STUDIO SNAPS

Okay - whatever happened to my New Year's resolution of updating my blog once a week??????

A lot has happened this past month to keep me otherwise occupied - I went back to my day job full time, my Nanny in England died, the whole family (except me) fell ill with nasty viruses and our garden became friendly with a bulldozer as construction began on our extensive home renos.

A few pretty good reasons that my artistic endeavours got put on hold.

To keep things colourful and light I thought I'd just post a few more snaps of my little treasured space!!

Studio Time

I love looking at everyones artistic and crafty blogs. I can spend hours going from link to link and getting inspired by other peoples creations. I especially like glimpsing into the work spaces of those induviduals. It must have been my years at art school that made me love the mess and chaos that is a studio - that and the smell of turpentine and the endless supply of supplies. I love supplies from piles of gorgeous papers to ribbon, embellishments and more. Here's a little glimpse of my own nirvana!!

WOOLY WONDERS

So, I've been on a knitting spree. I have discovered these rather yummy yarns - they have lots of mohair in them plus a bit of shiny bling. Knitted two scarves in two days and em looking forward to designing more to be available at the Nanaimo Farmer's Market this spring. The colours really lend themselves to evening-wear and would certainly dress up any little black number!!

They will be safely hidden in my studio since my lovely, imaginative 3 year old likes to make "spaghetti" - this involves unraveling yards and yards of yarn (usually on the quiet when I am fooled into thinking she is looking at a book) and making piles of delicious pasta noodles. I credit her penchant for Curious George's naughty antics and her love of the stuff for this truly unique passtime!

I have also just received in the mail, a knitting gadget from England that makes wonderfully pretty things. Stay tuned for more...

FIRST SEASON OF THE NEW YEAR

That title is a direct quote from my 3 year old daughter. It's a wonderful way of describing the coming months...
Happy 2008!!!!!! It's been a long time, I know. One of my perhaps misguided resolutions is to update blog on regular basis even if it is just my musings. I love perusing other artistic blogs on the web. It's a lovely little glimpse into the world of creativity at its best. They inspire me to get my mind flowing with ideas and the lust to get down to the wonderful business of creating art.
I sit and write this from my cozy home studio whilst it blows with January snow outdoors. My outdoor studio is still in the works. It exists in my head and on my vision board!! This Spring will see some building and conversions of my outdoor cottage and I should be up and running for September '08.
I have been so excited and inspired by a magazine I just discovered - Cloth, Paper, Scissors. It has an amazing array of mixed media articles and I can't wait to delve right in to some altered art projects. I think my true passion has always been mixed media stuff. I love the mixture of elements - glass, stone, wood and metal. For this "season of the new year" I will focus on that love...

TIME FLIES...

So how did two months just pass by with not one entry to my blog?????? Shameful, I must say. It certainly isn't for lack of interest because I think about it daily. Could be the many things going on in life - daughter starting pre-school, baby son turning one, major basement renovations, establishing EllaBella Design Studios as primary business, twice weekly markets on the waterfront in downtown Nanaimo...
Anyhow, I am still coming up with new ideas for pretty things to embellish life. My current focus is the upcoming Kris Kringle Fair in Qualicum Beach. I think until then I will concentrate on creating beautiful Christmas products and resume this blog in December. It will also include musings and more personal elements then EllaBella.
Look forward to chatting in the near future
Karen

LABOUR DAY WEEKENED

Can you believe September is already upon us!!! The newsmakers coined this summer "The summer that never was". Somewhat appropriate, however, even through the rain and clouds we had a speckling of the most beautiful, pristine sunshine coupled with light windy days which made outdoor activities all the more enjoyable.

Many thanks to our loyal customers at both the Nanaimo Farmer's and Craig Street Markets. It was a real pleasure meeting you all and I look forward to recontecting later this fall.

It's funny how inspiration strikes - a chance overheard conversation, a glance at a bookcover in the library, a beautiful piece of fabric, the pattern on the skin of a canteloupe (yes, I even tried inking it to make a print!!). It is these wonderful times that fuel the brain and creations spurn forth.

Currently I am torn with creating beautiful pieces for the baby nursery and children's rooms keeping in mind the changing seasons and upcoming holidays. Sometimes everything is dropped to go on a photo shoot for upcoming projects. Alas the beauty of art...

Look for the above sweet image in future mixed media canvases for rooms with small children. They remind me of old fashioned stories, Beatrix Potter style. They were fun to create and they will be fun to view.

Stay tuned and happy long weekend :D

NEW WEB SITE!!

Hello All,

Once again it has been busy at KEWDESIGNS! I am continuing to source out unique items to transform into beautiful pieces for the home. My clocks have met rave reviews and I will be busy this weekend creating more for the upcoming markets.

Please visit http://www.ellabelladesignstudios.com/ for the latest market schedules and product displays. Also look out in the following months for original scrapbook products such as rub-ons and felt embellishments for sale. It is our desire to create wonderful pieces to enhance your scrapbook projects. Our first shipment of ribbon has arrived too. It can be purchased both at markets and the above website.

Thanks to all of our great customers - it's been a treat meeting you and look forward to more feedback in the future.