March review

Happy Easter ♥ I've had another productive month and am happy to share this review for your inspiration and mine. I really love having this monthly record to look back upon.  I am still going strong with my weekly project #52cards2024 : to create a card that reflects the past week (ending Sunday). I must include stitch, the colour turquoise and a word.These are my March cards : there were 5 Sundays this month.

This month's tutor in Fodder School 3 was Shay Michelle. I managed to experiment again with modeling paste through a stencil which I haven't done for a while - love the look of these but that was all that I was inspired enough to try this month.

Grateful this class is lifetime access so I can come back to this when the mood takes me, and it did provide me with a focus for one of my weekly cards.

Monthly journaling in my JIYA Journal created from Megan Quinlan's class supported by Wendy's lettering class. Only a couple of spreads this month, but better than nothing! 

I've decided it's too much when I'm working full time to try and work in more than one journal, so this month I concentrated on my Summer Journal. While I didn't quite make my hoped-for deadline of the Autumn Equinox on 20th March, I did manage to finish it by the end of the month! 

There is more evidence of my lettering practice here. See spreads I completed in December here,  February here, and these are March :

See everything in the flip-through video

I love the satisfaction of holding a completed journal 💙

New Supplies : Gloss sprays by Ranger (ordered from Ribbon Rose) I've been wanting these for ages so got myself some favourite colours to try out. 

And first play with a couple of colours : 

They seemed to work better on the old book page and soaked in with less effects on the cheap watercolour paper. Megan Quinlan has an excellent video here on YouTube with tips and tricks for using them including cleaning up and making sure your nozzles don't clog up! More experimentation needed.

Fav free inspiration this month - the exhibitions of Paul Dibble and Boro embroidery at our local art gallery (if you are local this is on for a while). 

Paul Dibble is a renowned New Zealand sculptor of Bronze. He passed away at the end of last year, and since he was local, our city has many of his wonderful works. These are huia birds (now extinct) and a kowhai flower - cast bronze and gold leaf.

Favourite reads this month : 

And a pet update - the kittens and puppy are growing and becoming friends. Definitely still a lot of hard work, but we have lots of joyful moments too.

April contains 2 weeks of school holidays so I look forward to sharing more art, especially in the second half of the month. I post more regularly on my Instagram and Facebook Artist's page.

February review

February review time. I'm happy to say I've continued to make time to be creative and I think my weekly card project is definitely helping that. #52cards2024 : to create a card that reflects the past week (ending Sunday). I must include stitch, the colour turquoise and a word. These are my February cards : 

More detail about the meanings posted on my Instagram and Facebook Artist's page.

This month's tutor in Fodder School 3 was Jennifer Wilkin Penick. I managed to make fodder in the first half of this month which I really enjoyed

Her project was an accordian book of collage. I just wasn't feeling like it's my style, but then I saw some photos from a class that Anne Brooke recently taught, and I am inspired to think about combining paper and stitch...let you know if this happens in March.

In my January review I was hoping that I might finish my journal which I started as December Daily-ish and get back to working in my JIYA Journal. I have been supported in both of these by the 30 day challenge part of "Love your (Imperfect) Letters" with Wendy Solganik who has been running a cohort for all those who have previously enrolled in this class.When I tried to do it on my own (purchased the class on special last year), I only got to day 4. I have completed day 9 so although "behind" I am still calling it a win since I am still going, and further on than last attempts. These are the spreads completed in each journal for February and I am loving what is happening. In my JIYA journal :  

 

I have now turned my December Daily-ish into my Summer journal, and as well as the lettering, I have learned from Wendy that it's okay to jump around in a journal to find the perfect page that inspires you in the moment. Hoping to get this one finished before the Autumn Equinox on 20th March.

I love Sarah Gardner's art - she's been a teacher in Fodder School 1 and we're going to see her again in Fodder School 3 in June. Clicking here will get you to the places on my blog where I've shared art inspired by her. She's also produced a fabulous book

She is currently advertising a new art journaling class through Willa Workshops called Love Your {Imperfect} Art Journal 

To launch it she's giving access to a FREE inspiration class : Accumulate, Curate and Store Magazine Images for your Art. It's available now until March 18 (or in the workshop if you join). I've already had a look at it and it is inspiring ♥ 

I also enjoy Brooke Henry's art - it's colourful and includes stitching. She is hosting a Free Week of Inspiration, Connection, and Creative Freedom. She calls it the BB Bash and you can find out all about it and register HERE. Videos go up 25-31 March and will be available to watch through April 6. 

It's been really busy being back at work with library lessons, selecting teams for an area kids' lit competition, and training up keen student librarians. In my spare time, as well as my art journal fun, I've still been reading and this was my favourite in Feb 

I'm also trying not to purchase many new supplies but we had a trip to Wellington and I thought I would share a couple of great places if you are able to get there. In central Welly, managed to get this calligraphy paper - 3 packs for $10 at Daiso

And in Petone - these paper cut-outs from Ellen Giggenbach. Love her art and you can buy online as well. 

I enjoy her calendar every year. 

Looking forward to seeing what March will bring creatively. I post more regularly on my Instagram and Facebook Artist's page. 

January Monthly Review

January is always project heavy because I'm on holidays from my school job and I can work late into the night with long daylight hours. I am now back at school and it's been a particularly fabulous summer holiday break. I completed so many projects, you can catch up on my part one review post about cards HERE! 

We started the new year with a week away in Akaroa and Christchurch. So blessed to live in this gorgeous country and so hard to pick highlights so I will just share the artistic ones. The Giant's House in Akaroa - a garden of international significance. Created by artist Josie Martin, it's a sculpture mosaic garden. It's colourful, beautiful, quirky, inspiring - we spent a couple of hours here and this is a tiny taste. 

Christchurch had a massive earthquake in 2011, and the city has been remaking itself since that event. We went to the Earthquake museum and I was reminded of the initiative of Hearts for Christchurch. People from all over NZ and then the world created stuffed hearts and sent them to Christchurch. First they were used to create an amazing exhibition and then distributed to people affected by the quake. 

These were mine : March 2011. I even received a photo of a wee girl receiving one of the hearts when they were distributed 💜

And now to my creative joys this month. I had to stop all my other creativity from Christmas til mid-January so I could make this quilt for my sister-in-law's 60th birthday. 

See more detail about it HERE.

I spent most of January on my "Advice from the Sea" deck and starting my new weekly card project. Sorry I have to share another photo - I just adore these projects so much!

Erin Bishop of E B Mixed Media has released a class called Fabulous Florals. Free for a limited time HERE (no idea when the limited time ends but current as I do this post). 

On the last weekend of my holiday, I finally got a chance to explore her lessons and now have this beautiful floral fodder to play with. 

Such fun techniques. And even when you think they're not going to turn out, somehow the line work followed by fussy cutting makes magic. Highly recommended. You might also like to check her demos out on Youtube and I am always inspired by her Instagram account.

Looking towards February and beyond, I know I won't have as much to show you because I am back at work, but I am hoping that I might finish my journal which I started as December Daily-ish and get back to working in my JIYA Journal. There are a few reasons I am hopeful for this. I made good use of birthday money last year and now have a lovely supply of Megan Quinlan's Art Foamies - I have so many ways I need to explore these. Check out her YouTube for free ideas. 

And I was very excited to get my stencils from Leaca Young at the end of the year. I ordered them Wed 29/11 and they arrived on Thurs 21/12 in time to be a Christmas gift. Very impressive for postage from Alaska to New Zealand.  

As well as those things, Wendy Solganik is running a cohort for all those who have previously enrolled in "Love your (Imperfect) Letters". I signed up when she had a special on this class in March last year and while I did the drills and found my alphabet, I never finished all the lessons to experiment with gorgeous lettering. I managed to do some drills while on holiday 

And am hoping that I can share more work from this class soon.

Fav free inspiration this month - Roben-Marie offered a tutorial making these gorgeous neutral papers

I can't pick a favourite read this month - everything I've read in January has been great. 

And since this blog is about all of me, I'm finishing with an introduction to our 3 new family members living at our house. Meet Oscar (tabby), Obi (ginger) and Arthur (golden retriever puppy). We haven't had pets for a while and although a lot of work, they bring great joy and help us to slow down and be present 💜

You can see why I decided to split my January review in two! You won't hear from me as often now that term has started,  but I will continue to try and post here monthly and more regularly on my Instagram and Facebook Artist's page.