Weekly Inspiration - My fellow Melange Team members

I have the good fortune to be a member of the Melange Team on Etsy. This is a wonderful group of talented mixed Media artists who help each other in so many ways. They inspire me to try new materials & techniques. And to jump in and say "yes" when faced with something new. Here is a new slide show of some members' artwork. (Special Thanks to Glenda Bailey of TwoCoolTexans for making this presentation)

Every day Melange members can be found sharing ideas on various Etsy forum threads. And on Wednesdays there is a new art challenge posted to the MelangeOnEtsy blog. Basically there is always something new going on to get the arty juices flowing.

I recently had some good fortune & decided to share it with my fellow team members. 2 months ago I hosted a random drawing of 250 custom printed greeting cards from DigitalRoom.com on my blog. Well, that generous sponsor then gave me the same prize as a "thank you."

I decided to print up some cards to promote the Melange Team & its amazingly talented members. They came in last week & I am really happy with the way they came out. Colors are bright, they have a glossy finish & are printed on a nice stiff cardstock. Thank You Digital Room!


If you are a Melange Team member, click on the card photo. It will take you to the Melange blog post where you can sign up to receive some of these cards. This is for Melange on Etsy team members only.


Also, Maternal Spark has been running a series on creativity this past week, 7 Steps to Opening the Door to your Artist Within. I don't know that I agree with all of the suggestions but the series provided some thought provoking ideas. Worth checking out if you have a few minutes.

Final Note - I'm hosting 2 Giveaways right now, click through for details:

Random Drawing for a Teresa Chipperfield Spring Blossoms art print (ends 10/15)

Custom Printed Vinyl Banner with grommets from Uprinting.com (ends 10/22)

Water Music on Mixed Media & Musical Monday

Today the Musical Monday theme is My First Concert

while Mixed Media Monday's prompt is Meaningful Music

When I was 10 we moved from our tiny town to a slightly larger, picturesque city by the sea. Though we only there 2 years, my eyes (& ears) were opened to some life altering experiences. My Mom started taking me to the local "Opera House" where I was introduced to everything from Shakespeare to Gilbert & Sullivan. She also took me to a number of concerts, mostly chamber music & classical soloists. And then 1 day.... it was Respighi's Pines of Rome! That was it - I was sold on both classical music & dreams of visiting Rome.

Trevi Letters

For a while I've wanted to paint again. Just too busy to work on anything big right now. So I've been "sketching" in my ancient photoshop elements. Trevi Letters is my prep for a bigger piece inspired by the 3rd movement from Respighi's Fontane di Roma. Think of it as part of series of love letters to Rome.

If you are curious, I digitally collaged a scrap of printed paper, a Polaroid emulsion transfer made from a close up of the Trevi fountain (yes, I did make it to Rome), and a charcoal drawing of a cellist from years ago. Then I played with some colors & swirls but when I printed it out, it looked like mud (my printer sucks). Rather than toss the print, I had fun adding watercolors, pencils, markers, white paint & gel pens. Unfortunately, I can't seem to capture the shimmer of the gel pens or the white highlights, but you get the basic idea.

If you've got a few minutes, click through the links above to see what other folks have posted today. Also, why not play along & add your own music / art while you are visiting them?


And while you're at it don't forget to visit Maternal Spark's Weekly Inspiration. What is inspiring me this week? I think you can guess what I'm going with.....

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By the way, still accepting entries for 2 random drawings:

On 10/1 one winner gets the matted print Little Gift from Amber Freeman. Just leave a comment before noon Thursday to enter. CLICK here to see print

On 10/22 one winner gets custom printed vinyl banner from Uprinting.com. CLICK here for prize details & rules