Practice makes perfect

I'm really only a beginner when it comes to drawing and stuff.
I vaguely remember being able to draw 'okay' in primary school, but then music pretty much took over ;o)

So I'm re-learning.
I search libraries, bookstores, blogs, everywhere really, for ideas and tips and techniques. And then I just play.

I'm not the best, but I don't want to be, I just want something fun to do.

This is taken from a photo of Miss Scooter. It was mostly for a practice with shading and stuff as I have always been a little bit afraid of going the whole hog with shading faces and things. I figure the more I play, the less nervous I will get.



The pic isn't the best, but I have a 2yo yelling at me ;o)

And yes, I need to finish the ear...

When something doesn't quiet go to plan...

keep it for yourself ;)

I've been busy making pendants and jewellery and little bits of altered art. I'm hoping to have something in my Etsy shoppe next week (excited!!)

I finished this one up, but I unfortunately bumped the glaze and its got a little dent in the corner.

So its now adding to my jewellery collection :o)

Scrapbooking the digital way...

Today (or whenever it is Saturday in your part of the world) is Digital Scrapbook Day. That means sales, freebies, competitions and general frivolity around the digiscrap world. Which is an interesting little world, as with all the little communities floating around the internet. Its such fun to be able to converse with someone on the other side of the world who shares a similar interest. I guess that is also what we are doing throughout Art Every Day Month and other such endeavours.

And this is why I've been quiet the last couple of days.

Being sick last week put me very behind in my preparations for DSD. As usual I had grand plans, but I've just managed to squeak in with the basics. A Grab Bag (basically a heap of stuff bundled together for a low price available for about a week) and a big sale.

Now, I don't do sales much as a rule. Probably twice a year, maybe 3 times. And generally not very big. But I figured as I hadn't been able to churn out as much product as I'd wanted, I'd put a great big 50% off on the advertisement. I don't sell at a big name digi store, just a little one that's been around for a while (3 years in January, which is a long time in digi-land), so I need to drag people in to at least look at my stuff ;)

So this is my Grab Bag:



There's about $15 or so worth of stuff in there for $3.

I design the majority of my stuff from scratch. That means my own textures, my own PS styles/actions, and with the popularity of realistic items, I create physical embellishments, photograph them and then extract them. Which is a long and laborious process and most days you can generally hear me moaning or muttering about a particularly difficult extraction. I flip constantly between Photoshop, Illustrator and now my new purchase, Art Rage (which I am enjoying learning about). Drawing the base design as a vector and then pretty-ing it up in PS. Lots of fun really!

I have the all the products included in the bag revealed on my design blog. And if you're interested in digi scrapping, there is a freebie Quick Page there as well to sample the products. For those not familiar with quick pages, they are a flattened .png file that you simply add your photo/s to underneath and then put your journalling/title on top.

I'm all computer-ed out. I've been looking around for digi goodies on sale, but nothing has really grabbed me as yet, so I'm going to go outside and do something else. Mr Mouse is currently cleaning out and re-arranging his shed (a very big job) so I might go and lend him a hand.

Have a lovely day!

Works in progress

Got out the paint today. Decided to see where Baby Blue would take me....



I've decided I need new brushes. The kids have gotten into mine and mangled them. But they'll do for this project.



These are now coated thrice with paint and will dry overnight before I put the sealant on them.
Know what they are?
I'm making my own beads.
Lots of fun, but it takes a while. Lots of waiting for things to harden, set and cure... but its such a nice shiny result (which of course I don't happen to have a final photo of, because I've given everything away as usual)



And then there's this. This isn't finished yet... I'm still contemplating the design...

I'm having such fun playing with messy things. I like messy things.

But I'm also playing on the computer. Digital Scrapbook Day is this Saturday and I have a nice little surprise in the works for my digiscrap customers... its a secret though, so I won't share until Friday when I will have everything up in the store :o)

I had a nice, quiet day today. School and daycare are my saviour mid-week when things start to get a little messy. Tomorrow Mr Rabbit is home, and we have Gymboree in the morning, but I think I may get some more play time in while he naps, and I'll get my beads sealed. My Etsy store is getting closer to being opened, and I'm starting to get excited!

Another reason to get excited is tomorrow I'm going to pull all the things out of the present cupboard (we collect stuff throughout the year while on sale etc) and start organising them into recipient piles. I love the gift giving part of Christmas, and its awesome that its starting to rub off on the kids. They are excited to go shopping/make presents for others and the fact they get pressies too seems to be a happy afterthought :o) My Love Language is mostly quality time, so pressies, although loved and welcomed, are not the highest on my 'want' list. Handmade pressies are the best though, because of all the love and quality time that went into them.

I need chill out time...

Its been go, go, go all day today. Mr Rabbit has been waking early and getting grumpy quickly. He is transitioning from the terrible two's into the tyrannical three's and its starting to grate a little thin.

On one hand, he is still completely gorgeous and everything he does just blows us away, but his tanty throwing is getting a little beyond a joke. Don't give him his own way or don't do things quick enough? Then you get "Rarrrr"ed at and the foot gets stomped down with a big "Humph!"

*sigh*

But I have several things on the go. Got some study questions done, have some painting half done for etsy store items and a couple of designs drawn up in Illustrator. We also managed time outside blowing bubbles, chasing the cat and generally having the boy get into mischief as soon as my back is turned.

Miss Scooter is in her final term of Prep. Grade 1 orientation next week I think (or the week after, its written down somewhere!). *cry* she's growing up.
She's been lovely the last couple of days. We started a star chart of sorts and its been working wonders. She's even been making her bed!

Its quiet here at the moment. Everyone is already in bed as its past 10pm. Just me, the 'puter and the sound of the dishwasher ;o)

Good night all. Tomorrow is a fresh day. School and daycare, so tomorrow is my catch up day with study and work planned. Lots of things to get organised for Digital Scrapbook Day this weekend.

Pleasant dreams :o)

Its a Fish Bowl...

Technically, this is cheating for AEDM because I did this digi layout on Saturday when I was actually feeling partially human. But that's how life goes lol

This is what happens when you go to the Brisbane Baby Expo with a friend when you are 9 months pregnant with your first. I desperately wanted to get my tummy painted when pregnant with Rabbit too, but I was too sick, tired and sore to go get it done.



Credits and full journalling here.

And for the record, yes, I do look very strange when pregnant. From the back I look normal. From the front it honestly looks like I have a full sized basket ball under my shirt. At least the fish bowl was an almost accurate illustration of how it felt at the time ;)

Excuse me...

while I go back and find my bed.

Young Master 2 very kindly (!) passed on the stomach bug he had last weekend to me, and lets just say that Thursday was not such a good day. Friday was spent pretty much in bed. Yesterday I actually felt much better, but must have overdone it somewhat because today I am feeling completely wasted.

Mr Mouse was wonderful and worked from home both days (and even took the boy to Gymboree, something he has never done ;)), so I could get some rest. Although I was basically unable to function for two complete days, something that is totally foreign to me. I've even been known to do school runs and all the other 'mum stuff' while fighting 39-40'C temps, so I wasn't happy with being out of action.

My house looks like a rubbish dump, needs a very good vacuum and clean, but I think I'll be heading to bed very shortly and have plans to start again in the morning.

Art Every Day month started today LOL so it looks as though I'm off to a slow start! Although, I did get out and do some photography at a children's birthday party this afternoon (any excuse to learn to use my new camera), so that may count ;) After all, taking photos, watching two kids at a pool party while feeling lethargic and tired is creative isn't it? yes? please?