I'm beginning something new today - along with newness often fear and trepidation come along for the ride - just in case they can talk you out of moving forward. While thinking of something to blog about this morning i heard the words "Begin......already" so i ended up creating this little inspirational illustration to stop the fear and trepidation. I'm a very visual person and need little reminders to keep on track. How about you? Are you the same?

Sometimes I feel like there are so many options available........like a smorgasborg that entices you to eat and gorge yourself on all of the creative goodness out there that i feel paralyzed to do anything! Never before have we had so much inspiration, ideas, eye candy and opportunities for expanding our creativity than now. In the past when working with business coaches i've noticed they usually suggest you stick to three things which are at the top of your to do list. You focus on those first otherwise you just end up spinning your wheels. Do you wonder how to find out what you really want to do? Well why not try the "Values" test i did a while ago.

Using coloured paper you write the word "Values" and this is totally up to you what that stands for - it could be to "inspire people" or "to create artful products" or whatever. Then on assorted coloured pieces of paper write down what you love to do or what you do that you don't necessarily love. When you have all that assembled you can begin to move your pieces close to or far away from the word "Values" depending on how close they are aligned to your value system. Do this intuitively and don't think too much about it. Your spirit knows best. At the end of this exercise survey what you have done and then take action - BEGIN........already!

My daughter-in-law Kathryn with Sammy! Kathryn just adores being a Mommy!

Me and Sammy

Okay....i'm guessing you might be getting tired of seeing pictures and reading about my wee grandson Sammy.....but the way i operate is i blog about my life and whatever goes on - such as creating a robot for my son's birthday. It seems like my art is driven by what i experience. I'm not the kind of person who can create art just for the sake of making art - it has to have some sort of meaning on a personal level. Now i don't know if you can tell from the pics but Sammy and yours truly are both wearing my design "Dare to be yourself". I have the designs up on Zazzle. Now i have to be honest with you - the quality is pretty nice but since i live up in Canada and the products are created in the States the shipping charges can be a bit much - also i had to pay a fair amount of duty on the products i bought over Christmas. I was pretty shocked. So if you are in the States then it might be worth your while to order from the Zazzle shops. I just wanted to give you the heads up!

Now is it just me or does Sammy have artist's hands?? I can't wait to begin creating art with him. I wonder if 1 year is too soon to pry those chubby fingers apart and insert a juicy crayola crayon inside? Yesterday while visiting Sam and my daughter-in-law i could see the intelligence in Sam's one month old face. He was trying to formulate sounds - it was too funny to watch as his entire body was getting in on the act! I just love him to bits!

Well i hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I am planning a 40th birthday celebration for my step-brother David so i need to get busy cleaning house!

Love, Violette xo

Do you remember this journal page that i created on my mini retreat? Well i decided to turn it into a woodblock print (4" x 5") and then sell it on etsy. The woman's hair is glittered and looks so sweet. I'm thinking that a grouping of these wee block prints would look great together so i'm going to get to work on some different pieces. If you have any ideas of pieces you would like to see turned into a wood block please let me know. Also i am puzzled as to what people like better.....do they think a print is better or a wood block? I suppose it depends. I don't have tons of room here so i would prefer tiny wood blocks that can be displayed in a grouping.

I am reading a wonderful little book by Brenda Ueland called "If you want to write: A book about Art, Independence and Spirit". It was first written in 1938 but still seems relevant today. Brenda tells us that the creative power is in all of us (in whatever way it shows up) and that we need to give it an outlet. She talks about "vacant moodling" where we idly sit at the typewriter (computer) or with a pen and paper waiting for the words to come and having faith that they will. This she says is the same for a painter waiting for inspiration to hit........just moodle and see what happens. Inspiration rarely comes to us like a bolt of lightening......it comes to us when we are dreamily moodling, or walking as Brenda also avocates. She says that walking for no reason other than to be outdoors in the fresh air is another great way to get ideas or those "Silent inward bombs" which come to you as you are on a solitary walk. Don't you just love that? Silent Inward Bombs! I smiled big time when i read that phrase and thought...."yes....that's how they come to me - i call them "aha moments" but i love Brenda's wording so much more". They are akin to tiny explosions of creative thoughts.

Yesterday i connected with a friend i had not seen in a while and while we were eating and visiting these inward bombs were exploding in our heads - we kept sharing out mini bombs sort of like popcorn in a pot. The air was alive with excitement and possibility. The result being that we are committing to creating an e-book together........I can't tell you yet what it's about but hopefully will be able to in a month or so!

What can you do today to activate those "inward bombs" of yours? Can you sit at your computer to begin writing at a certain time every day? Can you commit to Journaling in your Art Journal for 15 minutes a day (like a woman who e-mailed me yesterday said she was doing)? Can you go on a solitary walk alive with the knowing you will be ripe for these life giving creative thoughts to find a home?

Have fun Moodling!

Four years ago i created this illustration around the "I saw you" ads in the local paper. I have always been intrigued by the whimsical and bizarre messages and would often try and visualize the situation......hey....even the egocentric part of me wondered if anyone had written about seeing me! Ha! But i digress......the other day while surfing etsy i came across a wonderful artists shop which contains many "i saw you" type of prints for sale. Can you imagine? She created an entire whimsical series on this idea. I love that! Now i can't find the seller for the life of me.....but i know they are there!

Years ago i participated in Illustration Friday and this is one of the illustrations for it. I found that having to create around a theme as a prompt really does get your creative juices flowing. I highly recommend taking part if you want to stretch yourself artistically and also to connect with other artists. You post your name on the site and others do the same - then you visit the other sites and leave comments. It's kind of fun but can also be time consuming if you've got lots on your plate. Artists and illustrators of all different skill levels participate in Illustration friday.

I was not able to post the "etsy mini" on my blog however Mr. G was able to post it on my front page. As you can see i have some "Freak flag" stationary up for sale on etsy - it consists of 5 cards, 2 bookmarks and 2 small magnets. The bookmarks and magnets are glittered.

Supah Cute!
My mini freaks were featured on the blog Supah Cute yesterday! Thanks so much Hana for featuring my wee little freaks. I really appreciate it!

Etsy Buy Handmade VioletteGlittergirl

Bear with me......i'm having problems getting my etsy mini thingy to show up! Ah the joys of technology! Still writing and figuring things out.

Freak Flag Stationary i'll be putting up later today on etsy. I'm trying to figure out how to photograph the stationary to make it interesting. I know there is an art to photographing - on etsy they emphasis the importance of that. I was thinking of selling this stationary set for 20 dollars. What do you think? I wonder if it's hardly worth it to sell individual cards - maybe if i couple them with a bookmark or magnet. I'm still writing......i kind of write the way i think.....in a very scattered way.

Cloth Paper Scissors Forum
There is a new online forum at Cloth Paper Scissors. You can go there and post about what you do, find out what other artists are doing, get your questions answered by other artists and contributors to the magazine. Even Jenn Mason - the new Cloth Paper Scissors editor will be there checking the forums and contributing now and then. You can also download some articles there and watch videos too!

My son Ryan and the Robot Mr. G and i created!

Little grandson Sammy and the Sambot! Thanks Kat for taking the pics! I love the wee robot sleeper.

Samm-e - he sports one previously loved teal blue fork and one very painty paintbrush as arms!

Close-up of Samm-e. A crow is jauntily perched on his shoulder!

When Ryan was a little guy he would spend hours upon hours playing with his small collection of battery operated robots. I remember Ryan turning a bunch of them on at the same time and the floor was alive with these adorable robotic creatures squirming around making noises and delighting Ryan. So when i had to come up with an idea for Ryan's birthday (which comes soon after Xmas and having received lots of things on his wishlist already) i thought it might be fun to create a robot from supplies we had on hand along with a doi-yoing (or doorstopper in a more mundane world) and large screw bolts (i think) from the hardware store.

I showed Mr. G a sketch of a robot i created and asked him if he thought he could help me put this vision together. Like i've mentioned before - i have been repeatedly amazed at how closely he can put together my ideas into a concrete piece of art.

Leanne the organizer of the Haiti fundraiser with her husband - he did all of the barbecueing! Thanks guys!

The Haiti flags my friend Pam printed out to create a Haitian theme in the party room.

Yesterday we attended a fundraiser for Haiti at our friends Pam and Gerald's complex Tsatsu Shores. They put on a wonderful fundraiser - barbecue by donation and had a 50/50 draw too. Mr. G won the draw and donated the monies back to the pot. Thanks again for hosting such a wonderful event making the evening a win-win situation for all who attended. There is so much we can do to help the folks in Haiti. I really like the idea of buying a Shelter box (see link below) since a concrete object is purchased with the funds - it helps put a face on where your money is in fact going. There is a bit of psychology behind all of this - folks are more apt to give if they can visualize where their money will end up.

The Shelterbox
All of the monies raised are going towards buying a shelter box or 2 - i think enough was raised to buy 2 boxes. Isn't this a phenomenal idea? For every $1000 collected a shelter box provides A tent and shelter for a family of 10 for up to 6 months. If you click on the link you can watch a short video of how these kits are being used in Haiti.

Freak Flag Friends in the studio

Pink elephant

Green Elephant



These are the little freaks i've been working on the past week or so....i still have a giraffe and another bird to finish off plus i have some freak magnets, bookmarks and greeting cards at the printers. I almost didn't put them up since i'm not all finished (that's the procrastination/perfectionism issue getting in the way). Sometimes you have to say enough already and just do it! Thanks to the folks who e-mailed me with paperclay advise. I really appreciate it.

I glittered the tails on the critters and the tiny balls on the freak flags. I have to realize that not everyone is going to love glitter and want to see it everywhere! In case you are wondering what flying your freak flag is all about it's actually quite positive. It's about being a freak, being different and then flying your freak flag for all to see. The whole idea behind the freak flag characters is to encourage folks to acknowledge they are different and to realize that your "differentness or uniqueness" is what truly makes you special.

I'm in the process of writing up the descriptions and posting these whimsical little morsels of freaky goodness on my etsy site later this morning......boy does it ever take forever to take the photos (which i did this morning and then to upload all of the details). Do check my site later if you are interested!

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!

Love, Violette xo

I received this adorable little wood block yesterday from My Pink Turtle art by Lulu on etsy. Check out her shop.......she has lovely pieces for sale. Of course you all know i'm nuts about Frida so could not resist this little piece of art.

I spent some time on the etsy forums yesterday. What a marvelous place! So many of the etsy sellers are generous in their advice and encouragement. If you have never checked it out before i hope you do. You'll find everything there from how to make a press kit to how to print out cards. I am surprised that i had never checked it out before. You'll also find so much inspiration from the Storque- inspirational and informative articles. Even if you don't sell on etsy i think you'll be inspired by checking out the resources on etsy. Quite frankly it's mind boggling all of the stuff that's out there for you to pick up for free!

I walked miles to read a book
I remember walking miles to go to the library simply to find out something or read a book and get lost in the fairy tales. Now with the click of a finger - google what you want to know and Voila! You have your answer - mind you i don't think anything will ever replace a real live book. I love smelling the book, turning the pages, hearing the little flippy noises as i turn the page but also i like to randomly open the book and find a message. My daughter-in-law received the Kindle (a wireless reading device that can store a kajillion books in it) from my son for Christmas. Kathryn is an avid book reader and absolutely LOVES it - she finds it handy to use while feeding the baby - she has one hand free to click the "next" button arrow......so she can feed baby and feed her head at the same time! How cool is that? But still.......i like books and collecting them.....they are like my little friends - a kindle is like having "one friend". I know i'm weird....what can i say? When i told my son that i liked the smell of a book and the noise it makes as you turn the pages he matter of factly said "Well then keep one book just for that and get a kindle". Methinks he doesn't quite get what i'm on about!

I'll bet that heading grabbed your attention!??? I am giving away this torso/bodycast i created about 11 years ago to whomever wants to pick it up (i live in Surrey, B.C. just so you know - it would be way to costly to mail it). The feather boa won't come with the chest. The cast was made on a man who was a bodybuilder therefore it's pretty big. It's covered in goldleaf. It sports a jaunty spiral (my favourite symbol). Shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in scoring it! I have great difficulty in throwing anything away so i'd prefer someone take it!

I've been having a bit of a problem with crack-age with my wee creatures.....if anyone knows what i might be doing wrong, anyone with experience with paperclay i'd appreciate an e-mail. I think i may have laid the paperclay too thin. Anyways i was able to doctor up the cracks with more clay ontop of the dry clay creations - that's the beauty of paperclay - you can always add extra clay. It's always a process of honing and refining isn't it? I think i'm behind on all of the things i wanted to have done for friday - so rather than push back my self-imposed deadline i'll just post that which i have already done rather than get caught up in the analysis paralysis stage that has so often prevented me from moving forward! It will be good enough!

Here is a sneak peek at some of the whimsical pieces i've been working on. Like i mentioned before i'm having great fun working with paperclay! It's such a lovely tactile medium.

I am making a valiant attempt to stay on task with a few interruptions (that can't be helped) so that i can have a slew of artful items to post on etsy. While attempting to focus i noticed how easy it is for me to get distracted - i really think i have ADD. It's really tough......sometimes it's tempting to want to take the ADD medication that so many people take to stay on task........but i don't like to put unnecessary drugs into my body so i'll simply use my willpower to get as much done as possible. One of the time management suggestions is to check e-mail only once or twice a day.......i check mine dozens and dozens of times a day........and of course there is the surfing the net for inspiration or how-to's which can easily pull you away from your task at hand even though initially you went on the net to find out how to do something. I just need to find a way to work around my ways of doing things that might not be overly productive.

Well i'm off to start the day.....see you tomorrow! xo