Art E-Classes

I really like the idea of mixed media art works and journals. Recently I took a class with Mati Rose called 'Daring Adventures in Paint'. It was a good way to get me painting. I finished one piece and have many more that are in various stages of progress.

Paintings by Mati Rose

Another artist that Rachel and I have always loved is Susana Tavares. a couple of weeks ago, I purchased her workshop called Paper and Paint. She makes it all look so easy.

Paper and Paint Workshop By Susana Tavares

I recently followed this tutorial on her blog for painting gift tags. I followed her instructions and produced these paintings. They are really little 3" x 3". I was actually amazed that they look ok. I wasn't sure if I could do it!!! They are nowhere near as good as Susana's but I can only keep trying.

Finally I love the work of Mindy Lacefield (Tim's Sally). She has a new 'Soul Bird' class and giveaway which looks really interesting. I am considering this one as well.

Soul Bird Workshop by Mindy Lacefield

Some of my favourite art works are on Pinterest. There is just so much inspiration on there. I purchased a couple of Pam Garrison original paintings and want to start collecting a few more including a Susana Tavares work so that I can start building up a wall of art.

There are so many inspiring artists out there and I hope that I can one day develop my own unique style. I figure that doing classes is a great way to get started and learn some new techniques.

Bedroom Decorating Inspiration

I am on holidays soon for 3 weeks and I think that I am going to spend some time decorating my bedroom. So I have turned to my Pinterest boards for inspiration.The collages below are made up of images from my boards. They can all be found here and to link to their original sources, just find the image on my boards and click on them.

One thing that Pinterest has been great for, is finding my own style! I know what I like but don't always get it right!! By collecting a range of images over the past year and a half, I am now quite sure that when I renovate my place, I know exactly how I want it to look. 

My bedroom is reasonably large for a unit so there is space not only for normal bedroom furniture but also for a desk and craft area. It will be nice to have my sewing machine, permanently set up and a place to paint when I want to.

 As you can probably tell, I love white and lots of colour plus silver accents and the must have are pops on Neon Pink!! It will definitely be all girly, pretty and pink!! Rach is coming to Australia soon, so I am sure she can help.

And the winner is.........

We loved all the comments on where everyone finds their inspiration. There were some interesting ideas. We definitely agree that blogs, flickr and Pinterest are major sources of inspiration. We also find inspiration from fabric, books (especially Japanese craft books) and children's illustrations. Here is some of our recent favs from Flickr.

 1. Airmail mug rug from Zakka Handmades, my book!, 2. stuff, 3. Knotted Buttonhole Stitch Edging, 4. Simple Square pillow, 5. Toy soldiers, 6. Being Sweet Keeps Me Out of Jams cushion, 7. mixed media, 8. pretty in pink {baby quilt}, 9. QAYG Tote Housework Side, 10. Quilt as you go - Drawstring Bag, 11. Magda, 12. The Lavender Bag Street, 13. DSC_0024, 14. Aiiiiii que lindinhas, 15. vintage fabric applique picture, 16. Bag with fabric treats from Ayumi, she is such a honey! I recognise fabrics we've swapped and special fussy cuts, 17. softbird 5+6, 18. Untitled, 19. Zippered pouch, 20. Mish´s, 21. Hearts pattern, Hallmark Cards, 22. rainy days and mondays #2, 23. litte fawn pincushion, 24. 002 Tote-Close-Up, 25. Quiet coloured quilt, 26. The fronts of the ones from garage shot this weekend, 27. ticker tape quilt block #1, 28. Untitled, 29. Vintage Fabric Sampler, 30. Syko houses spring 2012, 31. linen bunnies :), 32. Fabric Bucket from Amy's (chick chick sewing) new book, Zakka Handmades. Giveaway for the book on my blog!!, 33. Softie For Mirabel, 34. textile collage cover notebooks, 35. patchwork + crocheted bag bottom drawstring bags, 36. trust the journey 72 dpi

Some of the interesting places that you found inspiration were from 'photo inspiration day', things you loved as a child, nature, family, quilt shops, magazines, half-dreams, flea markets, 'Camp Stitchalot', museums, vintage clothes, art and photographs.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

We randomly selected the winner of the book Zakka Handmades and the winner is Linda. Congratulations! We will be in contact with you on email and hope that you love Amy's book as much as we did.