Mother - Daughter ... tell me a story

 So a while ago, blog friend and blog writer Cory from Pink Dogwood Blossom's blog - sent me over her entry for my Tell Me A Story contest ( that ends today by the way). She  had so much fun doing her tutu story that she got her grown daughter into the mix as well.

Her daughter Teresa who owns T Pots Pottery in Truckee California... sent in this really cute journal page that she added a little fun story to. I think they both did a fabulous job. 

Thanks Ladies for playing.... 

I will be adding both your names for the super deluxe and fantastic prize for the month. I know someone lovely and deserving will win this one.

Next.... 

Letter Writing Prep.

So.... for those that do not know....

April is National Letter Writing Month. 

And I am looking for a few great pen pals. 

Read the post here to tell you all about it.

join us....

won't you

* * *

so.... show me some of the fabulous cards and writings that you are doing durring the month of march. That's the blog challenge for the month. Cards, letters and postcards. I will post them here.... send them to me via email 

lindsayostrom@yahoo.com

Wednesday Workday... the awning

Well, again... i intened to post a tutorial for you all but I have biiger goals this week. My friend Marilyn and I decided to make our own awning for our little vintage trailers. She sewed hers over the weekend. Strips of wild upholstry fabric for her qypsy trailer and it looks so good. I wanted to paint mine because i couldn't find any fabric that screams... "hey, i'm a hippy and this is my best friend and trailer Little Miss Sunshine" - so, i am painting my fabric and then making the awning.

So my husband is gone for 5 days and it's super cold and windy outside. What a better place to paint but the living room floor. Since we have no couches right now there is plenty of room. As i was laying out the tarp, them a white sheet from the thrift store and then the outdoor canvas i thought - "Oh thank heavens my dad isn't here to see this, he would ground me for sure" and then... as i started splashing paint all over the canvas i thought ... " hmmm, i am glad my husband is gone for 5 days or i might be divoriced" - not really... but i can hear him screaming at me in my head.

I mixed textile medium with the paints ( which i should have bought three times as much of ) and put them into these little squirt bottles. I took a deep breath and started in. 

I knew i wanted circles and polka dots. But all the canvas that I saw online and at the store, were all stripes and nothing that really said... hello, this is lindsay the crazy artsy girls trailer. So... i started the first layer with the deep golden brown first and then the sunshine yellow on the top.

This is the first 3 1/2 x 7' panel or three that I have to paint. And this is just the first layer. I am letting it dry and then adding text ( of course ) and more dots and splashes. The little valance in the front is going to have my trailers name on it "Little Miss Sunshine" and it's gonna have lots of streamers and hangy downy stuff from the edges. I will keep posting as i get further and further. I will be done for sure by Memorial Weekend for International Glamping Weekend. My group, the Sassy Sisters of the Sierra's is hosting a weekend of vintage fun at Rollin's Lake in Northern California. ... so so excited. 

I think that Charley thought i was nuts getting down on my hands and knees splashing paint everywhere. He just sat there and looked at me thinking... " man, I am so glad that my dad is gone for the week" ..... hehehe, me too!

Stay tuned.

Have you signed up for

National Letter Writing Month????

click here for info....

National Letter Writing Month

Ok.... well, it's the fourth year for 

the blog's 

NATIONAL LETTER WRITING MONTH

it might still look like winter, but

spring is almost here and that's right...

APRIL is the best month of the year.

It's when i pair up blog buddies to 

write cards and letters back and forth to each other

all month long. 

(interested... email me at lindsayostrom@yahoo.com)

here's how it works....

*give me your name and address

*i will pair you up with one or more pen pals

* you write cards ( handmade prefered) , postcards, 

letters, mail arts... whatever goes thru the mail - back

and forth for the whole month

*sometimes you will get a card from someone who isn't 

your blog buddy / pen pal. Then, it's appropriate to 

send them a card back as a thank you 

( here's where the crazy and wild fun comes in )

* It is polite to answer someone when you get a 

card or a letter from them and so it goes round

and round and round and round - i think we had about

50 pen pals last year!

* please let me know if you are ok with someone

out of the country and/ or more than one pen pal

Ok? Got it

it's the most fun you will ever have! 

you really should email me... you won't be sorry.

NO MORE BLOG PEN PALS WILL BE PAIRED UP

AFTER MARCH 20TH - NO KIDDING!!!

lindsayostrom@yahoo.com

bee... workday wednesday

when i was in college, a teacher taught us to do pic tracings. I loved it but it didn't seem very creative. I have used that pic trick alot: in embroideries, in art and now in quilting. Start with an "artsy" pic. This is my daughter bailey with a succulant

put your muslin over the top of the pic and a light box or a light source

tape it all down with masking tape - the picture and the muslin

just go for it. Trace all the light sources... dark and light. I use a black PITT pen from Faber Castell. Take you time and keep untaping to look at the pic - or print out two so you have the crisp on to keep eyeballing.

when you are done... turn off the light source and check it. Make any corrections from there.

I use Jacquard and Tsukinekp inks to paint. Make sure you have some paper underneath to absorb some of the fluid so it doesn't bleed... sometimes it's gonna bleed. Don't sweat it, just make it a happy accident and do something with the bleed.

I loved it at this stage... but i wanted more

so i used some sprtiz sprays and art journaling tools to get it a little more edgy...

on the back i used sticker letters and spray to add her name. I them pulled the stickers away and had a great resist look. Lovely!

add in a bit of hand stitching

some seed beads...

a beautiful piece of driftwood from the oregon coast

and done.

All in an afternoon. 

I have started my second one

so much fun...

look for these in the magazines ( fingers crossed )

happy

workday wednesday....

what are you working on????

map to my heart....

Valentine's is over.

Mr. Sandman came and took my honey to slumberland

and I am left to continue to play with maps...

my newest obsession. 

loving these.

loving him.

loving art!

Happy Valentine's Day 

world of love...

you mean the world to me.

Happy Valentine's Day

2013

WW ... wednesday workday

so... i found a post about a cool lady, Jane Davies from

jane davies studios in vermont

she is a postmaster and owns the cutest little post office that is 

pictured here and she is trying to keep it and save it, one 

postcard at a time. To read about her challenge...

go to her blog here

 this is the postcard that I sent her and I thought i would share it 

with you for workday wednesday...

I take old 33 rpm record albums and turn them into postcards. I have

 sent over 15 and they have all arrived without a problem. 

I usually start by painting over the label to make it

doodle worthy... This one i did in all white so that I could doodle 

right on top of it 

if you incorporate your stamps ( about $2 US postage ) ... then your design

works out alot better.

then on one side i write my letter and on the other side i add in the address.

I always add in a return address... but i have NEVER 

had one returned. Let's hope this one gets to Jane in good shape.

This is just a hint of the kind of things that we do durring

National Letter Writing Month.

Coming up in April. Email me if you 

want to be paired up with a pen pal for the funnest month of 

letter writing and going to the mailbox

that you will ever have.

Next... i want to share an egg that I made for my mom and dad's 

67th wedding anniversary... a bit more zen doodling

except this one is on a goose egg.

this is a bowl of eggs that I have done for them over the past oh,

about 30 years i would say.

the finished piece.... given to them on their 

67th wedding anniversary.

Until next Wednesday....

Love You More!

in honor of valentines day

and the workday wednesday zendoodle....

i did another one for you to color.

CLICK on the pic or here to download

print this out on some watercolor paper and give it a go.

I used watercolor, colored pencil and oil pastel.

Layer, layer and layer some more!

give it a go

so... where are we all with the challenge for the month, hum?

Tell me a story

I still want to see your art

Weekley Wednesday Workday.... zen doodles....

Ok ladies and gents....

welcome to my first ever Wednesday Workday Turtorial.

can i get a whoot wooo?

It's on Zen Doodling.

I figured that since your project and challenge for the month was on Telling Me a Story, that I would take pitty on you and give you a little template ( she is at the bottom ).

Grab just a few tools and have at it!

You don't need much... a black pen, some white paper, a pencil, an eraser and shapes that you can trace from stencils or die cuts- or draw your own.

these two pages... if you CLICK on them, they will open in a file that you can then print out on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet to keep for your very own. so...

click here for the zen doodle patterns

* i think i fixed the privacy problems, please let me know if these do not open now

sorry for the issues... it's my first attempt to do this.

click here for the zen doodle steps

then click here for this sweet little zen girl. I love her becuase she is filled with the lines in her skirt so that you can TELL ME A STORY, or you can use your doodles to fill in the lines. I am gonna make one too... so I will post mine when she is done. Try putting a fancier paper into your printer. I love printing on watercolor paper so that I can use watercolors when I color the whole piece in. Check out the TELL ME A STORY post so that you can enter that challenge. Next time... i hope to post a video for you to follow. Oooh goodie. Ok... Happy Wednesday.

tell me a story.... february blog challenge

almost all of my has a story to tell.

this sweet little girl says...

"she knew the moon was her friend"

this little rabbit girl, is me. and she is talking about 

getting back to her rabbitness...

this journal pages reads...

"once in a very blue moon she let's her hair down and kicks up her heels

in sheer delight"

last but not least... a home on a hill.

so..... what story do you have to tell?

show me your art and tell a story in it. 

I want to see your lettering. Ok, i guess if you

absolutley hate your lettering... you can stamp it, 

print it on the computer or do some magazine cut outs.

But... write a little mini story.

Here's an easy way to start....

SHE loves, SHE knows, SHE sees... start with SHE and 

write a little make believe story around it.

Let me see what you do...

email me at lindsayostrom@yahoo.com

before the end of the month and you 

will be entered to win a hand made piece of 

story telling art from me.

ok....

and go 49er's

(it is super bowl sunday, after all)