Everyone's Blog Posts - Illustrating Stories

Changing Times

2011-01-19T23:14:14.000Z

Hello Illustrating Stories Members,

As the year begins, Liz and I find ourselves starting new projects and exploring different areas of our lives. These adventures are exciting for both of us and we look forward to what 2011 will bring. Unfortunately with these new endeavors comes the need to say goodbye to a few things. One of those is this network. We have loved every minute of getting to know each of you and feel so honored to have many pieces of art created by your talented hands.

We will not be disappearing from the blogging/online world, just each going in our own directions. We would love to keep in touch with you through our personal blogs and youtube channel.

You can follow Liz at A Little Life

You can follow Jackie at Explore Create Learn

You can continue to watch our studio videos on youtube

Thank you so much for all of the art, laughter, and love.

You all mean so much to us,

Liz and Jackie

Video Break

2010-11-07T14:52:54.000Z

Hello everyone,

We were on a roll for awhile. Getting together every week to create in the studio. We really enjoy our time together and love that we can share it with all of you through our videos.

Unfortunately, Liz and I won't be able to get together for a few weeks, so the video fun is on hold. We will return, hopefully with a couple of videos before the end of the year. Keep an eye out in December for some more creative studio time.

All the best,

Jackie

Studio Play Video - Sept.30

2010-10-04T17:37:43.000Z

Liz and I continue our studio projects this week. Liz's girl gets a little makeup added and gives us some attitude, while my claybords get a final coating and I share my next project.

Enjoy the video!

Studio Play Video - Sept.23

2010-09-28T00:34:38.000Z

This week Liz worked with charcoal and I used acrylic on claybord.

Enjoy the video!

Visit Mary Beth Shaw to see her incredible art.

For more detail photos of my claybord pieces, visit my blog

Have a creative week!

Studio Play Video - Sept.16

2010-09-21T22:24:40.000Z

Yes, we did get back into the studio and had a great time creating and planning for future studio times. It is great to be back into the swing of things.

Enjoy the video!

Back into the studio

2010-09-14T00:04:25.000Z

Wow, this summer was quite busy for both Liz and I. We didn't get a chance to get together and create. In fact we barely saw each other over the last few months.

The good news is that we are back to a fall schedule and will once again be in the studio. Our studio videos will resume later this week and we are very excited to spend time creating together and sharing our time with all of you.

In addition to our studio time you can follow our creative and life adventures on our personal sites/blogs...

Liz's Site

Jackie's Site

We hope you all had a great summer and look forward to a creative fall together.

Paperclipping Roundtable #33: Uninterpreted Bits

2010-08-18T21:23:06.000Z

Yesterday, I had a blast joining Noell, Izzy, Stacy, and Nancy for the Paperclipping Roundtable podcast. What a fun group and what an interesting topic: Memorabilia -- how much do you use? How? And, a variety of other thoughts and questions related to our collections of it.

As for the show, it was amazing to go from fan (I listen every week) to guest. Though, I will admit I was a little nervous at first. However, the group is so -- well, so awesome, really. Within a few moments, I felt right at home. Thanks so much Izzy, Noell, Stacy, and Nancy!

Check it out: http://www.paperclipping.com/2010/08/17/prt033-uninterpreted-bits/

Also, I made reference to a project I've been working on this summer -- a new online school for digital design and photography enthusiasts and professionals. I'm completely psyched about this project and can hardly wait for Fall. I'm planning to launch the site with video courses (in GIMP, Photoshop, and Photoshop Elements) in early October. Stay tuned for more!

Finally, I wanted to share a great site for those interested in learning more Photoshop Elements tips and tricks. It is the online site for Photoshop Elements Techniques Magazine a magazine I love (and for which I've done some freelance writing). The site has a lot of great advice, techniques, and so forth: http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/

Enjoy and happy creating!

I have received my gourgeous 2010 Fat Book!

2010-08-11T01:30:00.000Z

First of all I would like to thank Liz and Jacky for the great job you did hosting this swap. Also, for taking the time to put the books together in such a creative manner. I must say I would not have thought of doing it this way but I think it's very clever.

Furthermore, I would like to thank each an every one who participated in this swap. Each and every page is amazing! I love the creativity, thought and effort everyone put into making the pages so special. I have already taken pictures and my pages and posted them in my flickr. I have also found a special place in one of my shelves where I can display this beautiful work of art.

I had lots of fun participating in this swap and I would love to so again in the future :)

Once again...thanks everyone!

Tour of the June 2010 BEAUTIFUL Fat Book Pages

2010-07-06T21:30:00.000Z

Before turning it over to YouTube, I wanted to let everyone in the June 2010 Fat Book exchange know that we LOVE each and every page and want to do the binding justice. So, we'll be working on that (placing and order for some items, etc.).

Since we'll be awaiting our order -- and because our schedules are a bit full for the next few weeks -- we'll be sending out the completed books in the middle of August. You should have them by the end of Summer.

And now, the tour. All I can say is, "WOW!"

Check Out Paperclipping.com LIVE! Show Tonight in 6 hours

2010-06-29T19:18:30.000Z

I wanted to let you know that I will be on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/paperclipping-live the Live show for Paperclipping.com tonight with our friend (and tribe member) Reenie Hanlin at 6:30 (Pacific Time) to share Reenie's scrapbooks.

These are a wonderful combination of art and vintage scrapping -- put together under a green approach (I've never seen shipping labels, zip-ties, and ephemera look so cool)!

Hope you can join us.

PS: To watch, create a login for UStream (it's free). Then, you can chat with us, LIVE! Or, chat with us via Twitter, using the #pclive hash-tag. See you tonight!

Karin's Target Practice

2010-06-26T00:46:24.000Z

I just had to share the following video (and art) by our friend (and tribe member, of course), Karin. It's an amazing transformation and inspired -- I totally need to try this!

She is an inspiring artist and wise woman and I encourage you to visit her profile to check out her work and visit her blog to learn more about her journey.

Thanks again Karin for sharing so much of yourself with us -- you ROCK girlfriend!

Illustrating Stories Network -- Changes (A Follow Up)

2010-06-10T16:35:56.000Z

I really meant to do this awhile back, but somehow forgot all about it...

Our network has a new look/feel in preparation for the upcoming NING changes next month. All of our groups have been replaced by Forum topics (and, I did my best to get current discussions moved over). Also, we are using NING's standard templates (rather than our previously designed page). Now, I think we are set to roll over to the new plan in July.

By-the-way, if you are interested in the details/features of our NING plan, please take a look at the plan breakdowns. We'll subscribe to the NING Mini.

NOTE: This is free to you -- I've got the fee for our first year covered.

It is so quiet

2010-05-18T23:00:43.000Z

Things have been a little quiet here lately, Liz and I have both been crazy busy with life, motherhood, and occasionally a little art thrown in there.

As Liz had mentioned a few blog posts back, Illustrating Stories is about collaboration. Our shared artistic journey with each other and all of you. So while we have been too busy to get together to create, we do plan to get back to some shared studio time soon. Of course once we are back in the studio together we will record our fun and be able to share our play time with all of you.

In the meantime, we want to let you know that we are both still creating and sharing on our personal blogs. You can keep up with Liz on A Little Life and with me on Explore Create Learn.

Thanks so much for being part of our network. Your friendship and art are daily inspirations!

June 2010 Fat Book Exchange Details

2010-05-13T05:09:58.000Z

Just wanted to let you all know that the details for the exchange can be found here:

http://illustratingstories.ning.com/forum/topics/june-2010-fat-book-exchange

And, the forum is up and running (and has replaced our groups), here:

http://illustratingstories.ning.com/forum

Thanks for your patience (and kindness -- that has made my day) and have a great one!

NING Changes and the Illustrating Stories Network

2010-05-11T15:25:25.000Z

Recently, NING (our host for our network) announced a new pricing structure for their services. And, we weren't sure about the future of the Illustrating Stories Network through NING. Turns out, we have a future here and it looks great!

Here's the scoop. We'll continue to hang out here at IllustratingStories.ning.com. And, starting later on today, we'll begin the work we need to do to the look and feel of our site to get it ready for the NING product roll in July. That way, when NING rolls, we won't notice (at least that's the plan).

Some things that we'll lose: Groups, chat, events, and integration with Facebook and Twitter, and our custom banner/look. However, we'll keep the blog, our video embeds, our photo upload capability, and our forum. So, we'll have a lot of capability to play with and improve. For example, expect the forum to improve a lot -- it will be the replacement for our groups.

Thanks for being here with us as we make these changes. Thanks too, for all of your participation and support. I know I've said it before, but it's true: We LOVE you all (a lot)! You make this place what it is!

Have a happy and creative day!

=) Liz

Where Did They Go? A New Home for the Technique Videos

2010-05-04T15:25:59.000Z

Recently, we narrowed the Illustrating Stories focus to "All Things Collaborative." That is, anything related to working together to make art, encourage creativity in each other, and sharing our support for each others' creative journeys. It is something that we are very passionate about. We love tribe exchanges, chatting, and this amazing community! Likewise, our ISFlicks YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ISFlicks) reflects the change in perspective, too. It is full of Studio Time videos, where Jackie and I play together and collaborate to create. Such fun times!

Needless to say, the move has left a few people wondering about the technique videos. Where did they go? Well, they have a new home and focus, too: Photoshop/Photoshop Elements, mixed media, photo editing, and digital scrapbooking. And, you can find them here: http://www.youtube.com/user/10MinuteDesignTV

In addition, you may enjoy last week's addition to the set: How to create a basic stitch or seam for your digital scrapbooking, collage, or mixed media projects. Likewise, this week's addition may be the thing, too. It is a Photoshop Elements tutorial sharing 3 ways to make your iPhone photos pop.

Thanks so much for your patience, support, and input as we work out the kinks and craft our way into our new home and focus. You are the best and we adore you!

We're Ready to Roll (for the Illustrating Stories June Fatbook Exchange)

2010-05-02T23:21:32.000Z

It's official: We have 13 participants for our June Fatbook Exchange with "Winged Things" randomly selected for our theme. In addition, our pages will be 4 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches tall.

I can't wait to see the art when it starts landing in my mailbox -- it's going to be so much fun!

Thanks to everyone that signed up and thanks for all of the great theme ideas, too.

Have a great day and happy creating!

=) Liz

Create Scrapbooks

2010-04-22T19:33:40.000Z

Tomorrow, April 23rd, at 9:00 pm EST Liz and I will be participating in Create Scrapbooks live web show.

We will be showing a demo of how we create our backgrounds with paint, stencils, stamps, and more. We will also share our process for scanning them in and using them digitally, with several samples to get your creative juices flowing.

Create Scrapbooks is a collaboration between Terri Bradford and Jana Oliveira. Every week these ladies bring a live show to their Facebook video/chat room. They share beautiful papercrafts and goodies during each show. You can chat with other viewers and share live video of your projects. It is a great community to create together and if you can't make the live show, you can watch the recorded video at a time that works for you.

To watch the show tomorrow (9pm EST) click here then click the green "Enter the Room" button.

Look forward to seeing you there!

3 Updates

2010-04-15T17:32:38.000Z

It's Spring and I've been doing a bit of upkeep around the site, trying to tidy up a bit and make things more useful and easier to navigate. The result? Three new updates to share.

First, I've updated the titles of two of our groups to be a bit more generic. The ATCs and Fat Book groups are now devoted to anything ATC or Fat Book related -- not just the specific exchanges from the past. This makes it so we can post new exchanges in those groups.

Which brings me to the next update. I've added some specifics about the upcoming Fat Book exchange in the group. For example, sign up through April 30th to join in the June 2010 Fat Book exchange. So far, Jackie, Maria, MamaSheg, Melanie, Paola, and I are signed up -- we'd love it if you joined in, too! Please visit the following link for more details (and to add your ideas about the theme for the Fat Book): http://illustratingstories.ning.com/group/fatbook/forum/topics/2010-june-fat-book-exchange

Finally, I've added a bit of information to the ATC group about printing digital ATCs. For all of you creatives that love to use your computer for your projects, I've found a great place to print digital ATCs online. The output is AWESOME! Here's the link to the post: http://illustratingstories.ning.com/group/2010ATC/forum/topics/atcs-how-do-you-print-digital Many thanks to Paola for the tip to include this information in the group!

Did Someone Say Exchange?

2010-04-08T20:27:38.000Z

We've had emails and comments wondering about the next art exchange. So, here's the scoop:

We were wondering who is up for another fat book exchange? Please leave a comment with this post indicating that you would like to participate. Then, we'll organize it (like last time) and post all of the details (we're thinking we'd like to go with a non-square size this time, but that's all we have so far).
We hoped that a few of you would organize some others, too. We've heard a couple of ideas for a journal trade -- something collaborative. We'd love to hear more and participate. So, if one of you (or even more) would like to start a group and get it going -- we're game!
We're looking for more ideas (and groups). What other exchanges can we do? Are you up for more ATC exchanges? Please share your ideas.

We can hardly wait to play!

Thank YOU!

2010-04-02T23:20:01.000Z

I wanted to share what our friend (and fellow tribe member) wrote in the comments of our blog. I loved everything she said and wanted to share my gratitude for all that you (our tribe and readers) contribute to this site.

"I really am so impressed with all that you guys have built here in a relatively short amount of time! You bring us both very concrete information that is hands down useful, but you do it with great humor
and in a way that makes it accessible to all, from the ground floor up.
You've helped to bring a community of folks together that might never
have seen each other's work, from home crafter to fine artists. No
egos, just folks gather for creative play. As a participant in the fat
book project I want to say to anyone out there that hasn't played in a
group project yet - what are you waiting for?!? Jackie and Liz are more
than willing to work with you if you hit a road block with time crunch
or emergency, which I did, so there are no excuses to miss out on the
fun. Thanks you guys, for building a beautiful place to feed a variety
of creative appetites!! big hugs all around, Karin"

As Jackie said in her reply, "...a community where artists can come together and share in a warm caring environment has always been the primary goal for Illustrating Stories." And, it's true. We have always wanted to encourage and foster the creative spirit in others -- it's part of our journey.

However, a community isn't formed by one or two people, it's formed and develops into what it does because of its members. If Illustrating Stories is special (and, I think it is), it's because of you. Your emails, comments, photos, posts, exchanges, etc. make this community a beautiful place.

Right here. This is where I shout to all, "I love you man!" Heh-heh. The thing is, I really mean it.

Thanks and here's to our continued journey together -- you all ROCK!

........................

PS: I loved what Karin said so much that I modified our Welcome text to include the sentiment. Thanks again, Karin!

Spring Break = Mouse Break and a Little Something to Share...

2010-03-28T17:37:24.000Z

Spring Break is a huge deal around here this year and I'm going to be taking a bit of a mouse break. I have a few things going on, including a bridal shower for my
awesome friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law (YAY)!

Still, I couldn't jump into vacation without a little something to share. So, I've left a new freebie in our Free Tools Guild group and have updated the post with a bunch of older goodies.

Enjoy and have a amazing and creative Spring Break!

Photojojo and Face Painting

2010-03-26T16:24:03.000Z

First, I'm not about to say that painting your body with acrylics is a good idea. Indeed, we wear gloves when painting with acrylic because it is known (in the state of California) to be bad for your health (maybe it's all right as long as you work in other states? Heh-heh...). Still, have you seen the interesting article by Photojojo about doing just that?

The article introduces Alex Meade's and her unique approach to art. She paints her subjects, gives them a little bit of artful direction, and snaps their photo. What a fascinating way to illustrate stories!

I just love seeing how people play with paint!

3 New Profile Questions Added: What Are Your Website/Blog/Store URLs?

2010-03-23T16:40:31.000Z

We'd love to visit you at your websites/blogs/stores and thought others might, too. So, we've added three new (not required) questions to the profile questions asking for URL(s) to your sites, blogs, and online stores. These questions show up when new members join the tribe and existing members may add their URLs by updating their profiles (at any time).

Thanks for sharing your world with the tribe!

ATC Exchange Video

2010-03-22T07:00:00.000Z

The ATCs are coming together and you can finally get a sneak peak here.....

The Next Adventure

2010-03-21T22:30:00.000Z

Creating on a regular basis has taught us something very important: Things evolve and change. For example, I've begun projects with no particular goal in mind and have ended up illustrating key stories in my life. Things change, perspective shifts, and the journey is full of
bends and turns.

As it turns out, this is true for IllustratingStories.com, too. While our blog has been a great tool for building community and fostering creativity, we've realized our social network (the IS Tribe) is a much better tool. The network makes it possible to connect, while allowing others to contribute as much as we do. This provides for a
larger contribution overall and lets us learn with others. Therefore,
we've decided to focus exclusively on our network (http://illustratingstories.ning.com).

So what does this mean for you?

Subscriptions: Those will an IllustratingStories.com subscription will now get the blog feed from the network (in fact this post should arrive from there). This should happen without you needing
to do anything.

Non-Members: There is so much to do within the network -- even if you're not a member:

Read blog posts
See/access content and member activity/discussions
Watch videos (demos and Studio Time)
Download FREE tools (our Capers are now FREE and are available with other tools, including tutorials and page plans)
See the member Gallery

Members (Membership is FREE): In addition to what non-members can do, members can:

Add content -- to their own blogs (available via the network) and to the community (moderated) blog
Connect to us, the network, Facebook, and Twitter in one location
Contribute to the gallery and create their own photo galleries/albums
Upload videos
Conduct video chats (for FREE!)
Upload content (e.g., page plans, tools, etc.)

We hope you'll continue to follow our adventures and encourage you to explore all that the network has to offer. Most of all, we hope that this next leg of the journey inspires you as much as it does us and
fosters many happy and creative days.

Thanks for all that you've given us here and three cheers for the next adventure!

ATC Exchange

2010-03-18T14:30:00.000Z

Good morning!!!

Today is all about ATCs! We are going to be making the packaging/book/holder for the ATCs today and spreading out all of the goodies that have been delivered in one place. This really is my favorite part, I love seeing all of the art together and am so excited to open up 4 new packages today!

Making my own art in these exchanges is fun, but to be honest, seeing everyone else's art is the real reason that I do this. To see these creations coming in from so many talented people and to know that I get to keep one of each. Oh wow, pure joy!!!

Thanks so much to all of the lovely artists that participated in this exchange.

Redemption...

2010-03-17T16:42:19.000Z

How could I? I'm about 1/2 Irish and yet, I ran off to school with my son this morning without a stitch of green! I forgot it was St. Patrick's Day. All those cute little kids running around with their green (and shamrock gifts for the teachers) reminded me.
Well, I just had to come back home and whip up a little redemption to make up for it all.
Enjoy and Happy St. Pat's!

Redemption.jpg (please click to download).

Crusade #38

2010-03-16T16:43:53.000Z

March 12, 2010 by Jackie Wood

We are once again joining the GPP Street Team with Crusade #38 - Grab a Tissue. We had tons of fun playing with tissue paper and using it as an element in our art. Enjoy the video!

Birthday Celebration

2010-03-16T16:31:01.000Z

February 26, 2010 by Jackie Wood

I was so blessed last weekend to have my dear girlfriends join me for a three day celebration of....well...ME! (ha ha ha) Actually it was a weekend all about friendship, food, and fun. These ladies (Liz, Reenie, Allee, Regie, & my Aunt Judy) mean the world to me and I am so glad that we had a chance to just "be" together. Daily life pressures and commitments were left at home and we could just breathe deeply and relax.
We had a gorgeous house right on the beach in Neskowin, Oregon. I woke up to the ocean waves and went to sleep gazing at the stars. Simply magical.
Here is a glimpse into our birthday weekend...