Art at Create! Chicago

Oh Create! Chicago, you are just a distant memory, and you have filled my heart with artful goodness, lifelong friends.  Here is the first installment of my Create! adventure.

I had the best students ever!!

 Everyone loves to color in the Copic class!  It was such a thrill to see the students practicing blending on their coloring journals with my flower stamps!  So sweet!

 Artful Lettering with Faber Castell and Sakura pens galore and Pan Pastels!  The girls loved the creamy vibrant color and the palettes were a huge hit!

Wait until i show you my new Peerless Watercolors that everyone got to try in class!

What touched me most at this event was my newly acquired "art friends" from all over the country.  It's a wonderful way to live a creative life, "Everyone Needs their Art Friends".  How lucky are we to have actual art friends??!!!  It's the best.

the whole experience full of joy and color………

"how can you not be happy with all this color!"

August in Review

I can't remember having a busier month with so many creative adventures!  This blog has been inexcusably absent due to my high volume of art tasks.  It was crazy!!!  Crazy good of course, so let's review.

The first three weeks of August found me in my art studio conducting 6 Art Camps for 65 sweet little art girls.

Having been a classroom art teacher for 30 years, I miss teaching kids and summer art camp fills that void.  These are "my girls"!

 The cutest little artists ever!!  I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people, families and kids in my creative life.

In the evenings i had several art journaling and mixed media classes with my adult students.  These are my "regulars".  Love them!

There was also the deadline for art submissions for Art Journaling magazine which i couldn't miss!  I completed 3 journals and sent them off to Stampington.

Just a little tiny tease peek!!  They are spectacular inside, i hope they get chosen!

In the midst of the studio and submissions buzz was the preparation for Create in Chicago where i would be teaching 4 classes on Lettering, Journaling and Copics.  A bazillion pens, paints, sprays, inks and goodies to organize, kit, pack and ship in time for the event August 23rd.

Everything arrived safe and sound and was organized into the specific workshop.  The week was amazing!!!!!!!  I cannot adequately express the good feelings returning from this incredible event sponsored by Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine.  The people, the classes, the new art friends, the laughter, the joy, the art……….sigh.

I will dedicate an entire post to my Create experience this week. 

I first have to unpack my bags that just arrived today (Monday) as they have been in Philly since Saturday, due to my "5 minutes to spare" (literally) connecting flight from Chicago.  Yes another adventure getting home to Rochester, NY, from Chicago the day Hurricane Irene decides to visit the east coast!

Hee hee…

I drag these bags from class to class and call them my 

"Leopard Suitcase Traveling Art Studio".

So there's a little glimpse into the fleeting month of August in my crazy good art world.  Keep checking back for some fun posts i have planned for this coming this week.

Thanks for visiting!

woo hoo…we have some winners!!!

Dear Blog Candy Giveaway Commenters,

Wow wow wow! I was so overwhelmed by every single one of your sweet, encouraging, kind, creative and supportive comments for my stamp and goodies giveaway with Ellen Hutson this week.  Each and every comment touched my heart so deeply.  Your enthusiasm inspires me to create more great things for your artful  adventures!  Stay tuned for many good things to come.

I know, i know, hush up Joanne, and tell us the winners!!!

The winner of the Ellen Hutson gift is:

Congrats to Donna Mikasa!!! who said:
You're stamps are amazing! Thanks for a chance to win!

…..and the winner of the signed "Glorious Day" stamp is……

Congrats to Phoenix Peacock!!! who said:
sdfkjsadjga oh sorry. those were keys clacking trying to comment as soon as possible! :) What amazing and generous giveaways. And plural ones at that! Your stamps are incredible! How much fun to have a coloring stamp. and I would love to try out the different types of markers. I need to find a good art journaling pen and just haven't wanted to splurge on it while Im still unemployed!

Please email your mailing address to me (jzsharpe@yahoo.com) and we'll get the goodies right out to you!!

Thanks for playing everyone!
Have a great weekend, and thanks again for all your kindness.  Be artsy!

all my stamps!!!…and TWO giveaways!

I have neglected my children.  Not my real children, my rubber kids, my beautiful fun and creative stamps from Art Gone Wild!  Have you tried them yet?? I am so proud of the designs being so interactive and economical.  They were specifically created for coloring, because as you know, i am coloring kind of fool!

Here's the art that inspired the "Art Girl" stamp.

...and the Art Girl stamp

 This is so exciting!!!  I was invited by the very sweet Ellen Hutson to blog about my stamps that she carries in her online store.  She had every single one of my new stamps for sale, and they sold out immediately!  The stamps were quickly restocked and are available in her web store where you can purchase them right now!!!

Go to Ellen's Classroom blog on Tuesday, August 2nd and learn all the coloring techniques i shared in my guest post.  I will be doing more collaborating with Ellen and we are working on some really fun new exclusive products that will launch in September.  

  So here how the collection works:

You purchase the Artful Cardmaker card front…

..this is the FLOWERS Collection and the sentiments...

…and then the Artful Cardmaker sentiments….

...and you can make hundreds of designs for dozens of occasions with just those two stamp collections!!

the Butterfly Collection and sentiments

The Hearts Collection and senitments

The Ladybug Collection…and sentiments

But had to share this, my darling friend's Susie's "Joanne stamp order"!  

Wow, is she going to have a blast coloring and creating!!

Okay, now back to business….

Look at the blog candy we are giving away this week!!!!

Some Faber Castell Marker and Pencil sets, Memento Markers, Ranger goodness, and TWO STAMP SETS!!!   

LEAVE A COMMENT FOR BLOG CANDY'S SAKE!!  
A winner of these goodies from Ellen Hutson, LLC will be randomly selected from the comments left here at Whimspirations, before midnight CDT, Thursday August 4th and announced Friday August 5^th both here and on the CLASSroom. Good Luck!


…but wait, there's more!!!

...to a SECOND WINNER, I will give away this stamp "Glorious Day" signed by me!  

DO I HEAR THOSE KEYS CLACKING BECAUSE YOU'RE COMMENTING RIGHT NOW???

Ellen has everything, go check out her store! 

Thanks for visiting, keep smiling!