Are you up to the challenge?

Art is awesome!  He gave us a challenge to have a day of NO MEDIA on Weds., May 31st!  This will give us a chance to be present in our own lives.  I recall Melody Ross going on a 'facebook fast' awhile back, and I agree that I could use this.  So, I'm taking Art's challenge.  I'll let you know on June 1st how it went.  How about you?

Repurposing Books

One of my favorite things to do is to take an old book and repurpose it into an art journal.  I got the bug to do this the other day.  Here's what I came up with:

I'm take a class right now, Your Living Canvas, and I'm going to use this art journal for the class.

I'm sure I'll be back with more repurposed books later;D  Happy Memorial Day!

Rough yet Feminine

There's something about a beautiful, feminine item paired with something rough.  I have these large, very sturdy cardboard sheets that I love to slap some gesso on and start painting.  For this one I used my charcoal pencils to draw a tutu.  This dress reminds me of Cinderella -- I don't know why, but it does.  Can you see the shimmer from the glitter I applied?  Just an interesting piece to leave hanging in my studio. 

I have tons of art plans for this upcoming holiday weekend.  Yay!  I will be sure to take plenty of pictures to share.  (Maybe even a video or two;) 

Have a great Friday!

Looking for more business exposure?

We all would like more advertising, wouldn't we?  I know I do!  My art retreat business, Live*Laugh*Love Retreats, is now offering various advertising opportunities. 

Follow this link to get your own copy.  Questions?  Email me at linda_barutha@yahoo.com and I'll be sure to help you out!

You've got to see this!

Don't let the length of this video deter you.  Even if you only watch a few minutes, it's totally worth it!  This lady truly has a gift for designing with paper.  Love it!

I know it's not fall

But I couldn't help myself.  I just love sunflowers, so last weekend when I was playing around in my studio I whipped up this:

The saying is "You are my sunshine".  It really doesn't look as dark in person.  The color of the background is dark cherry.  I hope you have a "sunshiney" day!  I'm off to the ball park to see the Brewer's play this afternoon!

Welcome Monday with a Smile

After a nice, relaxing weekend, I'm ready for Monday!  How about you?

Today I wanted to show you a picture of one of the beautiful necklaces I purchased from my good friend Kris Lanae Binsfeld.  Thank you Kris!  I love it!  If you get a chance, checkout Kris' blog at Cherished Designs.

On another note, I'm participating in Christy Tomlinson's new ecourse "Your Living Canvas", which starts today.  It's not too late!  If you would like to sign up for Christy's course, click below.

http://christytomlinson.typepad.com/christytomlinson/my-living-canvas-workshop.html

I have taken all of Christy's online courses, so I can very confidently tell you that you will LOVE anything that Christy does!

Mixed Media May

One of my dear online friends, Cindy Lantier, so graciously asked me to participate in her Mixed Media May project.  I was out of town when she featured me, so I thought I would take a moment to direct you to the nice interview she did. 

http://www.mixedmediamay.com/mixed-media-may-linda-barutha

I get by with a little help from my friends

My online friends have truly become my best friends.  Isn't that amazing!  A year ago I didn't even use facebook, nor did I want to.  But thanks to an online class I took last August by Kelly Rae Roberts, I now have sisters across the world that I truly love!  This has been a rough week.  No particular reason -- just feeling meloncholy.  Maybe Mother's day kicked it off.  This morning as I drove in to work I couldn't help but think about my brother-in-law who took his life 6 months ago.  When do you get over the shock?  Do you ever get over it?  You would think that with all of the violence that we see on TV and in the theatre that we would be desensitized to a death in real life.  Not me.  When I was 15 yrs old the guy that was my first true boyfriend was murdered.  It's been over 30 years and I'm still not over it.  Is everyone like that?  I think about the elderly, sitting in their nursing homes, staring into space.  Is this what they are thinking about -- all of their loved ones that have passed?  Sorry for being so sad, but this is just the kind of week it has been for me.  My plan for the weekend is to turn it around.  Make art, enjoy the outdoors and get by with a little help from my friends. 

MN Trip and Live, Love, JUNK!

Well, sorry I've neglected my blog lately!  Last weekend I travelled north to Minnesota.  It was a GREAT weekend!  I attended the St. Paul Craftstravaganza where my friend Kris Lanae Binsfeld was a vendor with her beautiful jewelry.  I'll be showing you some of my purchases tomorrow.  Anyways, Kris and I are hosting the Live, Love, JUNK! event this September.  So we did this little impromptu video at the fair. 

http://youtu.be/BuK0hjAOKvc

Sorry the sound isn't the best because of where we were, but hopefully you could hear us.  If you would like more information about Live, Love, JUNK!, go to my retreat website.  Kris and I can't wait to show you some of the cool ideas we have for turning your junk into treasures!

New art

My hands are all crusty and full of happiness!  That's because I took some time just for me today and created this:

Here are some closeups:

I really love the serenity of blues.  I created it on an 11x14 stretched canvas.  And this quote has always been one of my favorites.  I just couldn't get it out of my head.  I hope you are enjoying your day!

Not Creative...Balanced

This weekend was an unusual one for me.  I typically try to cram as much creativity as I can in my weekends.  But, that doesn't leave me feeling very balanced.  So this weekend I focused on spending quality time with my husband.  And it was awesome!

photo courtesy of APC Photocreations

We left the house pretty early Sunday morning and took a drive to Sun Prairie for breakfast at this refreshing diner.  The food was so fresh and delicious.  Then we wandered into Barnes & Noble and I splurged on a handful of Somerset Publications.  A thunderstorm horned in on our day, but we didn't let it stop our good time.

I'll be back tomorrow with some creative goodness to show you!  But for now, I'm enjoying the feel of balance;D

Art with Wild Abandonment

That is the name of an AWESOME, inspirational ecourse I took last month hosted by my favorite, Christy Tomlinson.  The course was primarily taught by the adorable Junelle Jacobsen.  If you aren't familiar with Junelle, be sure to checkout her gorgeous blog at www.yes-and-amen.com.  Junelle is a complete delight!  Her beautiful spirit really shines through with everything she does.  So, today I'm telling you about Junelle and the class because I'm participating in a blog hop that features how this class inspired me.   So, here is some artwork I made during and after the class:

These are painted wooden blocks.  

The back sides.  

This is a copy of an art journal page that I created during the class.  I scanned it, printed it out on cotton fabric, and then decoupaged it onto a painted footstool.  I actually sold this at an expo I was at in April.

So, this was just a small sampling of the creative inspiration I took away from Christy and Junelle's awesome class!  If you get a chance, check it out!  Tell them Linda sent you;D

AND, be sure to visit the other lovely ladies in our blog hop by clicking on the blog hop icon in the right column of my blog.  

Are you exploring?

Your creative side, that is?  On Weds. evening I had a blast at my Create & Bloom Mixed Media workshop.  We made a couple goodies and got all messy;D 

I'm hoping to find some time to do more this weekend.  What are you doing to explore your creativity?

We have a Winner!!

Congratulations to Sofia!  Sofia was the first to register for Creatives -- Celebrating Sisterhood Retreat!  Your Suzi Blu book is going in the mail!  Congratulations! 

Do YOU want to be a winner?  Take advantage of our early bird registration and not only will you save $20, but you will also be entered into a raffle drawing for a

Set of 6 ALL NEW Tim Holtz DISTRESS MARKERS!

Again, congratulations Sofia!  And good luck to all who register early!

Today's the Day - May Day!

The day I open registration for a beautiful retreat:

I have a FANTASTIC group of instructors that have put together some pretty AMAZING classes for you!  To checkout ALL the details of this retreat, simply go to:  http://livelaughloveretreats.com.