Lifebook Changed My Life, (And So Did "Meeting" Effy Wild!)

In Effy's post today, as this month I Blog Along With Effy Wild,  she "Nudged" us to write about someone that had a positive influence on us and to share this person with others.  Also today the registration opened up for Lifebook 2018.  Coincidence? I think not!

It only took a brief moment of self reflection to determine that the biggest positive influence in both my personal and Art life has been discovering and working through my Lifebook lessons. 

Lifebook 2013

 I stumbled across Lifebook in 2013 through a link on Christy Tomlinson's site as I was looking for her "She Girl" on-class, a brand new concept to me at the time.  To be honest the reason I signed up for Lifebook was because the frugal, French-Canadian farmer genes kicked in: "Why pay $50 for one class from one instructor when for $100 you can get 52 lessons from 26 instructors?" It's was a no brainer and I immediately signed up, bought the course and watched my first on-line art instruction video with Tamara Laporte.

Lifebook 2016

That was a  life-changing moment for me!  I could write a book about all the ways this amazing experience changed how I see and feel about myself and my art, but Hey... Tamara already did that this year and it's due to be released in 2018.

Lifebook 2015

I now have Lifebook lessons from 2013 to 2017 downloaded onto my computer and I am off to add 2018 today.  And even though I have yet to finish all 52 lessons in any given year I will continue to sign up. 

Lifebook 2017

Why?  Because I am working through the lesson's on my own personal schedule, in no particular order, one lesson at a time.  This works for me, and each Lifebook year and each Lifebook lesson is always different from the previous and I learn something from every single one. 

Lifebook 2017

I have learned so much on my Lifebook journey these past five years, growing both as a person and an artist, but if I had to pick just one thing out of the many, many gifts and lessons I have received it would be this:  

Lifebook 2015

By making the commitment to complete the Lifebook lessons I made myself a priority, and as big a priority as taking care of my family and my home.  Art became my work and making Art was given value.  I was no longer "playing in my craft room"  but "Working in My Studio".  And this was HUGE for me, because as a woman and a caregiver everyone else's needs always seemed to be more important than my own, and my needs never seemed important enough to make it to the top of list.

Lifebook 2016

So go check out Tamara Laporte and  Lifebook 2018 today ... it may be the best gift you ever buy for YOURSELF!

Various Lifebook lessons completed early 2016

I am Blogging Along With Effy for the month of September, come join us.

Lynne Mizera - Student, Artist, Woman of the World

Reach for the STARS... You Just Might Become One!

I spent last night surrounded by my pens and paints and watercolor paper, with Joanne Sharpe's Lifebook 2015 lesson on my computer, as I allowed my artistic soul free licence to just DO IT... squashing that critical, artistic-soul sucking voice that is ALWAYS there (Sigh.)  But I broke through some pretty significant barriers as I just painted and doodled and outlined.  There is something about the night before last day of the year that makes you want to review the past 12 months and either celebrate or mourn each event in preparation to move on and start fresh on January 1st.

My Lifebook lesson with Joanne Sharpe was one of the first lessons we received and I became so blocked (due to me placing unrealistic expectation on myself) that all year long, every time I wanted to draw and paint words, I felt like I was up to my waist in cement. 

So I decided to use my time last night to "JUST DO IT"!  When I began I hated what I was creating, then I loved it, then I hated it again...(grin) but I kept at it, listening only to the lovely voice of Joanne on my computer, and NOT that critical, soul-sucking voice in my head.  And as I worked I broke through the block, over-rode the soul-sucking voice and then I road the waves of creativity I was generating, like a surfer in Hawaii, to create these two wonderful pages.

And as I worked on these three pages (all at the same time) the words and phrases I was drawing and painting played over and over in my head until they were imprinted on my heart and soul and I felt filled me up with joy and anticipation for the coming year.  I now feel empowered and prepared for this Next Step in both my Artistic Journey and my Life Journey.

So Nameste to all of you my friends and followers, and I am sending you wonderful, joyous and celebratory energy for 2016.

Lynne Mizera

Products used on these projects:

Angora Watercolor paints

Derwent Inktense blocks

Sharpie Markers

Black Micron Pigma-05

Kirarina Wink Paint Pens 

Joanne Sharpe's "The Art of Whimsical Lettering"

WOYWW #300!!

It is Wednesday and you know what THAT means... What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday!! AND today makes it the 300th time that Ms. Julia Dunnit of The Stamping Ground has posted a "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday" enabling the rest of us to travel all around the world peeking into a lot of other people's work spaces...

THANK YOU JULIA! 

I have gotten so much enjoyment from playing along with this weekly blog hop, and I have made some really special friends, something I did NOT Expect! But it is so sweet to get such lovely comments from some really special ladies whom I feel like I actually know a bit about as I visit them weekly checking in on their lives. Julia has re-listed all the "How to's" today in her blog post, so why not pop in HERE and see how easy it is to join in?   Now, without further delay, here is a peek into my Work Spaces today...  

In my glass space I am working with scraps of glass to use them up...

These pieces still require grout - which will completely change the look of them, so you will want to come back to see the finished product - Smile.

And this is a snap of my Paint & Paper Studio. I am still managing to get in there once or twice a week (grin) but how I wish I needed less sleep!

Moving in closer you can see my Lifebook Week #9 completed lesson - a Vase full of my "Favorite Favorites", as well as a couple of circle journal pieces I finally unpacked from the last of my boxes (from our move last April).

 

I also want to share this amazing find I made in our local antique store, it's a Large Type Dictionary, Circa 1920's, and I got if for $5.00!

Oh I see you on many projects in the future (and THIS is Large type?)

And lastly... LOOK at my Happy Mail! Yesterday I received my prize package for having the honour of being selected the February Winner for Unity Stamp's {Be Inspired} Challenge. I had the pleasure of choosing 10 sets of "itty bitty" stamps and 3 more sets worth up to $29 each! SWOON!  I am GIDDY with Excitement about using these.  Now Which one to pick for Friday's "Friends with Flair" Unity Stamp Challenge?  PS: The current Unity {Be Inspired} Challenge is open until March 12th... go check it out HERE!!

As always THANK YOU for stopping by to see what I am up to these days, and please, please do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!

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

It's A "What's On Your Workspace Wednesday (WOYWW) #293"

Can you believe that it is already Wednesday, January 14th? I feel like I have just gotten cleaned up from Christmas day, blinked and it was New Year's, blinked again and it is now only a month away from Valentines day?  Seriously I feel like I'm on the Underground train (the Metro in Montreal, the C-Train in Calgary) and the days are zipping by that fast! Whoooooosh.....Grin. But here I am again for the Stamping Ground's 293rd WOYWW.  

I have missed linking up for the past few posts and I really, REALLY missed being here... so today I cleaned up my space just enough so that you can sort of see what a crazy creative journey I have embarked upon for 2015 and snapped this photo...

What you are seeing is the beginning of my commitment to create "ART for ME in 2015" starting with my journey along side of Effy Wilde through Life Book 2015;  My brand new weekly art journal I am creating with Suzi Blue through Paint and Chronicle; the tag I created for this month's challenge over at the Dylusions Facebook Challenge page; Some Art Cards I created using Suzi Blu's "Serenity Angel" by Unity Stamps for my "Friends with Flair" Blog Post, and finally the start of my Valentines Day ATCs - something I am doing for the very first time to send out to the people who have touched my heart this past year.

In 2015 I want to focus my creative energy on my own projects and take the time to develop my talents.  Like this project below, the idea of which has been simmering in my brain for about six  months:

It is a canvas my ten year old grandson created while camping in the Rocky Mountains this summer.  He used pastels and colored the shapes and colors he was seeing.  He did this because (in his words) "I was FORCED! Mom MADE ME!" (grin) and as soon as I saw it I was hit with the wonderful idea of doing a collaboration, his colors and shapes, me pulling out the details... 

So here is the start of it, it still needs work and I hope I do not lose the wonderful energy of his first creation, but I can see where it is going and I do already love it!!  So WELCOME 2015 - the year of ART for MEEEE!

Thank you for popping in to see my Workspace today... and please DO leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!  And If you pop on over the
Stamping Ground's 293rd WOYWW you can see other spaces from all over the world!

Cheers!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

  

LifeBook 2015.. Whoo HOO!

Well here I am again, making a heroic effort to re-establish regular postings to my blog... (did you MISS ME?)  

Here I AM Today, no makeup and in need of a wash, grin 

Today I want to share with you Effy Wild's blogpost about the upcoming Lifebook 2015...

EFFY WILD'S LIFEBOOK 2015 POST AND GIVEAWAY

Why? Because I signed up for Lifebook 2013 and the experience was life-changing, and I have been following some friends as they complete Lifebook 2014, and it has been incredible watching their art these past nine months, AND I will be signing up for Lifebook 2015, and maybe you might want to come and join me?

My Fairy Art Mother from Lesson 1- 2013

Learing to create a Collage... 2013

So, what is Lifebook?  It is the labour of love of British artist Tamara LaPorte and to give a brief explanaion, you will experience a year-long journey into the world of mixed media art where you will watch weekly videos by artists from all around the world and learn from them as you create your monthly project with the bonus of additional weekly projects to try if you have the time.  It is like getting a year-long art education, and as I already mentioned, I found it LIFE CHANGING!

And an added bonus is receiving information on how to use many, many different products, most of which I already had in my stash but had never really used...

Check out Effy's Blog for more details... and maybe come and join me on my ART JOURNEY in 2015.

Cheers!

Scrapbook (and painty, inky) Lynne