Silvergirl's Art

Moving Day!

2009-03-22T14:10:00.010-04:00

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED to www.cottage6studio.typepad.com.

As Senator Claghorn used to say, "I'm busier than the pea in a traffic cop's whistle when the light's a-changin'!"

The hours at work are loooong right now to say the least, and I definitely haven't learned as much about the new computer as I had hoped, but this change has been some time in coming and the time is now.

This blog has been irking me for some time. Blogger and I do not get along! Spacing issues and big issues with getting my pictures where I want them have been frustrating me for a while. Also, I hate the name with a passion. It was supposed to be something of an homage to my Dad who passed away four years ago last week, but it was really contrived, and it just has to go.

So, I decided some time ago to move over to Typepad and start fresh.

Moving to Cottage 6

When I was very young, my parents and I started spending summer vacations on Prince Edward Island in Canada. We were very lucky to have long vacations because my father was the primary bread-winner and he could work overtime for extra vacation time instead of pay. We spent weeks there, sometimes as long as a month.

It was, and is, a beautiful place. In spite of its popularity as a summer vacation spot, it is still mostly farmland, so much of it is untouched and rural. Summers were relaxed but fun and eventful. My mothers parents stayed in a cottage nearby and my father's parents came every so often as well.

We saw "Anne of Green Gables in Charlottetown, steamed lobsters and made fresh blueberry pie. We stargazed and explored, swam and lazed-around, it was really idyllic. And every summer we stayed in Cottage 6 at Corey's Cottages in Stanhope.

If you told me I could have a studio anywhere in the world, that is where it would be; with a view of the bay out my front windows and the red sandy ocean beaches a short walk away and a blanket of thyme on the lawn.

So, that is my tribute to Dad and my whole family and to the happy memories of what we once shared there.

So, please, come with me to Cottage 6, there is some art waiting there already!

Be Back Soon!

2009-03-08T20:12:00.003-04:00

Not a crash, but some serious computer issues forced us to The Apple Store yesterday. I have lots of art to share, so I'll be back as soon as we get this baby up and running.

See you soon!

EDIT - Friday the 13th

**OK, it took about 5 minutes to get the computer up and running...now I have to learn how to use it! I got an iMac and I have no clue how to use the photo software, but I'm going for my first one-on-one lesson tomorrow. And since I'm down for a bit now anyway, I may be away a bit longer to work on something else. But I'll definately be back by next weekend and all will be revealed. See you soon!**

Peace Out!

2009-03-02T11:15:00.006-05:00

I have to say, I just love these cards. You know when you get an idea, and you don't have time to work on it right away, so in the meantime, you may come up with some variations.

When you finally settledown to work on your piece there may be a few hiccups along the way, and then you have it...your finished product, and its as good or even better than you had hoped?

That's how I feel about these cards.

It started with this card.

Christmas '07 I wanted to make some cards in bright, non-traditional colors, and I decided to work with Rubber Stamp Tapestry's Embellished Holiday Wreath set in a traditional wreath shape. I liked that card, didn't love it and moved on. When I started working on ideas for cards for the SCS Christmas Card Challenge, I thought of that card and started toying with ways to improve it. Well, I had used the Peace sentiment on the original card, and all of a sudden it came to me. And the ideas for the other cards followed.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

(All stamps are Rubber Stamp Tapestry except for the sentiment, which is Stampendous and the earth, which is from Sunday International.)

In other news.....SNOW!!!! An unexpected day off due to 15-inches of beautiful snow! This was already a productive weekend on the creating front. In addition to three of each of these cards, I also made 20 ATCs for a swap over at A Year of Color. I'll share those with you later in the week. Now, its time for some eggs and turkey bacon and a trip to the Post Office.

Witch Hazel

2009-02-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to share these forever!

I made these collages back in the summer for the "Powder Room".

That is were I keep my collection of vintage toiletries and after we painted in there, I wanted to make some art that would set them off.

It all started back when I first began perusing blogland. Somewhere on some blog that I have long forgotten the name of, I saw a picture of a beautiful vintage bottle of Witch Hazel. Ooooh, I wanted that bottle so badly! My paternal grandfather used Witch Hazel. On one of our visits a ritual began; I would watch him shave every morning, and after he slapped that WH on his own cheeks, he would slap some on mine. To this day, put a bottle of WH under my nose and I'm standing in the upstairs bathroom at 147 Old Mill Road.

Search as I have, I've never found such a beautiful bottle of Witch Hazel for my collection, but I did find some old labels, Witch Hazel among them. So I bought them and used them as the centerpieces of a set of collages for the Powder Room, with some of Donna Layton's beautiful flocked vintage wallpaper as a background.

Enjoy!

My Loves

2009-02-24T08:00:00.006-05:00

No matter what the weather, no matter what the family news, no matter what is going on at the 9-5, these guys can make it all better.

I don't mean to preach, but since this is something near and dear to my heart I will tell you that they are all adopted or rescued, even the purebreads. And they are all spayed or neutered.

Otis is a 12-year old seal-point Himalayan. He was a show cat, but his owner put him up for adoption when she decided to show his son instead. This is not a great picture of him. We took this just after moving him in with us and he looks so mean, but really he is such a mush!!

My Moxie-girl will be four next month. She found me at a cat show where my mother and I had been invited to sell our cards, etc. She was rescued after being abandoned in a warehouse, taped in a box with her six kittens (they all survived), and she wasn't even a year old herself. She hates Otis, but loooves the dog who terrorizes her, go figure!

DJ just turned two. He is a total sweetheart, he worships Daddy and loves everyone else he meets (except the cats), and he is so funny; he makes us laugh every day. That said, Basenjis are not an easy breed and not for everyone. His owners couldn't handle him and were ready to take him to the pound when we stepped in. He's a handful but mostly a joy.

Puppy kisses!

Heart Ornament

2009-02-22T15:27:00.003-05:00

Here is another project that I made late last month for the All That I Love swap on A Year of Color. Jerri loves the sea and seashells, and she had decided to keep the tree in her store up after Christmas as a Valentine tree, so I combined the two and came up with this as the heart item for our swap.

I painted in blue to start and then adhered a piece of vintage sheet music with gel medium. Once that was dry I applied a wash of blue paint. I collaged a bit with bits of old advertisements and vintage flocked wallpaper and also added a strip of flocked white-on-white to the edge.

Now here's where I would do this differently were I to do it again. What I did next was apply the small shells around the edge with get medium. What I should I have done first was the "J" in the center. Very difficult to shake glitter off of your piece when you've put a roadblock around it!! Oh, well, live and learn. Once the shells had a chance to dry, I used a technique that Donna Layton taught on the Bellaween Zine last year to glitter Jerri's initial in the center. With a "J" sticker as a guide, I applied Aleene's tacky glue and then fine silver German glass glitter, and there you have it.

Well, it is 3:30 on Sunday afternoon and this is the first chance I have had to create this weekend, so I'm off to make some cards that I will share with you soon.

Hope you're haveing a great weekend!

A Family Treasure

2009-02-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

This album and the wonderful photos inside would be an amazing find any day of the week. But this album is even more special because it is my family. My mother gave me this album for Valentine's Day and I am just amazed by it.

We do not know who half of these people are although we can glean from the captions who some were related to, but just the fact that I know these people were my family, or related by marriage, or even just family friends, makes them incredibly special.

It makes me want to step back in time and see the album and the pictures when they were new; to meet the people and see all of them at the time the photos were taken. There is even one tintype in there, a very serious looking young man with his cheeks tinted pink!

But I especially love the photographs of the children, so I thought I would share them here with you.

Enjoy.

February Project

2009-02-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

I promised myself in January that I would share a non-card project at least once a month, so here is one for February. I made this wall-hanging for my partner Jerri for the All that I love Swap on a Year of Color (if you want to see the whole package, she has posted it here).

This was pretty simple, I have to say. I adhered a sheet of vintage sheet music to a 5x7 canvas with gel medium and let it dry. Then I trimmed around the edges and painted it with a wash of red paint and let it dry again. Once it was dry, I sanded the edges and edged the entire canvas with Vintage Photo Distress ink.

I found the scrap in the lower right-hand corner in my stash. It was a leftover from this card. The script stamp (Just for Fun) was stamped in Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, when dry I sponged the whole piece with Tea Dye.

Back to the canvas, as I was going through my trays of embellishments, I decided to run with the love letter in the main image (collage sheet from Inka Stamps) which I cut with deckle-edge scissors, and pulled out some old postage stamps and a quill pen charm. I added some china buttons because Jerri had said that she loves buttons and finished it off with a cameo embellishment from Under the Red Roof (everything was applied with gel medium).

I punched the holes with my Cropadile (like butta) and strung a ribbon through for hanging.

It was a fun project, and I can't wait to make more holiday art to hang from the Welcome sign that I showed in my last post.

Next post I will show you an amazing treasure that my mother gave me for Valentines Day!

As Promised....An Embarassment of Riches

2009-02-16T13:22:00.007-05:00

As promised, here are some photos of the goodies that Jerri sent me in the Year of Color - All That I Love Swap. Unfortunately, I originally took photos with my boyfriend's new camera and we are having some issues with getting the images to transfer. I spent a good deal of yesterday reorganizing my studio, so I'd put almost everything away. What I can tell you is, you aren't even seeing the half of it.

The first picture is a wall hanging that she made me which is just beautiful. As you can see, I turned it into a door hanger which is now hanging on the door to our apartment. The hallway does not get great light, but you get the idea. I found the Welcome sign for a new bucks at our now closed local thrift shop last year. Its been hanging in the closet in here ever since, just waiting for me to make some holiday art to hang from it. Love it!

Next is a horrible picture of some adorable vintage Valentines from Jerri and a vintage tin that came packed with buttons and game pieces and other goodies.

Last, since I did not take any pictures of the wrapped goodies, but just dug right in, are the adorable ornaments that embellished all these packages, aren't they great. Bet you can tell which one was my favorite!

Thanks again, Jerri!

All That I Love

2009-02-08T20:44:00.005-05:00

Wow, that is a great post title, too bad I can't take credit for it.

All that I love is the name of a swap that I participated in over at the Year of Color blog and it was a lot of fun. In my next post, which I already know will be titled An Embarrassment of Riches, I will show you what I received from my partner, Jeri. Too bad she lives in Alabama, I would love to get to know her better. In the meantime, I haven't heard that she has received my package, so I have shared some sneak peaks above.

The point of the swap was to get to know your partner and send them things that they would love. Jeri is a scrapbooker and mixed media artist who owns an Antique Shop. Her favorite color is red and she also loves the sea and has decorated her home with shells and things with a sea theme. Each of us were to send:

1- A craft supply for your partner's craft

2 - A thrift or handmade item

3 - A home decor item

4- A heart item

I didn't take any pics of the craft supply item since even a peek would give it away.

Also, some exciting news in my next post - until then, don't forget to check out Artsy Mama's Year of Color.

The Last Black & White Card for January

2009-01-26T22:27:00.003-05:00

Oh, how a bad back throws discipline right out the window.

My back is now much better, but I'm still not sleeping through the night so this was not my most productive weekend. I did manage to make dinner for 5 last night, but no art, since I napped the afternoon away.

Luckily, the idea for this card just came to me during my lunch hour today, although I did think I had black and white check paper. I think this still works, though. I really had fun with this black & white theme, it was a great challenge. All of the stamps on this card are from Oxford Impressions Country Girl plate.

There is more to show and tell from the weekend, but its late and I need to try for a good night's sleep. Snow and ice are in the forecast overnight tomorrow and into Wednesday. If they're right and the roads are dangerous, I may get some art time then.

So, next time I'll share some thrifty finds and hopefully those long promised Christmas cards. Until then...

A Few Things

2009-01-22T22:33:00.005-05:00

First of all, it's starting to irritate me that all my pics are at the top of my posts. I promised myself that I would spend some time this past weekend learning more about the ins and outs of Blogger, primarily learning how to incorporate pictures within the text, but my back had other ideas.
Well, given that you’re seeing the pictures before the text, I guess I’d better get to it. The bottom card is another late Christmas card. The background is some lovely vintage wallpaper that I bought from Rosie’s Wallpaper on etsy. The sheet music is also vintage, as are the embellishments; vintage bingo markers. Aren’t they great? I wish I knew what the whole set looked like; I’m thinking it must have been special if the markers were mother-of-pearl. I’ve become very interested in old games; card games, bingo sets, lotto games. I’m going to have to do some research on these old games one of these days. But, I digress. The ribbon on the card is not vintage, its 7 Gypsies, I think, and the stamps are from Oxford Impressions' Season of Giving set.
I choose to think of the card on top as a success waiting to happen. I always share finished pieces here, but today I thought I’d share something still in-progress, and your comments, as always, are welcome. When I get it “right” I’ll be making 6 or 7 of these for the Christmas Card Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. I was inspired by Denise Benson’s cards on the cover of the Feb/Mar 2009 (just got my subscription copy, not in stores yet) Stamper’s Sampler. I’m happy with the basic idea of this card, but a few things didn’t quite work. The background is a bit too busy and the distressing is a bit overdone for sure. I’ll tinker some more over the weekend and let you know how it turns out.
Finally, I’d like to share my latest source of inspiration – A Year of Color. Its a subscription blog hosted by Artsy Mama. Only $12 for a year of color-based inspiration, and you can still join the fun. Just visit her blog for details or her etsy shop to subscribe; there’s also a Google group where members can chat. January’s colors are blue & white, so be on the lookout for some blue and white journal pages from me soon, maybe not the next post, but before the end of the month. In the meantime, I’ll be working on a Valentine swap on A Year of Color, it’s very different from any swap I’ve joined before so I’m very excited and I’ll share the details as soon as I can.
Wow, this was a long post. My eyes are closing, so until next time for my finished Christmas card and my last black & white card.

Holiday Cards?

2009-01-19T21:03:00.002-05:00

Yup, that’s what I’ll be sharing this week, some very late holiday cards. I was a very bad girl this year. The only holiday cards I made were for the Monday Mailer at Stamper’s Corner, three gift-card holders and the two I made this weekend.

This first one is actually a New Year’s card. It is going to Ottawa, so by the time it gets there it will be ridiculously late. But this is for someone who I really wanted to send a handmade card. The main image, which I absolutely love, is from a collage-sheet that was included in a Stampington mag; its been a while, so I don’t remember which one. The rest is designer paper, some paper flowers and one stamp. The flourish in the corner is from OI’s Wicked set and was white embossed.

Unfortunately, three cards were all I managed this weekend. I was making a good go with discipline until yesterday, when my back started acting up again. So, it wasn’t a very productive weekend, but it was pretty restful.

So, next weekend I will be very busy working on some things for a swap and getting those cards done for the Christmas Card Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.

I’ll share my other holday card and more about the swap during the week. Until then, I hope you enjoyed the weekend, and you had time to get messy!

Empty Boxes Sitting By the Front Door

2009-01-12T13:36:00.003-05:00

Since my post on the 5th, I’ve been thinking a lot about the word discipline. The more I think about it, the more I realize that my lack of discipline affects so much in my life. Now, I know I’ll never be an Adrianna Monk (get it?), nor do I want to be, but I’m so over things left unfinished, things forgotten, being rushed, tired, stressed, behind and late. I’m tired of beating myself up because this didn’t get done or because that opportunity passed me by or because I let someone down. I’m tired of those empty boxes that sit in limbo by the front door, waiting for one of us to take them to the garbage. And worst of all at the moment, I am sick of being worried that I may have put my job in jeopardy because I didn’t keep track of some important detail.

Yesterday morning, sitting on the couch with my boyfriend after walking the dog, both of us with our coffee; we were contemplating our day. I hadn’t had the best nights sleep and was a little tired, but I had goals for the day and I could feel them slipping away with my serenity as I was slowly sucked into some movie on television. And then with a SNAP, the word “discipline” came to mind again and woke me up out of my stupor and the next thing I knew I was sorting laundry, counting quarters and out the door.

That’s not to say that discipline ruled the day completely. There is still clutter on the coffee table and the kitchen table, the shower walls still need a good scrubbing, there are still dog-biscuit crumbs in the carpet and my studio table did get a bit out of hand while I was working on cards. But, all-in-all, the day was relaxed and the most important things got done.

So how great was it, that while perusing in blog land this morning, I was reminded of Ali Edwards One Little Word, the idea of choosing a word every January to focus on daily throughout the entire year. How perfect, I thought, to take that concept that worked so well for me yesterday and apply it to the whole year ahead. And I already have my word.

I looked at some other peoples’ words and I could relate to so many:

aware
change
cheerfulness
choices
commit
evolve
flourish
finish
gratitude
lightness
journey
marathon
relinquish

just to name a few.

But for this year, to improve my relationship with myself, my family, friends, co-workers and swap partners, and to be rid, once and for all, of empty boxes by the front door, I choose discipline.

Black & White Cards

2009-01-11T19:09:00.006-05:00

Well, this post was almost titled Black & White card, since it seems I forgot to scan one of the cards I wanted to share today. Luckily, something I was supposed to do today didn't pan out, so I had time to make two.

I really have to get back to spending at least some time creating every week; I was amazed when I looked at the clock and realized just how long I'd been at it! It was partly due to the fact that my studio is sooo disorganized at the moment and I had trouble putting my hands on my black scraps, and partly because the idea I had for the first card just would not come together.

Black & White is the theme for the Monday Mailer swap on Stampers' Corner this month. Every Monday, we mail a card based on a theme to our partner for the month, and another player sends to us. I've found this theme challenging, but fun. I hope the muse is with me for the last one; the idea is perking already, but I have a feeling it won't be easy.

The rose on the first card is by Inkadinkadoo, unfortunately I bought the script stamp unmounted at a show a few years ago and can't remember who makes it.

All of the stamps on the second card are from Purple Onion Designs. The whole card is CASEd from one of her new designers; the minute I saw it, I knew it would look great worked-over for B&W.

I'm really happy that I'm ahead of the game on my MMs for once; this way I can work on my SCS Christmas Card Challenge (make 10 XMas cards a month through November so I don't end up with NO Christmas cards like I did this year) over the long weekend next week.

Until then...

A Bday Card & A New Technique

2009-01-10T20:45:00.003-05:00

I know I said I would post some Black & White cards in my next post, but I'm squeezing this card in between. I made this card today for my boyfriend's mother. Her birthday isn't until the 18th, but they are off to Florida tomorrow until April (soooo jealous!), so we all had dinner this afternoon.

I made the background with the Faux Designer Paper Technique from the latest TJ Newsletter. I made a whole 81/2 x 11" sheet and unfortunately miscut the piece I was going to use for this card, but I'm still pretty happy with the results. All stamps are by Purple Onion Designs. I'm lovin' her new line of noteblock stamps! The main image is mounted with foam tape.

So, I'll be back tomorrow with Black & White cards.

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-05T21:35:00.008-05:00

The last few New Years, I have said good-bye to the old year in some charming way like, "Don't let the door hit you in the a** on the way out!" And this year, I felt the same way at first, but when I gave it some thought, I realized that may not be the kind of karma I want to bring in to 2009. So instead of looking in the rearview mirror, I'm focused on the road ahead.

I hope it will be a very twisted road (well, you know, if the shoe fits...). Seriously, what I mean to say is that I have no idea what this year may hold, but I know it has undreamed potential and I hope that it will be filled with positive change and pleasant surprises. That there are bends in the road, as Anne Shirley said (see About Me on my right sidebar), and there is a future I can't see just yet.

I know that change doesn't just happen, but I also know that I can attract positive things with an open and positive outlook. So, welcome, 2009, let's get it on!!

I've never been one for resolutions, but then I've also never been too disciplined, as the current state of this blog will attest. So I have promised myself that I will post at least weekly in 2009 and that at least one post per month will show you a project other than cards.

This month's project as you can see are Christmas ornaments. I made these for some people at the office, and they were surprisingly easy to do once I got in a groove. They're all made on plain wood discs that I got at one of the big craft chains for 10 cents a few days before Christmas (so organized and ahead of the game, I was) and they are made with my current addiction, vintage wallpaper. And the sheet music is also vintage. The silver glitter is super fine German glass glitter; the red glitter is actually Stickles. (Note to self: get some red glass glitter for next year!) These were really fun to put together, I can't wait to make some more when I have more time to experiment and play.

See you next time for Black & White cards. In the meantime, I'm wishing you all good things in 2009!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:56:00.004-04:00

I am finally on my computer, I can't remember the last time I turned it on! Things have been extra nuts around here with some long days at work, my mother recovering (now at home) from her knee-replacement and my boyfriend in the hospital for the last ten days. (He'll be fine, too, but he has a bit of a tough road ahead.) Thankfully, work finally slowed down enough for me to leave a bit early today, so I'm back at last!

I've been working on a few things for this month's challenge over at the GPP Street Team; I'm happy that I have a few mintues to post today, being that its the last of the month.

This month, Michelle challenged us to think about our last wishes and to make them known to our friends and family. With my 40th birthday fast approaching and the realization that each year goes by faster than the last, I knew right away that this was a challenge I had to take. So, I've been making plans for a will and downloaded the forms to update the beneficiaries on my life insurance. And I've drafted a letter to Donald and my mother that I will leave in the fire safe so that it's secure but easily accessable. With her surgery and all of the waivers that she had to sign, I also had a talk with Mum about her final wishes. We've discussed certain things in the past, but she hasn't filled in all the details for me, so I encouraged her to do that as soon as she can.

When my father passed away a few years ago, there was some disagreement about what he wanted in terms of his burial arrangements. Nothing dramatic, really, but I know some of the family are not sure that we did exactly what he would have wanted. Luckily, since I was called upon to make the final decision, I'm okay with it. Somehow I believe that he guided me to do what he wanted. Still, its always better to have it in writing, or even to discuss it, so that everyone's on the same page.

Well, being that it's Halloween, I'm also sharing a couple of recent cards in this post. I made the first card some time ago. The images are from Enchanted Mercantile; I just love that witch! And the background was made using one of my favorite techniques from the Technique Junkies Newsletter, Oil Pastel Gesso. The second card was made for last month's Monday Mailer at Stampers Corner. It was actually a wild animal theme, but I was in such a Halloween mood that I decided to use the raven as my wild animal that week. The raven stamp is from Inka Stamps, the rest are from Purple Onion. It's not the best picture, but you get the idea. (The base of the card is actually black, but its hard to tell from this pic.)

Well, I hope you all had a safe and fun and somewhat creepy Halloween. I'm off to walk the dog and enjoy some of the Halloween displays in my neighborhood and then watch some Ghost Hunters Live before I tuck myself into bed.

What a week!

2008-10-20T22:05:00.002-04:00

Mum had successful knee-replacement surgery last Tuesday and is now in rehab and doing very well. The first few days were a bit rough for her, but she was able to get a bed in her first choice rehab, so everything is much better.

In the meantime, I made this card yesterday for the Monday Mailer at Stampers Corner. I just love the witch looking over her shoulder like something is spooking her - so I thought the sentiment went perfectly with her image. The witch and cauldron images are from Enchanted Mercantile and all the stamps are from the new Wicked set from Oxford Impressions.

Yesterday, Don & I also went to the Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay. It started 25 years ago as a parade in honor of Teddy Roosevelt, and evolved into one of the largest waterfront festivals on the East Coast. It starts with about a half mile of antique and vintage vendors and some food, then there are rides and carnival games. The food court is huge, mostly seafood of course and about 150 fine art and craft vendors. Lots of great stuff there! There were two artists, one assemblage artist and one painter who really took my breath away. Gorgeous and original, and if I had the money, their work would be gracing my walls right now.

This year they added an Air Dog show, that was lots of fun, you can see some pics on my Picturetrail if you like.

It was a really great day, and we didn't even see everything. We never got to the tall ships or the Petting Zoo - I think we may have to go both days next year! If the weather is warmer I definately want to catch the Grucci fireworks on Saturday night.

I have a lot of cards to make, so hopefully I will post again before the weekend. In the meantime, have a great week!

Check out this Halloween Candy.....

2008-10-12T21:43:00.002-04:00

...blog candy that is. I flaked and forgot to share this fun blog candy I won from over at Vintage Snaps and Scraps http://vintagesnapsandscraps.blogspot.com/2008/09/etsy-1-year-anniversary-giveaway.html. The larger piece is hanging on the front of the china cabinet in my studio where I keep supplies. Its very cool. She also has a couple of etsy shops. ENABLER ALERT - one is for ephemera. I had to go take a look and then of course I had to buy! I was joking this weekend that I should rename this blog - Things I Never Knew I NEEDED. Its so true - a few months ago I'd never seen a vintage bingo marker, now I'm a collector. Oy! Well, hope everyone is enjoying their weekend - and some of you are enjoying a long one, too. I'll be at my desk tomorrow - we traded Columbus Day for the day after Christmas (and a four-day weekend). Definately a great trade!

Merry Hallomas!

2008-10-06T22:23:00.006-04:00

Here is a card that I submitted to Somerset Studio for their recent Vintage Halloween theme. The issue has been out a while, so I knew it hadn't been published but I still wasn't expecting to get it back, which was a nice surprise. Even better, the note that came with the card said that the two other cards I sent were being considered for other publications. That makes me happy, becuase I really liked all three of them myself. And I love this background technique, too - I just made a whole sheet of it in different colors last weekend. It's fun and easy you never know quite how it will turn out. It also gives the cards a great texture IRL. The technique is called the Oil Pastel Gesso technique from Technique Junkies, the script stamp is from Just For Fun and the images are from Enchanted Mercantile.

Boo!

2008-09-28T11:51:00.002-04:00

I'm still getting ready for the street fair next weekend, but thought I would share some cards that I made yesterday. I love these vintage images from Inka Stamps, which are used in all of the cards. The sequin waste stamp is also hers. The flourish is from Oxford Impressions new Wicked set. Have a great weekend!

Clearing your plate

2008-09-13T11:22:00.002-04:00

Since the end of August, when it was clear that there wasn't enough time for me to participate in Michelle Ward's summer Street Team challenge, I've been waiting for the next one. In the meantime, there has been a lot going on around here, not all of it good.

I mentioned in my last post that I've been getting ready for a craft fair in a few weeks. I do also have a very full-time job and at the moment, mine is the only income. I don't want to plaster someone else's "stuff" on the Internet, I'll suffice it to say that we're dealing with some tough issues here right now and my way of dealing with them hasn't been the best. I've been neglecting things at home a bit in pursuit of my own needs and dreams. And while I know it is important to keep these alive, sometimes they do have to be postponed or pushed to the back burner when someone you love needs you.

My mother and I will still be at that street fair and I am still working on one other project, but I have scaled-back considerably.

I am taking today for my projects, but with a new attitude. What if everything doesn't get done? Does it really matter? Does it matter as much as being there for someone I dearly love?

I've been really wanting to apply to be a member of the design team for a stamp company. I had to admit last week that this was not a realistic commitment at the moment. She is also looking for guest designers, so I may give that a whirl if I can get things together in time for tomorrow's deadline. But if I don't, there's always next time, or another company, or another goal at a better time.

So, I am clearing my plate of everything that may interfere with more important things. For everything, there is a season. Things will get better and when my gut tells me the time is right, I'll get back to the bigger dreams.

In the meantime, I'm still creating, still feeding that creative urge inside me. But I'm having fun, instead of stressing over deadlines and other self-imposed criteria. I'm not crying over the number of hours in a day or the amount of money in the bank.

I am clearing my plate so that I can step back and just be.

So, when I logged on to the Street Team blog today and saw the current challenge, I decided to share this leg of my journey here. There must be artists out there who can relate.

Thanks for your challenge, Michelle. It gave me the courage to share something here that I might not have otherwise.

Count your blessings today!

PS- Since I couldn't post without some image, the picture above is my little collection of vintage toiletries. I made some collages for the walls recently, which I'll share with you soon.

Art is Brewing

2008-08-28T21:31:00.009-04:00

Art is brewing around here, but I have nothing completed to post just yet. I am working diligently on a bunch of new things for the Sea Cliff Mini Mart on October 5th, here on Long Island.

In the meantime, I thought I would post something that I made before I started blogging more seriously. It's my first assemblage piece, an altered Scrabble board that I made for my best friend when he celebrated one year sober last year.

The idea came from the wonderful list "mom" over at Stamper's Corner, Debi Wind. Every week she posts about 25 techniques and ideas for our viewing pleasure and inspiration; all links to art and articles she has found online. I have no idea how much work that must be to put together every week. Anyway, one week she posted an altered Scrabble board and I knew then what I would do for my friend, and I was able to use a truly vintage board from my own stash of old and almost forgotten games.

Well, its time to get back to work on my studio. I made quite the mess in here on Sunday and left it that way which is never good. There is just no way to pop in and make something quick when things are in this condition. It doesn't help that the reorganization isn't quite done yet, so I really must be better about cleaning up after myself!

PS - I mentioned in an earlier post how much I love Oxford Impressions. Well, the owner, Suzanne Melvin, has started a blog. It's so nice to be able to learn more about the woman behind the stamps, so to speak. Take a look, I know I'll visit often.

Finally!

2008-08-23T22:07:00.006-04:00

This lunchbox has been on my to do list forever! Well, ok, I may be exaggerating just a tad, but it has been almost three months that this poor blank white lunchbox was staring at me like an abandoned puppy. Finally today, between bathing the dog and going to a block party and a clam bake, it is done. Yay!

And it looks nothing like I thought it would, but I am very happy with it.

The lunchbox came as a kit from Donna Layton's etsy shop and the only thing that irked me at first was that I only used two pieces from the kit, the Baby Ginger label on the front and the Bingo card. Other than that, it had a mind of its own!!

The background is made from various vintage wallpapers, some old checks and old sheet music and the vintage pics came from my collection and from Luna Girl. The vintage bingo markers came from a shop on etsy (I'll have to look that up and add a link later) as did the lace. I'm totally addicted to etsy, I visit daily, at least.

The tropical theme came from the tropical looking blue and white paper, and took off from there. I have some great vintage Mexican postcards that I picked up for a song at an estate sale last year, I thought one would finally find a home here, but they're a bit big. They're all tropical birds, made with feathers, absolutley gorgeous. Oh, well, they'll just go back to the stash and wait for the perfect project.

In the meantime, there are many more ideas rattling around in my head, waiting for me to have enought time to devote to them. Well, until next time...

ATC Book

2008-08-05T18:42:00.012-04:00

Well, I haven't managed to crank out anything for 4x4 Friday or Think Monday Think ATC, but here is an ATC book that I made last month for a swap at the Arts on Fire Yahoo Group.

The cover of this book is actually the same as an ATC I made for a mesh ATC swap on a different group a few months back, but I thought it would set a great theme for this book.

The image on the cover is from a great picture of my father and grandmother. Probably taken in Cape Cod, although I don't know for sure. The ticket stamp and text are from Oxford Impressions, as is the image on the back cover (I just love everything they produce). The background is made from Distress Inks applied with a sponge.

The background on the next two pages is acrylic paint (craft-grade) applied with a sponge brush. All of the text is computer generated, and the image of the woman and the lighthouse in one of the later pages were from a giveaway download; if I come across that site again I'll be sure to share it. The shell stamps are from Rubber Stamp Tapestry, but I've forgotten where the seahorse came from, which is stamped in Staz On ink on cork. (Actually, come to think of it, I had made that ATC before as well. I try to make original art for all of my swaps, but I was very late with this one and my studio was mid-repairs at that moment, so did take the easy way out a bit.) BTW, I was at the aquarium in Coney Island recently, where I learned that seahorses are becoming over-fished and endangered. Just something to think about when you see them in the craft stores. Not a sustainable purchase.

I just love the little sailor-girl on page three. She is from a picture that I picked up at a local antiques flea market while I was on vacation last month. Unfortunately, it only takes place on Thursdays, so I don't know when I'll get back there. I saw the coolest vintage Bingo game that day, but thought I would look all around before deciding if I would take it. Big mistake - the vendor was gone by the time I got back to him. It had hexagonal markers that I haven't seen before - I really wish I had bought it when I saw it. Oh well, live and learn!

The background on the back cover is just gool ol' dye ink applied direct to paper, overstamped with a stamp from Hampton Art Stamps.

I had a lot of fun putting this together, I hope you enjoy it, too.

Acts of Kindness

2008-08-04T11:04:00.005-04:00

If a caregiver has ever gone above and beyond to help someone you love - read here:

http://michelleward.typepad.com/michelleward/2008/07/are-you-still-with-me.html

Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty!

Here I Am!

2008-08-03T23:05:00.005-04:00

Well, I don't know if anyone even reads this blog, although I plan to do something about that soon if I can. In any case, this is supposed to be my art journal, whether anyone is out there or not. And I haven't made any art in weeks.

My last project was an ATC book for a Yahoo group that I will post here soon. Between family stuff, painting my studio and spraining my ankle, things have been hectic to say the least.

Finally today I just swept the mess to the side and made a little something to help me get more organized at work. Its a composition notebook that I collaged with some vintage wallpaper and a finding from Donna Layton's etsy shop (there are two seperate links; one to her blog and one to her shop), along with some other ephemera. I was a bit heavy handed with the gel medium, but it will serve its purpose and be pretty at the same time. That's all for now, it is well past bedtime. Tomorrow I will post something for 4x4 Friday.

New Stuff

2008-06-08T12:01:00.004-04:00

As usual, studio time is scarce around here. Work is very busy and so is life in general. We had a wedding about 2 hours away on Friday and the pup goes in for neutering on Tuesday, so we're working on getting the apartment as spotless as possible for him. I did manage to make some ATCs for swaps last weekend. One was for a Rose theme and the other for a Sea theme. The Rose theme is just a collage, you may recognize the papers from the anniversary card in my last post. The Sea ATC is made with acrylic paints applied on heavy cardstock with a foam brush, then stamped with Rubber Stamp Tepestry's Sand Dollar and Starfish Border set. I can't remember where the seahorse is from, but he is stamped on cork with Timber Brown Staz On. Hope you enjoy!

Happy 40th Anniversary

2008-05-17T12:39:00.004-04:00

Today, Donnie's parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. I've known for at least a week that I would use this image in the card somehow. I'm not exactly thrilled with the way it turned out, but I have to get ready to run some must-do errands before the party and pick up a few things for them on the way, so it just had to get done. I picked the papers up for the card earlier in the week and several ideas have played around in my head. I've been playing with it for hours now, but the result is not bad and I'm sure they'll love it and appreciate it as they always do. The image came from someone who posts pictures on her blog. She does countdowns for holidays, I'll find the information tomorrow when I have more time. For now, I hope you enjoy!

Mother's Day II

2008-05-11T12:37:00.002-04:00

Here it is, Mother's Day. It's a sad day for us this year with the passing of Donnie's grandmother less than a month ago. We hosted dinner for the immediate family last year and it's just so sad that she won't be with us and that I didn't have to make a Mother's Day card for her. Donnie told me when he got down to Florida that she only displayed a handful of the Easter cards she recieved this year, but the one I made for her was one of them. He was really pleased with that.

Anyway, the cards above are for my mother and Donnie's mother. The pink on is for my Mum - that is a picture of us just after I was born. I got the layout idea from a sketch challenge on Stamper's Corner.

The second card is for Donnie's mother. I chose that clip-art image because Karen has two children; Donnie and his younger sister, Melissa. The background paper is from DCWVs Old Word Stack. Unfortunately, I got the script background at a show a few years ago and have forgotten the name of the company. I am so please with the colors and the way it came out.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-10T21:06:00.003-04:00

The woman in the post below, is my boyfriend's grandmother, Tessie. There hasn't been much art goin' on here since she passed away, but I did have several Mother's Day cards to crank out, so here they are:

Rest In Peace - Maria Theresa Calma

2008-04-16T23:36:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Mum!

2008-04-10T21:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was my mother's 71st birthay. This is the card that I made her using a picture from her 6th birthday party. I wanted to use the original picture, so I used photo corners to mount it safely and that led me to the black and white theme. Then I couldn't resist adding some color with the paper flowers I just bought last weekend.

These earings were one of her gifts. I thought I would share them because I bought them on etsy from one of the sellers I have listed over there on my sidebar, South Street Designs. She has beautiful stuff.

I've purchased a few things from Etsy shops lately, I'll have to post some pics soon.

Thank goodness its almost Friday!!

Two More Cards

2008-04-08T23:35:00.004-04:00

Bummer! I made these two cards for the order I've been working on and then realized that I used Hero Arts stamps in the first card and an Art Impressions stamp in the second and cannot sell them. Art Impressions is an Angel Company but you are required to send a written request if you wish to sell work with their stamps and I just don't have the time. But that's ok, I like to have a stash of these cards on hand for myself and it needed to be stocked up again.

The bird, birdcage and eggs in the first card are from Oxford Impressions. The flourishes are from Autumn Leaves. Most of the text is computer generated except for the word fly which uses a Hero Arts alphabet.

I made the background of the second card by applying distress and dye ink pads to a craft sheet, misting with water and then smooshing the cardstock around in it, sometimes drying with a heat gun between colors, sometimes not. I had been playing with Perfect Pearls earlier in the day and some of that also ended up in the background which gave it some subtle sparkle that you can't see in the scan. The hot air balloon stamp is from PSX, the sentiment is from Oxford Impressions and the trees are from Art Impressions.

Getting There...

2008-04-07T09:48:00.004-04:00

Here are two more recovery cards. The first I made from an image for an old challenge on Stampers Corner. That will not be included in the order because I have no idea where the image came from, so I'll save it to give away myself. The other elements on the card include scans of some ephemera that I picked up on eBay; a matchbook cover and maps. The stamp is from Stampers Anonymous (ironically enough!).

The southwestern card uses a Kokopelli stamp from PSX, a lizard from Rubber Poet and southwest pottery from Magenta. The text is computer generated.

There were two other cards, but I realized after finishing them, that I had used stamps on two of them from companies that are not Angel companies - oh, well, I was running low on cards to give away myself, so I'll have them for that and I'll share them in my next post.

Another Fornasetti Card

2008-04-06T10:11:00.003-04:00

That was easy! Well, these were pieces left on the table after the last card along with some paper flowers that I just bought yesterday. I let it sit overnight and then realized (duh!) that it would be perfect with this sentiment. The Fornasetti image is from Hampton Art Stamps and the sentiment is from Moon Rose, both by Diana Kovacs.

Getting My Ducks In A Row

2008-04-06T00:32:00.005-04:00

I have so many projects that I'm dying to work on, but before I do, there are some other things I must get done. First and foremost is an order for 8 cards that I mentioned in an earlier post. They are for people in recovery from addiction. This is a very simple layout, but the background paper, handmade in India, is so striking that it really didn't need any embellishment.

I felt the sentiment also needed to be inside. It is a quote from Rabindranath Tagore, a philosopher, poet and Nobel laureate from Calcutta. It says, "I slept and I dreamt that life was all joy, I woke and I saw that life was but service, I served and understood that service is joy."

Here's The Rest...

2008-04-01T22:34:00.003-04:00

Here is the rest of the album. I knew what I would do for the cover as soon as I had the blank book in my hands. He's a pip, but the camera just loves him. There were many pictures that I wanted to use but didn't have room for, I could practically cover the walls of my studio if I framed them all. Overall, I'm really pleased with my first foray into scrapping. It really isn't all that diffrent from a card layout. I just let the images tell their own story and used what I had on hand to do the rest. Thank goodness I have plenty of supplies!! And people don't understand the crafters hoarding instict :-). Hope you enjoy it. The footprint stamps are from Sunday International, the stamps used in the winter backgrounds are from the Winter Night Sky set from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and the Let It Snow sentiment is from Stampendous.

Chipboard Album

2008-03-22T07:58:00.002-04:00

Here are the first two pages of a chipboard album I am making my boyfriend for Easter. I picked this up at our local scrapbooking store last weekend and knew immediately what I would do with it. This album will be all about DJ, our 14-month old Basenji. I love this dog, but Don is totally in love with him. I really hope he likes it!

These pictures were taken last summer off of Jones Beach on Long Island when DJ was 6 months old.

Easter Card

2008-03-21T22:31:00.004-04:00

As usual, I was too busy during the week to make anything that didn't absolutely have to get done. One thing I did have to do was make the card for the Monday Mailer on Stampers' Corner. I was so happy with it that I decided to make it my Easter card (at least as long as the green background paper holds out). The egg stamp is from Oxford Impressions, the sentiment is cu out from a larger image from Stampendous and the butterfly and birds are from a sheet of stamps that came from Stampington when I ordered a three-year subscription to Stampers' Sampler.

Stephen D Matthews -- April 20, 1936 - March 16, 2005

2008-03-16T21:11:00.008-04:00

I made this ATC with a picture of my father who passed away three years ago today. Unfortunately, the scan of the picture is a bit fuzzy because of the dimentional element but it still makes the laughter just bubble up inside of me. Love you, Dad. The sequin waste stamp is from Inka Stamps and the key is from Rubber Stampede. The text is computer generated.

Many More 24s

2008-03-15T20:36:00.004-04:00

I spent today playing with some new techniques (one of them was the backround used by Tim Holtz here) and working on some submissions for Somerset Studio's Vintage Halloween theme. I had many ideas dancing around in my head, but in the end I settled for sending three cards. The deadline is not until April 15th but I have to get going on some other projects. One of them is an order for eight cards for people celebrating anniversaries in recovery from alcoholism. The main image is from Just for Fun and the corner stamps are from Stampington. The background paper is from DCWV's Old World stack. Inside is a custom stamp that I had made a few years ago which says "Many More 24s", as in 24 hours, since that is how it is done - One Day At a Time.

How Do I Look?

2008-03-09T14:09:00.003-04:00

Still having fun with these retro images. The way she is looking over her shoulder, I could just imagine that this is what she was thinking.

Skinny Saturday - Monday's Child

2008-03-09T13:09:00.004-04:00

Finally! I have had time to complete a challenge from one of the many challenge sites that I visit regularly and I am ready to share this blog with others. The theme this week on Skinny Saturday is the poem, Monday's Child. Since I was born on a Tuesday, I went with Grace. When I was looking for images, I was thinking ballerina, but came across some 50's images. I started thinking about those impossibly graceful women, the June Cleaver type, who were expected to cook and clean in a string of pearls and a pair of high heels. As a child of the late 60's, I don't know how acurate that portrayal really is, but from the vintage advertising I've seen, I know that this was certainly the ideal portrayed in the media. Anyway, this skinny, one of my first, is my take on that. Hope you enjoy and welcome!

ATC Fun

2008-03-08T17:55:00.002-05:00

One of these days I'm going to find time to do a challenge and get this blog linked to the world. In the meantime, I took a great ATC class last night. Well, it was more playtime than class, but I had a lot of fun and made these ATCs.

A Whiff of SPRING

2008-02-27T12:23:00.003-05:00

OK, I realize its only been about three weeks since the Groundhogs all saw their shadows, but spring is definitely in the air - today is the first game of the Mets' spring training!! Who hoo! OK, its a bit strange to be so excited about exhibition games, but I am having serious baseball withdrawal. Oh, if I could only be there! Finally, its getting lighter out earlier and later in the day (the thing I miss most during winter) and baseball is here. I even heard some spring birds chirping and singing while I was out walking the dog on Monday morning. TGIS - Thank Goodness It's Spring!!

Play Day

2008-02-24T19:01:00.005-05:00

Finally! A day in the studio - it has been so long since I've made more than just a quick card. This ATC was made using the Oil Pastel Gesso technique from the latest Technique Junkies newsletter. I played with that technique all day. It started with the two cards I made today to submit to Somerset Studio for their Vintage Halloween theme in the fall. I can't believe it's Halloween time already - even in magazine-land! I also managed to use it for my entry into the card lottery on Stamper's Corner and was hoping to crank out a skinny with it for Skinny Saturday, but I've run out of time. Maybe later in the week!

Snow Day!

2008-02-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

Well, almost. Late opening and early dismissal from work today! Yay! That almost makes up for getting sick over the last three-day weekend until Memorial Day. If I can get the mess in here taken care of and get most of the regular housekeeping done this afternoon, I can play all day on Sunday. Whoo hoo!!

Virus Attacks!

2008-02-19T14:42:00.000-05:00

Well, now I know why I wasn't getting much done this weekend. Late Sunday night I started to feel nauseous then I got the most violent chills - ugh - all night long. Now, I'm just weak and tired. But I did have to get one card done for the Monday Mailer I'm in for Stampers' Corner. It was already late since I did not plan for the long weekend. The scan is a bit fuzzy because of the dimensional elements. The stamps are from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and Inkadinkadoo and the image is from Enchanted Mercantile. Back to bed!

Relaxing Sunday

2008-02-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

Well, it was supposed to be anyway! My plan for this three-day weekend was to clean yesterday, relax with my boyfriend today and spend the day in my craft room tomorrow. Ha! So far, I am way off track. But, its all good. As long as the apartment is in decent shape today and I get some quality time crafting tomorrow, I'll be happy.

So, even though I haven't shared this blog with anyone yet, I have a feeling I'll be taking that plunge soon, so I thought I would post some art. I made this skinny last weekend with some things that were laying around on my work surface and just went so perfectly together. It's my first skinny.

Post Number One

2007-10-14T09:42:00.004-04:00

Welcome!

How did this happen??

I was posting a comment to Debi Wind's blog and somehow I ended up creating an ID on google an the next thing I knew I was blogging. Whatdya know? Me? But I've actually been thinking about doing this for a few months now. The blogs that I love to visit are full of connections between artists that have come about only because of blogging. I love the idea of meeting other people and other artists from around the world. And so, here it is, my blog. When will I be brave enough to share it? We'll see. For now, it will be my journal, and sometime soon we will see where else it can lead.