Blinkles Boulevard

Wordle fun

2011-07-07T13:27:00.000-06:00

A friend just told me about this neat little online tool. It's called "Wordle".

Simply go to this website: http://www.wordle.net/create and type in some words or enter a link to a blog and there you have it - a custom word image.

You can change the font, colors, layout and more.

What would your blog wordle look like?

:)

Walking together

2011-05-29T03:15:00.005-06:00

Hello friends,
It's been so long since I've shown any recent projects. It's hard to believe how fast time flies!

Much has happened during this time away from blogging, and although most has been incredibly good, I've also experienced a few setbacks. This, of course, would be easy to write off as simply part of the path of "life" - but there's an opportunity for so much growth by looking a little deeper into these things, so, that is what I have chosen to do. It is my honor to share about this journey with you, in case you may find that you've traveled a similar road.

A setback
Several months back, a friend challenged me to look at why I like to blog. Her opinion is that people who blog (in general) are narcissistic. The comment and the way it was shared was aimed to hurt. And, honestly, it did.

My initial feeling was shock. I could not believe someone would really view blogging as narcissistic! I thought of it as a way of sharing. A place for people to meet and to support each other. In fact, it has not been easy for me, and I know it is not easy for others to open up their lives and to expose the inner-workings of what's meaningful to them online.

It has taken a great deal of time to remove myself from the hurt of that accusation and the since failed friendship, to honestly question why I blog.

A refuge
It comes down to this... art has always been a sort of 'refuge' to me. At times of difficulty, I turn to art. At times of great joy, I turn to art. And, in-between the ebb's and flow's of life, like millions of people, I turn to art.

This blog began as a way to connect with others who find a refuge in art as well. I knew that it would be very few people who would actually want to read blog posts about miniature birds nests and note cards, but those very few would give me a reason to continue to fight for a way out of a dark place. I found friends. Even if I could not see them, I imagined they existed. And that imagining of support, however unrealistic it may have been at the time, was a life raft of hope.

Though I had (and still have) no idea how many people read this blog, I still believe that just like the act of creating art itself, putting your work and your thoughts 'out there' for others to interact with and interpret, is an offering of your inner world. It's intimate and giving. And I found great strength and inspiration in others who were doing exactly that.

Inspiration
One blog I often visited was The Red Door Studio. I always felt such wonder at the world the author, Tracie, shared. Her blog was a place online that literally helped me to remember joys in, and gratitude for, the simple things in life like nature and poetry. You can find a post I had written about Tracie here: Two Amazing Artists (blog post from March 2010), and another post here: Inspirational people and places (blog post from December 2008).

I was at a very low point in life when I made the decision to start my own blog, as you can read in one of my earliest posts here: A Walk in the Park (blog post from October 2008). And, although I was thrilled when someone actually clicked to have these blog posts show up in their list of reads, I never expected it to be popular or to gain any sort of fame or fortune. It felt more like a confirmation that there were people out there who shared the same interests - just like I had with Tracie's blog.

Fighting for the heart
To this day, I am continually amazed at the talent and the beautifully warm people who offer a glimpse into their lives through their blogs. And, I will choose to view these people as warriors of the heart! When it is all too easy to keep to ourselves and to avoid showing the world what we feel and believe, it's those who are reaching out to share their lives with others who are the most admirable to me.

I feel that I have a long way to go in exploring the meaning of art and how we connect with each other. But I am willing to take the risk of putting myself 'out there' for that purpose.
Also, for the sake of people like you and I, for the sake of the amazing magnificence of the human spirit... it seems like sharing will always bring us closer. And however imperfect this little blog may be, it is an honor to have this opportunity to reach out knowing that there are people who do care about others and what they are doing in their lives.

So I thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to share and experience the grand opportunities that blogging can offer. I hope that we can meet along this path and walk together for a time.

~Janee

For a sweet sister

2011-01-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to share with you some images of a Christmas gift I made this year for one of my sisters.

It's a custom designed binder full of fun information, recipes and ideas for making natural cosmetics at home.

The front cover has an image of some lilac shrubs and one of their very own goats! I had my other sister sneak over to their yard and take a picture and email it to me several months ago. Apparently my sister's husband was pretty sure that the image could not be their goat!

So, there are recipes for goat's milk soaps, lip balm, glycerin soaps, bath salts and more. Also, there's plenty of blank pieces of paper for notes and room to add pages as she goes along on her adventures!

Sounds fun, huh?

Do you have any ideas for a custom book like this? I can imagine it would be useful for just about any hobby or interest. And, knowing how amazingly talented many of you are out there, I can only imagine the treasures you could create!

The notebook itself came with printing instructions for the tabs. I simply created the image on the front and slipped it in to the cover sleeve. In all, it didn't take much time to arrange the book itself. I did collect information and recipes for several weeks here and there, though. And, of course the sneaky photo shoot of the goat took a little figuring out! But overall this was a really fun and rewarding project. I hope my sister will love it and have a great time trying out the recipes!

PS- If you do make something like this I would love it if you would share your pictures. I'll gladly post them here for others to see as well! :o)

Warming hearts

2011-01-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Another sweet gift I received this year was from Sharon at Wildflowerhouse. Look at the beautiful work she has done with this hand made Christmas card and tiny ornament...

I am so impressed with the things Sharon makes. When I asked her if she was open to taking orders for her special Christmas cards she said, "yes" - and then shared a cute story; one year she had sent out store-bought cards only to hear from friends who thought she must have been ill or broken an arm. Since Sharon has been sending out hand made cards for 40 years, I can understand their concern!

Now, she begins designing her cards in June!

If you aren't yet familiar with Sharon's work, check out her beautiful blog here; wildflowerhouse or her Etsy shop at; Wildflowerhouse.

And, just in case you are thinking about sending hand made Christmas cards next year (and you may not have time to make them yourself) you can pre-order Christmas cards from Sharon by sending her an email; wildflowerhouse@hotmail.com.

Thank you so much Sharon. Your gift has warmed my heart!

What beauty

2011-01-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

What beauty I have found in people, right here, online. This blog post is about one particular friend who sent me the sweetest package FULL of handmade treasures. The amount of love that went in to making these beautiful things is beyond words.

Have a look for yourself...

One of my favorite things are birds - and especially these tiny little fellows, how did she know?!

All I can say is a big "Thank You", Lynn, for thinking of me. I am so delighted with each and every treasure!

If you would like to see Lynn's blog and the places where she sells her work, you can find her here;

Her Creative Spirit blog
Flickr photo albums
Etsy shop

I think you will see what I mean about the love she puts in to her work. Also, Lynn has a tutorial on her blog, for how to make those gorgeous pressed flower gifts. Check it out here: Pressed Wildflower Bookmark Tutorial.

Until next time, take care and thank you so very much for stopping by!

Stocking up on ... nests!

2010-12-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

There is so much to share, I don't know where to start! So, I'll start here, with some images of some nests I had recently made.

The shops where these are being sold have been out of the nests for some time now, but I was just not able to keep up with the demand during this last semester in school. (I'll share more about all that in a future blog post).

Now, that I have a break between semesters, the stores are stocked up and I have a dozen or so extra nests, which I will be listing in my Etsy shop this weekend. Here's a peek...

After two years, I am still struggling to find just the right lighting conditions to photograph these nests. If the light is bright, it shows the detail but makes them look washed out, however, of course if the light is dim it's hard to see what you are looking at! So, anyway, here they are... if you already have one or two of these, you already know the pictures do no justice to the way they are in person. If not, then you'll have to get one and see for yourself how cute they really are! ;o)

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for some images of a couple of beautiful homemade Christmas gifts I had received this year.

Treaser Hunts

2010-12-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this super cute note left on my computer at work. One of my co-workers has three young boys who occasionally come in and say hello. We often talk about what they are learning in school and what the latest video games are about. I learn a lot from these boys!

Once I had setup an elaborate Treasure Hunt for them around the garden center where I work. They absolutely loved it - AND - it kept them occupied for at least an hour or so!

The note reads:

"Hey Janee I know we haven't been doing any Treaser Hunts will (well) I was woundering If maby If you have time can you do some. P.S. I like pie. ~Carlos. please reply"

The beauty of fall

2010-10-27T00:14:00.000-06:00

So, I had to share a few pictures from a walk the other day.

There seems to be something about the fall season. I can't quite figure it out, but it feels like the calm after the storm of summer. It's peaceful. A little more quiet and thoughtful.

What a lovely time to bid farewell to summer and welcome a new season.

May you enjoy a beautiful fall - full of relaxing moments and time with loved ones.

Some new cards

2010-09-18T23:38:00.000-06:00

Hello friends. Just thought I'd show you some greeting cards recently made for a friend at work.

The colors of the papers, the flowers and even the swirling-style leaves all seem to offer a feeling of change.

There are a few trees and shrubs starting to change colors here in Northern Colorado. And the air is a bit more chilly at night.

Fall is certainly beginning it's glorious entrance and I'm looking forward to it.

Hope all is well with each of you. :o)

Take care.

Decisions...decisions...

2010-07-17T22:47:00.000-06:00

Have you ever found yourself involved in several projects -each of which you love - but aren't sure whether or not you should focus your attention on one single project?

That's where I am right now.

As some of you know, I have begun school for a degree in Graphic Design. I have also now begun a women's artist group which has been making wonderful strides towards becoming a successful art and business adventure, also I have not fully let go of my Blinkles business.

I didn't plan for all this to be happening at once! But I can't complain... I love everything which I'm involved in right now.

So, instead of closing all the doors and leaving only one of them open, I will leave all options open and see which way turns out to have the most support and success. Ideally, what I do will incorporate all of my interests. But I'm still figuring out exactly how to do that!

So, if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

In the meantime, if you'd like to visit my Graphic Design adventures, you can find me blogging ~HERE~ or to follow my women's artist group (aka: Blooming Tree Studios) adventures, follow me ~HERE~.

Thank you! I hope to see you around. :o)

Isabel Allende

2010-06-12T21:26:00.001-06:00

Something inside me said I HAD to post this! If you have 8 minutes to spare, please watch this video interview with Chilean writer, Isabel Allende.

Click HERE to watch.

Enjoy!

A little break in time

2010-06-06T21:12:00.001-06:00

Right now, I am wondering one thing... what happened to the time?

I had all these ideas of how the past month would go, and I honestly have not accomplished very much -if anything- on my huge list. Does this sound familiar to you?

My sister came to visit for several days in mid-May and that forced me to stop everything and just enjoy the time with her. It was wonderful! The act of letting go of the 'parade' I was orchestrating, was such an eye-opener. Life went on at work, design projects weren't competed but the world didn't fall apart. How fascinating and wonderful. I think I needed to see that the way I was looking at things was way off.

Now I'm getting ready to start summer classes tomorrow and I'm looking forward to applying this new outlook.

So, in honor of those sweet moments where life reminds us that time is nothing more than just another 'thing' to view as a burden or an opportunity.... here are some lovely pictures taken over the last couple of weeks.

And this one I can't resist (it was taken a couple of months ago);

I hope you have enjoyed the scenery in this blog post and perhaps you can catch a little moment or two to take a nice big calm, deep breath,... followed by a smile.

:0)

Reflections

2010-05-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

This semester of school has been particularly difficult for me. And, my job is at the peak of it's busy season. So, needless to say, I've been feeling pretty stressed out.

After a few weeks of craziness, seeing myself break down in tears so quickly or making a sharp comment to someone for no reason has led me to think deeply about a few things.

I've decided to cut-back on classes and focus on quality of projects at school. Afterall it's a design degree that I'm studying for. I will practice taking things a little less seriously - and not think that the world would end if I didn't get everything finished at work. And, I will scale-back or stop completely my little "Blinkles" business while I'm in school too.

Of course, the "Blinkles" business includes the little acorn bird's nests and other things I make, and it includes this blog too, which is SO HARD for me to consider that it may be coming to an end. (Especially since it has been a key factor in meeting so many amazing people).

The images you see here on this blog post are taken of a drawing I had done for my final project in Drawing class this semester. It seemed appropriate to share with you not only what I have been working on, but also the 'reflective' quality of the object and how sometimes it takes interesting circumstances to give us a chance to see ourselves and what we are doing. And... it seems like things can turn out totally differently than we expect sometimes too.

When I was drawing this spoon, I had to keep 'turning off my mind' and all those thoughts that were like, "you can't use solid black to show a reflection on a shiny object" to simply take a back seat. I still heard the thoughts, but I kept focusing on each individual shape that I saw in the reflection while slowly connecting it to the next. I only drew exactly what I saw in each small space. Finally, the whole piece came together and it certainly surprised me.

I am sitting in the reflection of the spoon, near the bottom, behind my drawing board, peeking in to this world of expression and reflection. ... wondering what is to come next.

Honestly, I do not know what is to come next. But I do know that I will celebrate it! I will take the risk of letting go of all the work I've done here and allow myself the chance to explore this new avenue that I've embarked upon in school.

In my next (and perhaps final) blog post, I will share about some of the things I will be doing and I will also share some great deals - just for you!

Everything in my Etsy shop will be discounted and I may even include some 'craft packs' full of art supplies for sale too.

This blog and the Blinkles business has been an enormous blessing to me. And, as some of you know, I attribute much of my confidence in moving forward to this very little spot in the world-wide-web.

Thank you for taking the time to read this wordy post and please peek in with me in a couple of weeks to see what I have to share with you!

Must see!

2010-04-30T21:24:00.000-06:00

Have you seen Sharon's blog, The Wildflowerhouse?

I was so delighted when I saw this item several weeks ago, I had to purchase it for a special friend's birthday.

This is a handmade fabric heart. Sharon has called it the "Garden of Love" heart. And, the love she put in to making this treasure is clearly great.

Look at all the amazing detail...

I have a soft spot for embroidery (though I've never tried doing it), and when I first saw this piece on Sharon's blog, I instantly thought of my sweet friend who reminds me of this type of delicate, beautiful, loveliness.

It was hard not to share about it for so long, but the day has finally come!

And, you must take a look at one of the tags Sharon makes too:

Sharon, you have such a sweet "style"! So glad to have met you here in Bloglandia.

Thank you!

To see more of Sharon's creations, visit her blog HERE.

The lure of other worlds...

2010-04-24T00:21:00.000-06:00

What is it about dreamlands and fairy worlds... distant magical places and paradise? It seems that these "places" hold some of our most beautiful ideas of life.

There is always an abundance of nature in these paradise lands, and it seems like wings and flying are common themes too.

This may be why I'm drawn to make "little" things. Because they remind me of a world that is light and free.

So, in honor of this tiny world, I would like to show you a couple of fairy-like things I have made;

This is a clay door. It measures only a few inches wide by about 4 inches tall. This photograph makes it look very dull, but the color is a beautiful golden-earth color.

I have attached wire stems so that the door can be inserted into the ground, at the base of a tree. At one time about a year ago, I had seen this idea in a magazine or online and fell in love with it!

And this second little round door I had made, didn't quite work out for the wire stems. It seems that one of the tunnels that I had put into the clay was damaged before it was hardened in the firing process. So... it became a mouse door instead!

Also in honor of the tiny wonders in nature, I would like to show you this cool new fake moss...

It looks and feels so real! I picked up a couple of pieces in order to use as non-messy backdrops for photoshoots. And,

it seemed to work out nicely for this wire stand too. After realizing this neat fit, I decorated the stand to hold an acorn fairy bird's nest, as a display/holder. (Sorry, it's really hard to see this in the above picture)

It's so fun to see how things find a great purpose without a plan!

Maybe that's another thing which is so fascinating about the fairy-like worlds, ... they feel to be harmonious and effortless. Like everything works with each other. Nature, people, fairies, trees and birds, flowers, etc. There is a peacefullness and a joy. These seem like things that cannot be planned or made into life by force.

Much like the art we make. And the dreams we have in our minds and hearts. And the love we have for others in our lives.

These things it seems, are magical and wonderous. And we don't even need to go anywhere to find them!

Fairy World

2010-04-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

Take a peek at this little tiny book...

It is made with clay book covers and handmade papers inside...

As you can see, it measures only a few inches tall and wide. The whole idea for making this book happened when I was sitting at a clay-making event that a friend was having. And, I had NO IDEA what to make. So I spent a great deal of time making some nice flat little square slabs of clay.

I stalled long enough and HAD to make something, or others might think I was totally weird. So, then came the idea that they look like little book covers.

I decorated them and added holes to later use for binding.

And that's how this little book came to be!

I have two more that are not yet assembled. And, I have a couple more exciting fairy things to show you next time. (This post would be way too long if I told you about them now).

So, please stay tuned. :0)

Heavenly Soap

2010-04-11T20:17:00.000-06:00

This Etsy shop is a must visit! In fact, the soaps made by Satin And Birch, are so amazingly smooth and delightful, you HAVE TO treat yourself! (or a loved one)

I had purchased some butterfly and heart-shaped soaps as a gift for a friend, from Leslie's shop, and I was so happy with my purchase, I had to share about it with you.

As a gift she enclosed this (rose colored) free sample bar of soap. I'm so glad she did because otherwise I would not have had a chance to try her soaps - as the others were for a gift.

So, now, I'm hooked!

The white butterflies and hearts are the soaps I had given as a gift. My friend was so in love with the fragrance alone, she asked if they were edible!

Hmmmm, I was just thinking.... if my Mom had threatened to 'wash my mouth out with soap' (and she used this soap), it wouldn't be so bad!

Anyway, I highly suggest you visit her shop and perhaps purchase a little gift for yourself. I think you'll be glad you did!

You can reach her shop HERE.

Entering a contest

2010-04-07T22:00:00.000-06:00

I turned in this assignment for my Photoshop class and as the teacher was critiquing it on her wall-sized screen in front of the class, she suggested that I enter it into the school art show.

That felt like a huge compliment and also an opportuity. So, I had it printed, found a nice frame (which was on sale) and it's now ready to deliver to the head of the art department for submission.

The assignment was to create a "fantasy landscape." I must admit, it was SO COOL to see what everyone came up with. There were flying cars and underwater cities and amazing castles! (who says digital art can't be imaginative?)

I hope you can see all the details in this image. There is a sea turtle in the water, some ducks in the distance on the pond and even some little finches in the flowering cherry tree. If you would like, you can click HERE to view a larger image file. This is a large file, so it may take a while to load the image.

I hope you like it! (And, I'll let you know how it does in the show, if it is one of the pieces chosen for display.)

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T20:38:00.000-06:00

I just received an email today that said, "Happy Easter and beware of identity theft" - with these pictures...

They were so sweet, I had to share them with you!

:0)

I hope your day was wonderful.

~Janee

Finished school projects

2010-03-28T23:21:00.001-06:00

I have finished a few projects in my drawing class...

The picture, above, shows the black & white photocopy which I had done the drawing from (in the top-right corner). This drawing was done with charcol on newsprint. I feel a bit surprised at how well it came out. Though I see all the flaws and want to fix a bunch of stuff too!

Here is the finished still-life drawing of the manequin and tree branches...

And another project which was a study in 'value' as well...

And one last fun project for my Photoshop class... the assignment was to create a photo collage of a 'visual pun'... the teacher gave examples like; a butterfly could be depicted as a stick of butter with wings, etc...

Can you tell what my (2) puns were in this image?...

Any guesses?

I'm curious, what would be the puns you would create, if you were assigned this project too?

Sweet Plum Dreams

2010-03-22T22:01:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had one of "those" projects going through your mind, just waiting to be made?

I even had all of the ingredients for this project set aside for months now! The idea was there, the vision was in my mind, the main ingredients were ready, I just needed that moment of 'okay, it's time' to go ahead and bring it all together.

So, here it is...

A small bird's nest placed on top of a wonderful little picture frame (the frame measures 4 1/2" x 5 1/2"), with some burgundy and woodland type embellishments.

To me, there is just something so sweet about those mushroom-birds, I just love them~! It's like they have little personalities or something. And, it seems that this artpiece has taken on a personality as well.

I've called it "Sweet Plum Dreams" to represent not only the colors and the tenderness in the piece, but also the way that birds seem to be 'dreamy' -like those rare opportunities to see a nest with eggs, or the rare opportunity to sit under a tree long enough to watch how birds spend a little of their time, it's so magical!

I haven't decided yet, whether or not to list this art piece in my Etsy shop, or perhaps to offer it as the next Blinkles Giveaway....

But, I wanted to show you what I was up to!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

New notecards to show you!

2010-03-19T01:10:00.001-06:00

Last week, I was busy making notecards for my friend at work. So, I made some extras to sell online.

There are 4 sets of 3 cards each...

Each set is gift packaged with a beautiful satin ribbon and a small gift tag...

The cards you just saw (above) are made with real fern leaves. And the next cards you will see (below) are made with a real pressed rose flower...

I had to "varnish" the rose flower in order to keep all of it's petals in tact. So, it has a glossy look! Next time, I think I'll try a different method! -Any suggestions?

I'm so happy to have some things to add to my shop - especially before classes start up again next week. If you are interested in purchasing any of the notecard sets here, you can find them by clicking ~HERE~.

:)

As always, I'm so glad you stopped by, Thank you!

And the winner is...

2010-03-15T21:17:00.000-06:00

Out of all 38 comments - Patty of Magpie's Nest is the lucky winner of the Woodland Nest and Wish Bottle Giveaway! Congratulations Patty!

And, Thank you to all who left a sweet comment.

I am completely flattered and honored to receive such warm compliments on these little art pieces. Your messages have caused me to consider having regular giveaways of the nests and wish bottles in the future!

Stay tuned, I'll announce another giveaway in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I highly suggest visiting Patty's blog. She is such a talented mixed media artist and has been published in Artful Blogging too. Patty's blog also offers links to many international blogs as far away (for me) as Germany, Italy, France, Poland and even the Netherlands. (Even though I can't read a word on most international blogs, I find it to be so fun to see what people are doing clear across the earth! It makes the world feel a little smaller, and yet so vast at the same time.)

And another HUGE thanks goes to Lynn of Her Creative Spirit. Thanks to Lynn's generous posts about my giveaway, I have made some great blogging friends and now have about 20 more readers following my blog. Wow! I think that would have taken me years to accomplish without her help! :0) You're the best, Lynn!

Until next time, take care and live by your inspiration!
:0)

Two Amazing Artists

2010-03-11T00:42:00.001-07:00

Just look at these gorgeous creations!

Not to get all mushy, but this blog is something that has brought me so much joy over the past year or so since beginning it. I have met the most wonderful, loving people and I am *so* deeply encouraged by every comment that I receive.

I also just love the beautiful things that people create.

Let me mention a couple of things that I purchased and the people who created them;

These gorgeous tags, which you are seeing, were made by Amy Sutter of Aged Vintage Papier.

Amy's blog is so lovely, just like her creations. I was delighted by the packaging and the beautiful 'freebies' that she included with my purchase.

Aren't they lovely? If you haven't already visited her blog, I highly encourage it!

Aged Vintage Papier

And, another amazing artist:

Tracie Lyn Huskamp of The Red Door Studio, though she doesn't know it, was the inspiration behind my adventures in blogging in the first place!

I had discovered her blog years and years ago, and I just couldn't get over the absolute beauty in her writings, her photographs and her artwork.

The book you see here, was written by Tracie. Honestly, I have wished for this book since it first came out, but only recently did I give myself the 'treat' of purchasing it.

Over the last year and a half, I have been working 6-7 days a week, getting back on my feet after a big life change, and putting much love into my little crafts business. Now, I have added the absolute joy of being a full-time Graphic Design student to my schedule too!

Of course all of this requires a lot of time and energy, but honestly, I am so thankful for all that I have and all that I am doing in my life right now.

And, I think that this is one of the reasons why I decided to go ahead and 'treat myself' to these purchases.

In addition to the hand-signed book, Tracie included the most beautiful 8x10 sized color print of one of her paintings;

This book is one which inspires me to honor the love which I have for nature and to believe in myself and what I have to offer as an artist.

If you would like to purchase a copy for yourself (and receive one of these signed, limited edition prints with the book), you can find a link to Tracie's email, where you can send her a note, on her blog, TheRedDoor-Studio

(The inscription reads; "Nature never did betray the heart that loved her! Many Thanks, Tracie Lyn Huskamp")

Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you might visit these two lovely blogs, and I hope that the creations of these two amazing artists have perhaps inspired you too!

:0)

Drawing Class and Photoshop

2010-03-06T20:16:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures of some class projects I've recently been working on. The image, above, was an assignment in my Photoshop class. We had to make a picture out of vector art only. That means (as some of you probably already know), no photographs. (Kind of interesting for a Photoshop class huh?)

This was created mostly with the Pen tool (hand-drawn), but also with some text and symbols. The bird in the image is meant to appear to be a flower at first, and then a bird at closer look. Did you see it that way?

This picture, above, was for the same Photoshop class. Our assignment was to design a Public Service poster using images and text. We have been learning about masking in Photoshop, and boy it took me a while to 'get it'! Now I feel much more comfortable, but I had to make a lot of mistakes first.

This assignment, above, is for my Drawing class. We had to take a photocopy of our faces or hands, and then draw them using charcoal. We are learning about value - the shades of gray - from black to white. I have a couple more hours to put in to this drawing, but thought I'd show you the progress as it is now. The smaller image is the photocopy, and the larger image is my drawing (it's 18" x 24" in size).

We are learning two ways of drawing values; the "subtractive method" - where you mostly cover your paper with approximate values of the image, and then ERASE your way to the lighter values. This is surprisingly easy to do. It makes it look like you know what you're doing!!!

This is another drawing that is "in the works". It's another study in value. This drawing is being done with the "additive method" - where you put in the values straight as you see them.

I'm not sure if it's possible to tell, but the drawing is of a manequin and some twigs in vases. (Please click on an image if you want to see it larger). When I first saw this arrangement in the classroom, I thought, "Oh my gosh, - I'll never be able to draw that!" - but I do feel surprised at how it's coming out so far. I have a couple or a few more hours to put in to this one too.

We should be getting our mid-term portfolio's back next week, and after that I can show you another cool drawing that we were working on too.

Although I've never had an actual drawing class before, I feel like I could be good at it if I put more work in to it. Sometimes I sit in class and think, "Wow, I could do this forever!" The classroom is a big open studio and we have workbenches or easels and our subject is usually in the middle of the room with spotlights on it. The instructor has music playing and we can have beverages in there too (unlike most classrooms I've experienced)!

So, I usually heat up some tea at work before I drive over to class for the evening. And, at times, when I'm sitting there, I feel like I'm so fortunate to be right where I am now. It's such an amazing, and peaceful feeling.

I suspect many artists feel that when they are working.

Thank you for stopping by and seeing what I'm up to in my little corner of the world. I hope you've been able to enjoy some of those wonderful peaceful moments this weekend. :0)

The Red Thread and invisible connections

2010-03-03T00:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I had mentioned a special project which I was hired to make. So this is how it began; ... Just after I had delivered my first order of Wish Bottles to the shop a couple of weeks ago, I had received a phone call from an employee. She was delighted with the bottles and asked if I would be willing to make a custom order for her.

Of course I was thrilled. (If only people could see the jumping for joy that goes on after the phone is hung up!)

The woman said that the special occasion which she had planned was a baby shower. She wanted to give each guest their own Wish Bottle to take home with them as a gift.

The expectant mother who she was throwing the shower for had been hoping for a baby for many years, and so this occasion was particularly special.

Now, to add even more joy to the occasion, the woman who had placed the order for the Wish Bottles is the baby's Grandmother! The mother-to-be is her daughter.

I felt such an honor to be asked to make the gifts! (And would you believe, when I delivered the order to her place of work, the woman just happened to have a visitor - her daughter! So I was able to meet the radiant mom-to-be too!)

So, now the RED THREAD story...

Because this occasion was so dear to her, she wanted to add an extra loving touch to each gift. The idea she came up with was to attach this beautiful Chinese Proverb to each bottle...

"An ancient Chinese proverb speaks of an invisible thread that connects us to those we are destined to meet and love."

And the pictures which you have been seeing in this blog post, are examples of the tiny pieces of paper which we attached to the bottles.

The back of each attachment says; "The red thread on your wish bottle signifies that thread which may stretch or tangle but never break."

After asking if she minded that I use her idea in future projects, I realized just how cool this could be! It seems that the Proverb is so versatile, it could be added to practically anything. And, it could even be customized with artwork or a message specific to an occasion - like this one.

SO... in lieu of the many new friends I have been making on this little blog (much Thanks to Lynn at Her Creative Spirit, and to several others who have kindly shared about my giveaway), I would like to offer a printable sheet of the Proverb.

It is formatted to be printed on a regular sheet of paper and then decorated to your heart's delight!

(Click the image ~above~ to download and print your very own copy!)

AND last, but far from least is a heartfelt THANK YOU to each and every person who has left a comment about my giveaway. I am astounded at the compliments and the thoughtfulness that has been so warmly given. (And, boy do I wish I had a zillion little nests... I could give one to each and every one of you!)

Over the past several days, I have made it a point to visit every one of your blogs and web pages, and I am just amazed at the talent and creativeness that I've seen. I feel humbled to share many interests and moments in time where we support and connect with each other, right here in the blog world - in our homes - in our lives and in our hearts.

Like an invisible thread from me to you...

Thank you sweet friends -it means more than you could ever imagine.

FREE Treasures and some new designs!

2010-02-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

That's right - I'm having another giveaway!

This is a celebration of the success that these little nests and wish bottles are having in their storefronts. It is such a wonderful feeling, as an artist / craftsperson, for your work to be enjoyed. And, I would like to share the joy with you.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this blog post (please include your email address so that I can contact you if you are the winner), and I will draw a random number on Sunday, March 14th. I've decided to give a little extra time for entering since I'm not sure how often people have a chance to visit my blog.

If you've ever wondered just what these tiny art pieces look like, now is the chance to have one of each for yourself ... FREE! Also included in this giveaway will be another gift - of similar value, that I think you'll love just as much as the other two treasures.

In the meantime, here's a peek at some of the new designs I've made for both the Acorn Fairy Bird's Nests and the Wish Bottles. Many of these will be delivered this week with the second order to that sweet downtown shop...

(it may be hard to see but the above Wish Bottle is decorated with a small Rabbit charm)

... And, last but not least, a "Sweetheart" Wish Bottle. This one was made a little late for Valentine's Day, but I figure, hey, LOVE isn't limited to one particular day is it?

Do you have a favorite style?

Thank you for stopping by. Please don't forget to leave a comment in order to be entered into the drawing! If you'd like, please share a link to this blog with your fellow bloggers too. Thank you so much and

Good Luck.

Second Semester

2010-02-12T00:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at some of my school projects so far...

TYPOGRAPHY - The above is an image of 9 different font-style-family uses of the letter "d". This was created in my Typography class -which is turning out to be very interesting and fun! We are learning about the long history of letterforms and the ways in which they have changed over the centuries.

For example; the simple invention of a re-useable letter (made with clay or wood or metal in later centuries), ended up changing the way in which entire continents communicated with each other! Imagine; everything was painstakingly handwritten for centuries, making the availability of books or documents extremely hard to come by. But once the process of printing was developed, the availability of printed material was more readily accessible. Seriously, could you imagine what someone from the age of the handwritten letter would think of computers or even typewriters?! I find it to be kind of fascinating!

DRAWING - The following images are sketches from my Drawing 1 class.

This image above was a 5-minute or less quick sketch of a crooked lamp base, done with charcoal on newsprint.

This boot was so hard! Though we only had about 20 minutes to draw, I could have spent an hour just figuring out the angle of the toe-tip area alone!

What an interesting assignment this was! We had to draw the negative shapes only, in a crazy still life which had tons of unusal items in it like glass bottles, flower vases, a basket, tree branches, a violin, an iron, some raffia string and a tall 4x4 piece of wood with a broken bull-horn type thing on the top!

And to top off the assignment, we had to make the black (negative space) areas as black as we possibly could using a graphite pencil. Just coloring in the black areas over and over took me about 3 hours on this one. The paper size is 18x24". I used nearly an entire woodless pencil for it!

PHOTOSHOP 1 - And, on a lighter note, the above image is a project from my beginning Photoshop class. There are 10 items scanned in here and each were then cut out and arranged to create a collage. While I was making the collage, it evolved into a piece of useable stationary!

SO...

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little of what I'm learning about in my classes. I have some great things to show you in the next post or two, including a finished logo for my first design client and the custom wish bottles project I'm working on right now.

Until next time, take care!

Good news!

2010-01-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

So, there is certainly a lot going on in this shop here, but that's part of what makes it so enchanting! One can find little treasures in every little nook and cranny!

So, what's the good news?...

The little 2-tiered basket of goodies on the corner of the table (in the above picture) has some of my little creations in it!

Honestly, I feel such a big sense of accomplishment with this, that I still have a hard time believing it!

This little shop is one that I have adored for years and years. Although the things I make always seemed like they might 'fit' in with the items they sell, somehow I never thought that they would actually, really, truly, ever be IN that little shop!

How funny, the way things go, isn't it?

So, I have a cute story to share with you...

As I was driving to the shop to deliver their order, I was so nervous! I'm sure you can imagine all the things going through my mind, like; "oh what if they decide they don't like them", or "what if they say they're too expensive?"... etc, etc...

While I was getting closer I thought; if there is a parking space near the store, THEN I'll know I'm doing the right thing and it will work out. (Finding parking in this part of town is usually pretty difficult!)

As I approached the storefront, I peered around all the other cars to see the ONE available parking space, directly in front of their front door! I couldn't have been closer if I tried!

So, the story has a wonderful ending...

Several employees, as well as the owner of the shop commented on how much they liked everything!

And, as I was leaving, I received a phone call. It was an employee who just saw the order.

She asked if I would be interested in making some wish bottles for a very special occasion in a couple of weeks...

and, of course it didn't take me long to answer, YES! :0)

It turned out to be such a wonderful experience! And, from here, who knows where it'll go?!

I can only...

"imagine"!

Thank you for stopping by, I am looking forward to seeing where all of this will go!

In the next post or two, I will show you how things are going with my classes. I have some interesting sketches from drawing class and a couple more fun things too!

Take care,

New Notecards

2010-01-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

One of my most regular customers, a friend at work, just asked for more gift cards. (I love requests like that!) And, here's what I came up with.

The first two cards shown here are made with real daisy flowers and honeysuckle leaves. These were the last two actual flowers I had left over from last summer's collectings. And the last 3 cards you see here were made from a great garden poster by the artist, Jane Ray. They are color scans of small sections of the poster.

Here in Colorado, I've heard so many people commenting about how this winter has felt like the longest one ever! I tend to agree with this. And, somehow making things that remind me of warmth and green feels sort of comforting... like there is something to look forward to -something warm and beautiful and new!

And, on the subject of 'new' - I will have some great news to share in the next few blog posts!

Until then, take care!

Sweet Possibilities

2010-01-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you Carol Mae!

Just had to show you the beautiful Valentine's Day Collage that Carol Mae had made (above) with the supplies she won in my last giveaway.

I so love seeing what people make, and especially when it's something as creative as this! I had many of the very same supplies right in front of me as I prepared to send them off to Carol Mae, and I didn't even think of making something so sweet!

Can you imagine, if we all had the same supplies, all the different variations we'd come up with? ~ What fun to think about the possibilities!

Carol Mae's blog, The Prairie Pathway, is full of other delights just like this one, ... you might like to visit!

On the subject of possibilities...

Classes start tomorrow! This will be my second semester for Graphic Design.

Being in school has been so enjoyable! At times I wonder if something is wrong with me, as most of my fellow classmates seem to dread school. Of course, I'm in my late 30's - and that could have something to do with it! Maybe I'm finally, "ready"!?

I can't wait to show you some of my class projects this semester!

In the meantime, our snow is finally melting here in Colorado and spring feels like it's really coming! (yay)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Views from above

2010-01-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

After all these years, I'm finally going to admit that I'm fascinated with views from airplane windows! Okay, maybe a lot of people are? Maybe not! But just look at these neat pictures of Colorado's Rocky Mountains, and then of California's coast...

This was just too fun! I'm sure the passengers next to me thought I was a foreigner or something. In some ways, actually, I felt like I was a foreigner. Maybe it's because I had time to just relax and admire some of these amazing scenes, as if it was for the first time? I don't know, but it was cool!

Here are some pictures of the Northern California Coast (taken from the car or while standing on a windy -and cold- cliffside);

And lastly, some scenes from the tiny plane I took for part of my trip home. Funny enough, the first plane I took held a maximum of 30 people. The security checkpoint to enter the plane was in a trailer! Then, the second plane I took held over 400 people! What a drastic difference. Both were pretty fun! Unfortunately, I had to RUN from one plane to catch the next and wasn't able to pick up any of that great San Francisco sourdough bread on the way! -ah well, maybe next time!

Apparently, the whales were migrating right during this time, and so I was pretty much GLUED to the window looking for them the whole time we flew over the ocean! It was hard to tell if I actually saw any, as my reference for size was totally skewed. How big would they look from the air? No idea!

(a view of part of the Golden Gate Bridge)

And so now, here I am back home and busy working on a couple of Logo design projects!

This is totally exciting, as it's what I want to ultimately do as a career, and I've only finished one semester of school for it so far. So, I feel very lucky to have some real projects to work on. I'm learning tons and feel like I'm actually figuring out more of what ~not~ to do next time!

The exciting news here is, after a lot of work, one of my clients has said he "loves" what I came up with! I never would have guessed how rewarding that feeling would be!

As soon as I've finished his project completely, I'll show you the design (and the pre-design work/sketches too).

I hope each of you has had a fantastic Holiday season and will have a great 2010! I look forward to sharing my year with you, right here!

Thank you for stopping by!

Warmest wishes,

We all win!

2010-01-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Carol Mae, the winner of the most recent Blinkles Boulevard blog giveaway! She had left the fourth comment, and ta-da... #4 was the lucky number!

She has a sweet blog called The Prairie Pathway which I'm sure you'll love!

Thank you

to all of you who left a comment and stopped by to visit! And thank you to those who posted the giveaway link on your blog as well!

I am constantly amazed and humbled by the kindness and goodwill that I've found in this little (but BIG) blogging community. It's a great feeling to be able to share about some of what I do with you, and it's an even greater feeling to actually THANK YOU for it too!

In the next couple of days I'll show you some pictures from my recent holiday travels to the coast of California, and..... I have some exciting news about my new Graphic Design adventure! -Stay tuned!

and,...

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R! too.

Holiday Cheer... a Giveaway!

2009-12-21T01:21:00.001-07:00

(Share the wealth! Copy and paste this image on your blog with a link back here.

A lucky winner will be drawn on January 3rd!)

Here we are, Christmas less than a week away... a new year soon to begin.

What a great time for a giveaway! :0)

I figured there may be some of you who would like a little project to work on while the holidays are winding down, or maybe even some of you who are ready for the next project in order to get ahead of the quickly approaching New Year.

Either way, I think you'll love what I've put together here!

This is a "Dream Pack" --- a collection of beautiful papers, charms, embellishments, ribbon and even the cards and envelopes to make 8 individual Valentine's Day cards!

Here's a list of what you will receive:

8 sheets of small tissue papers (4 each of 2 designs)
8 pre-measured & cut pieces of decorative papers (4 each of 2 designs)
8 large red heart-shaped red paper doilies
8 embossed angel wing die-cuts
8 deep green 'velvet' rose petals
8 small decorative cream-colored squares (these would look so cool as little 'stamps')
8 brass heart-shaped charms
2 spools ribbon (1 spool red velvet-like ribbon, 1 spool bright gold colored)
and...
9 each 5x7" red cardstock cards with matching envelopes (one extra each - just in case!)

Sound fun?

To put your name in the drawing for this treasure chest of goodness,... simply tell your friends about this giveaway on your blog (you can take the top image in this post or use the Giveaway thumbnail on my blog as your image and link back here), then leave me a comment! (be sure to provide your email address to contact you by, if you do not have a blog)

The drawing will be held on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010!

If you are the lucky winner of this "Dream Pack", I would love to see what you have made! Send me a picture of your fabulous crafty-ness and I'll post your talents right here (with your permission, of course!).

Until next time...

H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S!

May your days be filled with loved ones, special moments and much Peace.

"Honey Bee" Gift Tags

2009-12-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of a second style of Gift Tag I had made recently. These were a blast to make! I used up all the "bees" I have and even broke into some gorgeous golden yellow ribbon too.

Also, the leaves on the tags are from a little fern plant I'm growing - just for special projects like this!

There are currently 4 of these tags for sale in my Etsy shop. And, they're all "one-of-a-kind"! Since I've run out of bees, and this batch of handpainted tags are all used up now, this is actually all there will ever be for this particular style.

If you are considering purchasing one of these tags, or anything else you see in my store, it can be shipped anywhere in the US (and some parts of Canada) by Christmas.

Personally, I think they would make beautiful tie-ons for a bottle of wine, baked goodies or even an elegant gift box. Also, if you're giving someone the gift of a book or journal, what a cool bookmark they would make!

The possibilities are endless!

Thank you for stopping by, and stay tuned for an awesome giveaway coming up... you won't want to miss it!!

Sweet Gift Tags

2009-12-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some images of a series of Gift Tags I had made last weekend.

There are 4 tags, each with a different bird image. The tags were hand-painted then decorated with papers, ribbon and a gold leaf. In the corner of each tag is a little velvet-like flower blossom and a brass dragonfly.

The bird images on the tags, along with the velvety-purple colors and golds are really stunning together. They have a very 'warm' and almost a regal feel to them.

I am on a kick to use up most of the art supplies I currently have, as it's always so tempting to come up with new ideas and get lost in the craft store thinking of completely new ideas, instead of using what I have already! So, these are limited edition tags! (They may already be sold, so they're not listed in my Etsy shop, however if they aren't sold in the next couple of days, I will list them for sale there.)

I have been truly fortunate to collect some beautiful art supplies over the years. And, finally challenging myself to use up and make things with all of these lovely supplies feels right. It's almost like I was afraid to use things - as if they'd then be gone forever! It's a funny thought... but something has certainly changed. And, now I'm delighted to see what comes of these gorgeous little supply collections!

I hope you enjoy it too!

PS- In a few days, I'll share images of more tags I had made too. They are a different style, but really just as lush and elegant.

You can find them in my Etsy store by clicking ~HERE.

Take care and thank you for stopping by!

~Janee

True Wealth

2009-11-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

Recently, I made several "Sand Dollar Ornaments", and so enjoyed getting back to making some things by hand! It felt like a nice break from the work I've been doing on the computer lately.

Here are some pictures...

Here's what the back sides look like;

The brass wire is designed to hold each shell 'just so' - giving it the most visible area on the front, balancing it nicely and making sure of the least possible shell damage. (I went through a few shells while figuring this out!)

Something fun happened while wrapping one of these ornaments for a gift...

A beautiful piece of paper was sitting next to one of the boxes, and so I decided to try to incorporate the paper into the packaging. Seems like it turned out pretty nice.

Several of these ornaments are currently for sale in my Esty shop. Click ~here~ to check out the available styles!

THANK YOU!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with friends and family. I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life. The feelings of gratitude that I have for each person sometimes feels to the point of overflowing. Thanksgiving and the Christmas-time holidays bring up thoughts of loved ones, yet, often it's the little things throughout the year that make up those powerful moments of fulfillment and joy too.

For the time you've taken to see what I'm doing in my little tiny part of the world, I Thank you. It means so much!

Amazing Artists

2009-11-21T12:23:00.005-07:00

Can you believe, just for leaving a comment, I won these beautiful handmade fabric postcards? I am always so amazed at the things people create and on top of that the generosity that comes with sharing such heartfelt items like this. Here are a few pictures of the postcards made by Kathy at Glacial Ridge Knits and Quilts.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check out her blog! It's fantastic!
GLACIALRIDGEKNITS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Also I mentioned that I had attended a "Clay Date" (clay making party)... and would love to show you some pictures about that fun evening!...

There were 8 of us ladies at the party, plus Brian, who is the actual clay-maker and organizer of the party!

We had so much fun!

I must admit, I hadn't met most of the people there, but after a few minutes of the banging and pounding of clay, as well as the (ahem) comments that were made during our play time, I feel like I know these people pretty well now!

You can see, we made a lot of Christmas Ornaments that night. We also enjoyed some delicious appetizers and drinks too. What a great idea huh?

Here are some of Brian's creations (to give you an idea of what the finished works look like)...

And, last but not least, our group picture!

Until next time, have a wonderful holiday!

Illustrator Madness!

2009-11-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

I thought I would show you a class assignment I had for my Adobe Illustrator class. We had to recreate a car using the "Gradient Mesh" tool.

I found this to be really hard. But kind of rewarding. Although my project doesn't look anything like the beautiful image of the actual car, still I feel like I'm learning!!

**Since it's really hard to read the captions on these images, here's what they say;

1. (top image, above) "The original image (taken from the web and imported into Adobe Illustrator.") Note:-this way I can use it as a guide underneath my drawing, but not a part of the actual drawing.

2. (bottom image, above) "Redrawing the car in separate sections and applying a 'gradient mesh' in order to color the surface with various shades."

1. (top image, above); "...more mesh sections. This was really hard! (as you can kind of see from how badly the sections 'blend') --- I need a lot more work in order to get this down!"

2. (bottom image, above); "The project as I will turn it in. I figure, hey, I'm just beginning! So, I chose not to spend a ton of time perfecting it. I can imagine that it would take hours upon hours to get it just right!"

1. (image, above); "A hand-drawn replica of a work by the artist Mucha, done by Yukio Miyamoto."

1. (image, above); "An illustration by Pisan Kaewma. Look at all the work that went in to just the bracelets alone! Doesn't this look just like a real photograph?"

So, that's what I've been up to lately! As some of you know, Adobe Illustrator is a companion program to Adobe Photoshop. Illustrator is the preferred program for Graphic Designers and most digital artists (who are not working exclusively with photographs). Well, I guess "preferred" may not be the best choice of words! Illustrator is a very difficult program to master. It makes Photoshop look easy! But, it is the #1 tool one must know when creating original (digital) artwork, as your work is all based on vectors.... mathematical values. And hence can be scaled (enlarged, etc...) almost infinitely without loosing any quality. Whereas, raster-based programs like Photoshop, depend upon pixels. And, as you know, pixels really can look bad once enlarged even a little bit!

I hope I'm not boring you to death here! But really, I find it to be so fascinating! And to think of all the amazing amounts of time people put in to creating artwork in programs like this... it just boggles my mind!

After all these computer programs, I'm taking an actual DRAWING (pencil, paper) class next semester!! That should be a blast!!! :)

PS- Next post; I will share with you a sweet gift I had received as part of an Art Exchange. AND, also, I'm so excited to tell you about a "Clay Date" that I had. (Really; it was a clay-making party with about 9 or 10 ladies). So fun!!

Charm everywhere!

2009-11-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

I've made a new 'batch' of tiny woodland houseplant charms. And I only have 8 of these left! Now would be a great time to pre-order for the Holidays! (Hint; they make the ~best~ stocking stuffers.)

They're only $3.99 each plus shipping. Each charm is individually wrapped and will be packaged well, so they arrive safely right to you! (If you buy more than one charm, I will combine shipping charges so you only pay the one fee of $4.95.) For orders of 12 or more charms, please send me an email and I'll give you a personal quote.

You can also find these in my Etsy shop, if you like to browse there.

To celebrate the subject of "charm"... here are some pictures of a big snow storm we had a few days ago. The pictures feel so outdated now, as it's been so warm here in Colorado. I can hardly believe we just had snow! But, nonetheless, I think you'll appreciate how pretty it was here. :) ...

(So nice to see the snow from the INSIDE of the house sometimes!)

This picture (above) is a view while stepping in to my car, to go to work!

Until next time,... see you down the road!

First Logo Project

2009-10-28T23:02:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd show you some pictures of a project that I've been working on in school.

The assignment was to design a logo for a company called Defensable Space, which clears trees around homes to promote fire safety.

I never realized how hard it is to create a logo!! I had some pretty cool (and too elaborate) sketches to start with and had to keep whittling away at them down to the bare minimum shapes.

The goal was to communicate as much about the company as possible with as few shapes as possible.

I'm not attaching my sketches here, because I'm too embarassed now! But here's what I've come up with.

PS - You'll notice some interesting objects here too! That's part of the project. We needed to incorporate our logo on to several items which the business would potentially want to see their brand design on. (ie: hard hats, chainsaws, etc...).

PS - I am kind of excited about the fact that I did the drawing for each of these objects right in the program I have been the most intimidated by. The drawings are not nearly as good as I would like them to be, but considering how BAD I was when I started, this is a step forward in skills!

PS#2 - Sorry about the picture sizes here and the resoltuion (when you click the images you will see them on a larger scale). I'm still trying to get used to this new photo layout arrangement with Blogger.

Thanks for stopping by!

Next time, I have a whole bunch of new little nests to show you! (oh, and possibly some pictures of the crazy snow here. We might get up to 28" in 2 days!!!)

Over the River and through the Woods!

2009-10-23T21:36:00.000-06:00

I'd like to take you along with me on an early morning drive....

Through the beautiful mountains of Northern Colorado...

... where the September air is brisk...

And the sky is clear.

Aspen leaves are shimmering, ...

And the river waters are (brrrrrrrrrrr) COLD!

I found some quiet places just off the beaten path...

And some tiny fall treasures.

...and some big treasures too!

It was a beautiful drive!

I hope you've enjoyed coming along with me!

Designer Soil part 3

2009-10-13T23:40:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is! The design you see (above) is a second copy I sent to the company for the soil bag re-design contest. My Graphics Design teacher helped me ("Art Directed" me) with this one.

It's so much better don't you think?

So... here's what the company had to say in response to my submissions for the contest;

They aren't making a decision at this time (I thought this was a nice way to tell me, no thanks!)
They'd like to send me a Gift Certificate for my time (...didn't expect that!)
They liked it, but the see-through idea for the bag wouldn't actually work, because it would cause the soil to mold (never thought of this, but it makes sense!)
And...
When they are ready to do the design, they would like to have my input! (Whoa!)
AND....
They plan to be doing more re-designs for their products in the future, and would like to have my input for them! (uh... wait a second... me??? ...WOW! COOL!)

(yikes and YAHOO!)

Blog-O-Versary Winner!

2009-10-11T21:11:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Sharon of the Wildflowerhouse!

Thank you so much for your comment!

If you haven't checked out her blog, you've GOT TO! She is an amazing artist!

http://www.thewildflowerhouseshoppe.blogspot.com/

I'll be sending off her prize this week! :)

PS- Coming up next; I'll fill you in on the response about the Designer Soil project (it's pretty exciting!).

Blog-O-Versary GIVEAWAY!

2009-09-30T19:20:00.020-06:00

This is hard for me to believe, but today is the 1-year anniversary of this little blog!

I never would have thought that it would turn out to be such a wonderful experience! When I began the blog, I thought that it would be neat to keep a 'journal' of the things I was making and thinking.

As some of you know, I was going through an extremely hard time last year. I found myself 'starting over' in life - from the bottom.

I turned to Art as a way to get through.

I bought a little camera, and began to take pictures of the things I was making. For the first several weeks, I felt like I had a little "world" of friends right with me! Like, that camera, and this blog, was a way to reach out. I was ~so~ excited!!

And now a year has passed and I've met some of the sweetest people right here. Every comment someone has left, and each time there was a new follower, I just about cried! (Okay, I'm kind of emotional as it is, but this really does mean a lot to me!). I have loved seeing the things other people make, and hearing about their lives too.

So, I would like to take this opportunity to THANK YOU!!!! for being here, for reading my posts and for sharing about your experiences with your art and lives too!

To Celebrate, I'm doing a FREE GIVEAWAY. (I've hesitated to do a giveaway earlier, only because I'm afraid of messing it up or getting it wrong somehow! Some of the giveaway instructions I've read on other blogs has left me thinking; "okay, now this is a little complicated!"). I'm a simple minded person!

The Shadow Box here, is the giveaway! I call it a "3-D poetry" piece, because there is a beautiful and poetic story that the arrangement tells right inside. That poem, will be up to you to hear!

Inside the Shadow Box (which is about 8" x 10" by 2 1/2" deep), is a " Blinkles Sweetheart Nest."

The nest is made from birch bark, field grasses and moss. I never realized how difficult it could be to photograph a shadow box! It was hard to avoid a strong reflection showing through the glass. SO, it's kind of hard to see the details, but I'm sure you will LOVE this art piece. (It would make a sweet gift too!)

So here are the INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER THE DRAWING:

IF you have a blog, mention this giveaway and add a link to this post on your blog, THEN, let me know about it with a comment! I would love to visit your blog too (if I don't already).
Or, if you don't have a blog, simply leave a comment on this post with your name and email address (Then I can contact you, if you are the winner!).
Each comment will be numbered. I'll use Random.org to draw the lucky number on Friday October 9th.

You'll be notified (and I'll do a blog post) to announce the winner! Then, I'll gift wrap and ship the Shadow Box right to you!

I'm excited to see how this goes! And, most of all, it feels great to be able to say "Thank You" to all of the sweet friends who have helped me more than they probably realize.

:)

Thank You again, and GOOD LUCK!!

Designer Soil part 2

2009-09-24T22:55:00.009-06:00

Today was the deadline for the soil bag re-design project.

After several hours worth of sketching ideas, I had an "aha" moment...

It was to create a design which used the actual SOIL as part of the image! So, in the pictures you see here, the black hill-like shape in the middle of the bag is planned to be a 'see through' area. That way the flower will look like it's actually growing out of the soil. (Also this gives the customer a chance to see what the soil actually looks like.)

Kind of cool huh?

Because the deadline for this project was so soon, I had to go with a very simple design using mostly font styles. This was a suggestion by one of my instructors at school.

I emailed the finished file to the company for review today! I can't wait to hear what they think! If nothing else, it's an unusual idea!

PS- Here's the current syle they have (below);

I'm curious; what do you think about the 'see through' idea?

Thanks for stopping by!

Designer Dirt

2009-09-20T22:28:00.012-06:00

Can a person be excited and reluctant at the same time???

If so, I feel both of those things about this project! As you know, I work at a greenhouse. In an email, there was an invitation for employees (of several greenhouses) to take a chance at designing an image for the front of a bag of soil for a company.

The company would like to make their packaging more "retail friendly" and wanted a new look.

Of course, I thought (being the "hot shot" graphic design STUDENT!!!), hey, I'd like to do that!

And, now I'm realizing that the undertaking might just be over my head!! LOL ((I always do that!))

This has been fun though! I have spent a lot of time sketching ideas. And, crazy enough, I used to LOVE drawing, but haven't done any for like, LOTS of years! So, it was great to get a little back in to the swing of it anyway.

(That's a butterfly in the one above)

So far, I have a few favorites, but really none of these sketches really feels like the "wow" which I would want to then attempt to put into some sort of cool graphical semblance via the design programs that I'm fumbling through at the moment!

Maybe it'll be a combination of certain elements of different ones...

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? Constructive criticism??? :)

Mind you, these are totally ~rough~ sketches. Not meant to be like the real thing! Only to get ideas at this point! :)

Anyway, thanks for taking a look! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Beautiful Leaves Notecards

2009-09-17T00:26:00.016-06:00

With the pressed fern leaves I've made a collection of Gift Cards.

The cards also have a beautiful Fall leaf on them and a brass Dragonfly charm.

Near the base of the cards is an embossed emblem. Though it's hard to see in these pictures, it's very bright gold color and has a 'raised' effect due to the embossing.

Also, because the envelopes are black, I thought it would be nice to add a blank decorative surface for addressing the envelope front.

And the back of the cards look like this:

I have listed them at $4 each in my Etsy store. With a special deal of 3 for $10. (With free shipping).

Sometimes, I have a hard time determining what price to ask for the things I make! (Does that happen to you too?) It seems like the cheaper I list them for, the more likely they are to sell. But then,... as you know how that goes... I can't make up for the time I spent in making them! (and sometimes it doesn't even cover the materials).

So, I always come to a price that covers the cost of the materials and some of my time.

This is how I hope to support myself in making things, and hopefully to give people some really good deals on hand-made things!

If you would like to purchase some of these cards, or to see what else I have for sale, click ~HERE~ to go to my online store!

Thank you for visiting my little blog in this BIG (and busy) world! Your support means so much to me!

PS- Coming up soon, I'll be setting up a GREAT giveaway to celebrate my Blog's 1-year anniversary!!! :) Stay tuned!

Growing my own!!

2009-09-11T22:07:00.007-06:00

Earlier this year, I tried to collect some fern leaves and mail them from California to Colorado.

They were so beautiful!

LOL - As you can probably tell from my words here.... it didn't work out too well! The reason was,... it was too moist in the closed-package which I had mailed them in. So... it was pretty damp and moldy when I opened it!

Now I know that didn't work!

So...

Here's the new idea and it seems to be working out great! I have a small fern plant near a window in my apartment. It seems to be doing great there with not too much light and all. Occasionally, I will trim off a few leaves and press them in a dictionary.

And, after a few days, they're nice and dry and flat! Easy to work with!

Naturally, I had to make something with them!

I'll show you the finished cards next week. They're turning out beautifully!

Now I'm thinking... geeze, what else can I grow and press???!!

But then, maybe I should just keep it at my little solo fern farm! I always seem to get too many projects going at once!

Until next time, I hope all is well with you!

Fierce and Gentle

2009-09-06T23:17:00.012-06:00

Thought you might enjoy seeing these beautiful birds. These are pictures of a Golden Eagle and a Bald Eagle. Both birds live permanently at a Bird Rescue and Education Center here in my home town.

Did you know that these birds have wingspans of about 7 feet? And, they have approximately 7,000 feathers!!!

While I was looking at them, I felt a feeling that they could "look right through me". You know, that piercing stare that gives you a little shiver?!

But just as they were fierce and powerful, it seemed, they were equally as gentle.

This brought to mind how easy it is to have one view of something only.

How cool it would be to see things from a bigger perspective than just one single view!

(This was the view on my way home from the bird center, above.)

I think, that is one thing I love about art... it makes me look at things from different perspectives! (Maybe not quite the Eagle-eye view yet, but I'm working toward it!)

Until next time, thank you for stopping by!!!

Chef Coat part 2

2009-09-03T22:52:00.009-06:00

At last! I think I've made some progress on the Gift Card 'sleeve' project!

After feeling overwhelmed by what I don't know yet, in Graphic Design, I decided to go back to what I do know! (okay maybe I am so used to doing things the hard way... but here I am in school, embarking on this new adventure of learning how to work with design software for REAL! - so, I'll give myself a little break and do what it takes to get some projects on the way in the meantime!)

As you might know from the prior blog post, this project was a special request for a great little cooking store in Northern California. They wanted something different to package their Gift Cards in.

Both owners are chef graduates from the Culinary Institue of America (in New York), and they LOVE cooking.

So, this little "Chef Coat" Gift Card sleeve was inspired by their super enthusiasm for the deliciously creative art of cooking!

(As you can see from the above picture, one side of the card tucks in to the other through a small slit in the paper.) This turned out to be a really quick way to keep the card sides closed without using a sticker.

The middle of the card (where you currently see the business card), is designed to hold the actual Gift Card through the use of 2 diagonal slits in the paper as well.

I just mailed this sample to them today, to get their feedback before doing what may be the final fine-tuning before printing.

I can't wait to hear what they think!

If you would like to post any comments, I would love to hear them. Part of my learning in this design field, is understanding how to see things through other people's eyes. I will always take your opinions as constructive ideas!

Thank you and take care!

School Lesson

2009-08-26T23:05:00.004-06:00

Student-life has begun!

Here are a couple pictures of the 'books' I will be using this semester. Mostly it's all software, and the work I'll be doing will be hands-on, on the computer, as well as a lot of sketching.

I thought I'd share an interesting thought that the instructor of my Graphic Design I class presented today. He said, "There are 2 types of artists. One (the Fine Artist) creates art for themselves. And, two (the Graphic Artist) creates art for other people."

It's interesting. I never thought of it in that way.

What do you think about his statement??? (I'm curious!)

A Cute 'Chef Coat'

2009-08-16T20:44:00.008-06:00

Here's a sneek peek at a project I'm working on.

It's a gift card holder for a sweet cooking store, Vita Cucina.

(PS- You'll have to click the back-arrow on your browser to return to this blog.)

The above pictures were taken of the rough sketches of the initial idea for the card 'jackets'.

And, here (below), are pictures of a trial-run creating the card jacket in Adobe Illustrator.

As you can see, the card jackets, are designed as actual 'chef coat's.'

I hope that once I start school for Graphic Design, I'll be able to make this project look more professional!

I love the idea of making things that reflect a part of our tangible world. It would be so cool, with this project, if they could be made out of actual material and fabric buttons.

Do you ever feel that, if money were no object, your art could take on limitless possibilities?

(I do!)

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

Blog Banner FOR SALE!

2009-08-11T22:28:00.005-06:00

FOR SALE

$10

(My first Blog Banner!)

This is a customize-able digital blog banner, sized to fit your personal blog. It was created using an original photograph taken of a beautiful rose bloom. The photograph is artistically antiqued and layered with a sweet plum-colored font. It is a high-quality jpeg file.

It can be used on a website, an Etsy shop banner or even as an email 'signature' piece if you like.

Once I receive payment, I will customize the text to say anything you like.

Simply send me an email if you are interested, or go to my Etsy shop to purchase. I will email the original file to you, and it's 100% yours! There will be no other banner created like it.

How fun is that?!

Thank you for stopping by!

Bringing myself back in!

2009-08-01T20:10:00.007-06:00

Have you ever found yourself going from one idea to the next to the next? And, starting and starting and starting things, only to feel overwhelmed and set them ALL aside? (Then do you have that crazy guilty feeling about all those ~fabulous, life-changing, amazing~ things that you haven't "yet" gotten to?)

Well, this is a habit that keeps sneaking up on me! Although I have done pretty well these last few months, still I find myself thinking of the latest art supply that I "must" have, in order to create just that 'perfect' thing... (you know?)

So, I am glad to share that I have successfully NOT gone with the latest urge to start making some new and wonderful item that's sure to be a big hit! (I had to avoid driving by the craft store and all!)

I've instead decided to reel myself in, and focus on the dream that I've already set out to achieve...

And, here's some of what has come from that focus... (side 2 of my Graphic Design Business Card);

What do you think? Too much swirly-stuff?

Funny how life can be. There is so much fascination waiting around every single corner! And, yet, subtly, I keep being reminded of some words by my Spiritual Teacher about this characteristic and how it plays out in my life. She says, "You can spend your life digging a lot of holes on the shore, or you can dig one, and see how far it goes."

Of course, I still have a few sand buckets and shovels perched along the shore, (well, okay, more than a few), but I am beginning to be curious myself, as to what I might find if I maybe just relax a little and let the expression come forth from "me" --- instead of trying to find it so frantically in every little thing.

Hmmmm this shall be interesting!! LOL

Thank you for stopping by!

A Day in the Mountains

2009-07-26T23:17:00.011-06:00

What a curious little bird this was (it was so bravely bobbing around a rock right in the middle of the raging river)... At one point, I was sure the little guy had gone overboard, but there is was again, just zipping around right at the waters edge.

And again, a sweet welcoming bridge.

I feel so fortunate to live close to the mountains. There is a beauty and a peacefulness that is so easy to experience when the sounds you hear are the waters and the birds. And of course, when the sights you see are the pure brilliance of a thriving wonderland.

On this excursion, I purposefully took a lot of flower and leave pictures with a big purpose in mind; ART!!! (Since I'll be going to school for Graphic Design, it seems only too fitting to gather some original images for future project use, and also for subjects to sketch from.)

Already, my mind is buzzing from one idea to the next, with great patterns and styles! How fun!

A Poem and a FREE Background!

2009-07-19T02:07:00.019-06:00

I have great news to share with you and a *FREE* Download to celebrate!!

(click on the image above to read the poem and/or to download and print it out)

The news first...
I will be going back to school! And, I will be studying Art! In particular, Graphic Design. How cool is that?!!

I'm over-the-moon about it! And, I can't wait to share my adventures with you!

Now, the *FREE* Download...
(click on the image below to expand, then simply right-click, and choose "Save Picture As" to save to your computer). Why not come up with your own poem? Or do you already 'see' a favorite photograph or clipping for this background? (Because this image is a .jpg file, you can use it just like any image- in Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, etc...). OR, just print and decorate!

Also, the copy with the poem would make a really neat album or journal cover or greeting card.

A bit about the poem;
It all began when, as a little girl, I remember seeing people who were 'real' artists. People who made their living, making art. And, I so wanted to be able to do that. (Not that making a living from it is what makes an artist! But, in my little mind, back then, I had the idea that it was a dream-life. Something unattainable, and reserved for those special people...).

Today even, I struggle with the idea that making art for a living, is something totally unattainable. Something way more cool than what I deserve!

But then, there is another little voice that says, it's okay. That, making art is important and valuable.

Just looking around, I cannot find something that is not art in some form! Nature, Buildings, Cars, Homes, Books and Movies, Clothing, Food, Furniture, Music, Dance, even your favorite coffee mug or tea cup! Imagine the work that went into creating the smallest thing! And, we all NEED all of these things to some degree or another.

Then, on a deeper level, it seems like it can be an honor to be someone who can bring things from one world (the inner world of imagination, feelings, thoughts), to this 'outer' world where we can all see and enjoy and use it. It will be a great privledge to be of service in this way.

And, geeze, how cool it will be, to be doing something that I love without feeling GUILTY for it!

Woo hoo!!

A Little Visual Inspiration

2009-07-09T23:40:00.011-06:00

Get ready for a ton of pictures! They are 'visual collages' designed to *spark* your creativity! ... enjoy!

The following three pictures are taken of a piece of wrapping paper that I've had for a long time. I've used it as a poster near my desk at work, and it's now retired to my studio! (Artist: Jane Ray)

And, back to the last collage images...

I hope you've enjoyed the show! Did you have a favorite?

Rose Study part 2

2009-07-02T00:15:00.011-06:00

So... I'll let the pictures do the talking here!

I am making my 2nd tutorial out of this project, which will be available as a ~free~ downloadable (.pdf) document. The tutorial will have all the details on how these cards were created as well as some nifty tips that would come in handy for any project involving paper!

Look for the "Rose Study Tutorial" post!

Rose Study

2009-06-18T00:38:00.015-06:00

Welcome to a gallery devoted to a rose...

The name of this rose is, "Night Owl." And, as you can possibly see, it's not in the best shape! I was able to take it home from work, after it was trimmed from a rose bush for sale (I work at a greenhouse).

There's a good reason for all this...

This is the first post about the way one little flower can turn into a great project! (In the next post, I'll show you a beautiful project I've made with these same rose pictures).

For now, take a look at how the rose image differs depending upon the background, the composition and the lighting...

Interesting huh? (and beautiful too)

So, here's some of the reasons why I'm on a photography kick...

Digital images can be used for almost anything! From Decoupage projects, Website backgrounds, Bookmarks, Beautiful notecards, Framed photographs, Business cards, Custom calendars, even T-shirts, Coffee mugs and Mousepads! etc.... (you can see, it goes on and on!),
You can work with these images in almost any software (even in WORD!),
There's no worry about Copyright laws, they're your artwork!,
Easy to save and store,
When you see something to photograph, you can capture it then, and use the image when you have the opportunity,
You can use your images as subjects to paint from,
You can do all of this at practically no cost! (I used only a tiny glass vase that I had on a shelf, a desk lamp, my not-so-expensive digital camera, and some sheets of paper that I had on hand placed in the background).

As you can see, there are limitless possibilities, and some good reasons to have a few pictures on hand. Especially, if you use artwork as a source of income or gift-giving!

? I'm curious; Did this post inspire you to work with digital images in a way that you are not already doing?

Thank you for reading and viewing!

~Janee

Four Nests part 2

2009-06-15T00:49:00.006-06:00

Here's what the final packaging looks like, for the four nests...

And.... they're in a local garden shop!!! (this is totally exciting for me!)

You can kind of see them on the tabletop of the big green flower pot on the left. And, the little woodland acorn charms are in the blue pot on the tallest table top!

This summer, I will have a shop setup on my website and at my Etsy store, where you can buy these things right on the spot!

Of course, in the meantime, if you would like anything you see here on this blog, or on my website at: http://www.blinkles.com ... all you have to do is send me a message! I will make (or may already have on hand) an item of the same style! (As you know, each piece is hand made, so they will differ slightly.)

PS- I think you will LOVE the next post I have setup... I won't give it away completely, but I did a 'study' in colors and composition with a very beautiful subject!

Take care!

Janee

Blinkles Boulevard

Wordle fun

Walking together

For a sweet sister

Warming hearts

What beauty

Stocking up on ... nests!

Treaser Hunts

The beauty of fall

Some new cards

Decisions...decisions...

Isabel Allende

A little break in time

Reflections

Must see!

The lure of other worlds...

Fairy World

Heavenly Soap

Entering a contest

Happy Easter

Finished school projects

Sweet Plum Dreams

New notecards to show you!

And the winner is...

Two Amazing Artists

Drawing Class and Photoshop

The Red Thread and invisible connections

*FREE Treasures* and some new designs!

Second Semester

Good news!

New Notecards

Sweet Possibilities

Views from above

We all win!

Holiday Cheer... a Giveaway!

"Honey Bee" Gift Tags

Sweet Gift Tags

True Wealth

Amazing Artists

Illustrator Madness!

Charm everywhere!

First Logo Project

Over the River and through the Woods!

Designer Soil part 3

Blog-O-Versary Winner!

Blog-O-Versary GIVEAWAY!

Designer Soil part 2

Designer Dirt

Beautiful Leaves Notecards

Growing my own!!

Fierce and Gentle

Chef Coat part 2

School Lesson

A Cute 'Chef Coat'

Blog Banner FOR SALE!

Bringing myself back in!

A Day in the Mountains

A Poem and a *FREE* Background!

A Little Visual Inspiration

Rose Study part 2

Rose Study

Four Nests part 2

FREE Treasures and some new designs!

A Poem and a FREE Background!