I think we're always learning, but some periods are more active than others. I happen to be in an active learning period at the moment. So far in 2015, I've been a student in three art classes, with another one scheduled for this weekend. I've also been buying art/craft books like a crazy person. Here's my most recent haul: I haven't managed to really work through any of them yet, but here's a run down of what I bought: Jean-Michel Basquiat by Dieter Buchhart, Glenn O'Brien, and Jean-Louis Prat After standing in MoMA and staring at this mixed media collage... Read more →

I was delighted to have the opportunity to be a part of The Crafter's Workshop very first Stencil U this past weekend. I met up with a talented group of ladies culled from The Crafter's Workshop design team. Clockwise from the bottom left: Cheryl Boglioli (design team coordinator) Lynne Forsythe Tami Sanders me (wearing a hairdo my Mother hates and calls "snowman") Karen (Karenliz) Henderson Rachel Kleinman Keri Sallee I stole most of the photos for this post from their instagram accounts, so you'll see their usernames above the stolen photographs. :) We gathered together at TCW headquarters where there... Read more →

Have I mentioned that stamp carving is dangerously addictive?! I came home from Scrapbook Centrale and unpacked my bag. To be clear, I unpacked my class bag. My suitcase has been ravaged for parts and pieces, but it's still sitting on a chair waiting to be properly unpacked. Priorities, people. Anyway, when I unpacked my bag, I found a stamp I had started as a demo in class and I simply *had* to finish it up. Carving this stamp warmed me up and I immediately wanted to try out an idea I had. I wanted to carve a rotating repeat... Read more →

Stamp carving is a very niche interest within the wide world of art and craft. As a result, I don't often get to teach my stamp carving classes, which makes me a little sad. Of course, when I do get to geek out and share my love of carving, and especially carving for patterning, I get super duper happy! Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of teaching my "Carving Stamps for Patterning" class at Scrapbook Centrale in Montreal. Take a peek at the fun we had: Here's a peek at the demo stamp I carved in class. One print... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week and you've blogged about it, or put it on flickr, please leave a link in the linky list at the end of this post. Thanks! Week after week, at the beginning of each "Art Journal Every Day" post,... Read more →

Every month I create "technique" or reference videos for Brother. I hate having to wade through a lot of chatter when I'm simply looking for the answer to a how-to question. Therefore, I create the kind of reference videos I would like to have: quick, full of information, and straight to the point. I hope you find these ones useful! First up, a step-by-step guide to changing your blade without hurting yourself: Next, an overview of all the different mats. If you've purchased a bundled machine (meaning a ScanNCut that came with mats, you most likely received Standard and Low-Tack... Read more →

This past weekend I traveled up to Montreal, Canada to teach 3 classes at Scrapbook Centrale. I'll be sharing photos from all three classes over the next week or so. First up, "Painted Paper Collage." I always have a good time teaching and these ladies were wonderfully warm and creative. Read more →

One of the things I often share with students is how to create your own tools. I recently showed my students in Montreal how to cut a tag into a paint wedge tool. One of my students then showed me an even better idea! Her name is Angelle and she shared a ring of room keys/credit cards/gift cards that she had made. She used decorative scissors to cut the edges of her plastic cards. Brilliant! I only own one pair of decorative scissors, a pair of pinking shears, so I cut one card with the pinking shears and the rest... Read more →

I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art. It's a little like hanging out with friends while you art. Our guest today... Read more →

Every now and then I think it's a good idea to play hooky. As they say, all work and no play makes Julie a dull girl. The weather was so nice on Wednesday that I decided to go out and play. One of the things I did was take the Staten Island ferry. It's a free half-hour boat ride from Manhattan to Staten Island. Along the way you pass the Statue of Liberty and get a nice view of the city skyline. Here are five photos from my sunny boat ride: Hope you're having a nice weekend! Thanks for stopping... Read more →