Seascape

Over at the Creative Self group we are working on seascapes. Here is my preliminary pic. I used fine sand and gel medium for the the bottom, I have actually added more since this picture but that will come another day. I am adding texture with some texture paste, and yarn and teenie little sea shells from Daytona or Sanible or somewhere. I always collect this stuff but do not remember where I got it from. This is far from done but when it is I will show ya all. I do not have much faith in this one so we will see and I will show good or bad.

I am also working a bunch of other stuff but have not been on it due to not feeling too great lately but will get some more pics up asap. I did doodle a bunch of alphabets for Milliande's Creativity Club on Yahoo but the too will post another day. I was thinking of making another blog for that stuff in case someone wants to use them for journals and such. Any ideas out here?

Some Stuff I Did

This is a card I made for a challenge over at Latest Trends. Thank you Inka for sponsoring! Inka Stamps provided the stamp, and 10 of us had to provide the imagination. This is a way cool monthly challenge that the girls over at Latest Trends cooked up. Oh did I say I won the challenge? humble as I am tee hee. Well I could not have won anything if it were not for the support of my fellow artsy friends. Thanks to you all.



This next photo is a mountainscape I made for an exercise over at the sister group of Latest Trends in the Creative Self workshop. This is using the techniques of Mary Todd Beam from her book Celebrate Your Creative Self.
It is many layers of arcylic, gel medium, watercolor, ink, crayon, tissue paper, kraft papers ect. The next one will be a seascape, still trying to decide on that one.



Finally this is a doodle that I got carried away with. I joined another group called Milliande Creativity which is pretty cool. Milliande makes youtube videos on journaling and such. She is asking for hand drawn letters in black and white for others to use in journals. So I started to make an "A" because I love drawing letters. Well she mentioned another project of making a journal with doodles, magazine pics ect and I was on the phone and this happened. Too bad it isn't in a journal but I can paste it in if I want to as there are no rules to journaling! How cool is that?

Relay For Life

Well the books are closed and my Doctor's booth raised $500.00 plus for the Relay For Life! Every little bit helps! It was a small relay because it rained all weekend. I did not get to attend because I got the flu the day before and could not manage to get out of the house. Yes the flu, I caught it from the emergency room visit a few days before. *Note to Self - Stay OUT of the EMERGENCY ROOMS even if it is and emergency! I sat there for 11 hours, one hour would of probably gotten me the same results, and I would not have gone but my surgeon sent me there.

Anyway.....

Thank You everyone for all your help and as soon as I can I will have a proper thank you in the mail! Nothing much but a little something just to say thanks for your support.

Now on to what this blog is all about ART! if you want to know the personal junk you will have to go to the other blog of mine - the link is on the left under things that matter to me.

My new baby

This is my new baby! His name is Cody. Poor baby has been in a cage for the first 3 months of his life. But like Echo, he is free now and loving it!
He is finally trusting me after a whole week! well he sort of trusted me by default but truly trusting is a different thing. He weights 4 lbs now, and next month he will get his big puppy shots. I tried the crate sleep arrangement but he cried so now he sleeep very comfy in the bed right next to my feet. He has alot of fur so I think he gets very warm. Besides for some reason he thinks my toes are yummie!
He told me he may want his very own blog, so he can talk about his life himself not through me. He already shows an interst in art, very abstract of course but interested just the same. His favorite pal next to me happens to be Engima, a black stuffed bear that is bigger than he is. This bear belonged to my oldest daughter Ama. Once Engima took an unexpected trip to NY with me and we left a note to Ama to be good, or the bear gets it! Engima has been around a long time.

Almost forgot!

Some of you may or may not know that I am currently at war with cancer. At the end of this month the American Cancer Society is hosting a Relay for Life at our local High School.

Would anyone out here be interested in donating art to be sold for chairity? If you would please sign my comments and leave me your email address. Or you can email me directly if you want. The items would have to be here no later than March 24th. My oncologist office signed me up and is allowing me to share their booth to sell art. I am going to try and make as much as I can between now and then and in between surgery, doctors visits ect.

I know this is short notice, and I appoligise for that but I just found out about it yesterday. I will be grateful for any and all help that comes this way.

Alone again so I waxed

Ha ha not what you thought eh? This is a wax resist watercolor painting. Never did one of these before, interesting effect. I used a regular ole white crayola for the moon, reflection of the moon and bird, and some yellow and orange crayolas for the grasses. I then watercolored at random really mixing on the paper with lots of water making a mess. When it dried I touched up here and there with a pigma pen. Not one of my greatest works but at least I did something!

My sis left yesterday. I am glad we had the time together but as always I never want it to end. I miss her all the time, silly that we live so far apart. I always feel stronger and more grounded with her around. I gave her my button fairies and the doll and some other stuff, maybe she will share with my neices if they want one. She is my strongest supporter. OXOX

Painted Tags and My Sissy is Comming 2morrow!!!

These are some tags I made. They were a technique from a yahoo group called The Artist Circle. Great group if you want to lean techniques with a really great bunch of people.

First we stained our tags with coffee, then applied color in varrious ways, dry brushed with gesso and then embellished. Some had pockets, some had collage, charms, buttons ect. I always have to be different. I love to draw and paint so for some of these I did just that. The drawings are from a book of Indian design, I freehand these from looking at the pictures. I then painted them with just black and white. Hopefully you can see what I wrote on them, also taken from the book. I love drawing the designs so you may see them again somewhere.

Next up.... my big sister is comming for the weekend! She lives in NY I live in FL. I am so excited that my Sissy is comming! Sounds silly I know considering how old I am but it is the way it is. She likes to make art too, and is very good at it but she won't admit it. Will we make art? Dunno maybe we have alot to talk about and sometimes we just hang out. I hope her flight doesn't get cancelled, tonight she told me they were having ice storms in Buffalo so I will pray to the Great Ice Goddess in the sky to stop it long enough for her plane to take off!

Go Ahead Make My Day!

Melissa from www.Alterediva.blogspot.com and a good artist friend of mine awarded me with the "You Make My Day Award! The rules for the “You Make My Day” award are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know through email or by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times, and if you do, consider yourself really, really loved. So to pass it on and keep the love going ~ here are 10 of the 100's of blogs that keep me inspired and bring a smile to my face. Check them out when you have a few minutes... perhaps there are some new friends to be made! It is very hard to pick just 10! and to try and pick some that have not already been picked is almost impossible! If I didn't get you this time, it doesn't mean I don't love your blog so keep on blogging!

Here is my list of my inspriations you are all AMAZING!

Mary
Cynthia
Inka
Anne
Susan
Stephanie
Aileen
Linda
Wendy
Suzi

Ok Ladies the ball is in your court now! Have fun!

Big Little Foot Meet My New Grandbaby!

Will ya look at the size of that clod hopper? lol this is my new grandchild who appears to be all foot. She isn't really that big but the pic makes it look like it, and I thought what fun to show.

This baby, who we think? is a girl is due to come into the world in June. The names are still up in the air. Some of the names are Allison, Alexia, Morgan, Sebata and a few more. I wish one of these times someone would pick the name Arabella. I just love that name. Well no matter whatever her name is we will love her!

I can't wait until June! I am planning on going up to NY to attend her comming into the world, you see I get to cut the cord on deliveries. This is our ritual. Hopefully I will be well enough to travel and do this, and that is what I am aiming for right now. I love NY and wish almost everyday that I was there, I miss my family that is up there, the people, the food! lol

New Doll on the Block - Meet Bloomers!

Here's to Bloomer's saying Happy Valentine's Day ya'll!

Bloomer's is made out of mat board, and painted with arcylics, watercolors, markers and a white gel pen. She is embellished with her little heart brads and some gold foil tape. Her head is made out of air dry clay and adorned with bright orange boa. Origionally this head was to be on a button fairy but....

She is flat backed and will hang on the wall or be put in a book, shrine or whatever. Her skirt is made out of celophane and drawn on design with a gel pen. Note if you try this you must spray krylon or something to seal the gel pen as it really will not dry and stay otherwise. Her heart got a coat of crystal 3D laquer to make it stand out and be shinny. She also has (underware lace) for sleeves.



I have not decided if she should wear a crown, or if she should get her wings as of yet.
and here is a close up of her face.

Altering a Black and White

This is my brother Buddy when he was about 4 yrs old. In the Artistic Techniques group this was the MAT (monthly art technique). To take a black and white photo and colorize it. I have done this before using a transparency but this particular photo would not work for that technique.

Really all I did was make a copy on glossy paper, and use watercolor and arcylic paints to color, the blush in his cheeks are chalks, then I sprayed with krylon. After that I highlighted in white with a gel pen.

This is one of my favorite photos of my big brother, I wasn't even a glimmer in my Daddys eye when this was taken. My brother is gone now, I treasure everything that was "Bud" or "Buddy" another obsessive compulsive thing. I still find it disturbing that he was actually holding a cigarette at such a young age and Mom and Dad thought it was alright. How times have changed!

A MoonBud on the Moon's Art Bush

Hi meet my grandson, he is 4 years old going on 18. He came over to visit me and wanted to make a pixie (a boy fairy) is how it was explained to me.

I printed one out and he colored it with his new colored pencils and here it is. I promised him he would be able to see it on the Internet and everyone knows that Grandma's keep their promises especially this one.


Clay always collects little things for me to use, because I make a lot of stuffs. Last week a string "accidentally" fell off of my throw in the living room and he brought it to show me, hiding it behind him. His mother tried to grab it and said throw it out! He protested loudly "no mommy! grandma can use this in her art!" I will probably use that string in my fabric paper somehow just to please him. He gave me a black plastic skeleton from his toy box the other day too, because he just knows I will use it to make something!

Can you take another Button Fairy???

Well I just couldn't help myself I had to make another fairy. This is a maddening disease indeed! What is it about making things that puts us on a tear to start making certain things over and over?

My sister sent me something called Textiva, it is Angelina in the Raw so to speak. This cellophane stuff is what they spin that great fiber Angelina out of. She sent it after seeing my button fairy with the knee hi wings and thought I would be able to fashion great wings out of it. This is my first try, and to say it was easy is not doing it justice. Way easier than one would think. I can think of a few other ways to make wings out of this stuff so you may be seeing MORE button fairies! Just what we need a bazillion button fairies flying around. Perhaps it will be a button dragonfly! See what I mean?

She is a real "air head"

This time for her head I used air dry clay, and instead of a full head she has half a head and lays a bit flatter to the wall. Baby blue feathers and styrofoam berries adorn her head, oh and a jewel here and there. The look on her puss is kind of like a "yeah sure you will" look, one that I sport often enough to recognize especially when talking to certain members of my family or even looking in the mirror when I just happen to be talking to myself.

The top button is abalone shell and looks like it may have been on a coat? No idea these buttons as the others came out of my dear (mil) Esther's collection.

*NOTE* The previous fairy needed a name and there were so many wonderful names to pick from I printed out all the names and my grandson and I put them in a bag and he drew the name Rainbowshimmer - thank you Melissa the Altered Diva!

The Button Fairy / Rainbowshimmer

Here is my button fairy. She needs a name if I keep her, any ideas?

Her head is made from polymer clay. I never did this before to clay so I am happy with the results, I know she isn't as beautiful as Sherrie Goshons but I tried.

The buttons are old, old, old from my mother in law.

The hair is some trim I bought that looks like boa, acts like boa but it is on a ribbon, then I added pretty flowers and rhinestones.

The wings are wire and knee hi that were dyed with posh impressions ink, sprayed with krylon and glitter glued with hologram gallery glass paint.

Please leave a comment and let me know you were here, and be honest in your comments please. You never know I may get a generous streak.

FREEBIE! From My Private Collection

These are a few of the postcards from my private collection. They belonged to my Grandmother. Please use them for personal use only, not for resale. Save them to your own computer by right clicking.

I am Sooooooooooo LAZZzzzzy Today!

It is a gloomy day here in Florida, raining and cloudy, no sunshine whine whine. I need my daily dose of sun to brighten my attitude otherwise I start to stink! well attitude wise that is.

I went to BIG Lots today, to get something or other that I really needed(yeah right)and I found the clearance items in the Christmas junque' and I found a really cool little box in the shape of a house. I paid fifty cents for it. I also got a little tin of flowers, with no middles (for lack of the correct word). People use them in scrapbooking and making faries ect. I will most likely add some to my fabric paper after I dye them the color I want. They are pastel and I am not a pastel person, although I do like it sometimes.

I am thinking I will make my house with my ABC's from Belinda's swap that I joined last December. Then I think maybe I will put a handle on it, and do this and that! I know... I have serious crafting issues but it makes me happy, and you never know it could make you happy if you signed up for the pay it forward from a previous post. I like to make things and then I do not know what to do with them, happens all the time.

I shelled a bag of almonds today too. I am going to make almond paste, yummie! I was inspecting the shells and pulling the fishnetty membrane from the shell and my hubby who thinks I am on drugs! asked me what the H-double crooked letter am I doing? I showed him my prize, and he said oh something for your art? He is an old dog but he is learning his tricks nicely, it only took 26 years of training! Just kidding, I can't help but to smart off every now and again!

Just to tell you how fast my pea brain thinks (about crafting) I just posted something to someone about the Button Fairy and link to the pattern by Sherry Goshen and thought I may do a trade ....buttons for ? I will think on that for a short while.

Celebrating My Creative Self

In January LTMMA started some new workshops. One of them is based on Mary Todd Beam's book called "Celebrate Your Creative Self", and graciously being taught to us by Cindy. I don't think it would be kosher if I stated in here exactally what we do in the lessons but I can show you the end results. Here is my first lesson with the end result.

This is the finished for now end result as well. I added some of Amy's Magic Foil to decrease the white, I also outlined it with metallic black paint. What is it about white that makes me unconfortable? I think I relate it to being silent, something of which I am not lol. Not at all sure how I will finish this but I am thinking mosaic tile, thinking I will attach it to a board that has been weathered, or peeled paint effect applied and mosaic tile to frame. Still thinking, not to mention I have alot of these things that are unfinished with BIG plans.
I don't know why the second scan is so much lighter but the actual piece is darker like the first one and what appears black is really a deep magenta. I may have used two differnt programs to make the photo web friendly. Sometimes one works and the other doesn't.

Pay It Forward

The very artistic Melissa from http://alterediva.blogspot.com/ has invited everyone to take part in this Pay It Forward.

I too think this is a great idea and am willing to play!

I will send a handmade gift/thingy/ something to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this ‘Pay It Forward’ exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! And truthfully, it will most probably be later rather than sooner! The only thing you have to do in return is ‘Pay It Forward’ by making the same promise on your blog with a link back to me. So basically, if you comment, I’ll send you something crafty that I’ll make! Be sure to include your email. Once you sign up, copy and paste the above paragraph on your blog, and three other lucky people will be recipients of your handmade work.

You must post this on your blog to be eligible.

I recieved my invite to play from Melissa of http://alterediva.blogspot.com/

Seven Deadly Sins ATC's

These are the ATC's I drew for a swap called the Seven Deadly Sins. You may notice that Lust is missing. One word Censorship.

Art Dolls Gone Wild

These are some Art Dolls I have created in the past. I love making them but they take alot of determination on my part, and that is something of mine that is compromised at the moment. I have a few others that are not shown here I will try to get them on at a latter date.