{the small art pen-pal swap!}



Who doesn’t like getting mail? The Small Art Pen-Pal Swap aims to give you a little more when trading lovely artwork — an introduction to a new friend.

By pairing small works of art with letters from the heart, this swap gives you that giddy feeling we remember from summers past, of those letters arriving without announcement from someplace far away. In this internet age, it’s so thrilling to get something written on paper, the essence of the person in each stroke of the pen. Forget the instant ping of an incoming email — letters written by hand have more to offer!

This swap has two parts:

Create a piece of art.

 It can be any of the following:

ATC
Tag
Journal Page

Pretty much anything 6”x6” and under and flat.

(No canvases or boxes, unless you’re okay with paying extra postage.)

Write a letter.

Be encouraging. Write about life lessons you’ve learned, tips and tricks dealing with art and life, send a favorite recipe. Your letter doesn’t have to be about art, but it should be uplifting and loving.

As part of the sign-up process, you’ll give in your blog/Flickr address, as well as the answers to some questions designed to help you figure out what type of art they’d like, as well as guide you in writing your letter. I will try my best to pair people up with those they don’t know, either at all or very well so that you’re making a new friend.

How it works:

Fill out the following form. All the information comes to me directly and will be shared only with your new pal. I won’t use the info for anything other than this swap, and will delete it when we’ve concluded things.

Sign-ups close August 30th!

After sign-ups are closed, you will receive an email with the name and information of your partner. Don’t contact them or let them know you are their special Mail Faerie! This is more fun if the letter & art come as a complete surprise!

You will have until September 20th to complete and mail off your letter. Please contact me when your package has gone out so I can keep track of things.

PLEASE only sign up if you can finish this project by the deadline. We don’t want anyone to go without a mail present! If you need an extension for an unforeseen reason, please email ME so I can communicate with your partner without giving away the surprise.

Take photos of you with your beautiful letter! On September 27th, I’ll post all the wonderful images for all to see!

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask!

Sign Ups are now closed!

Once you're signed up, why not grab a badge for your blog? 

{points of two week #31: dear me, thank you...}

Points of Two is an experiment in journaling with myself and Roben Marie! Check out our archives to see the previous weeks' pages.

Okay, first, my scanner isn't connecting to my computer. This might have to do with the fact that, in order to plug in my netbook AND the secondary lamp for my vlog last Tuesday, I unplugged the printer. Things always get weird when you unplug things...and my printer/scanner is wireless, which is awesome and reduces the need for cords, but ultimately causes issues when you go to scan. I don't really have the patience to sit there and argue with it, so a photograph is what you get this week. I'll get it scanned properly later. 

For this week, Roben-Marie suggested writing a thank you note to ourselves. Which was hard, and partly why this week's post is so late in the afternoon. I was only awake for 6 or 7 hours yesterday; I didn't sleep Wednesday night, and all day yesterday, I was so achy it hurt to move. Plus, I had mad muscle twitches playing an instrument along my upper right arm, and another health thing a bit too embarrassing to talk about. 

So, to be blunt, I was pissed at myself. How could I even begin to write a thank you note to someone I was angry at? 

Today, I'm feeling much better, but still tired and a bit unsteady on my feet. I have my journal, some Copics, and a pencil case next to me, and have been doodling and zentangle-ing while in a comfy chair. Do I wish I were up and able to paint? You betcha! Connie's been posting about BIG a lot lately, and inspired me to grab some big paper and paint. I only wish I could afford her class! 

Yesterday, I was able to create this page AND play with my new Copic airbrush system. It is SO COOL. I'm in love. I may become an airbrusher yet! And my dad revealed an old oilless compressor that used to be used at his office by the graphic designers with THEIR marker airbrush systems, and so now I'm itching to get the adapter so I can spray to my heart's desire. Since I'm all about conserving my can of air. *sigh* So much I want to do! 

But I was finally able to write my thank you note, thanking me for being patient, for putting on my brave face even when I'm crumbling inside, for going along with me, for being honest with myself, even when those honest thoughts can be mean. We're not all perfect, and as my art and approach changes, I must be patient with myself even when frustrated.

Phew! Long post for a little thing, huh? Can you see why I've been huddled in the pages of my journal? There's so much in there I need to work out...

And Roben-Marie's page!

{hodgepodge give-away winner!}

Thank you to everyone who entered and was brave enough to share their fears with me. I'm working through answering all the emails personally, and will be writing a series of blog posts on the topics brought up.

And I think I may start doing more give-aways, especially as I get ready to move!

{points of two week #30: stamping!!}

Points of Two is an experiment in journaling with myself and Roben Marie! Check out our archives to see the previous weeks' pages.

Can you believe we're at 30 weeks?! How the time has just flown! We're more than halfway through the year and still faithfully creating our journal pages for Friday...which is exactly one of the reasons we started a joint-challenge! Knowing there's someone outside yourself depending on you to finish is one of the greatest motivators. It's one of the reasons I put my things up for pre-order -- it gives me a solid, get-it-up-NOW deadline!

Since encountering the lovely stamps of Papertrey Ink at CHA last week (OH, it's been a week already? *sad* Why can't we have a CHA every weekend?!), I've been exploring this new world. I've never really used any stamp pads but the black that came with my Cavallini alphabet set, and rarely stamped. But I've learned some great new tricks from my girl (and post-it note!) Ky aka Scrapacat, and spent three hours playing with stamp pads and stamps yesterday.

And, since Roben-Marie runs a stamp company, we decided stamps would be the perfect theme for this week.

And Roben-Marie's page! She used her NEW stamps coming out soon on this one! I've seen 'em, and they're REALLY COOL! She's such a talented woman (and a sweetheart, too!)

PS. You still have until tonight to enter the giveaway! So leave a comment if you haven't already!

{welcome hodgepodge vol. #1 to the world!}

Months of work and years of journal pages, essays, and photos all collected into one thick e-book, ready for you to download and enjoy!

Simply head over to the new digital goods shoppe to grab your copy. Or maybe you’d like to see a preview of the first 10 pages?

To celebrate the launching of this brand-new project, I’m hosting a giveaway — this set of Pilot Latte gel pens. They’re small (chibi!), cute, and bright — perfect for those of you who doodle and play with pens!

Simply leave a comment about your greatest fears about making art to enter.

Why your greatest fears? Because I want to be able to send you all letters of LOVE to help you get past them and into the blossoming world of art and journaling. This first issue of Hodgepodge is all about going past what we think we can do and doing what’s in our hearts.

(PS. If you pre-ordered your copy, you shall be receiving an email shortly with a discount code!)

Comments will be closed at midnight on Friday, August 6th. Good luck!

{points of two week #29: bubble wrap!}

note: i set this to auto-post while i was at cha, but apparently, blogs can have snaffus, even when programed!

Points of Two is an experiment in journaling with myself and Roben Marie! Check out our archives to see the previous weeks' pages.

Eeep! I'm about to run for CHA (actually, when this is posted, I'll be on the road), so this week it's short and sweet.

I'm in love with using bubble wrap on my pages. I just love how it looks, and how you can layer colors and the great texture it brings to the page. So, this week, we used that as our theme. Mmmm bubble wrap. And I'm sure you have some hanging around your house somewhere, so it's a free (cheap?) & fun supply to use!

Be sure to check out Roben-Marie's blog for her story!

(Roben's page features some bits from Art Bits #3, made with some of my own artwork, that's soon-to-be released!)

{studio vlog tuesday: handwriting and pens!}

This week, we went over funky handwriting styles, how to experiment with them, and the best pens for drawing/journaling. I tried to copy the chat, but only got a little bit of it -- I know I can include the chat with the video, but it looks silly and cuts into the video....so, for now, I'll try better at including what people have said in the chat on camera so you're not completely lost. 

[studio tuesday vlog, 7/27/10: handwriting and pens!]

{a super big announcement -- a new series of journaling goodness}

Ever since I created Page by Page, I’ve been itching to create another ‘zine. Or book. Or e-book. Creating a story in the pages of a book fascinates me, and allows one to take all this stuff — this miasma of our lives — and put it into a cohesive statement. An e-book, like a journal, can tell a story.

So here’s my story, told in 4 parts — my ups and downs, my photos and outings and friends and frustrations. My family and loves and hates. My stories and thoughts and essays. My struggles and triumphs. It is a book of courage and strength and yes, a few pity parties.

I’m not editing journal pages or keeping anything back. I’m creating a story that many girls (and some boys!) have lived through, are starting or finishing. I’m putting something out there that says, “You are not alone.” Your struggles don’t need to be hidden. They are not weaknesses. Your emotions and thoughts and experiences are universal symptoms of the human condition.

Reading Spilling Open or Ordinary Sparkling Moments reminds me that I’m not the only person going through troubles. And I’m not the only one who dances with joy when serendipity happens. I want to help give hope to all those out there with no art experience that you, too, are an artist. Can create and paint and draw. That you don’t need to go to school for it. Yes, you need to read a lot and go to museums and do research and email your idols (most will answer, trust me). But more than that: you are worthy.

More than that, I want to help you along the way. So I’m including essays on my creative journey, going from a girl who didn’t think she had an artistic bone in her body to a woman who is a self-empowered writer and artist living the dream. A cynical girl who now lives in silver linings.

Included will be chapters and exercises from my various online workshops, peppered throughout like tiny presents.

A big reason for doing this are my Fibro sisters and brothers. Through sharing my experiences, I’ve met so many others living with chronic illnesses, and I want to give them gentle hugs. I want them to see they’re not alone. That life can be a celebration with flare-ups in between. And, to cast a wider net — to all those living with a dis-ease of any kind who use it to define themselves and limit their lives. Many of the journals deal with my own emergence from depression to elation (and yes, I still have bad days!).

Instead of running around trying to get a book deal (did that once, may do it again), I’m releasing this peg-board of my brain in a 4-part series of e-books that will, at the end, be collected into one big book.

I will release one issue a month — August through November — and the final book will be available just in time for the holidays. If you purchase all four e-books, you’ll receive a coupon for the hardcover. And pre-ordering each issue saves you $2.

EDIT: I was really excited. Let me add this info!

Each issue will be at least 50 pages or so of yummy goodness. Because of this larger page count, a final copy will be expensive through self-publishing ($65 as a softcover); the coupon will eliminate my share, leaving only production costs should you like it all printed out. Once I see how many people are interested, though, I may seek out an independent printer to do a set run, which would save everyone money in the long run -- these usually are cheaper through quantity, so, as I said -- it's slated for Blurb ATM, but may change.

Issue #1 is coming out August 4th, 2010. You can pre-order your copy for $5.95. After August 4th, the e-book will go to it's normal price, $7.95. Click here to pre-order.

What other changes are coming?

I just finished a big project for Stampington that you should be able to see soon. I can’t believe I was asked to contribute, and pinch myself every day. I also have done two pieces for Somerset Studio and will be working with Roben-Marie on a piece for the next Art Journaling.

I’m back to making videos for YouTube and will be starting a video series over there (details coming soon!).

The blog is going under a major remodel. I want to make it more than just a blog, but my website, with a portfolio, online class listing, books and ‘zines, as well as an area for those seeking advice. I receive many emails a month asking for help, for advice, for encouragement and a hand. So I’m going to begin working with people to help them begin journaling as well as discover their inner light.

There are so many more ideas floating around in my head, wanting to become real. I need to focus on a few at a time, or else I’ll be lost in the clouds forever.