Believe {one little word}

Last year was

DO.

I did not do.

Big fail.

But...

 

Do you know how many quotes there are about failure not being a negative thing?

A lot.  Thank goodness.

I may need to refer back to them often this year.

Because this year is all about believing in myself.

Believe

My word for 2014.

Somewhere along the way in 2013 I lost my belief in myself.

I'm not sure where, nor how.

But happen it did.

However, I intend to get it back.
And luckily I will have a little help along the way.

With this guy.  Ha!

See last year started off with me saying quite loudly that I will do and succeed because,

"I'm a bad ass unicorn!"

He was tucked in my stocking this past Christmas to remind me throughout 2014

that I am indeed

A Bad Ass Unicorn.

Here is to believing in myself again.

 

Do you have a word for 2014?

 



A Love Letter

Dear Water Soluble Wax Pastels,

I remember when we met a few years ago.  We had some good times together.  And I also remember it was my fault our relationship came to a standstill.  I know I set you aside for other art supplies after a while. 

I am sorry for that, very sorry. 

But today I am grateful.  So grateful you were there for me in that moment of distress. 

 

 

It was background horror.  I knew it would be a lovely butterfly waltz with those Crayola markers, but it went too far, too fast.  And when I was at my greatest despair, ready to throw it all away, it was you who was there for me.  You, like a knight in shining armor coming to my rescue upon your snowy white steed. 

 

 

I don't know that I can ever repay you; you know how fickle I can be when it comes to art supplies such as yourself.  But please remember, my dearest water soluble wax pastels, though it may seem like I have forgotten you at times, eventually I will return to you.

All my love,

Alisa

Doodle Camp

Happy Friday!

 

Today I want to share the other summer class I'm taking...

Doodle Camp 2013

taught by Dawn DeVries Sokol.

The "camp" was a week long and is now over, but because of other obligations

and such I'm only on about day 3.

Slow going as usual for me, but I'm really only working on it a few evenings a week.

 

 

If you remember, I took a doodle class from Dawn at Handmade U back in April.

Y'all, I love Dawn's classes.

There is no stress, it's easy-going... just overall freeing.

Robin took this class too and recently posted about it

and really, she said it best...

"There is something about Dawn's prompts that feel like permission rather than assignments to me."

Very true.

 

 

Like I said, I'm only about 2 or 3 days into it.

So far I've made my journal and doodled my cover and completed the first prompt.

I'm taking it slow and steady

and enjoying every moment of it.

 



And Then This Happened

So I was going to blog last week,

but then I finally got around to making this...

 

and then this happened...

 

Then before I knew it,

I had picked this up...

 

and this started happening...

and then it was Monday.

There was also lots of celebrating.
Celebrating of the boy
and then the SIL
and then the Farmboy.

It was a pretty good week.
I hope yours was too?



The Doodlicious Tapebound Journal

I made it home late Monday night

and yesterday morning the first thing I unpacked,

well the first thing I unpacked was my toothbrush the night before,

but the first thing I unpacked yesterday morning was my doodle journal.

 



{the cover- doodles in paint}

 

This is the journal we made at Handmade U with Dawn DeVries Sokol.

I don't know what it is about this particular journal,

because you know I have a gajillion art journals,

but this one,

I just cannot stop playing in it.

 

I think I mentioned before that this journal is made out of

cardboard and scraps of paper

and the whole thing is bound with tape.

 

Let's just pause a moment and think about tape.

{more doodles in wet paint before putting it together}
 

Ahhhhh.

Tape.

{this makes me laugh.  non-dominate hand prompt.  no doubt about being right handed here}
{this page may get my attention next}
 

I also mentioned that we had time to work in it

and that Dawn gave us a few prompts.

A few of these doodles are the end result of some of those prompts.

 

I am somewhat obsessing right now over drawing with a black pen.

Specifically, drawing with a black pen in this book.

I don't know what it is about it,

but probably well over 50% of my day, if I'm not actually working within it,

I'm thinking about it.

Thinking about making black marks in this lovely, little book of mine.

 

The Art of the Zentangle

I've really been wanting to step up my doodling skills.

Especially so after looking through all of the amazing work I've seen pinned on Pintrest.

Like this and this and this.

{really I could go on and on}

 

But man, that blank white page gets me every time.

I really needed something in my doodle arsenal that I could use as a jumpstart tool.

And then one day I came across this book-

One Zentangle a Day by Beckah Krahula.

 

For me, this has been a really good instructional book.

I've enjoyed learning the different tangles and patterns.

My favorites are the more organic ones.

I'm not a very geometric kinda girl.

 

The one thing about zentangling though,

and this is only my own perception on what I've read and seen,

is there seems to be a lot of rules.

And those rules must be followed in order to call what you have drawn an actual zentangle.

{of course, I could be completely wrong on this matter}

I don't follow rules well.

At least not when it comes to art.

 

Anyway, I've been having a good time going through the lessons in my practice journal

and then applying them elsewhere in my doodle journal.

 

Zentangles, doodles, pen & paper...

fun stuff.

 

Do you zentangle?

 

 

 

 

 



Let Us Love

 

Wishing you a beautiful, love filled weekend.