Welcome!

 As someone who has more than fifteen years experience teaching workshops at retreats and gatherings all over the continental United States, I know how growth-inducing partipating in a workshop can be.  As artists, we need the chance to add to our skill sets, enrich our visual vocabularies and try new techniques. Traveling to an art retreat to take classes can be a life-changing event.

But, as a stay-at-home  mom of three littles and the wife of a high school teacher, I really understand how expensive attending a retreat can be- both in terms of time and money.  So, for the past five years, I have been teaching a variety of workshops online.  I work hard to make sure my online workshops have a lot to offer and are reasonably priced.  

My online workshops are designed to allow you to work at your own pace.  You can register at any time, and your class access remains open indefintely.  This flexibility takes away the pressure of having to complete the class by a set deadline, giving you plenty of time to practice the techniques.

These classes are a blend of written information and video instructions housed in a password-protected blog format.  As the author of four books, published by Quarry, I make great use of my extensive experience creating technique descriptions and instructions.  I teach classes on topics including photography, book binding, art journaling, and mixed media painting.

My current course offerings are:

• The Book Of The Month Bookbinding Class
• Backlog
• Painted, Patterned, Printed Journal Making
• Just Three Journals

 Detailed descriptions of each class is listed below.  You'll find my class policies at the bottom of the page.

 

ONLINE WORKSHOPS:

 

 

 

The Book Of The Month Bookbinding Online Class Series!  

Starting with April, I'll be offering a new online bookbinding class each month! 

I love teaching bookbinding!  I'm a mellow, easy-going, patient bookbinder and instructor.  I make sure you understand the stitch before you begin sewing your book!  You'll practice the sewing, and create a sewing "sampler" which will become a wonderful reference tool.  I keep my samplers in a binder, so when I need to choose a binding to use for a new journal, I have a collection of 3-d visual references of bindings to peruse! 

Each class will cover a binding technique I have not taught on line before! Focused specifically on making a handmade book, this class will cover the steps needed to make the book using that month's binding from start to finish.   

Each Book Of The Month class will be available to purchase separately and/or individually.  The Book Of The Month classes aren't sold as a subscription, so you are able to choose what bookbinding class you wish to take. As the months go by, the classes from each month will remain available to purchase.   

While the Book Of The Month classes won't be covering surface treatments for paper, I do offer a wonderful class that covers a number of page surface treatments to use to prep papers for use in your journals.  It also covers two of my favorite binding techniques.   (info is on my online workshops main page under Painted, Patterned, Printed Journals)

 

 

The Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Journal: 

 

a perpetual, portable journal

 

The Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Journal

a perpetual, portable journal

Journal Features:

• portable size:  6" x 6" and 1.5" thick.
• zippers closed! (no sewing required!)
• removable & replaceable pages.
• storage pouches and pockets.
• made from inexpensive materials.
• constructed, not sewn.
• choose whatever type of paper you'd like! (drawing, printmaking, watercolor, found papers, maps...)
• prep your pages however you choose.
• customize your journal cover to suit your needs.

 

Pages can be added and removed. 

• perfect for traveling- whether to work, an art retreat, a weekend away, or on vacation.
• load with pages, and work where ever you are.
• pages can be removed and bound into a separate book later.
• add pages as you go using found materials

Drop the journal in your bag and go!

 

 

Storage pouches and pockets can be attached so you can bring along supplies and collect ephemera!  (Click through the images below to take a look at the pockets & pouches.) 

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Bonus content:  I'll show some fun, easy, and INEXPENSIVE ways to create cute traveling art supply kits!!

This class goes live on August 28. Posts will go up regularly until the instructions for the journal are complete and bonus content is posted.

Please be sure to check out the class policies section on my Online Workshops page for further details,

 

 

 

April's class - The BIG TIME BOOK!    

Cost: $15

 

Check out the book and it's binding in the video below: 

 

  This fun journal lies flat when opened, making it easy to work in! 

Make your journal any size you like. 

The class will cover the sewing and assembly for this book, along with how to fold your papers to create the various flaps and fold-outs for your pages.  Using videos, photographs, and written instructions, the class guides you step-by-step through the binding process, including practicing the stitches before sewing the book, and creating your sewing stitch sampler. All bookbinding terms are clearly explained.  

 

The class website will open on April 24, 2014, and remain posted.  Your access is not time-limited. 

You can use any sturdy, heavier paper of your choosing for your pages.  Use a mix of papers, if you like. Covers can be made from a variety of materials, including book board, recycled old book covers,  or canvas boards.  The supply list is fairly short and will be emailed to you with your registration conformation and class access information.   

Please be sure to read the "Class Policies" section at the bottom of my main Online Workshops page. 

 

Cost: $15  via Paypal.  

You do not need a Paypal account to use Paypal.  You can check out as a guest, and use a creditcard.

 

 

BACKLOG

 

Most of us have photos stored on our computers and hard drives that would be marvelous printed out and placed in our journals- interesting, worthwhile images from the past year or two that deserve to see the light of day.  Take your backlog of images into your journal and create warmth and heart on your journal pages. 

It would be fun to go through working with this backlog with company!

Here's what we'll do:

• make a journal using this binding: 

        (of course, you could skip this part. But, this binding is easy and prepping the paper         is just too fun.)

• my favorite technique for painting papers using acrylic paints
• tips tackling a backlog- tips for approaching a daunting task
• ideas for choosing images for your journal 
  
• a bit or two on tweaking images, changing images for later use
• some info on ways of including written journaling in retrospective that doesn't feel stilted and has some richness, other approaches to written content
• weekly prompt for searching your photo pool 
• video of me adding the photos you see above to my journal pages so you can see the "how" of my thought process for getting the images onto pages
• weekly technique for altering/enhancing/manipulating a photo inside a journal- using photos from that pile you see above
• motivational support via tricks, quotes, ideas
• a free subscription to Point & Shoot Journaling: Daily Inspirations (Info found here.)

This is designed to be a six week class, and has over forty posts.   The class has no set end date- meaning you can take this class at any time and take as long as you like.

Access to the class will remain open to you !!!  (indefinitely. as in a really long time....) This open access allows you to work at your own pace, and should relieve any worries you may have about "keeping up" or "getting done."  Should I decide to ever pull the class access, you will be given 90 days notice.   

You may sign up for this class at any time- there is no set start or end date. 

Class cost is $45.

PAINTED, PATTERNED, PRINTED JOURNAL MAKING

 

Why not have a journal full of prepped, ready-to-go pages for art journaling on hand? Using my favorite page surface treatment techniques, you can have a journal filled with pages ready to receive images, collage, writing, drawings, and more paint.  The pages will not stick to together.  All the color and visual texture will beg you to journal! You will find that you will journal more often and more easily when you have a journal loaded with prepared surfaces. The blank page syndrome, where when you crack open a  journal to an empty page and every idea flies out of your head, will no longer be an issue for you!  Two simple binding techniques will show you how to incorporate the papers into a book.  One technique will lie complete flat for use and be so easy to make!

A number of people ave inquired about my teaching my page treatment techniques online.  I have decided to have a class that covers as many techniques as I can!  Join in!  You're bound to discover techniques you will use again and again.

 We'll cover:

• scraped acrylics plus variations
• using gesso - sgraffito, stamping, stenciling (see below), resists
• combing
• stencils and masks- reductive stenciling, gesso and gesso+paint stenciling, using inks and other indoor spray products, making stencils and masks at home
• gelatin monoprinting
• adding surface texture with paper
• guerrilla printmaking- make-your-own foamie stamps, recycle bin stamps, paint rollers, homemade brayer stamps, carving a stamp
• nature printing
• two easy binding techniques will be shown so you can create a book with your papers

  

The paper you need for the techniques needs to be 90lb or heavier.  The finish should be hot press/smooth.  I am fond of Lenox drawing paper, but anything sturdy will work, including paper grocery bags.

Inexpensive acrylic paint is best. Tube paint has a different feel than craft paint. I use a good bit of Liquitex because I can get that easily and it is less expensive than many brands.  FolkArt acrylics will work fine for most applications.

You will need a little gesso and acrylic medium, as well as other basic supplies.  Each lesson will be preceeded by a supply list.  Know that I strive to keep the list to mostly things you have on hand or can get easily. I don't live anywhere near an art supply store, so I rely on a craft store and a fabric store (Michael's and Joann's) for many things. Inks and spray products for stenciling will be the exception and I will provide online resources for all products we will use. 

The class is deliberately inexpensive so that you should you need to purchase paper or other supplies you can more easily.

The cost is $35 for six weeks of lessons.  

JUST THREE JOURNALS:

THREE BOOK BINDING STRUCTURES

Yep, a quick class with three binding  structures:  Seed Pearl, Sewn-Over-Tapes, and Wrapped Straps! 

What is nice about these three binding structures is :

• The resulting books lay flat when opened- making it very easy to work inside journals made with any of these sewings.

• You can use clean new book board, repurpose old vintage books, canvas boards, even wooden boards with these structures.

• These three bindings make use of stitches that can be mixed & matched into attractive combinations on one book.  

• They are not terribly difficult bindings- you can learn to do these!!

Here are some fun images of my journals... these three stitches are in my top five go-to stitches for making my journals- so I had a stack of examples!!

 

This class is taught using a private password protected blog, and makes use of both text and video- but primarily video.

This class is for folks who only want the bookbinding instructions.  The class cost is $15.    Access remains open.

Note: If you have taken Painted, Patterned, Printed Journal, you already have seen Seed Pearl & Sewn Over Tapes.  Backlog! had the Wrapped Straps binding.

 

CLASS POLICIES AND

INFORMATION

The classes are conducted via posts to a private, password-protected blog.  Classes contain videos, so be sure you are able to view video content on your computer.  

Once you complete your registration, I receive an email from paypal letting me know you are registered.  I send your class access info by email personally, and because of this, it may be up to 72 hours before your class access is sent to you. If you register on a Friday, and I happen to be away for the weekend, I may not respond until Monday. 

Refunds and/or exchanges are given until you are sent the email containing the class access information. At that time, refunds and/or exchanges are no longer available.

You are free to ask me all the questions you need via email at [email protected] or in the Comments section on the blog.  I've even had students take a quick video of themselves doing a painting technique using their phone so I could look at their process and suss out what step was missing. I want to help, so please don't hesitate to contact me. If I don't answer in a day or two, email me again. I get so much email, sometimes I miss things I should see.

Current classes are posted in their entirety.  New classes may have posts going up each week until the class is fully posted; this will be noted in the class description.