Love is in the Air

Happy New Year, Happy Australia Day, Happy Valentine's, Happy Pancake Day (and I still don't know what that one is for!) and Happy Every Other Day of the Year!

It's been so busy these past few months with Art by Jenny. While the graphic design side of my business was busy before Christmas, its slowed down, allowing me more time to dedicate to my wonderful shop of art and craft treasures. I've been keeping a blog on my shop's website if you want a look - www.shop.artbyjenny.com.au/blogs/art-and-craft-news.

I love having a shop!!! Absolutely LOVE it. Its mostly online, but its the next best thing to the bricks and mortar version... which I will have one day - a shop with a gallery and studio overlooking the ocean. One day :) In the meantime I have my awesome shop, my studio and my big beautiful verandah with the most awesome table my Dad made from my son's old bed.

The new table in the outdoor studio - sometimes a girl needs more than one studio!

I love my new table - are you seeing why I've called this post "Love is in the Air"? I just love everything today! Got to be a good thing hey? Well I think so :)

So now I have a space for workshops that doesn't make everyone feel so squished! My studio is only little but I'll never complain... its such a privilege to have one and I'm very grateful to have it too. I love being out there (both the verandah-studio and art studio) with the birds, sunshine, canvas, paper and paint.

I have many favourite things about owning a shop (no, bookwork is not one of them! lol, can't love everything). One is to look for items for my customers. I was searching for stamps to colour with the marvellous new Chameleon Pens when I came across this frog doing the ballet (or toad as they call it) by Stampendous.

Of course I bought it straight away and used him as part of an ATC swap the same day he arrived!

In the photo above, my frog has been inked with Distress Ink in Peeled Paint and Worn Lipstick. Then his crown was inked with Sakura's Gold Gelly Roll and the white was added using the Distress Ink Watercolour Marker in Picket Fence (white).

I love frogs and toads :) Frogs are adorable and such gentle creatures - made by Mother Nature in the most exquisite colours and so many sizes. They always look so happy and peaceful. Toads have got features only a mother could love, in other words, they have fabulous personalities!

A small collection of some fabulous stamps that came with my frog ballerina.

I always like them (being brought up with Wind in the Willows would have had something to do with that), and then I read a book by Morris Gleitzman called Toad Rage (about cane toads in far north Queensland) and now I think even cane toads are wonderful. So they're not the best animal for Australia, but its not their fault they're here... you can thank the humans for that one! They're just making the best of what they have, like we all do with life. Read the book, you'll find Limpy will steal your heart!

Another thing I've been doing more of lately is cardmaking. I love making cards for family and friends... I just seem to keep running out of time!

This card pictured below was alot of fun to create. I sponged (using the bottle's built in sponge) Distress Stains for the sky in two colours (Broken China and Stormy Sky) overlapping the green 'grass' - Peeled Paint Distress Stain. After adding the shadows with a marker (just rough scribbles), it was then heat dried and then splattered with water. After it was dried (air dried while I made the caravan) I then stamped gum trees in green and brown Distress Ink Pad using the stamps by Darkroom Door.

The finished caravan card, shown here in my studio with my cat kitchen paper holder in the background, another treasure made by my clever Dad (Woodn Marbles).

The caravan stamp, also by Darkroom Door, was inked with Distress Ink Pads in Dried Marigold and Spiced Marmalade. After cutting out, I inked with other colours and coloured the door with Ripe Persimmon, then added the white using a white Sharpie. The curtains are made of ribbons.

The barbecue and other elements were stamped with black StazOn, with the white table and chairs stamped in grey, inked over with a white Sharpie. Ranger now has a white inkpad that would be perfect for this card.

What's next...? The birds in the sky are hand drawn with a black pen as are the letters on the banner. The banner was cut out of pale yellow scraps of paper with the stitches "sewn" with black pen. Oh, and the umbrella is painted with Smooch :) mmmmm... Smooch! I love Smooch - such beautiful colours and so sparkly shiny!

I've added pics below just in case you'd like to see some of what I used. All found at my Art by Jenny Online Shop at www.shop.artbyjenny.com.au.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the week ahead!

Happy Creative Day!
:)
Jenny