Pam Carriker adventure with Suzi Blu

Sally, Pam and Suzi

Today was quite an adventure. I got to visit Suzi Blu at her new digs which she is in the process of renovating with the help of the nicest neighbors. We visited and she was nice enough to look over my sketches and ideas of the work I have been doing in her online classes. Plus, she made some excellent (of course) suggestions as to how to improve my Good Witch and Bad Witch canvases.

We had to run a little errand to Home Depot so that her wonderful neighbor could complete hooking up a brand new toilet for her. When we got back, I asked her if she wanted to visit a store that is so close to where she now lives - The Stamp Addict. I told her there was a class going on and that I knew that Lisa Bebi was taking the class along with her artist friend Meridith Cummings.

She was very excited to meet Lisa Bebi and so off we went. I had no idea who was teaching the class. When we entered and Suzi saw who was teaching, she screamed and was so excited - Pam Carriker! Well, Pam had never meet Suzi was even more excited to meet her. It was a love fest and Pam had to have a photo of she and Suzi and then Suzi had to have a photo of the two of them and then I had to have a photo of me with them!

Then Lisa returned from a short errand she had to run and was delighted to find that we were there and to meet Suzi also.

What did they talk about? Well, they talked about the paper. What paper do you use? What paper do YOU use? It's all about the paper.

About Pam's work. OMG. Her journal was the most beautiful book ever in person. And I say in person for a reason. I ran home after dropping Suzi back home and making arrangements for us to get together today again and to show her around San Deigo (she now has a car). I got out the Somerset Journaling mag and the first article was of Pam's journal. The article was wonderful but the photos could not do justice to the book. Not the photographer's fault. I really dont' know how to explain it but Pam's book in person and her drawing and artistry seen in this journal was incredible. If you ever get an opportunity to meet Pam in person and see her work in person - do not miss it. The pages are so smooth and yet there is such depth. You know, I am out of my field to even explain what makes her pages so beautiful. I will stop now. but, just know, that the photographs do not do the pages justice! And what a nice person she is also!

That was my day, my friends and I didn't want it to ever end. . .

p.s. Pam showed us a new journal she is using that all the pages (paper) are black. Very kool.

Photos for Lisa Bebi's Paint Over Class

"Do you like my hat?"

Today I am getting ready for my Thursday class out at Rancho San Diego Library. It is Lisa Bebi's Paint Over class - revisited. In the spring, Lisa came and taught a class at my home. In it a created theses two canvases. This Thursday I will add this to the mix.

Then I am thinking about a series of me behind my home in Glendale, California at 315 Riverdale. It seems like it would make a fun triptych. We'll see what Lisa says and if I have them the correct size.

There are also theses two photos of myself where I am smiling.



















Then there are theses where I look a little possessive of my dollies. One of them has a particular expression on my face that I recognize.

There's that look. . .

Finally, there is this photo of Kari and Erik taken at Wrightwood, CA in 1983. Erik is 7 years old and Kari is 5. Only my family will realize that something is missing from this photo.

Erik and Kari

Thread Spool and Flower Swaps

Jackie, Pat, Elena, Sally and Georgia on the far right

Well, today was the day for our Thread Spool swap. We are missing Mariam and Deborah. We have been meeting at Milton's Deli in Del Mar for our lunch and swaps. Good food and good friends - what could be better?

I found this a particularly difficult swap. I think I became discouraged when after creating a Petite Doll face on a tag and scanning and printing it on shrink paper and shrinking, the colors got so much more dark and orange. This threw me off. I finally started decorating all the different size and shape thread spools I had gathered. Each one was different. Then, what to do with the little girl faces? I tried to deal with the color by using colored pencils to change the hair color.

The one thing that has remained true in my life - that which I struggle the most with and have the most difficulty with - the one I like the least - happens to be the one that everyone else likes the best, and since that particular girl ended up with black hair - Elena snatched it right.

I had tried to work with hot glue and ended up with a big mess and deciding that hot glue is not MY friend. To cover everything that I hated, I ended up sprinkling the German antique silver glitter all over the sides, of the thread and paper that was below. That is probably what attracted Elena to this spool. Elena is the Glitter Queen for sure.

The others were just finished using scraps of everything in my art room - since the spools are so small. In the end, amazingly, they all came out with their own little personalities and once I gathered them all up, I ended up loving all my little girls!

Sally's spools in the bushes. . .

I took theses photos in front of my car when I parked at Milton. I thought the ice plant would make a great background. Obviously I was wrong. You can't really see the spools very well, unless you click on the photo and it enlarges. Live and learn. That is why I am so looking forward to the photo class I am taking in Utah at Sparks in November. Composition is everything - obviously. . .

Spools on Display

Here is a photo of all the other exchanges. The most fun about all theses swaps is how everyone has a different idea as to what they are going to do with their project. There are so many different directions to go, even though on a personal level, each one of us might only see one path to completion.

Sally's flowers that didn't make the cut

While I am on the subject of swaps, there was a Flower Swap at Pink Pineapple's Scrapbook Club. We had to make 27 flowers for the exchange. I some how got short changed and sure didn't get 27 flowers back. This 1st photo shows the kind of flowers I made from fabric by cutting circles and heating the edges over a candle for them to curl. I learned this technique from Deborah who saw it online somewhere. These are not all finished, but you get the idea as to what I made.

Flowers I received in exchange

These are what I got back in exchange. It was really a fun exchange and once again you got so many different flowers created so many different ways. Check out the little fairy flower. So very cute. I wonder what the ones I didn't get looked like. . .

More Goddesses, Princes, Witches and Petite Dolls

I have more witches and other drawing/sketches I would like to share. This is also for myself so that I can look back a year from now and see all that has been accomplished - I hope.

Le Petite Dolls















The Men


I'm still drawing and I am so far behind.






Thank goodness Suzi Blu has extended the time of her classes and made us all an offer to get updates at the beginning of the month for a very small fee!

Progress?

Another Witch

One more bad witch minus hair

If nothing else, I hope this promotes and not discourages people to check out everything "Suzi Blu."

Suzi Blu's Goddess Dolls continued

Good Witches redrawn - in progress

Bad Witch redrawn - in progress

Well, since my Suzi Blu class at Stamping Details, I have been busy. I have found that sketching and drawing and colored pencils are the most relaxing thing I have ever done. It doesn't matter if my girls aren't perfect - I am having so much fun. Be sure to check out Suzi Blu's online class!

On my own - two page spread

Blondie - finished

You saw the two page blonde spread that I did in class on my previous blog. Well above is the new "red head" along with a finished "Blondie" all in my little moleskine. Amazing, until I scanned it and posted it, I did not see how off center the "girl with red hair"'s lip is. Very interesting. Still lots to learn and practice, practice, pratice!

And then, Elena of Scrapbook Royalty saw my girls and loved them. She asked me to draw a "Good Witch" and a "Bad Witch" for a charily event she is having next March. I told her I am a total novice but she said, no problem, she had confidence in my ability.

there wasn't much time because Elena needed something in 3 days for a logo to put it up on her website. Well, I thought I was finished with something she could use and sent it to her. She called me that night and wondered if I had forgotten something - like hair. . . and then she said she would also like the background to be a rainbow.

The "Hairy" Good Witch

Talk about adding hair after the fact and at 11 pm at night. I went a little crazy and where before they had no hair but were beautiful, now they have really had HAIR! Well, that gave Elena something she could put up on her website right away. But I think I have something so much better for her that I will finish this week so she can replace my original "hairy girls" in her logo for the event. Then I will have plenty of time to create the same new faces on two 9x12's that will be dimensional.

The drawings of the new "girls" are the first three drawings at the top. Again, seeing them scanned and on my screen, I can see things I am going to change before I finish putting colored pencil on their faces and then painting them and cutting them out. They will have wings and things and be on a 9x12 canvas each.

From just doing this blog, I have learned that I should always scan everything and look at my work with fresh eyes. I'm not sure why I can see mistakes when scanned and not see them when looking directly at them. Of course, the girls have the soulful eyes that Suzi Blu teaches and will have flowing hair. The good witches hair is still mystifying me. It's not right yet, but getting there. At least the cocker spaniel dog ear hair is gone. . .

The "hairy" bad witch

I feel the hairy "Bad Witch" above looks mean and angry and old. My new bad witch is more youthful looking. I appreciate any opinions you might have. I'm not looking for compliments. I am looking for constructive criticism.

Again, this is all so new to me and exciting. I feel I am so "out of my comfort zone" but enjoying the challenge. I can't wait to complete the new logo and then I will have plenty of time to work on the two canvas and produce something that I truly am proud to display at Elena's event next year.

Suzi Blu's Portrait class

Sally's almost completed Goddess

Last Sunday at Stamping Details, I think there were 18 persons in class to take Suzi Blu's Portrait class. A bunch of us were there because we are taking either Suzi Blu's The Goddess and the Poet class or her beginner Le Petite Dolls. We wanted to meet her in person and see her in action.

Since there were so many of us (her class was a hit!) Suzi brought along her friend Mara. Mara is a classically trained artist. She can draw faces that look like photos. We weren't exactly doing that but lips are lips and noses are noses and she was such a help to all of us and Suzi.

Sally with Suzi's bday cake

Since the day before was Suzi's birthday, I picked up a sheet cake to surprise her and feed all the females gathered - their sweet tooth! Boy was it sweet. . . A couple of other students who knew her birthday was the day before, brought little gifts. My friend Jackie got her some of the Japanese candy that Suzi mentions in one of her videos, plus a little Tinkerbell necklace. I think she appreciated everyone's thoughtfulness.

Gigi in mama's arms

Where Suzi goes, her baby, Gigi goes too. Those of us who have see her on her YouTube channel or are taking her online classes were all familiar with Gigi. What a sweet little girl. She just wanted to be in her mama's lap. There were so many of us. But she did have her little bed.

We didn't hear Gigi snore.

After drawing our girls, we then worked with our colored pencils doing our shading. After that there were multiple layers of clear gesso, paints, Stewart Gill paints for our eyes, rub-on's and the final coup de grace - flakes of gold leaf.


We all went home with finished projects. Suzi prefered us to work in or on a Moleskine book/page. She likes the purple label since the pages feel and look like butter. It's more like our base color than a pure white piece of paper would be.

Demo to class. One on one demo followed

The most amazing thing was that Suzi came around to each and every one of us and personally showed us either how to draw her eyes or noses or lips. As all good teachers should be, she is so supportive of her students efforts.

My friend Angela and her Goddess

We all got up and ooohed and awed at what everyone was working on or finishing up. 10 to 5 was perfect. We all left happy and hoping that she will start teaching perhaps every two months at Stamping Details in some sort of series. Let's keep our fingers crossed. We are so glad that she has moved to the San Diego area. Thank you Suzi.

One of Suzi's Goddess spreads

One embarrassing moment or day for me. I received the above photo of myself holding the cake with my under-panties showing. (Thank You PhotoShop!) I was so embarrassed. I guess my underwear was hanging out all day. I have to get some new clothes. Hey, if anyone ever sees this happen again - please take me aside and suggest a safety pin!

Shop Hop 2009

Stamping Details Make 'n Take

Today was the first day of Southern California Shop Hop 2009. There are 35 stores you can visit. I signed up at Stamping Details in Poway. They had animal backgrounds (choice of 3) and white rubber letters and ribbon for you to create your own badge. After I got home, I went to work on revising my badge using one of the napkins they had at the store and a small toy cougar I had at home.

Sally's Badge

Close up of Sally's Badge

The deal is if you wear your badge and pin to the stores between August 7-23, you get 20% off anything you purchase. If you spend $10 at a store, your make and take is FREE. Otherwise, it is $2.50 and if you want another make and take, it would cost $2.50.

Stamping Details' Zebra make 'n take

Besides the lion and the zebra, you could choose an elephant or a giraffe.

Vicki and Sally

Vicki Lamour, worker bee extraordinaire at Stamping Details, designed the make 'n takes. They actually were a technique using Adirondack inkers and slick card stock for the animal backgrounds.

The Friendly Plastic Elephant Pin

Vicki also designed and made Stamping Details pin in the shape of an elephant. She had a piece of jewelry in the shape of an elephant. Pressed it into a mold making product and then heated up black matte Friendly Plastic and pressed it into her elephant mold and added a pin to the back. They are great! That's using your creative juices.

Inside Stamping Detail with promotional poster

I made two 6x6's at Stamping Details and after I got home, I went over the white backgrounds with Distressed Ink on a little sponge so it wasn't so stark white.

Judy and Sally on couch at Paper Tales with our purchases

Then I met up with my friend Judy who is a middle school conselor and also works at Scrappin' Good Times in San Dimas (which is one of the 35 stores on the tour). Judy just happened to be down in San Diego for a week long conference and today at noon she was done. I picked her up at Campland and off we went to the two local stores.

Paper Tales make 'n take

Paper Tales was the first store we visited and shopped and made their cute 6x6 with their animal being a little teddy bear. This is a darling store. The decor is very vintage and don't be fooled by it's size. It is jammed packed with goodies with new things always there to be purchased. Her shelves are always full! Paper Tales is right next to Soup Plantation in Point Loma.

Next Judy and I were off to Scrapbook Your Life, my friend's Liz and Crystal's store. Again shopping enough to get their make 'n take for free! This store is huge with a wonderful area in the back for lessons of all sorts. If you are looking for paper, you won't be disappointed. They have the largest selection I have seen in Southern California.

Scrapbook Your Life make 'n take

The 20% makes the purchase of $14 Passport worth it. At three stores I have already saved way more than that! So, support your local stores and get shoppin'!