More Color Experimentation in Summer Themes

Things have still been demanding in my guest book shop this season, but I've left you all hanging long enough between posts. My bad. *hangs head and pokes at floor with toe*

Anyhow, I've been trying really hard to get some art journaling time in wherever I can. Even if I don't have time to actually journal I can prepare some pages ahead of time!

This one reminds me of a clear blue swimming pool.

Last year I posted about playing with color using those color-coordinated paint sample strips from the home improvement store. See that post here.

A very tropical feel. Pass the margaritas!

Well, I am at it again. It's fun to just do backgrounds because I don't have to think about it, I just play. At the end of the day my brain is fried from corresponding with customers and writing up listings. And it's better for me than vegging out in front of the TV (which I do as well).

Very beachy...sand dunes, maybe?

The combinations the paint manufacturers come up with aren't necessarily ones I would choose, but it's fun to do something different--it can really inspire fresh creativity to shake it up a bit!

A tall, cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer day!

I like the dots on this page. I could have filled the entire page with dots. It was hard to stop myself after just nine!

More experiments are coming! I had fun making these and sharing them with you, I hope you enjoyed them!

Blue and Brown

The EtsyBloggers Team is featuring a blog carnival with the theme "favorite color combination: what do you make using those colors?"

One of my favorite color combinations is blue and brown. Ironically those are not my personal favorite colors, but I do like the way they look together. (Obviously, given the number of designs I have created using blue and brown!)

Color Experimentation

Wondering what you can do with all those blank pages in your journal? Well, I was too. Ironic, isn't it, that I make and sell journals and my own are sitting on the shelf empty and neglected. Last night I pulled my paints out and started filling the pages of a lonely journal that's been sitting on the shelf waiting for inspiration. My artistic soul has been starving for some playtime!

I've been going through old Somerset Studio and Expression magazines before packing them away in the attic to make room on my bookshelf. Somerset Studio has a article in each issue called "With one palette" where they experiment with four colors in each single piece of art. I've been inspired to do my own art using those color combinations, so when I saw these paint swatches in the hardware store my eyes bugged out!

At first I thought I ruined this piece by adding the blue swirls on top of the starfish design, but after adding the ecru dots and swishes it really made it pop.

I got the center medallion a bit crooked trying to hurry before the paint dried on my stamp! Oh well, it's all for play anyhow so it doesn't matter (the perfectionist tells herself over and over).

And I really am planning on painting a room in my house...those paint chips may just come in handy!

Blog Renovations

Ta-da! My blog has a new look!

I've changed my background color and my banner to match my website. The background was a nice pale sage green which I always thought was easy on the eye, but it didn't coordinate with my new banner.

How do you all like the new look? I think it's a lot cleaner and hopefully just as easy to navigate.