Hunting and Gathering...and a Give-Away!

Hunting season has officially begun and the search is on for yummy provisions for the next Artful Journey!

I went to a local vendor faire last weekend up in the Santa Cruz mountains.  It was a gorgeous day, with lots of artsy vendors, happy faces, good food, and friendly little goat families. (I bet you can guess who was first in line for the bus!)

I picked up three amazing old ledgers from Brussels, which will likely be put to good use in some way for retreat attendees—the largest journal is HUGE, about 24"x26"!

Some of the pages will definitely end up in Provisions packets that I'll have for sale at the retreat as well.  But since I'm not the greedy type, I'm going to share the bounty with a couple of readers here (a few pages from other vintage ledgers just might find their way in there too--you just don't know).  Just leave a comment on this blog post and I'll mail out a nice little packet to two lucky winners next Friday.  Be sure to leave an email, so I can get in touch with you!

Just in case you were wondering, Max is also doing some hunting and gathering...sigh.  So far, I've received gifts of a dead mouse, a live rat, a robin, a scrub jay and a crow—I'll spare you the details.  Yep, we're in full wild kingdom mode around here.  Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you on the other side!

Orly Avineri's New Book!

There is no better way to start the day than with a cup of coffee, sunshine, and a new journaling book.  I'm so honored to participate in a blog hop announcing Orly Avineri's just-released journaling book, "One Artist Journal", based on her online journal/blog.  I just received it and it is beyond gorgeous, with page after page of color photos spilling over the edges, along with her heartfelt words alongside.

I met Orly at Journalfest a few years back and was immediately smitten--she's like that.  You just sense her gentle, mindful spirit, and you want to get to know her better and hang out with her.  I've been fortunate to take workshops from her, as well as having her as an instructor here at An Artful Journey (lucky us, she's teaching here again in Feb. of next year!)  Whenever I spend time with her, I leave feeling a little more hopeful about the world.  That's just the kind of energy she puts out there.  Lovely.

This book oozes that kind of soulful energy, and makes you want to crawl right into that space.  I have tons of art books, and have become rather particular about what I spend my time/money on.  This one is at the top of my list, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the art of journaling. 

The very, very, very BEST way to order it is through Orly herself (super easy, fast delivery) at her e-store or in person at one of her workshops in So. Cal.  Of course, it's also available at Amazon but supporting artists by buying directly is always preferable.  This would also make a great graduation gift for a special person in your life!

You might just win a copy of the book if you head over to Orly's blog and leave a comment here--she'll be choosing a winner on May 25.  And you might like to hop on over to visit these folks as well, to see what they have to say about this latest addition to their mixed-media library!


Brian Kasstle:  apaperbear.wordpress.com

Carla Sonheim: carlasonheim.wordpress.com

Donna Cetorelli: solegarden.com

Dorit Elisha: lifeasafiveringcircus.blogspot.com

Erin Faith Allen: callofthewildsoul.com

Gina Rossi Armfield: sweetsistergina.typepad.com

Glenda Hoagland: pilgrimsthoughts.blogspot.com

Irene Rafael: irenerafael.blogspot.com

Jane LaFazio: janeville.blogspot.com

jill Berry: jillberrydesign.com/blog

Kelly Kilmer: KellyKilmer.blogspot.com

Liesel Lund: liesel.typepad.com

Monica Moran: thecreativebeast.blogspot.com

Pnina Gold: pearlandroses.wordpress.com

Rachel Urista: rachelurista.wordpress.com

Seth Apter: thealteredpage.blogspot.com

Teesha Moore: teeshascircus.blogspot.com

Passing it on...

Jumping in here to let you know that the 2013 Artful Journey workshop descriptions are finalized and should be on the website by June 1.  I'll be sure and do a shout-out when they're up!  Registration for next February's retreat opens on July 10 at 10am Pacific time.  Easy to remember, right?  I'm so excited to be able to offer this special retreat again; I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am.  More on the exciting lineup and classes in the coming weeks...(I sure as heck wouldn't want to have to choose between these 6 great instructors though!)

Things are hopping around here in my personal life, but I do take time out for a good read now and again.  One of my favorites is the Canadian magazine, Uppercase.  It's a bit pricey, but so worth it--great photos and graphics, lots of interesting articles and resources.  Honestly, it's just full of inspiration.  Go take a look here, but I'm warning you.  You'll be sucked in and may not come up for air for awhile.

I purchased a few back copies recently—just imagine my surprise when I spotted this little blurb in Issue #12, under 'A Roundup of Creative Retreats'!

I did one of those cartooney double-takes on that one.  As I started to turn the page, the voices in my head went, "hmm, that event sounds kinda familiar—woah, wait a minute!"  I don't know how it got there, but I owe a big thank-you to Christina Crook, as she apparently did all the rounding up.  Thanks, Christina! 

Another favorite splurge of mine is Dumbo Feather from Australia.  It comes out quarterly and is a superb collection of five inspirational in-depth interviews, as well as some short feature articles.  They "seek out those who inspire us, those who excite us, and those who thrill us with possibility."  What more could you ask for?  And to top it off, the photos are awesome, the paper is yummy--it even smells good.  Needless to say, I'm a big fan.  Again, if you want to lose yourself for awhile, just check out their blog right here.  TONS of good stuff!

Check back here on Friday when I'll be participating in a blog hop featuring one of my favorite artists/instructors, Orly Avineri...