Meditative Abstractions

COLEFAX WALLPAPER LARGE SHEETS

2012-01-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

MAGNET BOARDS!!

2011-06-09T23:06:00.001-04:00

MAGNETS!!

2011-06-09T23:04:00.001-04:00

Collage Packs - New Item in my Etsy Shop!

2011-03-06T08:33:00.003-05:00

NEW to my Etsy Shop!

I opened VIDA DESIGNS, my online paper supply store more than three years ago! Time flies when you are having fun I guess! After years of buying, collecting, sorting and organizing paper I find I have so much stuff. Lots of what I have stashed away is just fantastic but severely random! I decided to start sharing some of my fantastic paper stash by putting together paper packs for collage artist and scrapbookers. I think I like picking out papers and making a "composition" from all the peices probably more than people like using them!! They are so beautiful they are hard to sell. I just want to look at them. Um - does that make me crazy?!! :)

Here are a few....... click on the title of each to view them in my shop.

"In the Garden"

"Around the World"

"Natural Chic"

"Color is the Spice of Life!"

These packs are stuffed full of all types of wonderful papers! Collage packs include some of the following: book pages, wallpaper, cards, foreign language text, vintage textbook pages, magazine clippings, die cut shapes, vintage sheet music, tags, envelopes, maps, designer scrapbooking papers, cardstock, woven grass papers, fabric sample cards, handmade papers, photographs or chipboard.

daunting, darling and dazzling D A M A S K!

2011-01-07T23:18:00.003-05:00

I LOVE DAMASKS. FOLLOW THE LINK HERE TO SEE ALL THE DAMASK PATTERNS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT VIDA DESIGNS.

VIDA DESIGNS DAMASK

THIS WEBSITE HAS DAMASK PATTERNS YOU CAN DOWNLOAD FOR FREE TO USE ON YOUR WEBSITE, BLOG OR DESKTOP BACKGROUND!
DAMASK DOWNLOADS

ETSY pattern TREASURY!

2011-01-07T20:43:00.008-05:00

This is a great pattern compilation by Megan from salvagedspace. I absolutely adore patterns and color so this one is a new favorite!

To see the treasury in etsy click HERE! You can also check out my featured item, Carlisle Funky Arches.

ART & CRAFT PAPER SUPPLIES!

2011-01-07T20:24:00.006-05:00

looking to stock up on creative, crafty supplies for a long winter? visit VIDADESIGNS, my paper store and check all of the spectacular patterns, colors and recycled paper items.

use the coupon code below to receive 15% off your entire order. thanks for visiting!

-Rachel

coupon code: ABSTRACTIONSBLOG

COLORFUL PATTERNS

2010-10-14T21:30:00.004-04:00

Osborne Little

2010-10-14T21:27:00.002-04:00

Lorca Imperia - Handprinted Wallpapers by Osborne & Little

2010-10-13T21:03:00.004-04:00

OSBORNE & LITTLE HAND-PRINTED PAPERS.
Many of these fabulous designs feature metallic details and flocking. Each design is available in many colors.

PAINTING SIGNS - COSTA RICA

2010-07-28T23:53:00.004-04:00

NEW WEBSITE

2010-07-28T21:26:00.003-04:00

I am in the process of making a new blog featuring our homes for rent and house renovation projects!

Check it out!

http://vidahomes.blogspot.com

RAINFOREST PRINTS

2010-05-10T16:53:00.009-04:00

I have been inspired by pattern design recently. Here is a grouping of some of my new favorite designs.

BAMBOO HANDPRINTED WALLCOVERING.

ANIMAL PRINT WALLCOVERING.

HANDPRINTED WALLCOVERING WITH A LILY FLOWER DESIGN.

I have been recycling and processing used wallpaper to make scrapbooking paper packs that are way more unique than what you can find in the craft store and the papers are 100% post consumed -- products otherwise headed for the landfill. I love opening up an old, used book and finding amazing patterns and colors like these!!

My Sister Makes Movies!!

2010-04-08T16:03:00.002-04:00

Check out what my sister Megan has been doing with her short films on her new portfolio! Totally cool!!

Megan's Video Portfolio

OM - BLISS - JOY - sharing some inspirations

2010-01-16T23:25:00.011-05:00

Here is a recent grouping of my favorite inspirations from fellow Etsy artists!

This is a tribute to my dearest friend, partner and teacher, Solomon. He has taught me much about life and joy. Thanks to all these great artists for their inspirations and creations! Check out their links below...
Cheers!
Rachel

Find My Featured Artists Here:

Simple Beauty - Seeds & Grains - Organizing the Pantry

2010-01-16T23:08:00.007-05:00

I think seeds and grains are really beautiful. I especially appreciate the way they glow when viewed through the glass of an old mason jar! I thought it would be fun to share my pantry organizational project by uploading some photos! Until next time...peace, Rachel

Creatures of the Night!!

2009-08-07T18:08:00.007-04:00

One of my vintage magic posters from my vidadesigns etsy shop was recenly featured in an ETSY TREASURY! This is a great collection from various artists. If you have a moment please click on each of the images in the treasury to increase our ranking. Who knows, maybe we will even make it to the coveted FRONT PAGE feature. Please click on the CREATURES OF THE NIGHT TREASURY to give it some love! This link will only be active through Sunday the 9th!

Thanks to MuseSilkPaintings of etsy for putting together this great feature!

FERNS ARE MAJESTIC PLANTS

2009-06-10T10:35:00.006-04:00

…continuation from my Deep Lake Trail hiking adventure.

On my hike I took pictures. I took lots and lots of pictures. I think I now have a few hundred images of ferns stashed on my computer for future inspiration.

I have this great fascination with ferns. I like them. I like all types of them. I like to touch them and look at them and admire all the details. I think they have a beautiful balance of visual qualities. I feel a new painting in the works!

The ones in these pictures have a brown color stem in the center. It almost looks like they are flowering. Is there anyone reading who is an expert on plants/ferns? Maybe this will require some research. I am intrigued!

Here is a link to the American Fern Society. Honestly there is something for everyone in this world! :)

Inspirational and Rejuvenating Camping/Hiking Weekend

2009-06-09T22:04:00.001-04:00

Solomon (he's my main man for those of you that don't know me yet!) and I took a super cool nature hike this past Sunday while we were camping at Yankee Springs Deep Lake Campground. I brought the camera. Our pace was drastically slowed because of my picture taking craze. I seemed to be called by all the plants and animals and couldn’t stop shooting pics. Good thing we weren’t in a hurry.

Before we went camping I had been inspired to start painting again. I had put the brushes down and the paints on vacation while I have been working with some paper crafts for the last few months. It seems like the painting bug has bitten again. It is never gone for long! I am hoping that some of these new images will be a strong inspirational base for a new series of nature inspired abstract paintings I am planning to start soon.

I will share more of my hike pictures and some new sketches for the paintings as am I able!

Peace Friends!

- Rachel

My Art Room Gets a New Look!

2009-06-05T11:26:00.000-04:00

Five years of creating in the same room had turned my little art studio into a big art mess and a pack rat den. Here are some before and after photos of a much needed purge. Many of items were recycled. Lots of stuff went into storage. The dark blue walls got three coats of cheerful paint. Dark green carpet was swapped for a smaller rug. Most of the facelift was free! I invested money into some paint and the rest was just time and energy to sort through years of art stuff!!

I am thrilled with the transformation. It is amazing how clutter can slow you down drastically. I have spent lots of time sitting peacefully and creating in my new space!!! Yippee!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

the T word - TWITTER

2009-06-04T23:38:00.001-04:00

I am learning how to be really popular on the internet. Wow! Who knew there are so many ways to connect to thousands of random peeps. It is kind of cool, scary and strange all at the same time.

I have been learning (slowly) how to get virtual friends on twitter and how to use those friends as an audience for my etsy VidaDesigns and Racheljasmine websites. I have no idea if the whole thing is really working or if I am totally wasting time in a huge black hole. But - I am giving it a shot.

I read a really great tutorial on the etsy forums about how to use twitter for business purposes. (OH - that sounds so stuffy and formal! Gross!)

Anyway - give it a shot and check out the link: etsy forum post on twitter

You can follow me on twitter if you want. We can be friends. Don't worry. We can still be friends even if you are not a twitterer. :)

Click here to see my twitter pages:

racheljasmine

vida_designs

2009-03-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Oh I have let a month slip away without staying true to my blog! Oh well!

I have some pictures to share of a recent treasury I put together - "Majestic Mountains". I find the mountains so peaceful and also very inspirational.

If you are a fellow etsian, please follow the link and give some love for these great artists!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=48680

BEST OF THE WEST - West Michigan that is!

2009-02-20T20:06:00.001-05:00

Hello! Please check out these great handmade goodies from MICHIGAN. These artist are my team members! We are an awesome group of artists supporting each other!

You can check out work from some of the Etsy West Michigan Team members at the following link:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=44086

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING HANDMADE ARTS!

Putting It All Together - A Work in Progress

2009-02-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Last night - 12:30 am – I found myself sitting at my desk doodling instead of sleeping. Here is what I made: four small illustrations with watercolor, marker & ink. They were originally part of one larger piece but I cut it up!!

I am in the process of deciding how to put together these four pieces. (Or maybe I will just let them work as pieces on their own). Here are some of my layout options. Please feel free to comment with your thoughts!

I love a good critique!! I will blog later about the final product!

CREATIVE TO-DO LIST. Not an oxymoron.

2009-02-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

The next time you need to write a to-do-list, you can make it an art project!

I had lots of ideas swirling in my head. I wanted them out of my mind but not to be forgotten. If I write down my ideas I seem to get some relief from having to think too much!

I was in need of a good list but also in the mood to be creative and colorful! So – I did both at the same time!!

Here is my ENORMOUS, colorful to-do-list!

I will update with images of my progress as I tackle crossing out each colorful line.

Have I ever mentioned that I love sharpie markers? I like Prismacolor markers a lot also. They are much more expensive though, which makes them a little less practical to have a multitude of them.

Searching for Spring

2009-02-08T17:49:00.000-05:00

Today was a bright and sunny day. It was cold but the sun was encouraging.

I took a walk this evening excited by the soft light. I was searching for inspirations.

Over the last few days our snow has been melting. I went in search of signs of spring and found only remnants of the summer and fall waiting to be reborn this spring. They are hopeful for the warmth and rebirth! I too am watching and waiting!

ETSY WEST MICHIGAN TEAM TREASURY!

2009-02-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

Please check out our team treasury that is featured on Etsy through Monday the 9th of February. Thanks to the wonderful curator, LaShelle, for putting together such a great team treasury. PURPLE PASSIONS!

PURPLE PASSIONS OF ETSYWMI:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=38200

LASHELLE'S ETSY SHOP:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6036277

Sick on the Couch = SKETCHING TIME

2009-02-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

A fun and productive afternoon on the couch! Here are some new warm ups and experiments! Both are 8"x8" on textured paper. I also got out the sewing machine to add some details before I started drawing. I used pencil, oil pastels, colored pencil, thread, and sharpie marker. The second drawing I also used a golden, clear drying, black speckled medium. I was having FUN!

Oil Pastel Research

2009-02-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

I have an interest to vary from my normal acrylic painting. I have been pulled in the illustration direction. I have been having fun experimenting with lines designed drawn instead of painted. With that in mind I want to experiment with oil pastels. I dug through a box of art supplies that haven’t been used in years and found an old case of oil pastels from my college days. Needless to say I need an update.

Does anyone have a recommendation on a quality oil pastel that is affordable?

If there is anyone else interested in learning more about oil pastels, here is a very informative website I found while researching.

http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com/oil-pastels-reviews.html

INSPIRATIONS

2009-02-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I like to wander through ETSY-land letting my mind go blank until I find an image that stuns me.

I am drawn to work that is abstract, colorful, bright, edgy, provocative, highly textured and dramatic. I love the way that a work of abstract art could inspire and move different people in completely distinct ways. Abstract work is always totally open to personal interpretation.

I was excited to get a space on the ETSY treasury so I could put together images of some of my favorite pieces of abstract art. Here are some of my favorite images that I just keep coming back to. For me, these are like eye candy for the art lover! I just can’t stop looking. These are my inspirations and a tribute to my fellow artists.

Computers as an Art Tool

2009-02-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

Lots of people use their computers to create wonderfully inspiriting and provocative art, yet I have never felt like a keyboard or a mouse can inspire my creative side. The screen and the numbers and letters bring forth the wrong side of my brain. I spent a month thinking about how to blog if I can’t cut and paste with real paper and a journal and real sharpies and tactile paper. Yet I have found a middle ground on that issue – see my Sharpie Blogging entries!

When I have a brush or a pencil or marker my mind moves. I don’t think. My hand flows and my mind skips. I would love to insightfully share all of the wonderful moments and memories that have been created in my intimate art space but the words don’t come. How does one describe the feeling of getting lost in a painting? Time stops. There is no plan. There are no step by step instructions.

Maybe all these challenges are the reason I want to learn how to be a graphic artist too. I could never give up my paints but would it hurt to learn something new?

Here are some of my new inspirations:

PATTERNS: www.patternoftheday.com

FABRICS: http://www.freespiritfabric.com/core-pages/galleryindex.php

MANDALAS: http://www.abgoodwin.com/mandala/gallery1.shtml

Sharpie Blogging - SKETCH BOOKS

2009-02-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

This is my Sharpie Blog #2! I wrote this Sharpie Blog on the 26th and am just getting around to posting it today!

Baked Winter Veggies Inspired by Karen Mae

2009-02-01T14:07:00.000-05:00

I love to paint and I also love to COOK so I am extending my art blog to include the culinary side too! Sunday is always a good day to cook lots of food because I usually have time and it is great to slow down. I thought that today would be a great day to share my morning preparing baked winter veggies, a recipe inspired by my super Auntie – Karen Mae.

This is a wonderfully hearty vegetarian dish made with vegetables available during the Michigan winter. My partner, Solomon, is a big guy and a big eater. I cook for two, but this recipe will be good for dinner, lunch OR breakfast (served with eggs!) the following day and maybe a little left over to make some soup stock.

When possible I love using foods that I am able to buy locally and/or organically. Today I am cooking with some potatoes from a local Michigan farmer and Michigan organic onions and organic olive oil that I have luckily found for a reasonable price at costco.

This is such a versatile dish! You could make this with anything! AND since I never follow recipes I don’t have exact measurements to give. Just guess and have fun! Leave a comment here if you have any questions and I will be happy to respond!

Today I am using:

1 large butternut squash

2 medium onions

6 medium potatoes

1 buttercup squash

2 small zucchini

2 small summer squash

1 large eggplant

4 carrots

3 sweet potatoes

Olive oil

Italian seasoning

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese

Rosemary

Garlic powder (fresh garlic would be better…I am out)

1. Wash/peel veggies

2. Roughly cube all veggies and place in a large bowl

3. Add enough olive oil to coat all vegetables

4. Stir and add your spices.

5. Dump into a large baking dish or two cake pans! (I love my big, red clay dish!!)

6. Lightly dust with parmesan cheese (if you want cheese – it tastes great without it too)

7. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half. Baking time will depend on the size of your cubed veggies. I would periodically stir the vegetables and check for tenderness with a fork. If your veggies are getting dry you may want to drizzle a little more olive oil.

8. Serve hot with some bread and a fresh salad!

Uplifting summer images for the frozen folks in Michigan or anywhere else that feels the cold.

2009-01-27T18:03:00.000-05:00

In Michigan the winter is cold and grey. I miss the sunshine, clear water, and I miss the color green. Here are some images to help remind us of sunny and warm times. I need to continue review my summer photos for inspiration and finding a source of green again!

Ruining the Carpet...

2009-01-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

Isn’t it nice to have one space in our lives that isn’t expected to be neat or clean?

I initiated my art studio in my home with my dearest painting buddy, Abbey. We sat cross legged on the floor with blank canvases before us and an arsenal of brightly colored, intoxicatingly thick Golden paint jars. Abbey looked at me tentatively, “Should we put something down on the carpet?” I think I must have smiled a devious grin. I painted the edges of the canvas without hesitation. The sides of the canvas formed a straight edge for the line of color that was laid down simultaneously on the carpet and canvas.

There is something exhilarating about doing something that you “really shouldn’t do” as an adult who has just purchased a nice home. However, I didn’t want this space to be my “adult with a new home” space. I wanted to destroy the carpet and enjoy every moment. Not for the purpose of destruction but for the purpose of creating. And for letting go.

Over time the hunter green carpet has become a point of reflection for my art work.

My fuzzy dark green canvas is developing into a layered, textured piece of art with the focus on the process versus the product. This carpet is a metaphor for the work I love to create.

If you have never purposefully “ruined” a perfectly good and functional SOMETHING I highly recommend you do so. I wasn’t disappointed in the process or with the outcome thus far. Stay tuned for more stories on the creation of my carpet canvas. As I create more work I am sure I will add to the personality of my floor. I am sure it was made to be painted. It just took a while.

Sharpie Blogging #1

2009-01-12T21:49:00.001-05:00

My first blog entry was done on lined yellow legal pad paper with a fuchsia sharpie marker. Click on the picture for a zoomed-in view and you can read my thoughts on blogging with sharpies!