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!

Oh Happy Day!

Today is the day that my dear friend, Cindi Huss arrives for a few days of making art. We have talked about taking some time together for a long time. Our "Artist Retreat" has taken some unexpected turns and has toned down from the original idea. I trust that it is unfolding just as it should. Here's proof of my optimism:

The fabric paint I ordered was delayed. The arrival date shifted to a date when it would be too late to use it. Disappointed though I was, I knew we had more projects than time so shrugged it off. It arrived yesterday! In plenty of time. Now we only have to use Hermione Grangers time warp to have time enough to use it! 

As if that isn't enough, tomorrow is the Mad Tea Party. My post will be up bright and early. Be sure to visit all the wonderful parties going on!

Kelly Kilmer Class Part Two - Painted Books & Shopping at Kept Creations

 

I made this book. 

Read that again. 

I MADE THIS BOOK!!!!

I've always wanted to do this. 

I did it in my second class with Kelly Kilmer. 

I can't wait to make more books. 

Maybe you figured this out already, but I haven't finished this book. Not by any matter of means. 

I haven't had a day out like this in a long time. I had not realized that I have gotten older. It never occurred to me that I could run out of steam - especially when doing something fun. So fun. 

So the cover and the end pages are possibilities waiting for me. Not only that, but all those wonderful pages are waiting for my art journaling.

The pages are painted.

Then torn to size.

Then bound.

Kelly gave us great instructions on methods, 

prompts to move us out of our comfort zones (see it's not entirely pink),

methods to try 

we tried masks (didn't show up well in the pictures, but cool anyway). 

It was surprising to see how some of the random pairings worked so well.

Interspersed with all the joy of creating was the joy of shopping! This stamp stole my hear, so I bought it! The only problem with this hand carved, wooden stamp is that it might just be too beautiful to use! It may remain a piece of decor as I am too shy to mess it up. 

I discovered not all glue sticks are equal. Mine was less than helpful and I ended up glueing things down a second time when they peeled up. Less than optimal way of creating art. Introduce this glue stick from Italy. It was all the rage. Made from almonds, this is a glue stick you could possibly start licking if you are really hungry. Smells like marzipan. Sticks like…glue. I bought myself the long lasting size as I intend to be gluing things down with a passion. 

Kept Creations has a wonderful wall of stencils. It's terribly difficult to decide which to choose, so why not choose three? Still, there's a pattern here - hearts and flowers. That's the way to my heart. 

It was a great day. I was tuckered out at the end of it, but it will be a day I will cherish. So glad I decided to treat myself. 

How can you treat yourself? What have you treated yourself to? Do you participate in art classes? What is your favorite way to learn a new technique? Who would you like to take a class with if you could? 

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. 

Class with Kelly Kilmer Part One - Visual Poetry

Recent visitors to RMBM know that I have been enjoying exploring art journaling. Friends have heard ad nauseam about how excited I was to take my first ever class with Kelly Kilmer at Kept Creations in Whitman, Massachusetts. Well, lovelies, I was not disappointed. It was a wonderful day of creating, learning, laughing and stretching my limits. 

The first class was Visual Poetry and boy was it eye opening! Kelly's work is very striking, powerful and empowering. I did not imagine that I would create the pages I did. I love them! Looking at them it is hard to imagine that they were created by me. I tend to sit and giggle when I look at them. It's simply delightful. 

We collaged, painted, ripped our paper into pages, bound them and then started the actual collage and journalling process. Each layer added depth and strength. 

I finished the cover and the second page in. One page needs some finishing touches and the rest….well they are like an empty playground. They are ready for all kinds of things to happen. Open to possibility. They are conduits of bridging the gap between taking the class and regular life. Looking at them inspiration lurks enticing me to explore. Kelly, you are genius!

Taking a class like this, in person, stretches you. Looking at art journaling videos at home I learn so many things. I am grateful to live now, when so much inspiration is easily available. Still, there is nothing like a real time, human based class. One in which our hesitation is noted, our fears are confronted and our tendencies are checked. More than once Kelly challenged me. She challenged us all to reach out of our color comfort zone. 

Guess which colors I gravitate to….did you even have to think about it? 

Kelly challenged me to add a dark color…maybe black. It was surprising and invigorating. I even liked it… a little. The woman who sat next to me, whose name I remember but will not divulge, used black with abandon. Her pages dripped black, oozed black and boy were they powerful. I started wondering if I didn't want to use black too. I settled for adding a bit here and there and remaining true to my current vision. 

There are so many pages to explore new things. To try new layouts, new tools, and new prompts. 

Each will stretch me. 

Each will teach me something new.

Near the end of workshop number one, Kelly casually posed the idea that one way to approach a design is to challenge yourself to use up the color on the pallet. I looked down at the pallet in front of me and saw a lump of untouched red. It was a big lump. At first I said "no way" but later repented and started swinging the red paint around with abandon. 

I found there is more in me than meets the eye. 

The back cover is testament to the fact that pink and red can coexist quite nicely. 

Enough for one post. I will save class two for another post. Thank you, Kelly, for a wonderful class! Kept Creations, you will be seeing me again.

Present to Myself

I've been absent from blogging this past month. First there was illness and then the hectic pace at the end of the school year. Truth be told, this led to the need for a massive clean up action before I could get to my desk. Oooops! 

School's out and I have given myself a wonderful present. Tomorrow I am heading east to take not just one, but two, classes from Kelly Kilmer! I will be learning more about mixed media and journaling. This is like a dream come true! 

I've packed up my bag of materials and I'm ready to spend a day learning, growing and flinging paint! Can't wait to post the results.