Missalayneeah

New Year, New Word

I still can't believe we are almost 3 weeks into the new year!  Some days the time seems to go by way too fast!  One thing I wanted to improve on this year was staying on top of my blog. I think once I get in the habit again I should be good. 

So for the past several years I've followed along with the one little word challenge. Picking one word that I can focus on as I go through out the year to come. I'm always surprised at how the word comes out during the year and has always been the perfect word for me in just the right time. 

So this year I had been pondering and seeing posts on Facebook about chosen words. I just couldn't come up with one. Nothing was clicking.  I kept telling myself I would figure it out. So finally about 2 weeks ago I decided to jot down some words that came to mind. As I thought about them and looked them up I stumbled upon the word NOURISH. It stood out to me in a way that the other words hadn't. Of course I argued with myself about it being the correct word and what did it look like to others, and all that junk that goes through my head at any moment of the day.  So I decided to just sit with it for a bit and let it soak in.

 As I worked through the day I kept this word in the back of my mind and several thoughts came to me. I finally figured I should just go with it and what did it matter? It's my word to choose! So I finally settled on NOURISH! 

I love the definitions of nourish, but what hit me were some of the synonyms. Cherish, cultivate, sustain, and tend are just a few. It's been a bit of hard road these past 3 1/2 years with so many things that have changed our lives in such a large way. Over the past about 6 months I have finally been able to be more present in life. I'm so grateful for the many things that have brought me to that point. That of course is another post for another time. I do think though this is why nourish is my chosen word. I want to do more of this in my own life as well as with my family and friends. 

One of my favorite things that I do that helps to nourish my soul is to be creative. One of the things I love to do is art journal or just play with my paints and supplies. Taking the time to do this only helps me to be a better person. I love being at my desk with my music, my paints, stamps, and my bowl spilling over with scraps. 

As I work on devoting some more time to my blog this year I hope to share some of the things that I'm working on or do with my one little word. It's amazing how much one little word can do for us!

Do you have a word? Do you choose a word, make goals, make a list? What kinds of things do you do when starting out a new year? I would love to hear!

 

Shop Update

Just wanted to share a quick shop update. We are busy getting ready for Christmas here and adding items, as they are finished.

One of our newest items is the wooden angel.
 Angels hold a very special place in our heart. We thought it would be fun to make a new design this year. We will be adding more finished angels as well as the unfinished wood angels to the shop.

Who doesn't love anything to do with chalkboards?  I know I do! We've added these cute wood chalkboard labels as well. If you want a different shape we also carry them in a fancy square, bird shape, and a heart shape as well. There are so many things to use these for. Right now I think they would look cute on a holiday gift for someone. They would also make a cute teacher or neighbor gift themselves.

I will also be adding my jewelry to the shop this week. Until then this item is listed on my facebook page.
 Make sure to like our page and follow us. The jewelry will be listed there before adding to the Etsy shop. Right now it's less time consuming.  You can also follow us on Instagram for updates.

Thanks so much for your support and have a wonderful weekend!

 

Art Journal Process

Many of you have asked about my art journal process when I create my mini pieces.

By mini pieces I mean anything under the size of an ATC, which is 3 1/2 x 2 1/2.  I create as small as 1 inch squares. So let's get started!

For today I started on just a plain index card. You can use what ever you have handy! Some ideas would be watercolor paper, mixed media paper, even recycled cereal or food boxes. It can be any size you like! This is just a start to the background with some acrylics.

I added a few more layers with stencils using acrylics. I've also added a bit of gesso.

The next layer is from one of my stamps using permanent ink.

 

With this layer I added circles using my watercolor pencils. I usually save these towards the end of my project since they are water-soluble. You can stop at any point in the process and move onto cutting or you can even continue on.

When I cut my shapes I usually turn the paper upside down. This way it is all done randomly.
 Of course you can cut it anyway you desire.

Many of you have asked how I get my circles! I have gotten a lot of use out of this over the years!

So here I have my 3 x 5 card cut down into my mini pieces. I ended up with a 2 inch square, 2 inch circle, a random piece, 2 inchies, 2 banner pieces, and scraps!  I don't toss out my scraps or random pieces. I just use them in other projects.

This is how they look once I added a few details.  You can add words, ink lines, more paint, more stamps, whatever you are inspired to use! You can see the random piece from above I just added some book paper and turned it into a mini house.

Thanks for taking a look at my art journal process! I love making these mini creations. I know there will be many more in my future.

I have a few more photos of the each piece that I will share on my Facebook page.  Stop over and follow us!  There is always something going on over there!  You can also follow me on Pintrest and Instagram if you'd like!

Favorite Pins

So I've been thinking that it would be fun to share some of my favorite pins on a weekly basis. I just thought it would be a fun way to share inspiration and ideas. As I do this I will share pins that I love and want to try as well as pins I have tried.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching I've been in a pinning coma! I know some of you know exactly what I mean! Today I'm going to share Thanksgiving ideas. I know most of you are super organized and ahead of the game. You already know what your plans are! Well then you can save these ideas for next year! Or if you find something you like you still have time to incorporate them into these years’ festivities!

Fall Family Bucket List
Okay so who doesn't have a bucket list? Even if you don't have one in writing most of us make a mental note of things we would like to do. I think it's such a fun idea to take a little bit of time and come up with ideas to do during the season. It helps us to focus on our families and build those wonderful memories.

Thanksgiving Dinner

I thought this was a fun way to look up that much needed information that I always tend to forget every year!

Bread Cones

I thought this could be a fun idea for the kids to help out with. You could even make them look like cornucopias.

Some of my favorite pins are the decorating ideas. I always love to see what others do and am grateful for the inspiration.

Give Thanks

Quick Fall Decor

This is a beautiful and quick idea to add the fall touch to any space!

Thankful For

I love this idea as a decoration and a way to share what we are grateful for! Put those kiddos to work cutting out leaves! Follow the link for a free download of the project.

Be Thankful

My last favorite pin for today is this wonderful free download! I always can find something to be thankful for! This would look cute in a frame or just hung up with a clothespin.

I hope you found something that you enjoyed and can use! I'm on the hunt for next week's favorite pins! I think I will be using a time to try and avoid the pintrest coma!

If you want to see more hop on over and follow me on Pintrest.

 

 

Fun Art Projects

Wood House

Where has the time gone?  Always on my "to do" list is update blog! I thought I would share with you some fun art projects I've been working on.

We have been working on a lot of new items for Miss Alayneeah (the Etsy shop).  Of course there will be some Christmas stuff coming as well as home decor and crafting supplies. It's been a fun process to work on these projects.

Sometimes I feel like I have many creative personalities. By this I mean I have so many things that I enjoy doing and many styles that come along with those things. Do you ever feel this way?  In the past I've tried to contain it to just one "style".  Ya for an artist/crafter with ADD tendencies that just doesn't work!  So I figured why fight it! I can have and enjoy more then one style.  Why not, right?!

With those many styles comes the "other" projects I work on after the shop stuff!  Don't get me wrong I love working on the shop stuff, but I find I need some creative play time to just do whatever.  For those times I tend to turn to my sketching, painting, and art journals.  This is why you will see such a different style in my shop versus my other creative outlets.

Another fun art project I continue to work on are the mini pieces I started over the summer. They vary in size from 1 inch up to about 4 inches.  I explain about it here. I've continued to work on them between everything else.  Above is a "twinchie" I recently finished. Also over the summer I joined a few new Facebook groups that share projects they are working on. I've met some wonderful people through doing this. I've also been inspired through the sharing of their work.

So when a new group was started it made it a bit easier for me to join. I've always enjoyed drawing, but have always struggled with people and faces. Over the years I have always loved the faces and girls that have been created in the mixed media and art journaling world. Have you seen Dina Wakley's work? I love her style among many others.

So onto the fun project that I am doing. I met Tracy Scott in one of the facebook groups over the summer. She has recently put together a new group to focus on faces. You create 100 faces and share them as you go along. You can search facebook for the group under "studio7ARTacademy". It's a very fun and supportive group!

So far I've created and shared 4 faces. It's been a fun way to learn and figure out my own style. I really enjoy the time I take to work in my art journals! This photo here is my first face of 100! As of now I have 96 to go! I can't wait to see the faces as they progress! It will be fun to look back and see what emerges and changes as I work through the project.

So what fun art projects are you working on? I would love to see them or learn more! I love learning and seeing others work! I hope we can all have the "me time" we need no matter what it is!

If you would like to see current updates on my art projects you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pintrest.

Have a creative day! Kim

 

Buy Handmade...

There are so many talented people out their and so many wonderful things to choose from!

We know you have many choices when it comes to purchasing supplies or handmade items. Thanks so much for those of you that have purchased from my shop in the past. I hope you will find our new Etsy store a fun place to visit and shop!

Some of you may already know that we recently opened the store. Just thought I would share here to spread the word along with a few photos!

I think this advent calendar is one of my favorite things right now!  I'm in love with the colors and textures on it. Plus all the pockets have been hand stamped and adorned with vintage and new embellishments to add to the charm and vintage feel. I love the way the unfinished edges on the pockets look and add texture. It was definitely a fun project to work on!

One of my favorite things to do when relaxing is to do some hand stitching. This calendar has plenty of that to add to the style of it.  Lots of love went into each of these calendars. One of our ideas was to use it as a gratitude countdown. The pockets are big enough to fit a small tag. Every day each family member writes something they were grateful for on a tag and put it in the pocket. As a family you can read them together each night or make it a weekly thing.

In doing the tags I thought it would be fun to have your kids especially write their names and dates on the back.  For us moms this will be a fun thing to look back on in the future. The tags can be added to scrapbook pages, mini albums, or even strung on a ribbon to look at.

Here you can see some tags in pockets 8 and 9. I have several of these cute tags made up and ready to photograph. I'm trying to get them in the shop soon. Of course you could always make your own tags.  It would even be fun to do as a family.

The calendar is displayed with a hand painted hanger. We've also added handmade fabric flowers layered with vintage buttons. The hanger comes off the calendar for easier storage.

Hope you have enjoyed this update. I will continue to share shop goodies along with some art journaling. I have a few things I've been working on in my journal. Also a fun way to get out of your comfort zone when working in your journals.

Thanks for stopping by, Kim

Shop Update!

Thought I would pop in and update the progress on the shop!  We have been working hard on photographing all the product that we had on hand. Along with this we have been busy coming up with and working on a few new ideas!  If you follow us on facebook or instagram then you have been able to follow along on the progress and the sneak peeks I've been sharing.

This is the most recent photo that I shared earlier today. It's a quick photo of an advent calendar that we are working on!  They are turning out so cute! I'm thinking I need to keep one for myself! Yikes! Even though I love how it's coming out we hit a few setbacks with it this past weekend and it was at the point of throwing it away!  At least frustration wise!  After taking a break and tweaking a few things my amazing mom has worked it out!

We are in the process of loading editing, pricing, finding shipping info, and all that fun behind the scenes stuff that some of us creative people don't love!  I promise it is almost there!  We will be opening very soon and then just adding as we go, because if we wait until it's perfect, well...

If you want to follow along find us on Facebook here. You can also find us on Instagram here.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and support! We are super excited to share this with you!

One last photo to get you in the Halloween mood!

I found these quirky vintage skeletons in my stash and added a fun little bow-tie! These will be in the shop for a super deal! Plus I have an idea in my head that I'm going to see how it turns out with one of them!

Back to work I go! Have a great one!

 

Coming Soon!

I am on cloud nine today!  Yes because I finally get to share some news that I have been wanting to share for awhile now.  I waited to fix a few bumps in the road, but I just have to share!

Some of you have been long time friends and followers and remember that over 3 years ago I had an Etsy shop.  I have always been a lover of creating.  My creating ranges from so many things including paper, wood, photography, jewelry, a tiny bit of sewing, painting, drawing and so much more.  Creating just fills a space in my soul that just makes me happy!  In doing so at an early age I found that I loved sharing those things with others and started with boutiques and craft shows.  Those led to so many fun adventures and opportunities. I have been able to meet some amazing people along this journey and be inspired by so many talented people!  In doing these things I found a love in teaching and sharing projects. I also developed a true love of vintage and nostalgic items!  Finding these things makes me so giddy! I started using these things in most of my projects and home decor.  I could be found almost every weekend at the antique stores, garage sales, or thrift stores hunting for that perfect gem!  Of course in finding all these little goodies I had a stockpile that was growing much faster then one person could ever possibly use!  With this stockpile and my love for wood working I decided to open an Etsy store in 2007.  I loved being able to share these found items and ideas with others. My Etsy shop was open for 4 years before I made a decision to put it on "vacation mode".  This was such a hard decision for me since I loved what I did, but I had to take some time for me and for my family.  You may already know that in March of 2011 our sweet daughter Kelsey passed away at the age of 16 due to some issues with her diabetes. Honestly at the time I didn't think it would take more then 3 years to be in a better place to do this again. I won't get into all the ups and downs now. That's for another reveal soon!

This post is about sharing exciting news!  I'm in the process of reopening my shop!  I'm so excited to finally be able to do this and share it with you!  I had an open date of September 1st, but it's been pushed back just a bit.  I will keep you posted as to the exact day!  I just couldn't wait anymore to share it!

So what will you be able to find in the shop?  Great question! I still have my stockpile and much more! You will be able to find some "oldies, but goodies" including some of the mini kits, wood shapes, vintage supplies etc. These things will be added to the shop first since they are all ready to go!

Is there anything new in the works?  Oh so glad you asked!  I'm so excited to share that I won't be doing this journey alone!  My wonderful and talented mom will be along for the ride with me on this one!  I'm so excited to be doing this with her!  We have a list of things we want to offer to you. It's almost scary to say it's a long list!  So we will just work on that list and add things as we complete them.  If they get a good response then we will continue to offer them!

 

If you follow along with us on Instagram or Facebook then you might have seen this photo yesterday that I shared.  This is a peek at some fabric that is being used in a new project!  Hoping for it to be done by the time we open!

We are both so excited to be starting this new journey and hope that you will join us!  If you haven't joined us on Facebook or Instagram yet then hop on over and do so!  All of the updates can be found their first!  Don't worry we will still keep you updated here on all that is happening!

Hoping you are as excited as we are!

What is that?

I've been getting this question a lot lately.  So I've been wanting to write a blog post for several weeks about it.  With school back in full swing and a few other things done I'm taking the time today to answer this.

If I said ATC, Inchie, Twinchie, Twirkle, or Mini would you know what that was?  You might be like me. I had an idea, but wasn't really sure.  And if I know what it is what the heck is it for?

My journey started right before ICAD (index card a day) started this summer. I had painted a larger piece of paper and after I was finished I decided to cut it down into smaller pieces.  So I cut several 3 x 3 inch pieces.

I used them as a jumping off point to create mini pieces of art.  So pretty simple.  This is just a mini piece of art.  When I started these I was just doing it for fun and saved them in a little container. As I started ICAD I was inspired by several women that shared their work.  Working on such a tiny piece was out of my comfort zone, but I loved how they looked so I figured I would give it a try.I started with doing a few "Inchies" The definition of inchie is -  one inch by one inch squares of paper (or fiber) that contain small art, collaged or hand-drawn. Pretty basic right?  You just put your own spin on it. So after doing several of these I was hooked! I continued to work on them, but also started a collection of "Twinchies"

So a Twinchie is the same concept, but it's a 2 inch square.  So just a little more space to work with. As I got more comfortable with these I started thinking of different shapes in the same sizes.

I started doing some 2 inch circles.  I shared these with an art group on facebook and someone suggested we call them "twirkles".  So that's what I refer to them now.

I came across this cute punch while I was out shopping one day and knew they would make cute mini pieces of art.  So these are just a mini flag. They are about 1 x 2 inches.

Several years ago when I first got into the mixed media I was introduced to ATC's. I hadn't done any in a long time, but decided to add a few of these to my collection of mini art.  ATC stands for artist trading card. These are kind of like baseball cards for artists.  They measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. Artists can trade them one on one or even as a group. You can compare them to a business card done with your artwork.  If you see this size for sale then they are referred to as an ACEO.  This stands for artist card editions and originals. They can be the original or a print.

Something else I started creating are these mini houses. I was inspired by a friend on facebook. Diane Scott. She has beautiful artwork and loves to work with the mini pieces as well. You can follow her here. The houses vary in size, but I try to keep them on the mini side.

 

So with all of these mini pieces I enjoy using up scraps or cutting down larger pieces that I'm not loving. I enjoy creating various shapes. It works for me. I tend to bounce around with several projects. I have really enjoyed working outside of my comfort zone this summer and finding something else that I love making! In doing so I have a few ideas for these mini pieces.  Working on those ideas now. I will also be sharing more of the process with you in photos.  This way you can see how it starts and then ends up into these tiny pieces. I will also give and share ideas of what you can do with them if you decide to create your own. You can see more of my mini collections on my instagram, pintrest or my facebook page. Hope this answers some of your questions. Take sometime to create!

 

More ICADs

Thought I would share a few more of my ICAD's that are completed. The challenge is coming to an end next week.  The goal is to create for 61 days. Even though I don't have that many cards I have been creating almost daily.  As I worked on my cards I was inspired by so many women and my creating took a new path.  A path that I continued to follow, which leads to less index cards!

ICAD 30 - Early on I found out how much I love the collages or the one staple collage.  This is one of my favorites this year.
ICAD 31 (memory card 1) - This card was created on our plane ride with just a simple sharpie.

With all cards I learn something.  Usually it's a new technique or what I need practice with or things that I love doing that I didn't know I would love.  These cards have a completely different meaning. We took a trip a few weeks back to North Carolina.  I decided to pack a few things so I could create in my spare time. So these cards are created with items that we used or found along our short trip.  They are a reminder of our trip and time together.  My hubby said I should call them "memory cards". I love that and hope I can continue to make more memory cards even if we aren't going out of town! Just another take on scrapbooking, journaling, smashbooking, or whatever else we call it!
ICAD 32 (memory card 2) - I did this card while on the place as well. The photo isn't the best, but it's here! The blue doodles were a loose interpretation of the plane window. Aliya had m&m's, the mini pretzels, paper from my water bottle, coke bottle from the napkin, orange piece from my hubbies chips, text from the magazine on the plane (shhh don't tell)
ICAD 33 (memory card 3) - Everytime I see this one it makes me laugh! That's because the tiny sticker at the bottom that says Happy Socks reminds me of not so happy accident! You know one of those that isn't funny until it's over!  I had gone and bought some new flip flops for the trip.  Now these weren't the cheapy ones mind you. You may think that when you hear the story.  One pair I had already worn for a few days before leaving.  I packed those and another pair. For the flight I wore a new pair. Everything was fine until I had my hands full with my purse, snacks for Aliya and walking back to wait at the gate when my flip flop broke! Ya and not like where you can stick it back into the sole and continue on. The part that goes between your toes just broke! So in the middle of a full airport and my hands full with a broken shoe we were now being called to board!  My cute hubby even stopped one of the janitors and got a piece of plastic tie. He thought he could "Macgyver" it back together. Nope! So I just boarded our flight with my bag, my purse and my flip flop in hand!  Of course these are the kind that are 2 inches thick, kinda like low heel shoe.  So I limped down the hallway and onto the plain with my shoe in hand trying to not laugh! So we happened to have a layover before our final arrival. Of course now I have to limp around with sandal in hand and wait a few hours before boarding again. Now came the dilemma of using the bathroom! I was already not enjoying the fact that I was barefoot on the airport floor, but NO WAY was I going into the bathroom without my shoe!  As my hubby went off in search for something else to wear I put my one sandal back on and as I walked I just slid my foot across the floor. Of course there was a long line in the restroom and I know they were all looking at me and not the wall behind me!  As I left the rest room my hubby came to my rescue with a pair of black socks with bright polka dots!  We found a seat to wait for our flight and for me to put on my one sock!  Yep the socks were called "Happy Socks". Of course you would think the fun would end there, but NO my hubby being the comedian he thinks he is had to act like I had injured my foot.  He kept asking "Are you okay?" "Is it still swollen?" Do you need me to get you a wheelchair"" Ya I thought people are already looking so just give them another reason to wonder! So there you have it the story of Happy Socks sticker!
ICAD 34 (memory card 4) - This card is collaged with times found in the hotel room.  The first night we arrived they had individual homemade cookies in cute little brown sacks for us! What a treat after a long flight! Cute little chocolates on the bed with pretty wrappers of rooms from the hotel.  My favorite was the containers the soap and shampoo came in. I loved the text used on these.

These batch of index cards/memory cards I will probably keep separate.  I love the idea of sifting through them and having wonderful memories. I think I may start a new box to add more "memory cards" to!

Thanks for stopping by and make it a creative week!