little update on life atm...art and the new filofax.

I've been a little bit MIA lately! and all for good reason, I've been working on commissions and playing in my art journal, plus I got the filofax bug so I was on a crazed hunt for one. When I fall for something, I fall hard, and devour videos and blogs devoted to them, so I fell down a filofax hole lol.
currently on my easel is one of a set of three of a commission for the one client.

 and with each layer, i fall a little more in love...even though I know I have to add in things I wouldn't normally add...I will be taking shots of sections that I want to preserve just for me.

I'm in a mail art group over on Artgeeks and I also put a call out for penpals over on facebook, I miss writing letters and getting little bits of love in my mailbox so I've been sitting making little index cards into postcards to fly across the skies to their new owners.

with my word for this year being organized, I did end up getting myself a filofax...after a much appreciated mermaid circus angel, offered to buy one in her state and post it to me..saving me a lot of cash. My life atm looks like this

 my beautiful leather malden personal filofax, my writing brain dump book and my art journal these three books contain my life and I love them.

I thought I'd lost my muse the other day, my mojo was gone and I was desperately trying to find it...but as a lovely woman said...my mojo was being poured into my filo creating instead of my artjournal, and its true...I got my filo on Monday, and started making it fully mine with customized items and little 'courtney' touches.

I started by replacing the cream dividers because...as much as I like cream...comon...lol do you know me! lol

so I used some of my scrappy journal pages I started months ago to turn into a journal and made dividers.

I also made sure I added a little of myself into my weekily pages...this is where I am atm..but I know I have done a few things since this image, mainly add more colour...because I am a visual girl and wherever I go..there has to be colour.

then I knew something was missing...photos! my world is kept in photographs and I needed my filo to hold the people that ment the world to me, so i started to DIY some little photo holders out of trading card protectors I had lying around. I printed my photos to the protector size, and added washi tape boarder to punch holes in...and before I knew it, I had my family happily at the front of my filo.

 

so that is where I am at...making art...making art snail mail...and getting my life orgaizned and personalized. I want the filo to help me flesh out the ideas for the future of little raven ink...I am in the process of making repeatable patterns to make fabric...featuring the nook dwellers..so look out for that.

have a wonderful Wednesday..yes I didnt cook...but you got art and filo love! 

xx Courtney

Inspiration Tuesday - The Filofax obsession!

You know how you get stuck in a looop...today I found myself stuck in one of those loops, the filofax loop...I dont even know how I got onto the crazy loop...but I lost quite a few hours today in it.
So today I am inspired by the filofax trend that is swooping through youtube and pintrest...and with my word for 2013 being organized I am now currently saving for my own leather filofax.

the above image is from the delightful blog lime tree

I've always kind of stayed away from filofaxes, because I am a left hander and ring binders really dont love us leftys, but I am warning to the idea of owning one, purely for helping me with my tasks, family, kids school, bills, blogging, and trying to grow my business as well as all my housewifery things lol. 

the above image is from an amazing tumblr site devoted to filofaxes

the lady also has an awesome youtube account which I did watch many vids off yesterday 

pop on over and check her out Alondra

people on youtube has decked them out with all the bells and whistles, and I can see my use the quirky stickers and post its I've got in my tubs in the studio, I have the thought of..do I want to commit to one planner for the next however many years, or do I want to try and customize a notebook like some people have done...filofax is winning hehe.

this image is from a lover of filofaxes Stevie.

 I am wanting a leather one, because if I want something to hold up to my pulling in and out of my bag, I want it to also feel lived in, and the one thing that gives that feel is leather.

but the geek likes the bright ones too

this image is from the adorable blog onlylady

 

this image is from Pixellated spiff

I love how people have personalized their own books and it really does reflect them as people, I look forward to that aspect a lot.

this little vid was cute, was one of the first I watched and also features the filofax I am saving for. Please enjoy Little Red Moose's video

this image is from a beautiful shop called pens and leather

so there I am....in a pretty little filofax loop...

enjoy getting lost in this papery artform

xx Courtney

Monday Mantra - A little Oz

Image from RoseHill Designs

Ok, I'm back on track, back to normal blog viewing, I just have to be more organized! embrace the word of the year! So I am following my own yellow brick road, to a more inspired and exciting life! yeah the life of a housewife stay at home mum isn't one of wonder, but I'm going to make sure that every day is a great discovery day, live in the moment...wake up knowing something wondrous is going to happen!

who is with me?

xx Courtney

around the nook.

around the nook today, is me making notes on post -its for all the upcoming things for the blog. Currently working on the cooking post for we try it Wednesday's.

filling my tummy in the mornings with a Paleomg recipe - Banana Bread which is my favorite thing to do with the brown bananas no one wants to eat, of course no bread is complete without a hot cup of tea. in a deer mug.

lily boo, the budding artist. This girl fills notebooks faster than I can buy them, with her colours and 4 year old drawings, if shes quiet for too long, shes usually curled up in her room drawing...just like her mummy.

and me...on a sunday, finally in a place where I feel things are looking up, where I am happy.
have a beautiful sunday! and I'll see you tomorrow for Monday Mantra.
x Courtney

things starting to get done

As the new year begins the organization kicks in! I got myself some big notebooks to fill with ideas, notes, research and tutorial thoughts for the next coming months, to keep myself on track and ever evolving throughout the year.  How do you get your thoughts and ideas down?

We finally took our lovely tree down today, and the little kid inside me pouts as the decorations come down and the magic of Christmas gets packed away once more for another year

away go the deer, the snowmen and they photo ornaments I had made a few years ago of our family.

 

More changes are happening, and when Monday hits next week the daily scheduled will kick in, I'm just finalizing side bar buttons and marking the posts down on my Huge new whiteboard calender!
told you...word of the year...organized.

enjoy your evening
 x Courtney

Happy 2013!

 

 hello my darlings! 

the new year is upon us, and the nook is going through some changes over the coming weeks, with daily posts, new topics, a lot of art and a lot of photos along the way! I want to kick start the new year with a bang! Have a look around, as some of the changes have started already. The little nook is now offering advertising at a really low rate, so if you are wanting to get your blog or site out there, I have a decent following and readership, have a think on it, for as the blog gets more traffic and a little more press, the rates will slowly go up. So get in fast!

There will be daily posts following certain themes, such as Monday Mantra, a paleo recipe day, workspace Wednesday, a project life post a week, as well as many other things! I want the nook to be buzzing with activity and good vibes!

speaking of good vibes...on the 31st of December, the man of my dreams got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, and of course...without hesitation I said yes! Many have seen the photos of have seen my post on Facebook, but for some of you who are just good old blog followers here is the picture I used to announce my engagement.

with such a fantastic start to my year, it can only go up! so this years word for myself...is
organized that is my world for 2013, I have my planner ready, I have posts already waiting to be deployed into the blog! I am embracing it with an open hard and busy hands!
welcome to the new little raven ink, enjoy the ride! love the art, and have a fanstastic day
xx Courtney