Talented, Professional Artists Take You on a Vibrant, Fabulous Ride

UPDATE: I'm not bummed anymore!! I got my piece in here so please take a peek AND it's Friday which signals the end of a tough week. This is me being happy - insert BIG ham and cheese smile here.

I am so bummed. This was one of the roughest weeks in a long time and not only did my camera die as I went to take a pic of my piece but it's too big for my scanner. I'm charging the battery and hope to slip my piece in later.

BUT the vibrance, creativity and magic that was created here by these talented, amazing, sensational artists will make you want to cheer! You will want to ride the wheel of creativity for sure after you see these pieces. I love this week!

Come on, let's jump in....


Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this rockin' piece.

"My favorite ride for years has been the Music Express, basically just sit down on the bench and get spun into your friend while listening to loud music," said Althea. "The thing has been decorated like something out of the late 60's or early 70's so really the ride is more appropriate for this week's theme than my earrings honoring it but no one is perfect. :) Also if anyone has seen Adventureland the Music Express is the ride Lisa P operates in the film so you can see for yourself!"

http://salvagedexpression.etsy.com/

Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created these sensational pieces titled, “Crazy Mouse”, “Which way do we go, which way do we go”, “Slip and slide”, “Pretty Carousel horse” and “Look up”.

"A few weeks ago I went to a local country fair and became a kid again," said Felicia. "I remember I was struck at how colorful and bright all the rides and displays were. So when Natasha mentioned “ferris wheel” and “color” the fair was the first thing I thought of. I’m also back to studying Photoshop online, so I used these photos to explore different color enhancements and effects with these photos."

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
http://www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com/



“Crazy Mouse”




“Which way do we go, which way do we go”



“Slip and slide”



“Pretty Carousel horse”



“Look up”












Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this gorgeous untitled mixed media in progress.

"I'm sure this is no surprise to those of you who know me and my work, but I adored Tasha's theme this week!" said Amanda. "Color, color, and more color--my favorite. I played with the same style I used last week and created another bird piece."

http://persistentgreen.com/









Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, created this stellar piece.

"I loved this theme, I had so many ideas," said Trina. "The two I had time to make were the "Ferris Wheel" earrings and my "Loop the Loop" pendant. I have to say, the roller coaster (especially one with a loop the loop) is more the speed of my life than the ferris wheel, but I'm working on it!"

"Thanks again to you all for being here, until I came back I didn't realize how much I missed all of you and this space to play."

http://wovenchains.etsy.com/

Loop the Loop pendant

Ferris Wheel earrings

Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece.

Do you know Connie Hozvicka, creator of Dirty Footprints Studio? If you don't you need to visit, now. Her work and her words are so striking, so beautiful that they resonate in a deeply meaningful and deeply personal way with me. Amanda introduced me to her site (thank you dear friend!) and I've been an avid reader ever since. Recently, her idea on being Fearless and living in a BIG way moved me to the core. When I think of vibrance I think of color and Connie so this piece is how my brain has been basking in her idea of fearlessness.








Are you feeling like riding the rollercoaster of creativity? Me too! Then, let's PLAY!

The next theme is: "The Butterfly Got Off the Bus and Went Into..." This is a truly fun theme. Take your butterfly or butterflies and take them on an adventure...anywhere! Have a blast with this one.

Magnificent, Professional Artists Give Gifts That Will Inspire YOU

PLEASE NOTE: I'd love to hear your thoughts about Letting Your Colors Out. Please visit Creative Nachos if you have a moment :)

To everyone who wrote or emailed, I'm still here! LOL...this baby is just testing me LOL! I will let you know when those contractions are real and the new little munchkin arrives. Till then...LET'S PLAY!!!

I was SO excited by all of the submissions here. This week we have new faces, returning faces, regular wonderful faces and all of them made me cheer!! You are SO wonderful for giving yourselves a gift...whether it was time or creativity or both you deserve it. I celebrate YOU!! Then on top of that to share the gift of your art with all the folks here - well, I don't know about you but I feel exceptionally lucky to be able to bask in this beauty.

Each piece is filled with color and a true sense of celebration and peace. These professional, talented artists have inspired me to create and keep giving to myself and others.

Want a present? Follow me!



Cori, creator of the Cori Berg blog, created this truly stunnning piece.

"I think forgiving ourselves for our flaws, our mistakes, our incompleteness is actually harder than forgiving other people," said Cori. "It forces us to go through the self embarassment of admitting parts of ourselves do not add up to the person we want to be."

Please visit Cori's blog to read the rest of this inspiring post.

http://coriberg.blogspot.com/

Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this fantastic piece.

"This week I gave myself the gift of a little time with my to do list including finalizing the sketch for a friend's tattoo," said Althea. "As it turns out she happened to be ready willing and able to get it done this week so I decided to submit it as my craft. As you can see I left it open for the tattoo artist to put his own style in and we made a few changes so I'm really happy about the part I played in this one."

http://salvagedexpression.etsy.com/

Kelsey, creator of Caffeinated Frenzy, created this unforgettable piece.

"Something nice for myself- Last week I read a book," said Kelsey. "Probably for the first time in about two years (not counting school textbooks). Which seems a little silly, but giving oneself enough time to actually complete a book can be difficult sometimes. So for this challenge, I knit a book. This work in progress prototype is a soft hand knit cover book with hand stitched binding."

I will be posting updates about this project on my blog,http://www.caffeinatedfrenzy.blogspot.com/

Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this gorgeous untitled mixed media in progress.

"I loved Tasha's suggestion of giving ourselves a gift this week," said Amanda. "I knew exactly what my gift was--an evening of paint-play, which I haven't treated myself to in a while. Boy, it felt good to dive in and get my hands covered with color again!"

http://persistentgreen.com/









Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, created these amazing pieces.

"I have been gone for way longer than I ever wanted!" said Trina. "Things have been so incredibly busy my way, and I just haven't even had time to breathe. How lucky I was to come back to such a special theme. The gift I chose to give myself was the time to participate with all of you this week."


"What that gift led me to do was two really cheerful, colorful pendants. Both just make me smile! The first is my "Disco Ball" and the second is "The Rainbow in the Sunshine."


"I'm so glad to have the time to play this week, and I really hope I get to stay and play for a while."


http://wovenchains.etsy.com/














Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece.

This week was a rollercoaster ride with contractions and the end of a class. While resting I had some time to create. I love that as my life changes so, too, does my art change. I don't normally incorporate people into my work. And I'm often an 8.5 x 11 chick but things are happening and I'm just going with it all. I have no idea where this road will lead but I like the way it's moving along.

http://doodlestar.etsy.com/








Tell me, are you feeling inspired to create?? Right now?? Me TOO! Let's go for it!!



The next theme is "Vibrance Rides the Ferris Wheel" Let's PLAY with color, vibrant, gorgeous, luscious color. Paint, knit, color, get crazy. Drape yourself in it! Dance around in it! Celebrate with the intensity of feeling you feel when you ride the ferris wheel, the rollercoaster or whatever amusement park ride you like!! Celebrate the colors that explode from you when you feel fully alive!! Get it all over! Brighten the world with the exceptionally beautiful colors within YOU!!!!

Sensational Artists Choose Nature, Beauty and Art

What I find fascinating about this week is how these amazingly talented artists were given a choice to create works of art for any theme and many graviated toward creating pieces that were filled with the beauty of nature. As you move through these works, each one represents some gift that comes from nature, some incredible way that the artist sees the world. These are all sensational and make me want to spend my day outdoors basking in the magic of flowers, watching clouds and birds with the same wonder and listening to the wind giggling with the trees.


Please enjoy these Participant Choice works of art...




Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this sensational piece for Theme 57: Ladybug Luck.

"I decided to head back to ladybug land and this challenge came at the perfect time since I acquired a few flower shaped pieces of glass for rings and was looking for ways to jazz them up," said Althea. "I always love finding ladybugs and putting them on my plants to protect them from pests so it seemed like a natural combination."

http://salvagedexpression.etsy.com

Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created these gorgeous pieces titled, "Clematis Reaching for the Sun", "Rose Reaching for the Sun", "Gerbera Reaching for the Sun" and "Daisy Reaching for the Sun" for Theme 45: A Bright Bit of Sunshine Mixed With...


"What I have been working on this week fits right into one of the previous themes: Theme 45: A Bright Bit of Sunshine Mixed With…My Garden!" said Felicia.

"We have had some incredibly hot, sunny days here mixed in with incredibly dark, rainy days. On the sunny days I hurried to get my new plantings in, in between grabbing my camera to capture the newly blooming flowers reaching for the sun. I used minimal effects on these photos – only to achieve a softer effect - and I’m pleased at how they turned out."

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com

Clematis Reaching for the Sun

Rose Reaching for the Sun

Gerbera Reaching for the Sun

Daisy Reaching for the Sun

Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this magnificent Barefoot Soul piece for Theme 17: Once Upon an Afternoon Stroll.

"I've been sick and stuck in the house for several days, so my mind has been drifting to more pleasant times and a long, peaceful stroll outside--hopefully I can enjoy a real one soon!" said Amanda. "I took this photo on my most recent "doodle walk," as we came to call it in Natasha's and my e-course. Doodle walking is when you wander with delicious patience and curiosity, meandering wherever the wind blows you, letting the journey become more important than simply "getting there." PS: I finally got a new website up and running! It's definitely not perfect yet, but I'm thrilled to have made the leap anyway."

http://PersistentGreen.com











Maureen, a talented artist created this stunning piece for a mix of themes.

"I've never submitted just a photo before to TST, but this scene really spoke to me," said Maureen. "I had planned to produce something for "Oh, the Places You'll Go." But this morning, I had my attention drawn out my front window to some plants on my deck. They, in their "Purple Passion," were a trio of blooms: one barely open, one half-open, one full. But then the full-length picture shows you "Where the Wild Things Bloom,"--in a kitty litter bucket, brand name "Fresh Step." Lots of plants don't survive transplanting. If they do, they often skip one season of blooming because they need to recuperate from the shock of transition. Well, these purple beauties could no more hold back their blooming than the sun could stop shining. And they sure weren't gonna wait until they were planted in my yard. No, when the urge came to bloom, they did, right where they were. They definitely taught me a thing or two about taking a Fresh Step toward wonderful Places, down a path where Wild Things Bloom, all the time bursting forth with wholehearted Purple Passion."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com













Bird, creator of Crow Tarot Tours, created these beautiful pieces titled, "Little Bird", "Birdy Dance" and "Ladybird Luck" for Theme 58 : Little Bird, Little Bird.

"Little Bird"
"Bobbin' Robin I - Mike is the photographer of this piece, taken on one of our walks by the river. 06-08-10" said Bird.
"Bobbin' Robin II - Again, one of Mike's, but with the addition of a posterizing filter, since there was some disappointing blurriness in the original. I guess Robin bobbed at the wrong moment. :-D"







"Birdy Dance - When I sat down to create what became the Ladybird Locket, while I was sitting there this red-winged blackbird landed in this short bush-tree by the water and started doing this fluttery dance. After a while, he gave on of the 'Goldfinger' calls and left. I have no idea what he was up to with all the fluttering & peeping."





"Ladybird Locket - The "Ladybird Locket" came about as the result of a coaching session with the awesome Gareth of Fight-Mediocrity. He suggested that when I was at the park I create a talisman to remind me of the energies of being at the river, for those times when I needed a pick-me-up & a reminder of better, more power-full times.

This is that talisman. Verigated blues for the river, and a little ladybird for my own personal good fortune."





blog: www.AnEncouragingBird.com
www.crowtarottours.com - In Progress
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours
Etsy: www.CrowTarot.etsy.com








Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece for Theme 36: Believe in Magic.

This piece can be looked at in two ways. The first is with the tree right side up and the second is with the tree upside down and the house right side up. The idea is that so long as you have an open heart and believe that the Universe has a little magic in it, then even amid chaos, when things feel upside down, everything will be fine.

http://doodlestar.etsy.com












Are you feeling that urge to create something? I am too! So let's hop on the next theme.




This theme is a little different. Before you begin it, you will need to do something nice for YOU! You need to give yourself a little gift of kindness. Then based upon the gift or the feeling behind it, you will create something. This theme is really about loving you because we all take ourselves for granted from time to time. We all get so busy we put everyone ahead of ourselves. This theme is a little present to you. So, I ask that you and everyone you know participate in this theme - it's a special one. Theme 61 will be titled, "The Gift."