Jen Bowles Design

Weekend Flickr Faves

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Happy Saturday!

Good Mail Week

So far this week, I've received 2 packages (one expected, one unexpected), 3 good magazines and 2 of my favorite catalogs.  And it's only Thursday : )
My first package was from Catherine of Red Shoes.  I love reading her blog and admiring her photos on flickr .  She is a master of taking neglected furniture, adding paint, and turning it into folk art.  Her paintings are so bright, cheery, colorful and fun.  I was very excited to see that she was selling prints of two of her original paintings.  On Tuesday my very own 12x16  Our House print arrived.  I love it!  The only bummer is that I have to wait until the new house to actually hang it.  Totally something to look forward to!
Today I received a (somewhat) unexpected package from Jeannine of Boodzoo Studio .  I found her blog, art*play*possibility  through flickr when I was searching around for inspiration for the ATCs I started last weekend.  She is doing a really cool art project to mark the time while  her husband serves in the military.  Her cards are wonderful, and she has lots of other great mixed media projects on her blog as well.  One of her latest projects involves Gocco printing.  I have one too (packed away...) and wouldn't you know, I won a giveaway on her blog.  On my very first visit!  Which I was very excited about--and then forgot about.  Seems have a visiting little dog in the house makes me forgetful.  Anyway, a padded envelope full of these original Gocco prints and a great fish magnet arrived today.   Aren't these wonderful!  Cupcakes and houses--two of my faves (it goes without saying that I love flowers, my daughter's middle name is Blossom after all)!  I love how she printed on the old library card.  Go on over and check out her blog and shop, good stuff.
And then the rest of my good (3rd class) mail.   The bed/paper lantern picture is from the PB Teen catalog.  I would've scanned the cover but it's got a picture of David Beckham playing soccer--and I'm just not that into him.  This issue of Lowe's Creative Ideas was an especially good one I thought.  Many good projects and some tips on making your own chalkboard paint.  I used chalkboard paint in our last house to make a chalkboard for the kids' playroom.  I painted a large rectangle directly on the wall and the hubby framed it out with some inexpensive trim.  I totally want to use chalkboard paint in a more "mainstream" room in our next house--the kitchen perhaps--but now I'm seeing chalkboard paint in the kitchen in nearly every magazine I read.  Eek--has chalkboard paint jumped the shark??  But I really like it and I have since 2002--does that count for anything?   Why do I care?? 

Perhaps I'm overtired ; )

I'll just be sitting in my chair waiting for more good mail.  Let me know if you need my address!                                                                     

At the pond

But calm, white calm, was born into a swan.
                                                                  ~Elizabeth Coatsworth

{ a very photographic swan we encountered on sunny Sunday afternoon}

Best laid plans...

Once again I was having crafting withdrawals yesterday.  Keeping the house "immaculate" is not conducive to making art.  And we've had 3 showings/events in the last 4 days so I've had to keep it pretty neat around here. 
But yesterday afternoon I decided enough is enough and figured I'd tackle a small project.  ATCs, perfect.  I got out some scraps of canvas paper and my paper cutter.  I carefully measured and cut 3 pieces to 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  I took out my disposable work surface and my 3 favorite paint colors.  I painted.  First green, then pink, and finally blue.  Then I took a step back.  I couldn't quite decide what to do next.  I looked through my sketchbook and then searched on flickr.  It was all over after that.  I was all lost in flickr land, clicking on favorites, exploring new blogs--the endless inspiration loop.  So this morning I had to clean up my cards, still quite unfinished.
There's always tomorrow.
Unless we have a showing...

Springtime is coming

A favorites from flickr... When I looked at them together the colors and mood did seem to be reflective of springtime.
Click here for links to the flickr photos.
And another thing about springtime being close...Is the early NC tree pollen what's responsible for my stuffy head, cough and ridiculous tiredness or is it just a late season winter cold?  Whatever it is, hopefully it will resolve itself soon so I can get back to creating.