we'll do it live!

my soundtrack for this past week, which was much better than the previous one.  and holy crap, i'm posting this summary more than halfway through week 31! 

you might've noticed that the blog looks a bit... wider. it is!  for a while now i've considered expanding the post box so that i could share larger pictures. friday seemed like a good day to make the change.

all that was just in time for today's shameless display of sketching.  first off, let me mention that i've done all of my drawing in the fantastic journal that my cousin jill made for me in 2007.  i've written in it on occasion since then, but haven't given it the attention it deserves.  she is super talented and it's one of my favorite gifts.

i set off on monday with intentions of drawing whatever i wanted, but allowing that randomness to be shaped by the day's thoughts. there are some sketches that are more clearly concrete than others and this is exactly what i wanted.  no need to complicate a straight-forward day with over-thinking for the purpose of a project. 

you'll notice that the sketches are all pretty colorful.  since i don't have a full arsenal of drawing tools, i used some extremely cheap (like $1 for a pack) of markers that i'd bought for my fashion design camp a few years ago and couldn't seem to give a way.  the great thing about them is they're super-pigmented and are pretty easy to work with.  at the same time, i knew that they weren't going to allow me to get really detailed.  i'm okay with that and am pretty happy with the end products.  here are my four favorite pages.

tips for art-journaling:  if you prefer to have set prompts, there are plenty of resources for that online.  i took a peak at journal 52 a few weeks back and was pleasantly surprised to find a year-long issuing of new artsy projects.  focus on a single shape, or a single color, or respond to a quote.  

if you're in need of techniques, check out some of the posts on create mixed media or art journalist.

you're not restrained to any one type of medium - use index cards for at-work sketches or devote a sketchpad or notebook to your work.

look for inspiration everywhere: in song lyrics, in nature, around you on the street.  when all else fails, try tumblr.

i learned a couple of things about myself this week for sure.  for one, there is always a thought brewing under the machinations of everyday routine.  sometimes my mind's on the past via a dream or on the future.  a lot of the pictures show me just how uncertain i am of the my direction forward, though there are a few things i do know in my gut will happen.

i will do more traveling.

i will work to be more positive and outwardly loving.

i will aim to be less judgmental and more accepting of 'what is', or at least what is not within my means to change.

as emeril says, bam.  that's some truth.

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this week:  drawing to add to my design collection. fun fact - i assisted and taught in a fashion design camp (mcc) for two years and found that i'm actually pretty okay at the sketch work.  let's see how many pieces i get to this week!
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the sunday ish: a little bit of everything

happy super bowl sunday!

we're off to the biff's house today for a game-day party and her housewarming shindig.  should be a great time! the broface, reemy and i will be making deviled eggs a la my housewarming.  pat and i will most likely be rooting for the pats to lose - you know, cause they're from new england and we had a few too many samples of beer at the beer expo yesterday. 

as for today's unscheduled post, i've been mulling over ideas for expanding the content of ye olde blog. between christa's awesome linkspiration posts and the list posts from so many of the blogs that i subscribe to - (joy the baker's "let it be" posts -, molly yeh's everything in one place recipe/links-list, and design crush's happy weekend posts) - i started to want a space to share all of the really cool stuff i come across.  a considerable chunk of my day is spend at a computer desk so there is a lot - a lot - of info absorbed.  

so this is going to be the new thing: the sunday ish.   

val's in the process of making an awesome little banner for these posts and you'll see it as soon as it's ready to display.  excite!

since i'm project-ing this week, i'm sharing another DIY that might get thrown into the mix eventually. a few years ago val and i made some DIY mugs that were decorated with sharpies and baked in the oven to preserve the ink.  the designs were really awesome since we were able to use a lot different colors.  unfortunately, we found that the sharpie didn't really... bake on.  pretty disappointing.  my mug is now a glorified pencil holder in my office since i was afraid of seeing the handiwork shmeared off.  these mugs look like they've got lasting power.

bloggy, creative types: in need of some stock photos?   i found a ton of great, broody photos for journal prompts and background wallspapers alike.  the photos peppered around this post were all found at unsplash!   no need for permission and use them anywhere and in anyway, but it's always nice to give credit if you can. 

i finally used my etsy gift card from juan!  even though i spent the full amount on pairs of earrings, river luna's archival ink prints are gorgeous - so gorgeous that i can't decide on even a pair of prints for the apartment's still-blank walls.  like, i love the peonies and the fawn and the feathers and stones and etc., etc.

and over at unitedthread i'm totally, woefully unsure of which flora and fauna combo i love best.  juan and i love too many prints to make any clear decision this paycheck cycle.

speaking of adorable things: block printed animal pillows.  can i have them all? 

so juan and i went to the beer expo with pat and a few friends. i was hoping that the crabbie's booth would be there, but no luck.  one of our *new* drinks of choice is the moscow mule.  holy heck, super delicious!  you need to get behind the idea of ginger beer first.

and on the us front, we're steering and more towards having a fantastic elopement.  practically speaking, weddings are freaking expensive and we've seen (and heard from) a lot of friends who wished they had had a more stress-free day to enjoy with loved ones and without the time crunch and stress from dropping a lot of cash.

that's all for now. i'll be posting again tomorrow or tuesday to sum up creative-gift week. enjoy the game if you're watching and happy sunday!