn't have pages filled with mindless (or intentional) doodles? I've tried my hand at "Zentangles", "Zendoodles", "Zendalas", whatever your title of choice is. I didn't even know it had a name for the first ten years, then suddenly I discovered that what I was doing was part of a "movement". Who knew?

When I get stuck for a subject or focus for my art journaling, which is often, I try to let go of all expectation and just splash around with color. Most often I find myself working in a circular pattern, and they inevitably turn into a mandala. My mandala's don't always have meaning, sometimes they just have feeling and for me that feeling comes from color.

I find color in art to be vital to me. Color is my primary mode of expression and when I look back at a piece whose colors were driven by deep emotion, I can steel feel that emotion. I know instantly what was going on at the time and it's very powerful to sit with it and reflect.

Many people use mandalas for meditation. The circle has a profoundly calming effect on the mind and body. I used to do this more years ago, when I didn't have children. Sadly, meditation isn't something I get a lot of time for these days, but I will steel away to a corner every now and again with this particular mandala and just sit.

There is a lot of meaning in this one. It was done shortly after I bought my son home from hospital. I remember sitting at the quiet end of the dining room table, he was asleep in his crib, I could hear the gentle swooshing of the oxygen flowing from the massive tanks littered around the house. I could see the cannula tubing snaked across the floor, disappearing into his crib, tangling with the lines from his heart/lung monitors. He was so tiny, only 6lbs at 6 months, it was frightening, so I would imagine a garden growing around him, hiding all those hideous medical necessities keeping him alive. I imagined birds and butterflies twittering around the tops of the tanks, resting on his pillow, protecting him.

Some days that little fantasy went on for ages. It gave me those precious moments of calm and optimism that helped sustain me for the two years it took for my baby to grow strong enough to finally shed all that life saving equipment.

It was on one of those days that I swirled some Twinkling H2O around my journal page and started doodling. I didn't have the capacity to try to draw my imagined garden, so I doodled this instead. There was something about the repetitive, rhythmic motion of repeating patterns within the circle, it was a very powerful process for me and still holds a special place in my heart. Creating this mandala was somehow a turning point. I'm not sure in which direction, but when I looked at the finished result, it felt like I could finally see a light at the end of a very long and very dark tunnel.

Tomorrow I will be randomly drawing the winner of my "21 Secrets" giveaway. Click here to enter, or for more information.

Thanks for checking in. xx

Widsom in Dreams

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

"The dream is a little hidden door into the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul..."

~C.G. Jung

There are so many dichotomy's in the every day pursuit of our dreams. Setting goals, navigating the unexpected, recalibrating, facing the reality. To make sense of our changing selves we need to find ways to reach into our unconscious, clear away the fog and expose those aspects of ourselves that are yet unknown. Once we have access to these deep parts of ourselves, we need to find way to integrate them into our understanding of who we are and what we want. It's probably what draws so many people toward art journaling. Art journaling in not about the end result, its about the processes, the experience, and the journey. Woven into these processes are deeply personal, of oftentimes very powerful experiences.

The time we take for ourselves is never enough. We need to step our of our busy, cluttered everyday lives and stop. We need to make each of our precious self-nurturing moments count, we need to find ways to let our minds rest on beautiful thoughts, let our energy recharge, and our passion reignite. Many of us do this effectively through yoga, meditation, journal writing, and creative expression. But we also need to find time for the inner process of rejuvenation. One way to do this is by noticing our dreams, finding ways to express them, and then in turn, understand them. By understanding our own dreams, we not only find solutions to everyday problems, we also find new paths to self-discovery. Clarity often comes to us once we wake from a dream. The psychologist Carl Jung believed that the psyche speaks to us through dream images, and if we take the time to explore these images, we find a natural path to healing and growth.

"The Circle has been universally accepted as a religious image of perfection, a shape of total symmetry, hermetically closed off from its surroundings. It is the most general shape, possessing the fewest individual features but serving at the same time as the matrix of all possible shapes."

~Rudolf Arnheim.

There are many ways to explore our dreams, but for me, one of the most powerful ways in through the art of making mandalas. Symbols, images, and color all hold personal meaning for me, and to place these methodically, and meditatively within the confnes of the circle, helps me to find meaning and clarity. Throughout the ages, Mandalas have been used to communicate nonverbal messages. The circle organizes and safely contains symbolic imagery that acts as a bridge to our unconscious, helping us to safely regain our sense of balance and harmony.

Creating mandalas is also a very ancient and spiritual form or art journaling, and because mandalas are symbolic, they are able to contain many layers of meaning that help us integrate our sense of identity with our desires, thereby giving us a clearer path to future growth. There are many ways to create mandalas, and many ways to weave our dreams into them. In "Wisdom Circles", my portion of the "21 Secrets" program, I use storytelling and visualization as a way to help you explore your own dreams and desires. We create circles of wisdom through our own symbols, color, and images. It's a powerful art journaling secret, and one I've been practicing for many years.

This page was my expression of fear. It was created during a time of great adversity for me, in the year my infant son was born 16 weeks premature. During that time I struggled to make sense of anything, my life went into a holding pattern and I had no platform on which to rest my creative soul. I created hundreds of mandalas in many many journals while sitting for five months beside his NICU bed. Today, when I feel discombobulated and overwhelmed, unable to think clearly, I sit down with my journal and let my dreams and anxieties spill out into the circle.

I'm giving away a place on this wonderful program to one lucky person. Click here for more information and to enter.

Thanks for checking in. xx

"21 Secrets" Giveaway

2012-01-01T15:35:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!

There is so much buzz around at the moment about the abundance of incredible online workshops available for this coming year that it can be a little overwhelming. Trying to decide what classes to take, especially when there are so many great ones out there, how do you decide where to invest your hard-earned $$$.

In my mind, one of the most beautiful programs, and by far the best value for money is "21 Secrets". This program, as I've mentioned before, offers 21 individual workshops by some of the art worlds most talented and generous teachers. It runs from April '12 to Jan '13 and is only $59 for the entire 21 workshops. I was so blessed when the beautiful Connie Hozvicka of Dirty Footprints Studio invited me to join the line of up of instructors for 2012. What an honor! Now Connie has poured forth her generosity once again by allowing me to giveaway one place on this amazing program.

If you'd like to go into the running for a spot on the program of the year, then all you have to do is click the link below, and then come back here and leave a comment, telling me which of the instructors teaching "21 Secrets" you'd be most excited to learn from. Of course you have more than one favorite, in fact once you read the line up of teachers, you'll probably be excited about all of them, but for now, just give me your top choices. Remember, if you win, you get all 21 workshops from all 21 teachers.

You've got until next weekend to enter. I'll be randomly drawing a winner on Sunday January 8th. Remember to leave an email address so I can contact you when you win. Only one entry per person please, however, if you'd like a second chance at winning, you can post about it on your blog, facebook, or twitter pages, directing people back through this post to enter. Please post a second comment telling me you've blogged, FB'd or tweeted about this giveaway. Remember, to be eligible, you must click the link below, then come back to this post to comment.

Dion Dior & More is giving away "21 Secrets"

My offering for this wonderful program is called "Wisdom Circles". Through story telling and self-guided visualization, participants will learn to embrace their deepest desires, and give life to them through the beautiful art of mandalas, infused with powerful and deeply personal symbols. We will learn to use twinkling color and depth as a way to layer our inner most secrets into the pages of our journals.

Good luck to everyone and thanks for checking in. xx

Wisdom Circles

2011-12-29T11:11:00.000-06:00

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes."

~ Michael Proust

We're very quickly approaching the end of 2011. I could talk for hours about what this year has meant to me, but what's more interesting is what it has meant to you. It's in the last few days of the waning year that we usually cast our minds back to the year gone by, but my mind is already focused forward to 2012, and the endless possibilities and opportunities that lie on the horizon for me.

One of the programs I'm doing next year is Effy Wild's "Book of Days". It's a year long adventure in journal art and memory keeping, and what's more is it's free. To begin this program, everyone is encouraged to choose a word for the coming year. One that is relevant to them, and will help guide their art journaling journey throughout 2012. The word I have chosen is "DESIRE". It is also the foundation for my portion of the upcoming "21 Secrets" workshop.

Through adversity and euphoria I have learnt two very important things: life always gives you what you want; and, life never gives you what you expect. I've found that understanding and articulating my desires, then opening myself to life's offering, regardless, is the key to happiness. If I look around, I have everything my heart desires, I mean truly desires. All I have to do is look with new eyes.

Can you imagine how happy we would all be if we could recapture that exceptional wonder we experience when we see something for the first first time? First time experiences often fuel desire, and desire shapes our decisions. Through desire, our actions become cemented in ambition. But the question is, are our desires rooted in authenticity? Do they drive us in the right direction?

Desire has two faces; the mean, selfish face of craving, impulsiveness, addiction & power mongering; and the kinder face of self-determination and self-responsibility. In her book, "Women & Desire", Polly Young-Eisendrath explores the compulsion that our need to be desired, and therefore desirable, undermines our self-esteem. Have we learnt to skillfully hide the meaner face of desire, even from ourselves?

At the very essence of what is means to be human is 'freedom'. The freedom to change our course, alter our perspectives, and grow in a different direction. But this change can only effectively be realized when we know and recognize our own desires. We need to cast new eyes over our intentions, and open our hearts to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, some of our intentions are grounded in the meaner face of desire, rather than the kinder.

In my portion of the "21 Secrets" program through Dirty Footprints Studio, I will explore the concept of "Desire", and through story telling and visualization I will encourage you to cast light on your desires and see them with new eyes.

Finding ways to express our desires, to gently acknowledge both sides of the 'desire' face is integral to our ongoing growth and pursuit of an authentic life. It is through art journaling, and the creation of mandalas, that we will give form to our desires. The patterns found in mandalas can help us describe the very nature of desire, while the circle itself helps us contemplate the core of our own reality, and what is at the 'true center' of our desire.

"21 Secrets" is an online self guided workshop where 21 talented, inspiring artists each share their art journaling secrets. Each class comes in a downloadable pdf, with video and personal feedback. It goes on sale next week. But what is so amazing about this course is that it is only $59, which includes all 21 workshops. I am so excited to be a part of it, and I will be giving away a place on this course to one you. Click here to learn more about "21 Secrets" and stay tuned for this wonderful giveaway in the weeks to come.

Thanks for checking in. xx

(All the pictures in this post are from "The Mandala Book" by Lori Bailey Cunningham. For picture credits please see page 308 of this book.)

The Reef At Christmas

2011-12-20T11:27:00.000-06:00

It seems that at this time of year my homesickness peaks as I struggle once again with a cold white Christmas. I know, I know...you think I'm insane, isn't a white Christmas the jackpot? Well, yes, it certainly is beautiful, and all the images of Christmas that we see make sense when I look out my window, but in reality Christmas is different all over the world. There are loads of countries where Christmas marks the beginning of summer vacation, Australia being one of them. I guess it all depends on what you grow up with.

I remember childhood Christmas' spent in the coastal town of Torquay, Victoria. We'd spend Christmas eve running around the back yard while Dad tended to the BBQ and mum laid out a feast of salads, fresh tropical fruits and cakes. We were so excited because we were allowed to stay up to attend mid-night mass. Once we got older we started the tradition of coming home from mass and opening one gift from another family member, just one!

I remember trying to fall asleep, giddy with excitement and anticipation, restless from the heat of a hot summers night, listening to the crickets chirping and the waves lapping up on the darkened beach. I could hear laughter and music drifting through the air as the calidescope of holiday makers celebrated the season in true Aussie style...bonfires, bbq's,and beer.

Christmas morning was always an early start, as it is all over the world for families with children. We'd race in to wake Mum and Dad, who would both linger in bed, trying to stretch out the excitement that little bit longer. The joy of gift-giving was intoxicating, but as a kid, receiving was even better. Our presents usually included swimsuits, beach towels, flip flops, buckets & spades, and the occasional a bicycle or go cart. We reluctantly put our gifts down to march off to church yet again before heading either home or to a relative's for a spectacular Christmas lunch with hoards of family and friends.

After our midday feast was respectfully devoured we'd all gather up our buckets, spades and beach towels and head off to the beach. By mid afternoon the sand was ablaze with heat and adorned with families. All the grassed areas above the beach were packed full of extended families cramming under the shade of gum trees. A chorus of BBQ's sizzling away as topless, beer bellied fathers would whack cricket balls around with their kids, while Mum's and Grandma's would sit happily on their fold up-chairs sipping wine and chattering away, grateful that they didn't have to cook a roast on such a hot day.

My head is full of glorious summer Christmas memories, but none better than the long evening walks along the beach at the end of Christmas day. Dipping our feet into the cool water, feeling peaceful and satisfied with our lot in life, ready for bed and feeling the excitement creep up on us once again as we thought about doing it all again on Boxing Day, with the other side of the family.

What are some of your childhood holiday memories?

I've shown snippets of this page before. It's a prismatic mandala of my beloved memories of the reefs that surround my homeland. It's done in Twinkling H2O's and ink. My workshop for 21 Secrets is called "Wisdom Circles" and is all about infusing these sacred circles with your memories, dreams, and desires. Click here for more information.

Thanks for checking in. xx

Strawberry Flower

2011-12-16T15:10:00.001-06:00

My online workshops with Joggles.com opened for registration this week and my two classes "Mastering Twinks", and "Watercolor Pencil Workshop" which will both run in the early new year, have attracted a lot of interest. Most of my recent posts have been showcasing "Twinks", so I thought I'd change it up a bit and give you a peek into my Watercolor Pencil class.

I think watercolor pencils are one of the most underestimated, yet versatile mediums you can use. Especially if you like to travel and art journal on the go. They're easy to pack, not messy at all and require very little maintenance, work well with other medium and are always reliable. Did I mention they were versatile.

I use them is so many different way, and I always have a set with me when I'm art journaling. I often use them to enhance watercolor pages, but I find that sometimes they are my primary medium. I've done several watercolor pencil classes in the past few years, most recently Cathy Johnson's mini class, and I'm always learning new ways to use them. Everyone has their own style and preference when it comes to getting the best from them.

Of course some brands are better than others, but often it depends what effect you're looking for. As part of my workshop I explore lots of these different brands, and lots of different ways to use them. We work through a number of step by step projects that help guide participants as they get to know these little sticks of beauty.

Once again I use nature as my muse. This page, done in Derwent Inktense watercolor pencil in my watercolor journal, is of strawberries and their flowers. I draw over the subject with pen as a way of shading and defining and as part of this class, I offer tips on effective line work over watercolor pencil.

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for checking in. xx

Tutorial: "Cupcake" Christmas Card

2011-12-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

If you’re anything like me you’ve probably left sending outChristmas cards to the last minute. It’sthe same every year, Christmas sneaks up on me and by the time I start thinkingabout it, there is only a week or so left. So last night I sat down in my little studioand whipped up some Christmas cupcakes. Not the delectable edible kind, rather the twinkly visual kind. LuminArte have released some gorgeous new holiday colors in their Twinkling H2O range, so I thought I’d trythem out.

These 12 new colors are deep, richand highly glamorous. Vavoom Red, Sugar Plum, Raspberry Wine, Twilight, Mystique, Harvest Sol, Desert Clay, Spanish Moss, Moon Beams, Emerald, Ice, and GoldenNugget. These are shimmer on steroids and they are perfect for so many holiday projects.

I thought I share a little of my process. Here’s how I did it:

Start with a quick pencil sketch of a cupcake.

Sweep a light wet wash of “Spanish Moss” over the cupcake pan. Let the pigment and mica play over the paperand encourage it with your brush to settle into what will become the ridges ofthe pan.

Next, using “Emerald” gently fill in the hollyleaves applying the same technique. Usea little more water if necessary and watch as the mica moves around. Again, as it’s drying, just encourage theshimmer to settle into the areas that will be ridged or shaded. Use a paper towel to dab out the excess fromthe areas that will reflect some light. I used “Hot Cinnamon” for the berries,with a flash of “Vavoom Red” for dimension. The berries are so small that it’s importantNOT to over work them. One layer of “HotCinnamon” for color and one or two light brush strokes of “Vavoom Red” for dimension.

Next, fill your brush with a very wet, but light coating of “HarvestSol” and run it around the edges of the frosting. “Harvest Sol” has a beautifulstrong pigment and you only need a small amount of paint. Only cover the edgesat this stage as you’re trying to bring out the shading. Let it dry before the next coat. Fill a clean brush with a generous coating of “Ice”and wash it all over the frosting. “Ice”is colorless, but you’ll definitely see the shimmer take form as you lay itdown.

Using another coating of “Harvest Sol” bring out more of the shadededges by blending it very softly into the ice. You’ll be able to see that as the mica builds up around the edges of thefrosting, the light plays in a way that it begins to look three-dimensional.That’s the beauty of Twinkling H2O’s.

Now you have your primary layer on yourcupcake, from here on, it's all about subtlety. This is where itis important to use less water on your brush and more paint, but remember a lighthand will give the best results, and keep a paper towel close by for dabbing.

Start with “Emerald” and put in darker lines over the case forridges. Just work the paint in a waythat it ‘looks’ right to you. Follow anycontours of the cupcake and keep the lines parallel and consistent, but not tooperfect. Lightly wash a little more of the “Emerald” around the edges of the caseadding shadow and form. Dab away the areas that reflect light, giving it the impressionof a round case and let it dry between layers.

Apply the same layering principle over the rest of thepicture. Adding a little more paint inareas that are darker or shaded and dabbing away at the lighter areas. If youwant to lift away some of the darker paint, just use a wet clean brush, run thewater over those areas and dab away with your towel. The Twinkling H2O’s are remarkably easy tolift in this way.

When you’re happy with the result, let it dry, then pick upa fine black marker or pen and use it to define the cupcake. Keep the lines small, clean andunobtrusive. This stage is just for definition;don’t let the black lines overtake the entire picture, but instead use them tohelp bring out the edges of the cupcake.

As a final step, I mixed “China Black” and “Siam White” tomake a creamy matte gray. These twocolors are the only non-mica colors in the Twinkling H2O range. I use them alot, especially for background shading. The matte of these two work in perfect harmony behind a shimmering subjectto make the piece “POP” from the page.

Bevery careful when using them though, the pigments in these two colors are veryrich and even though you can mix them with the mica-based colors, they caneasily and quickly over power the mica if you use too much. Lightly wash the gray behind the cupcake, starting your stroke against the edge of the cupcake, pull the color out with you brush and lots of water, dabbing away at the edges to keep it smooth.

As a final tip, scan or copy the finished cupcake and printit out onto card stock. Then, using justthe main colors, lightly brush a layer of Twinkling H2O onto the copied versionof your cupcake.

Cut around the edges and stick it onto a blank greeting card.

This makes it easy toproduce many shimmering glittering copies of the original, and perfect for bulkChristmas Cards for all your family and friends.

And, as a little Christmas gift to you, here is a scanned copy of my finished Christmas cupcake. Please feel free to download it, print it onto card stock and then brush overit with your own Twinkling H2O’s. It’llmake a fun Christmas card, or gift tags.

Have a yummy, twinkling Christmas, and thanks for checking in. xx

LuminArte "Artist of the Month"

2011-12-14T15:04:00.000-06:00

This past month has been a dizzying time for me. It seems that I'm being engulfed in a wave of good luck and positive energy. Life certainly does wax a wane in it's offering and it's about taking the good with the bad. Right now, after years of worry and distraction I'm drinking in the joy.

Firstly, and by far, most important, my toddler, who has has been facing medical challenges beyond reckoning, has settled into eating quite nicely. It's been several weeks since he completed "Eating Boot Camp" and I'm happy to report that he's eating up a storm. He even has a little belly starting to show. For any mother, ensuring that their kids eat properly and healthily is one of THE biggest worries she can have. So you can imagine that after two and a half years of this child refusing to eat in any way beyond a bottle, well, I'm feeling just a little relieved and eternally grateful!

Secondly, I have been receiving so much support and encouragement from my beautiful art community that I feel like I'm airborne. It's a very big deal to me that so many of you take the time to give me feedback, show me your support, and encourage my journey. So often I feel undeserving, and I want you to know that I am profoundly and humbly grateful for every little comment, email, and "Like" you take the time to give me. I love your blogs, your FB posts, your journal pages, your ATC's, I pour over them all, even if I don't comment nearly as much as I should. I love hearing about your own journeys, the challenges, the triumphs, and the learning you face. We have so much to share with each other and the in my mind, the world is a much better place when more creative individuals spread their beauty and spirit.

Finally, this past week has seen my workshops with Joggles.com open for registration and I have been overwhelmed by positive feedback and excitement. Artists and creatives alike are signing up and I'm so excited to be given the opportunity to share with them some of my processes and techniques in this way. I've also been invited by LuminArte, the makers of Twinkling H20's, Radiant Rain, Silks Acrylic Glaze, and more, to be their December "Artist of the Month". WOW..what an honor, what a twinkling honor. Today is an introduction to who I am, and in the coming weeks I will be posting some tutorials and tips using their delicious products...which I love anyway. So be sure to pop on over to the LuminArte Blog and check them out. They have an incredible family of artists and contributors and it seems once again, I am standing on the shoulders of giants.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to check in. xx

Winter Classes Now Open for Registration

2011-12-11T10:20:00.001-06:00

I'm very excited to announce that registration has finally opened for my online workshops with joggles.com, I'm offering two classes in the winter session; "Mastering Twinks" and "Watercolor Pencil Workshop"

"Mastering Twinks" is scheduled to begin on January 31, 2012 and will run for three weeks.

As many of you know, Twinkling H2O’s are luscious little pots of shimmering watercolor. The vibrancy and intensity of these glistening paints are spectacular, which is why for many years they have been hugely popular with scrap bookers and stampers. “Twinks” as they are affectionately known, are incredibly versatile. They have become a staple in the kit of many mixed media artists and art journalers and come in a staggering array of colors. In “Mastering Twinks” you will learn how to make the most of these little pots of jewels. You will go beyond traditional uses and discover exciting new techniques that will have your work dancing with light and sparkle. A recommended supply list for this class, including Twinkling H2O's, will be provided prior to commencement of the class. All materials will be available for purchase at joggles.com.

Click here to register for "Mastering Twinks"

"Watercolor Pencil Workshop" is scheduled to begin on February 23, 2012 and will run for 4 weeks.

Watercolor pencils are a delightfully surprising and highly underestimated medium, especially for the art journaler. In this 4-Week program participants will learn all about these beautiful little sticks of color and how to get the best from them. They are perfect for on-the-go sketching and are wonderful for adding detail and dimension to your art journal pages. A recommended supply list for this class will be provided prior to the commencement of the class. All materials will be available for purchase at joggles.com.

Click here to register for "Watercolor Pencil Workshop"

What a perfect Christmas gift!

Hugs & thanks for checking in. xx

An Artist You Should Know

2011-12-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

One of the things I love most about the creative community is the incredible generosity I see in so many people. We are all on our own individual creative journey and no two journeys play out the same. We stumble and fall along the way and I've found that when that happens, there are so many people ready to help you up and and spur you on. I've made some amazing friends, found some incredible mentors and coaches, but most of all, I've found so much love and inspiration from my online art community that I really feel like I have wings. Let me introduce you to Anny Hyde, one of those people who epitomizes all that I love about this artistic life. Her courage, her kindness, and artistic skill are astounding and she is definitely an artist you should all know.

Hi, my name is Ann Hyde - my blog is www.studiohyde.blogspot.com which I started as a means to join in the art community and share my work with other like minded people whilst also being able to follow other art and creative blogs myself.

So, how old am I...well I was born in July 1952 (so you can work that out!).

I am lucky that my experiences as an only child allowed me to make my own entertainment, my painting and drawing has always been a part of who I am, I just don't remember a time when I didn't have a pen in my hand drawing something. Since our kids left home, about 3 years ago, I have spent an increasing amount of time painting using mixed media: oil, coloured inks, acrylics and watercolours and even innovative fingers and thumbs technique! I took over our daughter's old bedroom as my studio and it is filled to the rafters with art supplies and accumulated art stuff.

I tend to have times painting in one particular media, for example just watercolours. I'll then jump to oils (which I have been doing recently) and then on to acrylics and sometimes mixing them in one piece of art. I really couldn't say definitively which media I prefer, it just depends on how I feel at the time as to what I paint and whether I use watercolours, oils or acrylics for it. Although I would say that watercolours are great for quick sketching, so there is always a pan of colours next to my desk. I don't think I have any particular 'style', but it seems a few people do recognise my work before they see my name, so perhaps I do!

I am self-taught through and through but I do like to join Art Workshops. A few months ago I went along to a Watercolour workshop run by Wendy Jelbert - learnt a lot from that experience, and have just come back from an Oil Workshop run by Sharon Ball (Painting with Oils in a Bob Ross style). I have learnt so much from them and had a great time attending the classes too. The thing I find with these classes is that I can adapt their techniques to paint a scene of my own choice, I love doing that. xx

Thanks for checking in xx

Twinkling Tutorial

2011-12-06T11:28:00.002-06:00

I want to start by saying thank you so very much to everyone who took the time to vote for Dion Dior & More in the recent Blog Guidebook's Top Blog of 2011. I was thrilled to be nominated and completely amazed to have made it through to the final five. Voting closed last night and I am happy to say I came in third. There were some wonderful blogs in the running and two very deserving and entertaining blogs made it into the final two. Good luck to both of them in the final dash for Top Blog of 2011.

Yesterday, the classes were announced for the upcoming 21 Secrets workshops hosted by Dirty Footprints Studio. I am teaching along with 20 incredible and extremely talented artists. I can now tell you that my portion of this amazing program is called "Wisdom Circles" and will be about making deeply personal and very beautiful mandalas in our journals. Click on the link in the right side bar, or on the image above to learn more about the 21 different workshops and the 21 incredible artists. Don't forget it's a year long program and you get ALL 21 classes for only $59. Registration opens on January 2nd. I'll be giving you a sneak peek into my 21 Secrets offering in the next few days.

I've been crazy busy trying to finish off my workshops for the upcoming winter program for Joggles.com. I'll be offering two classes, "Mastering Twinks" & "Watercolor Pencil Workshop". Both go on sale next week through joggles.com. In the meantime, here is a taste of what to expect in the "Mastering Twinks" class. This tutorial shows you a little about getting to know LuminArte's Twinkling H2O's. I'm playing with the December theme for The Sketchbook Challenge "Trashes, Ruined, Decay" and taking my inspiration from nature, I thought I'd hang onto Autumn for just a few more weeks with this decaying autumn leaf.

In this tutorial you'll see that the depth of pigment and the mix of mica in Twinkling H2O's is so rich that you don't need a huge palette of colors to create spectacular results. Twinks mix beautifully, but as I've said before, mixing is not always necessary with these stunning paints, there are so many colors to choose from that you'll be sure to get the shade you need in stock. For this page, I used only 4 colors; Sunflower, Indian Copper, Olive Vine, and Chestnut Brown.

Start by sketching the leaf in pencil. To get the proportions, I began by drawing a rough circle as a guide to capturing the points of the leaf. Keep the sketch light and avoid putting in any unnecessary detail. Once you lay down the first wash you can erase the circle.

Wake up your Twinks by spritzing them with water and letting them soften for a few minutes. Then using "Sunflower" with lots of water, lightly wash the leaf using a wet on wet technique. That is, wet the area of the leaf with lots of water, then using more water than paint on your brush, wash the leaf with a soft covering of paint. Watch as the mica dances around the page and settles into the water. Use a paper towel to dab off any excess water. Let it dry either naturally, or using a heat gun before adding the next layer.

Apply a second layer of Sunflower yellow using more paint and less water. Brush a darker wash into what will become the spines of the leaf. As you layer the paint it becomes darker and more intense so go easy to begin with. Using Indian Copper, wash the edges of the leaf, letting it mix with the sunflower. Don't be afraid to let the mica's blend together, this will create a wonderful dimension to your finished leaf. Go over the countours of the leaf with another layer of Indian Copper, and add a little bit of olive vine into the mix.

Now darken the lines and stem with a mix of indian copper and chestnut brown. Don't use too much of the dark brown at this stage or you'll muddy the leaf. Remember the golden rule of layering: you can always darken, but it's very difficult to lighten. Experiment with the wetness of your surface, when you're looking to add shading and depth, use wet on wet, or keep the paint brush wet. As you start to add detail, let the surface dry between layers and use a dryer brush.

Once you're happy with the color and shade, take a sea sponge, a kitchen sponge or a scrunched up paper towel. Make sure your paint pots are very wet, keeping them spritzed with water throughout the process. Now dip your sponge into the very wet and sticky "Chestnut Brown" and dab it onto your leaf in the areas where decay is occurring. Clean off the sponge and repeat this using "Olive Vine". Play around with the dabbing, experimenting on a scrap piece of paper. As you alter the wetness of the paint pot and the surface, your effects will be different.

To finish it off, take a fine point achival quality marker such as a Pigma Mircon. Very lightly define the edges of the leaf and use it to add definition to the decay and countours. As you do this, particularly around the dabbed areas, you'll see these shades start to become more defined, and the contrast between the flat black of the pen and the shimmer of the Twinks underneath will add real "pop" to your subject. Keep working the pen lines until you are happy with the final result, and remember, sometimes less is more, but then sometimes less is just less. You be the judge.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. It's a peek into my upcoming "Mastering Twinks" workshop. If you give this a try, I'd love to see your results, so be sure to leave a comment with a link back to your flickr picture or blog.

Thanks for checking in. xx

An Artist You Should Know

2011-12-05T08:15:00.001-06:00

I've been a huge fan of Donna Mulholland (Aka The Happy Painter) for ever. Her work is dripping with color and fluidity and her insights and journaling are very thought provoking. Donna infuses the principle teachings of Yoga into her everyday life and creativity. She is the Chief Creative Officer at Creativity Matters and a Yoga Teacher at Yoga with Donna Mulholland. Unfortunately she doesn't live in my town so I can't escape to her beautiful studio every morning. Donna is masterful with fluid watercolor and the vibrancy and color in her work is inspiring. She is offering an upcoming online class in watercolor in the new year, and I for one have signed up to do it.

Creating and inspiring others to be, express and celebrate themselves with creativity, watercolour, art journaling and yoga is what I love to do. Colour and texture have called out to me my whole life. I get that from my grandmothers on both sides. The look, the feel or the smell of yarn, thread, fabric, paint or paper... I’m attracted like a moth to a flame. But it wasn’t until I signed up for my first watercolour class in January 2006 that something BIG was ignited. Painting felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. I would go to bed so excited about the possibilities of what I could paint next that it felt like Christmas Eve every night. Several years later, when I stumbled into visual journaling where I could put my own words and images together, the flame turned into a bonfire with fireworks, dancers and a soundtrack! I was a goner... Eureka! Aha! ... and all that jazz!!

My art journaling style is expressive with a focus on exploring that true, authentic place that both creativity and yoga nourish and cultivate. But the beauty of the creative life is that my so-called style can change at any time. (That’s my favourite part. Who needs rules, I say!)

Thank you again for asking me to guest post on your wonderful blog and I’d also like to send a hug and a shout-out to my art and yoga colleagues and students who humour and support me (as best they can) and most importantly, play with me.

Creatively yours,

Donna Mulholland

Aka The Happy Painter

Chief Creative Officer at Creativity Matters

Yoga Teacher at Yoga with Donna Mulholland

The Creativity Matters Website at http://creativity-matters.weebly.com/ is the portal for all things me (flickr, The Happy Painter blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, online store ... it’s all there.)

Happiness is Wisdom

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

John Masefield said, "The days that make us happy make us wise". I've often thought that wisdom comes most from adversity, but what about the wisdom derived from happiness? Is it underestimated, perhaps even dismissed as non credible? Why is it that some people are so miserable and unfriendly, yet others are always cheerful and happy? I don't mean 'slap-happy' but happy in a way that their eyes shine, their words are gentle yet purposeful, and they never complain about anything?

Yesterday was one of those happy days for me, and for no particular reason. It was a normal day like any other, but yesterday I felt content, at peace...deeply happy. It wasn't until we came home after Megan's Christmas music concert at school last night that it hit me; there is so much unhappiness in peoples lives, so many struggles, so many frustrations, and still we are none the wiser about the human condition and what really makes us happy. Yet despite the struggles of today's world, happiness is still in the hearts of so many people around me, and those who seem happiest, are definitely wiser.

I've always wanted to age happily and as time, and my fair share of worry has warn away my youth I've unexpectedly found myself happy about it. Every wrinkle on my face is a memory of a thousand sunny days, and as my hair grays, I feel the wisdom gained from decades lived descend upon me. The older I get the less pressure I feel about the body beautiful, and that makes me happy.

I often wonder if the wisdom that comes from happiness is wisdom more easily shared. Is it because it's packaged in compassion or generosity rather than regret and remorse? The way I see it, to take stock of the happy days (not that they are all happy) is to sprinkle our hearts with precious jewels of wisdom that glisten through our very eyes, that color our faces with shimmering light, and illuminate our smiles for all the world to see.

So, this page in my journal was done at the request of my 6yo. Yellow is her favorite color and sunflowers are her favorite flower. She asked me to draw a sunflower for her using that "sparkly paint" she loves so much (she's referring to my treasured Twinkling H2O's which is all I seem to be using these days). So I did, and it made me very happy. I'd like to know...what makes you really happy?

Thanks for checking in. xx

It's just smART Business

2011-12-01T10:44:00.001-06:00

I love it when the mail comes and it’s not just bills. I finally got my much anticipated copy of LauraTrevey’s book “smART Business”. She calls it an inspirational guide for artistsand crafters, and without a doubt, that’s what it is. Laura is a very talented watercolor artistand the editor of the art and design blog: Bright Bold & Beautiful.

My goodness, this woman is talented, and generous toboot. Her book is probably the perfectplace to start for what I consider…therest of us! (artists and creatives who are considering turning our creative pursuits into some kind of business.) It is beautifully laidout in a high-gloss magazine style, filled with stunning images of her art andstudio, and littered with pearls of wisdom that are packed full with commonsense and logic. It’s impossible not to follow her advice and get it right.

What struck me the most was the simple and honest way sheshares her experiences and how she packages it to appeal to the type of audience, like me, whois really just getting started in their entrepreneurial art adventure. Laurahas successfully followed her own advice and is happy to give away hersecrets. She is a shiningexample of kindness, beauty, and generosity.

“smART Business” is not a clutter, garb filled business bookthat needs an MBA to understand and implement. I’m sure if you follow Laura’s advice and plug away at your dreams, theneventually you may need something more to take to you the next step of stockexchange listing, or supply chain management. But for the rest of us, this isa simple, elegant, and logical resource with checklists and examples that arereally helpful. It’s the perfect resource for turning your passion forcreativity into a viable and profitable artistic business.

All the pictures on this post are of Laura Trevey's art and book. Visit her blog here, her Etsy store here, and her website here. And don’t forget, there’s only a few days left to vote inThe Blog Guidebook’s, Top Blog of 2011. Dion Dior & More is in the final five. Click on the link above, or in the top rightsidebar to cast your vote. (Hugs and gratitude for taking the time.)

Thanks for checking in. xx

Wishes for Megan

2011-11-30T14:28:00.001-06:00

Today is my sweet little Megan's 6th birthday. Oh my, how the years have flown. Of course our house is filled with glitter, glimmer, and laughter today. Once she headed off to school I played around with this cupcake in my sketchbook using my Twinkling H2O's for a while, thinking about how privileged I am to be her mother.

We have a little tradition in our house, along with gifts, we give wishes to the birthday person, we tell them what our wish for them is on their birthday. So today, as she celebrated at school and my 2yo slept peacefully after his lunchtime meal, I found myself sitting quietly and thinking about my wishes for Megan. I thought I would share them with you.

Dear Megan,

My wish for you is to know that virtue is strength and the key to peace, to know that many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart, and remember, in order to handle yourself you need to use your head, but to handle others, use your heart.

My wish for you is to learn from the mistakes of others because you can't live long enough to make them all yourself. Know that if you wish to be like someone else, you waste the person you are, and recognize that a smart person knows what to say, but a wise person knows whether or not to say it.

My wish for you is to live fully and simply in the present moment, free youself to express your ideas and feelings and don't bottle them up inside you, and remember, just as you have the right to live your own life, others have the right to live theirs.

My wish for you is to love who you are, and remember that we are all born into this life with a body which we can choose to love or hate. Respect who you are, care for yourself, and value your gifts. Know that the answer to life's questions are within us, if only we look and listen with our heart, and trust in our own judgement, we will see them.

And above all, my wish for you it to know that beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are precious works of art. Live your life with integrity my darling girl, so that you may become that precious work of art.

Happy birthday Megan, I love you forever.

xx Mom

Thanks for checking in. xx

Words To Live By

2011-11-29T06:59:00.000-06:00

I am a book lover! I find so much of my inspiration for art and art journaling in other peoples words. Little quotes of wisdom, passages of logic and common sense, poems of resounding beauty...they often express my state in ways my own words cannot.

Years ago, I was sifting through a table filled with old and discarded books in a thrift shop and found this delicious little hardbound book called "Words To Live By". It's an anthology of words selected and interpreted by ninety eminent men and women of the first half of the twentieth century.

It is filled with so many pearls of wisdom. When I get stuck for inspiration, or find my focus diluted by everyday stresses and worries, I open the book and start reading. I always find something in it that connects to how I am feeling. I then use these quotes, poems, or passages as a way to infuse my creativity, expressing in color and paint the emotions stirred by these words. So often clarity comes from this exercise. I find it very calming and helps me process whatever is going on in my life, putting it all into perspective between the pages of my sketchbook.

With this in mind, I've decided to start a little weekly exercise called "Words To Live By". Each week, I will share with you a passage, quote or poem that I find inspiring or moving. Perhaps you will find a connection to these words also, perhaps they will fuel your own creativity. If so, then I encourage you to take these words and let them infuse your own art making. Then, I ask you to share what you have created...sketchbook pages, art journal pages, ATC's, greeting cards, mixed media projects...whatever you like. Leave a comment on this post with a link back to your photo or blog post. With your permission, I will feature some of your work on Dion Dior & More next week.

So, to begin this exercise here is a quote from the book that connected to me today:

"Can you walk on water? You have done no better than a straw. Can you fly in the air? You have done no better than a bluebottle. Conquer your heart; then you may become somebody."

~Ansari of Herat~

By the way, all these pages were done using Twinkling H2O's and LuminArte's new line of Silks Acrylic Glaze. For the flowers, I painted the stamp with "Twinks", then dappled some "Silks" over the images for highlight and depth. For the fern, I swept the "Silks" over the stamp then washed the printed image with "Twinks". The "Silks" acted as a resist to the "Twinks" and the depth and dimention came out beautifully. I then added definition and shading using Pigma Micron pen. I'll be showing you more ways to use these wonderful LuminArte products in future posts.

Also, don't forget to pop on over to The Blog Guidebook and cast your vote for Dion Dior & More. I'm in the top five and the competition is fierce, and don't forget to mention this on your blog, facebook & twitter. Thanks for voting, thanks for participating, and thanks, as always, for checking in. xx

Top Blog 2011 Finalist

2011-11-28T08:18:00.001-06:00

Dion Dior & More was recently nominated for The Blog Guidebook's, Top Blog 2011. To my absolute surprise, and thanks to my incredible band of followers, I have made it into the Final Five. I never expected to make it past round one, let alone to this point and I am humbled by the expression of support and encouragement you have shown me by taking the time to vote. Of course, being the final round, the voting now heats ups. There are some very impressive blogs in the top five and I am no doubt rubbing shoulders with four highly deserving and very entertaining bloggers. So, I'm going to impose on your time and generosity once again by asking you to cast your vote for me one last time (here). Voting starts sometime today and if I am a winner, then you are a winner too. I will be giving away some of the STUNNING prizes to my loyal blog followers. Leave me a comment to let me know you voted and remember, you can vote from as many different devices as you choose.

Also, if you enjoy reading my blog, then I would be so grateful if you could help me out by mentioning me on your blog, to your facebook friends, and/or your twitter followers.

Beyond Thankful

2011-11-24T22:23:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It's the end of the day and harmony and calm has descended upon our house at last. Children are asleep, hubby is pottering, dishes are done, and thankfully our stomachs are full.

Have you ever doubted that dreams can come true? If you have, then doubt no more. Yesterday was the final day of the Intensive Eating Program my little T the Brave has had to endure. Three full weeks of a team of specialists, doctors, psychologists, speech specialists, and physical therapists, skillfully guiding him on a brutal journey to try to get him to eat. It's hard to believe, the most primal and instinctual of human functions just doesn't work for him.

Perhaps it's five months of having tubes threaded down his airways, through his mouth and nose into his lungs, perhaps it's five months of being fed through a tube, or perhaps it's two years of oxygen lines attached to his face that have fed his aversions to anything coming near his mouth. Perhaps it's 5 months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and 4 stays in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the span of 18 months that has fed his attachment to his bottle. I don't know, but I sure know that if anyone in this world has the right to reject anything oral, including food, then it's Thomas.

Nonetheless, at two and half years old, it's time to eat. This little guy simply had to find a way past his fears and aversions if he wanted a normal, or near normal crack at life. A gastric feeding tube has been looming over him for some time now. His weight was beginning to plateau and a liquid diet of specialty formula just wasn't giving him enough of what he needs anymore. Two years of Occupational Therapy, desensitizing him and teaching him to hold a spoon has helped, but still he couldn't eat. It was clear Tommy needed a lot more than that and thanks to the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, he got it.

Three solid weeks of intensive therapy, with one goal in mind...to have Thomas sit at our Thanksgiving table and eat with his family for the first time in his life. Well, today our humble dream came true. Thomas can eat now, not like most other kids and certainly not like a regular 2yo, but he can eat. Not only can he tolerate a spoon of food coming toward his mouth, but he's actually opening his mouth and taking the food voluntarily. It may not sound like much, hell, every living creature on the planet eats, but to our little family, to this incredibly brave two year old who has fought a battle for life far greater than anyone can imagine, it's a huge deal. And to sit at our table tonight was pure joy, I wish you all could have been here.

So I'm thankful. Thankful to the team of medicos and specialists who persevered with their treatment, not only helping Thomas, but holding the hand of his terrified and emotional mother along the way. I'm thankful to the friends, family, and especially my blog followers who stood on the sidelines cheering him (and me) on. I thankful to my hubby and daughter who bounced along through their days, keeping it real for us every afternoon when we tumbled in the back door after a long and arduous day. And I'm especially thankful for my love of art and my need to create. It's this that has kept me centered, focused and optimistic. My art really is my happy place and I'm thankful that I have been able to escape to my sketchbook every evening and reconnect to the courage and calm that I needed to face the next day.

So, this page in my art journal was done bit by bit over the past week, once again using Twinkling H2O's. I've been working on lots of new pieces for my upcoming workshop and in these pictures you can see how 'twinkly' these paints really are.

Well, thank you to those of you have taken the time to vote for my blog on The Blog Guidebook's Top Blog of 2011, you still have until midnight on the 25th, so click here to vote if you can. I'm 4th from the bottom and you can vote on multiple devices if you have them. Anyway, I'll leave you with these pics of Thomas enjoying his first Thanksgiving feast.

I hope you all had a wonderful, love-filled Thanksgiving, wherever you are in the world. Thanks for checking in. xx