Mother's Day - Fun with rocks

Who knew rocks could be so cool?

When Z was 2 we went out to eat breakfast for Mother's Day. Of course there was a wait so we sat outside to enjoy the nice day while we waited. Zion picked up a rock from the parking lot and gave it to me as my present. At first I thought, great, I must have been a bad mom this year. You know, it was a little like getting coal in your stocking.

I put the rock in my pocket and took it home. Later I placed it on a little tray in the bathroom and laughed about it. Then as time went by I was given pinecones, dandelions and random other artifacts all of which got displayed on that little tray. Over the years, however, the most consistent show of affection was with rocks. I began to realize just how special that first rock really was and I was so glad I put it in my pocket that day.

Rocks are plentiful around the house nowadays. They are proudly displayed in jars and little vignettes. They have a special place in my heart because a little boy shows me how much he loves me each time he picks out a rock for me.

Today was totally awesome because we went searching for a special rock together. I told him once he picked it out I'd like him to decorate it for me this year. He decided it needed to be a bumble bee. We found just the right one, he painted and I made the wings. A labor of love I will cherish forever!

Happy Mother's Day!

iPad SketchBook

We've had our iPad for about a week and I've played with it every day - reading, playing games, browsing the internet and checking twitter and facebook. After seeing the demos one of the main reasons I, personally, wanted the iPad was for the drawing apps. However the whole week went by and I barely looked at them. Then a friend posted a link to Jim Lee's sketch of Wonder Woman he did on his iPad while getting a haircut.

I'm no Jim Lee, but darnet, I am an artist and we have Sketchbook Pro too! It was the whole reason I wanted the silly iPad in the first place. So I decided to break it out and "get serious." My first attempt is a bit clunky and it's going to take a little getting used to drawing with my finger (I plan to get a stylus soon) but it's so much fun!

I love the splatter brush and I think it was a fun brush to play with to get started and just do a loose illustration. I went into it thinking I was going to do a perfect illustration but found that just playing around was fun and the outcome was still neat, if not polished and tight. I'll get there.

My only complaint (and it's not really a complaint) was that Sketchbook Pro "crashed" while I was working on it and I lost about 30 minutes of drawing. Not sure what happened. The screen just went black and came back up on the apps screen. When I opened the app back up it had reverted to the last saved version (which wasn't much). It appears the same rules may apply to the iPad as any other computer... SAVE, save often.

I didn't put quite as much detail back in as I had in the original... instead I experimented with different layers and brushes and just had fun with it. (after cursing and moaning for about 10 mins about how much I lost). C'est la vie. Live and learn.

The iPad is an amazing little gadget and after a week of the whole family taking turns (very patiently) playing with it, all I have to say is... Do you have one yet? =)

Apple/Alice Mashup

Getting excited for the new "Alice In Wonderland" movie next week. I had a little project to do for a friend where I needed to use something "apple" and all I could think of was a worm coming out of the apple which then got me thinking about the caterpillar. I know caterpillars don't normally eat the fruit, but if the apple has an "eat me" sign on it and the caterpillar had a Cheshire smile, well then all would be right with in my world.

"In my world, you wouldn't say "meow." You'd say, "Yes Miss Alice."...

But I digress, for that is an Alice of another kind. =D

Sketchy Goodness

My dear friend Steve Oatney does artist sketch cards for TOPPS. He has worked on several sets including Star Wars, Inidiana Jones and Lord of the Rings, just to name a few. Pretty cool gig! He is an amazing artist and his cards can go for hundreds on ebay (although you can just go to his website and contact him directly for commission work).

In his downtime from the TOPPS cards he has been working on his own artists trading cards. And me, being a fan-girl and all, threw out the obligatory "I want one" whine. Well, whaddya know 30 mins later I had in my hot little hands a bea-u-tiful card of Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-tchai Ekbat de Sebat.... Leeloo.

Steve knows how much I LOVE "The Fifth Element" and outside of the MIckey Mouse drawing he did for me years ago, my new Leeloo sketch card is definitely a prized possession! I thought the rest of the world should have a chance to see her.

Thank you Steve-O!!!

Digital Scrapbook Kit - It's HERE!

Finally!!! After many nights and weekends of working on this project and many cryptic tweets and facebook posts... it's HERE! I am so pleased to introduce my very first (officially for sale) digital scrapbook kit called "Corbin's Circus".

Head over to www.jaguarwoman.com where you can purchase the kit at a 20% discount the first week it's available. This offer expires 1/28/10. But hang on! To celebrate I am also going to give away one free digital download of the set! Just leave a comment on this post, tweet about it or share it on facebook. Be sure to come back and let me know where else you have mentioned the giveaway and make sure you leave your email address so I can contact the winner! You have until the 28th to enter. I'll announce the winner Friday January 29th.

The kit contains 10 papers/backgrounds, 30 embellishments that include frames, tags, ribbons, stickers and one 12"x12" quick page. This set was an absolute delight to work on and I sure hope the little boy it was based on like's it too. Some of the images were used for his 3rd birthday party invitations and will be used in the party decorations as well. I'll post pictures from the party once that has come to pass.

This has been a long time in the making... not just this set but my desire to do this sort of thing. Thank you Corbin for being my inspiration for this set and thank you Dana for helping to make it a reality! =) Just watch out! I'm armed and dangerous now with many more set ideas up my sleeve! Be sure to check back at www.jaguarwoman.com often to see what's new! There are so many beautiful graphics on her site it's mind numbing!

"Happy Meal" Ornaments

If you've got kids then you have happy meal toys... ok, unless you are a super diligent-never-give-in-parent that eats healthy, home cooked meals all the time. =) So it doesn't have to be "happy meal toys" it can be any little toy made of hard plastic... I just found that, even before I had a little one, I had lots of happy meal toys about. They used to decorate my desk, car and knick-knack shelves. Now they abound in toy boxes, on stairways and still in my car!

I came up with a creative way to put them to good use a few years back and now that I have this blog it's the perfect time and place to share this little "happy meal toy ornament" tutorial.

All you need is:
Pliers
Small eye hooks
Lighter
Toys

FIRST: Heat up the threads of the eye hook with your lighter, not too long, just long enough to get it hot enough to sink into and melt the plastic a bit. That way there is no need to drill holes and the plastic will melt and conform around the threads for a very secure hold. (Be careful with this step and please don't burn yourself).

NEXT: Place eyehook in posistion on the toy. Use pliers to screw in hook while it's hot as far as it will go. Let cool.

LAST: Put hangers through the hooks and hang on tree. Step back and admire your handiwork and drink some hot chocolate. =)

OPTIONAL: For a more festive look decorate the ornaments with paint, glitter, jingle bells, santa hats. etc.

Here's to clearing your floor of toys and creating wonderful holiday memories!

Fun New Christmas Friend

Do you know of Johanna Parker? Well, if you love Halloween and holidays in general and love to decorate with fun knick-knacks then you *must* check out her site and see her lovely creations. I found out about her through Martha Stewart's "Dreamers Into Doers". The timing was amazing, I received the email about Johanna, checked out her website and blog and discovered she was having a Halloween show about a week later in my area! She's here in CO too.

I was able to go to the show, meet her in person and of course - bring home one of her amazing cat sitter figures (which I just love, love, love!) Johanna is as sweet as her handcrafted goodies and I really enjoyed talking with her about her art and goods! Needless to say, I was feeling very inspired after meeting her and had all kinds of grandios ideas for projects I wanted to try and to interview her for my blog (which I still hope to do... after the holidays, yeah, that's it!!! I'll put it top of the list for next Halloween.) Alas, many other things sucked my attention and the rest of October and November flew by.

In the back of my mind I couldn't let go of wanting to try papiér mache figures. I put together an armature of balled up pieces of newspaper to make a snowman. He sat on my desk for several weeks while I pondered the best way to go about putting him together. I asked Johanna for a few pointers on what to use and any tips she could offer. It almost felt like asking a magician to reveal her secrets. She was very gracious however, and gave me enough info to dig in and get my hands dirty!

All I can say is WOW! Playing with papiér mache is F-U-N!!! After a few layers, sanding, painting, altering and making accessories I now have a really cute (IMHO) Johanna inspired Snowman! Not to mention complete respect for her art, craftsmanship and deatil! So, thank you Johanna, for your amazing creations and for sharing!

She has another show coming up this weekend,if you are in the area go see her. Check out her site for more information and be prepared for papiér mache creatures to take over your decor! Look at the pics from last year's show from her 1939 Cottage house. It's simply spectacular with all the attention to the retro details! I can't wait to see it and bring home more goodies for the holiday season!