Every Day Is Earth Day

"Every Day Is Earth Day"

Just ask my husband and he'll tell you that I'm a devoted recycler! Yes, I've been known to go through our trash and pick out plastic wrap and cardboard that could be sent to the recycling center... and I have no shame about that! Walking our dogs every day, I'm liable to pick up bottles and cans to deposit in the nearest recycling cart. My thinking is always, "If I don't pick this up, then who will?" Just trying to keep our neighborhood beautiful one dog walk at a time!

Not only that, but I'm an unapologetic scavenger and enthusiastic repurposer! "Are you throwing that out?... Hmmmm! How could I reuse that in some creative way?" My brain just seems to be "wired" to see the possibilities in discarded items. Our home is decorated with lots of random finds and hand-me-downs... and I really love the uniqueness and whimsy they add to our environment!

This week is the Bulky Item Pick Up in our neighborhood... the once-a-year chance our city gives us to clear out our attics and basements of "junk" and have the city take it all to the dump. My next door neighbors have used this opportunity to clear out a HUGE amount of unwanted "stuff" left in their home by the previous owner. So we've had a front row view to the ever-growing pile of "stuff" they've brought out to the curb this week.

They say "One man's trash is another man's treasure"... and we've been witness to that this week as many folks have come by to pick through the mountain of random things and happily cart them away for who-knows-what-purpose.

As I watched out our front windows, I spied two older black rocking chairs someone put out at the curb... and I literally SPRINTED across the street to nab them for my front porch. My husband and I hosed them down and dried them off... and now they're looking soooo cute on "This Old House's" large front porch. I'm happy to say I now have a rainy day place to sit outside and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a friend!

Are YOU an avid recycler like me???... Please tell me I'm not the only one out there!!


** The painting "Every Day Is Earth Day" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!

Learning To Add A Pinterest Board To My Blog

I've been wanting to share some of my Pinterest boards here on my blog... but, I was unsure how to go about doing that. I knew it was possible, but for some reason, I couldn't get it to work. As always for me, I learn by researching and a whole lot of trial and error!

Today I stumbled upon a YouTube video by Ana Maria Menezes on How to Embed a Pinterest Board to Blogger. I watched the video a couple of times and it cleared up the issue I was having about where to add the extra small piece of HTML code that is needed to make the board show up.

As I'm writing this post in the "Compose" mode, I can't see the Pinterest board that I've added using HTML. However, when I preview  what I've written... Voila! There it is!  :)

Another cool thing I've found in this process is that, once I've published my post and the Pinterest board is 'live'... you can scroll up and down on the board. If you click on a picture, it will take you directly to that Pin.

Pretty nifty neato!

I hope you enjoy my I {Heart} Etsy Pinterest Board! My collection of all things handmade will keep growing... It is such a huge part of who I am and what I love!

My Very First Mixed Media Pumpkin Project

"Harvest Pumpkin"

A few weeks ago, I was browsing in my favorite local craft shop... and discovered the PERFECT pumpkin-colored piece of scrapbook paper! I knew right then and there that that orange polka dot paper was coming home with me, to be used for some future pumpkin-y project.

I've been painting for a while now and have gotten pretty comfy with my self-taught technique... but I'm a newbie to mixed media and I've been wanting to try my hand at it. So I printed out an enlarged version of one of the digital stamps I used to design, "Folk Art Pumpkin"...

...and modified it so it would fit on my 5x7 inch canvas base. I had to crop one of the 'swirlies' and flip another 'swirlie' around to the opposite side. I also decided to delete the heart on the pumpkin for this project.

After base coating my canvas panel with black paint (it took two coats!), I flipped my printed pumpkin over and transferred my pumpkin design onto the back of the orange paper using dark graphite paper. I did the same thing with the leaf design, transferring that onto a textured green paper. It took no time at all to cut out my pumpkin pieces, since this is such a simple design.

Next step was the Modge Podge. I carefully brushed the back of the pumpkin with a thin layer of Modge Podge. Then I adhered it to the middle of the canvas panel, making sure to smooth it from the center toward the outer edges, so the edges were glued down firmly. I eyeballed the placement of the green leaf and Modged Podged that too.

Last of all, I transferred my 'swirlie' pattern to the black canvas with a light colored graphite transfer paper, and penciled in 'harvest' in the upper left corner. The rest of the design was finished by painting the lettering and the 'swirlie' freehand using a small round brush. A couple of coats of Krylon matte acrylic spray and my Harvest Pumpkin was done!  :)

Now that I've created my first mixed media project, I've definitely caught the bug! Can't wait to figure out what my next project will be!

(...and of course, now I have an excuse to collect all that gorgeous scrapbook paper I've been resisting! *wink!*).
 

Hello July 2017!

Photo Credit from Pixabay: Workandapix

Happy July Friends!... Here I am, once again dusting off my neglected blog. It's been a year and a half since I've written (insert emoji with eyes rolling here!). After taking a looong break from Etsy while my husband Joe & I were helping to care for his mom, I'm now gearing up to reopen my shop again (hopefully pretty soon!).

"The Lemonade Stand"

Last time my Etsy shop, PHOLKART*STUDIO, focused on digital stamps for cardmaking. But this time, I'll be offering something completely brand new! I have fallen in love with acrylic painting!!... and I'm having the best.time.ever drawing my cute little illustrations on canvas panels and painting them with yummy, colorful acrylic paints!  :)

I'm also experimenting with creating hand painted ornaments. The tiny yellow house in the upper right corner of my blog is one of those ornaments! I've got that one hanging in my studio right now for inspiration. And I made the "quilty" star below for a sweet friend who is a quilt-lover just like I am!

As always, my blog is a work in progress (like I am!). I'd be honored if you'd like to follow along with me on my art journey. If you'd like to receive email updates about my new blog entries, there's a little form at the top where you can do that. And as always, I'd LOVE to hear from YOU! :)

Blessings & Happy Creating!!

Patti

Tell Me A Story . . . .

I like to write... and if you're a regular blog reader of mine, you'll know this is so very true! I can also be kinda, just a little bit, overly wordy (*wink-wink*).

I don't have any aspirations to write books... My hat is off to those who are called to put deep & inspiring thoughts or delightful characters who have amazing adventures down on paper for others to read. That's such a great calling!... but it's not my calling.

Lately I've become more aware that I want to add words to my illustrations. Not lots of words... just a small taste of a story or a peek at what's going on 'behind the scenes'.

Mini-Stories For Tiny Art

And so... I thought I'd show you today what I mean by posting this silly doodle of mine. The illustration style is all me, the mini-story mine too... and so is the lettering. No downloaded fonts here!... It's all done from start to finish by hand... my hand. And I kinda like that!  :)

I'm sure as I play with this 'tiny pictures with mini-stories' idea that things will eventually evolve. But for now, I have no idea what will come of this... It's just another fun avenue to explore as I keep putting my pen to paper & doodling my little heart out!

I {Heart} Handmade

One of the wonderful things about being an artist today is being able to easily access other artists & their inspiring work online! I'm a HUGE introvert... and though I longed for creative community for many years, it wasn't until I started offering my art on Etsy that I began to actually "meet" other artists. I have loved talking design & colors & techniques & arty tips with these generous & inspiring friends! Many have really taken me under their creative wings and helped me learn & grow as an artist!... I will always be grateful!  :)

I thought I'd share some of my current Etsy "favorites" with y'all!... The list just keeps growing as I make wonderful new discoveries on Etsy everyday. I hope you'll click on the thumbnails above & go exploring with me!... It's amazing to see all the beauty & creativity there is to enjoy in this handmade world we live in!

Inspired By Folk Art

"Cozy Winter Home" ACEO

One of the things I've been longing to do art-wise is to return to my folk art-style "roots." I don't have an art background... and much of my inspiration in starting to create came from folk art & outsider art.

I love...

...the colorfulness of folk art!

...the "use what you have" & "improvise as you go" ingenuity of folk art.
 
...the "nothing's perfect" and "somewhat wonky is OK" philosophy of art.

..."one of a kind" and "made entirely by hand" kinda art!

Back when my two sons were little & we spent many fun hours in our local library, I loved to hunt for books for myself filled with pictures of folk art, Amish quilts, cottage-style decorating & tales of flea marketing. As a budget-wise mom, I was drawn to the "design on a dime" philosophy I found within these books... Yes, this way of thinking really fit my lifestyle!

Well, many years later, I still love the same things!... rich colors, nubby & woven textures, repurposed materials, artful creations full of personality & originality, art made by hand that tells a unique story.

I hope that the art I create today reflects my love for the beauty of handmade!