Three Ways to Get Ready for 2016

I know ... it's not even Halloween yet!  

I promise that I'm not trying to rush through the holidays.  

But as we wind down 2015, here are three ways to prepare for 2016.

Finish Up Old Projects:

If you're like me, you have unfinished art projects laying around.  Finish a few of them and you'll have a jump on holiday gifts.  I recently finished this work-in-progress.  

I had a 6" square canvas on which I had stenciled some icons from my Teacups and Teapot stencil from Stencil Girl Products.    

I painted in the stenciled images, added some Garden Flowers and Leaves and some marker and pen work, and done!  I already know just who the recipient is going to be! 

To see tips for creating painterly effects with your stamps and stencils, check out this post where I introduced the Krishna Stencil from Stencil Girl Products with a video about giving your stenciled designs your own hand.  

You can also watch Achieving Painterly Effects with Stencils on YouTube here. 

Learn Some New Tips and Techniques

Do you want 21 days of free creative interviews, tips and techniques?  Of course you do! 

Beginning November 2, get 21 days of interviews, tips and techniques, and giveaways from your favorite artists. And it's FREE!  Sign up here.   I'm one of the lucky 21 artists to be interviewed.  On my interview date, I'll have a giveaway for you too.

This is a great way to learn some new techniques, or be reminded of old ones.  Jot down ideas in your journal so you have no shortage of prompts and inspiration for 2016.

Update Your Wall Calendar

I always get excited about picking out a new calendar for a new year.  While I'll be sad to turn the last page of my 2015 calendar, I'm excited to unveil a new calendar for 2016.  Each image is suitable for framing when the year is done.    They are $20, which includes shipping. 

Won't You Vote for Me?

One of my creations is up for the Craftsys Awards.  It's a cigar box transformed into a treasure chest to be filled with notes of gratitude for everyday blessings. I would love if you'd vote for me. 






How do you get ready for a new year?  I'd love to hear.  

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you don't already, please sign-up for my newsletter HERE, and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin and YouTube, so that you never miss a giveaway, and always get the latest Jessica Sporn Designs News!  

 

Published!

Last year, artist Dawn DeVries Sokol posted a call for art on her blog.  She invited art journalers to send in some pages for her to consider for a new book she was working on.  I submitted a few of mine, and was beyond thrilled when Dawn selected some of them! I can now share that "A World of Artist Journal Pages" is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Thank you Dawn for this exciting opportunity! If you don't know her, Dawn is the author of several popular art journaling books as well as online classes.   Visit her Amazon page, and you can check out her other books while you wait for this one!

Plus, from 12/1 - 1/1, Dawn is running a FREE online journaling class.  She's an amazing teacher so check it out!

I also submitted designs in response to Create Mixed Media's call for art journal pages for a new book, Art Journal Kickstarter.    I'm happy to say that two of my designs were selected for this book as well!  You can see the great company I'm in here.   

The book is available for pre-order on Amazon.com, so reserve your copy of Art Journal Kickstarter today! 

While you're waiting for it, check out all these great free tutorials about art journaling.


















Finally, my "Woman Inspired" calendar, published by Avalon, is still available on Amazon.  If you are so moved, I'd love it if you would leave a review of the calendar.   

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you don't already, please sign-up for my newsletter HERE, and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin and YouTube, so that you never miss a giveaway, and always get the latest Jessica Sporn Designs News!