Friday, October 23, 2015

How to turn your dream into a color scheme - Week 5


HOLY FRIDAY I've been slacking on the blogs! Everyday I think about the blogs but I have been struggling to make time and for that I am sorry. But some good news is that it's DREAM SCHEME FRIDAY! My favorite day of the blogs. For those of you who are new, Friday's I take a dream that I have had either recently or from one of my past dream journals and turn it into a color scheme!



We are on the 5th week of Dream Scheme Friday's and since I began them, I haven't had one usable dream! That is very shocking to me because I have always been someone to have many dreams and very vivid ones. So that fact that I haven't had any really bummed me out! Thankfully I have loads of dreams to refer to from my past that I have taken detailed notes about since I was a young girl.


Guess what! I had a dream last night and it was so different. I am very excited to share a recent dream and it might not make much sense as I felt the dream skipped around a lot and randomly kept showing me different images but I am thrilled to share it with you and turn it into a wonderful color scheme! Here we go!
 This dream was from last night
Thursday October 22nd, 2015

The dream started out in a subway and I felt depressed behind the counter where it was very slow. I went into the back room and my mother was working there too. She was on the phone and seemed very busy. I realized I was at a second job that I picked up for extra money and she probably helped get me in. It felt right seeing as I could spend time with her even if I didn't want to be working there, at all. 

I went back in front to check if anyone come in and it was packed. There was an old man that had come behind the counter and started making his own sandwich. He had his hands completely submerged in a green vegetable and was scooping it out for his meal. I was panicking and gently told the man he couldn't be behind the counter and that he needed to go over by the tables. I rushed back to my mother, who was still on the phone, hoping for help. She signaled for me to go and so I did.

I was walking down side streets and seemed to have a far walk. Next thing I remember I was entering a building that was a mix between I large open office, a Barnes and Nobles, and a Game Stop. I knew everyone that was working there and I realized this was my main job. I felt content with my position there. I was treated equally and paid decently but wanted better for myself at the same time. I did feel relief when I walked in and we all sat down for a meeting. 

It was a laid back meeting and my boss was a woman that I seemed to have a good relationship with. She was talking to everyone about how some people had yet to come and pick up there diamond car decals. Then I saw sheets with random works in different fonts that were comprised of little studded diamonds. 

I spaced out and spun my chair around to see a big glass window  and there was a family with two small children walking by. One of the toddlers came up to the window and put his face against the glass and was looking at us. His face from our side looked hilarious and I interrupted the meeting so everyone could see him. Everyone laughed and waved to the kid and that's all I can remember.



              This dream had many different visuals but when remembering it to record for the blog I got the sense of a few colors!  Each color represents a certain part of the dream or feeling the dream gave me. The color scheme works backwards through the dream.

Color 1 - The blue/grey is for the comfort & stability the main job gave me and also the feeling of wanting more. 
Color 2 - The lighter shade of the first color represents the pause in meeting to laugh at the child through the glass.
Color 3 - The blue jean blue is the overall color that I felt the main job's wall and desks were when I entered.
Color 4 - The brown in for the in between state I felt when walking from one place to the other down the side streets.
Color 5 - The pale mustard yellow is the color that represents the subway job. Behind the counter and the lighting.
Color 6 - The final green is for when the older man has his hands in the food behind the glass. It was something like green peppers or pea pods. 

There you have it! I was so excited when I woke up this morning. At first I knew I had a dream and could remember if I just relaxed and didn't try too hard. Then after I got out of the shower, the image of the child through the glass appear in my head and the entire dream came flooding back! It was amazing. What great timing!



This is something anyone can do! Write down your dream and create a color scheme from it. Use it to make a meaningful painting for your bedroom or to pick out your outfit for the day. I believe we have dreams to guide us and show us things that are hiding in our subconscious. This is just one way to use the wonderful information your mind has given to you while asleep. 


That's all for today!   Has anyone had any dreams that they have written down lately? Have you tried this yourself? Let me know in the comments below and maybe I can make a color scheme of one of your dreams! Don't forget to subscribe and everyone have a wonderfully inspiring day!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo





Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Candyland Tote bag - printed heavyweight canvas tote bag - by Mab Graves



Song of the Day:

One Direction - Drag Me Down



Color of the Day:
BENJAMIN MOORE COLONY GREEN 694


Friday, October 9, 2015

How to turn your dream into a color scheme - Week 4


It FRIDAY! It time again for another Dream Scheme Friday! Every Friday I take a dream that I have had recently or from a past dream journal and I turn it into a color scheme. Friday's blog always gets me inspired and ready to go into an art-filled weekend. Let's Begin!


   We are reaching back into the past again to a dream journal entry that I actually can't remember! Almost every single entry I can retrieve the imagery instantly as I read it and it is like I had the dream the night before. There are only a handful of dreams I do not remember and this is one of them. Also the dream stops so abruptly that I thought it was interesting enough for the blog! This was written in my dream journal on
Tuesday February 28th, 2011

    I was standing on a platform in the clouds and it lowered me down dramatically like an elevator. When it finally reached the ground my closest friends and I are standing in an "Avatar-like" field. There were close to 50 mere-cats dancing together in the magical grass behind a jeep. We walked toward a bush and they all followed me. 

We then heard a scary growl coming from a large hole in the bush. We all stepped back in fear and then a giant bunny hopping out all cute and innocent. We all laughed together and then continued walking along taking in everything around us. 

We then saw two women who looked like twins but felt more like mother and daughter. They were sitting on a white deck with very nice patio furniture. They welcomed us to the land and told us how amazing it was here and how lucky we were to have found it. They were very happy to live in their crazy little paradise. 

We went inside this clean and simple hotel-like room and set down luggage like we had been traveling for days and finally arrived..... Then the dream ended.



              This dream had many different visuals but when reading it I got a general sense of a tone of colors! I tried to represent that feeling in each color. Each color represents a certain part of the dream or feeling the dream gave me. 

Color 1 - The first color is the general color of the "Avatar-like" field that we landed in from the clouds.
Color 2 - This was very close to the first color but just darker for the scary noises that come from the large bush.
Color 3 - The blue is representation of the clouds as we came down from the sky and entered the dream.
Color 4 - The pale tan color was for the dancing mere-cat herd.
Color 5 - The darker tan was also for the mere-cats but for the feeling of them following behind me.
Color 6 - The final grey-brown is for the sudden ending in the dream but not leaving uncomfortable feelings.
Bonus Color - Stark White - I couldn't show the white in the color scheme but it needed to be added because the deck and furniture that the women are sitting on felt very important.



This is something anyone can do! Write down your dream and create a color scheme from it. Use it to make a meaningful painting for your bedroom or to pick out your outfit for the day. I believe we have dreams to guide us and show us things that are hiding in our subconscious. This is just one way to use the wonderful information your mind has given to you while asleep. 


Well there you have it! Another week, another color scheme. How are you guys enjoying it? Has anyone had any dreams that they have written down lately? Have you tried this yourself? Let me know in the comments below and maybe I can make a color scheme of one of your dreams! Don't forget to subscribe and everyone have a wonderfully inspiring day!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo




Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Mugwort Dream Oil by - MotherMountainHerbs



Song of the Day:
Blondie - Dreaming


Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore Barren Plain


Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Tips and Tricks for taking Art Commissions.


Good Morning! What a good morning is it! I woke up a little early today to take a shower and do some morning yoga. I have really missed doing yoga, especially in the morning. It makes my whole day so much better when I get some silence and stretching. It was also very nice to feel the sunrise throughout doing yoga because when I started it was still very dark but by the time I finished the sun was beaming through my blinds. It was lovely.


I have received two new commissions and I started them both yesterday. **Will I ever start a new body of work?!** Oh well, I won't complain about fun commissions and money coming in. The first commission is going to be a gift from the person who is having it made. They sent me a picture of  what looks like an old tattoo of a butterfly. It represents their mother who has passed and I have to create a wine bottle based off this old tattoo. 


I was iffy at how this was going to turn out but I would say I am about half way through and it is looking wonderful! I will post pictures to show you when it is completed. It will be a very thoughtful gift and I love that I knew what they wanted but I still had some artistic freedom with it. Those are the best kinds of commissions. 


The second commission is even more fun and free! I have two beer mugs that my client wants turned into painted "Rick and Morty" pieces. So he gave me total artistic freedom but I just have to base them off of the show. Which I have never seen but I looked into it and it's a rough cartoon from cartoon network. I think I can have a lot of fun with these mugs!

(Rick and Morty Theme Song)

I started the base yesterday of both pieces. One I spray painted a dark navy blue color. The other I sprayed it completely cream and then went back while it was still semi-wet and sprayed the top yellow and blended it into the bottom cream. After looking into some images I have a few ideas for why I chose these colors but I don't want to give away anything yet!


Whenever I get enjoyable commissions I always try and remind myself how lucky I am. I have had some not-so-nice commissions. The hardest part about doing commissions is that the client has something they want and inside their head. Unless they are getting something you already made but in a different color or easy variety of an already produced item, it can be difficult to pull out of their minds exactly what they are looking for.


Another struggle with commissions is pricing. If pricing your work isn't hard enough already, try pricing work that you haven't even started! When taking a commission I always try and give a quote to make sure the client is aware and agrees upon a cost. But it is very hard to calculate how long something might take you and often you can find yourself shorting yourself after the piece is done.

(Great video of Tips and Tricks for Commissions!)

 I good thing to do when accepting commissions is to always ask for half of the agreed price up front. Unfortunately there are a many good number of people who talk a big game and when it comes time to deliver they just disappear. There is nothing worse than never getting paid or not getting paid in full for your time and energy you put into a commission. Asking for half up front makes you feel better that they are more locked into the piece but with not asking for it all up front the client also feels like they have room to wiggle if necessary.

(Another great video of Tips and Tricks for Commissions!)

Commissions can be horror stories or some of an artist's proudest work. Either way learning by trial and error is really the only way to learn when dealing with commissions. I am very grateful to have two at the same time that I am enjoying! How about you? Any commissions you are working on? anyone have any commission horror stories? How about any tips or tricks for accepting commissions? Let me know your thoughts below!

Until Tomorrow- Dream
Samantha Menzo



Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

                        MICHIGAN COASTERS DETROIT - Tigers Themed Colors by - 



Song of the Day:
Celine Dion - Thankful


Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore Polar Jade CC-754

Saturday, October 3, 2015

How to turn your dream into a color scheme - Week 3


Happy Friday! It time again for another Dream Scheme Friday! Every Friday I take a dream that I have had recently or from a past dream journal and I turn it into a color scheme. I always have so much fun with my blog on Fridays so let's just get right into it! 


I have really been lacking in the dream department lately which is very unlike me! So let us once again dive deep into my past and open a dream journal to see a dream I had a year ago. This was written in my dream journal on
March 20, 2014

              I was in a school and late for class. I fumbled through my books and things in my hands and locker to find something important like a binder so I could make it to class. I knew i was already too late but I hustled to get there anyway. I stepped inside the classroom that was small with everyone at their desks. The teacher calmly turned toward me it seemed he was expecting this to happen. I stopped & he said, "I wouldn't even bother going any further, it's useless. The building is on fire." Then he smiles still calm and looked to the back of the room in the corner desk their was a candle that had caught the desk on fire. Everyone else looked and when they noticed the candle the room turned into a madhouse. People shoved past me in the doorway and I didn't understand why someone didn't try to put it out for the fire was certainly still containable.

After most everyone made their way out, I did the same....things got fuzzy & I was trying to find my way out of the building. The hallways were all now dangerously aflame and every way I turned I was in harm. Next thing I know I am in a hallway where both sides are completely blocked with fire. I stood & turned toward an entire wall of glass windows. On the outside were all my classmates peering in at me in danger. Someone else was trapped with me but I never saw their face and they always stayed directly behind me. 

A girl from outside came to the window and began trying to break the window with her forehead. It looked insane but after a few tries she managed to break the glass enough for me to kick the rest of it through and create a whole to climb to safety. The most vivid part of the dream was when I reached my freedom it was my favorite weather. It was gloomy and sprinkling rain. I was walking on a sidewalk and looking down at the drops fall and feeling the cold water hit my body and I felt still and calm. That was the end.



This was one of my longer dreams and I felt it was harder to make a color scheme that wasn't all just fire colors but here it is! Each color represents a certain part of the dream or feeling the dream gave me. The first there colors obviously represents the flames from the fire but I wanted to make sure I had a very burnt red and orange and not neon bright colors. The dream fell like fall or damp even for there being fires. The fourth color grey is a very general middle grey to represent the lockers and normal school inside. The fifth color of a grey-brown was from the feeling I got from the being behind me that followed me but I never knew who it was. Lastly the sixth and final color of navy blue is for the calming sensation I felt with the rain hitting me and the weather being so dreary but comforting.


This is something anyone can do! Write down your dream and create a color scheme from it. Use it to make a meaningful painting for your bedroom or to pick out your outfit for the day. I believe we have dreams to guide us and show us things that are hiding in our subconscious. This is just one way to use the wonderful information your mind has given to you while asleep. 


Well there you have it! Another week, another color scheme. How are you guys enjoying it? Has anyone had any dreams that they have written down lately? Have you tried this yourself? Let me know in the comments below and maybe I can make a color scheme of one of your dreams! Don't forget to subscribe and everyone have a wonderfully inspiring day!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo
Cloud Nine Studios




Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

SHAMANIC DREAMS CANDLE by- 




Song of the Day:
Gavin DeGraw - Fire

Color of the Day:
Blush Pink



I am in the mood for some reading!


Hello again everyone! Today is the first day of October and boy does it feel like fall has finally arrived! My favorite time of year and I couldn't be happier! Mercury is still retrograde until the 9th. (Click here is you want to know what this means) This Mercury Retrograde has been more difficult then I anticipated. I haven't been able to go inward or even wanted to like I normally feel pushed to do as soon as mercury retrograde appears. Today I felt it.

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All I have wanted to do all day was read. I want to dive into a book and get lost in the world it brings like I have so many times. I have a long commute to work and it has been a year this month since I discovered audio-books. It really has changed my drive and allowed me to always stay with books even when life gets busy.

I remember as a child when I fell in love with a book for the first time. I had read many books before and enjoyed them greatly but nothing captured my attention and made me lose reality along with sleep than Harry Potter. I truly believe that Harry Potter and the entire series will always be the most amazing thing of my childhood. I think every time I start a new book or search for my next one I am hoping that it will even come close to grabbing my heart like those books did. 

     Sometimes I feel guilty reading books. I have this undeniable need for constant production. Even to the moment before I go to sleep I have the need to check emails or update a listing on my Etsy Shop. During movies you can normally find me sketching or writing this very blog. Reading doesn't allow me to be "productive" and I have convinced myself that taking time for me to read is selfish and I feel I will fall behind. I have been thinking about how to change this. How to read more and change my feelings of guilt and anxiety about reading. It is something I love and I should take time to do it without a negative aftertaste.

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Reading before bed instead of working on my phone is a good start. Does anyone else feel the way I do? It's sad, books inspire me so much. Books help awaken parts of my imagination that are so crucial for making art. I would love to use reading as a tool for creativity.

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Right now I am reading a wonderful book that has me gripped by its world and characters. It's called "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly. I am not going to tell you anything about the book. Just trust me and go get it!

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What are some of your favorite books? Do you have any reading rituals? I love a good cup of tea and a blanket when I am reading. How do you think I could get rid of my negative feelings of guilt when trying to set time aside for reading? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo
Cloud Nine Studios





Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Book Necklace by - OxfordBright



Song of the Day:
The Best Indian Chill Out


Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore Evening Sky 833