My REAL Studio Table

Seth Apter of The Altered Page wants artists to share their our REAL work spaces, our studio table. Not ones that are professionally decorated to appear in issues of published magazines, but the messy, cluttered, so-many-different-projects-going-on studios.

During the warm weather months typically May through September I luckily paint in my sunroom.  It has tons of windows and the birds are singing and flying right outside.  I love it.  Since we had a quick drop in temperature here in Wisconsin, I moved back into our office earlier than normal. Here's my studio/home office where I create.

Working in a small art journal here...no big canvases going on right now.

It's not a big space because the other half of the room has a huge IKEA desk with my scanner, printer and the area where we pay bills, etc.  But I am lucky that I have this amount of space and I sit right in front of the window.  I'll be honest it doesn't get much light which I really need, but at least it does have a window, right?  Thanks for visiting and taking a peek into my studio!

My Love of Art - Blog Hop

These past two years my life has changed in a lot of ways and art has contributed to it most of all because I finally started doing things that are good for my soul, namely creating.  I decided to make this "For the Love of Art" Fly Tribe blog hop post really simple--sort of a "thank you" to art and the reasons I love her so (sorry if that sounds a bit corny!).

I love art because...

• it makes me feel so damn happy!
• it makes me forget about anything else going on around me (sometimes even eating or picking up my daughter from school at a certain time--oops!)
• I get to work with and see originality and beauty -- what's better than that?
• it has helped make some new creative friends who finally understand my love and NEED of creating
• I believe it has helped my health immensely, namely putting my kidney disease in remission
• it has also introduced me to some amazing online artists who have shared their lives, inspirations and techniques with me so generously

I hope you'll be able to hop around and visit a few of the other blogs participating in this hop.  You will be inspired for sure. I hope you have a great Valentine's Day and are able to share your love with someone special. Thank you for visiting me today!  If you have a love of art too, I'd love to hear what it has done for you.

Blog Hop - Our Word for the New Year

Tomorrow is a big day.  The day many of us are sharing our chosen word for the new year. Instead of making new year's resolutions, we've decided to pick just one word to be with us for the upcoming year.  Some fellow friends and bloggers of mine are in a blog hop together sharing what we want to focus on for 2012.  I'd love it if you'd stop by and get some inspiration from these great girls.

You'll read about lots of hopes and wishes for a new, maybe entirely different life each person is hoping for themselves.  It would be great to hear if you have any plans for something different, more inspiring this year.  Thanks for visiting.  

Follow Your Heart - You Might Just Fly BLOG HOP

I absolutely love quotes--they inspire and uplift me.  Some are hilarious, some serious, but I especially love the ones that really make me think and sort of change how I look at things in life.   

I've been writing them down in journals for years and love to find artwork with quotes decorating it.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

"What you love is a sign from your higher self of what you are to do."  ~Sanaya Roman

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." ~George Eliot

"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies." ~Nadine Stair

The first two quotes have helped me realize creating art is what I NEED to do.  The third makes me just want to relish life every single moment and just do the fun stuff that many think only kids still do.   The quotes on their own haven't been making me take things one step further, but the amazing community I have been recently blessed to be part of has encouraged me to put those dreams into action.  To follow my heart.  To feel like I can fly.  Let me backtrack a bit:  I finally took the e-course Flying Lessons by Kelly Rae Roberts and this is where I have found this amazingly supportive and caring community.  The class ended months ago and these beautiful women are still here cheering each other on.  Every day.  All day.


Even before this class, many of my paintings and collages have had sweet birds and butterflies in them.  They are amazing symbols of whimsy, joy, flight and all that is happy in life.


The little 5 x7 painting was done after the course was over but was inspired by my new friends that are part of my community of creative gals.

So, to them, my "fellow flyers" I want to say thank you for encouraging me to follow my heart and to believe that I can fly in my own way.

Do you have any favorite quotes or little phrases you live by that help you on your path of life?

Thanks for visiting today and please check out some of the below blogs for some more sweet inspiration.

Amaranthine Violet:  http://magic-gypsy.blogspot.com/

Amy Hillenbrand:  http://amyhillenbrand.blogspot.com

Beatriz Peñas B.:  http://beatrizbepe.blogspot.com/

Beth Cougler Blom:   http://sobliss.wordpress.com/

Carmen Patti:  http://carmenpattistudio.com/wordpress/

Carol Bray:  http://theredpaintedcottage.blogspot.com

Christina Fajardo:  http://christinafajardo.blogspot.com/

Cindy Jones Lantier:  http://www.lantier.org

Connie Rawlins :  http://www.dabblinginlife.blogspot.com/

Dana Brock: http://www.dzynbydana.blogspot.com

Deborah Velásquez : http://deborahvelasquez.blogspot.com

Elissa Brown:  http://thefreckledarmy.blogspot.com

Hillary Courson:  http://www.hillarycourson.com

Jacquie Williamson:  http://www.jacquiewilliamson.blogspot.com/

Jane Paynting: http://inkspiredwings.wordpress.com

Janet Forrest: http://tatterednworn.wordpress.com/

Jennifer DeVille:  http://jenniferdeville.com/blog/

Jill Lambert :  http://www.jill-lambert.blogspot.com/

Julie Hamilton:  http://spaark.wordpress.com

Kanchan Mahon:  http://Kanchan-Mahon.blogspot.com/

Karen Claverie:  http://giddyupletsride.blogspot.com

Kari DeSaulnier:  http://karidesi.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Conard : http://newfromoldcreations.blogspot.com/

Kathleen McKinnon:  http://harmonyschoolhouse.com/expressions-blog.html

Kathy May:  http://kathymaydesigns.org

Kelley Miller:  http://www.kelleymillerartworks.blogspot.com/

Kelly Corso:  http://birdinatreecreations.blogspot.com/

Kelly Hoernig:  http://www.kellyhoernig.blogspot.com/

Kim Hyer:  http://www.apaperaddict.com/

Kris Lanae Binsfeld:  http://cherishdesigns.wordpress.com

Lenore Angela:  http://www.lenoreangela.blogspot.com/

Linda Barutha:  http://lindabaruthadesigns.blogspot.com

Lisa Michele Products:
http://www.lisamicheleproducts.blogspot.com/

Liza Zeni Baker:  http://lizazeni.wordpress.com/

Lynn Richards:  http://alittlebluesky.blogspot.com

Lori Leissner:  http://leissnerart.blogspot.com

Lori Moon:  http://lorimoonstudio.blogspot.com

Mary Cottingham:   http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com/

Mary Sterk:  http://justmarydesigns.wordpress.com

Megan Schmitt:  http://www.schmittenwithwords.blogspot.com/

Melanie Douthit:  www.douthitgallery.blogspot.com

Michelle Dwyer:  http://www.magnetisedbylife.com/

Michelle Reynolds:  http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com/

Rachél Payne (Rae):  http://collectingyourself.wordpress.com/

Rain Hannah:  http://honeyandollie.com/

Rhiannon Connelly:  http://www.starrybluesky.wordpress.com

Ruth-Mary Smith:  http://patchworkfamilieshub.blogspot.com

Sherry Richert Belul:
http://simplycelebrate.net/cherry-blossom-soup

Shirley Ann:  http://leonardarenaissancewoman.blogspot.com/

Stacey Chadwick
Brown:  http://staceybrownarts.blogspot.com/

Susan M. Walls-Beverly:
http://www.susanscharmingtrinkets.blogspot.com

Teresa Cash-Czech: http://www.asmilemaker.com/

Tina Carlborg:  http://www.tinachicky.blogspot.com/

Tonya Love:  http://passport2creativity.com/

Ursula Smith:  http://www.EasyScraps.com/blog

Zulma Cadena:  http://edustory.wordpress.com/

Mary Cottingham  http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com

Special Thanks to Michelle Reynolds for the use of her artwork(http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com/)! For more info on classes by Kelly Rae Roberts visit www.kellyraeroberts.com or check out her new Hello Soul. Hello Business. http://kellyraeroberts.com/hello-soul-hello-business.
Thanks for hopping with us!   Jill

Blog Hop!

Hi all!  I'm going to be participating in my first blog hop this coming Tuesday, November 1.  So many new things are are on the horizon since I've met these gals through Flying Lessons with Kelly Rae Roberts.  I've done my first ATC swap and now we are doing our first blog hop as a group.  I would love it if you would stop by for the blog hop and visit some of my fellow "flyers" and their blogs as well because it's sure to be tons of great inspiration!


On Tuesday, below my own blog post, you will find a list of other participants and links to their posts as well.  If you have a chance, stop by some of them--they'd love to hear from you!  

Hope to "see" you there!