It's a quick and lackadaisical post...

 ...today, given that not too much has been happening in the studio this week.  I've been lounging like a swooning 1920's flapper on a fainting couch, due to a oh-so-severe cold.  

I have been cutting snowflakes this week, just for the fun of it, and hopefully they will make their way onto a card or painting in the next week or two.  

I did get a feeble start  on filling another mini journal;  this one will be all about colour and texture, although it's hard to tell from this photo.

The remainder of the week has been mostly R & R as I beat this bug into submission.  I'll be back next week with something more exciting to display, with luck.  Send those healing vibes to me in the meantime, will you?  Many thanks!! 

Am I tidy?

Not in the studio, I'd say.  I did, however, spending some time sorting and doing some finishing details on projects completed last year.  I actually labelled the mini collage book, as well as the quote book, so they're presentable and identifiable.

^ That collage book looks as though it's choking it's stuffed so full!

The quote book books like a party with all those ribbons and beads pouring out from the envelopes.

 

Here are some more quote photos in case you're not yet overwhelmed with my faves.

And of course, I'm doing some experimentation as I search for a winter alternative to creating papers with alcohol inks.  The top one is ink, and the bottom Golden High Flow acrylics.  I'm still preferring the alcohol inks for their intensity, and look forward to warmer weather where I won't freeze my fingers off when I play.

Was your week just as full and fun?  I sure hope so.  I'm going to wander over to your pages and check it out!!

2024 is gone...

...and I was wondering how it went so fast, especially in the studio, until I realized just how much I'd accomplished.

I finished 'Another World' (a 3 x 4' project that was a year in the making),

made a collage page or two (read 10-12),

realized a full table size butcher paper mess into something entirely different,

resolved 80 mini collages in this Bits & Pieces journal,

some of which I really liked,

completed a 6" x 6" series of five colour scraps on black paper,

finished (abandoned?) a 16" x 12" 'Wild and Dark' painting,

made a book to house some of my favourite tags,

and readied another travel journal which will eventually house (who knows what?). 

Usually  as winter approaches, I hand-cut a host of snowflakes, a life-long passion.  This year, I only managed one when I found a simple basic snowflake cut online.  I alterered it a good deal, and managed to decorate a Christmas gift with a Loveflake.

I'm nearing the end of my quote book, and look forward to finishing it in January.  It holds some of my all-time favourite quotes, along with some collages and other colour play.  Oh how I love books!!

And of course, there were many more forays into the studio than these, from gel printing frenzies, play dates with artist friends, glazing experiments, a massive project to sort 114 years of family photos, Christmas card-making, paintings for the grandchildrens' birthdays, and hosting a group of ladies to create bookmarks for the library.  

In truth, my studio life is just as much about decreasing my stash of paper scraps as it is about creating new things or fund-raising on behalf of the library.  As always, I am hugely grateful for my creative life.

Yes, I chose...

 ...my phrase for 2025.

To say 2024 has been a challenging year understates the reality by a gazillion squared, so I knew that my phrase for 2025 would need to really pack a punch.

I studied for years with a spiritual mentor who was one of the most loving people I’ve known, and taught me about the real meaning of love.  It’s definitely not always about being kind; she was hard-core, and a proponent of tough love.  She spoke the truth, as she saw it, to others in all circumstances. She made a habit of practicing love in all its forms – love for others, love for self (although she did admit that loving oneself was a difficult thing and sometimes the most one could do there was a grudging acceptance), and love for the situation one found oneself in (another tough one).  The thing she spoke most to, though, was the fact that our responses to others, ourselves and situations was a matter of choice. 

My phrase for 2025 is, then, 'Choose Love'.

As usual, I've got reminders in every corner of the house,

in every size, from business card in my wallet,

to smaller ones for little corners,

and from the wildly coloured,

to the somewhat less so.

Regardless of colour or size, they all impact me, and should help me stay on track for the year.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your word or phrase for 2025.  What have you chosen?

And the beat goes on...

 ...in the mini quote journal.

And given that I'm waaaaaaay behind on Christmas prep, I'll just leave this right here, along with wishes for the best holiday season ever for you and yours.  May you find all the love, laughter and joy you could possibly hold.  💗