Passion

Artful Creations, Day 23: So Many Things, So Little Time

So, I've been working on new artsy things, really I have! But it seems as though time is getting away from me --  Alex has been sick and at home, bills need to be paid, and laundry needs to be done -- so the last week or so just has not felt very productive. But, some decisions have been made and some exciting things are on their way...

I decided during a recent, lovely visit with my sister, that I am going to resurrect some of the items I used to make and sell but never felt completely comfortable making. In other words, I didn't feel as though they were "perfect" enough to sell. And if I don't love what I sell and feel good about it, then I don't sell it. But, that doesn't mean they weren't awesome ideas!

I'm not going to spill the beans on what those items are just yet. But I have been going through an experimentation process to find how I can best and most easily make them and have the results consistent every time. Still working on that, but keeping my fingers crossed.

I also have some brand new product ideas, but haven't come up with any finished pieces yet. So, all you lovelies who have been visiting and commenting, thank you so much! I am so looking forward to sharing these things with you when they are out of their incubation period, so please come back soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a photo of my studio "helper" -- he really believes he is helping, so I'm not going to tell him otherwise.  ;)

Artful Creations, Day 7: Spring-like Spirals

Somehow, even though the day was quite challenging and nothing seemed to go right (thank you, Monday), I managed to start 2 new fractal images. I'm in love with the top fractal, and not quite feeling the second one. But, these are just works in progress, so we'll see where they go from here.

Blank Sketchbook Ideas

I've been experimenting today with some different ideas I have for blank journal / sketchbooks using my mandalas for the covers. For my Blue Igloo journals, I've been hand-sewing the binding in a pamphlet stitch, but it takes quite a bit of time to just do one journal. So, today I've been exploring ways to speed up the process so that making journals on a continuing basis is a bit more viable.

I'm going to play with some other ways to display the mandala on the cover. While I really like these, the perfectionist part of me wants to try some different options "just to make sure." 

I do like the size, though. They're smaller than the ones I've been making for Blue Igloo. The two shown above are 3"x4 1/2", making them easy to slip in your pocket or your purse. I also used the 65 lb. drawing paper for the interior pages, so they are just as great for sketching as for keeping notes, making lists, or jotting down ideas.

Hope in a Time of Despair

I'm a little bit behind in getting new work up onto my blog. This is an image that I worked on quite consistently from February through March of this year. I'm not sure it's really finished, but here's a sneak peak anyway.

Eternal Sunshine: Fractal Work in Progress

For the past few months, I've been trying out some new ideas in UltraFractal. I've been experimenting with all types of coloring formulas to achieve less minute detail and larger blocks of color. I'll continue to post some of these images here and additionally, on the desktop pictures page.