Posca "Painted" Garden Rocks

Back in March, I found a bucket of perfectly smooth lake rocks gathering dust in the basement. They were clearly lurking around in hopes that creative inspiration would strike.

So, I grabbed a rock and a handful of Posca paint markers and did a little doodle - just to see if the markers would work on stone. They did, but I wasn't particularly enamoured with the doodle in question, so I tossed the rock into a garden bed and waited for nature to wash the (water-based) paint off.

And waited...

And waited...

While the rock weathered two ice storms and a snowstorm and many a torrential summer storm. And still that doodle would not budge...

So, I grabbed more markers and more stones and got to work, making colourful freeform mandala-esque rocks to hide in the garden.

For more vibrant opaque colours, I recommend going over larger sections with a second layer. A single coat can look a bit too streaky / transparent. With Poscas, as they are poster paint in marker form, you want to make sure to let the paint dry between coats and before adding details. Don't worry, it's fast - much faster than actually watching paint dry anyway!

So much fun, right?

They're a lovely little creative project for whiling away a fair weather day in the garden. Or, you know, for scratching the art itch while you binge watch something on Netflix.

I love them. They remind me of Easter eggs - a burst of brightness even on a grey day!

Have you tried any new creative projects lately? I'm always looking for something new to explore!

Mapping Memories with Speckled Canary

Ready for your next creative challenge? Grab your washi tape, things are about to get interesting!

Omiyage has teamed up with Speckled Canary for a fantastic new art project - Mapping Memories. Using washi tape, participants will create art that depicts memories and then share that art with the world. More on that in a moment.

But first...


What's a speckled canary?

Speckled Canary is the new endeavour from Sara Barnes, the artist and blogger behind Brwn Paper Bag and The Collage Scrap Exchange. (See some of the work from that project here).

Speckled Canary produces art projects that everyone can enjoy. Often collaborative, often on a global scale, these projects aim to push your creative boundaries. Mapping Memories is the first project Sara is producing under the Speckled Canary name.

I asked Sara a few questions about Speckled Canary and Mapping Memories. Here's what she had to say:

What inspired the Mapping Memories project?
The Mapping Memories project was inspired by the vibrant colours and patterns of washi tape. Over the years, I've fallen in love with all of the different designs, and seen them used in so many creative ways. I thought they'd be the perfect tool for recreating vibrant memories - the ones that you'll remember of the rest of your life. And, seeing what kind of things people around the world remember? That sounds even better!

Who can participate in the project?
Anyone can participate! Speckled Canary plans projects for all people - regardless of their artistic skill level - to make art, have fun, and challenge themselves.

Is there any limit to the number of memories each participant can submit?
Nope! I would love to see all the different things that artists can come up with.

What's your favourite way to use washi tape?
I work in collage (specifically cut paper), so I like taping strips of washi tape onto paper and cutting shapes from that. Then, I assemble all of the pieces into a composition. But, honestly, I think washi tape is fantastic in so many ways. I love using it in my everyday life... it's especially great for adding some special pep to little notes or mail!

What kind of future projects do you envision for Speckled Canary?
I will always want to keep my projects arts and crafts-based, which gives me a lot of opportunities to try new things. For a future project, I'm planning on incorporating embroidery on handkerchiefs.

How sweet is that washi tape house? It's Sara's take on colourful Baltimore house and the first piece on the Mapping Memories map. I must admit that my mind is overflowing trying to pick which memory/ies to create out of tape. Have you started thinking about what to make?

Mapping Memories celebrates the power of memories. Here's how the project works:


Sign up! (a very important step)

Remember a special moment, a special place and, using washi tape, create a piece of art depicting that memory.

Submit your artwork to Speckled Canary.

Each piece will then be mapped on an online world map.

Explore! Find your artwork on the Mapping Memories map then take some time to discover the places, memories and art of the other participants.

Oh, and did I mention prizes? Terrific tape prizes? 


Sounds pretty great, right?! Visit Speckled Canary for more info and to sign up!

Have any other questions about the project that I didn't ask? Leave them in the comments and I'll see about getting the answers for you!

365 Days Of Letter Writing

I love long term creative projects - it's so interesting to see what people will devote themselves to for a year or longer and what they learn or how their skills evolve over the course of the project. This is (hopefully) the first instalment in a series on creative projects.

Since pretty mail is near to my heart, it seemed appropriate to start with a 365 project all about snail mail. Andrea Raymond-Wong sends a lovingly assembled piece of mail every day and shares her adventures on Instagram. It's a daily delight to see what she's sending and I've discovered quite a few fantastic greeting card brands through her project.   

Here's Andrea's story:

Could you tell us a little bit about your project?

I started 365 days of letter writing on January 1, 2014 and continued to write letters and cards each day until December 31, 2014. I sent mail to family and friends, and met penpals along the way.  On January 1, 2015, I felt I couldn't just stop writing letters daily, so I decided to continue. 

What inspired you to start your 365 project?

I've always loved to send cards and letters via snail mail. I enjoy taking the time to put pen to paper and send a note to someone I am thinking about. The 365 days of letter writing was inspired by a stationery company called Fawnsberg. They make these lovely floral cards (I am such a sucker for florals), and back in December 2013 had invited people to join them in 60 days of letter writing. I decided to take on the challenge, and to post my progress on Instagram (I thought that would keep me motivated). As the 60 days progressed, I 'met' two gals who were also taking on the challenge, and the three of us decided to turn it in to a 365 day challenge. I managed to complete the year - and since January of this year, have continued to send mail each day (but I've stopped counting the number of days).

Who are your favourite stationery designers? 

There are so many fantastic stationery designers - it's tough to choose!

I love Rifle Paper Co. Anna Bond's florals are simply gorgeous. 

I discovered Hooray Today during my 365 adventure, and I think their cards are way cute (especially 'You're a Peach!')

Sapling Press is basically hilarious all of the time, with great text-based cards. I adore letterpress. 

Shout out to some local Canadian faves: Gotamago, Flakes Paperie, Sea & Lake, Made in BV, Queenie's Cards and Xenia Taler (to name but a few).

What's the best thing you've ever received in the mail?

Hard to choose! I think I'd say a hand carved stamp with my name on it that one of my penpals made for me. Over the last year, I've met a lot of awesome people, and have penpals again (which I haven't had since I was about 10-years-old). Penpals send really thoughtful, awesome mail. I did a happy dance after I received a pair of scissors shaped like the Eiffel Tower.

What's your favourite extra to include when sending pretty mail?

Washi tape! And stickers. I also like to include tea, or chocolate. 365 days of letter writing gave me the chance to expand my ever growing washi collection. I find that paper-obsessed people love washi. It's definitely common practice among penpals to send washi samples with each note that goes out. I also like to send mini notebooks and notepads.

Why is snail mail so important to you?

It's a piece of love delivered to your mailbox. I love that in our technology-filled world, we can still reach out to people in an old-fashioned way. It's really quite amazing that you can get to know someone through exchanging letters, and that you can send someone warmth through the mail. Writing letters also allows me to take some time and reflect on the day, to slow down and to get creative.

For anyone interested in snail mailing: 

• The Letter Writers Alliance will match you up with a penpal.
• More Love Letters is a really beautiful project, and letter writers are always needed.
• Shameless plug for a blog I contribute to - 8 Balloons
• For inspiration on Instagram, check out: @paperedthoughts @kyliefloss @marionbcn 

You can follow Andrea's letter writing adventures on Instagram @dreyray. She'll also be launching a new snail mail subscription service with fellow paper lover Queenie Best of queenie's cards. Q&A Letterbox launches this April. Stay tuned @qandaletterbox on IG and Twitter!

Are you tackling a 365 project or year-long creative project you'd like to share? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!

January Doodles

A handful of my favourite pages from January. You can see all of the doodles here and follow along all year long on Instagram.

Thoughts so far...

Full page colour makes me happy.
When in doubt, draw flowers.
Posca markers are my favourite.
A blank page on January 1st was frightening, now it's full of potential.
I'm still calling these doodles, even though they're really not.

My 2015 Creative Project - #dailydoodle365

I thought I'd take a moment to introduce you to my 2015 Creative Challenge. I've taken the leap into a 365 project... a doodle* a day.

This year, I'm conquering my fear of drawing by sitting myself in front of a blank piece of paper every day (I hope!) and putting pen/marker/??? to it. I'm far more comfortable with creating images out of paper and tape than I am actually drawing so I'm hoping to feel more confident in my doodle abilities as well as to develop my own style a bit over the course of the 365 day period.

My rules? One page in a sketchbook per day. No do-overs. No torn out pages. Work through the mistakes rather than starting over. Share on Instagram.

*I'm loosely interpreting doodle to mean any/every thing from drawing to collaging to painting to actual doodling. Free rein on any medium that can be applied to paper - maybe, we'll see how this thing progresses over the course of the year!

I started off with a bit of a Sharpie challenge within the challenge - to doodle with a Sharpie. You can't be hesitant with a Sharpie. No erasing. No meek lines. I kind of hated it to begin with and some days were definitely a bit of a struggle - it's hard to share work you don't love - but it's growing on me. So far I'm finding that I'm much happier when working with lots of colour than when limited to just one or two.

Anyway, we'll see how this goes over the course of the year. I'm hoping that sharing the images on Instagram will help keep me going all 365 days. (Otherwise I might have quit on Day Two!) See you there!

Are you doing your own 365 project or creative project in 2015? I'd love to hear about it!