Irrepressible Play

ir⋅re⋅press⋅i⋅ble

adjective: incapable of being repressed or restrained; uncontrollable: irrepressible laughter.

Even in the most stressful of circumstances, people have to play.

We - you and I - play with stamps. All of our best attempts to describe it as art, to call our playpens studios, to use the finest of art tools and show it in the most prestigious of art venues, do NOT, my furry friends, disguise for a second the fact that when we are up to our elbows in ink, and paper, and often, a huge mess, that we are PLAYING. ;)

I apologize if I have outed you to your friends and families, or God forbid - your pets. :)

But we need it. And we will make a space for it however we can, and wherever we can.

Let me give you an example from yesterday, which was a great day. An incredible walk. Really. Then a fabby Memorial Day lunch. Then lazy chatting, tweeting, facebooking, Google Readering and photoshopping things for friends and for one contest of sorts. It was awesome.

Then duty called. I really needed to pay some bills. I HATE paying bills.

So I open the first one. Discover. Ugh. Then I see the inside of the envelope. Cool paper. Saw a Hero Arts post about security envelopes as background paper. Drop bill on counter. Wander off. While wandering, notice the pre-printed postmark. Ooh. me likey.

Once safely in the studio, notice that THIS clear button exactly fits on the postmark.

Now we're cooking people. Grab my 3/4" circle punch. PURRRFECT.

Get Maddie off the 9' bookcase.

I decided to try out some Yupo watercolor paper for this. It was a funny smooth surface that's not like traditional watercolor paper at all. I used Aquapainters and the Just Beachy set with my Tempting Turquoise reinker to create a scene. A little letter from summer to me.I drew a box and wrote summer - a la Kristina Werner - around the scene. I'm not as neat as she is. It's okay - I'm playing.

At the bottom, I used a product I tried at CHA. It's this amazing new DMC product - beautiful, wired thread called Color Infusions. You can bend it into shapes and it maintains this satiny gorgeous sheen that you know DMC to have. I just wrapped the ends around the back of my card and taped them down. The colors are gorgeous. When you cut it it doesn't fray - amazing.

Anyway... I really have no idea where that bill is now, but I sure had fun this afternoon.

Be sure and PLAY today. Keep play in your art. Don't be too serious.

If you're posting your art on SCS or a blog - don't worry about your photography or if the card is "good enough" to post.. Did you play? Did you enjoy it? I guarantee you someone else will. Even if they don't, and you play - who cares?

Thanks to Lisa Page - check her out in her Cbox performances to the right - she's hysterical - I have a video to share with you. If you don't see a video, click over or click here.

Even in the most stressful of circumstances, people have to PLAY.

Oh yeah - and this is pretty much the best song ever. :)





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