Moving Sites

As you know there is always a lot of work involved when you move, and I don't think moving blog sites is any less work than moving to a new home. I have decided to merge all my blogs into one, and am now posting here.  I would be delighted if you would like to follow along on the journey with my art, my garden and my life!  I won't be posting here any more, but I'll leave it up for a while--at least until I get my things moved over to the other site.

It isn't fully set up yet, and I have a lot more work to make it my "home" but at least it's up and running!  Thanks for dropping in!

Little House ATC

I feel like a fickle thing these days.  One day I am all set to swap up a storm, and the next, I withdraw and go a different direction.  This is an example of that.  I made this for a swap, then decided I didn't want to swap right now, and instead focus on reworking my studio.  I think my art is evolving into something new and different (which is not really anything new, as it has continued to do that from the start) and I need to rearrange some things, remove some clutter and start fresh. 

Christmas is coming soon, and I know I will have all sorts of cool supplies under the tree and in my stocking, so I need to make room for those, and that will mean there will be a big mess in the studio before it is all said and done.  I am even thinking about painting three walls to lighten it up in there.  So, this may be the last art posted for a few days/weeks, but I'll be back--and I plan to start some art journals when I get things situated, so that should be fun!

A few recent projects.

I have been busy, but not just with my art.  I have decorated for Christmas, bought and wrapped most of my presents, and helped my daughter with a collaborative project. 

Here are a few photos of my recent projects;

The paper is black, although my pictures don't show that.  Actually all the color is off! :(

This one also has a black background, and the green shows more true to color.  It is supposed to be the same in both pictures, as they are both from the same paper!

I was very pleased with this little guy. :) 

This is is the start of several projects.  The postcard at the bottom is 5X7.

Testing the tablet

I haven't updated in a while because I haven't been on my laptop. Ornery got tired of sharing the tablet with me and bought another one. I don't know how well I will like the app for blogger so I am trying a test post.

There is going to be a learning curve, and I definitely want to add a keyboard. Anyway, here is a sampling of the things I've been working on.

Catching up! Lots of ATCs

This first ATC is for a swap called, "Use Your Crap" It has all sorts of goodies on it, the minimum requirement was ten items. I have that and then some. :)

This next one is possibly not finished, but since I haven't really figured out what else to do to it, I am posting it here for now.  If I was to pick a scripture to describe my thoughts while making this it would be James 1:2-4.  The idea is that adversity often reveals beauty.

Next up is a swap called, "Put a Bike On It".  I started with Braille paper, then I spritzed two colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer mist over a stencil, then used a smaller circle stencil and my stippling brush with some Mustard Seed Distress Ink.  I used Peeled Paint distress ink around the perimeter.  The bike is stamped onto a piece of transparency film, then I used clear embossing powder to heat emboss it.  I cut it out and mounted it over the mesh on the bottom.  In the bottom corner is a tiny piece of map.  The title is Uphill Ride.

The next one is for a swap called Book page with a Flower.  The book page is from a Russian/English dictionary.  I used twinks on it, then while it was still fairly wet, I put a piece of bubble wrap on it to give it the little circles.  The colors don't seem to be very vivid on my computer, but perhaps they will show up better for you.

This ATC is another group swap called Sheet Music with a Heart on it.  The music is Russian (I think) and came in a packet of foreign ephemera in a swap I did with a missionary in the Ukraine.

And finally we have the next Washi Critter:  Meet Blue Lips the Washi Fish.  :)  He has 15 patterns of Washi Tape and 12 different colors of stickles.  I am going to see if I can figure out a way to attach a hook for the hanger to look like a fish hook. :)

So, that's what I have been up to.  The last four of these I made today, actually.  I have been hard at it since 6:30 this morning. Next up, I need to make a head piece for Elizabeth's Steampunk Halloween costume. Just a couple more days till the Christmas gift projects start taking all my creative time.

Butterfly Net ATC

I used an envelope that came in the mail for the background, painted watercolor paper for the weaving, and corrugated scraps for the butterflies.  And of course a bit of washi tape. :)

Paper Weaving: Not for wusses

Over the last two days I have spent hours weaving paper.  Three hours is probably the exact number but who is counting... Well, I might be.  Anyway, here are the two ATCs that were so time consuming.  I sure hated to cover any of the weaving up!

This first one is for an Instagram friend who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.  (She doesn't like shimmer or glitter!  Can you imagine?!?)  The color is off, but I can't do anything about that now since it is already gone.  Anyway, the weaving is done with a book page which I grunged up a bit with some distress ink and stencils, and two other papers, a yellow grid, and a teal/blue colored weathered wood looking piece.  I used a piece of a dress pattern for the arrow.  It also has my now-signature piece of washi tape on it. :)

This is the next one after I finished weaving, before I added anything.  I thought it deserved its own spotlight. The papers I used to weave this were sheet music, hand-made metallic, and a piece of watercolor paper on which I had painted several shades of browns and golds. It is my best weaving yet, and I really hated to cover it up!!

So I compromised and just covered a couple corners (had to have a spot for that washi tape!) and added a wire sculpture of a tree.  All that copper is simply stunning in real life, and the photo doesn't begin to do it justice.  This one is going to an Instagram friend in Wales (I think--still waiting on her address). 

I have another swap to make for another IG friend, but she is in the US. She likes weaving, too.  Well, I like it, just starting to wonder about the time factor.  Seriously!!  Each of these backgrounds took 90 minutes.  That is a lot of time for a little 2.5X3.5 piece of art!  Larger strips are less time consuming, but they aren't nearly as pretty.  Looser weave, same thing--less time, not as stunning, although they are still pretty.  I am sure I am not finished with this style. And you can bet your sweet bippy I'll be adding more wire to my art. :)