Cathy Michaels Design by Cathy Bluteau

Let me know how the article in Art Journaling looks okay?!

Only Wendesday oh no, still a couple of days to go before the long weekend.  (Friday is a holiday here in Canada).  It's been tough getting back to work but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Before I forget - for those of you in the US who are Somerset publication fans (and if you are not already you should be!!!) July 1st is their latest release of ART JOURNALLING and (drumroll please) I AM IN IT!!  I think even 2 articles showing two of my journals which those of you who have been faithful followers on my blog here have already seen here on my blog BUT now in beautiful print in Somersets Art Journaling publication.  If you go to the Somerset link here and then scroll down below the cover to see where it says "Click here to see what's inside" you can preview some of the inside pages - and they show my journal there.  Even better, go get yourself a copy.  If you love journalling or love people who journal check it out.

You may not know this in the U.S. but in Canada we have a postal strike.  They are back to work this week but it's been a few weeks now.  As a result I did not get my advance copy of the publication and so you will get to see it first.  Let me know how everything looks okay?

So speaking of journalling, I did have some more journal pages that I did not shown you yet so I thought I would post them today.

Did you seemy new banner - well that is actually from a journal page and I just cropped it to make it the right size for my banner - I kinda like it - do you?

So here are some pages and most of these techniques I show in my Journal with Me Online Class which is available on the right btw.

The above is from my 2nd Paris Journal which I actually use in my online class

 
 
Love the blues here ...

and the blues here ...

 
 And this is the page I made my above banner from!

So go check out Art Journalling and let me know how my journals look in there okay?

 

Cathy

 

Can you vacation and be productive too?

Hello on a busy Monday morning - back to work for me  ; (  No more lazy days on the deck drinking coffee and blogging  ... well I do have more vacation coming so until then it's back to the rush in the morning, the lunches the ironing  ugh ugh ugh

I had a few revealations while I was off these past few weeks.  For one, I really really lived in the moment.  I was so happy to be off work that I treasured every minute and didn't at all think about the next thing I had to do or what time it was or oh I should do this and I should do that... I just really enjoyed what I was doing in that moment.

I also spent some time building up my business and just enjoying everything I have.  Here are some of the things I did get done without really realizing it  ; )

- I launched my doodle art video and thank you again the response has been great
- I worked preparing more pictures to create a portfolio which I will (again) send to licensing companies
- I reworked my blog a little (more behind the scenes than in front.)
- I started working on new items for my shop (not yet seen) since I feel its time to start moving onto some new items for you.
- I created some jewelry for myself which I had been wanting to do for a long time
- I read alot
- I studied and worked Danielle Laporte's on-line Spark kit
- I got back to doodling
- I spent time with my son
- I celebrated a birthday
- Went to the gym almost every single day I was off
- I cooked a bit and made my favorite desser - mango moose oh and I made some peanut brittle too
- Made even better friends with my next door neighbor

So that's quite a bit now that I see it all down there - that was productive - and productive without the anxiety or stress that I usually feel.

Looking forward to spending more "good" time with you all on my next round of vacation

A parting flower from the garden

 

Have a good week all

 

Cathy

 

 

Friday Flickr Favs - Color

Long time I haven’t done a flickr favs – today, for summer – – COLOR

1. P1040159, 2. Scrapmagie June Kits, 3. Untitled, 4. P1010627, 5. a heartfelt thank you ..., 6. new, 7. Happiness Is a Warm HuG Journal, 8. Mixed media collage, 9. Tinsel Trading Millinery Flowers

 

Have a great weekend

 

Cathy

Let's get personal

Thank you all for a wonderful day yesterday.  I truly had a happy birthday with my family as well as with you!

 

Today I thought I would share some of my personal spaces (outdoors) where I have spent most of the last two weeks. 

 

We have a deck off of our kitchen with a gazebo for shade and that is really where I spend 90% of my time in the summer.  I am a real June baby – and a June 21st baby which is the first day of summer. 

 

 In the summer I feel better, I look better and I am better. 

 

 I love the water, sand and the sun.  I love cool gentle breezes and I love seeing the flowers bloom.  I revel in the beauty of how flowers are formed and how intricate they can be as they reach ripeness. 

 

 I love the smell of summer, I love cool summer nights, and days spent in shorts.  I love gardening and getting dirty and I love being bare foot.  I am truly a summer baby.

 

Here is where I spend most of my time in the summer months in Canada.

 

 
This is where I spend my A.M. hours - usually talking with you.

 

 
In  the afternoon I move down here usually with paper and markers watching the kids in the pool.

 

 
Then when it's too sunny I move over here in the shade.

 
Summer nights are spent here having nice barbe que's usually with friends.

 

 
The candles are lit as the night gets darker ...

 

I am truly a summer baby!  How about you?

 

Cathy

Let's get Personal

Happy Wednesday all.  I thought today we would get a little personal – what do you think?

 

I have been mentioning in my posts that I have been working a lot outside.  Yes, taking my pens and markers and drawing pads right out side in the sun – the beautiful sun.  I love summer – I am a summer baby.  Being born on June 21st (first day of summer is a testament to that don’t you think?

 

And so I thought I would show you some of my favorite spots in my garden where I draw a little, sketch a little and even I have been working on jewelry outside a little.

 

 

My favorite spot especially in the morning.  Yes I take my laptop outside to read emails.  And yes that is a painting right outside!

 

 

 

And when I want a little more sun - here is my favorite spot - complete with books and markers oh and usually a water bottle or two. 

 

 

 
 

Oh yes, I had to show you my bird cage - hanging centered under the gazebo (last year it was a chandelier - this year (like Margie - hi Margie ; )  I am into birds!

 
Mind you, in addition to the art, there is a lot of entertaining that goes on here in the summer  ; )

 

Because in Canada we have such short summers we tend to really take advantage of the nice days.  Essentially we live in our backyard all summer long.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Have a good day

Cathy 
 

birthdays and giveaways!!!

 

 

Today JUNE 21 is my birthday!!!

and because it is my birthday I wanted to give you all a present for all of your support especially these last months when I am really trying to get things going – so for 24 hours only I will be offering:

40% off all items in my etsy shop!

just for that day (24 hours)

Please stop by my shop between 12:01AM tonite June 21  and 12:01 June 22 and take advantage of this gift to you.  

 

Just enter coupon code:  Jun21 to automatically get the 40% reduction. 

Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

 

Doodling again and happy!

Well my  doodle online workshop over at creative workshops inspired me to get back to doodling.  Great for working outside since I just need my pad and my pencil case. So with that in hand I did a few doodles last week inspired by my garden and also inspired by a doodle art team that I joined on etsy where each week a theme is picked and we have to do a doodle piece based on that theme.  This week the them was flight of the bumble bee. 

You can see the entries on etsy over here:

http://www.etsy.com/teams/9581/doodlers-doing-doodles/discuss/8580087/page/1/?post_id=91692367

Here was my interpretation of "flight of the bumblebee"

and then I was in the garden - inspired - and came up with these:

 

Not quite my garden but I guess my version of my garden in my head - my doodle head (lol)

and this - a little more realistic of one of the pots in my backyard  sort of...

 

and then some crazy squiggles which will be great as borders...

Fun huh. 

So have a good week all - don't forget to stop by on the 21st - tomorrow to check out my gift to you for my birthday!

 

Cathy 
 

Fathers Day and a gift for you

A couple of quick little notes today since it is FATHERS DAY and I wanted to wish all of the dads a quick HAPPY DAY.

I also wanted to say again thank you for the great response to my online doodle art class which you can find at Creative Workshops.  You can of course register at any time over at those links.

 

Now what I am really excited about is that this Tuesday JUNE 21 I have a present for all of you.  So you have to check out my blog in the early hours of June21st.  Can't wait!

 

Cathy

SHIMMER AND SOME WHITE HOT TRUTH

 
Hey hey everyone – today I am over at the Shimmerz blog where I have a post today so you may want to take a peek over there some time today when you have a chance.  You can get there from here!  ; )

 

I had mentioned last week about  Danielle Laporte's class I have been following and how it has so so so inspired me so I wanted to share today some of her `truisms`and quotes to get you inspired too.  Remember as I said, Danielle gets right to the point – no messing around.

 

I decided I will make another journal just for this course work I will be doing with Danielle Laporte’s SPARK KIT/Session.  (Yep, yet another journal  ; )  I found these create index or library digital cards on line and so I put each of the truisms that really speak to me on them.

 

Feel free to download these for yourself – you can post them in your journal, on your bathroom mirror, in your agenda etc. etc.  Also you can go ahead and find out more about Danielle's courses right right here by clicking on her face on my sidebar - you can also purchase the course directly from here

 

So here we go.  I call these my "revealations".  These are quotes and either workbook exercises Danielle has in her course.  I extracted them and put them on these index cards to remember!

 

 

 

 

 

Over the weekend think about some of those statements and we can share more next week.

Cathy

ONLINE CLASSES NOW AVAILABLE

 

~ DOODLE WITH ME ONLINE CLASS ~

 Head on over to  CREATIVE WORKSHOPS  to register.

 

~ JOURNAL WITH ME ON LINE CLASS ~

Click on the BUY NOW button at the right to register

Previously scheduled postponed!

Good Wednesday Morning All.

  

I am interrupting my originally scheduled post to show you what I made in the last couple of days.  Originally I had planned to make a DIY video for you –which I still will do – but instead, since it is summer, and I am off for a couple of weeks I decided I can just go where the sun and wind takes me and any previous engagements or tentative plans don’t necessarily have to be set in stone – cuz for me – that’s what summer is all about.

  

So instead of taking myself down to my studio which is in the basement (reads dark and cool)I took myself out on my sunny deck where the cool breeze kept the temperature down and the sun kept my mood up!  With me I brought all my new beads and bangles which I had purchased from etsy about a month ago.

 

I had seen these vintage looking bracelets around a lot lately,  Both Emma Cassi (who I love and will one day treat myself to one of her pieces) and Beth Quinn carry the kinds of bracelets I am talking about.  In fact, I purchased one from Beth Quinn and that's when I decided I wanted to make some too.

  

And here, for myself, and for my mom and sister in law’s birthdays which are coming up – I made these:

 

 

 

A pretty bracelet filled beads,baubles and birds ...

 

 

 

A key chain finally to ake my keys pretty and easily find-able in my purse ...

 

 

 

 

 A really simple little bracelet just to showcase my rosebud...

Another keychain for birthday giving for my mom...

 

So that's what summer is for me.  Doing the things you really want to do whenver you want to do them and sometimes the results are really good!

Cathy

Beauty in the Garden on Monday

So we had a lot of sun last week and then some rain on the weekend but still summer temperatures ... the result of course is beautiful blooming florals in the garden.

 

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 
 
 
 
 

Coming up this week:

• my doodle art video is released June 16 over here
• some inspiration from  Danielle Laporte (see more over here)
• more news items in the shop
• My wish to you to "Have a great start of the week"

Cathy

 

LIVE THIS WEEK - JUNE 16TH @

CREATIVE WORKSHOPS

 

  DOODLE WITH ME ONLINE CLASS

See preview video below:

 

 

 

 

More Goodies for a Friday

More goodies for a Friday Morning!  I am so excited to show you what I did with my journal collage pages.

I wanted to find a way to make my collage pages available to you and was trying to determine what way I should do this.  Oh I could have gone the way of digital downloads or paper kits but that didn't inspire me (and because it didn't inspire me I figured it wouldn't inspire you either!!!)

So I made these sweet little shadow boxes to hold my collages and made them available in my SHOP!

To make things more interesting what I did was make a print of my original work and then because again to me that was just too simple, I added more dimension to the piece but adding on some `live' elements like the lace and pin and buttons on this one:

Here's a close up

Shadow boxes are very difficult to photograph because of the 'shadow' effect of the 2" deep frame but you can see more pictures in my  etsy shop

Do your recognize the journal page?  

Here is a second one I did:

 

 

And here is a close up

 

I love the metal # 15 on this one.

 

And finally (I almost forgot!)  I made another kit - just because I love making these.

 
 

 Lots of goodies in this one - that lace paper btw is beautiful!

Also I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have joined me in my JOURNAL WITH ME on line class - and also to thank you for all the wonderful comments.  So glad your are enjoying it!

Have a great weekend !

Cathy

 

New Journal Pages

And more journal pages - this is still from my last journal where I used my Shimmerz sprays.

Have a look at these fine pages  ; )

 
 
The pink fushia is actually candy wrapper paper - yes candy wrapper - it was so pink and shiny I had to use it - if you look closely you will see "godiva" for godiva chocolates written on it!

 
I love this page - blue and green and full of texture!

 
More of that lovely blue paper - you can't see it in the photo but it has a bit of a sheen to it as well.

 
Adventure!  How many different bits can you put on your page??

 
 

Tree of life below

 
Love this tree of life - I am going to do more of these!

 

Nope, still can't stop journalling.  Since the weather has been so nice I have been doing some journalling outside with pen and paper and  markers only so I will show you some of those soon!!!

Have a good rest of the week

Cathy 

Crazy wild, hip and inspirational!

I don’t know if you remember this post I did back in October 2010 I wrote about my dream journal and even posted these pictures.  In my dream journal I also included some quotes from Danielle Laporte.  I know I talked about her then and I am going to talk about her again today – this is a rather long post for me but I am truly inspired and I wanted to inspire you too.  I still use this journal today btw and it was started in October 2010

 

 
 

I had purchased Danielles "Metrics of Ease" which is a mini version of her FIRE STARTER session (now called SPARK) .  I was so blown away by it that I just this week bought the entire Fire Starter session - it's really unbelievable.

Danielle Laporte is not only inspiring, but she is hip, cool and a real mover and shaker - she is an enormously successful female entrepreneur - Yaaaayy Danielle - I want to be like her when I grow up. 

I’ve now included her badge on my blog because I want to share her ideas with you.  I made it easy for you to purchase her SPARK session by clicking right here on my blog –

To give you some idea of Danielle here are some of the things she says.  I typed these up and posted them in my DREAMS/GOALS journals as inspiration.  I typed the quotes in different colors and fonts because it works better for me that way.  Here are some of her quotes and things she makes you think about – I have them all over my journal.

 

So when do you feel amazing? What activities cause

you to feel useful, vital, better-than-before? What lights your fire? When

do you have that "there’s more where that came from" feeling? What

feels so good and so easy to give that you give it generously? What do

you do best—that gives you a rush while you’re doing it?

 

Passion will always move you in the direction of

your authentic self.

 

 

Enthusiasm is a heightened state of consciousness,

and it’s one of the best feelings there is to feel.

 

Danielle also talks about “amazing people” and she says that amazing people “have a rabid dedications, an ardour for what they do so well. “  She says “They dig it, and they dig it hard.”

 

Don’t you love that – “they did it and they dig it hard” – I do dig it – but I want to dig it hard.

She is crazy, wild and inspirational - really!

Here is Danielle's bio directly from her site so you know a bit more about her.

DANIELLE LAPORTE BIO – SHORT
Danielle LaPorte is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, which has been called "the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality." An inspirational speaker and business strategist, and former think tank exec, Danielle’s digital experience for entrepreneurs, THE SPARK KIT, helps entrepreneurs rock their career with integrity, audacity and their truest strengths

I’m telling you – go check her out – I know, I know, it’s expensive – but I am telling you – so worth it.  I am trying to find out when she will be close to my town so that I can go see one of her live sessions.  I’ll let you know.  Click on her badge over there on the right to get this SPARK session and/or just to get to her blog.  You will be blown away

Go dig it!!!

As I work through her workbook I will be sharing her ideas and quotes from her here on my blog.

Happy week - back with some artwork later this week

Cathy

 

Have a good week all

 

Cathy

Sunny and Shimmerz

Hey Everyone - it's finally summer here (again) in Montreal.  A couple of days ago we had those huge winds at 50 kilometers an hour and lots of rain.  I pray for the people in the US who had the tornadoes.  We just had wind and it was pretty scary.  It's a strange feeling not being able to control your environment.  Mother Nature is stronger than all of us and you just have to let her take her course and hope that the damage is minimal and certainly that all lives are spared.

But today, it's a beautiful sunny day.  I watered the plants in the yard last night and so they are perky and colorful and wonderful this morning.

Today I have posted over at the Shimmerz blog so you have to go over there and check some new journal pages out.

I'm also going to be working on using some of those journal pages (well copies of the pages) and creating some pieces of art using shadow boxes and the journal pages as backgrounds.  I'll be showing you that next week and hopefull getting them in my SHOP next week.

Have a great weekend all - I'm going to the gym and then out in my sunny back yard!

Hope yours is sunny too

 

Cathy

Journaling, Journaling, Journaling

More on my journalling pages.  If you remember last week I said that I absolutely have to start finishing the journals I have ongoing.

Well last week, being on my back gave me a chance to do that.  I will not show you all the pages since I have a post on Shimmerz this Saturday June 4th so I am going to save some for that okay?

 

 

But take a look at some of these - honestly after I took the pictures - I was even amazed at the depth of these pages.  I am telling you - I get so lost doing this - I enter a zone that I wish I would never have to come out of.

If you haven't already registered for my Art Journal with Me online class (which is available here on my site) - treat yourself - honestly - journalling is such a lovely way to lose yourself.

 
I might have shown youthis one but I did add  a few things and since I love it so much - thought I'd show it to you again.

 

 
I am starting to like this orange shade - Margie - this one is fo you! Orange you glad I made it orange  :)

 
Look at the depth of color here.  Believe me - none of these photos have been digitally altered in any way!

 

 

In fact, I took these photos this morning outside - and it is the first time in a very long time that I did not have to play with them to add light or crop.  I am tellin you - I took the shots, brought them up with my picture viewer, went to fix them up and then I said you know what - they need nothing!!

 

 
More green and blue - and some gold.

Okay so there are about 20 more pages I want to show you but I will save them for my Saturday post and show you more then.

 

In the meantime ... I will be working on this new one which I had to start since I finished the one above  ; )

 

 

This one is going to be fun!

Have a good week - talk soon!

 

Cathy