Createwings Designs

Mixing it Up - 2

As I promised here is my second post of my new "Mixing It up" Series

I thought I would share with you one of my Altered Journaling pages I created a while ago.

Before becoming a digital scrapbooking designer I spent a lot of my creative time playing with different art mediums and one of my favorite forms of expression is Altered Journaling.  I loved it so much I even learned how to create my very own journals to "play" in.  I thought I would sell them one day, but they ended up moving from place to place with me and then just recently I realized that I have become attached to them so now I have been using them for different projects in my life.

I want to share with you all one of my favorite books and how it has inspired me.

"Spilling Open"

The art of becoming yourself

by: Sabrina Ward Harrision

If you want to learn more about the book I have linked it up to the Somerset Studio's shop where you can see some additional pages and read about it.

What I loved most about this book is her ability to express herself. Her art is raw and unpolished and each page has this feeling of creative freedom. I love how she can capture moments in life with her little bits of heartfelt journaling spread throughout her pages.

I am not really a messy person, actually I am a bit of a perfectionist. Oh don't get me wrong my house is not perfect or anything like that, but with certain things in my life I live for the "details".  I think this was another reason I was drawn to Sabrina's work.  I wanted that release from my daily perfectionism especially in my art... and so I "gave myself permission" to be messy to just have fun and express myself.

Here is a page from my very own journal.

Here are close ups of both of the pages

I think there is an artist in all of us and that many are too quick to judge what art really is.  As long as you are enjoying yourself and giving yourself permission to "have fun" and release all the "expectations" and  "judgments"  you are putting on yourself.  You never know where it could lead you...  Like for me when I created this journal page would have never in a million years thought I would be doing what I am today.  All I knew is I had a passion for anything creative and I wanted to express myself. 

So today maybe you can give yourself "permission" to do something totally different!  It can be big or small... If your scrapbooking maybe try something that would stretch you... if your a "clean" scrapper maybe get messy!  A great way to try something new is to find an inspirational page and do a scrap lift.  It could be a new recipe... Or maybe just giving yourself permission to relax and take a nice quiet bubble bath (that sounds so good)...just be sure to try not to judge yourself so much and to have fun with it ;)

I would love to hear of something different you want to try... or even just say hello as I love getting comments from you all... it makes me happy.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

I will be back next week with another "Mixing It Up" post :)

Mixing it up

I have a new goal and I really am going to try to do my best to keep up with it.  I have always wanted to make this blog more than what it is.  I never really intended it to be just about my designs... I want it to have more of a voice.  I don't mean like going on and on about my day to day stuff.. I got Facebook and Twitter for that!  LOL.  But what I really want is to mix this place up a little and share things that inspire me that may inspire YOU. 

I've been an artist for over 10 years and I am self taught.  In the beginning creating art didn't just come easy for me, but what was different is that I had a strong passion to learn. I also get board easily so I was always trying new and different mediums; from making miniature mohair bears to watercolor painting I've tried a little bit of everything.

I also love positive inspiration... things that lift me up and make me think about my day differently.  Life can sometimes be hard and I think we all have our good and bad days.  Many times even somthing as simple as a quote or song can sometimes change the energy of my day into something more positve.

With all that said... I hope you will go on this journey with me. I'm a mom of two small boys (2 and almost 5) they can keep me really busy but,  I want to try and post here at least once a week. 

*****

So here is something small that I want to share...

I used to live in this town called Bellingham Washington... It is where my husband grew up. It's on the water and a very beautiful place. There I met some artist friends that really changed my life and one of them Deb Taylor is one of the most amazing and free spirited women I have ever met... She also has a wonderful inspirational artsy blog...we have been friends for around 12 years and I knew that our paths were meant to cross as she has been a big influence in my life.  She has such a  wonderful book collection. Several of them Spoke to me and I now own them too!  One of them I would like to share with you as it's words have inspired me many times. Deb, I'm sending you a special thank you for being YOU!

The book is called 365 Words of Well Being for Women by Rachel Snyder

The pages are broken up with main words as titles.

Here is a part from one entry that I love.

DARE

Dare to make waves. Dare to ask Why? When no one else will. Dare yourself to walk into that restaurant alone. Dare to introduce yourself. Dare to be happier than you ever thought possible. Dare to be different. Be really different! Dare to be as flamboyant, as brilliant, as sexy, as funny, as terrific as you really are. Dare to push your own envelope. Dare to be first. Dare to suggest it's time for a change, then dare to lead the way. Dare to be vulnerable, dare to be real. Dare to proclaim This is who I am, and dare anyone to believe otherwise. Dare to claim your own power and to stand firmly rooted in your own truth. Go ahead.I dare you.

*****

I will see you all next week :)

((hugs))

Dawn