Arts and Wellness Café - Discernment and Creative Projects

 

Welcome to Arts and Wellness Café.  As the week comes to a close we look at the word Discernment and how it using it impacts not only on your life but your creative pursuits as well. 

Here are some of the projects that I shared in the video up close.  The first one is a stitched project, one of my first and I really enjoyed creating.

The other project that I am working on is trying to extract the pigments from flowers and using it to dye fabric. Here I have been using a mortar and pestle 

This is the extracted pigment and the pulp from the flower

Here is the flower - the Clitoria Ternatea and the way it dyes the fabric.  You can also use it as a herbal tea - tastes delicious!

For a herbal tea you place the flowers in the cup and pour hot water onto it.  The blue color is then released.  If you add a couple of drops of lemon juice it turns the water purple instead of blue.

I will be sharing more from the results that I have gotten from other fabrics that have been dyed.  If you want to see behind the scenes of some of the work I am doing you can join me on Patreon

Join me on Patreon

For supplies, if you are interested in creating using the same supplies you can check them out below:

Embroidery Thread - https://amzn.to/3mFeYLC

Hand Embroidery Stitches at a glance - https://amzn.to/2PSpxPy

Fabric squares - https://amzn.to/2PMxExn

Pestle and Mortar - https://amzn.to/3mBdi67

Coffee filter - https://amzn.to/3s8YVHa

Clitoria Ternatea Seeds - https://amzn.to/2QiJb77

Clitoria Ternatea Flowers - https://amzn.to/39ZlwzB

Creating in Faith - Discernment - Podcast Episode

 The new podcast episode for Creating in Faith and the word for the week is Discernment

How do you see your creativity, do you have time to reflect and look at your direction and think about where you want to go, what tools you want to use and how you want to use them?

Very often we can find reasons for not moving in the direction we want, and one of the biggest reasons is that we just didn't think it was possible or had not given it much thought.

You can also join me for Arts and Wellness Café where we will look at the word even more and ways it can benefit our creative journey.  Take a look at last weeks word which was about being mindful in your creative journey.

As always, stay blessed and be a blessing

Art Journal Flip Through - Recycled Tin

 

I recently decorated an art supply tin and you will be able to see it in the video attached, alternatively click HERE to be take to it on YouTube.

It is fairly straight forward to create if you want to create one for yourself.  This tin held 6 Water soluble crayons and measures approximately 5 x 6.   You get to see a flip through of the art journal at the end of the video.

After covering the tin with masking tape I created some texture by adding gesso through a stencil onto the surface.   I did this to both the front and back and once dried painted with acrylic paint.

 

To the inside of the I added masking tape and painted then cut collaged water color paper or you can use card to fit on the inside of the tin.  This is applied using a glue gun. 

 I added words using a white marker on the front and made additional markings with the glue gun.

You are then ready to go and use your journal.  You can check out some of the supplies below

Gesso - https://amzn.to/39MhBGn

Masking Tap - https://amzn.to/3dQVIqT

White Pen - https://amzn.to/2PzLm6k

Brads - https://amzn.to/3wuVUV1

Watercolor Paper - https://amzn.to/2Ra8VDp

Glue Gun - https://amzn.to/39KSsMm

Glue Sticks - https://amzn.to/3miLZgI

Craft Paint - https://amzn.to/3cSzlSt

 

 

Arts and Wellness Café - Joyous

Come and join me for the Arts and Wellness Episode with the theme Joyous.  Where does your joy come from and how does it flow into your creativity?

You can also hear the Creating in Faith perspective on the podcast 

Art Journal Page - Ideas

Here are a couple of Art Journal Pages that I did recently. The first one is called Triumphant and I start out with a blank page adding gesso and Neo Colors water soluble wax crayons, then the face developed and I allowed it to take shape.

In the second video I start out with two figures on the page and spent time playing with color until their features started to form.

The supplies used are Neo-Colors - https://amzn.to/39DL45d

Gesso - https://amzn.to/3rL98JU

If you have not yet subscribed to my YouTube channel why not consider doing so and click on the notification bell.

Make Art for the Earth with Us! - Check out this Amazing Deal!

 

Do you want to make art and help the earth at the same time? Tam from Willowing Arts has brought together 45 Mixed Media Artists to make a contribution to the 'fight against climate change'. This is how the Art for Earth Project  was born and you can be part of it! 

This is the second time she is running this project, last year she raised £25,000 for Treesisters, an organisation that plants trees all over the world! This year, she is running it again and I’m part of it! 

Each of the artists have all contributed one or more art resources (like an art course, e-book, printable PDF or other art item) to the Art for Earth Package! It contains over 85+ amazing art resources including some brand new courses that have not been published before! They were especially created for this package deal. My contribution to this package is: 

A brand NEW 5 Part Art Course - How Does Your Garden Grow, it comes with an instructional pdf. I have also included a selection of downloadable background Papers, colour pages and 2 of my Garden inspired prints and brings my two loves the studio and the garden together to create a nature inspired painting. Scroll down or click here to see a complete list of all the products in this package!

Click here to see a complete list of all the products in this package! The Art for Earth Package is valued at over £2900+ GBP, but will be sold for only £75 GBP! It will be on sale for 7 days only with 25% of all sales going to an amazing organisation that helps improve our climate. They are called Tree Sisters and they are a group of women spread out all over the world with a mission to plant trees and a focus on tropical reforestation. 

They say: “Vision & Mission of Tree Sisters: Tree Sisters exists to elicit collective responsibility for planetary restoration at the grass roots level with a focus on women and tropical reforestation. We are growing a global network of women who donate monthly to fund the acceleration of tropical reforestation as an expression of collective planetary care. We channel 80% of member donations to exemplary existing reforestation organisations in the tropics with whom we partner to restore ecosystems. The remaining 20% funds our behaviour change and consciousness shift work with women to reinstate feminine leadership, and normalise collective ownership of planetary restoration.” 

This package contains some fabulous art resources by some of the most popular mixed media teachers in our community! I hope you'll buy this wonderful package of awesome art goodies and help the earth while making art!  See the list of resources HERE

 Make Art for Earth! Buy Here 

Arts and Wellness Café - Mindful of your Creativity

 

Welcome to the Arts and Wellness Café week where the word for this week has been Mindful.  In the video this week we look more closely at the word and how it impacts on our creative processes, especially if we get distracted by events.

I show you in the video an example of an event and how you can get yourself to side step, see it from a different perspective and get on with your creative journey.  It does take practice and can affect your whole day if you don't take it in hand.

Earlier during the week I share with you the Podcast recording which started us off looking at the word, you can listen Here or click on the link below

I also shared a book Review titled Intertwined

And you can also see some of the eco dyeing fabric that I have been experimenting with, I have been having quite a bit of fun seeing what plants in my garden will release their color so that I can use it on fabric.

Here are some of the flowers that I used, Mexican Sunflower, Bourgonvillea, Clitoria Tenae and Jacobs Coat (local name)

Here is some of the results of my activity, these are the plant dyes I created

I had previously used avocado seeds to dye fabric, I am still thinking about projects to create with them.

More recently I have been working with clay as a dye and combining with wax and fabric dye to create designs.

I also want to work with some stitched projects and see how you can create designs on the fabric as well as have the stitched design.

If you would like to see more of the 'behind the scenes' join me on my Patreon

Art Journal Flip Through - Restoration Art Journal

Join me as I flip through my Restoration Art Journal, it is a great space to not only journal but to paint,  I love combining both and also use it to work on future ideas.

It is a recycled prospectus art journal that I have repurposed and it has been collaged and embellishments placed on it.

To check out some of the art supplies used check out my Amazon recommended and video reviews check them out HERE

You can also check out some of my art designs that you can now get printed on dresses.  It is a lovely style dress and is perfect as we welcome in the warmer weather.  You can see more designs HERE

Arts and Wellness Cafe - Stillness Revisited

Thank you for joining me today in the Arts and Wellness Café, in todays video we revisit the topic stillness and have a chat, I will also be sharing some of the fabric experimenting that I have been doing, alongside a meditation.  

One of the things that we can forget to do for ourselves is have a time where we can be still and reflect, we live in an ever increasingly busy world with social media on top of life and there needs to be a time where we can reflect and take stock of things.

I also review this book on African Textiles as I have been experimenting with wax and dyes and would love to create more traditional cloths to use in my art  

You can check out the review video HERE

Here are some of the pieces I have been experimenting with, I have laid down a pattern with clay, then applied wax to the spaces.  When the wax is removed you get this finish.

This one is my favourite so far

I am still experimenting so watch this space!

It would be great to know how you go about giving yourself some time to 'catch up' with yourself and how often you do it.

Hope you enjoy,  Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Creating in Faith - Stillness

 

Think about what the word 'Stillness' means to you, and how it manifests for you in your day to day.

This episode is about how we go about having some stillness in our lives and find those moments where we can focus on the things that need to be done.  We have to also think about how we are going to use if for our benefit and navigate our creative walk.

Stillness brings calm, healing and nurturing enabling us to clarify things that may have been on our minds

What does the word bring up for you, and when was the last time you took some time out to be still?

100 Days of Embroidery Stitches

I committed to doing the 100 Day Project and decided to do 100 Days of Embroidery Stitches. Here are the ones that I have done so far.

The 100 Day project is about choosing an activity that you will do and you can choose whatever you like.  A couple of years ago I did 100 Days of Pastel Paintings, it enabled me to spend time with my pastels that I had never used and get familiar with them.

You can join me on Instagram as I share them once every 3 days.  There are some that I initially have difficulty with and that is alright, you just have to try your best and come back to it from a different perspective.

For me the main thing is to enjoy the stitches and use them in some of my other stitched projects.  Not all the stitches that I am doing will be suitable, but at least I will know how to do them.

I hope you are doing a 100 Project of your own and enjoying showing up for your self.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

 

Creating in Faith - Relationships and your Creative Journey

How healthy are your creative relationships?

Our relationships can take many forms and we have to nurture them, how are you nurturing the relationship that you have with yourself.

We can often be faced with remnants of the negative aspects of relationships of the past and these can spill over into our adult life and then impact on other relationships that we may have.

The inner critic often gets a lot of exposure as having the biggest impact on all of our relationships, but we have to look at ways in which we can work with our inner critic

In this podcast I examine some of these relationships especially the creative ones and look at ways in which we can find harmony

Recycling a Phone Case - Art Journal

 What do you do when you have a phone case that is too big for your phone?  Make an Art Journal!!

Phone Case waiting for the magic!

Check out the video to see what I did to transform it

Here are the finished details with a lot of pattern and mark making at the front and back

The interior has been created with water color paper cut to size and then glue bound.

It is always great to have a new art journal on the go and this one fits quite tidily in my bag.  I shall be sharing some of the pages in the coming weeks and showing a few processes using both collage material and acrylic paints, so would love you to join me.

Let me know if you have recycled and repurposed an unusual journal.  

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Arts and Wellness Café - Matters of the Heart

Come and join me in the Arts and Wellness Café today where we continue on the theme of Heartfelt started earlier this week.

Considering matters of the heart in regards to our creativity.  The things that matter most to us, our drive and purpose, why do you do the things that you do and the impact that you want to make in the world.

You can check out the podcast episode

In the video I also share other ways in which you can use creativity to impact on your health and well-being and we look at an art journal page, a sculpture and a book for the week.