LET YOUR ART GUIDE YOU ~ WEEK 3

Week 3

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.
~ Wikipedia.

I did something revolutionary this week. I let go. I let go. I let go!!!! I didn't think about what I was going to paint or plan it out. I didn't think about colors that would work nicely together. I just created.
I took a 30X24, white canvas, void of any color or direction and made it speak. I love creating my pieces. Seeing the finished result and remembering the blank canvas staring back at me before I began giving it life, is always rewarding. This time was different. I physically felt something. I felt a rush of adrenaline, a thumping in my heart not normally there and honestly, a feeling I have not yet experienced whilst painting.

I have to say, in the beginning I was afraid. Afraid that without any forethought and plan, it would all end dismally and I would go back to the self loathing and skepticism about my abilities, but I tucked my negative feelings away and went for it.
Each paint stroke evoked another idea and more and more complex ideas of what this painting was supposed to mean. In the end I may be the only one who "gets it" but I think I triumphed over my fears and came out as the victor.

Art is subject to one's own interpretation and some of you may think I have lost my ever loving mind this week, while others may think that I have created something visually interesting and beautiful in it's own way. Whichever direction you go...I enjoyed the feeling of creating MY ART this week.

It is called "Circle of Life" and there is plenty of symbolism in this painting for me. Here are some of the words that come to my mind in describing or trying to explain it:

Eternal, colorful, life, death, cells, birth, never ending. The colors going from the bottom to the top of the painting are representative of earth (which is of course round). From the molten color of lava to the browns and blacks of rock and earth, to the color of green for the vegetation & plants, to the blue of the sky. I could go on and on, but find meaning for yourself.

It may look like chaos but as I got going it all meant something to me, and that is what ART is right? It's purpose is to appeal and connect with human emotion. Good or bad, I hope I did that this week.

I will say this again...thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and your participation in this project. What a great blessing it is becoming to me and I hope for you as well.

xo Emily xo

Here is the button. Even if you are not participating. I'd love your support!

LADIES AND GENTS...

I had a very, very good day last week. You know when you find a little treasure and you feel on top of the world? Well, that was last week when I stumbled upon an unexpected "find".
I needed some time out of the house and so I went and did what any self respecting woman would do. I went antiquing! The treasure hunting Gods were smiling down on me. I found something so full of history and whimsy for my bathroom.
You know, this one.

Before I show you what I found...
here are a few of the newest updates to the bathroom. I managed to get the curtain hung up and made this pull back by simply hot gluing a starfish to the fabric tie back and nailed a hook in the wall.
Easy peasy!!

Hanging things are not fun (to me) but I finally faced my fears with this glass shelf and just went for it. I love how it looks as you walk in.

I forgot I owned this old sea bottle that I have had for years and it never had a place that highlighted it's beauty. (Finding it was fun ) My mom gave it to me back when we lived in England. She found it at an antique store there. I guess this antiquing thing runs in my blood.

These were also a fun "find" or should I say major SCORE.
HomeGoods I love you. Both of theses cuties were $3 on clearance!!

Now for the fun part. This was my find at the antique store last week.

LOOK AT THESE OLD SIGNS!!!!

To say I love these signs, with all their rusty, chippy charm would be an understatement. I saw them and seriously my heart started to beat a little faster.

I have one more thing to find and then my bathroom is officially done.
I need an old worn out oar. Like this one below.


I WILL find one!
(at the right price)

Happy Monday. Do something that makes you happy today.

xo Emily xo

Let your ART guide you ~ Week 2

Week 2!

I am so happy for this challenge... and it was a challenge for me this week, time wise. I decided to do a project that has been calling out to me for months and because of this challenge, it's finally done! I am so grateful to those of you who are joining us and those who are watching and cheering us on with your sweet comments. Make sure you go and visit all the links and leave inspiring comments too!

So, I bought this bench at an antique store almost a year ago. It was worn out and a grey woody color with mold all over it. I painted it a limey green in my old house and that was not cutting it for the new one. I TOTALLY forgot to take a before pic but this is a background shot to give you an idea.

BEFORE

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
AFTER

Much better don't you think? This is how I did it.

3 cans of black spray paint.

1/2 yard of cream and natural burlap.

2 Awesomely cute stencils.

1 sewing machine and stuffing.

4 words...I AM IN LOVE!!!

Now "Keep Calm and Carry On"adding your links and visiting them!
Here is the link to Week 1 in case you missed it.

xo Emily xo

Hygiene for Haiti

I was asked by some ladies at my church to help teach a class doing a service project, in the way of a craft. It was for 12 -13 yr old girls and their moms. I was stumped as to what I could teach and then the horrifying earthquake struck in Haiti, and this is what I conjured up.

You may be like..."what the heck is that". Well, it is a wash bag that is AMAZING to use. It has a bar of soap inside. You suds it up, use it to wash your body, rinse it and hang it to dry until the next day. It was very simple to sew up and the drawstring is made out of ribbon that is simply tied until you need to replace the bar of soap.

They are made from washcloths, discounted ribbon, and obviously a bar of soap.

Once the bags were made and the ribbon was threaded through, we stuffed them with the soap and wound them up on themselves and added the instructions.

We had 2 classes and only a half an hour for each class. We got an assembly line going and with 5 sewing machines and lots of happy, helping hands, we managed to whip out 89 bags, fully assembled and ready to be added to hygiene kits to send over to Haiti.

A very good man who attends our church here is a "biggie" at Coats & Clark and gave us the thread we needed. For teaching the class he gave me... all of this luscious colored thread.

Now that's what I call karma!!

I think these bags are so ingenious. They work great and would make such a cute gift if you embroidered a monogram or anything on them.
Adorable, if I do say so myself.

xo Emily xo

Giveaway Winner!!

The giveaway for "One World One Heart" has ended and the winner of the custom monogram is Carol Hansen of A Scot in Tennessee

Congrats!!!!

To all those who didn't win...I have in my Etsy shop some for sale and ones you can custom order ;-)

LET YOUR ART GUIDE YOU ~WEEK 1

Well, I did it!! I have learned an important lesson though. Do not wait until the night before to get started. Feeling pressure gave me a MAJOR artists block. I worked my way through it and though it is not what I thought it would turn out like, I am OK with it.
It's in honor of the Valentine's holiday and it's called
"Longing"

If you notice the trees are locking branched and trying to entwine into one another.

If you look closely you can find the word LOVE in the branches.

I wanted a vintage, really aged look to it, almost like an old photograph.

I'm pleased and happy for the kick in the butt to do it. I am very happy you other ladies have joined me. I hope others will be inspired too and join us.
Remember to visit the links and cheer each other on with positive comments.

Start putting your links up and sharing. I am so excited you guys are so enthusiastic and willing to join me on this journey!!

xo Em xo

And for those of you who want to link to this site, just copy the code below and paste it into your own blogs:

<a href="http://artnsewl.blogspot.com/2010/02/let-your-art-guide-you.html"><img alt="Join us for CREATIVE Thursday" id="Image8_img" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGnAbbNHTpyeaJPMu7vB1Kr8KlFrwcd3JtclEW-7fJB5puWteHim7ABRGgyo5RMH7xs6GEgzb27jCLM9uv12W16TBj_VbwRMdOFGAbX_zWR631cQXZYuObqS8oDSLWAKlEwe6DBQ6abQR/s220/MPicture0001(2)+button.jpg" width="176" height="220"></a>

Copying the code above and pasting it into a new post will look like this:

Easy as that!

LET YOUR ART GUIDE YOU

I recently saw the movie "Julie And Julia". It was superb. It was not only entertaining, but spoke to me in many ways. I related to Julie and her search for something more than the day to day humdrum of her government job that was uninspiring and did not fulfill her real potential. Like her, I am just starting my 30's, trying to figure out in more depth who I am, and wanting to see more of my creative side.

I am sure I am not the only mother or artist who gets in a rut. Being both a mother and artist can be hard! As a mother you are very often last on the "totem pole" because of the desire to be the best mother you can be for your family. As an artist you can doubt yourself, sometimes get in a rut and need inspiration. Mix the two, and finding time to paint, craft, sew and generally create much of anything, can be a struggle. I often struggle to find time in the day to do things that make my heart pump a little faster and my creative voice start to sing. Like anything in life, if you don't outline a goal, it will never will be achieved.

So, just like Julie who put herself under immense pressure to cook through Julia Child's cookbook in 1 year, and blog about it, I am challenging myself. I am hoping that the pressure will turn my skills and my abilities that are untrained and potholed with doubt, into diamonds just like it did for her.


Here's the goal. I will create a painting each week that I am proud to share with you all. Or I should say that I will share with you, proud or not. It may not seem like much, but for me, this is an undertaking, one that I am gladly going to embark on. I need it. I need to push myself and find more of "Emily, the artist" and hone my skills.

~I WANT YOU~
to join me!

Each Thursday I will show you what I created that week. I want you to do the same. I will have a link that you can sign up with next Thursday and we can all see each others "ART" .

My hope is this will spur all of us on to finish projects, or start some we haven't had the courage to do. Like a group of friends going walking together, we are creating together and putting ourselves under the pressure to do it! To really do it! Through our comments, we can cheer each other on.

Anything goes, a sewing project, a drawing, a scrapbook page, a recipe. It is all art when it is created by our own hands in my opinion.

Are you pumped- are you excited?

I am.

This is my painting for this week.

I made it into a poster for you to use on your blog post. I will have a button next week for our sidebars. I hope you will not be scared, but will join me as we grow together.

Let your ART guide you!!

I promise- we will all grow in ways we could only dream of, if we let our "art" guide us.

xo Emily xo

One World One Heart Giveaway

This is a fabulous blog event going on right now around the world and I have decided to take part.

I am going to be giving away a custom 8x10 monogram to one lucky winner.

All you have to do is leave a comment and the winner be randomly selected on Feb 15th.

Make sure to visit all of the other blogs participating.
Click here to see the full list.

Here is some views of the custom prize you could win.



I totally forgot to share the latest monograms I have made too. Before the holidays it was Monogram madness here. I had so many orders come in for Christmas.

Here are just a few of the newer ones...

More of an modern artsy one.

This style is one of my favorites. Finding the right pages from a very old encyclopedia is like a treasure hunt.

Another abstract kinda thing going on with this one.

And last but not least, a classical beauty.

I sure love making these for people.
BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED IN THE GIVEAWAY

If you are interested I can make them to exactly your specs.
Decorate your shelves, your walls, your front door etc.
They really add a special touch to your home.

Click here to purchase one.

xox Emily xox

And...!!Exciting news for all of you artists!! Click here