Everyone Can Write a Little with Cathy Zielske: Cathy is all about design and being able to share “your story” in a simple and visually-pleasing way. She is freaking hilarious and I loved taking her ‘Design Your Life’ class last fall. This class fits in with my lack of time to write long journaling about everything in my life. We will be taking little snippets of information (that have already been written in places like facebook and twitter) and using them in our pages. I really like the idea that all the information that I post about will not in vain. It can actually be used in an album about Adrienne’s milestones, or my first year as a mother, etc. things that I haven’t had a chance to officially document on paper.

Layer Love with Julie Prichard: I haven’t taken a course with Julie before but I love her work. I suspect that this class will be the polar opposite to the above class, as it is about making grungy layered backgrounds and getting your hands messy. The combination of all the upcoming courses are a perfect match for my split personality of creativity. I’m also excited that Julie will be making use of video as a main part of the course. I love watching an instructor at work instead of just reading about the steps that they’re taking. I actually learn best when I watch the video, try it myself, then watch it again to see if I can pick up anything that I might have missed or can do better. I’ve ordered everything I need for the course, and am raring to go!

Art Journaling 201 with Dina Wakley: I have been waiting SO long for Dina to start this one. I took her Art Journaling 101 and 102 classes and she blew me away with every PDF and video. Seriously! She makes everything look so easy and effortless. She can make a journal page or a scrapbook layout in front of your eyes, and you won’t know what hit you. She’s very detailed in her videos and can answer any and all questions posed to her on the forums. It will be a sad day for me when she decides to take the previous class videos down from the website. I’m that addicted to them! This course doesn’t start until the end of June, but I’ll be ready! I’ll be in Canada for most of it, which means I might not be able to do all the assignments until I can get back to all of my tools and paints. Luckily, I will be able to easily pick up an missing products before I head back to Sweden.

A lot of people might think I’m insane to take on so many classes while trying to juggle an almost one-year-old. They must wonder if I don’t have time to do long strings of journaling, how can I find time to tweet or write facebook updates. But believe me, there is a BIG difference. I can check my online accounts very quickly with the help of my iPhone on busses, in the dark during naptime, and odd moments here and there throughout the day. I really can’t say that about keeping my mind on the same thought for longer three minutes. Even writing this post, I’ve had to put Adrienne back to sleep two times!

Plus, I live in Sweden where we have, at least, a full year off for maternity leave. If I wasn’t able to focus on something other than my beautiful and wonderful daughter, I think I would have gone insane by now! I’m trying to fit everything in before going back to work in the fall. When that happens, I know I won’t have time for more online courses. That thought makes me very sad.

“Learn something new. Try something different. Convince yourself that you have no limits.” -Brian Tracey

She says that she also uses the space to relax and entertain close friends who drop by the store. Wow! Never before have I wanted my own store so badly! That sounds like the perfect work environment and future project for me. Of course, whenever I daydream about it, I always see it in Canada instead of Sweden. Not really sure when that would happen, so it scares me to think that it may never. For now, it is something that I will think about and plan, hoping it will become my reality someday.

Currently, my craft room is nothing compared to what I see for myself in the future, but it is a peaceful place and it is mine. It is where I go to relax and recharge myself, even if only for five minutes.

My original idea was to be in front of the camera, but after not having a decent night’s sleep in over six months, I decided against it. I also have decided that I’m purchasing iLife 09. The iMovie program that I have is good, but when I see all the tutorials about what 09 can do, it just doesn’t compare. I would like to do more movies in the future and I know iLife 09 will help me make them look more professional with a lot less effort.

Without further ado, I present to you - my sanctuary:

p.s. I can’t believe how much I sound like my sister in some parts of the video. Crazy!

Speaking of magazines, I really would love to get my hands on the first issue of Stampington’s Art Journaling magazine. They have long since sold out and are working on the next issue. The new one is coming out in September, so watch for that in an upcoming wishlist entry! My loving mother bought me the issue of their Artful Blogging magazine that features Dina Wakley. I love her work and didn’t want to miss it. So, it’s waiting for me in Canada. I love my mom!

Another item that I’ve been wanting is a large scalloped circle punch. They never seem to be the right size whenever I see them in the store. Now that I think I’ve found the right size, it’s just a matter of ordering it.

I’m also excited to see Kelly Rae Roberts’ new website. I wouldn’t mind her book “Taking Flight” either, but now I’m just getting greedy!

Now, I’m looking around to see what else I can sell so I can keep buying the rest of the stuff on my wishlist!

One of my favourite poems to teach in my English classes is “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. It has everything a poem should: lost love, an unstable main character, and a misunderstood element that makes everything else fall apart. I love watching my students figure out that the narrator is falling deeper and deeper into insanity solely based on his own fear. Plus, it’s nicely written too. The word “nevermore” is key, which is why I used it in my most recent art journal page. It says everything, by leaving it open for interpretation.

My love for all things crow can’t be shown all at once, since there are too many more future posts and journal pages to fill. So, I will leave my favourite movie (The Crow), our mutual love for all things shiny, and my crow superstitions for another time.

photo by: Christina Lazar-Schuler

I know the former will be the most difficult to get my hands on as Studiowerx have discontinued their rubber stamp line. Very sad news, indeed, but what makes up for it is that I came across some instructional videos that Christine (the owner) did on image transfers using inkjet transparencies. She makes it look so easy! If she ever does her “Art of Transference” online course again, I am SO signing up. Take a look what she does with fabric:

I bought some canvas, for this very purpose, during my last trip home to Canada, but have hesitated because I thought it would be too difficult. Now, I just need to add Apollo inkjet transparencies to my wish list, and remember to order some Kroma acrylic medium next time I’m home, and I’m all set. I want to try it now! Her videos are excellent! She explains everything so clearly and definitely makes it so much better than reading about transfer techniques.

As for finding the stamp, I think I will have to continue searching. In the meantime, I might have to think about making a digital brush of similar circles. It’s a shame, because I would really like to have that design in a stamp format.

Edited to add: I just realized that registration for the “Art of Transference” course is ongoing and self-paced, just the way I like it! I need to get myself signed up!

I started thinking about what it was like around this time in previous years. It just doesn’t seem possible that it was this cold all around the world. I went back through my pictures and found that two years ago, we were able to sit outside and enjoy the warmth. Not only that, but it was nice enough for us to want ice cream drinks. I hope that nice weather like that is not too far off. Here is what it looked like on March 30th, 2007:

I also looked at what was happening at this time last year. It doesn’t seem like it’s possible, but I was 26 weeks pregnant. That just doesn’t seem right. Hasn’t Adrienne been around for a few years? It’s also interesting to think that my cousins are almost in the same position this year as I was last year. It won’t be long until they have their babes in their arms, even if it feels like a lifetime of waiting to go.

I worked with lots of different layers for this page. Layers always bothered me before because if I liked what I had done, I never wanted to cover it up. Now, I realize that it’s a part of the process and to achieve the look that I *really* want, I will have to cover up bits and pieces of the previous layers.

I’m so excited that my Portfolio oil pastels finally arrived. I really like my Caran d’Ache pastels, but they have nothing on Portfolio for what I want to use them. They are oil pastels whearas the Caran d’Ache are more like crayons (because they’re wax, duh). They spread so smoothly and the colours are so clear and bright. Dina Wakley was so right when she said that the Portfolio pastels are the best way to go. I can’t wait to use them again!