If I do say so myself! I'm kind of in love with this puppy, I have to admit. One canvas camera bag + a lot of acrylic paint (and a flower) = fabulous-ness! And the back of the bag: Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I have an ongoing crafty problem: I cannot make cards. I just can't. I have no card mojo at all. However, I have found a clever workaround! Lisa from Inchie Arts sent me a package bursting at the seams with wonderful Inchie Arts products! But before I get into that, let's discuss what inchies are, in case you don't know. Inchies are 1"x1" pieces of art. Tiny, tiny little treasures! Twinchies are 2"x2" pieces of work. And they feel huge after working on an inchie! Inchie Arts makes mat board squares (black, white, and in 5 neutral tones) in 1",... Read more →

Us Prima girls were asked to make Valentines. I tried. But I stink at making cards. So my Valentine morphed into this layout: My sister-in-law and her husband. They're too cute, right? But after staring at the layout for a few days I just started to hate it. I haven't had any scrapbook mojo lately and I felt like it really showed in this layout. But then I thought, "Maybe I'm being too harsh." So I skyped my Mom and showed it to her. She said, "I hate it. It's terrible." Thanks, Mom. She went on, "That lump on the... Read more →

This week I asked the very talented Sasha Holloway to share her art journaling journey. She is always very honest and raw in what she writes and shares on her blog, and I know it's not easy for all of us to be that way. I thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit about how she does it! (If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, all the posts can be found here. Please read this post first. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. You can sign up for February here. Remember, it's just... Read more →

Prima came out with a line of metal and crystal embellishments called "Vintage Trinkets" for CHA. I made some jewelry, which happens to be my first crafty love, so that was cool. Three necklaces... ...but I think they look best when layered together! And I whipped up six pairs of earrings as well! (Seriously, in an hour or two, six pairs of earrings!) Pretty fabulous and super easy! Thanks for stopping by! -- P.S. I am stepping down from the Pencil Lines Design Team at the end of my term (March 31). It has been a wonderful and fabulous year... Read more →

I'm delighted to share that I'm heading back to California in May! I'll be teaching three classes at Cloth Paper Scissors' CREATE mixed media retreat in Costa Mesa, CA! So, Cali girls, I hope you'll come out and see me! My classes are always lots and lots of messy fun! Distress Ink is Amazing! Ranger Distress Ink is more than just ink to stamp with. Come and learn how to push your ink pads to reach their potential! I will share a ton of fabulous techniques for creating backgrounds and getting the most of your ink pads! You will leave... Read more →

I'm hoping that my students couldn't tell quite how badly I was feeling, but on Saturday I practically crawled to The Ink Pad to teach my stamp carving/printmaking class. Not to overshare, but I had food poisoning of epic proportions. I'm really proud of myself for keeping it together and making it through the 10am-5pm class! Of course I got home and passed out for about sixteen hours, but that's another story! Regardless, it was a wonderful way to spend a slushy Saturday. And may I brag about my students for a moment? Pretty freakin' talented, right?! Those are some... Read more →

So Prima has a ton of new products this season. Not just new lines, but totally new products! One of their new adventures is headbands! And they asked each of us design team gals to create a cool headband for CHA. Here's mine: Okay, so I went a little overboard. I'll admit it. I'm pretty sure I was just meant to glue some flowers to it. But I couldn't help myself! I made a tiny top hat from some felt. And here's a quick tip: when figuring out how to make something, like this top hat, experiment with scrap paper.... Read more →

So, how's it going? Have you art journaled every day this week? (If you're new, check out this link for lots of info on what Art Journal Every Day is!) And to answer my own question: I am going to confess that while I did take my art journal and some supplies with me to L.A. I didn't actually manage to do anything in my art journal the entire time I was away. And you know, that's okay. But looking at the little pencil case of supplies I brought with me got me thinking. What are other people's must-have supplies?... Read more →

In my explorations of more commercial style art (for all that art licensing stuff) I decided that I needed to start making some sweeter, less dark and twisty, faces. And fully embellished with some Prima goodies: She definitely has a sweeter, kinder look than some of my previous efforts. I'm always looking for ways to make the edges of my canvases look attractive and I really like this one. I wrapped the edges of the canvas with some leftover strips of Prima canvas Mist-a-bles. It's such a nice clean look and stays within the canvas realm too! Fabulous earrings! The... Read more →