making envelopes

i'm hosting a challenge for altered envelopes.  here is one i made for the challenge. i'm thinking that i'd like to make a couple more but i'm not sure if i'll have the time to or not.  december is a busy month by itself, let alone, i find that i'm lacking in time management skills these past few weeks.  i don't know where all my time goes and i can't keep track of it!  christmas is only three weeks away and i've gotten one gift together to date.  that sounds kind of scary now that i write that.  i hope that all of you are doing better than me in that department, too. 

postcard time

here is a postcard for an postcard challenge with the theme of
egg.  it says "life cracks me up".  well it's true.  life does seem to crack me up. sometimes it's the raw stinging kind of cracks and most of the time it's laugh til your sides hurt kind.  the clouds i used for the postcard are from my friend marsha aka tumblefishstudio's collage sheets.    the egg and the face are from my friend donna aka collage anonymous's collage sheets.  both of these great artists can be found at etsy.

here i am

it's been some time since i've posted to my blog. i really have no clue what happens to my time. i've been less than artfully productive lately.  life is definitely happening all around me and sometimes i feel like a salmon swimming upstream.  but hey...at least i'm still swimming.  i did create a journal page for a journal swap i am in.  some of the collage images used on this journal page were from my good friends tumblefishstudio  ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/tumblefishstudio )  and donna ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/Donna67 ).
they both have etsy shops where you can find their collage sheets.  a few of the images i used were from another special girl traceylea/angelea.  she just made a collage sheet to share. how nice of her.  thanks girls!

a really good art friend of mine is hosting a steampunk journal swap. i didn't sign up for because when she posted it i have to say i just don't feel i have steampunk in my genes.  i've never attempted anything like this before so it was it quite a stretch for me.  the hostess did ask me if i would consider doing a page for her journal and i said i would but i have to say it made me nervous, especially after seeing the other journal page entries in the swap. everyone has done such incredible work. you could only use black, cream, rust, white, brown tones to complete the journal page.  her theme of what she was looking for she told me was "sky gypsy". i finished these up this morning and i'm waiting to hear from her if they are what she had in mind.   

more puzzles

i managed to make a couple more puzzle pieces for the next person in the puzzle swap. her theme was the same as the other person's theme.  i really like this style of art for some reason and it brought me lots of joy to work on these.  i used some collage sheets by a super talented artist, marsha jorgansen, aka tumblefishstudio. you can check out her etsy shop to see her latest creations at: 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tumblefishstudio?section_id=6535349

puzzle altering

one of my good little art buddies, renee, is hosting an altered puzzle swap.  the puzzle pieces are larger than i had expected them to be.  we have 12 puzzle pieces to alter, 2 for each person, and each person gets to pick their theme for their puzzle. it isn't hard to recognize what this person's theme was - zetti, with bright colors and black and white stripes.  hopefully i managed to get the puzzle pieces going in the right direction. i used lots of collage sheets from cassandra van curen's etsy shop.  you can check her collage sheets out at:  www.cassiscreations.etsy.com

journal pages

i'm in a nature journal swap, hosted by good art buddy, deb.  it's a long swap, lasting 10 months and each month you make a page for someone on the list.  i'm trying to stay one month ahead of schedule just because you never know what detours life throws your way. this journal page (which is the front and the back of a page) is for my great friend, cathy.  she lives in alaska so i had to do a snow page for her, altho i know she will contest that where she lives she gets more rain than snow, but in my head alaska and snow just go together.   i hope she likes them.

fabric art doll

i wanted to host a fabric art doll swap art doll for a long time but just never seemed to get around to making one as my sample, but i finally felt motivated to go digging through my fabric and  so the past few days i've spent piecing together materials for it. this morning i finally finished sewing on her hair.

trinket box

it's been quite a while since i've posted something on my blog. i'm not quite sure where my time has gone lately. it seems that life travels at warp speed and it's all i can do to hang on for the ride.  i have been trying to steal a few hours here and there to make art and get ready for my stamping classes but i still feel that i'm not doing enough.  i completed this little trinket box from a pattern i found at mirkwood designs.  i'm going to host an inchies swap where you will make the this tiny box and 6 inchies and then you can make it into whatever you want.  i saw these little cubes as ornaments and i thought that would make a great christmas gift.  i might try to make a couple for a few of my friends this year. 

more samples

here is another sample using cassandra's latest collage sheets.  you really have to check out her etsy shop!  www.cassiscreations.etsy.com

zetti art doll

my dear friend, cassandra van curen is like e.f. hutton. when someone
talks, she listens. she has created some awesome collage sheets
which she recently listed in her etsy shop.  i made this zetti doll for
an art challenge using her new sheets. you have to check them out at:
www.cassiscreations.etsy.com

skinny making

my great friend, cathy, is hosting a skinny swap called "these are my peeps" swap.  you have to make a skinny page (3 x 5) and basically turn a person into a bird.  this was a great swap idea.  i felt inspired to make them, so i sat down and did them one right after another. here is a sample of just one of the 5 created for the swap.

a new toy

christmas came a little early for me this year. my husband bought me a cricut.  that's the good news. the bad news is that it has to count for not only christmas, but my birthday, too, which is quite a few months away.  i am hopeful he will forget those terms til my birthday rolls around, altho, being the awesome "friendly budget reminder" person that he is, it is highly unlikely he will forget.  i used it to make this postcard tho and am quite happy with what i was able to do with it so far.

honoring my friend

my dear art friend, cassandra van curen has her atc book published in the 2009 holiday somerset magazine.  her work is so amazing.  she was kind enough to include one of my atc's in her submission piece.  i made the little voodoo dollie atc on the left side of her book.  congratulations to cassandra for an amazing article!

journal pages

here are some journal pages i completed for a nature journal swap that i am in. don't you love all the borders? well if you do head on over to www.cassiscreations.etsy.com  and pick up a sheet for yourself.  she does the nicest digital work and her new borders are something i'm in love with!

jam card

i am participating in a jam card swap.  this was the card i received in the mail today.  two people had already worked on it and i was the third person in the group to add the final touches to it. i felt motivated to sit right down and finish the card.  here is the card in its finished stage.

circular inchies

i am trying to get a couple hundred inchies in my collection so i can make some inchie art to give away as christmas gifts this year.  i have quite a few so far but i don't have any circular ones saved so far so i decided to host a swap for them on amusing muses.

collage sheets

here are two artist trading cards i did using collage sheets that were made by cassandra vancuren.  the collage sheets i used were doodle kids and colorful doors.  please check out her etsy for collage sheets you might want to have for your collection at:  www.cassiscreations.etsy.com

zetti crow

there is a challenge for september to make a zetti crow thrinchie magnet. i really wanted to get something made for it because i love crows and i love zetti. what could be better than that combination?   i decided to make my thrinchie into a little house for my crow.  after i finished it i am thinking this could make a great swap idea.

another blog address

i have just started another blog site where i will show my rubberstamping/card creations. i've called it: roc paper scissors. ok...so i admit, i might be a tad bit shameless, but that title, well, it just makes me giggle. here's the link: www.rocpaperscissors.blogspot.com

journal page swap

i'm participating in an ongoing nature journal swap. we have to do a front and back for each person that joined. this is one side of the journal page i did for my art friend, lauren. the other side has glitter on it for her because she loves glitter. i just love doing this journal swap because i get to use birds on my pages!

vintage pin up

megan is hosting a vintage pin up swap and you are suppose to use a pin up girl but you must alter it in some way. this is one of the atc's i came up with. she's my favorite of the three i created.

boo!

my art friend, mandy is hosting a swap for haunted houses. you had to make an atc into a house shape. i really like how it turned out. i used lots of different inks in layers and masked out a moon shape. i used a white gel pen to add some highlights and viola!...a haunted house atc. in the past i've really not been a big fan of halloween. i guess i don't like what halloween "stands" for but this year for some reason i've been joining quite a few halloween things and had a great deal of fun doing them. i guess it really is just what you make it be. so for me i'm making my halloween things not so spooky and more whimsical. i hope everyone has a "boo-tiful" day!

working on some art

this morning i was busy working on some art. i finished up this postcard for a rubberstamping challenge. i had to use at least three different rubberstamps to complete the postcard. i just love that old vintage car. there is something about them that makes me weak in the knees. one day i hope to own a 1950's little red pick up truck that is all restored. i get so excited everytime i see one!

art time

i wanted to get something made for an august art challenge with the theme all things fairy. here is my atc that i did for it. i don't know where the time goes. i had the whole month to make something and i'm just sliding in with a few days to spare. it seems like my little legs are running full speed but i'm not getting anywhere. it frustrates me when i'm not as productive as i think i should be. i find i put lots of pressure on myself with this whole productivity thing. does anyone else have this issue?

cassandra's design team

here are two halloween atc's that i made using cassandra's collage sheet. i used the rosey marie masquerade and halloween words collage sheets. check out her etsy site for collage sheets that you might like to have for your creations at:
www.cassiscreations.etsy.com

journal page

these are my last journal pages for a journal swap i am hosting which started about a year ago. the format for the page size is 8 x 10, and quite honestly, for me, it is too large of an area to cover. i prefer to do smaller works of art. however, i will say i have a beautiful collection of pages from this swap and the journal will be one my favorite collections to date. this journal page, front and back is for a very special art friend. this past year has been a little more than difficult for her, to say the very least, and i made this in honor of the beautiful person she truly is.

another cassie creation

i managed to fit a small amount of art time in my busy day today. here is a postcard using cassandra's collage sheets called rusty dream fairy and sweet fairy charm sheet. check her etsy shop out at: www.cassiscreations.etsy.com.

cassandra's design team

i used one of cassandra's collage sheets called rusty dream fairy charm sheet to make an inchie and an atc yesterday. you can find lots of great collage sheets by going to www.cassiscreations.etsy.com.

a special gift

well here i am all fairy-fied! am i too sexy for my beauty crown?!

can you believe that i received this very special gift in the mail today from one awesome and talented artist named marsha. what a fabulous friend she is to make me such a beautiful gift. i will truly cherish this piece of art. marsha did this out of the kindness of her heart and that is what makes this such a wonderful treasure. i am not sure what i did to deserve this honor and i really can't say thank you enough....but one more time i can say it...

thank you marsha!!

her artwork is filled with whimsy and color. she's been published in many prominent magazines and i know that that is just the beginning for her. if you've not visited marsha's blog to see her artwork you really have to jump over there immediately and take a glimpse at what she has been working on.

http://www.tumblefishstudio.blogspot.com

nesting dolls

one of my art friends, lauren, is hosting a nesting dolls swap. i was pretty excited to try her template out. i've completed all five sizes but this is the largest dolly. i might make a larger one than this one to keep for myself. i can't wait to see the little set i get back from the returns.

the "a-thon" continues

yesterday i spent quite a bit of time making postcards for cathy's "things with wings a-thon". i actually got to make five postcards for the challenge which was 5 more than i thought i'd have time to make. yesterday was a great day for me! here is one of the other postcards i had a chance to make.

postcard-a-thon

one of my great art friends, cathy, is hosting a postcard-a-thon for this weekend. all you have to do is make as many postcards as you can this weekend with wings somewhere on it. this is one of the three i've completed so far. the artwork being displayed is incredible and i really want to make a couple more so i might have the opportunity to get as many of those wonderful postcards as i can get my grubby little hands on! why, yes, i am being greedy, but honestly, if you saw the other cards going up, you'd feel the same way. i'm always so inspired by the artistry that is out there.

a postcard challenge

i needed a postcard for a rubberstamp challenge. i made the background paper using tim holt'z watercolor technique with his distress inks. then i foud these great "splat" stamps at michaels the other week. i love how they look they are dripping. the house stamp and wings are from invoke arts. i have to admit that invoke arts makes stamps that are right up my alley. a few doodles here and there, some vintage sheet music and a ruler and the postcard was finished.

butterfly chunky swap

i'm participating in a butterfly chunky swap. when i think about the swap i usually get a very vague direction of where i want to go, but how the piece ends up is always a mystery in the making. i knew i wanted to do something with a tie dye effect, mostly because i just love tie dye, but because butterflies come in so many wonderful colors. the swap has us making 5 butterflies and we will get to keep on for ourselves, so i decided to make them all different colors. when you look at the end product it appears simple to make, and i suppose there was nothing really hard about them, but they were so time consuming. i worked on them all morning and afternoon.

here's how i made them:

i used white craft ink to stamp a large medallion on white paper and then embossed it with clear embossing powder. i cut a long strip of yarn that i sewed with a zig zag stitch to secure for the body of the butterfly. i used tan ink to distress around the edges of the butterfly. i also took some dark gray ink and did the same with that. i took tim holtz distress inks and laid out 3 color patterns on a craft sheet and did his watercolor technique, using a different set of 3 colors for each butterfly . once all the butterflies dried i stamped a swirl pattern in those same inks around the top and bottom of the wings. i used black ink to stamp spots, a saying, and a little companion butterfly. i edged the butterfly with a similar color in an opaque paint pen which i outlined in black marker. i used krystal effects around the entire edge and sprinkled that with seed beads. once that dried i used my crop-a-dile to punch a hole through all the layers to fasten 2 colors of wires to use as antannae.

and the winner is

Outstanding Stranger said...

Ah...since I am the last I should be at the top of the jar and you will probably pull my name out....

congratulations on winning my print!

nature journal

i'm participating in a nature journal swap with some really clever artists. our first part of the swap was to get our covers made for the journals. this is going to be my cover. i still want to put the words "nature journal" on the front but haven't decided on just the right spot yet. i was really excited about this swap because i'm such a huge fan of nature. i can't wait to start receiving some pages!

win a free print

it's been quite a long time since i've offered up something free to win, so today is as good a day as any. i'm going to give away a free print of one of my favorite journal pages - it's time to sing your own silly song. if you'd like to enter for a chance to win this print all you have to do is t leave a comment. i will draw a name at random and announce the winner next week on friday, july 24th.

journal page

i'm still making journal pages for an alphabetica journal swap i'm hosting. the thing i like about hosting is it gives you an extra week to get things finished because you don't have to mail them out to the swap hostess. i wanted to get six pages done for the swap and this is number five. the deadline is tomorrow and i have the last page started. i am waiting for other participants' pages at this point so i might actually get the last one done and in on time. this bird was made as a result of a happy accident on another piece of artwork i was doing. i just loved the shape of it. i think you might see this little shape in some more of my artwork. it just makes me giggle, and anyone who knows me, knows i'm a sucker for anything that makes me giggle.