Let What You LOVE Be What You DO!

I cannot believe another month has flown by and it is MARCH 1st today!  February flew by so fast that I almost missed my deadline for Altered Eclectics and that would have just  been a SHAME! But here is a Canvas I created using Susan K. Weckesser's stamp set from the Unity Stamp Company called "Sail Away".

This is an 8x10 stretched canvas using an acrylic paint background and the Sail Away stamp set which I stamped several times, colored with my Copics and then cut out and layered using my foam pop dots to create some dimension.

And then accented with Ranger's Stickles and Close To My Heart Liquid Glass.  The sentiments were stamped on tissue paper with waterproof Archival Ink and then applied to the canvas using a liquid gel medium.  I love the colors, the energy and the message of this wee bit of ART...

Thanks for popping in to day to see what I am up to and please do pop on over to the Altered Eclectics site to see what my fellow design team mates have created and do consider joining in where we you have all month to participate (until March 31st) and it's always ANYTHING GOES as long as it's not a card or ATCs!

CHEERS

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

Sharing Some Lovely Tags ...

Happy Friday everyone!  I am getting in just under the wire to link up with Unity Stamp's "Friends with Flair" today, and I hope you like these three tags I created using one of the first set of stamps I ever purchased from Unity, "Decadent Pear", which have not gotten nearly enough use for how beautiful and versatile they are.  

I created the backgrounds for these tags stamping them with sepia coloured Archival ink and using sprays from Dylusions and Tattered Angels.

I stamped my pear images onto 140lbs watercolor paper in again with Archival sepia ink and then sprayed the paper with the same colors as I used on my background, after which I cut out and pasted my images onto the tags, layering and using foam pop dots as required.

I accented with a gold gel pen, added a bit of CTMH Liquid Glass for some shine and created a few shadows with my copic markers to make them pop off the page.

Now if you have been following any of my previous blog posts you know that Mr. Awesome finished my second studio space last week and I have been working pretty much non-stop in there, getting my hands all dirty and cut up playing with my stained glass. (happy sigh) I am so pleased with my first creation in two years that I thought I would share share it with you even though it is only about 75% complete.

I am calling it "Quilt Blocks" and although the glass portion is finished I am trying to decide what to do with the frame, and I think embossed metal is going to come into play, but I will share the completed project with all of you when I am done!

As always, Thank you for popping in today to see what I am up to, and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

 

 

WOYWW #299 .... (What's on YOUR Workdesk Wednesday)

Oh Boy-Oh Boy-Oh Boy! It's the 299th What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Can you imagine what a milestone that is? How many of us could carry through a blogging commitment for almost six years? I am sure when Ms. Julia Dunnit of the Stamping Ground started this little challenge and invited her followers to share their work desks she did not realize what an amazing event she was creating, nor that it would catch on WORLDWIDE - but I am truly glad that she did and that I have discovered this awesome play date every week.

I missed last week's joining in and hopping through so I have made a HUGE effort to make sure I am here today and I will absolutely be linking up next week for the 300th WOYWW.  Here is my space in my FIRST studio-where I am learning to use gold leaf in my life book lesson #8...

On this FIRST desk you can see the really cool tool/pen/brush holder I made using a box, duct tape and toilet paper rolls after I saw the one that Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith made (see her blog post HERE). And just in case you were wondering the styrofoam egg cartons are what I use for disposable paint pallets, this way they get one more use before I throw them away as they are not recyclable.   

The "my leftovers" tin is actually my garbage can, altered from an old Coffeemate tin, and the wee book is a child's board book covered in chalk paint which I am currently altering ... I guess you could call this week's desk the RECYCLE/RE-USE space, Grin. And now for the Very First Reveal of my 2nd Space:

Yes, I said Second space, because thanks to the amazing man I share my life with (who shall now be permanently referred to as "Mr. Awesome") I now have TWO studios - one for paper/paint and inky goodness and the other for stained glass mosaics and soft metal embossing... SWOON! 

Can you see my First Studio through the sliding barn-door opening Mr. Awesome created?

This is the Reveal because no one has seen this yet - Mr. Awesome created me this amazing space, dedicated to my mosaic and metal embossing work, from a 4.5ft wide by 12.5ft long unfinished space in our basement.  As you can see there is tonnes of storage...

and although I may add some upper storage in the future, or maybe some magnetic strips for holding my patterns and inspirational photos at eye-level, it is absolutely perfect for me and my stained glass mosaics.

His Being an Electrician means Great Lighting and lots of outlets

Here is a peek at my latest project (quilt squares) and a couple of finished pieces to give you an idea of what I mean by Stained Glass Mosaics

I LOVE this piece and these have become my signature flowers

As always THANK YOU for popping in to see what I am up to these days, and please do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing...
Cheers!
Lynne Mizera

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #28 - "A" is for Accident!

Hello all my Peeps! and YES... it's another Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge... the first of 2015 for me... and Edna is looking a wee bit "beat up" in this Challenge #28:

"A" is for Accident (or Get Well Soon!)

You have two entire weeks to create a something relating to this "Get Well Soon" theme (and of course the more irreverent or sarcastic the BETTER!) for a chance to be selected as our Queen or Princesses of Snark - complete with bragging rights and an awesome digital badge for your Blog... just link up to the current challenge on the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Blog HERE:

I created four cards for this challenge all using a line of get well soon digital stamps designed by the amazing Mr. Guy Gondron... You can visit his Etsy store HERE.  I colored my images using my copic markers and didn't really do a lot else except find the right words...

As always thanks for popping in to see what I am up to these days... and please do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!!

Cheers... Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

It's All About Contrasts...

It's Fridaaay! and for me that means another Unity Stamp's Friends with Flair!  Today I am sharing with you a journal page I created using some of my favorite Donna Downey Unity stamps, the "Be Still Watercolor Kit" and the oversized versions of the same flowers using Watercolor 4 and Watercolor 7. 

Now this journal page is all about honouring this quote by Vincent Van Gogh:

"There would be no Blue without Yellow and without Orange." 

 

which is a reminder to me that it is our differences, or our "unique-ness", which allows us to appreciate the Unique-ness of others...Because sometimes we need the contrast to see a persons true inner beauty. 

So if you have been feeling inadequate or worse, if you have been beating yourself up for being YOU... stop... because the YOU that you are is necessary in so many ways you don't even realize.

{Namaste}

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

And Then She Soared....

  ...And then she SOARED! 

This is exactly how I am feeling today... Smile! This past year I have been trying to live my life authentically and truthfully, saying how I feel but from a place of love. But all my life I have struggled with a hairpin trigger in the anger department as well as an inability to hear how LOUD I am (smile).  But today I feel like all that hard work, like trying to think before I speak and speaking from a place of LOVE, feels like it is finally paying off as I handled multiple incidents these past few days with grace and tolerance and LOVE... I have created this 5x7 canvas as a tribute and reminder to myself that the hard work does pay off and when you accomplish that goal it feels like THIS!

A Happy ME Saying Thank YOU for Visiting!!!

I used another of my very favorite Phyllis Harris stamps from Unity Stamps, "Happiness Is..." to create this wee canvas, with an acrylic paint background and the image stampedon 140lbs watercolor paper, painted, cut out and mounted on my canvas background. And of course I am linking this up to Unity Stamp's Friday Friends with Flair.

Thank you for popping by to visit and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

WOYWW #297 (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday)

I'm in Just under the wire (it's actually Thursday on your side of the world!)  But here is what is on my work desk for WOYWW#297 this Wednesday.   

The arty picture is my version of the "The Affirmation Feather" for Lifebook Lesson #5, and the box is "My Box of Happiness" made for me by the lovely Christy Riopel for a weekend Art Retreat I just came home from this weekend.  

All of us at the retreat spent the weekend filling up the containers, decorated by each of us, with happy, empowering, joyful and hand-made bits of wisdom as well as bits of chocolate and sparkly stuff...SWOON!  

OUR DECORATED CONTAINERS  AS THE START OF THE RETREAT

The idea being that whenever you are feeling in need of a lift you pull out a slip and read it! And I already know that I will get the perfect slip every time.  This box will rest in a place of honour in my studio but easily accessible for slip pulling!

AND AT THE END OF THE RETREAT!

And just for fun I am sharing a montage of photos from our weekend at this amazing 100 year old house on the prairies in Alberta, Canada... Even in the  middle of winter it is Spectacular!

DAY TIME VIEW

NIGHT TIME VIEW

THE PROPERTY ON THE PRAIRIES IN THE WINTER

THE HORSES

THE ORIGINAL TOWN BUILDINGS (now a heritage site)

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE HOUSE

Thanks for popping in today to share my desk and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see! Namaste 
Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

WOYWW #296 (What's on YOUR Workdesk Wednesday)

Hello PEEPS! I'm getting in just under the wire on the Stamping Ground's "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday" because I slept until 10:00AM! But I was up working in my studio until 3:30AM so I guess I can be forgiven... I knew it was time to go to bed when I wore a Hole right through my 140lbs watercolor paper! (grin)

Can you see the hole?  and don't you just LOVE those dragonflys?  These are some "cards of comfort" I created for some loved ones in my life who are going through a rough time.

 And here is a photo of my crazy MESS... when I am "in the art zone" like I was last night, I just keep pushing stuff off to the side to make room for what I am working on, and I do this until stuff starts falling onto the floor, and even then I just push it out of my way... (I'm Laughing OUT LOUD right now as I type this.  If I was my own Child I'd probably ground me, or at least I'd be getting "the LECTURE"! (giggle)

Now back in the fall I said I would share my completed Prima Doll Tags with you... and I haven't because they're still not finished! .... 

I have an appointment this month with the owner of this wonderful little store in our area which carries the original art of about 40 artists, and she wants to see some of my stuff... but I keep looking at my doll tags and thinking... Oh No, nobody would want to buy these! And so I am ROAD BLOCKING myself and not allowing my inner artist to finish them.  We really ARE our own worst Critics!

Thanks for popping by today to see my mess! and Please do go visit The Stamping Ground to see what other BRAVE people all over the world are sharing!

Cheers

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera