greenpepperpressblog

Tag: visual journal

Time for Tea

The July/August issue of Somerset Studio is on shelves at your local bookstore now! In my column I show some of the Tea Books I've been making. It was 2001 when I made my first one, and have made several over the years – enough to fill a tea caddy. In May we had out all the tea fixings for an early morning viewing of the Royal Wedding….including scones with clotted cream and jam. I think I need to make a mini book for all the weddings I've risen early to watch. Back in April my two sister-in-laws treated me to a fun cream tea in England, so I made a little book about that event. There's always a good reason to make tea, and there's always a good excuse to make a sweet little tea book. Here's a sneak peek at the article:

Some images that got mentioned in the text didn't show up in the published piece – like the tea caddy I found to hold my collection of books. I scored this one at the Container Store – perfect fit!

And I mentioned in the article that the tea party book was shown in a cup I inherited from my Grandma Campbell. Here it is.

I love coffee every morning, but for special occasions we break out the tea. These little books are the size of a tea packet, and some have a string and tag like a tea bag. It's a nice departure to work on a small scale, and it's such an addictive process. Great for a gift, and a fun format for an invitation.

P.S. I spy my own work on pages 56 + 57 too as artist Edan Ruthan Miller makes a ring bound journal to remind her of ideas….clippings from one of my articles (HERE, May/June 2012) appear on her pages.

June 28, 2018
The Unexpected Rosarian

I've been nurturing a rose garden for ten years in honor of my sister. I love that the latest Somerset Studio arrives in May as it's the month I share a birthday with Shannon. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my visual journal that chronicles the past ten seasons of growth. I never thought I would ever be a successful gardener, so it was unexpected that I have become a rosarian.

(My mom even makes an appearance in my article….do you spy her?)

Two seasons ago my original rose bush passed 10 ft. tall.

Here's a view from the side yard in 2014.

In March we had a terrible snow storm (several actually) that brought down many trees in the neighborhood. On the left you'll see it didn't look promising for the roses, but then by the end of April, with some assistance of propping agents, they appear to be recovering.

And then this morning….I spied the first bud. The promise of another season. I'm so excited.

"Show me a garden that's bursting into life" from Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.

Are you a gardener? Have you started a garden journal? It's a fun process, especially during Winter as you wait for Spring.

May 1, 2018
3.17.17

Yesterday was the four year anniversary of adopting our sweet black cat Lucky. They told us she was likely about a year old so we claim today as her birthday. We sure got lucky with her. She is precious. I think that luck is all in perspective, but it's been said that those who work the hardest, are the luckiest. Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson: I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have. Hope you find yourself lucky not just today, but always.

March 17, 2017
TaDa is more fun than ToDo

I said it last year, and have advocated for the same concept several years before that….making a TaDa list is way more fun than a ToDo list. Of course they go hand-in-hand. However, I'm much more about celebrating the past year as motivation for the upcoming year, rather than fussing over what didn't get done or what is still left to begin.

I'm not one for making resolutions at the beginning of the year. My philosophy is that I'd much rather reflect on the past year and recognize all I have done. I find that to be empowering and motivating. Each January I have a ritual of making a Ta-Da list. I start with the end of December and work my way back to the first of the year, making notes of everything that I can remember doing during the year. It is easier to start with the most recent self-imposed assignments. (I'm not always good about maintaining To-Do lists during the year, but I have been known to keep them month-by-month.) Eventually I recall a full list of achievements, missions, chores, and projects that leaves me feeling really good. Sure, there are always things left on my To-Do list….there is always more to do, and ideas that are still in-process. However, when you move items from your To-Do list to your Ta-Da list you celebrate what you've completed – that's much more affirming than worrying about the tasks ahead, or announcing an official pledge to make changes with the turn of the calendar page.   Maybe you could start 2016 by patting yourself on the back for all the work you completed in 2015, from art projects to self-improvement, then carry forward the positive energy into the brand new year.

Make a Ta-Da list, because it's way more fun than a To-Do list!

Download printable lists here –

PDF: Download Michelle Ward ToDoTaDa2015   Download Michelle Ward ToDoTaDa2016

JPG:  2015 View this photo, 2016 View this photo

I hope that however you handle the turning of the page to 2016 that it is a wonderful year filled with blessings, love, friendship, and creativity.

If you're thinking you could use a little boost to get you rolling in January, the offer of $5 off the Creative JumpStart event in January ends at 11:59 EST 12/31. Visit http://nathaliesstudio.com/cjs to sign up and use the code CJS2016.

December 30, 2015
’tis the season?

Who would ever expect that December would permit and extended season for spray paint in NJ? We've been lucky with the unseasonably mild weather, so I took advantage. If you follow me on facebook you've already seen the facelift to our coffee table. It was time for a sprucing up with a change of palette to coordinate with our revised colors in the living room. First painted in 2007, the composition included many of my favorite stencils from that time. Since then I've designed over 100 stencils for Green Pepper Press and Stencil Girl Products. My intention with the do-over was to use the new stuff, but it ended up taking a turn and I went with some hand-cut chess stencils+masks from 2008 as the focus, with multiple size checkerboards, alphabets, and my damask patterns as "noise". After revisiting the chess stencils I've decided I will be releasing them in a smaller size in January. Stay tuned!

I admit it was hard to say goodbye to the old table top, but I had a great time spray painting the new one, and I'm pleased with the results. You can see my post about the 2007 version HERE. Below are the before and after views:

And some close-ups, plus a view of my outdoor work space, near the rose garden. I finish the surface with acrylic spray varnish, and a glass top.

I cut these chess pieces stencil/mask sets in three sizes back in 2008. Loved using in my journals and for art-making. HERE is an archived blog post illustrating how the chess theme has been one of my favorites.

I'm going to be getting the chess stencils and masks into production soon – to be released in January. There will be coordinating checkerboards too! They won't be as large as the ones I used on my table, but they will be fun to work with on all kinds of surfaces. Can't wait!!

December 18, 2015
song books

May is nearly here so that means the rose buds are starting to form, and the new Somerset Studio is showing up on shelves and in mailboxes. My column is about making your own songbooks, celebrating favorite lyrics to beloved tunes. I will be teaching Bohemian Rhapsody at The Ink Pad in NYC on Saturday, June 20th. To learn more see HERE, and to reserve a spot, call 212·463·9876 I'll provide the music, the lyrics, and the accordion book. Hope to see you there!

Consider making a song book as a gift – this one was made for Graham.

Don't you love that reading the lyrics makes the tune pop in your head? What song will you illustrate?

April 26, 2015
taking care of business

As a teacher, we are constantly asked by organizers to help promote our classes. It's good for everyone. In just three weeks CREATE NJ 2014 will begin. My Roll With It class is full, but there is room in my other two. If you're curious about mixing paint, or want to improve your collage compositions, join me! I will be vending on Friday, with some new additions to the Gothic Collection. Sneak peek announcement from my website below. I will be posting the new items for sale soon.

Also, for California residents, I will be in San Diego in September for a two-day Frond Chronicles workshop hosted by the San Diego Book Arts. I'm looking forward to heading West – haven't been there since a True Colors event ten years ago.

June 16, 2014
taking care of business

As a teacher, we are constantly asked by organizers to help promote our classes. It's good for everyone. In just three weeks CREATE NJ 2014 will begin. My Roll With It class is full, but there is room in my other two. If you're curious about mixing paint, or want to improve your collage compositions, join me! I will be vending on Friday, with some new additions to the Gothic Collection. Sneak peek announcement from my website below. I will be posting the new items for sale soon.

Also, for California residents, I will be in San Diego in September for a two-day Frond Chronicles workshop hosted by the San Diego Book Arts. I'm looking forward to heading West – haven't been there since a True Colors event ten years ago.

June 16, 2014
even more b&k

Wow! There's been a ton of feedback on the cardboard journal tutorial I presented on Stampington's blog. Many visitors left comments, there are hundreds of pins from the post, and a huge amount of likes and shares from their facebook page. I've even rec'd emails from artists who have jumped in and made their own. HCIT?

A little background – I first started making these cardboard journals about five years ago. One was included in the Artist Portfolio feature in Stampington's Art Journaling (Issue: Summer 2011) The first one, called Table Scraps Journal, made it's debut on this blog in August, 2011. Then I started showing you others, which I started calling Debris Journals, in December 2011. I taught my first cardboard journal class at Create NJ 2012, and again in 2013. I will be teaching The DeComposition Journal this October at The Ink Pad in NYC, along with my cardboard sculpture class, What a Relief. My last two columns in Somerset Studio have been about cardboard, and the next one will also feature it. What I love is that the material is versatile, readily available, and unintimidating to work with. As I continue using this humble supply, I find new ways to manipulate it, and can't stop pushing my expectations of how it can perform. I'm currently working on an end-of-the-year article that will make you re-think cardboard for the holidays!

Here is more from my Black&Kraft:

I love to leave a peek at some of the markings from the cut up cartons that show up on the pages. I've used some of these spreads to document my collections of black&kraft papers, and have made some deliberate cuts with stencils. I just love the look of this color combination. Just think, if Borders bookstore hadn't closed, where I used to get my kraft paper blank journals, I may never have conspired to make my own, and found out all the cool things that be done with recycling bin treasures.

This week we had to get a new table for the deck as the glass top on the old one shattered. You should see the stellar specimens of cardboard that the new table came wrapped in – a full sheet of mini-honeycomb plus several full sheets of perfect corrugated goodness. I'm delirious about the possibilities!

June 7, 2014
even more b&k

Wow! There's been a ton of feedback on the cardboard journal tutorial I presented on Stampington's blog. Many visitors left comments, there are hundreds of pins from the post, and a huge amount of likes and shares from their facebook page. I've even rec'd emails from artists who have jumped in and made their own. HCIT?

A little background – I first started making these cardboard journals about five years ago. One was included in the Artist Portfolio feature in Stampington's Art Journaling (Issue: Summer 2011) The first one, called Table Scraps Journal, made it's debut on this blog in August, 2011. Then I started showing you others, which I started calling Debris Journals, in December 2011. I taught my first cardboard journal class at Create NJ 2012, and again in 2013. I will be teaching The DeComposition Journal this October at The Ink Pad in NYC, along with my cardboard sculpture class, What a Relief. My last two columns in Somerset Studio have been about cardboard, and the next one will also feature it. What I love is that the material is versatile, readily available, and unintimidating to work with. As I continue using this humble supply, I find new ways to manipulate it, and can't stop pushing my expectations of how it can perform. I'm currently working on an end-of-the-year article that will make you re-think cardboard for the holidays!

Here is more from my Black&Kraft:

I love to leave a peek at some of the markings from the cut up cartons that show up on the pages. I've used some of these spreads to document my collections of black&kraft papers, and have made some deliberate cuts with stencils. I just love the look of this color combination. Just think, if Borders bookstore hadn't closed, where I used to get my kraft paper blank journals, I may never have conspired to make my own, and found out all the cool things that be done with recycling bin treasures.

This week we had to get a new table for the deck as the glass top on the old one shattered. You should see the stellar specimens of cardboard that the new table came wrapped in – a full sheet of mini-honeycomb plus several full sheets of perfect corrugated goodness. I'm delirious about the possibilities!

June 7, 2014