rebecca:vavic

Today...

For today: 17^th June 2010

Outside my window... it’s bright & sunny but crisp and cool too. actually it is raining!! Grateful that Deb and the girls are coming over for a playdate... kids are feeling a bit wild!

I am thinking... that I really need to tackle that huge pile of ironing today.

I am thankful for... being able to hire a professional to put up a VERY heavy antique mirror in our main bathroom.

From the kitchen... have not even thought about that yet!

I am wearing... A gorgeous Anthropologie dress and a simply stunning pair of heels. Oooooh tisk tisk, no I'm not *hahaha* In reality: black trackies, grey long sleeved top and my uggies (which I have almost not taken off since I got them, and perhaps, if I could wear them to bed, I would!).

I am creating... lots of pages in my art journal and a new bright and clean bathroom!

I am going... to be teaching my last Mixed Media class for this term tonight :( which makes me a bit sad.

I am reading... A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.

I am hoping... to establish, create, maintain a wonderful creative community, both online and by way of monthly artist groups.

I am hearing... Clare Bowditch on my ipod.

Around the house... Ben is sleeping. Josh is playing and watching telly.

One of my favorite things... Joshua’s bed head in the middle of the day! Cute as.

A few plans for the rest of the week... deep sigh, not much thankfully! Just the usual, swimming, basketball training, basketball game... spending time with my children. Creating lots of art and biz stuff.

A picture to share...

 

A sweet little daisy in our backyard, photo taken with my Canon 7D. 

Paulo Coelho is my hero! This quote I have added to the photo above:

"You have to take risks, he said. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen. Every day, God gives us the sun--and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day, we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist--that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment. It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front-door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. But that moment exists--a moment when all the power of the stars becomes a part of us and enables us to perform miracles." — Paulo Coelho (By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept)

Love out

Bxo

Mixed Media Evening Classes....

Are being offered on BOTH Tuesday and Thursday nights this term (and next)...

If you are interested in attending, go over here to sign up... and get in quick because places are limited and they go rapidly.

 Girl on watercolour paper I created during in Mixed Media Class Term 2 Twenty Ten.

You also get a kit jam filled with lots of fabulous products. You can see the materials list here:  Download Material List.

I hope you will join in the creative fun.

Bxo

Solo Artists Date...

It was super short... but SO LOVELY! This weekend I was able to take myself away from home and give myself a little mini artists date.

I took my portable art studio... otherwise known as a bag with a few supplies. In this case it was my "art biz" folder and a pen.

 Photo taken with my iphone.

I had a lovely peppermint tea, a delicious SWISS (I was sternly informed when I asked for a French one) VANILLA slice {they seriously make the best !!... hence why the photograph features an empty plate!}

After eating yummies, I was able to get some "work" done... in only 40 minutes I was able to jot down lots of ideas, dreams, fears... plans for my artistic business and endeavours. I was able to get all that stuff that has been swirling around, waiting patiently... whispering to me, sometimes yelling at me... down onto paper and into order.

Afterwards I felt very good about it all... and I must say: having one HUGE folder to store all my bits and bobs in makes it all so easy too:

Photo taken with my iphone. 

Here's to taking some time out alone every now and again... and to taking that gigantic leap of faith necessary to really live your dream.

Hugs

Bxo

Art on Sunday's...

So, my latest Mixed Media lovelies have suggested we do some online group projects to keep our creative juices flowing. 

This is what I am thinking, starting NEXT week... Art Journal Sunday... each Sunday I will post my page, with a prompt. You use the prompt to create your own page.

Photo by myself with Canon 7D, in our bathroom. 

Then post your image to the flickr group. You can also link to your pages in the comments of the weekly post. From time to time I'll write a post to feature our collective creations {and talents!}.

Wanna join us in this creative venture? We'd LOVE to see you in our Flickr Group, or linking here each week.

It does NOT need to be anything elaborate... just something fun and creative to do on a Sunday. Of course, if you want to do elaborate, by all means do! I don't think any of mine will be tho.

So we'll start next week. Today I am just giving you a "heads up" and an opportunity to go over and sign into the group. 

ART JOURNAL PAGE ON A SUNDAY starts on 20th JUNE 2010.

Bxo

Art Share...

I just finished this commission piece for one of my VIPs {Peta} recently:

 

I have been working on this for ages... and could have kept going and going and going - if Peta didn't come collect it.

The red rose in her hair is a wood embellishment I got at our local bead store... so cute!

Happy Creating 

Bxo
 

Mumma = kids + being an Artist??...

How does that work?

The thing about being a Mum and an Artist that struck me so clearly the other day, is this: Before I had my children, I did NOT have the courage to consider myself as an Artist... to devote time to creating and playing. 

Having children gives us permission to get out the paints, to get messy... to play and create, have fun... and the best bit is that most of the time we can do it together. We can have our own little mini artists dates with our babes right beside us.

Plus my children are my inspiration... they fuel my art desires in so many ways.

It's not easy juggling both mothering and creating... some days it doesn't work so well. Some days I feel that I am juggling way to many balls and I am not really doing anything all that WELL.

Other days I feel I am doing everything well... it's just a constant evolution... this journey of life.

When I am immersed in my art, and this happens often... I find it hard to tear myself away, but I find that some organising strategies work well. Right now, these include:

#1 Having a super supportive husband who knows I need my art as much as I need air. This is a very good thing. Also, it doesn't take much... just a few short 'breaks' where Nath watches the children for me.

#2 Working on Mixed Media pieces means that I work in stages. Often these stages are small ones, just 20 minutes here and there throughout the day. I add elements to quite a few pages at once. Then, while waiting for the layer of those many pages to dry, my "normal, usual" life continues as per usual. If the children do happen to take a nap at the same time... then I have a bit more time, that is rare!

#3 Many of the elements of my creating, can (and often does) include art the children can do themselves too. This is a super good upside. They love it and I do too. Often I will use a painting of theirs in my collage pieces. 

#4 Monday nights are my "1 whole hour to myself" while Mikaela has her swimming lesson. I use this time to draw faces... usually about 4 - 6 during that hour. The rest of the week I use to "fill" in the faces and the rest of the painting... adding colour, texture and layers by stages as mentioned at #2 above. By Friday... my WHOLE DAY with just me and Ben... I have got LOTS of art done and can allocate this day as just an art day if I choose.

I had coffee with my cousin earlier this week, she suggested that I get 28 hours a day... not so. Nope. BIG shaking of the head going on here right now. I get the same as everyone. I get 24 little hours and I try and cram as much as I can into that time... including some time to relax and care for myself.

I am not always ON... somedays are busier and require more from me... but they are peppered with slow days, days to just chill out, days to just BE {together}...

I am so very aware of how quickly the time goes... how one minute they are newborns with that new baby smell... to walking and tearing about the house... to 9 year olds on the cusp of a whole other chapter.

The thing is that being a mother and being an artist are not separate identities for me... they are both me... equally. 

And so it shall be that I continue with my children beside me, creating up a storm and teaching what I love to passionate and inspired like minded souls.

Lucky is how I most feel these days.

Hugs

Bxo

Sometimes...

... just sometimes I can get so impassioned about my art, that I struggle with the day-to-day.

 

Latest page from my art journal {She needs more work}. Photo taken with iMac PhotoBooth so excuse the quality!

Recently I was so lucky to have two days of art play, one with a group of women and again the very next day with my dear friend Kim. TWO whole days to play and paint and get messy and have fun. TWO days back-to-back...

Turned out not to be such a great thing, for me... or for my Kim.

The "come down" after such a wonderful time playing and creating was a little crushing for us both. It was a combination for me actually, the art and just having some time with my true soul friend.

I spent the entire next day searching on the net for more jobs I could be doing as an artist... like becoming an Art Therapist. Incidentally, I have a professional Art Therapist in my latest Mixed Media... and chatting with her about the realities of that job, mmm not-so-much for me. There are lots of other avenues tho, that I think about and consider how to get there... how to map out my future.

Then my husband gently (and gratefully) reminds me to just be in the NOW... to enjoy every precious moment with Mikaela and the boys for as long as I can. He asked me to stop trying to figure out what I'll be doing in 5 years and just be happy with today. (Asides I think it's kinda easy knowing I always have Technical Writing to fall back on - boooor - ing! *grin*).

Deep sigh. Most days I am good with living in the now... but sometimes, this art stuff, this creative life... it really gets under my skin.

I imagine myself under the silver glow of a Tuscan moon... still up and still creating art from an already full day of paint and crayons...

That's a long way off... I imagine my hair will be much greyer than it is today. That it will be much more than five years away. Maybe in my retirement I will enjoy such pleasures. Nath and I will have much fun in our Tuscan villa.

For now my pleasures are entirely different... and they are abundant and I am very lucky. I had a little, near three year old, get into my stamp pads today... he stamped all over himself, all over the floor in the dining and the kitchen... and just a little on his brother's hands and face. He asked me "please don't tell my Daddy I did this" as we cleaned up and got him changed. After my initial horror, I rang Nath to tell him about it... the most hilarious part >>> I was RIGHT THERE, just with my back turned to them both. Painting in my art journal and day dreaming about how good life is. I could see them out of the corner of my eye... they sure sounded like they were having fun. shake of the head. It is really tough some days trying to combine mothering and a creative life. This was all done after Joshua had already done some painting with me... ah kids hey! They drive you nuts but they give you the most magical moments you could EVER have imagined.

Who knows what I'll be doing in five years... if someone had of told me five years ago (or just a little more than five years ago, lets say 5.5 years ago) that this is how my life would be... I'm not sure I would have believed them.

I try to live life in the moment. 

To be in the NOW as much as I can.

I'm going to give it another go today.

Love out.

Bxo

Art for Mothers Day...

These three numbers will be at the shop tonight... MUM LOVING all of them. 

Nothing like leaving Mother's Day shopping to the last minute. Eik!

You are sure to find SOMETHING you love, and your Mumma will love. 

Happy Friday.

Bxo

Mixed Media, Fiji and 50% sale on brushes...

A blanket of colourful leaves have only just started to grace our neighbourhood. After some unseasonably warm weather, lulling us into a false sense that winter may not come this year... it is definitely starting to cool. Sure signs it is autumn after all !! Its been a while since my last newsletter, and there's lots to share... 

If you need to replenish your brush supply... 

Right NOW is the time to do so: 

Spotlight currently have 50% off their Royal Langnickel range of craft and art brushes. This applies to single brushes AND brush sets. You will save yourself heaps. I bought quite a few today and saved lots. You'll need to be a Spotlight VIP card holder to receive the discounts. 

Mixed Media and Scrapbooking Classes... 

Term 2 is about to start... 

Last Term (and the two prior) my Mixed Media classes were FULL... lots of enthusiastic artists learning, creating and having fun together. We are looking into expanding these classes, but to avoid disappointment, get in quick as there are only 5 places left. This term my Scrapbooking class has three return students: Peta, Courtney and Corrina. We are sure to have even more fun this term than last time... and this time I have the ipod player ready to go! 

Go here if you'd like to join us... 

FIJI - let's go... 

to paradise for a Mixed Media Retreat... 

Join me in fabulous FIJI on the gorgeous island of Vanua Levu for an unforgettable week of art, relaxation and adventure! In January 2011 for one week, join me in paradise for a Mixed Media retreat. An experience we wont forget... classes in the morning, fun in the sun and poolside in the afternoon. Or enjoy the many varied activities available. Registration opens in August 2010. You can also register your interest via email. 

Go here for more information and/or to email your interest.

Shop HandMade: You'll find me there...

Or not me as such, but my art. As much as I love the HandMade markets, it's just not possible for me to do them at this stage... However, I can provide you with the easy option to buy my art at the store... and LOTS & LOTS of other fabulous art and craft from talented artisans. Just in time for Mothers Day... 

Shop HandMade information here... 

Artist Date 

Sunday 16th May 2010 

From 10am to 4pm come over to have some fun with paint and stamps. This one I got in Coffs Harbour recently ... it's an Indian wood carved stamp and it's gorgeous!!! Email me your interest in attending and I'll send you all the information.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement on my artistic journey. I feel very excited to share this journey with you all... especially as I try to incorporate mothering and a creative live which I feel called to do. It's not always easy, but it is very rewarding.

Hugs

Bxo

Home Love...

I love this. I want this. Simple. Do I love it enough to out bid? not likely... still I can drool.

Latest InSideOut Magazine arrived this week. I am adoring this print by Tracy Lines. A.D.O.R.I.N.G !!! Nath got me the latest NoteBOok magazine last week too... and I've really enjoyed the articles on decluttering. Especially as my garage is almost a studio.

Happy Home

Tonight is my last Mixed Media class for this term :( Always a bit sad to finish up an artistic journey with a great group of women... we have such enthusiastic & creative fun together. Lucky for me, I'll do it all again in just a few weeks. Go here if you're interested in coming on the journey with me.

Bxo