candice mclean

iNSPIRAtiON - a quilt & fabric designer

many designers of all backgrounds evoke creative inspiration for me as an artist. i find that i love clean simple functional design and yet i also gravitate towards grungy urban street art. that's the beauty of finding inspiration. you can pull creative vibes from all sorts of styles. the magic that transpires while you visually breath in a sample of work is mind boggling. it's like a quiet little symphony vibrating all the chords through my brain and my senses. it's intriguing and almost euphoric. 

denyse schmidt. words that come to mind.

simple. geometric. structure. function. form. creative. lovely.

i love (there's that word again) but yes i LOVE her geometric functional design principles. a few examples that i *adore*.

example from her improv workshop.

 

one of her workshops in motion.

 

an example of her fabric designs.

 

*please note* all photos are from denyse schmidt's website and/or facebook page.

you can learn more about denyse schmidt by visiting her  facebook page and website.

happy creating. ~ciao!

playing in my journal...

 

in my studio you can hear...

punky sprouts album... a work in progress

working on the first of three mixed media albums. the albums themselves are made by punky sprouts. punky sprouts is an eco-friendly company who manufacturers albums using chipboard made of 100% recycled paper and canvas that is 100% cotton.

i'm honored and excited to be part of their amazingly talented design team. one of the perks on being on a design team... you receive their wonderful products. here is a peek at the goodies sent to me by punky sprouts. they work with other manufacturers like graphic 45, my little shoebox and zapdots so i received some goodies from them too. *sweet*

products from punky sprouts, graphic 45, my little shoebox, zapdots

 

alfalfa sprout album - item number PS-SS-ALFA

 

i removed the coil binding

 

working with the canvas using tattered angels mists, tim holtz's alcohol inks, chalk ink and a rubber stamp

 

working with the chipboard using acrylic paints

 

working with another canvas page using fabric strips and thread

little boy with dandelion

 

  

 
and this is why i love photographing children. it's their amazement and wonder over the littlest things. this is jacob's first look at a dandelion. i loved his reaction.

looking through the lens finder allows me to sit quietly and witness many firsts and many special moments. this reward alone makes me ever so happy.

these sneaks are straight out of my camera - serving it *straight up* for now. no editing, no color touch up, no actions, nothing. i'll be back with more and after some editing.

~laters!

all in stitches

a few more pages from the lucky 13 project. so as you can see... i'm all caught up in stitching on the canvas pages. i've enjoyed piecing together various paper products, fabrics, trims and pretty much whatever i find sitting on my studio desk. it's like a puzzle. i start with a blank canvas page then start layering the pieces together until (a) i'm happy and (b) the page is covered. here are two sneaks from two different pages.

 

1. above is for melanie.

 

2. and this one is for nan.

now off to prep for a photo shoot. i'm so excited to photograph jacob again. it's been two years. will post some favs later.

~ciao!
  

*dog*gone cute portrait

 

every girl looks good in an "a" line skirt

mema with my father 3 weeks old in august of 1947. richmond, va.

the other night, i sifted through vintage photographs and found myself swept away. the prints of a past long gone but with memories frozen in time. the fashion was impeccable and stylish. my grandmother wore dresses and skirts and occasionally knickers with saddle shoes. she fancied skirts and dresses mostly with that sensible "a" line pattern.

in 1971, i came along and still in the 70s she wore her "a" line skirts. i remember her adorning her hands with gloves for sunday church and she always had her lips stained with some beautiful hue. the tucks of hair that encased her face were always perfect. on a day with a bit of wind, she carefully sheathed all those beautiful curls behind a dainty scarf. other little fashion tips she passed along, "your purse should always match your shoes candy". for example, red shoes = red purse. and of course she wore her panty hose and a slip. yuck! not a fan of either. sorry mema!

in the 50s, ladies were truly ladies and you could tell by the way they dressed. "a" line dresses and skirts flatter every girl's figure. cinch the waist and va-va-voom! so... let's bring back some 50s fashion trends. here are a few places to get you started. *gorgeous*

1. checkout flour clothing on etsy.

this one above is my favorite. i *adore* this dress.

and how cute is this one? love the print.

2. gloves. something about covering your hands to finish an outfit just screams "lady".

photo and lacey gloves are from patterns a la carte. 

gloves above are from the lady slipper.

3. vintage cameo jewelry

cameo above from love chrissa.

the above cameo is from the lady slipper.  

playing with PS actions

i *heart* PS actions. below is an example of my very own actions.

1. add a little light

2. faded

   

3. 70s glow

70's glow... most of my childhood photos have this natural faded reddish glow. i'm kind of digging it.

4. desaturated

 

5. desaturated with color overlay

 

6. blue grey

 

7. dirty green grunge

 

8. antiqued

 
 
   

a list to keep my mind busy

photo by candice mclean (epcot flower garden show april 2009)

1. backup photos to passport

2. make dvds of those photos (just in case passport fails)

3. continue to purge... visit goodwill tomorrow!

4. buy a funky hat for strawberry hill races

5. take beautiful photos - thinking of starting a barn series

6. finish lucky 13 cover and mail to cheryl

7. paint my toenails a new shade

8. plan this week's menu... planning to make fish tacos 2nite

9. continue to walk/run everyday this week w/ the girls from the hood

10. receive punky sprouts tomorrow... must play right away!

what r u planning for this week?