ABC Wednesday - A is for Art and ATCs

A B C Wednesday Round 6!!!!!!

Yeah! A new round of ABC Wednesday has begun! This will be my second full round and I am so enjoying the challenge and the visiting of other bloggers to see how they answered the challenge.

This week - A is for ATCs.

This past year I have been exploring my creative side more and more. I have been expecially enjoying the ATC swaps at ATCforAll. I have made penguins, trees, zentangles, flowers. And there are many more swaps to come!

These Artist Trading Cards are typically 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches in size and can be any medium or theme. They are not for sale but are traded, usually 3 for 3 or 6 for 6. They are fun to create!

Here are a few cards I have made:

Dragon swap

Matisse collage swap

A Christmas Carol swap
Birds and scene swap

Funky birds swap

Affirmation for the Week - X

This week's affirmation letter is X and I decided to focus on eXplore!

I was playing with papers and paperweaving - enjoying the eXploring.

There is so much to explore and discover - this week I want to start December with creating a wish list of creative, spiritual, physical, social and intellectual eXplorations for 2010.

A new decade, a new outlook.

I will turn 58 in early January and as I near the 60 mark (yikes!), I know I will need a lot of positive eXplorations to keep me focused and creative.

This coming month I should also reach the 200th post for my blog for which I want to plan something special! Stay tuned.

ATCs

I am so enjoying the creating of ATCs for ATCsforAll. The swaps are fun and I have received such wonderful cards in return.

This week I have finished the Christmas cards.

I am also working on funky birds. My first one is below! (My first real critic - my husband thought it was a fish! lol)

I have signed up for quite a few more swaps - that will keep me challenged and busy!

This is also the First day of Advent -Hope .

May we all have a joyous holiday season filled with hope, joy and love!

AEDM - almost! and an affirmation

Creating every day this month was my goal and until this past week I was achieving it, even though I usually only posted once a week at AEDM.

This past week I read blogs, got ideas and did planning - in my breaks from marking and report cards! At least I was thinking art!

I have finally sketched out my next project after I finish my ABCs of affirmations (W for this week).

I have seen several bloggers who focus on different artists and use their style to create journal pages. What a great idea. I plan to start an Alphabet of Art and Artists starting in January. Each week will be a focus on different techniques and/or artists. Should be fun and a learning curve for me!


W  Affirmation

W is for watch and wait and so many things that I couldn't settle on just one! So the collage grew from one word to many words and pictures. I needed to just play today and I did. This week though the word I will focus on will be WRITE . I need to get back to the morning papers and journalling daily.
I am still working on ATC challenges through ATCsforAll - a great site for those who enjoy swaps. It is like Christmas every time I receive a new package of cards. I am presently working on a Christmas Tree swap. Not sure yet how I will decorate the trees butI had fun with different styles of trees and backgrounds.

Creating and Playing

November 1st began "Creative Every Day November". Just committing to it encouraged me to create every day and I actually did!

Posting every day though, just did not work this week. We were away from home for 2 days, and a lot was going on. So, here is a summary of some of the things I am working on:

1. Sketching - with Breeder's Cup this past weekend, I had fun trying to sketch horses. Each day I sketched different poses - I will continue with this for a while!

2. I worked on more ATCs for swaps at ATCsfor All. The Matisse-style collage were so fun and colourful. This may be my new favourite.

 

3. I had more fun with Zentangles - working on a larger piece.

4. More photography - shadows, skies, trees.

I did not read the Chapter for "The Joy Diet" on Play, but I did visit many bloggers who did. I loved Lawendula's description of working on this book as a "buffet" - just pick and chose what works for you!

The affirmation letter for this week is U - for understanding.

No collage yet.

Have a great week!

New Affirmation, ATCs, Inspiration

This week the letter N nudged me! Yes, N is for Nudge. I had other thoughts but this one would not go away.

I know personally I do not do well with demands. I do work better under pressure, but that is my choice!

Give me a nudge, let me think about it and generally I take off with it.

So, I am nudging myself to:

sleep better

exercise

love and laugh

think
create

Gentle reminders that good health is possible and desired.

I finished the last of the ATCs for the swaps which I signed up for at ATCs For All. The zentanlges are addictive I must admit. IF I happen to see another swap I just might sign up for it!

As we come to the end of September (hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by!), the next theme at Creative Every Day has been announced - Connect.

This past month the theme of Inspiration has been important. Many people and things have inspired me, not only in September, but throughout this past year. The whole journey of blogging, of taking part in challenges, book clubs, and meeting new people has been inspirational.

I have posted over 110 posts - something I never would have thought possible 6 months ago. I look forward to another 6 months of growing and challenging myself and meeting more people -especially as I take part in the Joy Diet Book Club.

Thanks everyone!

New ATCs

I have been enjoying creating ATCs for ATCsForAll. There are so many swaps that you can join - with different themes, mediums and dates.

This week I finished 2 more sets and have mailed them off. In return I will receive 3 for each set sent. I love the creativity and the challenge of creating these small cards. They are such fun. And it is like Christmas when the new ones come back - each one is a little piece of art.

 

 my "Collaged Trees".

There is a new site for the "Wrecking Sisters" to share their weekly art/work/fun!

Check it out here.