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Monday, July 28, 2008
Alpha Stamp Fabric Cocktail Napkins
This week over at One Powerful Hour the challenge was "unfinished Projects" We were to work on them for about 45 minutes and then clean up.
Unfortunately this theme did not go over very well...I guess I am the only person with unfinished projects littering her work table. Oh well.
I decided to work on my Cocktail napkins for Alpha Stamps. A while back Leslie sent me these fabulous fabric collage sheets to "test" So far I have washed the images a couple different ways, tested iron temperatures, how to sew them and a few other fabric essentials. And let me tell you what...no matter what mistakes you make these Collage sheets live up to their fine name.
I made the mistake of washing one of the sheets before ironing/heat setting and they didn't even fade that much! Now that is amazing!
Okay back to the napkins. I decided to use 4 small images of different wine posters circa 1920s (???) They are very detailed and unfortunately that was lost with the photographs. The stamping is all done with a dark brown fabric ink.
Since the goal of One Powerful Hour was to get as much done in an hour as possible, I did not finish the napkins. I still need to sew them shut and I want to add a few seed beads in between the leaf pattern on the section of the napkin that will be used.
the first picture is what stage the napkins were in before I started the challenge. The second is where they were at the end of the hour and the third is a close up. I had a lot of fun with this challenge and feel like I accomplished a lot even though I am not finished with the napkins. I am sorry that more people didn't join. A lesson learned.
The upcoming theme this week is Christmas in July...I hope that you will join me for that this Thursday.
I hope you enjoy viewing my napkins...I can't wait till they are done so that I can "test" use them :)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Soul Journal Days 11 and 12
So these past two days have been dedicated to finishing up "Our House" It is funny how when I started this page that I was very reluctant and not pleased but I had an absolutely fabulous time adding my collage elements. Sarah actually told us not to add to many but I just could not stop.
Here was what she wanted us to do:
Today we are going to collage over some of our drawings. You can use patterned papers, tissue paper, dictionary paper, anything you can think of! Rip papers to fit windows, roofs, edges of buildings, etc. I attached mine with Matte gel over and under my papers but just use what you've got. Go over your outlines with a permanent ink pen.
My favorite thing that I did is the whole punched elements I added to the sky. All I did was dump my whole punch onto a glued section of my page and press down, once it dried I wiped away the extra scraps and this is what i was left with. I really love the texture it created and I couldn't wait to see what it would look like with paint over it, which is what we did on day 12.
I loved how Sarah painted her house but as I have said before this particular page is way out of my element so paining scared the begebies out of me. But I threw caution to the wind and added my color...
For the sky I mixed a blue acrylic paint with some blue pearl ex powder so the sky does shimmer a bit. I also put the paint on in swirls...I wanted the sky to look like it had some movement.
For the right had page I painted the buildings with a silver paint watered down. I pressed the paint with a paper towel so there is a bit of a pattern to the paint. It is really neat in real life.
And for "My House" I mixed some brown paints with a reddish toned pearl ex powder, I was hoping to get a brick color. It however did work and looked very flat so I hand drew some bricks with my brown sharpie and then sprayed the page with a gold glimmer mist and a walnut ink. It added a lot of depth which is what i was going for.
Unfortunately it was really hard to get a good close up, detailed photo of the paint effects. Here is the best one I could get. The flash on the camera really bounced off of my door which is made out of glossy paper with alcohol inks. But you can see the glimmer mist gold and some of the Walnut ink.
I had a lot of fun with this page. it is amazing how my feelings towards it changed over the days. I hope you enjoy!
Here was what she wanted us to do:
Today we are going to collage over some of our drawings. You can use patterned papers, tissue paper, dictionary paper, anything you can think of! Rip papers to fit windows, roofs, edges of buildings, etc. I attached mine with Matte gel over and under my papers but just use what you've got. Go over your outlines with a permanent ink pen.
My favorite thing that I did is the whole punched elements I added to the sky. All I did was dump my whole punch onto a glued section of my page and press down, once it dried I wiped away the extra scraps and this is what i was left with. I really love the texture it created and I couldn't wait to see what it would look like with paint over it, which is what we did on day 12.
I loved how Sarah painted her house but as I have said before this particular page is way out of my element so paining scared the begebies out of me. But I threw caution to the wind and added my color...
For the sky I mixed a blue acrylic paint with some blue pearl ex powder so the sky does shimmer a bit. I also put the paint on in swirls...I wanted the sky to look like it had some movement.
For the right had page I painted the buildings with a silver paint watered down. I pressed the paint with a paper towel so there is a bit of a pattern to the paint. It is really neat in real life.
And for "My House" I mixed some brown paints with a reddish toned pearl ex powder, I was hoping to get a brick color. It however did work and looked very flat so I hand drew some bricks with my brown sharpie and then sprayed the page with a gold glimmer mist and a walnut ink. It added a lot of depth which is what i was going for.
Unfortunately it was really hard to get a good close up, detailed photo of the paint effects. Here is the best one I could get. The flash on the camera really bounced off of my door which is made out of glossy paper with alcohol inks. But you can see the glimmer mist gold and some of the Walnut ink.
I had a lot of fun with this page. it is amazing how my feelings towards it changed over the days. I hope you enjoy!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Soul Journal Day 10
Today Sarah had us do the following:
Today we are going to recreate our home. This can be where you currently live or a home from your past where you felt happiest and safest.
So I grabbed my all purpose brown sharpie and went at it. I decided to go with a very basic house shape b/c drawing is not really my forte and on the right hand page I drew a city scene, mainly b/c I felt more comfortable with that type of drawing.
Next Sarah had us make a pocket out of a brown paper bag. I use brown paper bags all the time, mostly to wrap books that I am mailing but it looks like I may have a new use. Sarah briefly said she makes entire books out of paper bags...this intrigues me greatly...must look into it further.
And that was all for Day 10. She told us not to get to detailed in our drawing...thank goodness :)
Today we are going to recreate our home. This can be where you currently live or a home from your past where you felt happiest and safest.
So I grabbed my all purpose brown sharpie and went at it. I decided to go with a very basic house shape b/c drawing is not really my forte and on the right hand page I drew a city scene, mainly b/c I felt more comfortable with that type of drawing.
Next Sarah had us make a pocket out of a brown paper bag. I use brown paper bags all the time, mostly to wrap books that I am mailing but it looks like I may have a new use. Sarah briefly said she makes entire books out of paper bags...this intrigues me greatly...must look into it further.
And that was all for Day 10. She told us not to get to detailed in our drawing...thank goodness :)
3 x 3 Summer Collage Swap
Here is my latest work for another fabulous Lenna Andrews hosted swap...
Requirements: Make 6 Itty Bitty collages. They must be 3”x3” with a theme of summer. Create your Itty Bitty collages on card stock, art board, canvas board, mat board -- or use fabric if you prefer. Your collages should be fairly sturdy no matter which substrate you use as a base. The theme is SUMMER. Use images (or not) as you wish. Add paint, paper, and/or fabric. Embellishments including sewing, beading, metal and other embellishments are most welcome. This is a Mixed Media collage and anything goes!
To see the titles of the pieces and more detail please look at the slide below.
Requirements: Make 6 Itty Bitty collages. They must be 3”x3” with a theme of summer. Create your Itty Bitty collages on card stock, art board, canvas board, mat board -- or use fabric if you prefer. Your collages should be fairly sturdy no matter which substrate you use as a base. The theme is SUMMER. Use images (or not) as you wish. Add paint, paper, and/or fabric. Embellishments including sewing, beading, metal and other embellishments are most welcome. This is a Mixed Media collage and anything goes!
To see the titles of the pieces and more detail please look at the slide below.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Soul Journaling Day 9
Today Sarah had us go back and revisit the "Magazine Inchie" page.
She said we were going back because
The reason I am working back and forth is that nothing I ever do in this journal will ever really be what you may consider “Finished”. I want it to be constantly growing and changing. As new insights and ideas are awakened in me I want to be able to go back into my journal and add to it. Give yourself permission to take on another page or another 10 pages all at the same time.
She asked us to paint over the images with a lighter shade of paint. I selected a Lemonade yellow which ended up looking more like a cream. Unfortunately I wish I had not put any additional paint on my pages and just doodled, which was her next request.
When I picked up my marker to doodle I forgot that Sarah wanted us to do some specific things
Now grab a pen or marker and:
Write 8 words describing your pictures.
Circle one picture
Draw a messy square around four
Draw a dotted line around two
Draw a broken “stitch” line around one
Opps...but I like my doodling so I am all good with not following the instructions here...i let the page and my mood take me where it did.
Because I added sand to my acrylic paint days and days ago it was hard to write and doodle. i just had to let go of the neat look I normally go for and let the bumps in the paper take the marker where they did.
She said we were going back because
The reason I am working back and forth is that nothing I ever do in this journal will ever really be what you may consider “Finished”. I want it to be constantly growing and changing. As new insights and ideas are awakened in me I want to be able to go back into my journal and add to it. Give yourself permission to take on another page or another 10 pages all at the same time.
She asked us to paint over the images with a lighter shade of paint. I selected a Lemonade yellow which ended up looking more like a cream. Unfortunately I wish I had not put any additional paint on my pages and just doodled, which was her next request.
When I picked up my marker to doodle I forgot that Sarah wanted us to do some specific things
Now grab a pen or marker and:
Write 8 words describing your pictures.
Circle one picture
Draw a messy square around four
Draw a dotted line around two
Draw a broken “stitch” line around one
Opps...but I like my doodling so I am all good with not following the instructions here...i let the page and my mood take me where it did.
Because I added sand to my acrylic paint days and days ago it was hard to write and doodle. i just had to let go of the neat look I normally go for and let the bumps in the paper take the marker where they did.
Let's Go Fly a Kite
The challenge this past Sunday over at Gothic Arches is:
This week our theme is “Handwriting” which was selected by our hostess Dymphie. Use your own handwriting on the arch, paint a few letters, calligraph a quote (i would looooove to see that). I don’t like my own handwriting very much, but i like to use it in my art-work, it seems more my own when i do so.
We want to see your handwriting on your arches this week!
We want to see your handwriting on your arches this week!
You can see more of Dymphie’s beautiful artwork on her blog:http://papierenavonturen.blogspot.com/
At First I said "NO WAY" I use stamps I can't do that. But then after working on my Soul Journal I realized that I can and that adding my own touches, be them my handwriting or just some doodling, really makes me feel good.
So, here is my Gothic Arch with handwritin. I copied down the words to "Let's go Fly a Kite" Also, I made the kites without any stamps. This is my very first piece of art that dosn't have collage images or stamps used and I am very pleased with it.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Soul Journal Day 7 and 8
Well, Day 7 was a ruff one for me...underneath all the tape you see Sarah had us do the following...
Get comfortable, take some deep breathes, clear your mind and then fill at least both pages with the prompt “I forgot to tell you…”Be as honest and open as you can knowing that we are going to cover this up and no one will ever read it. If you get stuck rewrite your prompt “I forgot to tell you…”
Before I was done writing I was crying...life can sometimes come crashing down on you and you can hold it in and then given the right prompt it can explode out of you...and that is exactly what happened.
Before Day 7 was over we covered our writing with Tape. I used a few different kinds, a metal tape, Duct tape that looks like camouflage, masking tape and two different fabric tapes, the black on with numbers and then a jungle one with leopard print and flowers all over it.
I also did not cover all of my writing. I wanted the prompt Sarah gave us to show through so there is no tape over "I forgot to tell you"
Day 8 was all about dressing up the tape. We started by sanding the tape in all different directions...this was to help the paint stick.
Next we dry brushed Gesso on...and guess what, this time I had Gesso to use. So this is my first time using my Gesso I thought I used a good amount it did cover the non fabric tapes well. I think the fabric tape actually absorbed or repelled it...I'm not 100% sure.
Oh, before I started painting I circled the prompt from yesterday to it stands out a bit more.
After the Gesso dried we sanded again and then used acrylic paint to paint over all the pages. I found two red paints that were fairly close in color and once again the fabric tapes resisted or absorbed the paint.
Before finishing I sanded one last time to bring out more of the silver tape.
NOTE: If you are going to use a fabric tape be very careful when sanding, the sand paper catches the edges and pulls up the tape very easily.
this is a close up of two of the fabric tapes. there is masking tape slightly above the number 1. See how much more paint covered it. I promise I used the same amount of paint everywhere.
As homework Sarah wanted us to press a flower. Well, it is just to darn hot here for flowers. The only one i could find is a gigantic magnolia blossom that looks like it has seen better day's, I hope it works. I had to cut a lot of it off in order to get it to lay flat. I guess only tomorrow will tell.
Get comfortable, take some deep breathes, clear your mind and then fill at least both pages with the prompt “I forgot to tell you…”Be as honest and open as you can knowing that we are going to cover this up and no one will ever read it. If you get stuck rewrite your prompt “I forgot to tell you…”
Before I was done writing I was crying...life can sometimes come crashing down on you and you can hold it in and then given the right prompt it can explode out of you...and that is exactly what happened.
Before Day 7 was over we covered our writing with Tape. I used a few different kinds, a metal tape, Duct tape that looks like camouflage, masking tape and two different fabric tapes, the black on with numbers and then a jungle one with leopard print and flowers all over it.
I also did not cover all of my writing. I wanted the prompt Sarah gave us to show through so there is no tape over "I forgot to tell you"
Day 8 was all about dressing up the tape. We started by sanding the tape in all different directions...this was to help the paint stick.
Next we dry brushed Gesso on...and guess what, this time I had Gesso to use. So this is my first time using my Gesso I thought I used a good amount it did cover the non fabric tapes well. I think the fabric tape actually absorbed or repelled it...I'm not 100% sure.
Oh, before I started painting I circled the prompt from yesterday to it stands out a bit more.
After the Gesso dried we sanded again and then used acrylic paint to paint over all the pages. I found two red paints that were fairly close in color and once again the fabric tapes resisted or absorbed the paint.
Before finishing I sanded one last time to bring out more of the silver tape.
NOTE: If you are going to use a fabric tape be very careful when sanding, the sand paper catches the edges and pulls up the tape very easily.
this is a close up of two of the fabric tapes. there is masking tape slightly above the number 1. See how much more paint covered it. I promise I used the same amount of paint everywhere.
As homework Sarah wanted us to press a flower. Well, it is just to darn hot here for flowers. The only one i could find is a gigantic magnolia blossom that looks like it has seen better day's, I hope it works. I had to cut a lot of it off in order to get it to lay flat. I guess only tomorrow will tell.
Triangle ATC
Sometimes going to the mailbox is just such a joy. Yesterday I received these fabulous triangle ATC's for a swap. HERE are the ones that I sent.
From Left to Right.
Mandy's this one is much brighter in person. I'm not sure what kind of paint she used but it is very flat and has a chalky feel to it. I love how bright it is looking at it makes me smile as big as the little girl is.
Caz's this girl has layer on top of layer on top of layer. I think it is all built on book print then stamped with various flourishes and diamond stamps. The woman I think is part of a larger stamp and has been cut, painted and mounted. The gold wings are just a perfect touch. I can look at this one and try to figure out how she layered it forever!
Donna's is some sort of background paper covered with paint (maybe gesso) Then she layered her darling little girl and stenciled on the red dots. The words giggle and often are highlighted with hand drawn squares around them.
I just love these swap pieces! They are already in my Coffee Table ATC book so that all can see their fabulous pieces!
Thanks ladies!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Soul Journaling Day 6
Today Sarah had us do the following:
Today we are going to cut our magazine images out to be small squares. Don’t get caught up with the perfect measurement but they should be approximately 1x1”. If you want to you can measure the first one to get an idea of size but eyeball the rest. OK? :)
Now to attach your squares to your page. Use a grid pattern arranging the images in any order that you like. If your journal is small you may not use them all. If your journal is big you may have more white space and want to add a few more squares. I am going to attach mine using matte medium under and over the images to protect them. If you don’t have matte medium, you can use any glue you have handy.
You will be amazed how beautiful these tiny random images start to become as you place them on a page together. Do you see any themes happening? Do you see any stories? Play with the arrangement and see how themes can change.
I had a really hard time free handing the 1 x 1 squares...mainly because I spent years and years working with very precise measurements. But I think I let go quite well for me at least. I cut out a 1 x 1 inch square and put that over the portion of the images I wanted to use and marked the corners then I cut as close to those markers as possible. If I had not been instructed to "be free" I would have pulled out my exacto blade and my clear ruler and gotten them all perfect.
since "free" was kinda the theme today...at least that is how I viewed it. I decided that perfect grids would be boring and I put a few of my squares catywompus. I selected the flower and a favorite color to catywompafy.
I thought when I was cutting them out that I would end up just putting them in order but I did start to play with the arrangements and all but one of the rows I made has a theme.
left hand page
Row 1: Body Parts
Row 2: Squares with writing on them, this includes #13 something I want, #7 something exotic and #3 a chair. My something exotic was a mother of pearl necklace with calligraphy on it
Row 3: Nature Items, this includes #8 a leaf, #11 a flower and #2 something beautiful which was a bird cage being used as a flower holder.
Row 4: My no theme row but he number I chose I did put in the #12 spot
Right hand page
Row 1: Animals, this includes #23 a butterfly which I replaced with a dragonfly, #14 something you own and #12 a bird...this is my favorite image
Row 2: Things that are red, this includes #6 something comfortable, flip flops, #9 a color you love and #4 something red
Row 3: This is all the letters R, A and T
Row 4: Things that are blue, this includes #17 something that tastes good, #5 something blue and #10 a pattern.
The final image is our homework, she wanted us to find all the tape we could that was not clear. I am waiting for DH to get home to tell me where he hides all his colored electrical tape...I know he has it after all he is an Electrical Engineer...
Today we are going to cut our magazine images out to be small squares. Don’t get caught up with the perfect measurement but they should be approximately 1x1”. If you want to you can measure the first one to get an idea of size but eyeball the rest. OK? :)
Now to attach your squares to your page. Use a grid pattern arranging the images in any order that you like. If your journal is small you may not use them all. If your journal is big you may have more white space and want to add a few more squares. I am going to attach mine using matte medium under and over the images to protect them. If you don’t have matte medium, you can use any glue you have handy.
You will be amazed how beautiful these tiny random images start to become as you place them on a page together. Do you see any themes happening? Do you see any stories? Play with the arrangement and see how themes can change.
I had a really hard time free handing the 1 x 1 squares...mainly because I spent years and years working with very precise measurements. But I think I let go quite well for me at least. I cut out a 1 x 1 inch square and put that over the portion of the images I wanted to use and marked the corners then I cut as close to those markers as possible. If I had not been instructed to "be free" I would have pulled out my exacto blade and my clear ruler and gotten them all perfect.
since "free" was kinda the theme today...at least that is how I viewed it. I decided that perfect grids would be boring and I put a few of my squares catywompus. I selected the flower and a favorite color to catywompafy.
I thought when I was cutting them out that I would end up just putting them in order but I did start to play with the arrangements and all but one of the rows I made has a theme.
left hand page
Row 1: Body Parts
Row 2: Squares with writing on them, this includes #13 something I want, #7 something exotic and #3 a chair. My something exotic was a mother of pearl necklace with calligraphy on it
Row 3: Nature Items, this includes #8 a leaf, #11 a flower and #2 something beautiful which was a bird cage being used as a flower holder.
Row 4: My no theme row but he number I chose I did put in the #12 spot
Right hand page
Row 1: Animals, this includes #23 a butterfly which I replaced with a dragonfly, #14 something you own and #12 a bird...this is my favorite image
Row 2: Things that are red, this includes #6 something comfortable, flip flops, #9 a color you love and #4 something red
Row 3: This is all the letters R, A and T
Row 4: Things that are blue, this includes #17 something that tastes good, #5 something blue and #10 a pattern.
The final image is our homework, she wanted us to find all the tape we could that was not clear. I am waiting for DH to get home to tell me where he hides all his colored electrical tape...I know he has it after all he is an Electrical Engineer...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Soul Journaling Day 5
Today's soul Journal project was a two part er...
First Sarah had us:
I want you to do a light wash of a darker color of Acrylic paint over both pages. To do a wash just add water to your paints. I have done mine here in dark brown (AKA Raw Umber) but you may want to use dark purple, black, dark blue, etc.
I thought about doing the dark brown because Sarah's turned out so lovely but I am more partial to green so I selected a Deep Forest Green.
I did learn a hard lesson though. My color wash leaked through to some of my other pages because I have a "holy" journal. it got all over my Soul Armor page. I am okay with it...Athena is just a little bit green it made her look like moss has been growing on her for a bit. It did however mess up the flowers I had printed out on the photo paper. I think I can fix it but i am going to wait until it is all dry.
Here are my pages color washed before I dabbed them with a dry paper towel. See below for a photo of them dabbed.
Our Second task was to rip out magazine pages with the following images on the. we were not suppose to be concerned with size, just as long as we liked something about the image.
1.A smile
2.Something beautiful
3. a chair
4. something red
5. something blue
6. something comfortable
7. something exotic
8. a leaf
9. a color you love
10. a pattern
11. a flower
12. a bird
13. something you want
14. something you own
15. the letter R
16 something that smells good
17. something that tastes good
18. A circle
19. the letter A
20. An eye that’s the same color as yours
21. a hand
22. the letter T
23. a butterfly
24. a number
I think I found everything but the butterfly which i replaced with a dragon fly...kinda the same thing...I can't wait to see what we are doing with these images.
Some of my torn pages can be seen behind my color washed journal pages. can you guess what goes with what???
First Sarah had us:
I want you to do a light wash of a darker color of Acrylic paint over both pages. To do a wash just add water to your paints. I have done mine here in dark brown (AKA Raw Umber) but you may want to use dark purple, black, dark blue, etc.
I thought about doing the dark brown because Sarah's turned out so lovely but I am more partial to green so I selected a Deep Forest Green.
I did learn a hard lesson though. My color wash leaked through to some of my other pages because I have a "holy" journal. it got all over my Soul Armor page. I am okay with it...Athena is just a little bit green it made her look like moss has been growing on her for a bit. It did however mess up the flowers I had printed out on the photo paper. I think I can fix it but i am going to wait until it is all dry.
Here are my pages color washed before I dabbed them with a dry paper towel. See below for a photo of them dabbed.
Our Second task was to rip out magazine pages with the following images on the. we were not suppose to be concerned with size, just as long as we liked something about the image.
1.A smile
2.Something beautiful
3. a chair
4. something red
5. something blue
6. something comfortable
7. something exotic
8. a leaf
9. a color you love
10. a pattern
11. a flower
12. a bird
13. something you want
14. something you own
15. the letter R
16 something that smells good
17. something that tastes good
18. A circle
19. the letter A
20. An eye that’s the same color as yours
21. a hand
22. the letter T
23. a butterfly
24. a number
I think I found everything but the butterfly which i replaced with a dragon fly...kinda the same thing...I can't wait to see what we are doing with these images.
Some of my torn pages can be seen behind my color washed journal pages. can you guess what goes with what???
Love Nest
Theme Thursday's Challenge today is:
This week’s theme is “hearts”! Use this theme in your creation this week! Use collage images, photos, rubber stamps, fancy paper , embellishments or any other art supply to give your creation a ”heart” look. Add your art to your blog, then post a direct link under the comments! Please include a link to Theme Thursday on your blog! Have fun and make art!
I have these absolutely fabulous old post cards featuring different birds and their nests. So i decided to make a "Love Nest"
The post card is mounted on light green paper that I stamped script all over. The Heart is embossed onto a mixed color background paper and then i wrapped it with some fibber that reminds me of the texture of a birds nest. The word Love is embossed in the same powder as the heart. The small hearts in the upper and lower corner are meant to make the postcard look like a playing card.
I hope you enjoy and please stop by One Powerful Hour...the theme this week is Fashion.
This week’s theme is “hearts”! Use this theme in your creation this week! Use collage images, photos, rubber stamps, fancy paper , embellishments or any other art supply to give your creation a ”heart” look. Add your art to your blog, then post a direct link under the comments! Please include a link to Theme Thursday on your blog! Have fun and make art!
I have these absolutely fabulous old post cards featuring different birds and their nests. So i decided to make a "Love Nest"
The post card is mounted on light green paper that I stamped script all over. The Heart is embossed onto a mixed color background paper and then i wrapped it with some fibber that reminds me of the texture of a birds nest. The word Love is embossed in the same powder as the heart. The small hearts in the upper and lower corner are meant to make the postcard look like a playing card.
I hope you enjoy and please stop by One Powerful Hour...the theme this week is Fashion.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Soul Journal Day 3/4
Sarah wanted to give some of us a chance to catch up and to really think about her next task. So day 3 and 4 were dedicated to
Critiques and how do we protect our Creative Soul?
The questions that she prompted us with were:
"I want you to think about what you need to protect and nourish your creative spirit. Think about the things that sustain you. What’s needed to shield you from outside criticism and your inner critic?"
Sarah selected a fabulous coat of armor as her pictorial protection for her creative soul. I have always loved Greek/Roman mythology so the Goddess Athena instantly came to mind. She is the goddess of Wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. all things that in my opinion I have at some level and that need protection from critiques.
But Athena is just my guard. I need a place to go to when I am feeling uneasy and ridiculed, and what embodies imagination, beauty, culture, music, colors and many other things that I love more than a Secret Garden.
So my Armor is the wall to my Secret Garden but walls were meant to be broken down and that is why I have Athena...to watch over my walls as they are bombarded by the outside world.
The only rule that Sarah is enforcing on this particular journal page is that we must incorporate our answers to the above question in our art.
After much consideration I decided that I need constant growth in order to shield me from outside an dinner critics...if I feel like I am always learning and trying new things then I feel like I am always improving and there is no way anyone can look negatively on someone that is always striving to better themselves.
As to the question what I need when I am under siege...well I need a lot of things but they are mostly the typical answers. My Family and Friends, I need quiet/alone time to remember who I am, I have a passion for loosing myself in books so I must have time to read, above all I need the sanity that my imagination brings to this world and then there is always my Faith. Without these things I would not be who I am nor would I be able to face the hardships of everyday life.
I hand wrote my answers to these question around Athena in silver paint pen. And along the top of the page i silver embossed "Behind the Walls of my Secret Garden"
I hope that my armor holds up today. I am suppose to find out if I earned a position on a design team. The company said they would let us know by the 16th...I have been holding my breath and cheeking my e-mail all day long.
Hope you enjoy my page
As always I am open to any and all types of comments.
Caro
Critiques and how do we protect our Creative Soul?
The questions that she prompted us with were:
"I want you to think about what you need to protect and nourish your creative spirit. Think about the things that sustain you. What’s needed to shield you from outside criticism and your inner critic?"
Sarah selected a fabulous coat of armor as her pictorial protection for her creative soul. I have always loved Greek/Roman mythology so the Goddess Athena instantly came to mind. She is the goddess of Wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. all things that in my opinion I have at some level and that need protection from critiques.
But Athena is just my guard. I need a place to go to when I am feeling uneasy and ridiculed, and what embodies imagination, beauty, culture, music, colors and many other things that I love more than a Secret Garden.
So my Armor is the wall to my Secret Garden but walls were meant to be broken down and that is why I have Athena...to watch over my walls as they are bombarded by the outside world.
The only rule that Sarah is enforcing on this particular journal page is that we must incorporate our answers to the above question in our art.
After much consideration I decided that I need constant growth in order to shield me from outside an dinner critics...if I feel like I am always learning and trying new things then I feel like I am always improving and there is no way anyone can look negatively on someone that is always striving to better themselves.
As to the question what I need when I am under siege...well I need a lot of things but they are mostly the typical answers. My Family and Friends, I need quiet/alone time to remember who I am, I have a passion for loosing myself in books so I must have time to read, above all I need the sanity that my imagination brings to this world and then there is always my Faith. Without these things I would not be who I am nor would I be able to face the hardships of everyday life.
I hand wrote my answers to these question around Athena in silver paint pen. And along the top of the page i silver embossed "Behind the Walls of my Secret Garden"
I hope that my armor holds up today. I am suppose to find out if I earned a position on a design team. The company said they would let us know by the 16th...I have been holding my breath and cheeking my e-mail all day long.
Hope you enjoy my page
As always I am open to any and all types of comments.
Caro
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Soul Journal Day 2
Today's Task is: "Claiming Our Journals"
Before we could do anything we had to dry brush Gesso over the pages we made yesterday. Unfortunately Gesso is not in my arsenal of art supplies...But have no fear I ordered some this morning.
Instead of Using Gesso I selected the lightest colored Acrylic paint that I had, a warm cream tone, and I mixed in some iridescent gold pearl ex and some sand. I did the pearl ex because I like things to shimmer and the sand because everything Ive read about Gesso says it has a tooth...I thought sand would give the paint some tooth
...I guess we shall see.
I am not sure that I dry brushed enough on. this was the first time i have ever dry brushed and I had to look up some techniques to use. What I found was that older, stiffer brushes work better and that you need to get rid of most of the paint that you pick up on your brush before you touch it to the project. I wiped off the excess onto paper towels.
The projects that use Gesso that I have seen you can not see the writing as well as you can on mine. I'm sure mine is fine but it does look very different.
The Next step was the actual claiming of our journal here is what Sarah asked us to do.
Stamp or write “This Book belongs to: “ at the top of your page. Write your full name underneath that. Then write it again and again until you have filled the page with your name. Use different fonts. Be Creative. Be free. Doodle around your name with hearts and flowers. Add glitter. Anything you wish. I want anyone who picks this book up to know WHO it belongs to. This is YOUR book!!
After I had doodled my name a few times I realized that I would not be
who I am without a few titles...so here are the ones that I added and then signed my name next to them.
K's Wife
Kudzoo's Mom
M and S's Daughter
M's Older sister
Aspiring Artist
And of course I had to add more shimmer so I spritzed the entire page with Glimmer Mist in an iridescent gold.
I have not had this much fun, nor have I doodled since high school. it brought back memories of my Physic Book. For some reason I did my best doodling when ignoring my Physic's professor...and somehow I still passed the class!
I am very pleased with how I claimed my journal and I can not wait for day 3!
Hope you enjoy
Caro
Before we could do anything we had to dry brush Gesso over the pages we made yesterday. Unfortunately Gesso is not in my arsenal of art supplies...But have no fear I ordered some this morning.
Instead of Using Gesso I selected the lightest colored Acrylic paint that I had, a warm cream tone, and I mixed in some iridescent gold pearl ex and some sand. I did the pearl ex because I like things to shimmer and the sand because everything Ive read about Gesso says it has a tooth...I thought sand would give the paint some tooth
...I guess we shall see.
I am not sure that I dry brushed enough on. this was the first time i have ever dry brushed and I had to look up some techniques to use. What I found was that older, stiffer brushes work better and that you need to get rid of most of the paint that you pick up on your brush before you touch it to the project. I wiped off the excess onto paper towels.
The projects that use Gesso that I have seen you can not see the writing as well as you can on mine. I'm sure mine is fine but it does look very different.
The Next step was the actual claiming of our journal here is what Sarah asked us to do.
Stamp or write “This Book belongs to: “ at the top of your page. Write your full name underneath that. Then write it again and again until you have filled the page with your name. Use different fonts. Be Creative. Be free. Doodle around your name with hearts and flowers. Add glitter. Anything you wish. I want anyone who picks this book up to know WHO it belongs to. This is YOUR book!!
After I had doodled my name a few times I realized that I would not be
who I am without a few titles...so here are the ones that I added and then signed my name next to them.
K's Wife
Kudzoo's Mom
M and S's Daughter
M's Older sister
Aspiring Artist
And of course I had to add more shimmer so I spritzed the entire page with Glimmer Mist in an iridescent gold.
I have not had this much fun, nor have I doodled since high school. it brought back memories of my Physic Book. For some reason I did my best doodling when ignoring my Physic's professor...and somehow I still passed the class!
I am very pleased with how I claimed my journal and I can not wait for day 3!
Hope you enjoy
Caro
Sleeping Beauty Swap
Yahoo Yahoo....yesterday when i went to the Mail box I had a fabulous treat awaiting me...The Sleeping Beauty swap hosted by alpha Stamps yahoo group!
And let me tell ya these ladies know there Sleeping Beauty.
This one is by Liz E. and is multi dimensional. Some of the pink roses and the Sleeping Beauty and Prince are all 3D.
She also added some glitter accents that don't show up on the scan. They are done on the background paper in the swirls.
And here is our hostesses...Sarah W. you can see more of her fabulous work HERE. She is also the one doing the fabulous Soul Journaling that I have Been blogging about.
The depth to the paper that Sarah built her castle out of is stunning. she started by covering water color paper with book print, then she covered that with a thin layer of Glimmer Mist (If you don't know what this is google it...it is fabulous!) and lastly she poured Walnut ink over it. I have ordered everything needed to make this fabulous paper.
She also added some glitter/shimmery bits to her sleeping beauty image so that when you hold the caste to the light Sleeping Beauty's dress is a shimmery blue.
On top of all that she added a touch of vanilla to the tag...it made the entire package smell scrumptious! It also made me hungry for cookies.
This is Teri C.'s Castle and you can see more of her fabulous work HERE
Teri also used Glimmer mist on her caste. But she built the entire image, attached everything and then sprayed the entire castle down with it.
The dots are all hand drawn and the swirls may be also, I can't tell if they are a rub on or not.
I think my favorite part of Teri's castle is the crowns stamped repeatedly all over the background they are so appropriate and i would have never thought to do that.
And last but not least, this is Vicky's Castle.
Hers did not scan well...there are some glittery details in the background, swirls. The black thick swirls are a stick on felt. And the Sleeping Beauty and evil witch image is coated with some kind of sealant that gives the image a soft feel and look.
I just love each and every castle that I have received through this fabulous swap. Now I just have to figure out how to make them into a wonderful chunky book that I can display.
If you would like to view my pieces for this swap please go HERE.
I hope you enjoy looking at these peaces as much as I do and considering joining us next time.
And let me tell ya these ladies know there Sleeping Beauty.
This one is by Liz E. and is multi dimensional. Some of the pink roses and the Sleeping Beauty and Prince are all 3D.
She also added some glitter accents that don't show up on the scan. They are done on the background paper in the swirls.
And here is our hostesses...Sarah W. you can see more of her fabulous work HERE. She is also the one doing the fabulous Soul Journaling that I have Been blogging about.
The depth to the paper that Sarah built her castle out of is stunning. she started by covering water color paper with book print, then she covered that with a thin layer of Glimmer Mist (If you don't know what this is google it...it is fabulous!) and lastly she poured Walnut ink over it. I have ordered everything needed to make this fabulous paper.
She also added some glitter/shimmery bits to her sleeping beauty image so that when you hold the caste to the light Sleeping Beauty's dress is a shimmery blue.
On top of all that she added a touch of vanilla to the tag...it made the entire package smell scrumptious! It also made me hungry for cookies.
This is Teri C.'s Castle and you can see more of her fabulous work HERE
Teri also used Glimmer mist on her caste. But she built the entire image, attached everything and then sprayed the entire castle down with it.
The dots are all hand drawn and the swirls may be also, I can't tell if they are a rub on or not.
I think my favorite part of Teri's castle is the crowns stamped repeatedly all over the background they are so appropriate and i would have never thought to do that.
And last but not least, this is Vicky's Castle.
Hers did not scan well...there are some glittery details in the background, swirls. The black thick swirls are a stick on felt. And the Sleeping Beauty and evil witch image is coated with some kind of sealant that gives the image a soft feel and look.
I just love each and every castle that I have received through this fabulous swap. Now I just have to figure out how to make them into a wonderful chunky book that I can display.
If you would like to view my pieces for this swap please go HERE.
I hope you enjoy looking at these peaces as much as I do and considering joining us next time.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Soul Journaling with Sarah W.
Sarah at Caspiana has started a fabulous Soul Journal Journey and it is not to late to join in. I have been wanting to make an altered book for a while and love the idea of the journal since a little writing always seems to do me good.
So for Day 1 Sarah had us select a journal and cover 3 pages with dictionary print. I don't have a dictionary that I wanted to tear up so I used an old romance book that I have been tearing up for years, and two sheets of printed paper. One of them the writing was in red and I think it really adds a lot to my pages. I covered 3 front and back because I am better at writing sometimes than I am at art and I can write pages and pages and pages of nothing.
Here is my journal once the pages had been glued on. I decided to have clean edges on the book print. I'm sure later I will be hanging all sort of ribbons and other fabulous ephemeral all on the outside but for now I decided to keep things a little neater. After all my life is messy enough...
Here are my pages with the journaling all done. Like I said I had no trouble filling up the pages.
Then I want you to start writing on the first page over your dictionary pages. Start with the prompt: “Today I feel…” Write for at least 5 minutes and circle or rewrite any words that catch your eye in your text that describe how you are feeling. If you run out of things to say, just say what’s in your head…”today I feel stupid for listening to Sarah about this whole journaling thing…” Rewrite the prompt “today I feel…”every time you get stuck or start a new thought . Write for as long or on as many pages as you want.
So that is all for today. Tomorrow I am making a trip up to Tupelo to get some Gesso. Sarah told me I did not need this, there were other less expensive options but i have wanted to play with Gesso for a while and there is no way I am passing up an opportunity to eat at Olive Garden.
Stay tuned for the next instalment.
Caro
All Things ____________ Shaped
I was the hostess for the last Circle of Friends Swap and I selected a theme of "All Things _________ shaped" Members could fill in any shape they wanted to and the piece they made had to display that shape and leave no question as to what shape it was.
Wow did the ladies really think outside of the box or square!
1. Sue used a lovely square shaped stamp and used it over and over. I love the warm colors of this one and the piece is just so much fun to look at.
2. Andrea also used a square stamp but hers is much smaller and she made a little notebook for all of use to use and personalized it with our first letters!
3. Anna chose all things Tea shaped...a woman after my heart...I've already had my tea that came in the tea pot shaped card! To see more of her fabulous work go HERE
4. I selected Key's and had the most fun with the skeleton shaped lock, I got to make it look real!
5. Janice was inspired by her nautical surroundings and used triangles! I wish I was somewhere where I could look at boats all day! I think this one is my favorite!
6. Nancy did a fabulous flower for us all using ovals...I love the little bird stamp she used. To see more of Nancy's work go HERE
7. Sandi did beautiful butterflies...in soft pastels and lots of inspirational words. Reading hers makes me feel like I can do anything.
8. Elisabeth knocked this project out of the park! She chose the shape rectangle and gathered yummy yummy candies that are all rectangle shaped and put them in a rectangular baggie! To see more of Elisabeth's work go HERE
Elegant Elephant's Enjoy Life
Well, this one was hard to get a good photo of.
Zuzu's Petal's and Bud's has a monthly tag swap. this month the letter is E so here is my homage to the fabulous Vowel that is the "E"
The background paper was made by mixing silver pearl ex into modge podge and then painting it onto heavy weight paper in a criss cross pattern. I left the brush strokes and any excess the way it was. I wanted it to looked like brushed silver and it kinda does...
Next i black embossed the letter "E" all over.
The Elephant is stamped onto transparency and i colored the backside with a silver paint pen. I attached the transparency with brads and hung the letters to spell the word.
The edge of the tag is accented with black glitter. And I finished it off with some fabulous black shimmery fibers. I hope it is up to par. The other Tag's I have seen on members blogs are absolutely fantastic.
Enjoy
Caro
Zuzu's Petal's and Bud's has a monthly tag swap. this month the letter is E so here is my homage to the fabulous Vowel that is the "E"
The background paper was made by mixing silver pearl ex into modge podge and then painting it onto heavy weight paper in a criss cross pattern. I left the brush strokes and any excess the way it was. I wanted it to looked like brushed silver and it kinda does...
Next i black embossed the letter "E" all over.
The Elephant is stamped onto transparency and i colored the backside with a silver paint pen. I attached the transparency with brads and hung the letters to spell the word.
The edge of the tag is accented with black glitter. And I finished it off with some fabulous black shimmery fibers. I hope it is up to par. The other Tag's I have seen on members blogs are absolutely fantastic.
Enjoy
Caro
Friday, July 11, 2008
All Things Key Shaped
You know, today is going to be a good day...even if I am sick...
I popped over to Thank God It's Friday and found the wonderful theme of Keys! I heart Keys...at least to stamp with. There are just so many different styles that they work for almost everyone.
This is my "All Things Key Shaped" ATC that I did for June's Circle of Friends project. It took a lot of cutting but I love the way it turned out!
Please stop by One Powerful Hour challenge site. The theme there this week is Food and/or Beverage...I am off to work on another piece for that one because what can be more fun than working with food...even if it is just paper.
Hope you enjoy!
Rubber Hugs
Caroline
I popped over to Thank God It's Friday and found the wonderful theme of Keys! I heart Keys...at least to stamp with. There are just so many different styles that they work for almost everyone.
This is my "All Things Key Shaped" ATC that I did for June's Circle of Friends project. It took a lot of cutting but I love the way it turned out!
Please stop by One Powerful Hour challenge site. The theme there this week is Food and/or Beverage...I am off to work on another piece for that one because what can be more fun than working with food...even if it is just paper.
Hope you enjoy!
Rubber Hugs
Caroline
Monday, July 7, 2008
I've Got the Blues
Today over at Mixed Media Monday...
This week the wonderful Gerda returns with another challenge for us - monochromatic colours. So, your task, should you choose to accept it (where have I heard those words before) is to create a piece using only one colour, in different shades. This can sometimes be a challenge, but the effects can be amazing. Have fun everyone!
This is a challenge that we did with COF and it was very very difficult truly a challenge. I have revisited this challenge numerous times but this is my favorite piece that I have done and I am not even a big fan of blue. The papers used were both made by me using various techniques and the image (even though it does not look entirely blue) is a very light blue but is showed up white when scanning...
I hope you enjoy. Please remember to stop by One Powerful Hour this week...the hint for the next challenge is already up.
Rubber Hugs
Caro
This week the wonderful Gerda returns with another challenge for us - monochromatic colours. So, your task, should you choose to accept it (where have I heard those words before) is to create a piece using only one colour, in different shades. This can sometimes be a challenge, but the effects can be amazing. Have fun everyone!
This is a challenge that we did with COF and it was very very difficult truly a challenge. I have revisited this challenge numerous times but this is my favorite piece that I have done and I am not even a big fan of blue. The papers used were both made by me using various techniques and the image (even though it does not look entirely blue) is a very light blue but is showed up white when scanning...
I hope you enjoy. Please remember to stop by One Powerful Hour this week...the hint for the next challenge is already up.
Rubber Hugs
Caro