THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

I seek to find peace and solace.

(Love Shack)

I find great comfort in making things with my hands.

(handmade wire garland with vintage ornaments)

Note: Thankyou Stephanie Lee for your online Off The Chain Class :)

I find joy in creating simple things I treasure.

(handmade ornament of my mother)

(back of ornament)

I long for moments of peace and quiet.

Handmade bead Christmas tree 

I feel blessed.

Thrift store glass house - filled with vintage ornaments

Note: Abode is my favorite place for vintage finds

I hope your holiday season is filled with love and peace.

Diana Camomile Peck
vintage.clementine@gmail.com



Playing With Plaster (Santos Sculpting with Stephanie Lee)

When I was a little girl I remember making mud cakes.  I would dig up the earth adding water from the garden hose, mixing the two elements like I was conjuring up a splendid feast.  I would gather things of nature...pretty leaves and flowers, anything I could gather with my small hands to decorate my muddy pies and cakes.  Although I loved making them my mom told me I would come home crying because I didn't like the feel of the crusted mud on my hands....Oh to be a child again!  

It's been a LONG time since I've played with mud, but this past weekend I gathered with a group of sweet women, and we played with a different kind of mud.  We played with a mixture of calcined gypsum, sand and water which we call plaster.  You can purchase the plaster at your local craft or hardware store.  Our lovely teacher, Stephanie Lee guided us through the steps and techniques required to construct a plaster and wood sculpture and with these simple materials and a few found objects we conjured up from our imaginations a personal Santos.  Way more fun than making mud cakes and I didn't even cry when the plaster crusted my newly manicured fingernails!

And this sweet girl, our teacher for two days,  truly she is as lovely as can be and is a wealth of infomation and artful goodness.  Stop by Stephanie's beautiful blog and sign up for her new e-WORKSHOP, Off The Chain that begins October 6th.   

Ta Da!  Here are the Santos that were created.

(Jackie Cate)

(Heidi Nebeker)

(Brookie Smith)
Check out Brookie's blog post about Sculpting Santos.

(Courtney Bird)

(Kellie Lewis)

(Ally Lewis)

(Julia Nebeker)

Our yougest student- only 10 years old!

(Carol Swallowcliffs)

(Diana Camomile Peck)

(Mine- not quite finished)

As you can see each Santos is very different- personal to each artist.  I love that.  It was good creative fun.  Stephanie taught us several things that we can create using the plaster and a few simple on-hand materials.  Plaster is such a fun medium.  Give it a try, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!

xo Lorraine

Time to Plant?

Ancient Chinese Proverb Says:

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. 

The second best time is now.” 

I have thought about this quote in relation to creating. A lot.

You know, sometimes life just gets in the way, doesn't it? The demands of work, family, responsibilities, and community can sometimes leave the balance in my creativity completely out of whack! As a result, I find that weeks (and sometimes months) have passed without creating a single thing.  


Nothing. Nada. Zilch! 

How can you get the creative juices flowing again when you only have a small amount of time or feel burned out from the heavy load of the day? 

Good question. And it’s a question I attempt to answer when I find my art heart wilting. Here are some ideas:

Some people enjoy doodling.

(Source: shellybeauch.blogspot.com)

Others discover that simply pawing through their art supplies 

helps jump start their creativity. 

While others find browsing inspirational sites helps awaken their muse.

(Can you say, "Pinterest pajama party, here I come?!")

As for me, I love to warm up by throwing some paint on a pristine piece of paper or canvas. Inevitably, when I am done, those splashes of paint end up becoming a painting of a face. (My favorite subject.)

Here are the results of a couple of those warm-up painting exercises:

Add a little plaster and beeswax to the mix 

(thanks to Stephanie Lee’s techniques) and you will discover messy bliss! 

I have found that simply hanging out in my studio and cranking up the music can awaken the desire to create something. And I find that no matter how depleted I felt before I began, the time spent creating always energizes me.

So, when is the best time to plant a tree? 

Today, you say? I agree. 

Let's get planting!

So come on, let's plant those creative seeds deep in the earth. Go get your paint brushes, glue, collage fodder, glitter, fabric, scissors, jewelry bling -- or whatever strikes your fancy -- and let the fun begin. 

I'm Rena Peterson, mother of two, printer, author, and artist. 

I love to create in a variety of mediums. 

And today...I'm gonna plant a tree! :) 

Creating Collage Backgrounds

"Floating Mushrooms"

some of the papers used are from the artist Anahata Katkin

What does it take to make a interesting collage background, that gives way 

to light, dimension, and texture? 

I started making collage backgrounds at the Art Nest in 2008, with artist Misty Mawn, and Sally Jean Alexandra.  Since then I have taken classes from many mixed media artists, like Anahata Katkin, Pam Garrison, and Stephanie Lee.

What have I learned from these artists is really quite simple.  Don't Think! 

"Windows of Light"

I know what you are thinking?  How do you do that?  Here are the steps that I have learned, and am still learning on my own artistic journey.

1. Have your supplies ready. I like to either start on thick heavy watercolor paper, or vintage wallpaper (the ugly type) that is strong and sturdy. Set out your paints, glue, and paper collection. I use golden gel medium for adhesive, and some of my favorite paints are yellow ochre, burnt umber, and titanium buff.
2. Prepare your surface.  Give your background a coat of gesso if needed.  I only do this if I am using something other than watercolor paper. You may want to do this a day in advance, to let it dry completely.  This allows for a good sticky base, and will save your paints from playing tricks with your color palette.
3. Start gluing your papers down.  I have a collections of black and white copies of architectural  buildings and spaces that appeal to me, also wallpapers, newspaper clippings, vintage scraps, and words are a good start. I like to use a brayer to flatten out the paper as I go.
4. Try not to compose your work, just let it develop however it does.  I know when I am trying too hard.  I am in the "think" zone.  You want to be in "the flow" which means that you are relaxed and the composition is flowing out of you.  This takes practice.  I am still working on this.  Artists who have felt this are very aware of the difference.
5. Use your inner artist, for me this means using my hands.  I like to put down the paper, glue and paint with my hands at first, this allows me to add paint with the medium and saturate the background with light or dark.
6. Resisting. Try no to take a break when you feel resistance this a natural process, and working through this will give you the ability to see the work  differently.  Try looking at the work standing up,  turn your work around, try it in a different room with additional lighting. 
7. To tie the work together, use one color over the top of the piece, then quickly wipe it off where you want emphasis.  I like to use burnt Umber or Titanium Buff.  Then use wipes or a wet cloth when bringing out the color hues.
8. Use your finished backgrounds for journals, as a background for another piece of work, or just as is.  I have a hard time cutting them up, so I have a pile that I don't really now what to do with yet. 
9. Enjoy the process, making art is not a means to an end, but a process of expression and delight. hey that sounds like a quote, blah blah blah, If you are still reading this you are either bored out of your wits, or you haven't quite had enough caffeine for the day.  I  do believe.... What???  no matter how a piece is finished it has the ability to move us forward artistically, and is an expression of our creative journey.
10. Start again.. See quote below, and if you made it this far, make a comment below telling me "why you need to create art" and I will select a random winner to receive a box of my favorite art supplies for making a background.  You deserve something free for getting this far.

"a work in progress"

I  did find this fabulous quote here which applies to every medium, or anything really.

 To be a photographer, one must photograph. No amount of book learning, no checklist of seminars attended, can substitute for the simple act of making pictures. Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there is no guarantee that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters. - Harry Callaha

"Summer Nights"

 Rena, Shannon, Diana, Cheryl, Amanda, and Julie

Here's to the journey....

Candice and little Gracee ( my shadow)