I love myself when I am laughing

2010-08-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a card I made for the "favorite things" swap in one of my groups: those who know me know that coffee is definitely one of my favorite things! (A major highlight this month was becoming a preferred member of my local coffee shop;) The dark background paper is mulberry paper. The focal piece I've actually had for a while and am glad I can use it. It's alcohol stained semi-glossy paper with stamping, scrapbokoing paper, and stickers on top. Hm . . . makes me hanker for a latte. Simple things like a really good cup of coffee I've learned to appreciate.

finding solace through creativity

2010-08-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

I still believe in summer days

The seasons always change

And life will find a way.

I'll be your harvester of light

And send it out tonight

So we can start again

Is love alive?

Winter Song lyrics

I had to let go of my beloved sister last month, as she succombed to infection after organ transplant. I miss hearing her voice on the other side of the phone so much . . . she always had time for me. But my lover for her is still is alive. She taught me never to give up.

So I'm still creating . . . after finding the postcrossing website I'm mailing off this post card to an address I got from the site. Users log in the post card they get. Then the original sender gets back a post card from another person - a third user who got his or her address. I like the idea of mail circling the globe like that:)

2010-07-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling real creative lately, or at least desirous of creating. It's hard to want to do other things (keeping up with the latest book club selection, writing syllabi for classes, job searching . . . ) but I go back to creating after a while of doing this stuff. Life is not perfect. But life is good. I write almost every day. Where it's going, I don't know, but getting in to the discipline of writing is what I'm focsed on now.

The pic here is of some fusion paper (ala Traci Bautista's methods) that I made yesterday. I love the serendipity of slapping on layers of paper with watered down glue, and I love that it's re-using paper towels. There's also some tissue paper pieces in here that came with a gift, and some pages from an old thesaurus. Let's here it for ripping and pasting!

journal adventures

2010-07-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic from a recent entry in my art journal. I try not to think to much when I work in it, whether I'm creating backgrounds or writing. I try to make it one place where it is ok not to think that much. These pages include layering of paint and I like the effect, especially with the clip art image on the left.

Balancing Act

Creation feeds the soul but

work keeps body together.

Where is the balancing point that allows

the one to survive so the other may

soar?

Coming out of hibernation!

2010-07-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Really. Has it been that long. I am almost ashamed . . . except I've decided to stop casting blame on myself and move on. It's been a long hibernation trying to make it work at a new job . . . which didn't and trying to put the finishing touches on a master's thesis . . . which did! My art creation follows seasonal cycles, so spring and summer always find me more productive. But I'm using my art journal more this year, and finding out more about myself as I make a big transition. As I explore more of who I really am in the journal, I think it will mean more art. Right now I'm enjoying being free. I'll post pics from the journal soon, but for now I'll leave a picture of an ATC I've done recently and an excerpt from the journal.

My life is still enough of a blank page that I have the

FREEDOM

to create more. A wash of paint. A coat of gesso. And it's ok to start again. The remnants of the old will still be there . . . but beginning again means that I do not need to fight against the limits others place upon me but that I can

DEFINE MYSELF

A few lines from a favorite song by Natasha Beddingfield:

I am unwritten

Can't read my mind

I'm undefined

I'm just beginning

Pen's in my hand

Ending unplanned

Thank you inkspillers attic!

2009-12-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Ink Spillers Attic for giving me the Kreativ Blogger Award. http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

2. Link to their blog.

3. Copy the logo and put it on your blog.

4. Post about seven things no one else would know about you.

5. Nominate seven other blogs.

6. Link to them.

7. Leave a comment on the blogs telling them you've nominated them.

I think I did this all ok - had some difficulty posting the logo but had fun thinking of the seven things.
Seven things about myself that no one would know? That's tough, but here goes:
1. I like the Underworld movies. Not all vampire movies - I refuse to embrace Twilight. But there's something about the Underworld series that taps in to my dark side.
2. I think about getting a tattoo - of a phoenix. I go back and forth and really can't commit.
3. I once competed in a blueberry pie eating contest - speed round. It was just me, one blueberry pie, and the competiton. It was close, but he finished his first.
4. I like knitting socks. A lot of them. No fancy patterns, just the basic sock in lots of pretty colors.
5. I may have seen every Law and Order episide that exists. I even watch reruns. There is something comforting in its predictability.
6. I really like guacamole. I tend not to share it but will guiltily enjoy it on my own, say on a Friday night, maybe watching episodes of Law and Order.
7. Purple is my favorite color not simply because it looks good but because it often symbolizes royalty and I like to think of myself as the Queen - of what, I'm not that sure.

7 more bloggers I'd like to nominate:
1. e14studio http://e14studio.blogspot.com/
2. Princess Bubbles Creates http://princessbubblescreates.blogspot.com/
3. Altered Artifacts http://alteredartifacts.blogspot.com/
4. Altered Expressions http://bloubell-alteredexpressions.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.joyouslion.com/inspiration-galleries/
6. Craftside http://craftside.typad.com/
7. Val's altered heart journey http://valsalteredheartjourney.blogspot.com/

A Christmas Post card

2009-12-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Watercolor background with clip art from Somerset Studio magazine. Getting in to the spririt of the season.

Finally some more post cards

2009-12-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

Clearly I missed out on my own challenge:( Since my busy-ness was caused by a great new job and my master's thesis, I'm not surprised my art has dropped off. But I do have some new post cards and some new good news. My master's thesis . . . . (drumroll) passed with flying colors and rave reviews! Whew! NOW I can look forward to some work from the Stitch Alchemy book - I had to put that on hold with the thesis. So, here's a thank you post card to a friend who had me over for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. There is a picture passed on via internet from another artist, the earring bling is from Somerset Studio magazine, some blue glossy paper with some interference Pearl-Ex on it, and if you look really close, a special Hersey's candy wrapper.

Watercolor wishes and anticipating Stitch Alchemy

2009-09-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

So my self-challenge has become a bit sluggish, but to be fair, it is because of a very wonderful new job. So I'm adjusting to the routine of the new job with my other activities of weekly knit club, church activities, keeping up with friends and family, writing daily, and making art daily. In the past at this point in a project I've dipped into beating myself up about being behind . . . and then I just get more behind and stop creating all together. That's not productive, so my goal is to keep going. I'm going with the Stitch Alchemy book study on the mixed media art yahoo group that starts Oct 4th (already ordered the book CAN'T WAIT!) so I think continuing the post cards is a good plan until that starts. I decided to put a little more effort into this postcard, for a friend who has been extremely supportive and is just an all around great gal. I firstwatercolor painted this card (just red from a Crayola school paint tin - a freebie from a retiring art teacher years ago). But then I used some art masking tape (which removes easily) to create some different areas. I then overpainted some of those areas in light turquoise. The words are stickers and gel pen, and one clipped from a magazine. Of course some heart punch outs from some handpainted papers and scraps of other papers. It was really fun to see how the masking would turn out. This was all done on a large piece of watercolor paper, and then I cut it down to postcard size. I hope she likes it!

a bit behind in the challenge, but still DOING ART!

2009-08-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'm still going at it. And there's a good reason I'm behind - a new job has gotten me a bit more busy. I'm very excited about it; it's a great opportunity. But I can't forget the post card challenge - even if it's just one that I've set myself. I want to keep going so I can keep the creativity flowing. Not every card is fabulous, but the point is to keep creating. And, as I sent happy back to school post cards to every niece/nephew but one, I can't forget the last nephew! The blue card is wishing him "MORE fun in this new school year," though I don't know if he sees it as an opportunity for fun, exactly. But I'm a school teacher, so I'm sort of a big nerd where school is concerned. The blue paper on the right side is handpainted. My background hand painted papers kind of come down to scraps at the end, so it becomes difficult to remember how they started out, but I think this one was part of the series of papers I had fun making when I was reading Traci Bautista's Collage Unleashed book. I did have a lot of fun making those papers. The pink card is a thank you to a dear friend of mine, with scrapbook paper background, and scraps of handmade paper (some from fusion dyed paper towels). So the post card challenge continues. The goal of this, as I said is to keep me creating even when the rest of life intervenes, so that I get in the artistic habit. Also, by the time this challenge is finished, I hope to have some new inspiration for other projects. The fact that this is a good idea was confirmed for me when I began reading Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. She talks at one point about the importance of writing practice, by which she means writing every day, even if some of it, or a lot of it, the writer looks at later and thinks it's garbage. The importance is getting the writing flowing. I've begun doing this with writing, too. This kind of activity is not "practice" in the sense that it's not the real thing, it doesn't matter. In the sense of this work, I think practice means literally "doing the craft" and, well, I like it because it doesn't mean I have to commit to great writing or great art or I'm a failure. I just means I have to commit to doing writing and doing art. So . . . think about challenging yourself to just DO ART. And give yourself permission for it to not be fabulous.

fun with lacy paper

2009-08-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

I got the blue lacy paper with white slotches in a package of a bunch of papers - don't remember when. The dragonfly punchouts are from watercolor paper. One has Dr. Ph Martin's watercolors dropped on them. This post card is for another one of my nieces wishing her good luck in school. The face is a stamp I have and the crown is from an Artchix Studio collage sheet. I love their stuff!

2 new cards and good news

2009-08-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

I got home late last evening so I am posting 2 cards today. One is a happy back to school/good luck for my nephew. The orange colored pieces are tissue paper that was dyed and then layered and painted with a glue or PPA- check out Traci Bautista's work (look for old Cloth Paper Scissors article) or her book Collage Unleashed for fusion dyed collage. I think she also uses paper towels for this technique. It is a totally fun and easy technique for making some cool background papers. The pink post card is for a friend of mine struggling with chronic illness, and this one contains yellow and pink paper towels that were dyed and layered. You dip dye the paper towels or tissue paper, then layer it with watered down glue or PPA. When dry it will form a paper that can be cut and layered on to other papers. The blue-ish hearts and the dragonfly punchouts are also from this paper. The pink heart is cut from a special Hershey's chocolate wrapper. I am having a bit of a creative surge because . . . I was offered a job!! It needs to be wrapped up on Monday, but I don't anticipate any problems and I am delighted and extremely thankful!!

Post card 6

2009-08-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

The top post card from my last post and the one in this post are going to my nieces, very creative young ladies themselves. The base card here is a real rich gold, and I have a bunch of these shoe stamps. The red stripes are from card stock of artists' paper I got from a Somerset Studio magazine. I am having a LOT of fun doing these as they force me to create, and I do enjoy taking a break from writing (or trying to write) my graduate thesis. I have found myself putting some of these in envelopes because I want to protect some of the items on them, but I think that's ok. I may keep doing that because it will allow me to put some heavier pieces on the cards. Well - now it's off to watch the Project Runway premiere and hopefully get some more creative inspiration!

revised post card, new post card, giveaway winner

2009-08-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who've commented on possible improvements to my card. I'm adding the new version here - I decided to add more of the color that is on the heart punchout to other areas of the card. This one is going off to Stephanie. Thanks for your encouraging words! And the ephemera giveaway winner is Cindy B! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments, Cindy. Email me with an address and I will send you your ephemera package. I'm also posting here a new post card. This was originally off white, but I used direct to paper application of some Ranger inks to get the warm brown colors. (I love that these ink colors are called butterscotch and caramel, but then it just makes me hungry!) I'm really into this heart punch, as you can tell. Thanks again to all those who have checked in on the blog and commented.

New post card

2009-08-18T18:58:00.001-07:00

I see I've got several comments on the last post card already - thanks to everyone who's checking it out and commenting. I really appreciate it. Sorry for any confusion: this post card is a paper one, no sewing involved (although I know you can sew on paper with the machine, I'm just a bit wary of doing it). So far the comments from other artists have been helpful - thanks! I heard from the person who received the fabric post card and she really likes it:) Here is a post card I am sending to my sister- my hero! She has been such a wonderful friend to me on this journey of life. The cool paper background is some neat scrapbook paper. Please keep commenting on the previous card!

The challenge continues

2009-08-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

I have not forgotten my self challenge! I was dog sitting for the weekend at a friend's house. This post card includes some of my favorite things: my swirl stamp in blue, my sand dollar stamp in tourmaline dream embossing, and use of the dragonfly punch out. This one is going to a new internet friend who has encouraged me in this challenge. But I still think it needs something before I mail it. Hmm. . . I'm off to mull it over and hopefully find some inspiration. Check this image out and tell me if you have an idea about what it needs : another layer, another color, words, etc.

Quilted post card

2009-08-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my final quilted postcard. It is still a bit floppy, so I will mail it in an envelope. I appliqued some pink hearts and gave Angelina fibers a try for the shiny blue heart. The Angelina turned out very cool (color: Blue Calypso). I hand quilted lines across the post card and then machine zigzagged around the outside. Finally I zigzagged around the heart. To melt the Angelina fibers together I turned the iron on medium and placed the fibers between parchment papers and ironed. Then I folded the piece over and cut out a heart. Not perfect, but it turned out better than I imagined. So here it is.

Continuing the post card journey

2009-08-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

So as promised I'm posting my quilted postcard in progress here. The fabric is white that I hand painted with . . . like I can remember. I think it was paints from Dye Na Flow sampler pack. I know I dropped paint on and sprayed with water to make it bleed. I used iron interfacing for one side, but it seems to light for me - the post card may still be flimsy. So I'm thinking I can add a little bit of batting I have - it's not to heavy, and I can cut it smaller than the 4x6 shape. That added to the interfacing I think will give the card more strength. I haven't gotten very far on this card yet, but I will post more tomorrow. Also posted here is an anniversary post cards to some dear friends who are missionaries and are back in the States for a furlough and possible change of direction. Years ago I met them when I was looking for a church small group that was located nearer to where I had moved. Most of the other group members were married with kids or planning to have them, and single me showed up on their doorstep. They welcomed me into their home with open arms and never made me feel out of place. It's been great to watch their family grow with new births and it is good to have them back in town. The red hearts on this card are from cardstock that I painted yellow, then crackle painted, then over painted with red.

Off and running - post card challenge

2009-08-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

So here is the first postcard as promised. This one is a get well for a friend recovering from an accident. I'm not totally delighted with it, but it did get me working. And of course my friend could use the get well wishes - it's not all about me :). Now I did realize yesterday that I have signed up for a quilted postcard on the mixed media art yahoo group, so that will fit great into this self challenge, although I'm a little nervous about making it. But I will plan to post that one tomorrow in whatever stage of creation (or destruction???) it is in.

banishing self pity - new project

2009-08-11T10:18:00.001-07:00

It's been too long . . . but then it's hard to make art when you are wallowing in self-pity. The job search has definitely been bringing me down, but I got a reality check when visiting my family recently. My sister has a chronic degenerative respiratory condition, and is awaiting organ transplant. She lives on a lot of oxygen each day and has not worked for a few years. And while I'm boo - hooing she's off to volunteer organization meetings, book groups, dinners with friends, knit clubs, visiting shut ins for the church. Not that any of us should engage in comparing our lives to others; only resentment comes of that, but I'm alive, I'm here, I have friends, family, and art. Most of all, my sister reminded me, I have hope, even though I may not always feel it. So the week I spent visiting home was comforting, and inspiring. My dad and I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" before I left. Not that I am ready to take off on a Julia Child extravagansa of my own (the movie made me mostly laugh and feel really hungry). But I did think that having a goal of things to produce would make for more interesting or at least more frequent blogging - and some consistent art making. I am posting here some atcs I made before my visit, but I have a different idea for a challenge for myself. I found a stash of blank colored postcard sized cardstock, so I'm off on my 30 postcards in 30 days project. I plan to create a postcard every day, even if I feel a bit unispired. And then here's the thing: I'm gonna mail each one to a different person. I think the deadline to mail will force me to keep creating. Of course, when I was thinking this idea over I wondered if I know thirty separate people to whom I could mail something I created and not have them cross me off their address book. But I'm goin' for it. We'll see what happens. I'll post my first postcard tomorrow.

Happy Birthday yahoo AB group

2009-06-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Corinne, who has generously agreed to host the page swap and put together color copied books for us! A swap deadline always gets my juices going. This page is a book page (three glued together actually for support). Painted with crimson fluid acrylics (Golden) and softened with titanium buff. The words are the things that the AB yahoo group has provided for me (though it's been a while since I participated in a swap): dreams fulfilled, inspiration, joy. The last word is drawn into some Texture magic paste. The very first swap I ever participated in through the site was a technique swap. It was wonderful to see the work of other artists - everytime a new book came to my P.O. box I would huddle in the car and open the box right away because I couldn't wait to get home. It was the best treat, flipping through the pages, oohing and ahhing and thinking what I could do with that month's technique. I treasure the book that I got out of that swap, and enjoy flipping back through it to see the work of the talented and creative contributors. That fist technique swap got me on the road to altered art, and I am always thankful!

spring

2009-05-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

spring comes to my soul

2009-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

My, my, my, where have I been? Really, I'm asking. It feels like I have been under a cloud since my last post. Graduate class and work have kept me busy, but in truth there has been a critical cloud. Since March, I have been job hunting again, as I am doing a great job where I am, but am just the odd man out at this time. It has felt so unfair, so out of my control. I don't know where I am going to end up . . . I often feel unmoored. The upshot is I really haven't been creating art. I've often said difficult times in my life are like trying to put together a puzzle, but God is holding the box with the picture on it, and He's not sharing. Recently, I got really angry at that, even at God. My most recent graduate paper has been about the writings of Julian of Norwich, a late medieval anchoress who became known for her writings about God's love and the oft quoted "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." Today's readings at Mass were about God's love for us, which the sermon also recognized. During the sermon, I kept thinking of the opening line of one of Julian's manuscripts: "This is a revelation of love." It is indeed. As angry and frustrating as I get, God's love for me is sure. So I upload here ATC's that deal with the renewal of spring and JOY - because I know there will still be joy in my life. Here's to joy through art!

I heart art2

2009-01-25T18:42:00.001-08:00

I heart art

2009-01-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

So I don't really make resolutions per se (sooooo disappointing when they don't work out, and really, who needs that downer?) but I do try to set goals. My problem comes when I have so many good ones that I am trying to work on all at once. You know, exercise more, eat healthier, do some art every week and post it on the blog, watch less tv and be more productive, knit a pair of socks a month, build up my savings . . . you see where I'm going with this? Whew! All of this to say that I am hoping to create once a week and post once a week because, well, it really makes me happy and seems to provide incredible relief of that stress/steam that builds up in my life with all the "musts" and "shoulds" that take over. I had this board book (some Bob the Builder Gives a Valentine or something) that I had painted the pages. I just kept staring at it thinking I should get back to altered books, but I didn't really know where to start. So finally I just thought of things I like, and well, doing art came up. So here are some scans of I Heart Art.

atc's that represent me

2009-01-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

I finally looked closely at the mail date for an atc swap I'm in a realized - it's comin' right up! So yesterday I worked on creating atcs that have something that represents who I am and what I like. I started by gessoing some playing cards, and then covering them all with purple, because, well, it is the color of royalty and my very favorite. One of these has a crown, because I am very fond of it as a symbol. I realize some people are tired of them, but I still like it. I think many of us are too hard on ourselves and we all owe ourselves a chance to be queen for a day. The other card bears the face of the Bard of Avon because, well, I'm an English teacher and a big fat nerd, so I do kinda like my Shakespeare. I did have fun making these and others and am trying to finish them up. I didn't realize how difficult it might be to think of somethings that represent me, but then I just decided to relax and go with it.

happy anniversary

2009-01-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

I believe it has been a year for the blog. I'm just glad I'm still hangin' in there. Yes, my New Year's Eve was hangin' at home, but at least I got to make some art! Here is a new canvas I finished today. This is acrylic paint, a black and white copy of a picture of the inside of a church, some vintage paper, and some goodies from Somerset Studio magazine. The red paint was done over a layer of vaseline so that it would wipe away from the first layer of blue. (Note to self, less vaseline. That was messy.) I did have fun melting droplets of blue crayon on to the final layer; I'm not sure if it shows up. Around the edge I wrote "Love is the gift that gives back to you the more you give it. You cannot become impoverished by giving away all you have.

Back again! skinny pages

2008-11-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Well, what a hiatus! Unintentional, in a good way. I got a job! It is a long term sub job and goes until January, but there may be possibilities for the future. It's going well; I am definitely blessed. The job and graduate class, along with part time tutoring has left me lacking in art time. I know, I know, make time! I've still been knitting, and took time out to go to the Rhinebeck NYState Sheep and Wool Festival. Fabulous Fibers in lots of yummy colors. The colors themselves were inspiring. I have finally finished the skinny pages for the swap I signed up for (thank you Belinda for hosting and being so organized!!). I had some orange paint mixed from other colors. So that's what ended up, along with a couple of other accent colors. Here are two samples (side by side in photo).

post card number 2

2008-08-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

Happy September and Paper towels for all

2008-08-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

As a teacher, I've evolved into really considering September as my new year. With some job uncertainty, I was worried that this September was the first one in a long time that I'd be without a classroom. Opportunity knocked and my prayers were answered. It is not absolutely perfect, but very few jobs are, and the first week has been quite wonderful. With a separate part time job and an graduate class coming up, things are going to get quite busy. But I want to take time to make art! So here are some post cards I made with some fusion dyed paper towels. See Traci Bautista's Collage Unleashed for instructions on these. Her book is really fun; losts of techniques to play with. Play being the operative word.

journal pages from workshop

2008-08-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Fabulous workshop with Kelly Kilmer at a nearby stamp store. What a wonderful teacher and a wonderful group of ladies. Kelly is a great teacher; she encouraged us that "there was no wrong way to do it," and shared her own paints, paper, collage images, and stamps. Here is a journal page from that workshop.

atc with dress form

2008-08-18T18:55:00.001-07:00

ATCs galore

2008-08-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

I made several while watching the movie Definitely Maybe - fabulous feel good film. Some of these have a background of diluted water colors sprits on paper and other various paint marks, others are "intuitive water colors" with Dr. Ph Martin's watercolors. I received my sunflower atcs from 3 other great artists, but I still need to scan those in. They are lovely.

mosaic

2008-08-14T09:20:00.001-07:00

I may come back to black and white. They are really very classy looking. Here's a mosaic with buttons I played with for a yahoo group challenge. I had a spiral thing in mind when I started. I think it's ok, but I will probably try again and mix buttons and beads in a more definite pattern. I may also do some stamped polymer clay tiles - I have soooo much polymer clay. But it was fun to do this and see how easy it was, especially with Golden's molding paste. I like have a textured background showing in between mosaic pieces. Maybe doing a mosaic mixed with some stamping into the molding paste. Hmmm. . . . I'm still job searching, but it does allow me a lot of time to play, which I am enjoying.

more black and white

2008-08-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

Tag art #2

black and white

2008-08-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things are just black and white . . . and sometimes they're not. I've been job searching all summer and had several interviews, even been close once . . . but nothin'. As a teacher this is starting to flip me out a bit as school is fast approaching (insert several angry conversations with God) and I find myself feeling like just a big fat loser. The hiring process is far from transparent and it seems nothing is black and white in my job search. Friends (thank God for them!) and art have helped me stave off the sinking into despair. Here's some black and white tag art that I'm considering sending to Somerset Studio. It was challenging but fun to confine myself to a limited color palette.

Sunflowers

2008-07-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some sunflower atcs that I've been working on for a swap. It has challenged me because the flowers have to be painted or hand drawn. I'm doin' my best. I think they're coming out ok. The background of this card is an eraser that I carved and now use as a stamp. I hope the follks who get my cards aren't horrified:) I took the swap because I wanted to do something different and challenge myself. I am still looking for a teaching job, and a bit frustrated at not being hired yet. But I have noticed that I've been wallowing in the pool of self-pity a bit too much. The other day my friend brought me to a picnic with some of her work friends. She knew some of them had kids, so she brought along some construction paper, crayons, etc. Pretty soon she was using index cards and business cards and the kids were lining up to learn how to make the bunny or the frog with origami. Those are the only 2 things she knows how to make, but the kids kept on trying it until they got it, and then happily embellished their froggies or bunnies with yarn, crayons, pom-poms. So I realize I need to take this opportunity to be a bit more childlike and play with stuff a bit more. So I am trying to see art everyday as less of a finished art piece idea and more of playing with art every day. I'm off to a museum tomorrow with a friend and looking forward to some inspiration.

more yellow

2008-07-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here's another yellow atc.

yellow

2008-07-09T17:02:00.001-07:00

Trying to do some art every day. So here are some more yellow atcs that I finished today and will be mailing off for swap. I am also working on a full sized collage - but more to come on that later!

coffee card

2008-07-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my finished coffee collage. About 4 x 6 maybe. The very bottom layer is an experiment with Ranger alcohol inks. This is on poster paper and not true glossy cardstock, so that's why it looks a little different, but I think it adds some stability and interest for the background.

NEW SCANNER!

2008-07-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Finally set up my new scanner, and love it! My art comes out clearer when published to the web. And now I can scan originals, print them, and continue altering. Oh the possibilities are endless! Here is a yellow atc for a swap I'm doing. It's a gessoed playing card dry brushed with yellow paint. The focal image is a cancelled postage stamp from a letter I got, and the corner images are rubber stamped and colored with pencils. I like the yellow - blue combination. And the shell sticker up top picks up some more blue. Too bad I can't get to the beach myself! But creating some art is a type of escape.

coffee!

2008-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've accepted a challenge to make something coffee themed, so now I'm thinking about where my coffee themed stamps are, and thinking back to this atc I made a while ago. I really liked making the painted tissue paper which forms the background. I think I got that from Traci Bautista in Cloth Paper Scissors. I got her Collage Unleashed book and love it! So now I'm thinking of some rich brown backgrounds. Hmm . . . I think it's time to head to Starbucks for some inspiration!

more atc's with diaper liner backgrounds

2008-06-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here are more

ATC's galore, Favorite techniques and magazines

2008-06-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Since I'm now on vacation I've had a blast playing wiht art supplies again. I also had a chance to take some photos of atc's I'd already made. Here are some with painted and stained diaper liners (I know, weird, but I saw it in Cloth Paper Scissors, so I gave it a try). CPS is one of my favorite mags, and as is Someset Studio. Eye candy galore, and techniques I really can try. These atcs involved using the diaper liners to wipe off excess paint as I was making other things. I took a look at them and realized they looked pretty good for backgrounds. I xyroned the atc's and stuck them to the diaper liners and cut to size. The pictures of the ladies are from Somerset studio clip art (love that prize in each magazine!) The kids faces were toner transferred onto water color paper and then painted over. The building picture is from my trip to London - I cut up the pictures that were not so great. Add some ephemera and - I LOVE MY ATC's!

The art goes on!

2008-05-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

Life continues. I am hanging out on a limb here, trusting God for the future. Not to comfortable a position to be in all the time. Life is still worth living, and OF COURSE art is still worth making! So here is my foray into inchies. Fabulously fun. Collaged and painted a cheap old wooden plaque with some cheesy message on it. Made inch by inch squares and used some cool punches to dress them up.

healing

2008-05-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like hooking back up with the body of Christ to get true perspective. The C.A.M.P.S. community has been and is to me the very hands and feet of Christ. I've stopped asking why, and have begun to look to God with hope and ask "What new exciting adventure do you have planned next?" I am journaling my experience and here are some pics.

WASTED

2008-05-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

I feel like my mind is in one long scream. But nothing is coming out. I'm numb. I think I was just screwed over in a major area of life, made the sacrificial lamb. I am actually in awe that this could happen to me and think that life could be over now. I keep trying to hold on but the sand is slipping beneath my feet. I really hope God meant Jeremiah 29:11 - 13- I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I see no hope at times in this crisis. I see no future. In the midst of trying to hold on, I am trying to make art and will attempt to post some pics in a few days.

liberated!

2008-04-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today I eschewed the To Do list and made ART! How liberating. I'm on vacation, and I finally decided that even if my studio space is a disorganized cramped corner of my tiny apartment, THAT DIDN'T MATTER ANY MORE - It was time to make art. ATC's are soooo . . . possible for me right now as I can work on several of them at a time and use up some of my paper scrap stash while I'm expressing myself. There's somethign about those little canvases that I find addictive. Here are a couple of the recent creations.

2008-02-22T11:23:00.001-08:00

Funny story. So I finally set up a blog and am going to use that digital camera I bought about 2 years ago. I try to take pictures of some new work and the battery on the camera appears to go kaput. I change the batteries, but it still doesn't work. I'm bummed. And for like, a month, I keep saying I'm going to take it to the store to get it looked at, but I never really do. So I finally took it to Best Buy and told the nice ladies in the digital camera section the story. They offer to crack open a brand new package of batteries, in case the ones I bought were duds. Immediately the thing turns on, and I mumble something about paying closer attention to where I put the new batteries vs. the spent batteries. The young ladies were very nice and didn't even laugh at me. Note to self - be less of a dingbat. Still not feeling incredibly inspired in paper arts, but I've done a lot of knitting. Here's some new stuff. "Soar" and my favorite new hand made socks.

back again!

2008-01-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Amazing how times flies. And I get less productive. Terrible how our "real" jobs interrupt being creative and making art isn't it? My digital camera is on the fritz, so I've had difficulty photographing new work to post, but I will not be foiled. Hopefully I can get it fixed today. I'm trying not to be bogged down with the minutiae of daily life (bill paying, paper filing, etc.) that seems to sap all my artistic energy. Sprititually I'm trying to commit to some spiritual disciplines with a book called Spiritual Disciplines Devotional by Valerie E. Hess (IV Press). I've always been attracted to the practice of lectio divina, or devotional reading of the scriptures, but I've had real difficulty putting in the time to do it. Why is it so hard to carve out time for those activities we say we value so much? So I read and meditated on John 9, where the man born blind receives his sight, and I kept hearing "allow me to open your eyes." I don't yet know what that means, but I am hopeful that I can explore the implications for my personal life and my art. In what way do my eyes need to be opened? Here's an ATC I created last year.

inaugural post

2008-01-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

"I love myself when I am laughing. And then again when I am looking mean and impressive." Zora Neale Hurston wrote this in a letter to Carl Van Vechten on December 10, 1934 about some photographs he took of her, and it's the title of the Zora Neale Hurston Reader edited by Alice Walker. I found her several years ago through Their Eyes Were Watching God and have read most of her work. As my graduate studies in literature seem to have me leaning in a Harlem Renaissance direction, I've continued to have Zora on the brain. I just like the way she lived on her own terms. Some thought she was brilliant, some crazy, some just didn't know what to make of her. At the risk of inappropriately comparing myself to the great Zora, sometimes I feel quite misunderstood myself. Anywho . . . with this blog I am committing to spend time on the activities that replenish me, that feed me spiritually: connection with God and meditation on his word, writing, altered art . . . and who knows what new frontiers may come. This image is a "paper doll" I made with instructions from one of the Somerset Studio Gallery magazines.