{creating myself}

in my search...

I had mentioned that I was doing some soul searching
and art journaling is a big part of this journey
for me.

Who are some of your favorite art journalers?

i've been in the mood lately.

sucks I have no time.

the dap.

My friend Jen and I have a word for our favorite hobby in the world, and it's called "dap".

"Dap" can be used in many contexts.

"Let's dap." [verb]
"Hey Dap, whatcha doin today?" [noun-name]
"Check out this dap I just made!" [noun-thing]
"That pic is so dap!" [adjective]

Have you guessed what it means yet? Of course, it's scrapbooking!



scrapbooking=scrapping=dapping=dap.

You get the idea.

PS, here's a layout.






xo, amy

thank you!

Hello friends,
Thank you so much for making my virtual garage sale a success. There was 800 visits today... um wow. That was so unexpected! There are still a lot of items left over if you'd like to take a look or reserve anything.

In other news!
I made a few layouts recently! and a December Daily album. Today I'll share the layouts that I made for the design team that I'm a part of, The Creative Type.



December's prompt was to use vintage christmas paper and the title, "all I want for christmas is..." I loved this layout but my boyfriend and I had broken up so I wasn't ready to share it until now :)




January's prompt was to use type inspired by this great site, Friends of Type. I look it upon myself to write a letter to my older self :)

Thanks for stopping by.

lovely evening.

Friends are away for the weekend.

Boyfriend is working all night.

Family just left after I made them a delicious eggplant parm dinner (if I do say so myself.)

and now it's my time.



Check out that "todo list" next to my laptop on the floor, full of journaling and layout ideas. And I just had to buy this pillow, you know, for butt support.
Lovely.

minialbum : document 2010.

I had this idea. It included transparencies, patterned paper, photos, and paint splatters. The ideas were churning. I couldn't wait any longer.



I like a 5x7 - sized minialbum. It seems to be a good size. It's slightly bigger than the 4x6, which to me is more like a stack of photos than a minialbum. It's slightly smaller than 8.5x11, which of course is the size of a regular scrapbook. It's 5x7!

I cut twelve 5x7 pieces from office-grade transparencies and painted the names of the months (shown above). I cut a bunch of other goodies (patterned paper, cardstock, corrugated cardboard, tissue paper) and stacked it all together.



Here's the time consuming (and fun!) part. I went back through my iPhoto archives and printed 4-8 photos from each month. I love how easy this book is!



I loved working on the cover. That's a Hambly transparency, with Basic Grey letters, buttons, an Instax photo, and I'm not sure where I got the corrugated numbers. But you could always cut out your own! I colored in the "m" and the "e" with a sharpie marker and splattered paint on the numbers. I didn't feel like the cover was visible enough, so I lightly misted a bright white sheet of cardstock and put it behind the cover transparency.



I plan on adding my photos and some handwritten and/or typed journaling to tell my stories and attach the whole thing together with jump rings.

2010 has been very good to me, and I want to remember it.

creative type design team...

Our newest prompt is up!
It's about movie quotes... and you're playing for a Guest DT spot!
We have several new members in our DT, serious talent.
Come take a look :)


Here's my interpretation.





The quote is from "Riding in Cars With Boys".. I"ve used it before but it's so wonderful I couldn't help but use it again. I misted the background with glimmer mist (what is with those things clogging like it's their job??) and the boy and girl chipcoard pieces that I misted over are from Maya Road. Any questions feel free to ask :)



Also, don't forget to sign your name here for a chance to win my latest giveaway. Another "thank you" to the people who help me to connect and meet so many people through this wonderful place we call blogland. I'll pull a winner on Wednesday.

the creative type is back in full swing!

Two pieces of exciting news... ONE ... The Creative Type is back in action and I've signed on for another season of challenges & play :) TWO... We are currenly running a design team call! So many wonderful scrapbookers and art journalers are blog readers... why not give it a whirl?! You wouldn't believe the talent residing on this team... Check it out here. I would love to see you all play along!!

This month's prompt was to lift a fellow DT member, and here's my layout and description...

I am in awe of EVERY member of our DT, but I chose to lift someone new-- Steph from living room floor. I think she's fantastic! You can see her original layout here. I started with white cardstock, layered some patterned paper along with my photo, then added small heart stickers. I misted the background with Ranger inks. Then (after the mist was *pretty* dry) I pulled off the heart stickers. I added the letter stickers to the bottom. For the "united", I handcut a title out of white cardstock. When I added it to my layout, it didn't seem to *pop* enough off the page (I wanted it to be a really bright white) so I painted over it carefully with a generous amount of gesso. Voila! Layout took me about 15 minutes... you can totally do this! :)

thoughts & more thoughts.

I'm not sure how to word this correctly, but I'm going to give it a whirl. Lately, I've been working a lot lately, on art-related projects and paintings and custom orders and such.


I've been dreaming about scrapbooking, art journaling, just-for-fun projects. I have this idea in my head of a minialbum, filled with transparencies and photos and memorabilia and canvas art paper and watercolors. I want to make magic.

For now, I do have some recent layouts that I've made! Enjoy :)



THe background is an Urban Outfitters bag :)






This is the back of the layout, which I plan on using as my next canvas. :)









The green piece is fabric that i pleated and covered in K&Co flowers and sequins. The slide is also K&Co. The Brian Andreas quote was printed from google.


XOXO

who scrapbooks around these parts?

I do, I do!
Do you?



I painted the flowers with gesso to tone them down a little bit.








I love small details like the pearls, the hidden "a" letter, and the woodgrain fabrip along the side. The gesso behind my self-portrait makes it pop. :]








I scattered some sequins across the page (one of my favorite design elements!) and then crocheted a tiny oval frame to highlight some of them. The bottom photo with the quote was found while stalking weheartit, and I printed it to use on my page because it fits my life. so. well.

xo.

art journaling makes my heart happy.

Now that Fall is quickly approaching here, I suppose it's a good time to share the last few pages from my Summer art journal. This Summer of Love class was so incredible... I highly recommend it :)

All page elements can be purchased here in this kit.










loooved this prompt. What or who was the spine of your summer?






What or who is in the shadows of your summer?




also seen here.













xo, A

Guess what I've been doing?

scrapbooking!!!!!

Yeeeeah. That's right. The past two two nights, I've taken to my studio and made a few layouts. It's been relaxing. Fun. Creative. Heartwarming. Inspired. And it's hard to put into words, but whenever I scrapbook, it feels like going home again.


I'll photograph my layouts tonight and share them here, but for now, allow me to share some of my favorite scrapbooking inspiration with you.
These are all from my inspiration folder on my desktop... I think it's cool when I can see a layout of someone's and know exactly who made it, immediately. That's the case with all of these lovely people. :)



Kara. Kara is a dear friend, and her layouts covet a good 75% of my inspiration folder. I'm pretty sure I've bookmarked every thing she's ever made. Plus she is a freakin' frackin' sweetheart.


Jeremy seems like such a sweet guy, and has such a great eye for design. I always love what he does for The Dares.


Christina is the queen of minibooks. I love her funky style and bright mix of colors/elements.



Vee. Sprays, mists, sewing machines, great photos... need I say more?



I know I've blogged about my friend Julie before, but her scrapbooks and art journals and quilts are the most creative things in the world.




Kristi has been one of my favorite scrapbookers since the beginning of scrapbook time. You can still see some of her amazing work here.




Last but not least, the amazingly talented Mandi. Does this girl have an eye for vintage design of what?



puh puh PLEaSE link me to some of your favorite layouts or scrapbookers/art journalers!!

xoxo

Art Journaling Week!

I know I've caught your attention! :)

Julie FeiFan Balzer of Prima is having week full of inspirational art journaling techniques and inspirations, and she so kindly invited me to be a part of it!  Julie is an incredible artist, and her blog is jam packed with tutorials, ideas, and a ton of inspiration. Please check out my post and let us know what you think!

I blogged about three different texturing techniques, one from my Summer album and two from the following never-before-seen pages:

A Little Bit of Life...

Does anyone else love country music?  Yes'm, a city girl such as myself loves me some good ole' Kenny, TSwift, & A.J. :)

New York was fantastic as usual... got to see some family & friends, which is always wonderful.  I've been back a few days now, and dragged Mom along with me!  She's taking her vacation here until next Sunday. We plan on lots of beach time, cooking, and crafting!
I love life :)





I thought I would share a little bit more of my Summer of Love album... just about all elements used can be found in my I ♥ Thrifting kits.


The frame around the page (left) and the photo of my friend and I (right) was self-created with my sewing machine.


I grouped a bunch of elements from the Vintage kit on the page (right) and sewed a journaling frame for the opposite page (left).






The black circles is actually a Prima patterned paper- I used a small circle punch and misted them with red glimmer mist. I used my sewing machine to adhere them- love that!


I cut two journaling boxes out of the blue patterned paper with an exacto knife and wrote behind it...


Long live the days of Polaroid :)


I cut the "Movies" title out of the sticky-backed woodgrain paper in the kit.



Just one more thing... any shop orders placed over the past couple weeks were shipped last Friday, so they should have probably arrived at their new homes.  Custom orders will go out in the next couple days. Thank you so much!
love, Amy

more&more&more

Photos of my fancy book, that is :)













Reallyyy enjoying the freedom of summer. Been doing a lot of painting, baking, and quilting. Last night was my best friend Megan's rehearsal dinner... it was grand. So grand, I feel like I should put an "e" at the end of that.

It was grande.









Tomorrow is going to be full of wedded bliss & grandeur fanciness. :)

Fanciness.

Obsession Alert: I am newly obsessed with the word "Fancy."

Fanciness.

Fanciful.

Fancy Schmancy.

***

I don't want to get too annoying. So let me just show you some of my new fancy journal pages...

This class by Kara was absolutely amazing. She is so talented, and probably my favorite scrapbooker in the world. Every so often, she offers classes so we could learn to be cool like her. The class is over, but you can purchase the PDF version here.

For these last couple photos, the prompt was to create a treasure pocket using a starbucks cup. Kara sewed hers together (front piece and back piece of the cup) but my machine wasn't strong enough for this. Maybe it was my needle? Anyway, I used a hot glue gun to glue around the edges of only the front piece and glued it onto my paper.

Almost everything I used for this book was from my I ♥ Thrifting kits.

I'll share more tomorrow... Right now I have to go get fancy for my best friend's fancy rehearsal dinner. <3

I ♥ Thrifting... KIT REVEAL!

I've been working for the past few months (okay, like 12 months) on these minialbum/scrapbooking/art journaling kits and I'm in such a great, crafty mood lately that I think it's about that time to share them. I'll share the photos, then the details, and I'll be posting samples all well of what myself and two other incredible designers have done with them :)



I ♥ Thrifting : Vintage







Included:
12- 5x7 pattterned and specialty papers
1- 5x7 self adhesive woodgrain paper
1- 5x7 plastic mesh sheet
1- large doily
1- small doily
2- vintage flowers
1- label
2- jump rings
vintage dress patterns
1- 2x8 self adhesive mesh happy tape
crocheted lace ribbon
1 packet of thrifted/vintage goodies

Click here to purchase I ♥ Thrifting : Vintage for only $18.50



I ♥ Thrifting : Retro






Included:
6- 5x7 patterned and specialty papers
1- 5x7 patterned fabric (shown in heart pattern)
1- label
1- ft of ribbon
4- carnival tickets
1- sticker sheet (shown in pandas & monsters)
buttons

Click here to purchase I ♥ Thrifting : Retro for only $8.50



These kits are a compilation of all of my favorite thrifted and vintage-style scrapbook supplies. I've been collecting goods for months. I hope you love them as much as I do!





Purchase both kits at a discounted rate of $25! Refund will be reflected same-day in your PayPal account.

The exciting news doesn't end there. I have two very, very talented designers working with these kits as we speak! I can't give away their names just yet, but I'll give you a clue... they are serious Queens of Thrifting.

More clues:




Any guesses? ;)

We started a flickr photo group for our projects... please join our group and share what you make!

GO!

Combine some paint, freshly printed photos, and a little bit of inspiration, and you get two new scrapbook layouts! YAY!

GO me!



I'm not sure why the red colors all photographed light brown, but here is a close-up to show true color...



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To make the journaling bubbles, I painted splotches of white paint over patterned paper, outlined a cloud shape in black paint, and cut out around it.  I painted the title with a #1 round brush.

xo, amy

I Thought You Might Be Interested...

to see my Hambly DT entry in full! :)












a fashion journal for sketches, ideas, & magazine clippings...
















& a little place to house my favorite photos...















thanks for looking :)
xo, amy

The Ole' Bloggity


You may have noticed a change in my blog layout (finally, a new navigation bar!)  in great thanks to the talented and beautiful Courtney!

Courtney is so wonderful to work with, and seriously design talented! ESPECIALLY brand identity. You should definitely contact her with any HTML needs.



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I've also had Justine design me a new title because I love what she does in the way of graphic banners. I wish I could figure out how to upload it... does anyone know how to "change the banner image" on typepad basic?


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You also may have noticed that I changed the link to my “gallery”.  Since I’ll no longer be able to host at SISTV (they are closing :( )
I’ve transfered most of my scanned layouts onto flickr. Please feel free to browse them :)




Here are some of my favorites for inspiration:




 













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In Lola news, I made my first from-scratch project last night... a tote bag! And guess what? I LOVE IT! I'll share it later in the week, because it's a surprise gift for someone special, aka my mom. :)

XO.. I'm off to NY tomorrow!

Summer Blues..

After a few months of blogging pretty daily, I've been speechless the past couple of days. Not because I don't have anything to say, just because I've been a little... how you say... burnt out.

I've been pretty creative lately, and I'm just tired. Especially after the etsy update on Sunday.

But I'm still here, and I'm still creative.

I just wanted to pop in and update anyway, because you know... it's not always rainbows and butterflies.





What's that? You want to see a layout anyway?






I might add a photo to the white space later.


If you're still in need of some great inspiration, check here for janel's journal challenge!

xo

There will be a wee bit o' celebration...

I'm still a little shaken up about the random man in my home (if you follow me on facebook or twitter, you know what I'm talking about!) but I'm still excited to share some creativity with you tonight.

Here's an idea for a Father's Day card, if you haven't made one yet...







I'm obsessed with scrunching up happy tape and contact paper to make borders. I also did it on my gratitude layout from a couple days ago.







glimmer mist, artichoke hearts, and hambly transparencies,
amy.

I am so Betty Draper.

Today, I spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen. Like, eight hours.

It was SO fun. I've really never had time to cook before... and now I do! Sometimes I follow a recipe, sometimes I don't.

For this dish, I didn't.





Saute chicken breast chunks with a little oil, fresh squeezed lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Saute some red peppers, zucchini, and onion.
Mix some whole wheat spaghetti or low carb... (this one is my FAVORITE) with a little light butter and grated cheese.

It's really easy, inexpensive, and GOOD.
Try it!


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Here is some other stuff I got goin' on here...







I'll let you know what comes out of it! :)

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Here's my layout for today...







XO.

I'm stunnin with my love glue gunnin...

Hi guys. Super quick (and late) post to share a recent layout, because I said I would.











I saw the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo tonight with a dear old friend and really liked it. Way better than the book. I definitely recommend the movie over the book (that's NEVER happened), though you might have to watch it more than once to "get" it. And this will be the last time I mention it, except for when I talk about the last page of the book and how much it spoke to me.


love spells & butterflies & gaga's acoustic version of Poker Face,
amy.

There is Beauty in the Breakdown

Hello, and welcome to the world of Emo Amy. Here, you'll find intriguing quotes, dark music videos, and journaling-heavy layouts splattered with paint and self-doubt.

JK. But I do want to tell a little story.

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Over the weekend, I had myself a little breakdown. I was lonely, and sad, and frustrated. Mostly about money, and some other stuff. I ended up going off on a rampage... to my mom... and saying some stuff I didn't mean.

I apologized, and I know she forgives me, but I still feel badly about it.

It's haunting me. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and soul-searching over the last few days. What set me off like that? I was getting my period, and every single month I have a mini-breakdown the weekend before my period. But that's no excuse. I must not be feeling grateful enough, appreciating enough.

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I was going to make a layout about my mistake, about my idiocy.  But instead, I decided I needed a layout about what I'm missing. A gratitude list.











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FYI, I'll be posting a new layout every day this week. :)
This studio is one of the best things to ever happen to me.

Add that to the gratitude list.

Some Unimportant-To-The-World but Important-To-Me News!

I am re-reading Summer Sisters. I haven't read it since I was probably 13 (and probably too young) but I'm so happy I picked it up again. It's a great summer read, and I need something light & quick after dragon tattoo!

 




I re-activated my netflix account again! I paused it because I didn't have any time to watch movies during the school year! Helloooo, Summer! :) Do you have any recommendations for my queue?

 





Another cool pastime I have time for this Summer? Cooking!





Thanks for your kind words re: my Hambly submission. They mean a lot! Here are two layouts that didn't make it into my final submission, and one that did!











A peek into my journal...





aaand that's about all for today! Please wish my friend Jamie a Happy Birthday! :)

Studiooooo Fix.

You are cordially invited to come over and play.







ribbons & toys



some favorite embellishments



some buttons and schtuff



some unfinished and (secret) finished paintings



etsy station... fabrics, felts, scrapbook kits, and shipping materials



i'm not a fan of straight edges....


click here to see more :)
and rsvp soon!

Guest Blogger: Sarah

Hi,
I am Sarah from Glue and Paint.

I am so happy that I can share one of my favorite project from the last few weeks with you.


I am going to show you how to make your own spring/summer/fall/winter fashion minibook.



All you need is a fashion magazine or a fashion catalog, tape, a scissor, a nail and wool & a pen




First you need to choose which pages will be your front- and back-page (I chose thicker ones).
Than you have to fold up a part of the page and tack them



or if you use a doublepage, you can also tack the side



Then stick them together with tape



Afterwards you have to trim the pages you want to use to the same size as your frontpage



Glue them into the book (let the edges overlap, so that you can glue them properly)



Afterward, you can sew the whole book together.




Now you only have to add your title, other sayings and cool text and pics of fashion trends you like.

Hope you had fun!!!

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Sarah, This book is SO gorgeous! I can't wait to make one just like it! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. :)
love, Amy

Guest Blogger: Ali Wood

Hi there!

My name’s Alison – but you can call me Ali! I “met” Amy a few years back via the internet – and we’ve become blogging friends. I’ve got a blog called Shades of Grey<link: http://creativali.blogspot.com>  where I share my scrapbooking and craft projects, inspiration, fitness goals, random snippets of information about my life and much more!

I’ve just moved house... to a house with only 1 cupboard in the entire place! So today I’m sharing some tips, information and ideas about moving/packing and downsizing your scrapbooking/craft area....

When I packed up my scrapbooking room, I went having this (an overcrowded bookshelf, which had also started taking up my wardrobe space):

To this – a much cleaner, more streamlined organisational approach:

I was lucky to be only moving about 5 minutes away. So I was able to use the storage my craft supplies were in (baskets, media boxes etc), and just loaded them into my car.

 For other items, I used  a big plastic storage tub. I recommend these as they’re sturdier than packing boxes, and your supplies won’t be damaged:

Ok.... so now onto the tips and ‘arranging’ of your supplies....

Tip #1 – LOVE adjustable shelving.

When choosing your bookshelf, or storage option – look for something with adjustable shelving – this allows you to have countless options when it comes to box sizes and storage options. 

Tip #2 - Cheap doesn’t equal nasty!

When I moved I made a trip to Ikea and bought new media boxes (the black ones below) to store my photos. The ones I got are DVD boxes and fit packets of photos easily! Ikea and other chain stores like target are great for picking up bargain storage options. Think outside the square – kitchen jars are great for storing button and trim!

Tip #3 - Don’t have cupboards? Don’t stress!

If you don’t have cupboards, pick up some large storage boxes like I did to store chipboard albums, envelopes and cards, paint and larger items like alpha stickers etc! I stacked them next to my desk with the heaviest box on the bottom, and my most used box (alpha stickers) on the top!

Tip #4 - Store products according to their use and volume

When choosing storage for your craft/scrapbooking embellishments it’s important to choose something that suits you. Have a think about what embellishments you use often, and how you may group them. I have the majority (if not all) of my ‘bits and pieces’ stored in this ikea box. I have a draw for chipboard, one for mini alphas and things, one for journal spots and cards, one for tags... you get the picture....

I also have a plastic tray with a lid that holds things like eyelets, some buttons , feathers and other trinkets.

Tip #5 - Don’t be afraid to repurpose ‘used’ storage options.

For my small amount of embossing products (which I’ve just started accumulating), I already had a small red embossed box (that was originally brought from a $2 shop – from the gift section) – so I re-purposed this (which originally housed a small selection of tools and a Xyron sticker machine).

Tip #6 – Open storage equals easy access!

You know those products you reach for often, or need ‘hand space’ to find something? Use open storage like baskets, open shelves, vases, glasses and buckets! I use three baskets (again from Ikea) to store my ribbon, tools (punches etc), and another to store buttons (stored in ziplock plastic bags). They’re easy to access and look great!! J

Tip #7 – Folders and labels are your friends!

I’m lucky enough to work for a scrapbooking company (Kaisercraft – www.kaisercraft.net), and they have these amazing folders and re-sealable zippered storage pockets that store my clear stamps perfectly!! I also try and label my boxes, for example I keep my ink and glitter in one box and my ‘bling’ (rhinestones) and brads in another....

Tip #8 – Display those loved items rather than hiding them away!

My layouts that aren’t yet put into albums are stored in this 12x12 flocked box. Before I hid it away in the bottom of a cupboard, but when I moved I noticed it matched my Diana camera and typewriter perfectly. So I pulled my typewriter out of it’s case, and put it on top of the box to create a cute little display in the corner of my scrap room.

Another idea I have is to buy a couple of 12x12 frames to hang in my room also to store layouts on a rotating basis too.

Tip #9 – Colour coordinate!

Well to some degree. You don’t have to, but I find it unifies my room – I went for a white/black theme with splashes of red, and small amounts of woodgrain.

Under my desk you’ll see some cords, I’ve tried to hide them with my printer which has a placemat on it (also red)....

Last, but not least, make your own, or buy some artwork to liven up your area!!

Happy organising! xx

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Thanks for the awesome post, Ali! My favorite part is my print hanging above your desk. :)
ENjoy your new home!

xo, Amy

Guest Blogger: Elaine Read

Hello all! Elaine here! It’s magical to be guest blogging today on the lovely Amy’s blog! <333 I hope I can inspire something perfect in the start of your summer!


Since summer is here, we’re all looking for a little “extra something” to kick start the season of inspiration. Having something nearby for constant idea storage is key!

The very best outlet for my constant urge for creativity, even on the go, is my drawing book. I have blogged about this before, but I thought guest blogging would be a perfect opportunity to share this awesome breakthrough again! I started keeping my drawing book in Elsie Flannigan’s very first online class, and it has really changed my life and my creative thinking.


Start by getting a sketchbook. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, just something with pages that feel good to you and big enough to hold your explosion of thoughts. I personally use a Moleskine but you can really use whatever you like as long as it’s inspiring to you!

Then get to work! I view my drawing book as my own personal space where I can hash out whatever crazy ideas are in my brain. I don’t have to worry about what anyone thinks or if the idea will even work. I don’t have to worry about if I’ll even capitalize on the idea. The name of the game is to GET THOSE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS ON PAPER!

Many times, my pages are ridiculous. I love drawing cartoon animals for no reason. I sketch out patterns and project ideas. And I make lots and LOTS of lists. Some other topics of my drawings include:

*trying out different handwriting and letters

*documenting trends

*things I observe while sitting on a campus bench

*cute cartoons

*lists of ideas and themes for etsy updates

*notes to myself to remember

*wishlists



The sky is the limit! I find inspiration for these drawings EVERYWHERE! A great start is to go to Target and look at the greeting cards. They have lots of inspiring and simple designs as well as singular themes and characters. I find them to be eternally inspiring! Here’s a few more places I go for inspiration:

Janel

Girls are crying

KillTaupe

Elsie!



So become good friends with your drawing book this summer. Take it everywhere you go, make it your personal mission to fill those pages. Adopt a journal and get to work! Write, observe, draw, and create!

<3

E

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Hi E! Thank you so much for sharing the inspiration for your crazy art journaling skills with us! You blog is one of my very favorites for inspiration and creativity!
love, Amy