Tuesday 31 December 2013

Fairy Tale Note/Sketchbook Giveaway

I am so excited to be a part of Carla Sonheim's 2014 Year of the Fairy Tale online class, and have begun gathering some of the supplies we will be using. But I'm going to need some help making a choice and that's where you get to play!

Imagine my delight when I came across a wonderful green linen portfolio with a clipboard and solid backing to sketch, write and drawn on, AND four separate roomy sections to store finished artwork or work in progress. A magnetic closure holds it all together. It is in beautiful condition and only cost $ 2.99 at the thrift store!



THIS PHOTO REPRESENTS THE REAL COLOUR GREEN

I began to look through my stash of note/sketchbooks for something that would complement it. I figured at least one for notes would make sense, and pulled out a simple one that looked very efficient and matched the portfolio perfectly. Slim, lined paper... it would do the job.
 

Then I found a "Butterfly in Spring" note/sketchbook with smooth, unlined cream paper that takes writing and sketching well. A ribbon acts as a page marker, there is an envelope at the back for keepsakes and a sturdy elastic keeps it all together.


I came across another one a friend gave me quite a while back simply because it reminded them of me (a lovely thought and much appreciated.)  It has a thicker, smooth, cream lined paper, and a ribbon to mark the pages too.


Last but not least is a 2013 diary another friend gave me last Christmas. The paper is lined, cream, acid-free, rich and velvety to write on. It has an sturdy envelope at the back and two ribbons to mark the pages.


I'm spoiled for choice! Which one do you like the best? 


GIVEAWAY:

Leave me a comment below, and tell me which note/sketchbook you would choose, and why. On January 15, 2014 I will randomly select a name as the winner and send them the following as a "Thank You" for joining in the fun ~

*  "Butterfly in Spring" (approx 3 1/2" x 5 1/2") note/sketchbook 
(the one of the left of the photo) 
&
* One of my "Wild Things" (in the colour scheme of their choice)
because inside each and every one of us, 
there is still a wild spirit... dancing

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Friday 27 December 2013

Time between the Years

I love these last days between Christmas and New Year's - quiet, gentle days of nothingness, of introspection... what I call the "time between the years..." when I look back on what this past year has been, and gaze forward into the delicious possibility of the year ahead.



What do I want 2014 to be about? How do I want it to feel? Some of the year is already scheduled: the first two months a hard slog to bring to completion eight months of bookkeeping that took over my life last summer. It will be good to have that behind me (and I am still working on being grateful for all of the many lessons and insights it has given me...)

I am signed up for Carla Sonheim's Year of the Fairy Tale which I am beyond excited about, thrilled to devote an entire year towards illustration and story telling with a wonderful teacher and some fun and inspiring fellow artists. It may be just what I need to finish my Children's book now...




I am fine-tuning some other art goals, returning to some, expanding on others. Keeping a Visual Journal of the year as usual, which in turn helps me improve my sketching skill I'd also like to re-learn the basics of watercolour painting for sketching purposes.




I'm considering working through all of Julia Cameron's books back-to back, starting again for the umpteenth time "The Artist's Way" while all the time acknowledging the sheer enormity of the task I am considering setting for myself...  still one of my greatest life lessons... pacing myself...

I am still searching for my word of the year... although I know that HEALTH is ultimately what it will be about. But the word alone feels incomplete, it doesn't have enough action in it. I still don't own it and thankfully I have a few more days to deliberate. Walking, stretching, juicing, drinking lots of water, and healthy, homemade meals are just a few of the things that will inform my days.



Yes, there are still priorities to set and decisions to be made. Thank goodness I have five more days...

But in these in-between days, when one year is undergoing completion and the other not yet begun, I am deliciously suspended in time, and free to let my thoughts wander and pick and choose from the myriad of possibilities of how I want the next year of my life to unfold,  while all the time knowing, whatever plans I make, none will be as wonderful as what life truly has in store for me in the year ahead...


What lies ahead for you? What are your dreams for 2014? What do you want to feel?
I'd love to know...