Athena Dreams Design

The Notebook : Pinterest-ing Pins

I am a notebook girl. I love a good notebook, and I carry one with me everywhere. One notebook (or journal) gets everything. I write. I sketch. I jot down ideas. I write down reminders and messages. I write notes to myself and notes in general. I make lists and I make little illustrations. And when the notebook is full, I put it on a shelf in my studio and move on to the next one.

Some of my specific wants in a notebook: lines but lines that are not printed too dark, they have to be subtle, they have to be optional use. Pockets are also good, a pocket in the front or back to stuff things in. And paper. The paper needs to be heavy enought to handle a Pitt Artist Pen without bleeding through, and also soft and creamy and smooth enough to handle a .04 Sarasa Gel Pen.

I've pulled together some of my all time favourite notebooks, since you too might be a notebook girl {or boy} and want new notebook finds. What do you love in a good notebook? Please share!

Handstitched Journals by Paperblanks
The Leuchterm by Kikkerland
The Ubiquitous by Moleskin
The Decontructed Journal by Studio Oh and Orange Circle Studio
Markings journals from C.R. Gibson heavy paper, nice
A Cup of Latte from Bold Ideas {in Thailand}
and the Smash from K & Company

For more paper, more journals, more notebooks, visit my Paper • Stationery • Notebooks board

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Each week a different topic illustrated with some of my favourite images from Pinterest.

If you are a Pinterest user, pinning on pinterest please remember to "Link with Love" and credit the maker, the creator, the ideator, or the originator.

If you'd like to share on Pinterest you can find me here!

Breath .:. Walk .:. Listen

You know, those moments in time when you can see the positive, the inspiration, the light, but you just can't find you're way there. It's kind of gloomy and ho-hum feeling, even when standing out in the full sun.

So I go out in search of sunny spots, inviting the muse, seeking the spark, thinking my thoughts, and keep my feet moving. I have found that one of the surest ways to rise out of a funk, to beat back the blues, to pull myself out a creative rut, is put the boots on and walk. No matter the weather. No matter the mood. Just walk.

Put the one foot down, and then the other, and keep the rhythm going, keep repeating the pattern, the mantra, the chant. Fill up the lungs, clear the head, move the body, out in the open air.

I begin to hear the wind, the breeze, the birds, the sway of the trees, a rustle in the grass, the swoop of wind on sand, and the words in my head begin to quiet. Those words .:. That voice [that says I am wrong, I am silly and un-talented, a dilettante, that I am somehow, not smart enough, not loveable enough, and seriously, laughably unprepared for just about anything good that might come along]

Those words that are not about inspiration, not about forward movement, not about the light moving across the land; or the wind sweeping clean the branches; or the birds singing our own songs back to us. Those words that we create in the uncomfortable darkness and then hold onto, and at times, trust those raw un-pretty words more than our own bright spirits, our own inner knowing, our own sure footed-ness.

Breathe and walk. Breathe and walk. And listen . . . And always remember that like a cloudy day, these moments will pass, they will move on, and perhaps next time, I will get my boots on earlier, and be quicker to banish the Voice; and raise the volume on the wind, the song of the grass, the sweep and ruffle of a bird's wing against the sky, all those voices that say Yes, and Yes again.

And then return
to inspirations
and messages
and stories
and images
and creations
and beauty
that this life,
that this world
has to offer
to us all.

Out of the Blue

Don't you love that phrase? It is one of those "sayings" that always has captured my imagination. Out of the Blue, like someone popped down from the sky to say hello, or emerged from the water fully formed.

Well, today this lovely turn of a phrase, is all about 5 amazing artists who have their work for sale on Etsy.

Rien n'a de sens sans toi (or Without You I am Nothing) from Lush Bella is a dreamy and evocative image. She says about her work: So one day...not very long ago, I began pulling a bunch of trinkets together and arranging them on our too tiny coffee table, and then left them there for days because I didn't want to put them away, but a little problem I have is running out of space and then piling and piling, to the point where I can't find anything, and then all I do is spend time looking for this or that, so I decided to photograph them, so that I wouldn't forget what they looked like together." Her work is immediate, emotive and full of memory and vision. I go back again and again to look at her collections, and find things in all of them that bring me back to my own memories. This piece moves through a range of blues, winding around from lighter to darker, leaning towards yellow and then back to a pure blue: magical.

Joan at Simple Modern creates art pendants, among other things, that I could gaze at forever. The piece above, Blue Garden II feels like a modern take on the Pennsylvania Dutch style of painting. Her motifs are beautifully rendered in that bright clean cerulean, and accented with the deep navy, creating a beautiful contrast, all in blue and white.

Linda at Yellow Monday creates beautifully modern, quirky images. I love her Ballerina I, so Gorey-esque, and still with her own style, and her own energy. I love the balance this piece holds, with the clear light blue top, above the more green-y blue skirt and background. Also, her print Caravan I might need to be purchased and added to my own art collection. Please visit her shop to see more than just the "blue" pieces.

Shelley at Albertine Press runs a custom design and letterpress shop, and has note cards to inspire the emerging-letter-writer in all of us. Above are her World Notes in Blue. I was so taken with these because of the pattern and colour tones, such a feast for the eyes, all the different blue tones and hues are so mesmerising and each of the patterns has a different cultural feel, and all the cards reiterate that meditational blue, too lovely.

And we end the Etsy journey into Blue with the powerful photography of Alicia Bock. She says of her own work: "My photography is the search of light and shadows, pretty things in pink, the feeling of the ocean, and a blue moon. I strive to create photographs that evoke memories of our favorite days." This piece Incomplete reminds me of being a kid near the end of the summer: all the days of freedom and wide open time winding to an end, and laying on the grass watching the birds and wishing I could fly away with them. That clear, deep blue sky, fading into a light billow of clouds, so precious.

As ever, thanks to all the artists who allowed me to use their work to look at Blue in so many different ways.

Colour Symbolism .:. Green

green n 1 : a colour whose hue is somewhat less yellow than that of growing fresh grass or of the emerald or is that of the part of the spectrum lying between blue and yellow 2 : something of a green colour 3 green vegetayion as a pl leafy parts of plants for use as decoration b pl leafy herbs (as spinach, dandelions, Swiss chard) that are boiled or steamed as a vegetable 4 : a grassy plain or plot: as a : a common or park in the center of a town or village b : Putting Green -Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary

apple .:. aquamarine .:. beryl .:. chartreuse .:. fir .:. forest .:. grass .:. jade .:. kelly .:. lime .:. malachite .:. moss .:. olive .:. pea .:. peacock .:. pine .:. sage .:. sap .:. sea .:. spinach .:. verdigris .:. vert .:. viridian .:. willow

Green retains a strange and complex character derived from its twin polarity - the green of the bud and of decay, life and death. Green is the image of the depths and of Fate. -The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols

Take a walk in the park, even on a dull wintery day, and you will count more variations of green than you would have thought possible. Every tree, leaf, bit of foliage and blade of grass can render still another shade of green. Some are vibrant yellow green, some are true deep green, some are subtle grey green and wait — there's the bluish spruce, not to mention the deep blue green of the neighboring lake, or the mossy greens gathereed on the sides of the rocks. –Colour: Messages and Meanings by Leatrice Eiseman

A primary of light but not of pigments, green is also a psychological primary in that it is seen as a basic hue, along with red, yellow and blue. Green is associated with growth, youth and fertility, as in the Green Man of pre-Christian myth. -Living Colours by Margaret Walch

Set midway between the inaccessible absolutes of the blue of Heaven and the red of Hell, green, with its middling quality, mediates between heat and cold and high and low. It is a comforting, refreshing, human colour. After Winter strips bare and freezes the Earth which supports human beings, convincing them of their lonliness and vulnerability, Spring comes to clothe the Earth once more in green, bringing hope and making it again the nurse of the human race. Green is warm. The coming of Spring is heralded by the thawing of the ice and falling of rain. -The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant

Some Etsy Greens

Green is the intermediary between yellow and blue. Green is one of the secondary colours, it is produced by mixing two primaries - blue and yellow. Mixing blue and yellow to make your green can be a precarious balancing act, and most mixes lean toward one or the other of the primaries. . . and the character of your green will change dramatically if it contains more yellow or more blue.

Do your tastes run to the spring grown lime/yellow greens, or more toward the watery teal or turquoise/blue greens?

Blue Seedlings IV by Erica Vess of Bees Knees Studio is a beautiful illustration of using a yellow/green hue. She has paired it with a soft blue, that leans just ever so slightly toward a teal (and contains a touch of yellow). Erica has some beautiful modern work in her Etsy shop, and there is lots more green to be seen.

Sea Sisters by Emily Balivet at Mythological Goddess Art is a gorgeous blend of limes and olives and golds. The greens in this piece all speak more of yellow than blue, and create a moody, mysterious piece. Emily's work is reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelites with a modern twist - her use of pattern and texture is truly lovely.

Curly Vines 3x5 Notepad Holder from Stephanie at Beetlelady Books has some wonderful journals and other paper product designs. I loved this piece in particular for the way she used her colours. The paper cover with the lime and brown and the red berries, with the red echoed in the solid spine colour, and then topped with the elastic closure with a green/blue bead on it. The green/blue bead somehow speaks to all the colours in the piece, and sets up a little colour surprise.

Let Yourself Bloom by David of David V. Moore on Etsy is a glorious grouping of greens (now that's an alliteration....). Olive, lime grass, forest, dare I say chartreuse? all of these beautiful hues make an appearance in a piece that feels more about the hues than the subject, and yet, the whole thing works so beautifully. Make a visit to his etsy shop or his blog and see the variety of his work.

Landslide from Auburn Crimson Studio is a study in green/blue, mint and silver. The aventurine stones go from a deep carribean green/blue to a soft and feather like silvery-green. She's combined the stones with a tangle of silver chains that makes the whole piece feel like something made especially for a mermaid. Beautiful and dreamy greens.

Watching the World Outside from Annie at Curbside Treasure is a green study. The contemplative side of green is highlighted with some accents of a bright new spring green. I love the movement of this piece, the way the variant greens move your eye around the piece.

There are so many faces of green: fruitfulness, contentment, hope, tranquility, life, and faith. Green is the colour representative of the plant world: the mysteries of our green plant friends, the relationship between light and water that creates all the green growing around us. Verdant, flowing, bejewelled: I find green one of the most magical colours.

Thanks again to all the Etsy artists who allowed me to use their work to talk a little more about green.

Colour Symbolism .:. Yellow

yellow n 1 a: a colour whose hue resembles that of ripe lemons or sunflowers or is that of the portion of the spectrum lying between green and orange b : a pigment or dye that colours yellow 2 : something yellow or marked by a yellow colour: as a : a person having yellow or light brown skin b : the yolk of an egg 3 pl : JAUNDICE 4 pl : any of several plant diseases casued esp. by viruses and marked by yellowing of the foliage and stunting -Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary

Yellow is warm and luscious, inviting and powerful. Yellow is always happy, I always thought that if I was yellow I would never have a sad day. Yellow makes me smile. Yellow makes me let go of the held breath. Yellow feels like luxury and shining smoothness.

Yellow send out its glimmering rays to capture anyone within its presence, comfident that it's friendly message of warmth and sunlight will stimulate the imagination to new heights. It is an extroverted hue, one that can never be described as dark or dim. –Colour: Messages and Meaning by Leatrice Eiseman

In China, yellow was contrasted to black but is also its complement; the close connection between black and yellow corresponds to the manifold relationships of the Yang (yellow) and the Yin (black). Yellow arises out of black as the earth arises out of the primal waters. –The Herder Dictionary of Symbols

In every society, yellow is equated with the splendor and heat of the sun. Yellow emulates sunshine, light and warmth. It is a colour that is identified with imagination and enlightenment, glowing with the intesity of sunlight itself. -Communicating with Colour by Leatrice Eiseman

Yellow is the hottest, the most expansive and the most burning of all colours in its intensity, violence and almost strident shrillness; or else it is as broad and as dazzling as a flow of molten metal... always overflowing the limits within which one tries to confine it. -The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant

Yellow: what are your favourite yellows? Honey yellows .:. Golden yellows .:. Lemon yellows .:. Butterscotch yellows?

All artwork and photography by Liz Kalloch

Another New Journal

from the wonderful studio of Nicole Lecht and Freshly Blended.

I love my wall paper journal, but that has now become my studio sketch and idea book, and this lovely piece of paper and journal and wonderfulness, has become my constant companion. The paper inside is lovely. A mix of texture and smooth, colours and whites, all perfect to write, doodle and sketch ideas on, and it's light as a feather, to keep the load on my shoulder to a minimum.

If you have not had a chance to visit her, I highly recommend a stop in to Freshly Blended. Many of her wallpaper books are still available.

New Card Designs

My new card designs that are licensed to Brush Dance, a small Bay Area stationery publisher, are out!

The series came from a 2008 calendar, that will also be coming out with Brush Dance later this summer.

It is so exciting to see things come back all printed, and packaged and, you know, feeling like a present.

Though I have to say, I look around at what other designers/illustrators are doing and wonder if I should be going the more hand-made route, rather than having everythign printed on big presses. Maybe a bit of both is what's needed.

Freshly {Blended} Wallpaper Journal

Yesterday I received in the mail, the truly stunningly beautiful Wallpaper Journal that I ordered from Nicole at Freshly {Blended}, aka Freshly Blended Press.

It even comes with its own card announcing the edition #. Classy!

The paper inside is wonderful for drawing and writing, and some colour sketching, and it will become my new take along friend to write down ideas and make little design notes and sketches.

Thanks SO much Nicole, this book is a beauty!