INSPIRED
artist workshop
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seating extreemely limited!
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Featured Advertising
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FREE video tutorial
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watch it NOW!
See the unlimited possibilities that CREATIVE PLAY can offer with this
fun and simple video demo of how I made and created recycled newspaper
book pages for my new art journal.
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where in the world is donna?
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book a store visit and NEW classes!
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ART stamps
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original design stamps for Art Declassified
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coming soon!
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Issue: #21
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september/2008
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jennifer stewart's INSPIRED. sneak peek
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Greetings!
Back to school means back to bus stops, carpools, after school sports, HOMEWORK, and aaahhh...a little quiet time during the day.
I love the hustle and bustle, but September is going to have the Downey household busy...lots of travel and work to do!
This month's newsletter is energized with LOTS of color, plenty of new directions, and exciting things on the horizon, take a few minutes and join me in my creative playground!
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inside the studio
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mid month purge leads to creative goodness...
Hi my name is donna downey and I am a collector. Really it is out of hand. With a mid-month purge of all my clutter and excess I found my way back to productivity!
This month I have been finishing up the final round of inspiration journals and getting ready for their next evolution...YOU!
 Bill and I finally created our first downloadable video workshop. The tutorial visually takes you step-by-step as I instruct you through the creating of each stage of making your own Inspiration Journal, like I am one-on-one in the room with you! I have thrown in all kinds of sidebar hints, tricks and tidbits of information that make this project perfect for the beginner right through the advanced. If you can thread your sewing machine and sew a not-so-perfect straight line, you can do this!
We have also started making the first release of Inspiration Journal kits, making all the components needed to create your journal available through one stop shopping. The video class download and the first journal kits will be available on September 15th.
 I have also been working on the finishing touches for my newest class available in October called "Bloom" is a mixed media fabric hybrid meaning the class is filled with techniques, textures, fabrics, papers and COLOR! Really looking forward to getting this class kitted and ready to teach! Check the workshops section on my website for new store workshops and updates on the new class information.
 {click on the image to view full layouts posted at the scarlet lime website}
I also launched Painted Whimsy, a digital paper pack at polkadot potato. Learning and fumbling around with the possibilities of digital has really made me stretch my limits. These are the first of the pages I created with the new paper designs and the best part, the papers never run out!
{click on the image for larger images on blog post}
I have got another 3 or 4 projects in the works, including some fantastic secrets for INSPIRED. so here's to gearing up for another busy month inside the studio!
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| inspired by...
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 Color!
Lately i have been captivated by bright, bold and unusual color combinations.
Still loyal to my two favorites, apple greens and turquoises, I am increasingly finding myself including more reds and yellows into the mix and loving it.
- prima really has some great lines like this one called rue 88.
check out some of my favorite visual happy pieces and places for color inspiration.
- heather bailey's NEW pop garden line of fabrics
- flickr in all it's fabulous color and visual images check these out...
- and to my surprise, i had to buy this Vera Bradley hipster. Raspberry Fizz Vera Bradley just makes me smile
- kelly rae's work always inspires me and i can just stare hours at the layers of color in her work.
 - this Modern Chintz digital kit by Rhonna Farrer was a total must have!!
- i keep going back to this painting by laura gunn...i love it's feeling of tranquility. i would love it for over my bed in my bedroom.
I think color says a lot about a person and in my case specifically, as i find myself more appreciative of color i find myself identifying with the change. Somehow symbolically I am allowing more vibrant yellows and reds into my life. I am living in the bolder radiance of color.
Change is good and the technicolor pathways the journey of life leads you down can open new worlds of possibilitites!
Take note of the colors that you are attracted to this month. what inspirations do they lead you to? and what do they say about you?
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trash to treasure
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 circles!
I was wondering why I had no submissions for this month's trash to treasure, I actually had a whole conversation with Bill about how I cannot believe that NOBODY likes circles?
That was when I realized, in the excitement of last month's recycled newspaper challenge I forgot to throw the new challenge about circles out there for September!
So NOW I AM!
Ok, so your challenge over the next 30 days is to take out those circle punches; big ones, small ones, scalloped ones and any old circle stencil you can find and recycle all things circle-able into art!
here is a list of ideas just in case you want to experiment...
- cereal boxes as chipboard: paint it, emboss it, cover it with paper
- plastic packaging as cellophane windows
- candy wrappers for a Halloween layout (ok that's a good one for next month!)
- newspaper as patterned paper circles
- old magazines
- catalogues (ooh, this might make a good color study too!)
- school art projects and papers
- YOUR SCRAPS!!
If you're up to the challenge, email your trash to treasure pictures to donna@donnadowney.com by September 25th and write "CIRCLES" in the subject line and you just might find your work may be featured in the next Creative Playground newsletter.
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the D.O. Corner
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 Back to the grind!
With summer almost over and the holidays coming up, its that time again to start getting ready for the inspired. Artist Workshop! Donna and I are working hard on all the new plans as well as all the surprises. We are very excited and can't wait to see everyone that has registered for the event.
If you have any questions about the event or any store orders placed, please feel free to contact me at bill@donnadowney.com or give me a call directly at 704-875-0971. Thank You, Bill |
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