The Top 2000 Party Comes to a Close with Uptown Funk!

Hi friends!  I don't know about you, but this week has flown by for me!  We are at the last day of the Top 2000 Blog Party!  Today, we count down the songs from #258 all the way down to #1!

The song I chose comes in at #251 -

UPTOWN FUNK

Bruno Mars

Here's the video for the song - see if you can keep yourself from dancing!


Check out Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their favorite songs from day seven of the countdown!

Thanks so much for visiting!  I will be back soon with some pics of 2016's filled art journals, and my creative plans for 2017!

Day Six - Blowin' In The Wind...

Here we go with day six of the Top 2000 Countdown!  Today we are counting down from #557 to #259.

Today I pay tribute to a classic song that comes in at #417...

BLOWIN IN THE WIND

Bob Dylan

Here are Dylan's comments, that were published with the song in 1962...

"There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it's in the wind — and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down some ... But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know ... and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many ... You people over 21, you're older and smarter."

Here's a video of Mr. Dylan singing the song in 1963 - enjoy!

Check out Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their favorite songs from day six!

Thanks so much for visiting, and I will be back tomorrow with the last day of the countdown! See you then!

Day Five - Gorillaz...

It's already day five of the Top 2000 Countdown!  Today, we are counting down from #861 - #558 in the Top 2000 songs of all time.

My song choice for today comes in at #691 and it's by a virtual band...

CLINT EASTWOOD

Gorillaz

The whole concept of a virtual band is so creative, isn't it?  I not only love the song, but the animation is awesome.  I wasn't going to try to draw the band, so I used an image from the internet.  The tv is drawn with Permapaque and Tombow Markers.

Check out the official video - so fun!


Don't forget to check out Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their favorite songs from the list!

Thanks so much for visiting, and I will be back tomorrow with day six of the countdown!

Back to the Top 2000 Countdown...

Hey friends!  I'm back with an update on the Top 2000 Countdown!  Today I've got two pages to share with you -  from days three and four.

On day three (yesterday), we went from #1493 to #1179; and my pick came in at #1388...

ROUND HERE

Counting Crows

I've always been so fascinated with the lyrics to this song; so I looked up the meaning, and this is what I found.  From Adam Duritz on storytellers...

"The song begins with a guy walking out the front door of his house, and leaving behind this woman. But the more he begins to leave people behind in his life, the more he feels like he's leaving himself behind as well. The less and less substantial he feels like he's becoming to himself. And that's sorta what the song's about because he feels that even as he disappears from the lives of people, he's disappearing more and more from his own life. The chorus is, he sorta keeps screaming out these idioms these lessons that your mother might say to you when you were a kid, sorta child lessons ya know, "round here we always stand up straight", "carving out our names". Things that you are told when you are a kid that you do these things that.. that when you're grown up it'll add up to something, you'll have a job, you'll have a life. I think for me and the character of the song they don't add up to anything, it's just a bunch of crap kinda. Your life comes to you or doesn't come to you, but those things don't really mean anything. By the end of the song he's so dismayed by this that he's kinda screaming out that he can stay up as long as he wants and that no one makes him wait...the sort of things that are important if you are a kid. You know that you don't have to go to bed, you don't have to do anything. The sort of things that don't make any difference at all when you're an adult, they're nothing. And uh and uh this is a song about, about me."

So cool.




and now, onto day four...

For day four, we countdown from 1178 to 862.  The song I picked comes in at #1051.  The lyrics to this song are much more straightforward, but still, so heartfelt and beautiful (in my opinion)...

WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN

Bruno Mars

enjoy the video...


Head on over to Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their picks from the list.  It's amazing!

Thanks so much for visiting!  I will see you tomorrow for day five of the countdown!

Return to the Light...

Hi again friends!  I'm blogging about my December project over at Nat Kalbach's blog today! This month's theme is "Return to the Light." 

Come on over to the blog and see the tutorial for what I made with Nat's new stencil line!  Here's a sneak peek...

and while you're there, it would make me smile ear to ear if you leave me a comment!

Thanks!  Tomorrow I'll be back with more from the Top 2000 blog party!

Day Two of the Top 2000 - Into The Mystic...

Hey friends!  It's day two of the Top 2000 blog party! Today, we countdown from # 1807 - #1494, and the song I picked comes in at #1725 - it's a classic...

INTO THE MYSTIC

by Van Morrison

and here's the video - enjoy!

It's Time for the Top 2000 Songs of All Time Countdown!

Hi friends!  I'm so excited!  It's finally time to start the Top 2000 Countdown Blog Party!!!

Every year, a radio station in the Netherlands (Radio 2), hosts an international vote to determine the Top 2000 songs of all time.  They publish the results mid-December, and then on Christmas Day they start playing all 2000 songs; in ascending order - ending with the #1 song of all time on New Year's Eve.

My friend Marit Barentsen, has been hosting a blog party to honor this tradition, for the past eight years!  Artists all over the world are invited to create art inspired by songs on the list, and submit them to her. She publishes them all week long on her blog - each one on the day that the song plays on the radio.  Every year there is more and more art - It's loads of fun!

I have been playing along since the very beginning, and I'm so excited to start the party again this year!  My goal is to publish one journal page each day for the next week; each one inspired by a song on that days portion of the Top 2000 list.


First, I wanted something to introduce the top 2000 pages in my journal, so I created this...

and now, on to the first day of the party!

Today we are counting down the best songs of all time, from #2000 to #1808.

I picked Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues, which comes in at #1812...

It's hard to tell in the photo, but this was done in a "junk journal," and the right side of the page is smaller than the left side.  That is why you see that white stripe and polkadot paper in the upper right corner.  It's the following page showing through.  Hope that makes sense?  I used alot of techniques that I learned in Roxanne Coble's "Lyrical" workshop. Check it out if you are looking for a fun, music-inspired class - I loved it!

Anyhoo,  here's Mr. Dylan in the classic video for Subterranean Home Sick Blues - enjoy!



I will be back tomorrow with day two of the countdown!  In the meantime, check out the official blog party going on at Marit's blog; and see all of the beautiful creations from artists around the world!

Good Things...

Hi again friends!  I'm blogging about my November project over at Nat Kalbach's blog today! This month's theme is "Good Things Just Keep Happening."

Come on over to the blog and see what I made with Nat's new stencil line!  Here's a sneak peek...

and as always, I'd love it if you leave me a comment while you're there!

Today is the Day...

Hi friends!  I'm blogging about my October project over at Nat Kalbach's blog today!  This month's theme is "Today is the Day," and I got to play with Nat's new Art Foamies!  What are Art Foamies, you ask?  Come on over to the blog and see them in action!  Here's a sneak peek...

And as always, I'd love it if you leave me a comment while you're there!

From Small Beginnings...

Hi friends! I'm blogging about my September project over at Nat's blog today!  This month's theme made me think of my excitement as a child about the beginning of the school year, and my project reflects that.

Here's a sneak peek - can you guess what it is?

Come on over to the blog and find out!  I've got a step-by-step, in case you want to make one too!

And as always, while you're there, I'd love it if you leave a comment for me!

Say YES to new Adventures!

Hi friends!  I'm blogging about my August project over at Nat's blog today!  This month's theme is "Say Yes to new Adventures!  It's a fun one!

Here's a sneak peek of my project...

Come on over to the blog and see the finished page, along with the process behind it!  And while you're there, I'd love it if you would leave a comment for me!

Letter to my Future Self...

Hi friends! I'm blogging about my July project over at Nat's blog today!  This month's theme is "Letter to my Future Self."

Here's a sneak peek...

Come on over to the blog and see the finished page, along with the process behind it!  And while you're there, I'd love it if you would leave a comment for me!

Season of Introspection - the final two weeks...

Hi friends!  The Season of Introspection at Get Messy Art Journaling has come to a close.  I have the final two weeks pages to share with you today...

Week Five:

Thinking about intuition brought me to this...

What my thoughts would look like if you could see them...

A story about me...

Week Six:

Describing myself right now...

On the subject of tears...

 

and more to say about tears...

The new season starts on August 1st!  I have heard rumors about what the topic will be, and I'm super excited!

If you want to find out more about the Get Messy Community, click here!  Join me!  It's tons of fun!

Season of Introspection: Weeks 3 and 4...

Hi friends!  I'm still enjoying playing in my Season of Introspection journal, and I've got two more week's worth of prompt pages to share with you -


You may recognize this first one - it was a creative squad project I did for Nat Kalbach's blog. The woman is a stamp from Nat's Fashion Dame set. It was also in response to a Season of Introspection prompt about what kind of person I want to be...

This one represents what the Universe is saying to me...

Here's one where I got to use the image that was already on the book page!  I love it when that happens...

And this last one is what my brain looks like if it was dumped on the page - ha...

The Get Messy group continues to be really fun and supportive.  I'm loving being a part of it!  If you want more info about the Get Messy Art  Journaling group, click here.

Right now I'm in a phase where I'm enjoying working on all of my projects at once.  It's what I do when I can't decide what to work on.  25 minutes on each project, with a five minute break in-between to run around and clean up my studio.

I hope your week is going great!  Thanks so much for visiting!

My Own Drum...

Hi friends! I'm blogging about my June project over at Nat's blog today!  This month's theme is "My Own Drum,"  and feature's Nat's Fashion Dame Stamp and Stencil set.  It's a fun one!

Here's a sneak peak of my journal page...

Come on over to the blog and see the whole thing, plus the process behind it!  And while you're there I'd love it if you leave a comment for me!

Thanks so much!

Get Messy: The Season of Introspection - Weeks 1 and 2

Hi friends!  It's the Season of Introspection over at Get Messy Art Journaling, and I'm excited to share my first two weeks in my new journal.

We were invited to alter a book for this season's prompts.  Here's how mine turned out...

And here are the pages so far. They are all in response to introspective prompts...

It's especially fun when I can make use of the illustration that's already on the book page, like this one...

Here's another one where I used an illustration from the book (the little dancing bugs)...

I'm still working on this week's prompts, but I will share when I get them done!

If you are interested in knowing more about the Get Messy Group, here's a blurb from their site...

Get Messy Art Journal is an art journaling program that is a school, art playground and family.  We are a group of like-minded art journalers who have come together under this art form to learn, share, practice our skills and push past our creative limits with hopes to inspire. Our community values consistent creating, encouragement and support and trying new things.  We would love to have you join us as a member of Get Messy Art Journal.

Click here to find out more about Get Messy Art Journaling.

Badass Women Challenge...

Hi friends! and thank you Emie, for letting me know you miss my posts!  I appreciate that, and it was just the nudge I needed to get back to my blog again!

Today I want to share info about a cool challenge I discovered on Instagram this month.  It's called the Badass Women challenge!  It's hosted by Sarah Pearson, aka @theinkyhand (on instagram).  Here's how it goes...

At the beginning of the month, Sarah publishes a list of the badass women for the month.  One to focus on for each day.  Then, you are invited to publish a photo on instagram with the hashtag #badasswomenchallenge, that somehow honors the woman of the day.  You can do all the days, or whatever days you choose.  How cool is that, right?

I haven't been doing every day, but I've been trying to work the challenge into my art as often as I can.  Here's what I've done so far...

Malala Yousafzai 

Pakistani Activist for female education, and the youngest-ever Novel Prize Laureate

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Assoc. Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Joan of Arc

Led the french army to victory in Orleans during the hundred-year war, thereby being dubbed the savior of France.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Burmese Activist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Wilma Mankiller

Women's Activist and the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985

For more info on the badass women challenge, visit @theinkyhand on instagram.

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Elephants Never Forget...

Hi friends! I'm blogging about my May project over at Nat's blog today! This month's theme is "Elephants Never Forget," which features Nat's Elephant Stamp and Stencil set.

Here's a sneak peek of my project...

Come on over to the blog and see the whole spread, and the process behind it!  And while you're there, I'd love it if you leave a comment for me!

Thanks so much!

May Featured Member - Documented Life Project!

Hi friends! I'm super excited to be the featured member for May over at the Documented Life Project, and get to share this week's DLP challenge with you!

Documented Life Project

May 21 - Pocket Art Challenge: Use a Homemade or DLP Circle Sticker

What a fun, open-ended challenge this was!  So many possibilities!  I thought right away of using the circle as the middle of a mandala.  Then I thought of using it as part of a word.  Then I thought - why not do both?!  I used a circle sticker that came with my Documented Life kit.  Here's how it turned out...

I forgot to take process photos, so, I made another tag using the same technique; to show you the step-by-step:


Here's what the sticker sheet looked like...

1. Lightly pencil out the chosen word on a separate tag, in order to see approximately where the sticker should be placed.  In my case the sticker would form the "a" in the word "peace..."

2. Using a white Uniball Signo Gel Pen, draw a mandala around the circle sticker...

3. Lightly pencil in the word for placement, then use a paint marker to draw in the word.  Thicken the letters in random places, for creative effect.

4. Color in the mandala with a gel pen.  I used neon pink and orange moonlight pens from Sakura...

5. outline the word with white pen, and add decoration to the tag's hole reinforcer, and you are done!

I hope you enjoyed the step by step. Thanks so much for visiting!