My 2 Year Bloggerversary and a Giveaway!

I cannot believe it's been 2 years since I first took the leap into Bloggerland! Time does go by so quickly, doesn't it? In that time, much has bloomed for me - I've made many new online friends and have even had the pleasure of meeting some in person! In the past 2 years I also began, timidly at first, calling myself an "artist". (Blooming can sometimes be a slow business.)

Thank you so much for all your warm comments and supportive feedback! It's meant the world to be part of such a creative and positive community.

To celebrate my anniversary, "My Blooming Life" has had a little makeover . . . the whole site has a fresh new blooming look! There's even 4 pages now (whose blooming is still in progress). This beautiful work was done by my friend down under, Tara! Do check out her work here . . . she's a delight to work with!

I wanted to do a little something for YOU! I've stitched up a journal that is patiently waiting for its new mommy. I've hand painted many of the pages and tucked in surprises here and there. If you'd like to adopt the journal, please leave a comment here between July 22 and July 28, 2010. On the 29th, I'll draw a name and contact the winner for a mailing address! Wanna a little peak at the giveaway? Here she is . . .






Again, thank you for being you...thank you for visiting from time to time. Sending you much love and blossoming of your own! Kisses!

Your Wild Creative Heart!

My friend and fellow blogger/creativity coach, Lisa Dieken, has published a little story about me today on her blog. She asked some great questions and has posted some pictures of an art journal I'm currently using, but had not shared here.


Lisa's blog post can be found here.

This is Lisa's newest and latest blog - one devoted to assisting the emergence and evolution of YOUR wild creative heart! Go visit her - and I highly recommend becoming a "follower" as well!

XO!

When One Thing Becomes Another

It's an early Spring here in SoCal.....which I admit, inspired the purple toenails. Well, that could be due to an obsession with watching "Twilight" repeatedly now that it's free on Showtime's Pay Per View. Sigh, suddenly I'm 17 again.

Anyway . . . here's what's in the journal bag.



Actually it started pretty big . . .



OK REALLY big. These painted doodles are done on craft paper - paper that's probably 8 feet long by 3 feet wide!



Then, I cut the big sheets up into dozens of smaller pieces. I love that part! Within something recognizable, like a flower or a paisley pattern, are smaller graphic abstract shapes.



I mixed up colors and shapes with no thought whatsoever to whether it was "right" or not . . . only looking for contrast and pattern.



I threw in scraps and bits of scrapbook papers from my stash.



A bit of duct tape here, a sticker there and a postcard or two.



Then I stitched it all together on the sewing machine.



Punched some holes.



And bound it with simple rings from the office supply store.



Now for more doodles, journaling and pasting of pics - the parts I never share! Does that make you curious? I LOVE LOVE LOVE looking at other people's journal pages, don't you? Check out these beauties.

You Want What?

When Santa asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, I knew right away. "I want a sewing machine!"

"You want what!?!" my husband, uh I mean Santa, asked with stunned surprise. (You see, I'd never touched a sewing machine in my life!)

"A sewing machine. But don't worry, I won't be making your clothes or mine! Don't even ask me to hem up the pup's new rain slicker! Nope, I'll be making something like this . . . "





"Or even better . . . this!"



"With insides that look something like this!"



"Pages I've sewn together from random images, magazine pages, scrapbook paper, security envelopes and stuff. It's a new expression of recycling and I'm hooked!"



"I learned to do it all here!"



"Layers of stickers, journaling, photographs and more are being quickly added . . . making my ever fattening journal a visual feast for my eyes!"

Santa willingly obliged my odd request, as you can see, grateful that the girl on his knee hadn't suddenly become tame and domesticated after all.