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. :)

Private Swap ATCs

I was invited to do a private swap with someone who said she had missed out on some of the swaps I hosted and would like to try some.  So, we set it up and I made the following two ATCs for her.

I used some metallic cardstock and strips from a scrap of some watercolor paper I had painted with pale blues and white twinks.  I had hoped to use them for punching snowflakes for Christmas cards, but the paper was too tough and thick to go in the punch.  I was disappointed, but not thwarted...

This second one was on corrugated, which was the other "theme" she was interested in.  It has washi tape on it, too. :)

Junk Yard Dog ATC

Every once in a while--a lot more frequently than I like!--I get caught off-guard and discover late in the game that I have two partners instead of one for a swap.  That happened today, and I made another dog ATC with washi tape for the second partner.

He is the junk yard dog. :)  There is a lot of junk in the yard, too!  bikes, camera, bricks, a hammer, guitar, scissors and a couple of bugs--a lady bug and a butterfly.  The dog has a pretty cool looking brick house, and a bird to keep him in line. :)

Busy Girl!

I have been a busy girl today!  The new theme was announced yesterday for my Facebook Mixed Media ATC Artists group, and as is my usual, I wanted to jump in and see if I could come up with anything I liked before I committed.  I was also admitted into a small group of advanced ATC artists on SwapBot, and I signed up for a swap or two there as well.  Then, when partners were assigned this morning for a swap I had already made an ATC for, I read my partner's profile and she didn't like rainbow colors, so I made a different one for her. I should learn to wait until partners are assigned, but I am just so impatient!!

This is the first one I did for the FB group.  It's called, Left Brain Meets Right Brain.  It is slightly biographical in nature, as my husband is most assuredly a left brain dominated man and I tend toward the right. The book page features a very complex geometric proof.  I added the graph and measuring tape washi tapes to represent that left side-analytical part of the group.  The colors are not really covering the text, but it is hard to tell in the photo.  To the left brain, the willy-nilly placement of the colors would be unsettling.  I say it's good for 'em. :)

The second one is from a reading primer dated 1968:

If not for the glare you could tell it says, "Good Junk needed."  This is called, "Good Junk makes the Best Art."  'struth.

Next up is one I sent out today but made awhile ago and forgot to photograph. It is another Christmas on sheet music swap, this one features snowflakes.

I used Twinkling H2O watercolors on the background, gradating from blue at the top to more green as it went down.  The blue at the top has more of a silver sheen to it, the green more gold.  The photo really doesn't do it justice.  I used Liquid Pearl white to make the snow bank at the bottom, then added a bit of white stickles glitter-glue to it for more depth.  I also added white stickles to the tree, but a different color around the edges.  Finally, I affixed the little silver charms I have had in my stash for ... let's just say a number of years.  :)

Next up is another book page; I actually thought about using it for the FB swap, but changed my mind and am using it for the advanced ATC group instead.

This one is called "Don't Cry, Polly!"  I don't know if you can see the dog's tongue licking away her tears or not.  It was a black and white illustration, and I colored it with markers, then added highlights with some stickles and liquid pearls, and highlighted the dog's nose and eyes, and Polly's shoes with some glossy accents. Of course I had to add a bit of washi tape to it--the little bird on the fence is from a very carefully cut piece of tape!

This last one is the new Postage Stamp ATC for a group swap.  The partner loves quilting and one of her favorite things is seeing quilts on a clothesline.  This one is on watercolor paper, and I painted the background, blues and the foreground greens.  I also painted the little sunflowers to the far right.  The fence and other little flowers, as well as the bird and clothes pins are all washi tape. :)  The stamps fit perfectly on the line.

That's what I have been working on today!  Elizabeth photocopied some of my art journal pages, and I am going to use them to make some little postalettes to send to a couple of pen-pals.  I am kind of glad I didn't get any mail today or I would be further behind!

Other crafts Update

Here is a bit of my mail art.  I made more envelopes from a chiptole bag, and I turned a big window envelope inside out, decorated it with Washi Tape, and it's ready to be used again. The others are for sending out swaps and letters.

This is the earring holder Ornery and I have been working on for our daughter for Christmas.  I have since painted all sorts of weird stuff on the frame, but this is the tame version. :)

Catching Up ATCs

For a swap I hosted called Glimmering ATC I had made a different one then the partner said on her profile she didn't like orange so I had to make another.  She liked this one. :)

For an upcoming swap in a group for an ATC with a postage stamp. Background is fabric I gleaned from an incoming bit of mail.  I love mail art! :)

I haven't decided what swap this will go for.  If I can figure out a way to add some fibers, I may use it for a group swap I am hosting called, "String me along"  I like it as it is, though, so I may use it for a free theme swap sometime.

This is all washi tape except the dog, little screw brads and the for sale sign. It is for a Group Swap called ATC challenge, or something like that.  Needed to use a dog, a brad, washi tape and a bird. Nailed it. :)

Mail Art

I spent most of my day today in the studio restocking things--ATC backs and cardboard cut to size for stiffening those, and then making more of the little decorated glassine envelopes.  After lunch I wrote a couple of letters on my washi tape enhanced ledger sheet and graph paper stationary.

When I looked in my drawer for a fun envelope to put the letters in, I came up empty handed, so I got out a very old map of the Tulsa area and made a few envelopes out of it.

Of course they are also Washi-enhanced. :)

Bug Jar ATC

This is the second ATC for the swap "Something Orange"  It is called, "Bug Jar."  The color is just really off on the tablet, and even after adjusting the tint and saturation it is still sort of funky.  At any rate, you can see the main idea.  I used a new stamp by Amy Tangerine for the jar, and my little bug stamp on a scrap of paper I had used my twinks on.  I layered it by stamping the jar on velum first, then on clear transparency film.  I cut both out and colored on the velum with a gold sharpie marker to make the lid the right color.  When the transparency was put over the bugs and gold lid, the markings of the jar stood out better. There is a book page behind, and another bit of the corrugated I used on the last ATC I made.

Something Orange

Most of the rest of the group has been making Halloween themed ATCs and I hesitated to join the swap because of that, but a little peer pressure and a note from the host saying she would be sure I didn't get a couple of witches in the mail and I decided to join.  Here is my first one:  Peace on Recycled

Ornery was going through some of his stuff over the weekend and he kept bringing me stuff--old credit cards, corrugated paper, little bags of some sort of cushioned material used for packing... I had to try some of it on a project, so that is where the background came from.  The theme of the swap is something orange, and I also wanted to use my new polka dot stencil on something.

New Directions

Today I did two ATCs and both were styles I have never done before.  The first one is for a swap with someone who had a brand new in the box Barbie for trade, and when I asked what she wanted to swap for it she read my profile and said she would like an embroidered ATC.  I haven't done much embroidery lately, and my first attempt was a colossal failure.  The second round I "cheated" a little and used some crocheted flowers.  There is embroidery on there, and the flowers were hand made, just not by me.  I am not a good hooker. :)

Embroidery on an ATC

How does your garden grow?

The second one is my first attempt at free hand drawing then painting it.  The theme for this ATC swap is gardening.  I figured since this plant has been in every garden I have ever had, it was appropriate.  It is next to the little bag I will send it in. I just love putting them in those cute little washi-taped bags!! :)

A Few Little Projects

Ornery has kindly loaned me his tablet so I can post pictures to Instagram again, and email them to myself--until my data plan renews, this is my only way to do so unless I drag out the big camera and download them that way.  Anyway, here are a few projects I have finished in the last couple of days.

Washi Tape Cat--a little on the order of Picaso style, or gradeschool, one or the other. :P

Collage Post card with certain elements required. The back is actually cuter.

Mixed Media Shimmery ATC

Along for the Ride

I don't think the colors came out right in any of the photos, but you can get the gist of it anyway.

Mouse Trap Memo Clip

This is for a private swap with the person who tried to host a group swap for these cute memo holders but didn't have enough interest.  I was in it but dropped out because I was overwhelmed with other things at the time, so I offered to do a private swap with her and she agreed.  We chose the theme as "Belated: As Silly As Possible.  I don't know if she will think this is silly, but I did add googly eyes and a mustache. :)

Seasonal ATCs

I have been working on this first ATC for three days.  I think it is finally finished.  It is another of the series Christmas ATCs with sheet music backgrounds.  I had actually forgotten that I had to have sheet music for this until after I had already painted the corrugated paper and punched out the tree.  I loved the background paper I selected, so was loathe to cover it all up with sheet music!  A compromise was to cover 1/2 of it and add some sheet music trees also in the background.

The beading took longer than I thought to apply.  I had to wait for each bit of glue to dry before I could move on to another section, otherwise it just kept popping off the paper.

This next one is Sticker Free ATC: Pumpkin.  I just couldn't help myself.  I had to weave that variety of orange paper for the background!  Then I framed it in Washi tape and added the pumpkin which reminds me of those huge red-orange pumpkins we find at the farmers market around this time of year. 

I keep looking at it thinking I might need to add more, but for now, it is done enough.

Catching up

I have been busy.  Yesterday I crafted from early until late.  I decorated the little glassine envelopes above for some ATCs to go in for swaps...and all these ATCs.

Black and White with a Heart on it.  Still weaving. :)

Washi Tape ATC for a Pen friend

ATC with a Quote on it

For this one I used some old mulberry paper leaves I unearthed while looking for something else. :)

This set is made from all the little bits and pieces I had on my table.  Washi tape, handmade papers, negative punched images, pieces of doily and various fun textured papers including some Braille punched paper that a fellow artist sent me.  I painted it with twinks because you can never have too much shimmer, and then put a flower on it for a swap called, ATC with a flower.  :)