Sunday Solace //

Happy 4th of July! I had the opportunity to go to Ohio to visit family this holiday weekend. Loads of fun but I definitely put work on the back burner and enjoyed the time with my family. I did, however, make time to work on Sunday Solace...which is quickly becoming a way for me to ground myself in blogging. I am opening a paper bundle this week...as well as working on tons of new projects...all of which I will be sharing as they develop. Happy 4th to you and enjoy your Solace.

Irit Dulman is quickly becoming one of my top fave eco-printers. Just have to see more? Check out her blog and you can drool right along with me at her exceptional work...

I just love this back cover of one of my handmade books. It is super special to me since it is the book I gave one of my artist hero, Mark Maron. Yup...this is a picture of me giving him this very book! A friend of mine introduced me to this comedian several months ago...I am hooked!

I am so into rust these days! I use it in my bundles and dyepots but I also see the artistic beauty in it as well. I am hoping to get out with my camera this week and capture some rust right here in Blacksburg.  If this rain ever stops...I am making a promise to myself right now to take myself on an artist's date to do just that very thing...

Like I said, I am in love with rust! This textile piece by Julie Wright is fantastic! I enjoy how she uses holes and other imperfections to enhance the piece. I think I am going to look into adding textile work like this to my books. Maybe some wax too?

I am obsessed with art journaling. I would love to add more abstract flair to my journals. When I saw this spread by Alison Worman, I feel in love. I love when artists use paint splatters and drips to build their spread. I also like the use of black in art. It is such a daunting and dynamic color and I appreciate it when an artist has the courage to go for it!

And no Solace would be complete without a great example of handlettering. This exemplar by Fiona Dempster is mind blowing. She actually burns the paper to get this effect!

Good news...I finished up another round of handmade books and photographed them last night. If I can focus on some computer work and pull myself out of the studio, I will get them up prior to my next Solace.

Do you want to be featured on Solace or know someone that would make a good fit? Leave it in the comment section...I welcome any and all input!

Sunday Solace //

My week has been crazy in so many great ways! Summer is like that around the Bimbur Studio. The fact that it is Sunday again will never cease to amaze me. I found some great stuff this week and I am excited to share. I hope to get some more of my own personal art work up soon but until then, enjoy these pretty little things... I just love this little scrappy books that I found by 'The Exquisite Eccentric'. It has inspired me to make little handmade books with all the scrappies I have in the studio--handmade papers, found/purchased papers and vintage scraps. Aren't these just delightful?

I am on an incredible journey these days. It is one that I don't talk about too much in detail...maybe one day I will be brave enough to voice it on this blog but for now, it is a private journey. That is why I love this quote by Rumi that I found on 'Ignite Light'. Some people will get your journey, others will not. Seek out those that have set their own life on fire and follow their light until you make your own...

I just had to show off one of my new leaf ecoprints from my most recent bundle. I will be writing a full post that will showcase the best of my prints...but for now, this one will have to satisfy your craving for ecoprints!

This handlettering by Kristen Nohe that I found on Flickr makes me want to break out the Tombow brushtip markers and start practicing. Not only do I love the lettering, I love what it says...I am truly living my adventure!

In my own personal art journals, skulls make an appearance regularly. Definitely part of my own personal imagery...perhaps that is the attraction to Isidro Ferrer's art journals on 'cuatro cosas'. I am just digging the skeleton that is boxing...

And finally, 'Owning Our Shadow Self' on Rebelle Society. For a majority of my almost 40 years, I have tried to perpetually please other people. It caused me to become sick--physically, mentally and spiritually. I thought I had to be happy all the time for people to like me. I am in recovery for that now but it is a hard habit to break. I work hard to not only embrace my Shadow Self but recognize that it is important to who I am as an artist. This is such a powerful article...

What are your thoughts on your Shadow Self?

Sunday Solace //

It's definitely summer here in Blacksburg! My calendar is filling up so quickly...I feel blessed with so many opportunities and overwhelmed at the same time. I want to give my daughter a wonderful summer vacation and I want to continue to pursue my creative, spirit fueled life. I found my solace for the week--through time in the studio, time on the yoga mat and time in nature. I even found some time this past weekend to spend alone...I have decided that may be the best solace of all... First up is the gorgeous handmade paper book by Maggie Puckett. I want to try to get a handmade paper with things found in nature off the ground this fall...I think this book just might inspire this idea into reality. Are you drooling over this book yet?

Next up is something that I continue to teach my daughter. I chose an alternative way to live life. I chose to work part-time so that I can focus on making art and getting closer to something bigger than myself. Just because we chose a different path, does not mean we are living life wrong...just different.

Of course I am featuring a beautiful eco-print! This one is from India Flint. It was Flint's work that inspired me to start printing! I remember seeing these outrageous leaf prints and thinking to myself, "What the hell is that and more importantly, how do I do it?" I fell down the rabbit hole right then and there and never looked back...

I found this adorable handlettering on Pinterest. It linked to an art website but I cannot find a specific artist...which is a bummer. I would love to know who made this so I can give them credit!

How about this beautiful artist journal spread by Orly Avineri?

And finally, an article on being raw and vulnerable and all those lovely things that are just so damn scary sometimes... I found this gem on Rebelle Society.  I love their articles and how to live a life on your own terms. I may do my own thing, but I still need some guidance...

What do you do to find solace in amidst chaos?

Sunday Solace //

I just love Roxanne Coble's 'Friday Finds' that I have decided to do something similar on my blog. I am on a crazy spiritual journey full of twists and turns, falling apart and falling into place, prayer, mediation and writing, writing, writing. I decided to focus my finds on this journey to keep me engaged and focused.

Oh how I have been learning to Let Go! Rather I want to learn this lesson or not, the Universe is determined to teach me this concept. I find some much freedom in this but find it so hard to actually practice. Fortunately, I have a very free-spirited 4-year-old that gives me a lot of practice on conscious parenting...

I have loved Karen Michel for years. I fell in love with her art journaling style and then her dreamcatchers. She also has a passion for environmentally sustainable art supplies. As I learn to ride the wave of this crazy, art-filled life, I work hard on creating a low emissions studio. Not quite at zero but lowering my footprint bit by bit each day.

During one of my many journaling sessions, I kept hearing a voice that was telling me to detach from a dear friend of mine. Not so much leave his life, but to detach from the outcome of the relationship. While detachment is something that I continue to work on daily, it allowed our friendship to deepen and we became closer while still maintaining individuality to pursue our own lives. One of the greatest and most powerful lessons I have learned to date...

Of course I am featuring eco-printing! This is one of my favorite eco artists, Elizabeth Bunsen. Her work is breathtaking! How does she get those colors? Her journaling technique is just as gorgeous as her prints. While she is not blogging as consistently as she once was, her posts are definitely worth the wait!

Ok...I admit. I have a total fem crush on Roxanne Coble and her work. She has become so inspirational to me! Check out this journal page spread...what is not to love about her work? i have been copying her technique and little illustrations in my own altered books.  I am digging the results and am looking forward to making my journals my own. For now, I will continue to drool over her work!

I have really stepped up my own handlettering in my journals over the past year. When I say this spread by Rebecca Blair of Rebecca Blair Art, I knew I had some more work to do. I love the circle and arch in her lettering. I am excited to try that particular technique in my personal journals. I typically draw lines and letter in between. I want to make handlettering a part of signature as an artist. But much like yoga, art gets easier with practice! I hope you have enjoyed my very first 'Sunday Solace'. I am eager to share more spiritual and environmentally conscious finds. Do you have any favorite finds? I would love to share what you love too!