Tangle kit in progress

I'm working on a really pretty tangle kit. I just started it but I wanted that to be today's project.

There are a number of cool things I'm going to be working on this weekend, so I wanted to put this there. 

I hope you're all doing something great this weekend. 

Wet paint zone

Chairs are high on my list of priorities for completion so they will be ready for the grand opening.
They're turning out super cute, but the colors didn't photograph very well.
This one looks like it's the color of melted mint ice cream.

 This one my daughter painted, it's actually gorgeous turquoise with a lighter blue on the rungs.

Love that it's all coming together. The chairs are going to be all seaglass type colors type colors. Honestly, I've second guessed myself 100 times on these, but I'm feeling pretty confident now.
These things are HARD I tell you!

I'm a messy painter. My family is comprised of messy painters and that's TOTALLY ok. :)
So the studio is a wet paint zone... and tomorrow my banner goes up!
THAT is going to be so exciting!

Chalkboard art...

I have a large number of chalkboard areas in my studio.. so getting my quotes and chalkboarding just right is high on the list of things to do. There are a couple that I'm doing permanently (because they'll be up high.. and I'm short) so I especially want those to be right.

So lots and lots of practicing.
I love the look of mixed fonts though, so I'll keep playing til I get it right.  I like this one but it's not just right.

I love the way wet chalk stays n place once you put it there! :D

I like the way the letters turned out but it was only for practice. I don't like all capitals on it.

I have a ton of quotes, yet I feel like I need more... because I haven't found one that is PERFECT so if you have a favorite quote or inspirational saying please feel free to share!!!! I'd really appreciate it.

Chairs!!!!

When I was talking about chairs for my studio, I had an idea in mind that never wavered. Everyone was sharing links with me and saying, "these are cute" and "These aren't too expensive and look solid" but um... I knew what I wanted and it was a very unique, almost Alice in Wonderland tea party look.
So, there's been a hunt at yard sales, thrift stores, vintage stores and craigslist for cute chairs.

They're all different... but they're wood, they're solid and they are the perfect choice for the look I want.

Except it would have been SO MUCH EASIER to order 20 chairs. LOL

They all needed primed before I can do anything fun. Is it just me or is priming boring? I love the way everything looks fresh and clean with white on it and I do love white furniture... but I think it's the anticipation of knowing how cute they are going to look that has me impatient.

Painting white primer gets boring quickly....

and there are a lot of chairs.

And the spindles.
Oh so many spindles.

They look super cute... but sheesh.
If I ever decide to redo these, someone link me to this post! LOL

I have 2 favorites. One isn't in these pics.
The other is this one.

Isn't it cute? It can't stay pink... it doesn't match (but I love it!!!!)
That's my water bottle cap, it wasn't stuck I was just using it while I was painting.

No fewer than 5 people tried to buy these from me while I was priming them. One guy I looked at and said, sure $500 because in my head I was starting to think that ordering some was a better idea.
I'm glad he didn't take me up on it though!

So that was my big project... and the next one will look like the rest of them primed, which isn't very exciting.. but then the fun begins.

I have 9 colors of paint. :D That's the only hint I'm giving you. 

What are you working on?

I have a studio!

Happy May 1st! Today I wanted to take a few minutes and share some of why I've been so quiet. I know I've been posting, but my posts have been lighter on content because I've had my hands full.

I am opening my own studio this month, the grand opening will be the last weekend of May, (May 30&31st) and should be a lot of fun.

The studio address is 3495 Delaware Avenue, Kenmore NY 14223 and I'll have my banner and such up soon.
I fell in love with the space and the light. As you can see from the pictures, the overall space needed a LOT of work.

So, we've been working hard and it's paid off. 

So if you're local and want to take a class... or you know you'll be in the area let me know!!!

Ghostly images or shadows or whatever...

This is how sneakers start out... well, actually they start at the factory but then they get sent to me and they are beautiful, crisp, amazing canvases!
 And then I pull out all the ideas I have in my brain and make them look all messy.

I always think they look haunted at this point. I always think of these as my "ghost images" which are initially sketched in in chalk and then I use my own special "primer mix" to ghost my images in.
It's partly responsible for why they can be washed when some others can't.
But I like to think of them as "ghost images" of ideas to come.

These are for a little boy with CP. He likes Nickelodeon and camping and I hope he really loves these when they're done.

Right now I'm in the process of mixing paint until it's exactly the color of artificial cheese. LOL.
Oddly, or not so oddly, it's making me hungry.
I am a sucker for fake cheese.
Mac & cheese, cheese poofs, cheez- its, goldfish crackers...
Yeah.
I know, I should be ashamed of myself and go eat an apple or something.

But I think I nailed it. Artificial cheese color for the win!

Mmmmm goldfish!

So what are your plans this weekend? Anything fun?

3 months!

We have made it to 3 months of the challenge! Can you believe it? Some of you have done something creative with me EVERY single day!
Even those that haven't done it every day have really spent the last 3 months making creativity a habit, I'm so excited that you are part of my journey!
That's almost 1/4 of the year! 25%!!!! 90 days!!!!!!!
How fun is that?!?!!

Today I am working on sneakers for the Peach's kids. :) These are going to have Little Einsteins on them. So far, I've just got a cloud background going.

 This other pair is a custom order, once again Hetalia, but in a cutesy style this time. They liked the snowflakes so I've included them on this pair too. I'm sharing because she's actually asked for WIP pics which is something I don't normally do, but I will if requested.

I'm also still working on my website and trying to decide on my 50 favorite tiles to put on my new business cards.
Yikes, that's hard work!

Then I need to make sure I have good pics of them. This behind the scenes stuff is harder than it looks. LOL I just want to make stuff most days!

So what are you working on today?

Up to my eyes in paint

Well not quite my eyes but it's in my hair and all over my hands, and keyboard and house.
Paint tray fun!

2 pieces that are works in progress shots (because the people haven't seen the full ones yet and I don't like to spoil surprises!) on sneakers I finished up yesterday

So I've been super busy and I've got several more on deck... so this is a short post by design. :)

So I can get back to designing! Make good art friends!!! Happy Friday!
I can't wait to share the completed ones with all of you!

Work in progress

Working on the skyline some more.

Been binge watching Criminal Minds and being lazy this weekend, but tangling has been done. I'ts a little warmer here, but it's snowing again. (At least some of it melted before it started again!)

What are you all working on this weekend? 

Chicago is my kind of town!

I actually adore Chicago, so when it was suggested for a skyline, I knew it was going to be my next one.
I spent one of the weekends that was the MOST FUN EVER in Chicago back in the spring in the early 90s. I stayed at the Hotel Lincoln, spend a day at the Lincoln Park Zoo, ate some great pizza, went to a fun wedding, realized that the offical shoe of the city seemed to be the rollerblade at the time and of course there were cocktails and dancing and so much energy!
Frank Sinatra said Chicago was his kinda town, it was also mine!
So I'm not very far with this yet.. but here we go.

Do you think it would be fun if I started posting the outlines before telling you where it is? And people could guess? :D
Kind of a "Name that skyline!" idea?
Just for fun?

Today's Thursday and the sun is out. Today's prompt is to do something that makes you think of spring!

It's ok to share things you are still working on!

Sometimes we have projects that take a while, well... at least I do.
If you are so inclined, please feel free to post those as your creative, it doesn't mean you aren't creative if you didn't finish!

I was thinking I might start doing some Vine videos of tangle patterns if you're interested, let me know what you think in the comments! Maybe 1 per week?
Today, it's not in Vine form but paper, I wanted to share with you my new tangle. I call it Away-sis and it was inspired by a small patch of green leafy foliage.
It looks a bit like Quandry (which is NOT at all Zen-like for me to create) but you get there in a completely different way.

Away-sis by Kelly Barone, CZT

Anyway here is my work in progress for your viewingtoday! Mandalas for my art journal.

I have a long way to go on it, but I'm pleased with where it is going.


Today's Bijouism is my favorite.

Inspire

Imagine the thought that I could inspire someone else to draw, when they absolutely knew they could not, no way, never, no how . . . even draw a straight line. Of course, you may never have to draw a straight line in the Zentangle Method, but I suppose you could if you wanted to. Sometimes, what I think is just a "so so" Zentangle creation, may awaken the artistry in another simply by just being there, at the right time. Imagine . . . me, Bijou, being (or should that be snailing?) an inspiration to someone else. C'est magnifique!