In my last post, I mentioned this book by Jill Badonsky.

Today I get to host a stop on her blog tour.  This book is seriously so genius!  I love the silliness, the drawings, and the little boosts to get your creative juices flowing.  Here’s my little interview with Jill:

jenny:  I’m new to the creative/ artsy world.  Most of my life I didn’t think give myself enough credit, and didn’t even try to let my creative juices flow.  Now I’m wanting to try new things but have trouble knowing where to start.  How would you encourage someone who has the desire but absolutely zero know-how to just do it?  

jill:  I think you could start right where you are. Looking at other people’s work, seeing what excites you, copying some of it until you find your own style. There’s so much to be tried that it can be overwhelming – it’s important to break things down.

Taking classes and workshops helps too but be weary of finding a teacher you like.

Daydreaming is also a valid part of the creative process… day dream about your possibilities and then set one step you will complete during the week.

jenny:  What kind of environment do you prefer when you are creating art?  (Quiet?  Loud music?  Messy?  Organized? Certain time of day or night?)

jill:  I like to create whenever the inspiration strikes. Sometimes it’s quiet, sometimes loud music spurs on a different approach. I like it organized, but I’m an artist and it doesn’t stay that way long. I love days where I wake-up take a walk and then come back and create.

jenny:  How have you established a “look” for your art?  (Is this what is referred to as branding?)  Since I’m new, I’m still experimenting and figuring out my style.  I look at other artwork and I know what I like, but how do you zero in on a style that says a certain piece is yours?

jill:  You try not to analyze it too much and do what gives you the most joy and energy. And then find which things that you’ve done that you like the best and use them as a reference. I also recommend exploring the archives of Robert Genn at painterskeys.com. 

jenny:  Any other tips you’d be willing to share with someone who may be a little intimidated?  Where is the best place to start?

jill:  Follow the prompts and encouragement in The Awe-manac or modify them to suit your intuitive mood.

By having fun, lowering your expectations and not expecting to be perfect at the beginning. Find what process you enjoy and set out thinking it’s all practice. If the inner-critic starts telling you things like, “You’re not good enough,” “You’re wasting your time,” or ANYTHING that’s not supportive, reply back “SO WHAT, I’LL DO IT ANYWAY.”

jenny:  And lastly, what food can you absolutely NOT live without?
jill:  Papaya. (and dark chocolate)

Thanks so much for having me and The Awe-manac. Come and visit: www.themuseisin.com

Thank YOU, Jill!  I’m loving the book and the little bits of trivia.  Who knew that March is Mucic in Our Schools Month, Humorists Are Artists Month, International Ideas Month, International Listening Awareness Month, National Craft Month, National Ethics Awareness Month, National Frozen Food Month, National Nutrition Month, National Women’s History Month, Optimism Month (and more!  get the book!).

Here’s a glimpse into the book with tomorrow’s page:

I mentioned before that we have recently moved back to the SF Bay Area from Minnesota.  I’m not yet back in my normal routines.  Actually, staying with my sister and her family for now, it feels kind of like vacation mode.  I haven’t really been creating any art or crafty things since we’ve been here.  We did have a “crafternoon” with all the cousins, creating ATCs.  And I made a mixed media painting for my sweet friend’s birthday.

It’s been rainy here, but really the title of this post is about soaking it all in, artfully speaking.  I have high hopes and goals for creating more art and trying lots of new things this year.  My new love is mixed media painting.  I’m excited to do more and try new things.  I also started working with felt a little before we moved (sewing things from recycled wool sweaters and a little needle felting).  I’d like to sew some more bags and purses, and experiment with drawing more in my art journal.  Another thing I really want to learn and experiment with is making hand stamped jewelry.  I see so many beautiful, creative pendants and I’d love to make some.  (Anyone have a good link for me, for a tutorial or basics of getting started?)  

There are so many styles and types of art that I enjoy.  It’s hard to focus on one thing and dive into it 100%.  Since our stuff is in a cold storage unit in Minnesota, and I’m not yet in my own space to get things out and really play, right now I’m reading books, looking at photos on flickr, and spending time on lots of different blogs.  I’m getting inspired and feeling empowered to go for it, whatever I decide “it” is.

One book that I recently purchased is Jill Badonsky’s Awe-manac.  Such a fun daily read for inspiration, quotes, humor and encouragement.  I’m so excited to be a part of her blog tour.  Stay tuned for the interview and a sneak peak of a page in her book!

So while I may not be creating things much right now, I am soaking in the beauty and inspiration of other people’s work, and storing ideas in my head.  I really should be jotting things down in a journal so I don’t forget.  I’ll try to get back to posting more often.  Maybe I’ll do a series of “inspired by…” with links to what other people are doing.  If you’d like to be featured, email me.  I’d really like this to be more than just the jenny show.  I’d love to feature handmade art, crafts and ideas from other creative cats more often!

Hosting a giveaway was so much fun, I’ll have to do it more often!  For now, I thought I’d share with you some giveaways I just found out about!  Follow the links to enter along with me!

I love aprons!  You can enter this giveaway from Cookie Girl Creations here.

And over here you can win a really pretty/fun/funky (you choose) necklace.

Another jewelry giveaway… you can get a fun pair of yarn ball earrings here.

This one looks great!  You can win a signed copy of a book called The Husband Project!

copy that!

What a day!  We got a lot accomplished.  Today was day one of our super packing frenzy.  We are moving in a couple of weeks and we got off to a good start.  I got a little overwhelmed at first, thinking of all that needs to be done in a short amount of time, but then we laid out a plan for ourselves.  We listed the areas of the house that need to be done, and decided two a day for six days (not in a row, because we have other commitments two days this week).  Very doable.  And we’re right on schedule.  School room done.  One bedroom done.  Closet under the stairs done too.

Dinner was easy.  Lasagna in the oven while we finished stacking boxes.  Our kids always want to know what’s for dessert after dinner.  Not that I bake every night.  I don’t even bake every week.  But they usually ask for whatever we may have… a couple of cookies, an orange, popcorn.  One of their very favorites is a white mocha freeze.  I learned to make these working in the coffee shop in our church (the one we’re moving back to).  You use a powdered mocha mix for these, so it’s not too much coffee or caffeine for the kids.  In my opinion anyway… you can decide for yourself I suppose.  If you’d like yours a little more coffee-ish, you can add a shot of espresso that’s been cooled.  These are super yummy and super easy, so though I was tuckered after a long day of packing, I didn’t mind whipping it up.  (And it was so tasty, it was a nice treat for me too!)  Enjoy!

I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I
recently signed:

“Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA”
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/handmadetoys?e

I really think this is an important cause, and I’d like to encourage
you to add your signature, too. It’s free and takes less than a minute
of your time.  (You are not required to make a donation after you submit your signature.)

For more information about saving handmade toys:
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

A couple articles about this new law going into effect on February 10:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/14/smallbusiness/toy_law_threatens_small_companies.smb/?postversion=2009011509

http://www.karen-clark.com/cpsia/

While this law is a good thing in that it will protect our children from being exposed to lead in toys, it is no doubt going to put small businesses and home based toy makers out of business.

This was my random and very scientific method of choosing a winner.  All comments were numbered automatically, so I wrote the numbers down and put them in a bowl.  My very helpful husband drew lucky #3… tricia-rennea!  Congratulations!  Email me with your shipping info and I’ll get it in the mail first thing on Monday!  Thank you all for entering… there will be more giveaways in our future together!

This post is a copy from my personal blog because I couldn’t decide where to post it.  I’m a copycat, so copying is allowed, right?  If you read both (thank you!), I’m sorry for the duplication.  I’ll try not to do this very often.

I have a new favorite book. Really I have two new favorite books. One of them the fabulous All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans, by Susanna Foth Aughtmon, of Confessions of a Tired Supergirl, which I’m giving away here. (Winner will be chosen at random tonight… it’s not too late to enter!)

 

My other new favorite, I’ve had my eye on for a while and purchased it a couple nights ago. I’m trying to let go of inhibitions and create things. I think I might just have a teeny bit of art hidden somewhere inside that would love to get out but doesn’t really know how. So one of the things I’m wanting to push myself to do this year is to just do it. No worries about whether it’s right or wrong, good or bad. Just try new things and experiment and develop my own style. I started an art journal last week, which was a good start… but I was so intimidated by the blank page that I left it pretty boring. I like simple, and I think it stated where I was (am), but I feel like I could have added more but was afraid I’d ruin it.

Anyway, my other new favorite book is called Taking Flight. Inspirations and Techniques to give your creative spirit wings. I bought it because I really liked the artwork. I love collage and want to do more mixed media pieces. What I didn’t expect was to be so encouraged and built up. I actually cried as I was reading it yesterday morning (and I’m not pregnant. Tired and needing my baby to sleep more at night, yes. But this book really touched me).

And I was so excited to find the author, Kelly Rae Roberts’ blog. Reading the book and her blog, I am finding that we have some things in common. Her name is Kelly and her sister’s name is Jennifer. My name is Jenny and I have a sister named Kelly! She apparently has relocated sometime somewhat recently, and our family has made a major move (soon to be twice.. more later) in the last six months. There were a few other things too, and since I’m feeling so friendly with her, I thought I’d take the 16 things challenge from her blog. (We’re friends, so she was asking me, right?)

So here we go.. 16 random-ish things…

1. Judah just woke up from a very short nap.

2. I really wish he’d go back to sleeping through the night like he did for his first eight months.

3. I really really love coffee.

4. We’re going as a family to see Marley and Me today.

5. We’ve already heard about what happens to Marley.

6. I really don’t know how people in Minnesota survive year after year in these sub-human temperatures (30 BELOW zero here this morning!).

7. But I’m going to miss this place.

8. That said, I’m also really excited to get back to the Bay Area.

9. I wish I’d never stopped taking piano lessons when I was a kid.

10. Though I would love a little more stability right now, I totally respect and admire my husband’s drive, determination and risk taking in following his dreams.

11. I love to travel.

12. I also love food. All kinds.

13. My sisters are amazing, encouraging and inspiring.

14. I also have amazing friends. I feel so blessed.

15. I’m very competitive when it comes to playing games.

16. I grew up as a military brat. It was hard at times, but I have great memories of a happy childhood. I love my family.

My very first give-away!  This is very exciting for me!  I won my first ever giveaway this week on my friend Sue’s blog.  I won a copy of her newly published book All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans. Since I pre-ordered the book last July when she first announced that it was being published, I’m already about half way through the book (and enjoying it immensely!!!). So I thought I’d pay it forward and host my own very first giveaway.  And since this is my very first giveaway, I thought I’d sweeten the deal.  (Not that the book wouldn’t be a fabulous prize on its own.. it definitely WOULD!)  So here’s the package:

You’ll get a copy of Susanna Foth Aughtmon’s All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans, an ever-so-practical magnetic ribbon bookmark, and then because you’ll want to curl up with a warm cup of coffee, you’ll get a handmade coffee sleeve, and last but not least, a classic Hershey’s milk chocolate bar… because this book is really going to make you want some chocolate.  And because I couldn’t pass up the sweet nostalgic wrapper.

To enter, all you have to do is go visit Sue’s wonderfully witty and full of wisdom blog, Confessions of a Tired Supergirl.  You’ll want to stick around for a while and read post after post… and you should.  But for the purpose of this giveaway, go on over to her All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans world tour post and then come back here and leave a comment letting us know where your favorite spot to read is, and where you imagine yourself curling up with this great book.  If you win, be sure and take a picture of yourself with the book in your little corner of the world so she can add it to her world tour pictures.

***UPDATED*** You can get an extra entry if you put my button on your blog!  Thanks to tricia-rennea, the rockin’ artist who designed the artwork for this site, the button is in my sidebar ready to go!

Comments open until 10:00pm central on Friday, January 16, 2009.

I saw something at a yarn shop a couple of weeks ago that I just had to come home and make.  They had these pattern markers (I think that’s what they were called)… to be used to keep track of the line you’re on in knitting patterns.  (Forgive me if I’m not saying that right… I’m not really a knitter.)  Anyway, they were basically just a long ribbon with magnets on the inside.  

Do you ever lose your bookmark from a book you’re reading, because it falls out on the floor when you go to pick it up (or your child is playing with the book, or or or…)?  

So we decided to make some.  And I think we had about 10 of them done lickety split.  Super easy.  Here’s the process (not that you couldn’t figure it out on your own.. but in case you like a visual, here you go:

Start with some ribbon.

And some magnetic tape.  Ours was in strips.. you can also get it on a roll.

Cut desired length of ribbon.

Then fold it in half and make a crease.

Next, adhere the magnetic tape to either side of the crease.

Fold over and you have yourself a bookmark!

Here it is in action.  The book I’m reading, by the way, is All I Need is Jesus and a Good Pair of Jeans by Susanna Foth Aughtmon.  Excellent read.  To get an idea of her humor and writing style, you can visit her blog.  Seriously, get her book.  You’ll be so glad you did!

My son also discovered that if you need to put your book down for a minute, you can spread the bookmark over the pages like a paperweight to hold your spot.

Copy that!