by Linda | Sep 15, 2009 | my creative journal
Inspiration can come from just about anything and yet, artists spend a great deal of time searching and even waiting for that special spark. I am inspired all the time, seeing new patterns and designs in everything that surrounds me. The swirls in my morning cup of coffee or even the splotches on the ceiling of my bedroom inspire. Images suddenly come to mind when I hear certain phrases in conversation, especially since I am learning Italian and practically every word is a new discovery.
Being online for a large part of the day, I must also mention the many blogs out there that inspire with words and photos. You can see my blogroll on the sidebar, but there are many more in my trusty RSS reader. I’m always excited to see what others are up to and I think we fuel each other with our creativity. I also follow theme websites such as Illustration Friday and Inspire Me Thursday. They offer a weekly word or phrase to be interpreted in any way you see fit. There’s also Creative Every Day and Monday Art Day…what blogs and theme websites do you find inspiring?
All this inspiration can sometimes feel like information overload. Thankfully, we all have that trusty tool called a sketchbook. I have always found myself jotting down lists of ideas. Very stream of consciousness and seemingly random as my mind leaps around a lot. Unfortunately, inspiration isn’t executed upon all the time, maybe just a few here and there are followed through to the end. In reflecting on this, I realize that I’m an idea person. I just love brainstorming most of all. No limits, no boundaries, just spout out anything and everything.
I thought it was such a shame that my lists of ideas usually get left behind and forgotten. I’m already on to the next idea after all. But wouldn’t it be better if I shared my lists? No worries on how silly some might seem…I would rather give it a chance – for the possibility of promoting some creativity somewhere. I offer it all with no strings attached because it seems better that an idea can be nurtured rather than lost forever – effectively unused potential. Think of all the amazing things that could be created if the right idea was matched with the right person to execute it? It makes me happy just thinking about sharing ideas, so moving forward I will do just that along with posting the one idea I personally do follow through with. So here goes…
In Good Company is the theme this week at Inspire Me Thursday and honestly the first thing that came to mind was the movie, In Good Company. (Duh!) But from there my stream of consciousness went on…
- your hands gripped together, like in the movie during the speech by the big boss, good graphic poster
- something about people, family and friends together
- I like hugging, snuggling – even with your pets, kawaii!
- drinking wine and hanging out – the wine glass and bottle make me think of merry jolly times
- anything together especially in cold weather, seems like a good time to snuggle
- thinking of warm colors – tans, browns – earth colors – in the midst of the cold white snow
- roasting chestnuts over the fire, even smores over campfire
- camping, always good company around you, cozy
- animals in their burrows, very cozy together – babies with mommy in burrow smushed up together
- baby sleeping with teddy bear or hugging blankie or sibling babies cuddling
- babies in yin yang formation
- idea of fitting together perfectly
- ultimately the feeling of comfort, security and love with something else = in good company
- the holidays come to mind, xmas especially
I could go on, but I stopped on something I wanted to illustrate, fluffy birds snuggling together on a cold winter day! I decided to make it a repeating tile because patterns are just so darn cool.
You can find this design on fabric in my Spoonflower shop –>
It’s a cute little pair of birdies looking cozy for you. What do you think? I hope you feel in good company on my blog, because I do appreciate your support! Thanks for sticking around. Ciao ciao!
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by Linda | Sep 10, 2009 | DIY printables
Need some pretty stationery for letter writing? Download this freebie with a cute pink girl stationery paper featuring my little girl painting!
In attempts to declutter, I happened to glance through a bunch of my old drawings, watercolors and other such creative musings. I have to say it was quite nice to see all that I’ve accomplished so far, even if I still have a long way to go. It really helps to review your accomplishments and failures to see how far along you’ve really come. Along the way, I found an old acrylic painting of a little pink girl sitting on a tree branch…the first thing I painted after moving to Italy. She’s a bit disheveled and anxious looking, seemingly ready to say something – thus perfect for stationery! I thought it would be nice to share this with you as well.
Download Free Printable Pink Girl Stationery Paper PDF
Download Printable Pink Girl Stationery Paper PDF (908kb)
Go ahead and download to print and use for whatever personal letters you might have to write. Say hello to an old friend, stick a note in your child’s lunch bag or even a love note in your husband’s wallet!
This week has been pretty busy with freelance work and finishing up a set of baby paintings. I’ll have to prep the images and share when the show happens in October. You can say my days have a certain regular routine, but even good planning doesn’t prevent the unknown from popping up and wreaking havoc at times. The idea is to not let the bumps bother you, I think. I could so relate to a recent blog post by Marisa from Creative Thursday. It’s all about choosing to live a simpler life and it got me thinking about how much control we really have regarding the way we live and absolutely the way we feel.
You decide how to react and handle the various events of your life, so why not choose to do it in an orderly fashion? I try to go with the flow and ride the waves as they come, as much as possible. We all do the best that we can! I do have to remind myself to not worry over things I don’t have control over. Stay away from toxic people and keep friends and family close. Declutter and do happy things! I chose this lifestyle and I equally choose to make it calm, happy and simple. Punto e basta! Have a great day blog friends! 😛
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by Linda | Sep 7, 2009 | my creative journal
I’ve always been a big fan of rubber stamping, fascinated by the designs and creations that can come from them. I thought it would be to cool to create my own, especially as I’m going through Lena Corwin’s book, Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens (affiliate link to Amazon.com).
The very first project is about creating your own rubber stamp design and I was so excited to finally take the plunge! I used my little owlie character and created a stack of owls to be made into a rubber stamp. I just received it in the mail and so happy with the results. There’s something amazing about seeing your own design being made into the real product, so darn cool!
Of course, here in Italy it is a pretty costly process. I can’t even mention how much because it’s pretty ridiculous, but I had gone ahead with it for the first time just to try it out at least once. There are other options online, but I seem to have problems receiving mail from outside Europe. I had made some orders from the USA in June and still haven’t received them – probably lost in customs or Italian mail limbo. Sigh.
I decided it would be better to carve my own stamps given the situation, so experimenting with linoleum carving. Still learning, but it’s pretty darn cool to transform a piece of rubber into a cool design. Now I’m thinking of what to carve next…
by Linda | Sep 2, 2009 | my creative journal
I love it when you have one of those really productive days, when you don’t even realize how much work you’ve accomplished and the time just flies by! Yesterday was one of those wonderful days for me.
I did a lot of different things creatively and appreciated so much the time I have for these explorations. The enjoyment that it all brings is uber satisfaction indeed! After my blog maintenance and creating my first repeating tile background, a leafy background – I decided to do a bit more practice. I created some more tiling backgrounds, pretty simple at this point as I try to get the hang of it. Here’s what I came up with…
You can find these patterns on fabric on Spoonflower – yay!
After the patterns, I decided to get off the computer and do some painting. I finished painting the white ceramic turtle I bought in a local pottery shop in Greece way back in June! Finally!
I also thought of an embroidery design for a dress with a hole in it (behind one of those cream felt leaves) – courtesy of Romeo’s giant paw, our resident feisty Labrador who likes to jump all over me. Sticking on some type of applique or embroidery can help to salvage clothing with tiny holes or blemishes.
Then I finished off the entire afternoon painting the first few pieces of my Super Babies series for a future show at Monkeyhouse. My hand was cramping up by dinnertime as these are small 4 inch by 4 inch pieces, but it was sweet pain because I love these little superheroes so much!
I’m thinking of doing some little baby girls to add to the series and diversify. I went to bed last night with a million other ideas swirling in my head and wishing I could hurry up and wake up already. I hope you can have a fabulous and productive day as I have…create, enjoy and be happy!
by Linda | Aug 25, 2009 | DIY printables
Created this cute food wallpaper about my love of rice balls, because I so miss asian cuisine! Download this free kawaii design for your computer here!
Living in Italy means authentic and delicious Italian cuisine. However, it can be difficult to find variety when living in a small town. I was so used to being able to find any type of cuisine at a moment’s notice in Los Angeles. Where we live now it’s like the search for the holy grail if you want something different. There are places, but not all are authentic or quality.
Thankfully, my husband is very eager to hunt around and try out ethnic food restaurants with me. During our August vacation, we visited an hour or two North of our region and found a wonderful Indian restaurant in Carrara. It was heaven…real Indian cuisine! I realized how much I missed rice in general. Thoughts of Japanese rice balls wrapped with seaweed or stuffed in tofu pockets came to mind. I started to imagine giant pots of Indian or Thai curry mixed with beautiful white rice. Yum*drool* oh, I miss you rice!
These thoughts inspired me to make a new desktop wallpaper (download digital PNG file for digital and printable PERSONAL USE ONLY)
It’s all about my love for rice balls. I went kawaii style, because I love Japanese anime and manga… plus it was top of mind after reading the first issue of Parasol Craft Magazine.
What can be better than rice love? Now I can drool about it every time I look at my desktop… two loving riceballs, ready to be eaten – haha! I hope you enjoy this free wallpaper download!
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by Linda | Aug 14, 2009 | DIY printables
Looking for a motivational computer wallpaper design? How about this make a wish wallpaper I created for inspiration and a get back to work reminder!
I remember my brother telling me about the Perseid meteor showers some years back. During the peak of the meteor shower in the summer months, we should be able to see them just by looking up for 30 minutes or so.
However, having lived in Los Angeles all my life, opportunities to be out in the middle of nowhere to see the stars just didn’t happen often. I never really stared up at the stars or see any kind of meteor shower, ever!
Now that my husband and I sort of live in the “middle of nowhere” – it’s a tiny Italian town in the countryside. There’s less illumination, so we could totally see the meteor shower from our terrace!
My husband was actually quite shocked I had never experienced the sight of a falling star! The peak of the meteor shower coincides with the Catholic holiday on August 10 for St. Lorenzo, the date of the saint’s martyrdom… so it was a curious coincidence in this timeframe. It led many to call the Perseid meteor shower the tears of St. Lorenzo!
I love the whole story, it is so romantic and cute! Sort of melancholy in terms of tears falling, but still endearing and lovely. Imagine little meteor bits smashing into our atmosphere…
Download this as a desktop wallpaper
So from all these thoughts and wondering how often people make wishes on stars, I came up with this make a wish wallpaper design.
It’s very woo woo, but it’s so romantic to put a little bit of hope and trust in something supernatural. Maybe it helps us to realize that not all things are under our control!
I think we need inspiration and hope from elsewhere at all times – the mysterious and powerful in life! But of course, we still have to do the work and make it happen. So that’s why I thought of the saying, make a wish, but then make it happen!
Yup, created this design, inspired by seeing my first meteor shower with my husband this past week. Wishes and dreams, waiting to happen… let us all be reminded that it’s wonderful to dream and hope, but we need to follow it with hard work as well! Make it happen!
I hope you enjoy this make a wish wallpaper download – thanks for stopping by!
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by Linda | Aug 13, 2009 | DIY printables
Looking for a belated thank you card printable? It’s never too late to say thank you in my mind, so read my little story here and how the snail card printable came to be…
I’ve been in a very reflective mood these days, thinking about my new life here in Italy.
Life has definitely changed so much and even though months have passed, there is still so much more to get used to and learn. I don’t know if I will ever get used to certain things, but I do love it here in Tuscany with the beautiful countryside, the Italian culture, history and art – not to mention the cuisine!
Quiting my job, getting married and moving here to settle down gave me the opportunity to try new things and figure out what I should do in life. There are definitely ups and downs, but I choose to spend my time and energy in positive things, even if I have to deal with negative things (darn, life!)
Part of my new exploration is my creative endeavor of starting this blog, even though I do not know where it will take me.
I only know that I must go forward with the things I love to do and keep experimenting to find my own way.
I am a creative with so many interests, that I’m often pulled in too many directions by my own doing!
The perfectionist-virgo-fearful-stalling-side of myself can stop me in my tracks a lot. But I have to keep going, if only in baby steps.
Everyone gets help along the way and I’ve certainly received much support from my husband, family and friends. I’ve also met wonderful people here on the internet. The online in the arts and craft community has really inspired me and led the way to new discoveries and revelations.
One such mentor is Marisa Haedike from Creative Thursday.
I found my way to her podcasts one day and was instantly hooked to her motivational advice, honest opinions and heartfelt story. It was a joy to learn more about her journey and how she made it to being a full-time artist. I was compelled to take her e-course this summer, In The Fish Bowl and it certainly has changed my life and perspective on many things. I see all the possibilities around me and excited to move forward and urge others to do the same.
Even though the e-course has ended, I’m still swimming in my own little ocean of thoughts regarding where I am headed. There’s room for all of us to succeed in our own way and getting real-life advice from Marisa has helped not only to inspire me, but also to see things in a realistic light as well. Anyhow, I can ramble on and on…but you can hear it from a fellow classmate as well – maya*made!
Well, I’ve been so preoccupied with my own plans and getting friends to join me in pursuing our creative dreams that I realized I had not stopped to give Marisa a big thank you and shout out. I felt sort of sad about missing the boat and not having been able to join the live chat at the end of the class. Missed opportunities!
Then I received an email from Marisa that a fellow fishie started a Yahoo group for those of us who took the e-course to stay in touch and I realized that I wasn’t the only one missing the class and the connections. Marisa just included a big thank you to all her followers and I realized something really important… it’s never too late to express your gratitude and say thanks!
I had to take a moment to shout out my gratitude to Marisa and all my fellow fishies who have taught me so much. These thoughts were the inspiration for the snail thanks card design below.
It’s never too late to say thanks, so here is my belated thank you card printable design.
Feel free to use this belated thank you card for all those thank you’s you missed saying in real-time. Whatever your life might have been or if times were hectic, it’s never too late to go back and express your thanks.
I created this snail thanks card as a printable that you can download and print as many copies as you like.
Belated Thank You Card Free Download
Printable Snail Thanks Card PDF
A big thank you to Marisa and all the fishies in the e-course for a fantastic 6 week journey of creative learning and exploration. I sincerely wish you all the best and excited to see your dreams come to fruition!
I will continue to share here on my blog, which without Marisa and her e-course I might not have started in the first place!
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by Linda | Jul 23, 2009 | DIY printables
Looking for a cute pigeon drawing outline, for digital stamping, papercrafting and coloring? Here’s my interpretation for free download!
I’ve been experimenting with drawing birds lately and sketching out different variations. Chubby ones, regular ones, tiny ones – front view, side view or just the backside. It’s fun to experiment and learn about the slight shifts in line that can change the whole image so much.
I thought my pigeon drawing was so cute, I had to share with all of you. Just click on the image above to download the full size image to your computer.
Will you use it as a digital stampe or for stenciling? I have realized over time that color images might be nicer, but drawing outlines are helpful for other craft projects too… so it depends on what you are looking for!
I’ve also been thinking about how we see trends in the decor world and I think birds are a major motif. Maybe that is always the case, it’s just so common and relatable, I suppose?
I hope you enjoy my pigeon drawing and download it for your crafty projects. I love sharing and will be back soon with more. Enjoy!
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by Linda | Jul 20, 2009 | DIY printables
Looking for a cute monthly calendar printable? Check out this free printable with a cute owl theme that will cheer you onward all month long!
So, I find myself full of ideas and ready for a fresh start, so there’s nothing better than using a monthly calendar to make grand plans. Here’s my little owlie planner printable that has a Monday start, but otherwise blank for you to fill in with your own plans. I’m using my owlie illustration and I hope that it will keep you motivated and inspired to take action.
I’m excited to start posting my work in progress and share ideas to inspire or at least make you crack a smile… either way, I very much appreciate your visit to my humble blog.
We all need a bit of help at times and nothing like a cute owl proclaiming that “You can do it!” The fabulous weekend is grouped at the end, which is something great to look forward to each and every week. That’s why I love a Monday start calendar… it just makes so much more sense to me. I live in Italy, so it’s also pretty common for Europeans to have monthly calendars structured in this way.
Download this Cute Owl Monthly Calendar Printable
Fill in your dates in this perpetual calendar and plan out your month in style. You can do it!
Download Owl Calendar PDF (216 kb)
And I just want to let it out to the cosmos today: I’m so thankfully that the internet exists and I can share little things, like this printable, out into the world. A whole universe has been opened up for me…
I love digital printables because you can always make copies if you mess up and it’s such an easy way to get nice stationery to write on – instantly. Woohoo! Enjoy this free monthly calendar printable and stay tuned for more loveliness.
Do you like the cute owl drawing? You can download it here to color up yourself as well!
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by Linda | May 27, 2009 | DIY printables
A classic motif, how about this cute sun drawing as a free printable download? You can use it as a digital stamp or a stencil for other crafty projects.
As you can see I created a variation for this little digital drawing. Is it a happy sun or a flower? Maybe both!
More doodles to share with you and in playing around, it made me realize how simple little tweaks can make such a difference. Suddenly a sun because a flower. You can download the giant 300dpi line drawings above by just clicking and downloading to your computer.
I also played around coloring up the images and creating some more patterns. Just randomness and experimentation. It all looks very graphic and not what you normally see in patterns, but I am still learning!
The days are getting super hot here in Tuscany, Italy and we have a little family of geckos or some type of lizard living outside our house on the walls. They supposedly eat mosquitos, so I guess that’s a good thing?
Maybe it’s the heat getting to me or perhaps because I have a lot more time to actually ponder things these days, working alone at home. It always makes me ruminate about what I should be doing and what I should be accomplishing. I love my country life here in Italy, but I know I’ve got to do more as well. So many thoughts about my creative life!
I also wanted to give a shout out to Lindsay from The Frugal Crafter blog as she mentioned me in her latest post – what an honor! Thank you!
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