Melanie Testa's Blog, page 26
May 30, 2010
The Journaling Conversation
It has been interesting to think through the comments left on the last post, I am impressed with the ideas presented. Some of the comments have been taken off-line and I have had some interesting exchanges that way too. In the meantime, I have been journaling up a storm.
This page is in process. I drew the large chair on the left while sitting for coffee at Starchucks in SoHo. I drew it too small for the page, so I scanned the drawing, enlarged and transfered it back onto the same page with ...
May 28, 2010
Visual Journaling
I am settled back into life in Brooklyn, after a trip to Art and Soul where I taught Soy Wax Batik and Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! It was great fun. On Saturday I arrived early and met up with Jill Berry , a sweetheart who journals beautifully. She is smart! She found out the hotel would drive us anywhere within a 5 mile radius and that there was a park within this range and she invited me to draw with her. Dreamy! We got to get out of the hotel! Her page is fabu. It tells the...
May 21, 2010
For Style to Brag About
I am so proud of this one! I made this pattern for The Sewing Republic, and I have had to keep it under my hat for months.
First they released this pattern, (the easier of the two). But as you can see, they go together.
When I went shopping for materials my goal was to keep it under 25$ all together and to make it a really stunning project, that anyone would be happy to have and use.
So click on over and download your very own free pdf pattern of both projects.
ATC trade off facebook!
A few weeks ago, I asked if anyone wanted to trade ATC's on the facebook fan page for Inspired to Quilt, quite a few people spoke up and today, I opened each piece in my haul. My apologies that this post will be mostly pictures. I am getting ready to teach but want to get this up so you too can feel the love. I have linked to the artist where possible, I hope I got it all.
My haul.
Annika Lund
May 19, 2010
Insouciant Accidentalism.
This title is in part thanks to Cat Bordhi for teaching me a class on sock knitting yesterday. She is brilliant. This is not a blog about knitting and I do TRY to stay focused here at MelanieTesta.com. I know, I know. I am a fickle artist of many and any fiber related luvs. So that is all I i'll say about that.
I am totally smitten with journaling again and it is a good thing. There was a journaling drought and it has broken. There is bit of a flood occurring, a creative deluge really. But I...
May 17, 2010
Canned Happiness
As I have said before, I do what she says. She has good ideas, except when she is complaining. But I forgive her for that.
Anyway. Pat told me I should be using white and black wall paint instead of acrylic fine arts paints, it works just as well and it is cheaper. So today I bought a pint of super white and black from the hardware store. And, well. She is right on all counts. A pint of paint cost 6.99, should I repeat that? Naw.
Today I am loosening up and getting ready for one of my...
May 14, 2010
The actuals
Kay Kahn inspired this page. I don't know that she has her own web site but this was a piece found in the Johm M. Walsh III collection seen at the Morristown Museum last month.
You know I can't pass up a play with birds. You can see the love, right?
And again, this time I gave the lil guy long legs!
And check out that swag! The RCA label was a gift from JJ. The newspaper is gift from Beth. Unfortunately, Beth sent me vintage papers and yums and I didn't take notes and don't remember where she i...
May 12, 2010
Journaling 101-ish
I am getting ready to teach Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! at Art and Soul in Hampton Virgina in less than two week. The interesting thing is that I have not been journaling recently. Over the winter months, I took a Book Binding class and made my first journal. Then the book became precious...too good to be used...
What? Pardon me?
I abhor that sort of behavior! I constantly reinforce that 'supplies are what you make of them...'. It is almost a personal mantra. So I have been getting ...
May 10, 2010
The fun of What If?
Everyone can get bored. To be honest, I am bored. I am a little tired of how Melanie Testa, author of Inspired to Quilt
is creating work. There. I said it. I have printed and sewn the first of The 20 and well. It is flat. I like it but do not love it. I think about when I fist got out of school and landed a job at the poster place. I was wild with enthusiasm. I would slop, destroy, sand, see what happened. I What If'd.
So I took out my dye and started playing. I started sewing pieces of soda ...
May 7, 2010
explanations
Over at the Inspired to Quilt facebook fan page, I asked folks if they needed any explanations related to the information in my book, Inspired to Quilt
. I got a few good queries and I am going to expand upon them here. If you are a blog reader and want to stand clear of the World of Facebook, no worries, leave a comment on this post and I will do my best to illuminate your topic right here, on my blog.
This blog is my baby. I have loved blogging from the start. See over to the right? I...
