Remembering June

Remembering June and planning for this year's Roses. 

I left my play journal out on the desk. There were many chores waiting me, but I stole some time for me. There is nothing that centers me like putting color on a page. Tonight it was prismacolor markers that did the trick. The feeling of the marker making contact with the paper - this makes me grounded. 

I had prepared this page over a month ago. Big red circles and then petals from a silk flower gessoed down to the page. The rest was added tonight. Once again....it looks completely different than when I started.

There are chores to do and I'm running behind in my art courses. But I'm adding color to my life and moving forward. 

Painting Angels

I've been missing here for a while. I've started a six month long creative Adventure with Kelly Rae Roberts. The course I'm taking is called Spirit Wings. By the time the course is done I will have completed six angel paintings. 

I love art journaling and mixed media is part of all that. I wasn't so sure about painting faces, though that is a trend in art journaling these days. I don't think I would have gone the route of adding faces to my art if it hadn't been for this wonderful opportunity. The timing was great and Kelly Rae Roberts is a powerful course leader. So I showed up.

You can see my first painting above. It's pretty amazing because I would never have imagined I'd paint like that. My big dilemma was the wings. I had done the face and hair and realized that I didn't have a clue as to how the wings should go. I started cutting the features out of tissue paper. I thought if I wrote my meditations on the feathers using a white pen they would be invisible - a note just for me. Well, I was wrong about that. They show up well and I love the foggy aspect of them. 


Looking forward to learning so much more in the next five months.

Mad Tea Party 2015 - Double Vision

"Please come for tea" the March Hare says fixing his beautiful, shiny eyes upon you. How can you resist?

Flowers blossoming in ways that are marvelous to behold.

He hops along the path that leads to a most intriguing setting for tea. 

He moves so fast he is almost transparent. Where did he go? Where has he left you?

As you move through the garden the tea cups seem to appear out of the flowers. 

Suddenly there they are - teacups! But big enough to swim in. 

So you dance on the rim feeling a kind of amazed exuberance. 

It's odd, the flowers seem to talk. You must be getting sleepy. 

Walking through the handle of the teacup. When did you get so small? Or did the teacup grow?

You search for the March Hare and think you see his eyes looking back at you even as you make it to the tea table. 

You are so tired you rest on some of the sweets!

You may be tired, but the March Hare is busy taking tea. 

The teacups are shrinking. Is this good or bad?

You need to get back home. Maybe the stone bridge will take you there. 

Instead you are led to the tunnel in the bay. 

You are asked to stay, but you'd prefer to go home and have a cup in a safe place where you know what to expect. 

Ahhh! This cup is just Assam. 

(A variety of apps were used in the making of this tea party. Diana App for double exposure. Snapeee for decorating. Comics Camera for high contrast.)

Models: Sir Fernly as the March Hare. Madeleine Ooka as You. Lynda Shoup as the talking flower. 

Location: Many of the photographs were taken at Blithewold Mansion and Arboretum in Bristol, Rhode Island. As magical a place as ever existed. Don't believe me? Go for their Fairy Festival on August 2nd and see for yourself!

Mad Tea Party 2015 Invitation

It's that time of year again!

I look forward to it each year. 

The Mad Tea Party

hosted by Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist

I have been plotting for some time what kind of tea party I would throw this year. So many directions I could go, but I decided to go with a new skill set. Step out of my own box. I hope you will like it. 

The Mad Tea Party is tons of fun. Want to join? Head over to Vanessa's blog and sign yourself up. There's still time. 

Bloom Where You Are and Let the Seeds Carry You Far...

My variation on Bloom Where You are Planted. Bloom and then bloom again where the seeds take you. Allow yourself the happy happenstance of enjoying new vistas, new horizons. Bloom where you land and allow yourself to keep on moving and blooming. 

It's been a weird week here. More about that in the next post. Let's just say that things did not go as planned, but there is learning and love everywhere you go. 

I wish you a week full of unexpected blessings and meaningful lessons. I hope it is full of joy.

What do you do when things don't go as planned? Do you roll with it? Do you embrace it? Do you fight it tooth and nail? 

Cherry Blossoms - Self Care Saturday

The world seemed to blossom this week. Everywhere the flowers seem to pop up out of nowhere. Today I am giving myself the gift of taking the time to see them. Actually see them. So often in springtime I'm noticing them with half my attention (if that) as I drive by. This is a busy season for school employees. It's easy to get caught up and neglect to really enjoy the loveliness around. 

Today, camera in hand, I will stop and be mindful of the beauty in front of me. I will soak it up. 

This will not be the only extravagance of the day, but it will certainly be a part of it. 

Things don't last forever. I will enjoy them today. 

Ephemeral. Beautiful. Enjoy now. 

What things do you wish you spent more time appreciating? Enjoying? Savoring? 
Are your favorite flowers long flowering or do they have a short run? Are there seasonal foods that you try to enjoy during their season? Here we are having asparagus season. 

Many delights to you today. 

Mother's Day Gelli Prints - Stamping and Printing Sunday

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and to the fathers out there who have to fill in a mother's shoes. 

I wanted to send you flowers so here are a couple of gelli printed flowers. I don't know whether I will leave them as is or whether I will choose to fill them in. 

 My family had our meal out yesterday and so today was a lovely day for sleeping in. Just what I wanted! 

I hadn't gelli printed in a few weeks and I was eager to do some. Here are some of my favorites from today. 

I love the prints as they are, as part of my art journaling, and also as a layer in my double exposure photos. I love the way they combine with other photos. 

I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. It was great for me to celebrate yesterday (less crowd in the restaurant) and have today to loll about. If you could plan your own Mother's Day event, what would be most meaningful to you? Now that you've thought about it, how about asking for it?

Sand instead of Stamping and Printing this Sunday

Sundays is the day I've been posting my stamping and printing lately. Today I threw it all over and went to the beach. I certainly left my mark there, however. 

We made flower and sea drift mandalas on the beach. Inspired by photos I've seen of the mandalas others have made, I decided to give it a go. The process unfolded naturally, the tiny cherry blossoms were laying on the sidewalk just begging to be included. Each layer was lovely to behold, but more items beaconed. The final row of shells seemed just right.

It's funny how the creative process is like a road that leads itself. If only I could step out of my own way more often.

This week my creative focus has been on photography. It's natural to happen while taking a class. I'll leave you with one more double exposure from the beach. 

Yes or No - Your Choice - Self Care Saturday

Sometimes I say "Yes…" when I want to say "NO!" I'm guessing I'm not alone in this. Today my self care included saying no to the alarm, yes to my pillows, no to moving fast and yes to taking things at my own pace. I said no to the car. Yes to the kitchen. Generally I did what felt right. I cleaned because I wanted more order rather than cleaning up because it is messy. 

Attitude is a game changer. 

So I choose to pay more attention to what I really want to say and practice saying it. Kindly. Creatively.  

I also plan to practice being more creative with the way I respond. Friday I told a friend that yes, I had time for lunch if it could be half an hour later. Today I tried something similar. The results so far have been really positive. 

As this art journal page evolved I noticed little buds emerging from the background. They reminded me so much of Tokyo in June. The big patches reminded me of the Ajisai (Hydrangea) that blooms so gorgeously in the rainy season. There was a stretch on the Inokashira line where the sides of the train tracks were bursting with the flowers - blue, purple, pink and white. I used to ride back and forth just to see them. Around the same time the azaleas come forth with such loveliness it takes away your breath. I saw both of these flowers in my background. 

Do you struggle with saying what is in your heart? Do you wish you could say no? Are you true to yourself? How do you balance the greater good with your own good? 

I'd love to hear from you. 

Double the Fun with Double Exposure Photography

The Double Exposure Love course with Vivienne McMaster has been a blast this week. It was just the creative outlet I needed. 

When the class started and I realized that I could use my gelli prints as a background I was entranced. Many a combination of photos included some of my artwork. Experimenting with other elements was so enticing that I ended up exploring those as well. I'm sharing just a few of the photos here. 

After all this time that I withstood the temptation to start an Instagram account, it made sense to take the plunge. The course participants were sharing on Instagram and I notice many art journalers are abandoning their blogs for the immediacy of Instagram. Feel free to give me a shout over there at https://instagram.com/lynda_shoup/.