Random Thoughts On A Thursday

Tyler's note

I found this little message yesterday on a scrap sheet of paper... I love nine year old wisdom.

My heart sings every time I receive an email about my "Take What You Need" poster... It is so fun for me to hear about where in the world they end up! (If you'd like to download and/or print it, click here for a high-res. pdf version.)

I am trying to take some of my own advice and be kinder to myself.

One of the ways I've been trying to banish the negativity gremlins and self-doubt monsters from my studio is by listening to audio books that promote positive thinking while I paint.  (As a bonus, I have found that I am more productive when I do.)

I am a big fan of Kind bars... And not just because I love the name (although, I think that's pretty great too)!

I watched the movie "Wild", and now I'm thinking about reading the book.  Usually I read the book before I watch the movie, so that I can create my own images in my head... Do you read the book or watch the movie first?

A collaboration with Tyler.

It is supposed to snow this weekend.

I'm not ready for winter.

Seeing my "Tea and Cake with Gracie" interview is like a ray of sunshine on a chilly day...

I'm so excited to be offering a free art tutorial, a free downloadable print, and giving away the ORIGINAL Frida painting (in the photo above) to one lucky Willowing reader!  To read the interview and enter the Giveaway, please click here.

Life Book 2016 Giveaway Winner Announced AND Something For Everyone!

Wow!  I have been blown away by the amazing response to Life Book 2016 so far!  I am really enjoying meeting so many new people - it has me SO excited to teach next year... I wish I could giveaway a spot to all of you!!!  

But since I can't, and since I don't want anyone to walk away empty handed, I drew & painted a FREE (hi-resolution) inspirational piece of art for YOU...

click on image to enlarge, save, print, etc...

(personal use only please)

Please feel free to save it, download it, print it, frame it, hang it, etc... 
(As long as it's for your personal use).
I'm really looking forward to seeing where our imaginations take us next year!!!

Now, onto the Life Book 2016 Giveaway...
(My son, Tyler, was so excited to pick a random name from the hat!)
The winner of 1 spot in the AMAZING year long course is...

Congratulations Kim Costello!

Thank you to everyone for sharing your enthusiasm about Life Book 2016!  (It's totally contagious!)  For those of you still hoping to win a spot, there is still time to enter the other giveaways (see my last post for the list).  And (just in case), please be sure to bookmark this link to sign up for Life Book 2016 when it goes on sale on October 5th!

Don't forget to download my Einstein drawing, and I look forward to seeing you in class!!!

Big News And A Giveaway!!!

Hello!!
If you are new to my blog, Welcome!  
(I hope you have some time to look around and come back to visit.)
If you're a regular, Welcome Back!
I'm always so happy to have you here!!

In my last post I promised an "amazingly awesome announcement", so without further ado here it is...

I am going to be teaching on Life Book 2016 next year!!!  
I am over-the-moon excited, honored, and privileged to be invited to teach with 23 incredibly talented teachers on this amazing year long art course!  I have personally signed up for this wildly popular course since it first began in 2012, so I know first hand how great being a student of Life Book is!  And, which is why I feel so fortunate that I am able to celebrate my birthday tomorrow by giving away a space in Life Book 2016 to one of you!!!  Keep reading if you want to find out more about Life Book 2016 and if you want to find out how you can win a spot! 

First let me tell you a bit more about Life Book in case you haven't heard about it yet... “Life Book, a celebration and honouring of YOU” is a year-long mixed media art class organized by Tamara Laporte from Willowing Arts. Tam is joined by 23 incredible art teachers who are all gearing up to share their mixed media techniques, tips and tricks with YOU! Themed around self-development and healing, you’ll be creating several loose mixed media art journal pages per month which by the end of the year you will bind into a glorious journal (a Life Book)! You will have a wonderful keepsake that you can treasure for the rest of your life!

You can find out a lot more about this wildly popular course (it has been joined by over 8700 people in the past!) by clicking HERE. 

I'm currently planning my lessons, and while they aren't finished yet, I can tell you that I am happily going to be sharing some of my most favorite tips & tricks, and lots of information about how I create faces!

Registration opens on October 5th 2015 and the class begins on January 1st 2016.
Keep this page bookmarked so that you can sign up the moment it goes on sale!

Now then, onto the give-away and blog hop!  I can give away 1 space on Life Book 2016 to 1 lucky winner!  Yay!!!  And if you follow the blog hop (see below for links and dates) you can up your chances of winning a space by entering all the other giveaways also! 

How to enter the give-away:

1. Sign up for my newsletter.

2. Visit my Facebook page and "share" the post I made about Life Book to your page.

3. Leave a comment below letting us know why you would love to join Life Book 2016.

I will choose the winner by random draw and announce it on September 16th!

Here is the list of the other amazing teachers who will be teaching on Life Book – they will also be giving away a spot on Life Book so go check them out and enter their giveaways!

7th September	Tamara Laporte	http://www.willowing.org/
8th September	Annie Hamman	http://anniehamman.com/
9th September	Kristin Dudish	http://kristindudish.com/
10th September	Effy Wild	http://effywild.com/
11th September	Faith Evans-Sills	http://faithevanssills.com/home.html
12th September	Gillian Lee Smith	http://www.gillianleesmithartist.com/
13th September	Ivy Newport	http://ivynewport.com/
14th September	Jane Davenport	http://janedavenport.com/
15th September	Jenny Grant	http://www.flowbyjenny.com/en
16th September	Angela Kennedy / PennyStamper	http://pennystamper.blogspot.co.uk/
17th September	Lisa Viger	http://lisaviger.blogspot.co.uk/
18th September	Martha Lever	http://marthalever.blogspot.co.uk/
19th September	Mary Beth Shaw	http://www.mbshaw.com/
20th September	Melody Ross	http://www.melodyross.com/
21st September	Pam Carriker	http://pamcarriker.com/
22nd September	Pauline Agnew	http://www.seedbedstudio.net/
23th September	Rae Missigman	http://rae-missigman.squarespace.com/
24th September	Renata Loree	http://renataloree.com/
25th September	Roben-Marie Smith	http://www.robenmarie.com/
26th September	Roxanne Coble	http://bybun.com/
27th September	Shiloh Sophia McCloud	http://www.shilohsophiastudios.com/
28th September	Donna Downey	http://www.donnadowney.com/
29th September	Tracy Verdugo	http://tracyverdugo.com/
30th September	Wyanne Thompson	http://www.wyanne.com/

Enjoy the blog hop and good luck!

Thank you for entering, this giveaway is now closed.

Happy Birthday Paint Party Friday!

(Behind the scenes party prep)

Wow... 3 Years!

When EVA and I started PPF, I don't think we ever dreamed it would grow into such an amazing (and supportive!) community!

We are so thankful for all of you... You are the reason Paint Party Friday has become such a fun place to visit and share!

EVA

I can't imagine writing this post without also tipping my party hat to my friend and PPF partner, EVA...

EVA is smart, funny, creative, supportive, loyal, dependable, and so much more...  She is the perfect co-hostess, and I am so lucky to be able to call her my friend...

Thank you EVA!

Me

Please be sure to stop by the Paint Party Friday blog as we celebrate 3 fantastic years!  (We're having a giveaway too!)

Happy Birthday PPF!

Happy Halloween!

(Very wet dragon feet!)

I had planned on creating a very fun, artsy post for Halloween... Well, time got away from me (as it so often does!), and now I am tired and stuffed to the gills with candy...

But, just in case you were hoping for a little silliness from me this Halloween, I offer you today's punny lunch card...

Today is the last day of Blogtoberfest!

(Phew... I made it!)

1 Year of Paint Party Friday...

...And it definitely feels like a celebration is in order!  

When the amazing EVA and I created PPF last year, we joked and wondered if we would be the only ones at the party...  When I chatted with her earlier this week, we both kept saying how we continue to be overwhelmed (in a very good way!) by the enthusiastic response of the painters who join the party each week!  Paint Party Friday has turned into such a fun community of artists and we couldn't be more thrilled about the friendships that have been created and continue to be made - If it sounds like I'm gushing, it's because I am!  Thank you EVA and friends!

If you read my last post, then you already know that I am enamored with Scribbler.  Well, the obsession continues...  To celebrate PPF's first year I printed a couple of scribbler drawings on watercolor paper and added some paint... Fun, fun, fun!

And speaking of fun...

Be sure to stop by the Paint Party Friday blog to learn more about our very first giveaway!

My Favorite Things Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered - I appreciate all of your kind comments and wish I could send goodies to everyone!  But alas, there could only be 2 winners and they are...

Melanie!

Melanie at ScrapMel's Ramblings wins the box of my favorite (art making) things!

and...

Fallingladies!

Andrea at FallingLadies wins Kathleen Smith's "Dolls" cd!

Congratulations and Enjoy!!!