30 Journals 30 Days : Interview

Throughout the month of July, Connie at Dirty Footprints Studio has been interviewing well-known art journalers for a special project called 30 Journals 30 Days. To culminate the end of the series, she has asked other art journalers to share their own interviews on their blogs in order to widen the reach of the project beyond the 30 featured artists. I am gladly participating!

* How long have you been Art Journaling?

I have dabbled in journaling for years, but never in a consistent manner or with much more creativity than pasting in some photos and magazine cutouts to my diary pages. I was extremely inspired when I received Sabrina Ward Harrison's book "Spilling Open" in high school, and credit that as the starting point for a lot of self-exploration. But it wasn't until I went to Squam Art Workshops in Fall of 2009 that I began to fully embrace art journaling, and I realized that I wanted to place much more of a priority on creative expression in my life.


* How has Art Journaling impacted, changed, or enhanced your life?

It's been a place for me to pour out my feelings and work through them, especially recently, as I have been dealing with unemployment and insecurities about my future. It's a friend, a confidante, a sounding board and a record-keeper. In terms of the art-side of journaling, it has been a lesson in letting myself be free creatively, remembering that there are no mistakes or right/wrong ways to journal. Through my journals I have begun to find my artistic voice and style.



* What are a few of your favorite Art Journaling materials?

Vintage papers and ephemera that have been passed along to me (like old envelopes and stamps, book pages, music sheets, etc.), liquid acrylic paint (the cheap stuff) in mostly cool colors, India ink (MY FAVORITE!), masking tape, junk mail (particularly security envelope patterns), black pens, feathers, leaves, lace, and graph paper. I also can't live without gesso, matte gel medium and UHU glue sticks!


* Who are some of your favorite Art Journalers?

Sabrina Ward Harrison
Anahata Katkin
Samantha Kira
Christine Mason Miller


* What kind words of encouragement would you say to an Art Journal newbie?

Be free. Be yourself. Look for stylistic or prompt ideas from other journalers, but don't imitate. If you are honest and authentic in your journals, your pages will be that much more meaningful and powerful. Also remember that there is no right or wrong way to do things! Journals are the perfect place to explore-- both your technique and your self.

* Where can we contact you...give us some link LOVE!!

My Blog
Twitter
Flickr

* My Bio.

I am a creative spirit who is passionate about mixed-media artwork, art journaling, design, photography, blogging, travel, culinary arts, nutrition, environmentalism and authentic, holistic living. Having recently escaped the soul-crushing corporate world where I worked in marketing, I am in a period of transition where I am trying to figure out how to make a career out of my diverse passions.

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There you have it! I'd also like to share that I hope to incorporate an interview series of my own into the blog, featuring chats with a variety of creative people who inspire me. Stay tuned for that feature sometime in the next month or two!

July Love List

Inspired by Kris Carr's Love List over on "Crazy Sexy Life," I've compiled a list of my current loves and simple joys. Paying attention to the things I enjoy is helping me to focus on the positive through a challenging week. There are always little bits of goodness to be had!

I'm enjoying:

1. Green smoothies! There's something about the freshness and coolness of a smoothie during the hot summer days that can't be beat. And really, you can't even taste the greens in there if you have a good blender.

2. Tranquility Du Jour podcasts. After finishing Tranquilista last week, I've been going way back into the TDJ archives and listening to the old podcasts. There are some wonderful gems in there; I particularly love the interviews.


3. Signing up for a vinyasa yoga class at a local studio. It will be nice to take an actual class instead of just doing yoga DVD's--which I confess I don't do that often anyways!

4. Strawberry lemon iced tea and a macadamia nut cookies from the Border's cafe. Clearly, a little indulgence is needed to balance out the green smoothie.


5. Reading and re-reading this fabulous Manifesto of Encouragement by Danielle LaPorte. I'm sure you all have read it already, but it's worth reading again. It'll make you feel like you're walking on clouds.

6. Wearing my Sseko sandals, which I wrote about yesterday.


7. Reading a novel in less than two days, which brings me back to the days of my childhood when I would tear through books at lightning speed. These days, it seems that my free time usually doesn't allow for uninterrupted reading, so it was fun to be able to do this. Plus, the book was really wonderful and endearing.


8. Pandora jazz stations. My favorites being Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker stations. Love it. Jazz mellows me out as well as a glass of wine can (even if this fact makes me feel quite OLD!).



What's bringing you love these days?

Shoes with a Mission

Since we let a friend move into our spare bedroom last October, I had to temporarily downsize my closet to share with my husband. Which means that some of my clothes and shoes have been forgotten about, as I lacked the daily motivation to dig through everything that was crammed in the tiny space. But, in preparation of the roommate's exit next week (yay!), I have been cleaning and organizing so I'm good and ready to take ownership over a whole closet next week, and have been excitedly coming across many things I forgot about. It's like going shopping without having to spend any money!

One thing I rediscovered was a pair of sandals I purchased last summer that I completely love--I can't believe I forgot about them! Have you all heard of Sseko Designs?


Sseko ("say-ko") is a wonderful company that combines beautiful, summery shoes with a wonderful mission to help women continue their education. Founder Liz Bohannon, a recent college graduate, started Sseko Designs during a visit to Uganda.

As Liz states on the Sseko website,

"The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.

Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war."

I love this concept for a business because it not some half-hearted attempt to appear socially-conscious. With Sseko Designs, the actual creation of the product is employing these women, and the profits from the sandals directly help their education. These sandals are a wonderful reminder to me that we can make responsible consumer choices that make a difference in the world.

Visit their website and check out the different colors of straps available (I have both black and Starboard, a blue and white stripe), a gallery of the various ways to tie the sandals, and information about how you could get involved with the organization. And for any brides-to-be, they also offer special wedding sandals! Now that I've re-found my sandals, I don't think they are coming off my feet for the rest of the summer!!

[Photo Credits: All photos belong to Sseko Designs]

Artists I Admire Vol. 1

This weekend started out with torrential storms that left my town (and many peoples' basements) wet and soggy. I think the total tally for rain was 8.3 inches in less than 24 hours, the most rainfall of all the suburbs in the Chicagoland area. Yowza! Luckily, we did not suffer any damage, and the crummy weather left me plenty of time to hang out inside and catch up with my blog- and Flickr-browsing.

I decided to go back and look at my Flickr favorites, and I happily "rediscovered" many pieces by artists I admire. I'm so inspired by the amount of talent out there in the world. Here are a few art journalers that are currently knocking my socks off.

1. Day 268: Reclaim, 365 Days of Being 30, 2. Day 134: This I Need, 365 Days of Being 30

Erin Kenepp is a mixed-media artist and art therapist who challenged herself to create a journal page each day for a year starting with her 30th birthday. She has a wonderfully messy, honest style that evokes Sabrina Ward Harrison. Read more about Erin in the most recent issue of Art Journaling magazine.

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1. jrnl1, 2. evenBefore

I first saw Velleity Pie's work in the book 1000 Artist Journal Pages a few years ago, but I didn't discover her Flickr stream until recently. Her work is full of retro illustrations, well-balanced layouts and great typography.

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1. Untitled, 2. scraps, 3. Untitled, 4. Traveling
While many of you might be familiar with Anahata Katkin through her art and well-known shop, Papaya Art, she also keeps amazing art journals. I am fascinated with her personal imagery, and love her use of bold paint colors.

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And lastly, this is a video that an acquaintance passed along to me. It is by KatieHermanArt on YouTube, and features a collection of her art journal pages transformed into a powerful video. I love the melding of journaling with technology!

I'm thoroughly inspired now! I haven't touched my art journal in a few weeks, but I think a creative session is definitely in order...

Foodie Friday : Spring Rolls

The 90 degree temperatures are not ceasing, so my hot-weather "cooking" streak continues. Last week, I made these Spring Rolls no less than four separate times--in part because they are so delicious, and also because they are wonderfully easy to prepare (but it should be noted that they are best made fresh each time you eat them or else the rice paper wrapper gets a tad funky).

I used Alisa Burke's recipe as a starting point for my Spring Rolls, and got creative with the fillings. Our CSA box brought us cabbage, carrots, baby leeks and cucumbers, all of which are perfect crisp ingredients. I also used a green pepper, sliced avocado, and cooked shrimp in a few of the rolls. Use your imagination-- how about rice noodles, brown rice, baked tofu, chopped peanuts, or even sliced mango? The options really are endless.

The most challenging part was working with the rice paper wrappers. These can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. We grabbed our wrappers from World Market's food section. To work with the wrappers, they must be soaked for about 30 seconds in a large dish filled with water (we used a pie plate) until they become transparent and pliable. Then you lay the wrapper on a clean dish towel to absorb the excess water while you pile on the fillings towards the middle of the wrapper. Fold in the end and then the sides of the wrapper, then roll it up like a burrito. Voila!

There are a variety of sauce options that compliment Spring Rolls. We tried this Peanut Sauce from the Food Network and gave it two thumbs up. Maybe next time we'll try this soy and rice vinegar sauce.

This was my first foray into homemade Spring Rolls, and they were so easy, fresh and tasty that I will certainly be adding it to my regular rotation.

Face Lift!

I'm proud to reveal a new look for the Caitidid Designs' blog! If you are reading this in a blog reader, hop on over here to check out the new look. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, but it just came together in the last day or two. I'm sure I won't be able to resist a few more tweaks, but overall I'm quite happy with this bright, new, handmade look!

I've also given this blog a proper title-- "Life is a Canvas: Creative Musings from Caitidid Designs." This came out of a lot of thinking I've been doing over the past few days, re-focusing on what the true message and heart of my blog is (and to a greater extent, my life and career). I wondered how it is that I can post about pretty things to buy one day, and then focus on a personal development topic the next. Is that inconsistent? Unfocused?

With a little thinking, I was reminded that everything I blog about, and everything I do in my life, is dedicated to creative living. As I wrote in my new About Me page, I am committed to the notion that we are the artists for our lives--and I know that I want to create a life full of color, vibrancy, passion, exploration, and authenticity. I believe this attitude extends far beyond the work we do in the art studio to all aspects of our lives. Our relationships. Our style. Our intentions. What we eat. How we explore the world. Thus, the name "Life is a Canvas" was born.

I don't think the content of the blog will change much, but I think the approach I take in crafting my posts will be just a little more focused. I have some great ideas for future posts that will hopefully inspire new approaches for bringing creativity into your life. I'm really excited, and I'm so thankful to have you lovely readers along for the ride!

Thoughts on : Role Models, Admirable Qualities and Firestarting

Along with seemingly everyone else in the blogosphere, I took part in purchasing Danielle LaPorte's Firestarter Sessions on her "Pay What You Can Day" back in May. For those not in the know, Firestarter Sessions is a combination e-book/workbook/video seminars that aims to ignite your goals. Since purchasing the package, I've been timid about diving in, primarily because it is chocked so full of wisdom and pure awesomeness that I don't want the experience to go by too quickly; I want to savor each and every word. But as Danielle's whole aim is to get you inspired and get you moving, I have been committing myself to working through it.

Most recently, I worked on a section that had me identifying some heroes and role models. Basically, you think of several people (or even brands) that you admire, and then narrow it down to your top five role models. For each person, you write down four characteristics/traits that most inspire you. The benefit of the exercise comes in identifying the common themes that appear, because these are traits that you want to cultivate or celebrate in yourself.

I've heard it said many times that when we admire a quality in someone else, such as someone's charm, confidence, or determination, it is something that already lives within us. In other words, it is only possible to recognize in others what we already possess. That's a wonderfully comforting thought, isn't it?

Many people popped into my head during this exercise, including Ms. Danielle LaPorte herself, Martha Stewart, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Kelly Rae Roberts. But here are my final five role models, along with the qualities that drew me to them and the themes that seemed to jump out at me.

Oprah Winfrey
- Encourages others to live their best lives
- Is a humanitarian, always looking to help or serve others
- Has shown indomitable strength through adversity
- Very determined, yet still has a nurturing spirit




Sabrina Ward Harrison
- Making a living as an artist/creative spirit
- So much honesty and self-expression in her work
- Celebrates simple life moments and true living
- Was an author at a young age



Kris Carr
- Very strong; she triumphed through cancer using natural methods
- Encourages others to treat their body well (through diet, yoga, lifestyle, etc)
- Has a great, happy attitude and a glowing persona
- Spreads her messages online and has built a supportive community





Kyla Roma
- Living a creative life and following her dreams at a young age
- Focuses on appreciating simple moments of her life
- Positive, happy vibe
- Has put so much into the blogging community and is a community builder




Kimberly Wilson
- Spreads a holistic message combining body/yoga, mind and spirit
- Uses a variety of avenues to communicate (blogging, podcast, yoga studio, teaching, books)
- Is a calming, centered spirit
- Celebrates life/is very joyous



And what did I learn about myself through all this? Well, here are the themes that my heroes seemed to represent for me. This list acts as another great touchstone for me to reflect on to ensure that I'm living my values. I'm sure I'll find myself mumbling, "What would Oprah/Sabrina/Kris/Kyla/Kimberly do?" on a regular basis!



Who are your heroes? What qualities do you admire in them?

Weekend Recap

Happy Tuesday! The weekend was quite busy for me, thus my mini-blogging break. The last few days brought fun times that included a visit from my husband's sister, meeting an online friend for the first time in-person for a LOVELY brunch and shopping (Hi Katie! *waves*), seeing a matinee showing of "Inception" (I command you, GO SEE IT. NOW!), pigging out on cupcakes from my favorite bakery, buying an air conditioner, returning an air conditioner, having a fun dinner with my husband at our favorite Southern-food restaurant and talking about life lists and travel dreams, and an interview at one of my favorite stores, Paper Source. Sometimes I feel worn out by too much activity, but this weekend felt so fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. It didn't hurt that I spend most of my time in highly air-conditioned places, thank goodness.

I'll be back with some heartier posts later this week! I hope you all had fun weekends as well.

(Re)Decorating Problems

I have a problem of the decor variety. My mom will laugh when she reads this, because this is the exact same behavior I displayed as a youngster. My problem: I always find myself falling in love with one home decor item at a store (such as a blanket or a throw pillow) and then buying it, bringing it home, and then deciding that I MUST redecorate the entire room to go with this one item. It's like I have Decorating ADD. I just can't resist bold, pretty pieces, even if they don't go with anything I currently own. I think I completely redecorated my bedroom 5 times while I was growing up.

This weekend, I stopped in to one of my favorite stores (World Market) and found a beautiful curtain in mustard-y yellow, blueish gray, and navy. And the internal conversation went something like this: "Yes, I do happen to need curtains for the bedroom. But do these curtains match anything I currently own? Not really. BUT I LOVE THEM." So naturally, I bought them.

I promptly came home and threw together a mood board of what the new bedroom could look like (that's a sample of the curtain pattern in the upper left):


Pretty! Right now, we just have a hodge podge of old furniture, so I think we are at the point in our adult life where we can invest in more long-term pieces, like upgrading my full bed from college to a queen bed that two people can sleep on comfortably, and perhaps a real headboard and bed frame. Even if that means I have to buy ANOTHER comforter and new sheets to match the new scheme. So maybe the curtains are actually inspiring me to make our bedroom feel like a real, grown-up bedroom... or maybe I'm just trying to justify another round of redecorating!

I think my idea here for the bedroom works quite well with my "Bohemian Simplicity" style statement, and achieves the same worldly feel as our living room (which is the one room I am surprisingly satisfied with). And P.S., the puppy picture was thrown in there when I emailed this room board to my husband to act as yet another hint that I would like a furry friend. I'm so subtle. :)

Is anyone else prone to repeated redecorating, or am I just crazy?

Well Said : Neale Donald Walsch

Original image linked from someone on Twitter, but I
can't find the original source - please let me know if you know it!

I can't stop thinking about this quote. Such true words, aren't they? It's so much easier to stay inside the little bubble of what we are used to, not pushing our boundaries too far.

But where's the growth in that? I read a blog comment recently that said something like, "Humans have no idea how much they are capable of." If we begin to step outside that bubble we will begin to see our capabilities as not things that are fixed, but as qualities that are constantly expanding and shifting and deepening, making us more full and whole humans in the process.

I've been inspired recently by someone I knew back in college. I just found out that she is now an ultra-runner, meaning that she regularly runs races much farther than your typical marathoner. We're talking 50k, 100k, and 100+ mile trail races, often through the desert trails of Arizona and even Death Valley. While many people would brush this off as a special brand of crazy, I am fascinated by her internal motivations and the way she seems to think about her runs-- for her, it seems to be about seeing just how far she can push herself, both mentally and physically, as it is often our mind and thoughts that be the biggest hurdle to overcome. And that once you achieve something like that, you have so much more respect for yourself and what you are able to do.

In the spirit of growth and pushing my boundaries, I have finally written my Life List. As I explain on that page, there are little things I've been talking about doing forever but just haven't put the effort into, and then there are big, huge dreams that I felt nervous to even type out. But it feels really good to have these thoughts and dreams gathered in one place and I am looking forward to seeing how it feels to check these items off.

Have you written a life list?

Celebrating Accomplishments

Image via WeHeartIt. 
I'm celebrating a little bit over here and doing quite a bit of chair dancing. Why is that, you ask? Well, I just submitted my very last student loan payment ever! E-V-E-R! I am officially, joyfully, 100% debt-free. (Unless I decide to go back to school for some reason, which is always a possibility in my mind!)

I'm really proud of myself. Five-and-a-half years of school paid off in three-and-a-half years! I did my undergraduate studies at an out-of-state university (including a short study-abroad program) and then attended grad school in my home state. I had gracious help from my parents for some of the cost of my undergraduate degree, but I still ended up with a total loan amount that was greater than the national average for student loan debt. It took a lot of work and prioritizing (and working my way through school, and living below our means, and spending mindfully, and not always "living the life" of a 20-something), but it feels REALLY good to be finished with those payments.

So, to celebrate, my husband and I are going to treat ourselves to dinner at Naha, a lovely restaurant in Chicago (using a Groupon coupon that cost $40 for $80 worth of food... Deals and coupons definitely factor in to my money-saving strategies!!)

Three cheers for big accomplishments (and for being debt-free)!

Foodie Friday : Hot-Weather "Cooking"

It seems like this week's heat wave has affected the whole country, all the way from Portland to New York City. As unbearable as the heat can be for me, I love this time of the year because nothing is more satisfying--and COOLING--than fresh fruits and veggies. Whenever the temperatures hit 85 degrees and above, I bust out my favorite no-cook, no-heat dishes, which I've listed below. I'm not including many of the actual recipes/instructions here because most depend on what you have on hand or are fairly self-explanatory. But hopefully this list can give you some inspiration!

Caiti's Favorite Hot-Weather Meals:

- Smoothies! My favorite ingredients include bananas, almond milk, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries and a touch of peanut butter and flax seeds. Sometimes I throw in silken tofu or mild greens like spinach; you can't even tell they're in there!

- Chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumber, and a bit of red onion tossed in olive oil and vinegar. Sometimes I top it with goat's milk feta cheese, but it's delicious on it's own.

- A piece of whole grain toast topped with sliced avocado and a sprinkle of sea salt and sesame seeds. (This is one of my favorite things to eat EVER.)

- Black bean and mango quinoa. (You do have to turn the stove on to cook the quinoa, but this dish keeps beautifully in the refrigerator.)

- Homemade hummus with toasted whole grain pita bread and cucumber or red pepper slices.

- Purple cabbage salad with ramen noodles. (From my first Foodie Friday post; scroll down for the recipe.)

- Caprese salads (tomato, mozzarella, and basil tossed lightly in olive oil and salt). You can also make caprese sandwiches or panini. (The photo shows my husband's sandwich with prosciutto and caramelized onions added.)

- Dried plum and ginger compote over pears. This is a raw recipe from dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, with whom I took a cooking class earlier this year.

And speaking of raw, there are some great options for healthy and cooling recipes that come from the raw world. Sometimes the ingredients or preparation techniques can be foreign to a novice, but there are definitely simpler raw recipes out there, and there's no better time to experiment with raw eating than during the hotter months of the year. I've taste-tested some incredible raw dishes at a lunch spot in Chicago, and I'm eager to try my hand at it at home. Some websites to check out include Gone Raw, Julie's Raw Ambition, and The Happy Raw Kitchen.

What is your favorite summer dish?

Wanderlust Wednesday

These days, I'm suffering from a severe case of wanderlust and a deep longing to travel. I want to go someplace new, where I am a stranger to the language and the culture, where I can absorb every sight and experience. It's not quite in the budget right now, so I am settling for being an explorer in my own town, reading travel novels, and browsing Flickr for places far and exotic. And, of course, adding to my ever-growing list of places I want explore!

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?


{Photo Credits: All photos from WeHeartIt.}

Well Said : Audrey Hepburn

If any of you lovelies would like to download a PDF copy of this quote for yourself, feel free to click on this link, which will take you to Google Documents. There's a download option at the top of the page. It's formatted to be 8.5" x 11", so it will print easily on home printers, and would be wonderful framed or used in scrapbooking, to remind us all to be a little bit more Audrey. Please note, the file is not for redistribution or resale. I hope you enjoy... It's a lovely quote :)