On a positive note...

Tomorrow will be my last day of work "outside the home" which will now give me more time to focus on my family and my art.  I am already signed up to do two arts and crafts shows in the next two months and I'm thrilled!  I will be reopening my Etsy shop and will be posting a lot more on Instagram plus I will be able to blog more often too.  Life is good!

Flashback

About a year ago I was asked to paint something for a silent auction for my parent's church.  I have a certain style that some may like and some may not but I love bright colors and whimsical designs so this is what I did:

Before (child's little hutch):

After (with my creative touch):

The back was not neglected either:

With the cabinet doors open:

Stay tuned to see my latest painted creations!

Stay tuned...

for some exciting news coming in the next few weeks!! (No I am not pregnant) I've given myself till April 1st and that's when I'll make the big reveal so please come back!

Wreck This Journal

I have seen this book in stores but instead of buying it I went home and put it on my Amazon Wish List and forgot about it.  Well this past Christmas my mom got it for me and it has been so much fun "wrecking" it!!  It is definitely for anyone that wants to be creative but doesn't know where to start.

Here is an example of what one of the pages looks like (not done yet):

So you kind of get the idea right?  Keri Smith wants you to experiment, be creative, use any tools necessary to create something unique and one of a kind.  The title page was boring until my pink and orange markers attacked it:

A few years ago I challenged myself to learn at least the first 25 digits in the number Pi. (You know 3.14159)  So when I read the page that asked me to "add your own page numbers" the one word that jumped out at me was numbers.  I immediately wanted to write as many digits of Pi that I could fit on the page:

This was one of the first pages I did "Draw fat lines then thin":

I wonder why I haven't done this page yet? I love to sew, maybe I'll do something with this tonight:

Another example of one of my finished pages:

This page says "Tear out. Crumple."  I wanted to experiment with wet watercolors, to "crumple" it up before the watercolors dried to see if I could get a cracked effect.  It didn't turn out quite how I expected but I taped the page back in to show the shrinkage of the page:

And I saved my favorite page for last.  It's called a "Stain log".  I've seen this done with lipsticks but I have a slight obsession with nail polish (and these aren't even all of my colors!) so I decided to log some of my colors:

My absolute favorite, that I wear on my toenails all the time, is the Petites Sapphire, third row first one.

I have a board on Pinterest called Wreck This Journal where you can see other peoples creativity (and I've added my pictures as well).

My art room

This is a corner of our spare bedroom that I have set up as my work space where everything is at my fingertips, almost.  The open door leads to a finished off attic where I am able to store my larger art supplies like fabric, paints, beads and buttons.  Now you may laugh when I call my beads and buttons my "larger" items but I have at least 15 plastic bins for each (beads and buttons) organized by color so they actually take up a lot of shelving space.  I absolutely love buttons, mainly vintage and most definitely fabric covered.

Yes you've made it to KIMagination...

but after three and a half years I have decided to change the name of my blog.  I am also in the process of creating a website and I needed to find a web page name that isn't already taken and there are a few KIMagination's out there.  It's still an ongoing process though.

When I was a little girl my family and I went to the Appalachian Mountains.  The trail we hiked was called The Riprap Trail.  I remember saying "That is a cute name for a cat... when I get older I'm going to get an all black cat and name him Riprap".  I have always loved solid black cats.  In August of 1992 I got Rippy, as he was affectionately called, and his sister was Eureka.  A few years later I got a third cat named Lefty.  They all lived a very long and happy life.  So this blog has been renamed in honor of my Rippy, the black cat.

I Never Know What is Going To Inspire Me

I have started swapping again on Swap-bot because I've gotten back into ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) and this website is a great arena for swapping these.  While on there, looking at other swap groups, I stumbled upon a lady who was asking artists to "decorate" a fishing bobber for her father-in-law's birthday in October.  He collects them and she thought it would be fun to see what people came up with.  I love a challenge so I e-mailed her and said I'd love to do it.  There were no restrictions as to size or theme so at my local store 2" bobbers came two to a pack.  I rushed right home and base coated them:

After base coating I painted one black then remembered to take a picture for this blog.

I decided to do one in a Halloween theme because it is September.  And the other one I decided to do an underwater theme because it is, after all, a bobber.

And then my underwater theme:

Since it is September and my brain is already thinking Christmas... wouldn't these make great Christmas ornaments!  This is why I love art, because I never know when or where I'm going to be inspired but when I am it's like a whole new world opens up for me and I LOVE it!

I've started another blog!

A few years ago I wrote about my art retreat.  It was my time to get away and just create.  I have always been fascinated with the Amish culture so on these art retreats I would go to Lancaster, PA.  Over the years my art retreat has turned into a mommy's getaway and I now like to mingle with the Amish more than focus on my art.  A few weeks ago I got back from my annual mommy getaway and every time I sat down to write about it here I realized something.  I have way too much to say for just one post so I have created another blog.  I will solely focus on Amish life and my experiences among the Plain people.  It is still "under construction" but it is called My Fascination With The Amish Culture: Exploring The Plain People.

    

I'm still here!

Wow I can't believe I haven't posted in 2 1/2 weeks!  Sorry guys but it seems like this cold and flu season has decided to check into our house for a while.  We are on the upswing now though.

I feel like I've been in another creative rut lately but when I made a list this morning about new blog posts I discovered that it's not a rut as much as "all over the place" and not really focusing on one idea.  So I have 4 new posts to do but not enough time to do them but I have my trusty list that I will refer to in the next few days/weeks.

For starters I have moved into a smaller space at Olde Towne Art for financial reasons.  But I also found that with the large space I felt that I needed to create large pieces to fill that space and that just isn't me.  I don't work in large scale.  It felt more of like a burden to create pieces instead of an inspiration.  It did get me to think bigger though. 

So here are a few pictures of my new smaller space and believe it or not every one of my pieces in my large space fit just fine in my smaller space.  I actually think it looks a little better because your eye isn't jumping from one space to another, it now just flows through my work.

And since taking this picture it's changed again!  They love when I come in because they know that I'll be moving stuff around.  My art dolls weren't selling so I took those down for a while but since this picture I've taken them back in and hung them on the walls like my mermaid.  I am also working on 4 new pieces that I hope to finish by the end of the week so more changes will be happening again in my little space so stay tuned!

Sometimes cheap isn't always better

While looking through my Oriental Trading Company's catalog I noticed some white masks... inspiration struck... "That would be so much fun to paint a mask and bejewel it".  Sounded very whimsical which is right up my alley!  I hadn't even looked at my local craft store for masks, I sat down and ordered them right then because when I have an idea I want to execute it right then and there, although I had to wait for shipping time.

When they arrived I wasn't impressed with the quality of the plastic but I pushed forward.  I went to my local hardware store and bought "plastic primer" which worked fantastic.  My problem was that the masks were still too flimsy.  I ended up going to my local craft store and found exactly what I wanted.  I wanted to do a full face mask but then I also wanted to do a few half face masks too. 

While I was at Olde Towne Art discussing my idea with other artists one of the ladies reminded me that Mardi Gras was coming up.  Wow I couldn't have timed that better!  So my ideas have shifted a little to now include feathers and and sequins.  My first thought was to do a full face white pearlescence mask with white feathers and lots of pearls. 

Here is my work table.  The champagne colored pearls laying across the mouth of the white face ended up outlining her lips.  I can't wait to post some finished photos!

Faith, Hope and Love are living - Christmas, Christmas, everywhere

For Christmas I have asked to turn this blog into a book (super easy at blog2print.com) so I need to stop posting for a while so the manufacturer doesn't get confused!  But I did want to do one more post.

*** Update:  I've figured out how to turn my blog into a book without needing to stop posting for a while, YIPPEE!!  So on with the posts!! ***

I have mentioned Ideals Magazine before and how much I love to read the poems and short stories contained in them.  While I was organizing my books last night I came across this poem taken from Christmas Ideas 1951 entitled Hello, Again by Nina Gertrude Smith:

Hello, again, it's Christmas!  in the postman's ring,
In a little child's face, on the snowbird's wing:

In the "sh-sh-sh" of secrets; colors, sounds, and smells-
In a stranger's warm, sweet laughter hear the golden bells!

Christmas in the sacred story of a Yuletide's song,
In a new re-captured glory righting every wrong.

In the joy of giving, giving... Christmas in the air; Faith and hope and love are living-
Christmas, Christmas, everywhere!

A sneek peek at our Christmas card this year (just ordered!)

Holy Nativity Religious

Send special Valentine's Day cards from Shutterfly this year.

View the entire collection of cards.

My Dream

These are a few quotes I found on the Internet about loving what you do:

Do what you love.  When you love your work, you become the best worker in the world.   Uri Geller

Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.  Dr. Wayne Dyer

Never continue in a job you don't enjoy.  If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace.  And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.  Johnny Carson

Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life.  Harvey MacKay

I have never had a job that was my "dream job".  I majored in psychology with a minor in sociology and because I couldn't find work in my field I fell into the retail industry.  At night and on weekends I would explore my creative side: photography and quilting.  Over the years my tastes have changed but one thing still remains the same... I love to create.

I have sold my stuff at local farmer's markets and on Etsy but a dream of mine came true last week when a studio space became available at Olde Towne Art in Portsmouth, VA.  Just think I could display my stuff year round, I don't have to be there in order to sell something AND since it's my space I can put whatever creative thing I'm working on at the moment in there... from my art dolls to my zentangles.  My little art studio for everyone to see.

I believe that God works in each of our lives but most of us can't see it, or don't recognize that it's by God's hand, but when we do it is so powerful.  And it's yet another testimony of His loving grace.

Here is a peek at my studio space.  I'm still trying to fill it up but if you're ever in the area please stop by!

My space 

A few of my art dolls

My zentangles

One of my painted mirrors

My painted button pendants and brooches

Follow this link: Olde Towne Art

The Crafting Community

This morning the YMCA was hosting an arts and crafts show.  It's the first one I've been to in a long time so I couldn't wait for Saturday to get here.  I knew it would be small so I told my husband I shouldn't be long plus it was right around the corner from our house.

When I walked in there was a lot of jewelry, Tupperware and stuff I wasn't interested in... but I am here to tell you that in this gymnasium (where they had the music way too loud) I met three amazing people.  As an artist I look for unique things, things that I've never seen done before and these three people had that.  

Daniel Wayno was the first booth that made my jaw drop.  What attracted me to his booth was the fact that he was wearing a vest made out of jump rings.  And if you've ever worked in jewelry you know how frustrating jump rings can be!  When I commented on his vest he pointed out to me that his viking Lego man had the same one on but in his size.  Wow.  He had bracelets, necklaces, earrings and anklets made out of jump rings.  All sizes and all colors.  I was fascinated by the smallest jump rings that he used and how tedious that must be.  He was extremely nice and I ended up buying one of his ever-so-small-jump-ring bracelets.  (Picture coming soon)

The second artist's name was Katherine Gonzalez.  What initially attracted me to her booth was light switch plate covers.  There was a cat cover that caught my eye.  As I was pondering this purchase I glanced over to another table of sepia photography.  As I looked closer I noticed her sign that said "Alphabet Photography".  Amazing.  All of these pictures were images of different towns and locations that seemed to form letters.  She had one in black and white but I liked the sepia much better because the letters just seemed to sneak out at you.  She had phrases like Faith, Hope and Love.  I ended up purchasing one that was personalized.  I spelled my name KIM and was able to pick out the pictures that formed these letters.  I have never seen this done and I've been doing photography for a long time. (picture coming soon).

The third lady's name was Fran Thompson.  She was actually the aunt of Daniel Wayno (the first gentleman with the jump ring vest).  What first attracted me to her booth was brightly colored fish painted on shudders.  The shudders were horizontal and two fish were facing each other kissing.  They were precious.  She was very personable and the more we talked the more intrigued I became with one of her works on the backside of her display.  It was a lighthouse that was cut out of paper.  It was very intricate and the colors just seemed to pop off the paper.  She explained to me that they were paint chips that you can get (free) at any hardware store. I loved, loved, loved it.  She told me other things she had made with paint chips on note cards for family and it was so much fun brainstorming with her.  This is why I love the crafting community, when like-minded people get together beautiful things happen.

I wish all three of you the best of luck in all of your crafting endeavors!

Hello from a new place!

Sorry I've been MIA for a while but my husband and two children and I moved about a month ago and I am just now starting to feel like my life is falling back into a routine somewhat. 

Our new house, which is actually the parsonage because my husband is a minister, is larger than our previous residence.  And with that said I now have an art room!  I am so excited!  It is my little slice of heaven right here on earth plus an escape when I need to step away from Jacob (three years) and Joshua (five years)... somehow they always seem to find me though.  I will definitely be taking pictures soon but I am an organizational freak so I wanted everything labeled before I took pictures.

My art room was one of the first things I unpacked because with the stress of moving I wanted to be able to grab my Sharpie and draw at any given time.  Also I used to swap a lot on Swap-bot and I wanted to start doing that again.  Get the creative juices flowing again by making ATC's, swapping fabric and drawing zentangles.

Here is a picture of our new house.  The circular window (to the left) on the second floor is part of my art room.  My haven.