Artist Renee Mak

What's on my work desk today?   Oh soooooo much!  But what I'll share is one of my favorite current projects! It involves up~cycled cardboard from Starbucks and the Valley Junction   Cinco de Mayo Festival... and my collaged flowers. I love making spiral bound journals filled with all kinds of fabulous papers designed to get  the creative juices flowing!  But the other day I needed one filled with just plain white paper for my own creative brainstorming. And so I thought, "...if I need one, maybe I should make a few in case someone else wants one!" I really like texture so I peeled off the smooth cardboard and exposed the fabulous center!  Then I  began collaging colorful flowers using my own art papers... and my flower garden grew and grew... and grew!!! My next step is to finish them by adding the paper and the spiral top! I'll get them into my Etsy shop as soon as I get them do...

I love the color Blue.   So I've decided to devote Mondays to  admiring all things blue and to  share them with you! I'd love to come home to these beautiful blue doors each day after work! This pillow cover is handmade and brought to you by a mother/daughter team, Martha and Ash, who sell on Etsy.  I really like the contrast of  the natural linen and bright blues! Chocolate cupcakes are one of my favorite... imagine how blue your tongue will be after this  fabulous blue frosting! This bright blue turban will make every bad hair day go away... haha! The bright blue sky is always showing somewhere... hope it shows itself just like this all week long! Have a great week!

Saturday was a busy day in the studio!  I have so many projects going on at once, including making more mini note cards. My dream is that someday my line will be mass produced  by someone else while I continue to design and create ... but for now, I'll make each one by hand! Several of you have asked me about my cards and how they're made. So here's a short but sweet tutorial on what I do. First I take the pictures or scan my original artwork. Then I print and proof and reprint and reproof until the images and colors are right. After my ordered prints arrive, it's time for assembly. I hand cut each picture and cut and fold each "card". Sometimes I use preformed cards and envelopes and sometimes I choose decorative papers for each batch. My main paper source is Archivers but I'm always on the  lookout for cool artsy papers. My next step is to adhere the print to the card, sign the back (don't forget to include your copyright) and package it ...

As many of you know, I just attended The Creative Connection Event  ... where creative women and women entrepreneurs came together to connect, share and inspire each other onward and upward! Creative souls from all over the world converged on the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul, Minnesota and shared in an  almost tangible, electric energy that will inspire us for weeks to come. When it was over, I packed my Jeep full of fun Market finds, free giveaways and my overstuffed luggage and headed home.  It only took a few minutes to realize the fun was over... at least for another year. My mind wandered over the new friends I had made, the cards I had collected and the shear talent I had encountered.  I glanced at the cars around me and wondered if these were "my people"... a phrase I heard repeated all weekend by so many who had discovered, perhaps for the first time, the emotional high of finding others who think like they think.  I thought of cars and planes going out...

It's gonna be another scorcher today... so I've decided to feature some  fun, flirty and fabulous Etsy  sellers and their HOT SUMMER COLORS! Thanks    cardsbyjane     for such a great Summer treasury!!! 'Summer shades' by cardsbyjane Set of Five Glass Bubble Mag... rebeccaheartsn... $2.25 ...

'Imaginary Shopping Trip!' by fussitup I did not go shopping today... but if I would have, these are some of the items I would have bought!  Aren't they devine!!!!  Etsy is so great for window shopping on a rainy day!   Red Vintage Glass Jewels and... SSSJ $16.00 ...