bye bye, 2016!

inspired by all the great #BestNine and top ten posts i've been seeing, i thought it would be fun to flick through my own creative year and choose a few faves. instead of a proper top ten, i picked a favorite from each of the categories of stuff i make.

favorite mandala

this colorburst heart mandala card is composed of a bunch of layers i fussycut and piled on top of each other. it makes me want to get out my color burst and my scissors RIGHT NOW!

favorite eyelet outlet project

being on the eyelet outlet design team has definitely been one of the highlights of my year. this shell frame was one of the first things i made and it looks almost exactly like the idea that was in my head!

favorite paper anthology class

"ink over collage" was inspired by my first project of 2016, the GIANT mandala canvases, and i think it translated pretty well to art-journal size.

favorite "big" project

completing "time and distance" for the sketchbook project was one of the most challenging things i did this year. in the end, i think the book reflects my style and tells a story.

favorite ICAD

not the fanciest or most colorful, but having been stumped by the prompt, "compass" i was excited just to come up with something interesting!

 

favorite collage

midway through the year, tammy garcia reminded me of something we invented a few years ago: the one staple collage. so of course i had to revisit the idea.

favorite SOS card

for the diecuts challenge i had the crazy idea of making an entire background from diecut words. pretty sure i set an all-time record for fussiest use of gluestick.

favorite christmas card

thanks to jingle belles, i really did love making all of my 2016 cards... but vintage-inspired color burst ornaments with LOADS of bling are always going to rate pretty high on the lauren-o-meter!

favorite doodle

apart from anything else, the zentangle spider web for sisterhood of snarky stampers' "pink halloween" challenge was just way too much fun!

favorite crochet creation

egglebert humperdinck is the very first amigurumi-style creature i've ever invented and fabricated without a pattern.

favorite watercolor

this color burst hibiscus is one of the first things i watercolored with no undersketch and very little outlining, so it made me feel like i was starting to be a bit of a "real painter" lol!

favorite giftwrap

(yes, i'm counting giftwrap!!!!!!!)

gelli print butterflies on a sleeve of stitched vintage wall paper and chiffon, over torn maps. pretty much just your average every day giftwrap, lol!

yep. it was a busy year! i can't wait to see what's coming in 2017! happy happy new year, darlings! ♥