"One Little Word" Art Journal is one little word: BEAUTIFUL

Wowza. I can not believe Inspired is in 2 weeks. To tell you the truth, I am panicked! I have been working on the art journal swap everyday so it felt like I was on the ball, but now that the books are almost ready to be shipped out, I realize I have not even looked at the class supply lists. I have decided that I am going to bring everything that I have on hand and either buy, barter or borrow when I get there. I know it will all work out.

Speaking of Art Journals - holy cow did these books turn out to be amazing or what?? I am waiting on 2 more sets of pages and then they will be ready to ship to North Carolina.

This is what I know...

Here is what I know at this moment and time...

- My kids are freaken adorable
- My life is nothing less than an example of Grace
- Oranges are delicious.
- Everything is going to be OK. In fact, it already is.
- Buddha was super smart.
- Color makes me smile.
- I have met the most incredible people along the way.
- I need to pay attention because this may very well be the best time of my life.
- Boys did not end up being all that important after all.
- Society is wrong
- People are a lot kinder than I realized and they have short memories.
- The voices in my head tell me lies.
- Worrying has no impact on the outcome.
- Being right is overrated.
- Chaos has a very important role in the nature of all things.
-When you look at this phase of American history within the context of the whole, things are pretty good.

And the winner is....

I used random.org to pick the number and the winner is my dear friend and fellow artisan - Cameron! Congratulations. Your treats will go out in today's mail! Yippee!!

I have to say that you all shared some incredible wisdom. I got a few entries that were emailed instead of posted. I'll share a couple of my favorites...

• "He" is neither the problem nor the solution
• Forgive people, they really don't know any better
• Just because they're playing your song doesn't mean you have to dance

Thanks again everyone. You are amazing!

Speaking of amazing, I received this email the other day and it could not have come at a better time. I don't usually forward that kind of stuff but I felt compelled. In turn I received several replies from others who also heard what they needed to hear at just the right moment. I love how that works. Feel free to copy and paste it and send it to someone you love. It just might turn their day around!

Dear God:

The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong, and I love her.

Help her live her life to the fullest. Please promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations. Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most, and let her know when she walks with you, She will always be safe.

Love you…

What I know now that I did not know then

Yesterday was my 40th birthday. It was such a fabulous day. I had many calls from friends and family singing me silly songs and telling me what a special person I am. I had 6 Etsy orders including one from my amazing friend Jen - thank you honey! I went to lunch with my Aunt Mary whom I only see once a year but have a special kinship with, my mother and my husband. We dressed up like civilized people and had the full meal at a upscale, swanky bistro. I savored a scrumptious mussel appetizer, a lobster and avocado BLT with a lovely salad, and french pressed decaf with fresh berries for dessert. It was such a wonderful meal that I'm still going over the details in my mind. Then Tim and I went to a late afternoon matinee to see Watch Men which was a bit violent for my taste, a little depressing too, but a REALLY cool comic movie if you are into that sort of thing which I am. (I watch Heroes and Star Trek too).

When we got home, my kids had been fed and were waiting with anticipation to give me the beautiful gifts they made for me. My mom also gave me a gorgeous purse that I had drooled over a few months back. Not because I do the whole fashion thing, but because I want to learn how to make these!!

I am hoping my pal Sooz will able to look at it more closely while we are at Inspired and tell me how to approach making my own version of this. She is such an AMAZING seamstress!

And to finish off a perfect day, I watched Damages and Lost - 2 of my favorite shows. I fell asleep peacefully. Just before I drifted off I thought about what I know now compared to when I was 20. Either it is a cruel joke or a built in checks and balances system, but isn't it ironic how when we look our best, have the most energy and "potential", we tend to have so many more insecurities, far less contentment and often very skewed goals? I spent most of my 20's feeling fat (even though I was 15 lbs. lighter than I am now), feeling unlovable (even though I was totally loved) and chasing aspirations that are so far from what I want for myself today. I thought I knew it all and that I was invincible.

So I decided to construct a list of "20 things I wish I had known when I was 20". I am also having a drawing for a vintage goodie pack including several pieces of beautiful jewelry and some amazing ephemera.

1. Wear sunscreen all the time
2. Boys are not a hobby - find a passion that is not tied to another person and let it fill you up
3. The best way to find happiness is to give to others
   
4. Develop the habit of exercising everyday so when your older it will already be ingrained in you
5. People are not thinking about you all the time. They do not care if your purse matches your shoes. They are too busy focusing on themselves.
6. It does not matter how many friends you have, what matters is how you treat people
7. Tell the truth.
   
8. You do not have to be the center of attention to be noticed and you are not invisible.
9. Be kind to your parents and grateful for the things they do for you. They are people just like you.
   
10. Compassion does not mean taking on others problems
11. Drama is not as attractive as you might think
12. Make a gratitude list every day
13. Dreading something does not make it easier to experience, it just prolongs the discomfort
14. Just because you do not feel like doing something, does not mean you do not have to. This is when you probably need to do it the most. Just put one front in front of the other - who knows, it may be fun.
15. Do not choose a major because you think it will allow you to make the most money. Do what you love and success will follow. Do what you hate and success does not matter.
16. "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Ghandi
17. Release negativity of any kind - it is poison. pursue forgiveness and kindness and you will be filled up with the power of love
18. Be yourself without apologizing nor adapting to your surroundings. If you can find a way to be authentic and let go of what others think of you people will see your strength and be drawn to it.
    
19. Trust that everything will be alright - it may not look the way you thought it would, but it will still be OK.
    
20. Hug yourself and thank your body EVERYDAY for all the things it does for you - protecting you from disease, healing wounds, cradling your soul so you can experience life.

OK friends - let's hear your thoughts. Tell me something you would tell your 20 year old self. A prize awaits you! I will announce the winner tomorrow AM.

Thinking about Never, Never Land

After 3 weeks of isolation from the real world, my perceptions were slightly skewed. Fortunately, lack of sleep and the recent memories of a violent bout of the stomach flu created a fog and listlessness that prevented me from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work I had missed, nor panicked because I was now 3 paintings behind in school, nor doomed because I had not addressed bills, laundry or grocery shopping in quite some time. In fact, by the time I really came to, I was so darn grateful that my family was healthy, the sun was shining and that I did not feel nauseous - nothing could rattle me.

Our kids were just wiped out by a relentless virus that would eventually hit mom and dad too and turn into pneumonia for my little 3 year old. Two and a half weeks into this high-fever-croup-like-coughing-body-aches-sore-throat-runny-nose-super-cold, the stomach flu stopped in for a quick visit. Over the course of 4 days the 4 members of our family took turns soiling linens, moaning from horrendous nausea and begging for relief. It was not pleasant. But once it passed we became very grateful for our returned health so at this point, I am considering the whole episode as a gift.

During this time, I was selling all the old inventory I had from Jilliene Designs on ebay to keep some $ coming in and so I could feel like I was doing something other than taking temperatures , tylenol and naps. I had the computer right at my bedside so I surfed around ebay for hours while Eva lay there. By complete accident, I stumbled into the world of vintage costume jewelry. First I just looked, then I started reading articles, and one night I impulsively bid on a huge lot - over 100 pieces and since the closing time was at such a late hour (1:00 AM pst), I won it for a very fair price. When my box of treasure arrived, I started posting items on my ETSY store so the ladies attending Inspired could pick up a piece of vintage jewelry as required for Jennifer Stewart's kicked up canvas class. I had so much and I wanted to share with my friends. I listed big brooches and gorgeous rhinestone pieces for $3, $5, $8 each, not having any idea what things were worth nor feeling inclined to figure it out. Soon, antique dealers where buying up my lisrings.


"Hmmmmmmmm. What is this about??" I wondered, so I did a little digging and soon discovered that I had sold several items worth a lot of money for next to nothing. "Oh well," I thought - I had the same luck when I won the original lot on ebay for such a good price.

Little did I know, I would stay in bed with sick children for another week and during that time I became educated in the fascinating world of costume jewelry collecting. I am now enthralled. I have fallen in love with the timeless glamor, various designer styles, wonderful materials, rich history and amazing craftsmanship.


I've now got about 30 different pieces listed on my Etsy store and I've sold 15 more. I'm having a wonderful time researching each and every piece. It is like solving mysteries. I tell you all of this because I expect I will be sharing more about his amazing new interest and I thought the story of how I stumbled into it to be a nice introduction.

This new interest has rejuvenated my little girl spirit. I look at all the gorgeous pieces and I think about playing dress up and pretending to be a fabulous woman dripping in in jewels and feeling beautiful and important. Life was nothing but possibility back then. Pirates and treasure, fairy god mothers and glass slippers, and genies and magic carpets tickled us inside with wonder, hope, dreams of splendor. I rarely drift into that train of thought as a grown up and I am perfectly fine with that. I don't need Royal Balls (I'm referring to the dances at the palace :oD), fancy clothes or wealth and clout to feel like a fabulous woman. But I do miss that wonder, that air of possibility and when I look at the big heap of gorgeous jewelry I acquired late one night, I regain my access to that paradigm of thinking and it makes me happy. As my WASSIMA girls say - swirls - sparkle - shine

Treats and treasures in the mail

When I was little I used to chase the UPS truck as it drove through our neighborhood yelling "do you have something for me?!!!" There is nothing better than getting a package in the mail. Well this week I received two!! It was so wonderful to be the recipient of my very first UGRA homer. Translated, that means a project was created for me by one of the incredibly talented members of UGRA (Under Ground Rail Art) which she sent out to another Ugra-ite to work on, and they forwarded it to another and so on.

In this case, one of my favorite artists, Loretta, started a "slam book" for me. She sent it to Bonnie who forwarded it to Corvus, who sent it to Sharen, who passed it on to Bonnie who shipped it off to Jennifer (all the way in North Carolina), who sent it "home" to me. The book is absolutely scrumptious and I am so honored that each of these talented women worked in it! It has hand sewn signatures, pop out pages, and pockets and pouches filled with treats. I will treasure it!

On this page, you push on the labeled spot to the right, and the fire flies light up!

I also received an incredible prize package from my dear friend Jen. I was randomly selected after leaving a comment on her sparkle/shine/ shrink blog-a-polooza. She sent me 3 of her most favorite scrapbooking supplies and I am so very stoked (I'm doing the wave in my chair). I received a BIG ol' BOTTLE of Glossy Accents, Tim Holtz Distress Ink and the most darling array of fibers wrapped around the waistband of an old pair of jeans -(the girl is a creative genius!) How fun is that!

I've also been having an absolutely fabulous time in my Still Life painting class. It appears, I may have some skill peeking out which would be really great since I feel that my artistic abilities to this point, have been completely learned - that a natural aptitude or innate talent has yet to reveal itself. I don't want to jinx it by getting all "look at me, I can paint" before I have flushed things out, but I had to share this suspicion because it is a wonderful experience to feel you may have potential in something that you love to do. Most everything I have accomplished in my life has come from hard work or dumb luck. There have only been a few times in my life where I actually "felt" ("felt" being a critical word here) I was blessed with talent. Even if it turns out to be a short lived experience, I want to document it so I can come back and say "oh yeah - that was awesome!"


Here is the painting I did last week - my second oil and Still Life ever... It has a variety of troubled areas which taught me A LOT. My professor said "Jillene, I am impressed with your willingness to tackle tough set ups! Good work." She doesn't usually say things like that - she sticks to the instruction and critique so a personal comment like that made me feel really good.

I'm working on two new paintings right now, one of which I had to submit at the 50% stage. My Prof said "Jilliene, Good job and good thinking on your changed comp. Very good work, be proud."

Happy weekend!

Swirly wirly twinkling toes

I've been doing so many different things these days that I feel like I am dancing - that is good right? Although sometimes I get dizzy and I feel like I'm going to accidentally spin out of the window or something.
The picture above is for a button blooms order I just filled to match the photos of the client's daughter's room decor.
I finished my very first still life / my very first oil painting today. What is really wacked is that we were only allowed to use Titanium White, Mars black, Terra Rosa (an earthy clay red) and yellow okra (like a dark Dijon mustard). My painting focal point was a blue teapot, so I had to blend blend blend to make a dull grey blue. Remember, blue is a primary color which I thought meant that it couldn't be "made" - well now I know otherwise.

There are a few structural issues with my teapot handle but for the most part, I feel like it came together. This was as much, if not more, an exercise about mixing colors as it was about painting a still life. There were a few times when I thought I was never going to make it work. Last night when I went to bed, I was REALLY discouraged! But today I just fell into the zone - I hate calling it "the zone" it sounds so 80's - But it definetely is a different state of consciousness. I had no sense of time, no fear of failure and my mind was completely focused on the task at hand. There was none of the mind chatter that makes me nuts sometimes. I'll have to work on another name for it though. Tomorrow, I have to do another still life but now I can use cadimin yellow.

I also have made 3 new charm braclets which I need to post on Etsy and a Charm Choker which is HOT! My husband wants me to keep it but I want to post it because I don't think anyone else is making something like this. I'm thinking this could be a fun trend if it catches on!

I also have a fabulous new client and we have been busy getting her work ready for the world to enjoy. More on that when we are ready to launch. Oh boy - I had better run - my husband is started to grumble that he hasn't seen me all day!

Blog Slacker returns with shame

I don't even know if the world noticed but for the sake of my 10 followers, I must apologize for not writing in a few weeks. Its not that I don't have things to share, I just haven't made the time to collect my thoughts and draft a few paragraphs. I have been pretty busy since I started back at school. I am taking Still Life painting and Digital Photography/ Photoshop. I'm loving both classes and am thrilled to be back to my schedule.

I have been playing with oils and I am in love. From the smell -to the blending -to that unique feeling as the brush spreads the creamy hues onto canvas. It is wonderfully fulfilling and pretty darn intimidating. I'm in the middle of a four color palette still life and I am delighted with what I've put together thus far but very nervous about the next layer. My coach and I are working on finding the space in between "perfection" and "just getting it over with." I will have to find that center before I can move forward.

This is my set up for the 4 color palette painting

Last week I was super busy working on my "who am I" pages for the WASSIMA fabric album page exchange. I just loved this project but it was super duper time consuming. My pages were an expression, a work of creative freedom, autobiographical and experimental. It was satisfying on so many levels. I cannot wait to see what everyone else did!

I used fabric from old clothes and other household items to create this "fabric of my life" flower

Aidan also turned 6 last week which just blows my mind. He is truly an extraordinary person and I am so blessed to be his mommy. We had a fun filled family celebration at Round Table. My sister had just celebrated her birthday also so I gave her the jewelry set I had made for her in sterling silver. It is a handmade chain maille bracelet with Swarovski crystals and a matching set of earrings. I think she really liked it :D

This picture does not do it justice but you can see the design...

Are we really parents of a (gulp) 6 year old??

We threw Aidan a surprise Pirate Party on Saturday with old school newspaper hats and treasure maps with real buried treasure. The party was such a hoot. Everyone had a GREAT time and Aidan was the happiest little boy in the world. Even his sister said " Mommy, can it be Aidan's birthday again tomorrow?"

They didn't have any pirate cake designs so I used the Hawaii cake and bought a treasure chest and pirates separately.


Ahoy Matey!

My husband picked up a Chinese paper for the hats to make them look more realistically exotic...

This is Auntie Shauna helping one group read their treasure map


Arghhhhhhhh! Where's me cupcake Lassey?

I'm 1/2 way done with my charms for the DDINSPIRED charm swap. It is such a different experience this year. Last year I was really new to charm making so it took a long time with lots of boo boo's. This year has been a piece of cake. I did not have to buy anything - I had it all in my stash and the design came to me really quickly. I completed 20 charms last night while watching TV. That is all for now. I have more to show and tell but I need to get some rest....

New Scrap Office

I am thrilled with my new space. Not only is it more efficient, practical and esthetically pleasing: I know where everything is!

Behind that door is a closet which I still haven't tackled. Currently all of my business suits, fancy dresses and my wedding gown live there plus several boxes I still have not unpacked from our move 2 1/2 years ago. Ugh!
I love these storage cubes. I got them last year when they were on clearance at Michael's and they had a "25% off your entire purchase including sale items" coupon.

I love having a permanent cutting station set up. My Graphic Design class last semester taught me so much about using the exacto knife and accurate measurement. I had always been hesitant to use this method of cutting because I was afraid I'd make a mistake. Now I have everything I need at arms length and lots of good lighting!

The big table (2 Ikea tables pushed together) allows me to work on multiple projects at once which was a really big hassle before. I often am juggling several clients and my own projects and I end up with piles, boxes and storage tubs under foot.

I organize my card stock by color in cropper hopper vertical storage containers . A lot of my paper is in pads so those are lined up on the same shelf. My favorite loose papers are stored inside of the blue QVC/ Creating Keepsakes storage unit. I pulled the drawer out to use separately and I stand the paper up in there. I also have 3 paper towers in my studio which hold a lot of the paper I use for my clients. Loose ribbon goes into one of the glass kitchen cookie jars I got from target for $5. They are separated by color to narrow down the search. Ribbon still on the roll or card is organized in trays, the cropper hopper ribbon storage boxes and in bins. I also have two, 2 drawer plastic units that give me four drawers of storage. In there I have a drawer for: blank cards and envelopes, blank mini albums, ephemera and vintage books, and Xyron cartridges and sizzix dies. On top of the drawer units, I have a box of "found items", a clear stamps binder and my polymer clay supplies.

This area has mostly fine art type supplies - all kinds of acrylic paint, watercolors and various mediums, Prismacolor pencils, verithins, markers and Caran d'Ache crayons. I also have all of my ink, punches, circle cutter, templates and everything Tim Holtz.

I loved the idea of having a garage like many kitchens do for small appliances, so I took apart my storage rack and put one of the bins on top of the desk. Here I store my favorite adhesives, sewing kit, sizzix machine, gel pens and other items I need frequently. Next to it I have all of my rulers and triangles plus a bin for bits and pieces storage.

The shelves are dedicated to embellishments. I have a different bin for my favorite 3 D stickers, flat stickers and rub-ons, a box of fabric squares, drawers for chipboard, jars for flowers, buttons, embroidery thread, and appliques and stackable jars for brads, eyelets, and other small items..
I also have a tub for bling and a bin for charcoal supplies plus a few stacks of chipboard letters.

Here is my knew space in the midst of activity, I am constructing my "fabric of my life" pages for the WASSIMA swap, and I have everything accessible for the 19 x 19 album I'm working on for a client. I LOVE IT! I do wish I had my sewing machine out in the open and a TV so I can listen to the history channel or some TV junk food on Bravo when I am doing late night projects.

Art Office Reorganized!

I have a studio where I do art with clients and friends but I rarely get creative in there on my own and I never do client work in there. I usually do my client work in our office/ my art room until recently when I set up a folding table in my room and moved the computer in there. I've been working with extremely delicate old photos and I did not want them to be at risk of being handled by anyone else in the family. Plus I needed to really spread out and my bed provides a lot of space. My husband has definitely been grumbling about not being able to use the computer and not being able to spend anytime in our bedroom so I surprised him while he was out of town by reorganizing the office into a more efficient art room and getting a bunch of my supplies and tools out of sight. It was such a massive undertaking that it took me 2 days but I finished tonight aand we are both REALLY happy with the new configuartion. Plus it will be a great set up for school next semester because I am taking a still life painting class. I am way to tired to take pictures tonight so I'll post tomorrow. I am going to celebrate by sleeping.

I REALLY have to mention that I have a terrible, shameful vice. I watch the Real Housewives on Bravo. Yes - it is true - it is rediculous, but I can't help myself. My husband is disgusted and makes fun of me. Anyhow, I just have to say "SHAME ON YOU Vicki and Tamera." A friend would have interveined not encouraged Gretchen. The woman is under a terrble amount of stress which will undoubtedly impact how alcohol will effect her. I do not condone Gretchen's behavior but I have compassion for it. Did you ever consider how the fallout would affect Jeff? Gretchen has to live with the guilt and Jeff will surely be heart broken. That was NOT NICE! Ok -I had to get that off my chest.

Scrapbooking as a job???

Yes, that is correct. One of the services I provide through Jilliene Designs is scrapbooking for others. I also do photo archiving, photo art on canvas, jewelry (and other fabulous creations found at my shop on etsy), custom designed scrapbooking and card making kits, arts and crafts instruction and party hostessing, hand made cards and invitations, classroom, at-home and in-studio instruction and I offer website/ marketing / personal creative services. My favorite, favorite thing out of this laundry list of services is scrapbooking. It is such a delight to put together a treasured keepsake for another and to be invited into their memories.

I just am wrapping up with one of my most treasured clients. We put together 2 outstanding albums chronicling her son's childhood achievements. We were just going to do 30 pages but it quickly bloomed into a 50+ page project. I have had wonderful material to work with because her son is beautiful ( iwish you could see him but I've blurred the photos to protect their privacy)! I am handing off the albums this weekend and I am feeling sad because I will miss his adorable photos and working with my lovely client.

I am also assembling an 18 x 18 heritage album for another client which has been a really big challenge. There are photos dated as far as 1913 and several that may have been from even earlier. I handle everything with gloves and have to have lots of space to spread out. It is sort of like detective work in that I am trying to create a visual family tree from the bits and pieces tat are writen on the backs of the photographs. I have almost everyone identified but I'm now struggling with the order to put them in the album and the overall design of each page. When working with old photos, the corners are often broken off and they come in so many different sizes. Estetically you want the page to look orderly but that makes putting photos in chronological order or by subject matter a challenge. If I want the pages to look sharp and visually pleasing I will end up compromising the visual story, but if I put the photos in precise order the pages tend to look cluttered and less than well-thought-out. I know there is a way to make it work with larger mats and adding captions - I just have to work it out.

I love my job!