Visually Speaking

Warm Up- Using inks on wet fabric

All week I've been trying to come up with the idea for something amazing. I wanted it to be as close to genius as I can get. It sooo wouldn't come. The ideas were there but nothing in the way of what I felt I needed. So I took my (and your) advice and decided to give myself a little bit of time to play. I had a deadline looming yes, but it's like a pre-game stretch. I need to play around for a while just to get into my groove.

Sketching with the Inktense pencils on wet fabric

And groove it I did. :) I took pics of both my warm- up and a close up sneak peek of the piece I did after to share with you. For the warm up I was playing around with watersoluble materials like Distress inks, inktense pencils, and fabric markers on wet fabric. The fabric I used was a sheer curtain fabric someone had given me. It felt pretty polyester-y but still absorbed water fairly well. To begin I tried rubbing the ink on the fabric and then wetting it by putting it face down on a slightly wet surface. That produced a pretty watercolor effect. Then I started to work into it with the inktense pencils, and other inks. How wet the fabric was definitely made a difference in how opaque the color and how much it bled into the area around it. I found I really liked how intense the pencils were so I wet a second piece of the fabric and started to draw some butterflies. I wanted to see how they performed when sketching and not just laying down color. After I sketched in the color of the wings with the pencils I grabbed a fabric marker and outlined a bit. I LOVED how that looked. The marker bled into this fabulous watercolor look while still maintaining a line. Gorgeous!

Pulling it together

These were my play pieces- after which I started work on the mixed media work for the magazine. Because I was feeling energized and "in the groove" already from the playtime I was able to really jump into the mixed media piece already feeling connected to that artist part of myself. All in all I'm really glad I took the time to "warm up" my creative side with play.

Super Sneak Peek of the Mixed Media Work :)

'Tis the Season Kick Off Post

'Tis the Season to be Merry and to kick off the season I thought I'd do a week of decorating ideas and tutorials.Today I've got a few decorating trends to tell you about and then throughout the week I'll have tutorials that will illustrate fun ways that you can incorporate these trends into your holiday decor this year. SO if you're looking for some seasonal inspiration I'd love to have you follow along this week. I've also a secret surprise for my blog and facebook fans at the end of today's post- just to say thank you and to help kick off the merriness!


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Seasonal Inspirations: Trend Report

Trend #1:Woodland Wonderland
Forest inspired decor has been huge this last year or so. Now, birch branches, birds, mushrooms, owls, and fawns, among other things have all found their way into seasonal decor as well. This is a natural look that makes the most of the simple beauty and colors inherent in natural objects. It's also all about textures; and twiggy nests or branches are a sweet detail to add to your tree or wreath. If you decide to add some of this trend to your decorating this year you might want to go foraging for birch branches, mixed greens, and pick up some permanent accessories like red berry branches and maybe a couple of cardinal's. I particularly like the bright red of these accessories when they are coupled with flocked branches and white birch. The red and white against the dark green of the Christmas tree or Christmas wreaths create a beautiful contrast.

Trend #2: Go Green
Chartreuse green! Green on green with a little extra gold to accent are a classy take on the monochromatic craze. Keep the color palette simple and the shapes and textures take center stage. It works in mixed media and it works here too. I've decorated in this style in the past and I really do love how elegant it is. It really doesn't take much either, a few chartreuse ball ornaments tucked here or there, some green-gold berry branches, look great with variegated garlands and wreaths.

Trend #3: Poinsettia Power
The red and green combination just screams Christmas and can be kitschy or artsy depending on how you spin it. The poinsettia trend makes the most of this complementary color combo by placing big leafy red flowers against a background of deep green. It draws attention while still seeming fairly natural and not overdone at all. If I were to go this route this year I might pick up a few permanent poinsettia sprays from my local craft store and simply insert the sprays into the tree here or there. Poinsettias are so large that they can be seen from a distance and still identified so I might incorporate a few of these into my front door wreath to great effect. There's a lot of bang for your buck here.

Trend #4: Fabulous Flocked
Personally this is the trend that I'm loving the most right now. Last year I added icicle ornaments to my tree and hung crystal snowflakes in my front window. The white is taking the ice trend just a little bit further by focusing on heaps of snow, fresh fallen flakes, and snowballs. Lots and lots of snowballs! The flocked look can also be incorporated into the woodland trend as fresh fallen snow weighing down your tree's branches. Or you can couple it with the Peppermint Candy trend that's next!

Trend #5 Peppermint Candy Cute
I took my son with me to the wholesaler and this is the tree vignette he loved the most. Really it's fun, whimsical, red and white, and so so sweet- what's not to love about it? It's really easy to try this trend this year since Martha Stewart came out with a line of really affordable ornaments that come by the 50, 75, or 100 count that fit in perfectly with this trend. She even has cute little wrapped candy ornaments, and oversized candy canes to push your wreath or tree over that line of way too cute. Most of the items in this line are also shatter-proof (i.e. plastic) so they make the perfect addition to your outdoor decor. I mean who wouldn't love a pot of spruce tips with a big ol' candy cane or two sticking out of it?

Trend #6: Handmade Happiness
This is the trend I love the most and the trend that my ornaments seem to fit the best. It's whimsical, lovely, and one of a kind. This is another trend that kids love. Especially since the ornaments they've handmade over the years fit in perfectly on this tree. God's eyes from camp experiences past, school projects, they all enrich this look. Last year all the Starbuck's had wreaths made of yarn balls, this is a great example of the handmade trend.
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These are the trends I've been spotting this season and this next week I'll show you some ideas for making affordable and homemade accents and ornaments. I SO can't wait!! I'd also LOVE to hear which of the trends above appeals to YOU the most. What color combination's are you drawn to? Are you classic or whimsical in your seasonal design? Please leave a comment!

OK- Ready for the big secret? To help Celebrate the Christmas Season I've a coupon for my etsy shop, Bird From a Wire, good for 20% off any item in my shop this week. To take advantage of this just type in the coupon code CHRISTMASFUN1010 at checkout. Enjoy!!!