paint and potatoes ...

... the staples of a creative life.

Some days, I'm just too busy to stop and play with words. When things get crazy, I am finding it is best to return to the basics and indulge my inner child. So out came the potatoes, the carving knife and the bin of paints. Cowgirl and I spent the afternoon sprawled on the floor experimenting with color and stamping anything within reach. I couldn't even stop to take pictures, the ride was that wild, that ... well ... joyous.

Cowgirl's prints:










And from her journal:






My cards:












Some of the cards were textured cardstock that we painted in dry brush or wet wash, using two colors of craft acrylic paints and blotting, smearing with baby wipes. I also used postcards I had gessoed with a thick layer and then stamped foam stamps into the gesso to create a textured effect. When the gesso was dry, I then applied a coat of paint, let it dry and applied a second contrasting color on top of that, removing color and some of the gesso with a baby wipe. Then I stamped on top of them using craft acrylic paints applied onto the potato stamp. All of these ideas were inspired by what I am doing in Em Falconbridge's Got Paint Course. We are in heaven!

Okay, Joy Warriors, your mission for the weekend:






Got that? Report back on Monday. I expect a lot of paint to be spilled, hands messy and hearts filled.

(Meanwhile, I've got some stuff simmering in my mind ... big A-Ha's coming up soon. Definitely good stuff happening all around. The Right-Brainers Business Summit by Jennifer Lee is rockin' my mismatched socks off! )

i got to meet Jennifer at Squam; here we are posing for the lovely Susannah Conway
notice our almost matching scarves?