I learned how to make a paper bag journal from my good friend Judith Cassel-Mamet, who just launched her online Craftsy class.  So much fun!

I made one for my sister-in-law who came down to Florida to share a week with us in Sanibel.  I added some tags that we made with spray paint and stencils. I scooped up some sand and some shells from the beach and added some Sari Ribbon (couldn't resist!) to add some color and texture.  Painted an old paint brush with some acrylic paint for the binding.

Check out Judith's class and get her personal discount!  Loved her class and you will too!

One of the fun things about being an artist is sharing our tools with another artist!  I had great fun with my sister-in-law last week as we played with each other's tools and shared ideas.

We were talking about how to dry a wet brush to keep it in pristine shape.  I had read that brushes need to be upside down when drying so the water doesn't collect in the ferrule (the metal part that holds the bristles to the handle.) After surfing the internet, I saw something that I liked liked this so I decided to make one for myself.

I went to the dollar store and found this plastic container in the kids section.  Perfect for holding three separate sections for water.  Then, I had some left-over noodles from rolling and storing my quilts so I cut one to fit this container and used my scissor to cut a through to the hole in the middle so I could open up the noodle and place the noodle over one of the edges.

Then, I used a utility knife to cut lines through the noodle so my brushes can nestle inside these line and dry upside down, as they should.  Fun, easy, and "almost" free!

​Love to hear your creative ways of making your tools!

I've always loved clouds because each one is so different.  I look at them, look away, and somehow they have changed although I can't see them change if I stare at them continuously.  Mysterious.  Clouds are full of the range of values from dark to light.  I think if I can master painting them, I will have mastered the importance of getting all of the values into one painting.

It's too hard to paint at the beach since the wind is so strong but I am taking lots of photos and hope to work on this when I get back to my studio.

And yes, this is a thunder cloud!

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