Artist Renee Mak

Happy Thursday Bloggers!  About this time  two years ago I had just begun my painting adventure with artist   Flora Bowley   and her  Bloom True Workshop .   I absolutely love the experience I had and still use it for inspiration today!  If you have a chance to take this workshop or get her book, Brave Intuitive Painting , (available in my Awesome Books bookshop to the right--->) I highly recommend it.  Now, in the tradition of #throwbackthursday,  here is my post from the second week of  the Bloom True Workshop (originally posted 2/11/12)...  with the addition of my finished paintings! I had a fabulous paint day in the studio today!  I began my second assignment (first lesson  here ) in the  Bloom True Workshop  by Flora Bowley  and love what happened. The colors really pop!  The lesson was about getting to know my tools... the brushes... and whatever e...

"Let go of your sadness, give up the fight, follow your madness and take flight... take flight." ~lyric by Seal, musician~ ~all artwork by artist Renee Mak... doodles over prints of original mixed media collage~

World Traveler by LolaBird I am a world traveler~ constantly traveling around the world on a fabulously colorful road trip of fun. Mixed media art journaling, cafe visiting, coffee drinking... hand made print making, children jumping, flowers blooming, boots are sparkling and I am home again! Resting my wings sipping my tea... thinking of traveling~ becoming me! {an ode to Instagram} {All artwork protected under copyright laws and  remain the sole property of artist Renee Mak 2012}

Ocean Blue and the Cup Cake Parade by LolaBird Ride the wave the wave of blue but leave your footprints  in the sand. Follow the clouds, follow thru stay true to your heart, it knows what to do. Flow with the pink, sharp and brite but leave out the glitter for your Friday nite. Use it freely... without care, sprinkle a trail on the back stair so you can find your way home, in case you're alone. The cup cake parade might shock you a bit... but don't worry keep the candles lit the frosting and glitter will make you smile and forget your troubles... just for a while. {All artwork protected under copyright laws and remain the sole property of artist Renee Mak 2012}

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...

Happy May 2012!   One of my favorite things about the month of May is the appearance of  colorful flowers in gardens everywhere! One day last week when I was getting ready,  I had a vision of  colorful flowers of my own! So using my own artist papers, I carefully created my garden! One by one they began to bloom! I'm  now so inspired by them that I'm also putting them on cards, journals and anything else I can think of! Have a super fabulous day!!! xoxo

It's the end of the week already... I guess what they say is true.... "my how time flies when you're having fun"! This week for Paint Party Friday and Sneak Peak Friday I'd like to share three little somethings I had tons of fun creating! They are three "fussed up" canvases ( 12" x 12") that I began months ago but didn't quite know how to finish.  But last week, when I should have been doing something else, it hit me! They needed some bling! Vintage bling to be more exact!  The piece above is a vintage button, which I had two of, and keeps company with two random earrings, a thrift store tag and a Tim Holts key! The background and textures where made using molding paste and doilies... then adding paper, ephemera and acrylic paint.  They were really an experiment when I started.  What do you think... does it work?  What would you do differently... I'd love to try and picture it! This one (a...

Today's post is all about saying "thank you" ! Thank you to all the people who help make Fuss It Up! Designs a place where art is fun, flirty and fabulous! To all who faithfully show up to events... who bring friends and family who browse and buy... who take classes and have parties... and who dream dreams and share in my dreams! Thank you to all the fellow artists who keep creating fabulous things...  like these amazing little sculptures by Abigail Livingood of Cornstalk Studio! And these delicious kids creations... by artist Toni Lampley of Good Sugar Art! This past weekend we had our  Celebrate Creativity... Celebrate YOU event.   Thank you everyone for coming! To show my thanks, Fuss It Up! Designs is giving away some fun, flirty and fabulous items...  and the sign up is open until 5pm Saturday, April 28th. Items include this "hope" key pendant necklace,  this polymer clay s...