T minus 14 days and counting...

Dang, 14 very short and fleeting sleeps til Christmas. And, I wanna know one thing: what's the secret to getting in the spirit and mood to make Christmas lollies and such, and can it realistically be practiced in, say, July?

It always happens to me. I spend most days just a-buzz with inspiration, energy and ideas for decorating and gifting this holiday. And there's never enough time. It just usually ends up making me feel worn out and needing a nap.

So, I'm putting that question out there for anyone who knows. In the meantime, I may be tempted to try what I never have before, and that's just make Christmas stuff all year long. Like, have a weekly quota. LOL, I don't know what else to do!

Well, let's change channels. Here's some stuff I've made:

First, I need to show you the altered miniature matchbox shrine I made for a swap.

It's my first one and I had a blast making it, but I doubt I'll ever make another one. Stretched my wings. And almost went cross-eyed with the beadwork. What saved me was glue-dotting the beads on before running the gold thread through them. It helped a lot. I must say, that was one of my most awesome brain farts! :-)

Here's the back of it. The little drawer can be removed. The entire thing is resting on a painted makeup sponge wedge. Another crafty brain fart. Like I said, I had fun with this.

Here's a Christmas skinny (3x5 card) that I made for a lottery. I thought the sentiment matched the collage sheet image perfectly. I used a Coluzzle template to cut the arch.

Last week's mingle in one of my groups was The Letter D, so this is the atc I made for that. I used ancient KI Memories, so old that Elsi Flannigan helped design this collection as her duties on their design team, BEFORE she was ever her own brand. Now, that's old! LOL But you can tell it's vintage Elsie. I love this paper and am glad I still have some.

This is the current week's mingle card, for a white-on-white theme. What didn't I do on this card, lol? Cuttlebugged it twice, heat embossed it, added lace and felt. I love how it came out. It glistens with a wet look in real life, the scan doesn't even show a bit of that. I was gonna put add text that said, Reading is SNOW Fundamental. But once I finished the card to that point, I thought it was pretty perfect without another thing. A tip for anyone having problems working with monochromatic colors: if trying to focus on different tones of the same color isn't helping you, then concentrate on finding different textures. It will work! The tones and shades will take care of themselves. Texture rocks a monochromatic piece.

It's a Great and Grateful Day

Happy Thanksgiving to you and me, dear readers.

I am so very blessed to have you in my life...you who stop by and visit to see what's up, who have been so loyal and giving with your time in the past, the present and the future.

I saved this Harvest 4x6 card to show today because it kind of signifies my art and life. First the center image was printed when my magenta ink was too low, so I took the opportunity to color it with my markers. My life is all about making lemonade out of lemons, and my art is likewise imperfectly blessed.

The card is layered with scrapbook paper, die cuts and shaped with deco scissors, three examples of the sort-of-less-than-respectable tools in mixed media art that often are my staples. The elements are not chosen specifically for the art; rather, they are scraps that challenge me to make art out of them, something I do 90% of the time with so many leftover supplies. Finally there's a gorgeous texture (that you can see in real life if not on screen) of the cranberry doily cut-out that is distress spray-inked, that is also something I love to add to my art.

I have now been faithful in my low carb dieting for one week and have lost 8 pounds, which makes me happy and motivated to continue. My arthritis pain is still there in my hip as a constant reminder. But I've been *going rogue* with it, refusing to let it get to me and using it as a motivation to eat right and move, stretch and posturize constantly to cope with it. The flu is long gone now, praise be, and my energy levels are back to normal. I have been focussing on getting plenty of rest, fluids and non-drama daily life, not sweating the small stuff.

One important thing that's helped me do this successfully has been making my art. The other important thing has been staying in touch with my loved ones more than normal, even our Reggie dog, who has happily lapped up more attention and treats. But as for my arting, when my pain has been at its worst, I've been creating, creating, creating. It has been a wonderful therapy for me to escape into. I always say art is my therapy, and that has never been more true.

Now, on to what I promised...A Dozen Augusts. Have you ever looked through Traci Bautista's book Collage Unleashed? I highly, highly recommend it as a reference and lab experiment book in mixed media. I am in a yahoo group of the same name that I think Traci started and still ever occasionally pops in to post a message to. There are so many fun, funky and messy techniques in the book, and it naturally lends itself to loyal fans, some of whom are members of my group. (More later on about a member who makes the most gorgeous stamped and painted backgrounds on deli paper and who inspired me to buy a huge box of deli paper sheets from my local Sams Club...it's a 2010 project for sure).

Anyway, the CU group had a calendar swap I participated in. We each took a month and made 12-8"x10" calendars using one or more techniques in the book. Well, you guessed it. My month was August, hence *A Dozen Augusts*. While I printed out and adhered the same exact calendar grid on each page, I colored and collaged each page differently. I tried to use specific techniques of Traci's, and I did sometimes, but all in all I'd have to say that I turned to the book often for inspiration to go my own way a bit. You who know me know that is very normal, hehe.

So, here we go. I'm going to show you all twelve of my August pages as small images that you can click on to get a larger view. I hope you do, because I put a lot of depth and texture you won't see otherwise. I'll just show all of them and then discuss a little afterwards:

I didn't record exactly what I did on what page, but each page was started with a base color of either acrylic paint, watersoluble oil pastels or watercolor, and sometimes a combination. Then, stamping with foam and rubber/clear stamps using acrylics and/or ink. Then the final layers of collage, stencilling, illustration, or doodling. I used gel pens, markers, colored pencils, whatever I felt like.

I had a collection of ancient Urban Lilly flower embellies that I'd decided to use (because you know that my art is always defined by what supplies I've decided to try to use up), so that became my motif, but I also tried my hand at drawing one of Traci's signature Glam Girl faces (not on these, but on one of the cover pages that I also made...those I will show in a later post) and one of her doodle flowers. I'm very proud of having overcome my nervousness and inner critic to just go for it.

I also enjoyed using one of my new Coffee Brak stencils I'd ordered from Ginny's Small Studio Emporium. I'd taken the time to coat each side of the stencil with Diamond Glaze prior to using and I am so glad I did. The stencil is made of oil board and I used to have an oil board stencil years ago. It lasted a while, but eventually broke down from repeatedly soaking up paint along the inner edges, and so far I think that the Diamond Glaze will prolong the lives of my stencils. Coating both sides makes it lay flat and not warp, and the wet media does not soak in one bit. It's like it makes it waterproof, which was my objective.

So, anyway, what is your favorite page? I have to confess, I cannot answer that for myself. I have too many wonderful memories of creating each page, so they are all special to me. I'm as equally proud of my stencilling as I am of my drawing as I am of my collage layouting as I am of my stamping, etc etc etc. All I know is, getting inspiration from Traci's book and then attempting my own lab experiments was a wonderfully freeing and creative endeavor, and my only complaint was that it's so dang messy. But everything has a downside and I'm a little anal about mess, anyway. If you are looking for a book to help you break free and just be funky in your art, this book is it. I only cracked the surface of techniques offered. I could probably do 12 of each month and not do them all.

I hope everyone has a great and grateful Thanksgiving, and if you are doing the traditional Black Friday crowd crunching, please be safe and try not to spend what you don't have!   ~~ xoxo

U Have 2 C K U Japan...

Check out Tim Holtz's video. I think this is his first CKU in Osaka, Japan. I was struck by just how similar we craft-artists are no matter where we live, and the cameras and peace signing is an added cuteness:



The 13-hour flights, though, just make my legs hurt! :-0 I did 6 and 7 hours to Europe and back in 2004 and that about ate my lunch...

A boy and his dog

Up to me ears in lessons and life right now. Wanted to leave you something, so this is a 4x6 artist post card I made for a swap a while back. It's been cooling its heels in a folder on the computer. The tree and pasture image was on a mailer from my electric company. It looks a bit bleached out and that is exactly what it looks like down here in the middle of summer. And, remind me to never buy any more Victorian scrap, okay? I could make 500 4x6's and not use all I have. Sheesh. That was stoopid of me. Anyway, I've kind of been addicted to outlining anything and everything lately (but superstitously I leave one image untouched). I also think I am finally beginning to timidly like my charcoal pencils, too. In controlled circumstances.

This background was one of my own concoctions, trying all the time to find ways to use all of my rub-ons. I covered the entire base with old rub-on alphas from KI Memories, and then I painted over them with acrylics in various colors. It uses up stash and looks interesting, adds texture.

I have this theory about why so many of us artists and craftsters seem to live in our own worlds. It's because we all have so many art supplies. It's like, if you were kidnapped and taken to a remote hotel room along with your supplies, you'd stay there voluntarily, now wouldn't you? Yes, me too. A bed and a bathroom all to myself, and a maid to boot? Okay, time to wake up....LOLOL

More journaling, more mailbox goodies...

Here's another page spread from my *Almost Daily* Pages composition book journal. The background is gesso, then yellow acrylic on top of that, then a little azo gold glaze, then some sponge circle stamping in waterslide blue acrylic. This is about my first Moleskine purchase, and the photo of The Decorated Page book is really what made me buy since there are some Moleskine journals in it (and I plumb forgot to mention that on the page journaling, argh):


The page was done back in January (honest injun...takes me this long to do the journaling and decide when finished). But, curiously enough, I've just begun a new online workshop to study the techniques in The Decorated Page, and the journal I will use will be this Moleskine, plus another one I bought last week -- a watercolor notebook and a sketchbook, one for watercolor drawings and another for wet paint collage. More on that at another time, though...

Okay, moving right along, I wanted to show the cool tags I received in a recent tag swap in my Gluebots yahoo group. The first 3 tags were created by (in order from left to right) RJ, Jeane and Joan, our loverly swap hostess:


And these 2 tags were created by (in order, left to right) Zhulia and Linda S:


And, for my 4x6 Expressions yahoo group, here is a photo of my all-time favorite inchies stamp set that I am fortunate to own, Leave Memories Kiss-Off Cubes (RIP, LM!):

The images are so cool. I have only used them in making background papers so far, though, and am just beginning to use the papers I've made.

Until next time,

A little journaling

I need to get caught up with uploading my photos and scans, so first I have a journal spread to show. Then, I have some gorgeous art to show that I have received in the past month from members of my 4x6 Expressions yahoo group swaps and such.

{Click on all photos to see them larger}

Here is a background I did in my *Almost Daily* composition book art journal:

After gessoing the pages, I water colored the page in green, then brushed on some brown swirlies, then stamped circles in red distress ink, and green squares with versamark and brushed on Perfect Pearls. And here is what it turned into after I journaled:

On the left side, I've summarized a few movies worth remembering that I watched, and on the right side is an entry about one of my fave leftover meals, sliced steak salad with sweet cherry tomatoes and cole slaw. I meant for the red circles to represent the tomatoes, but I was basically doodle-stroking the green zig marker, not realizing til later it looks kinda like sliced cucumber, which is not in the salad but what the hey, right? The hand-written title is my practicing my creative lettering. I just began some self-paced online lessons in alphabet formation and creative lettering, so I should be trying my hand at it more in the coming weeks in my journals.

I also wanted to show some yahoo group art that has been making my mail box and me very happy recently. First up, 4 lovely 4x6 pieces from Sandi:


Next up, an abstract piece from Roz, and 2 cards from Nancy, an Asian themed and an Indian themed:


Then, a vintage "B" card from Nancy, a postage stamped beauty from Ayesha, and pretty butterflies from Jan:


I have been so pleased with the quality of art I receive from this group. I can only hope that mine has been as worthy. :-)

Until next time,

Beauty

Just a little something I made last week for the monthly lottery at Paper Traders yahoo group. The theme is open and I was still in my Asian mood.


This week I'm up to my neck in making vintage tags for a swap at Gluebots yahoo group. They are coming along about as slowly as turtles on a racetrack. And I'm already late getting them in the mail. So tomorrow I'm going to contact the swap hostess and find out if she still wants them.


I can't complain much about my creative energy because it's been hanging in there, but the old muse does sputter a lot. The flow is not consistent. I've decided not to load up on swaps for a while, except for a couple of post card swaps of single cards, in an effort to ease up on the deadlines. Lately, I've been getting frustrated easily when the ideas (and output) doesn't flow on time.


I mean, what is this, a job? Okay then, where's my paycheck? LOLOL


Hopefully, I can get it all sorted out before too long....


Until next time,

Lay it on me...

5-Layer Love artist post card... made for a swap challenging us to build 5 layers on our cards. This card began with layer #1, the front of a note card that I saved from some mail art I received from Kim, whose art is great and with whom I share a little bit of a demented fan ship: the old soap opera Passions -- Timmy Forever! hehe I pulled out my rub-ons and heart embellies I had in the old Bash Stash, and commenced to layering.


Here is the other card I made for this swap, titled Odori Geisha. For this, I even did research... on google. lol It took forever to finally figure out what geisha fan dancers were called. There just happen to be dozens of different Japanese dancer categories, depending upon the props used and the reasons for dancing. I may not have this 100% correct, but close enough. I used Yasutomo papers (and their Nori paste) and cut them out using my Coluzzle templates. The fan and blossom are Spellbinders die cuts that I colored with my zig markers.

Seeing Red...

***Okay, don't look if you will be shocked or upset about seeing a tasteful nude*** -- ready? :



This is my first attempt at using a nude image from a collage sheet. And my first nude anything. I am happy with it. I did this 4x6 piece for a swap in my yahoo group with the theme Monochromatic Reds. Can you see the red netting adhered onto the background? I also have a netting background stamp that I used on the frame around the image. Under the actual netting is a painted background of reds, and I really tried out the paint scraping technique with paper towels that Kelly Kilmer teaches. It has awesome depth in person. I used my Zig calligraphy writer markers to alter the image and color over.

Just ordered Angela Cartwright's first book, Mixed Emulsions, and she does a lot of that with photographs...yes, THAT Angela, from Make Room for Daddy and Lost in Space. I'm finally into that kind of mixed media now. I'm so slow to the gate on some things, but hey, I get there eventually and at least I'm not a lemming!

I also did this abstract background card using the leftover paint:



It looks pretty cool in person, so I left it that way and traded it for a lovely circles abstract card in the frenzy we had Sunday. It's not my best example of that kind of abstract, but the colors are soooooo gorgeous.

Tomorrow I have a very full non-art day. Missy is presenting at an advertising competition in Houston, and she wants me there so all day will be devoted to taking Hubs to work at 5:15 am so I can have his car, necessary home chores out of the way, shower and dress, on the road by 10, then stay there for as long as Missy wants me there and bask in the glow of my girl. :-))))))))

sunday post

I still have one more opening for my Art Share Blog Candy project, if you are interested in joining us...


I used some bird and nesting Victorian scrap images in this collaged ATC. Lots of cutwork, which I find soothing as long as my hands or fingers don't cramp. The trick on this one, which doesn't show up in the scan, is the pink border. It's glitter. I took a xyroned card base, adhesive side up, and stuck a smaller piece of security envelope on it that I had inked and then cut out using deco scissors. I then spooned on very fine pink glitter all around the border of the base that was left exposed, delicately smooshing in the glitter as I went along. Then, I made the collage. The glitter gives the card a more vintage-y feel and is quite lovely. The hardest part for me, as usual, was getting that envie paper centered just right and thankfully I did well enough here. This went to a swap sister on one of my yahoo groups and I hope she likes it. :-)

Just on a whim I created a set on my Flickr for art available for trade and I'm overwhelmed at the interest! I need to replenish as I only have one card left in there. (I've linked you to the main site, as my set is about empty right now.)

From what I've been noticing, Flickr and Swapbot are the happenin' places to trade and swap nowadays. I've never yet ventured away from yahoo groups for that, because there is a certain amount of safety built into the groups for not getting ripped off, at least on the swaps. A central hostess collects everyone's cards and then distributes them. Yes, there have been a few hostess rip-offs in the 3 years I've hung there, but that's a tiny percentage compared to the total number of swaps that go off without a hitch.

I don't know if Swapbot has any safety built in like that, but I do know that Flickr trading carries the risk. I had to just decide to take the leap and learn from getting burned if that happens. I can see how long someone has been on there and actually how well their trades have gone sometimes, by the comments. I do plan to check Swapbot out, maybe over the summer as swaps usually cool down a bit then.

I jokingly told the Hubster that I didn't know if my blog sidebar could take anymore online affiliations, though. winkwink I do have a rather impressive links collection. Every blog I've ever had has had one, except for my antics and rantics blog, which I keep sidebar-frugal on purpose. (Well, frugal for me, anyway.)

Any way, I sent off my first batch of cards this past week (and one more tomorrow) to many different places. Hopefully, I will be bowled over by how well everyone plays by the rules and I will have found a great way to share the art!

Until next time,

ATC Slide Show: Paradise

Paradise ATC's Slide Show Link
These ATC's were for a 3-for-3 swap in one of my groups on yahoo, back in July. I haven't gotten my swaps back on it yet because the hostess is very ill with lupus. I have know her for a few years in various groups and trust that if at all possible she will eventually get them swapped back to us, but if she does not recover to be able to do that, this swap is about the last thing I'm worried about or feel she should be concerned with. In fact, I would be happy to just give them to her to look at if she wants them, because I do think that vintage collage cards are very visually attractive and calming. I need to email her sister and offer them if it would give her pleasure. I keep her in my prayers that she will get better. If you want to help, her name is Tracy and the last update the group got was on 9/8 that she might be out of the hospital in a few days. So for all we know she is still there. Either way, she probably needs as many prayers and positive healing wishes as possible. Not having lupus is a huge blessing to me. many multiple arthritii sufferers also have it or are at increased risk of developing it. so far i am not one of them.

Update from San Marcos

Hi there. I evacuated Friday with my family to the lovely city of San Marcos, TX due to Hurricane Ike. The first few days of excitement have yielded to the boredom of a hotel room and trying not to spend a lot of money. So, hey, what better time to make some progress with those ATC slide shows I had planned! LOL

This slide show link is of the ATC's I made for a swap in July with an Asian theme:
Asian ATC Slide Show

I was happy with how these came out. My challenges were:
1) come up with a way to thread and secure the black yarn in the coin embellishments (I cut off the ends of Q-tips) and
2) combine pattern papers that were not purchased together or in the same collection so that it looked like they were.

I think I did pretty well on both counts. Well enough, anyhoo.