Write On!

Hey there!

I'm glad you stopped by!

I don't want to stump you with a silly question, but is writing an art?  And is there a difference from telling a story and writing it down, and drawing beautiful characters for letters to create a beautiful message to be put on display? 

WRITING:  is a medium of human communication that creates language and through the inscription or recording of signs, symbols, characters and letters. In most ...

ART: Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, ...

I am so excited when I create something and it turns out how I wanted.  

So, am I doing writing, or am I doing art?

I practice... a lot... I certainly now know how to manipulate (in a good way) what I create... I don't want to say there are NO MISTAKES.... and I'm not reaching for PERFECTIONISM.... but if a creative opportunity  (an oopsie! drawing outside the line, a wiggle, wonky shape) comes along... I can 'hide' it or make it part of what I'm creating.... because when I practice... it's no big deal to continue on!!!

Check out my YouTube video creating a happy birthday doodle....

And then this is how it turned out.

You do know that you can pretty much write on anything, right???  I've shown this before, but chalkboard art decorations in your home are very popular.  I just watched a home improvement show they other day, and new home renovations actually have an entire wall painted with chalkboard paint... so the family can write little notes to each other!   Yeah, right!!!!  My chalkboard is a thrift find and I love practicing my hand lettering to create a fun seasonal sign.

So, sometimes I do use the computer to create a hand writing look.  I used lots of different art mediums to create a mixed media sign. This one is art, right?

I have found it somewhat confusing lately, that there are so many similar words being used to describe just ordinary things.  

Handwriting is writing created by a person with a writing utensil such as a pen or pencil. Handwriting includes both printing and cursive styles and is separate from formal calligraphy or typeface

For instance, handwriting is considered the art of creating letters and character by hand.... what comes to mind is calligraphy: decorative handwriting or handwritten lettering.

I guess any way you put a 'twist' on it.... practicing your handwriting is a really good thing for your mind and dexterity.  A Facebook friend mentioned that she was on a quest and had purposely practiced her handwriting for 600 days straight.  To some newbie that might seem overwhelming... some people really are naturals at some things.... but most of us need to practice.... not to seek perfection ... but to make it seem effortless and natural.  Seriously, anyone can doodle, draw, create.... some just have to practice more!

How many different things can you see to write on when you look above your computer screen ?!!!

Shine On

Doodle On

Write On

Right On!

Beyond the Impression

I like signs!

Figuratively and literally.

I'm a visual type personality.  I need to see it, and or be reminded of it!

I literally have signs all over my house! You may have seen them highlighted before on my blog.

This above is a glossy white painted dinner plate.  But it also the base for a changeable sign.  Using a dry/erase marker I change the saying on this plate anytime. The marker writes smoothly and I can glide around the surface with ease.  I've just got to watch out for smearing with my left hand.

Being a crafty person, and a thrifty one as well .... Pinterest is my inspiration for a lot of 'stuff' ( A LOT OF STUFF).  So, the in thing was to use black chalkboard paint to make unusual chalk boards and write fun and cute things on the board.  I found the above kitchen cabinet door raw wood, unstained and unpainted for about $3.  It's approx. 12" x 15".  I spray painted it with the black chalkboard paint and used actual school white chalk and wrote one of my Halloween greetings on it.  I tried to wipe it off.... and the board/wood had absorbed the chalk writing.  It wouldn't erase and looked like a mess. I retouched the sign paint  and decided to put  permanent text on it with a very smooth chalkboard ink.  I love the results. I love what it says!!

I don't always picture the end result of a random item I purchase when being thrifty, (or is it crafty) but I'm extremely excited when something turns out even better than I could have imagined!!

This framed board is approximately 15" x 32".  I think it used to be a country calendar that had the interchangeable wood pieces for months/weeks/days.  But all I saw was a great structure and a backboard that I could make into a blackboard.

I don't think whatever man made board the back is, was too absorbent, because I spray painted it and eventually could erase the chalk message on this one.  I love how I can practice my handwriting and be creative and change out the words to whatever is happening seasonally around our home.  I see the sign, every day!!

And then  there are purchased signs, or signs that were given to me as a gift.  They are different sizes and textures and different sentimental meanings!

Signs give me comfort.  I love the fact that I can see them and be reminded of their content every day. I can think of who gave them to me, or the occasion it was purchased, or a reason behind the words!

Augustine on signs: A sign is a thing which causes us to think of something beyond the impression the thing itself makes upon the senses.

At the outset you must be very careful lest you take figurative signs literally.

Little happy reminders, that often help me to Brighten Someone's Day!

Established in 1990

I love the way this sign turned out.  It is a Pinterest success. 

 

I have posted about my chalkboard signs before. 

 

Earlier, you saw this sign in my fall basket on the front porch ....

 

According to the directions on the chalkboard ink pen, I was supposed to be able to erase the letters.  I used a rag and nothing smudged.  I got a corner of the rag damp and tried to wipe away Trick-or-Treat... a bit of a smudge.... but my spider didn't go away. 

 

 

 I figured that on this cabinet door that is about 10" x 14",  it had absorbed the black chalkboard paint and it wasn't going to be cleaned that easily.  Now too, it had absorbed the chalk ink.  Fine, I didn't want to scrub and rub all the black paint off, so I took the sign outside and sprayed a new layer of black paint over the text. 

 

And I started a new project on a 'clean' slate.

 

I figured the new sign would have to be a permanent sign.... I had seen ideas all over Pinterest, fun stuff about family, and decided the Robinson's needed to be reminded when they were established.  

This is how it turned out!!!

 

 

Stay tuned for the rest of the story!!!

 

 

It's all FuN!

Have you noticed that the sun is beginning to rise earlier and it's going down later?

The long awaited Spring is just around the corner...
cross your fingers,
your eyes, your toes, your legs....
cross everything in hopes this really comes true.

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind??

Well in our neck of the woods it's going to be very, very interesting what our Spring has in store for us.  I must admit not every winter did we have such extreme cold with wind chills below zero.  And too, this is the 3rd snowiest winter on record in the Chicagoland area.  Everybody is 'over' winter .... bring on Spring!!!

We know that Spring has to come.  Probably in the past we didn't give much thought to it.  As the seasons go we all know what follows next.  But when you have something that is so severe, it's hard to imagine what will come with warmer temperatures?

You can believe with 2 doggies and 8 paws that when all this snow thaws ... I will have paw prints to clean off the hallway tile, and dog shakes to wipe off the walls!

It depends on how quickly it all thaws ... rivers nearby go into flood stage if it rains 3" .... we have about 2 feet of snow on the ground right now ... what surprises does mother nature have on those closer to those tributaries?

The ware and tear of freezing and blowing of heavy snow and ice have encased our house for almost 100 days.  The house is 15 years old.... will the paint be peeling as ice begins to melt and start dripping? What will we find near the foundation?  How have the trees and bushes weathered through it all?

 

All of those things are POSSIBLE. 

But they are all things I have no control over. 

I can prevent some things from making my home worse, but I can't stop others from occurring.

 

But I can DO. something that is unexpected.  As part of the fun being the SHINE Girl for March (read more about that here)  and to finish off this first week, I plan on decorating someone's corner of the world yellow.

 

How lucky for me to have the right tools to make this POSSIBLE.

 

Be kind whenever POSSIBLE.  it is always POSSIBLE ~ Dalia Lama

 

It's Friday, and time to

 

Brighten Someone's Day!!!