One World One Heart 2010

The day has finally arrived!




It's a day of magic where people from around the world can come together in a spirit of giving, sharing, and mutual respect.

This post will remain on top until this event is concluded. Please scroll down for newer posts.

The magic carpet has been cleared for takeoff, Bleubeard has rubbed the lamp. We're almost ready.


Bleubeard, always eager and willing to help, has your ticket, and I will be passing out your favorite cyber beverage once we get under way. So now it’s time to enjoy the ride to a land where handmade gifts abound.

Before Bleubeard passes out your ticket, there are a few things you have to know in order to qualify. This event is for any and every person who visits my blog. Although I would prefer you have a blog of your own, since this is a worldwide event, I will accept any and all entries this year, but that may not be the case in future years.

This event is open from January 25 through February 15. All you have to do is leave a comment on THIS post to qualify for the giveaway gifts. You are sincerely welcome to leave comments anywhere on my blog, but to be included in the giveaway, you must leave your comment on this post only.


I know that Bleubeard is excited to take off, but there are a few more items we must cover.

This event ends at 10 am CST on February 15. If you aren’t sure what time zone I’m in, just check the clock on the sidebar of my blog for the current time where I live. Please note this is 10 in the morning. That will give me time to count, verify, and announce my winners.

Once the event has ended, I will post a message on this post and in the comments notifying everyone the event has concluded. Any and all comments that I receive after that will not be considered when I determine the number of eligible entries. I will use the random generator to pick all winners and will announce the winners sometime in the afternoon of February 15, after I have notified each winner.

Please note: If you have a blog, I will notify you on your blog.

If you have a blogger profile, but no blog, you must leave your e-mail address.

If I can’t find your blog easily from your profile, or you have several blogs, you must leave your e-mail address.

If you don’t have a blog, you must leave your e-mail address.

Once I have notified you as a winner, you will have until Monday, February 22 to send me (via e-mail) your mailing address. If I don’t hear from you by then, I will choose an alternate name. ALL GIFTS will be given away.

Once I have your mailing address, your gift will be in the mail the following day. As I did last year, I updated the winner post with when I shipped each prize and when the winner received it.


Now that all the formalities are out of the way, Bleubeard and I are anxious for the magic to begin.


Six lucky runners up will receive a handmade 5 ½" X 8 ½" collage. Each collage is on sturdy board, backed with decorative paper, and ready to hang. Some will have ribbon hangers, some wire (my choice). If you win and have a preference, please let me know (which encourages a speedy response from winners). If the piece you want is still available, I will send it to you.


Two lucky winners will receive decorative quiltlets. These are approximately 6" X 10". They are decorated with fabric and vintage paper, have batting, and the same decorative fabric on the back as the hands. Both have tabs for easy hanging from a dowel or tree branch (not included). One has beads that dangle, one does not. The first place winner will receive the one with beads.

Because it's a bit difficult to see the gifts while riding the magic carpet, I have scanned them below. All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

"Home of the stars" (mixed media collage on heavy board)


"Home is where the heart is" (mixed media collage on heavy board)


"The Neighborhood Watch" (mixed media collage on heavy board)


"Cold Fish" (mixed media collage on heavy board)


"The Rising Star" (mixed media collage on heavy board)


"She yearned for color" ((mixed media collage on heavy board)

First and second place winners will receive a handmade ready-to-hang quiltlet.

Second place: "Heartbroken" (fabric and decorated vintage paper)


First place: "My heart is in my hand" (fabric, decorated vintage paper, ribbon, and handmade beads)

Bleubeard and I appreciate you stopping by. Good luck.

If you follow my blog, you know I feature a blog each day. What better way to honor Lisa Swifka than to feature her blog today. For those of you who don’t know who Lisa is, she is the creator and host of One World One Heart, an event that promotes peace, love, and kindness around the globe. Please check out her blog and be sure to thank her for hosting this event. I know it’s a daunting task to oversee this event.

Update

Never in a million years would I have believed the incredible response I have received for my giveaway. As the number of comments approaches 400, what seemed to many who left a comment as a generous giveaway, has now turned into less than that. In the next day or so, I will add FOUR more handmade 5 ½" X 8 ½" collages. Each will be runner up prizes, which means there will be a total of TEN runner up collages to choose from. NOTE: I now have two of the four finished. The other two will be posted no later than Thursday. Thank you for your overwhelming responses to this event.

"Master Key" (mixed media on heavy board, will come with key on hanger)


"Love" (Mixed media on heavy board)

Playing in my studio with my doll dress pattern

I know I'm a bit late in posting today, but a funny thing happened on my way to downloading my pictures from yesterday. I had forgotten to take the card out of the drive in my computer. It's a good thing the batteries in my camera died, or I would have nothing to show for the day. I didn't know at the time I took these photos with my old camera, they would be the only ones I would get all day.

In my never ending effort to experiment, I decided to audition a few things for my doll dress. In my other camera, I showed a closeup of the pattern I used. When Patty sent me the pattern that Margaret had sent her (and later offered to send me), she told me the the shoulders were a bit wonky. I didn't really notice it until I began to cut the pattern out. I did a bit of rework and got it ready to go. Then I cut two images from cardstock and began to see what went with the lovely fabric I had chosen for this project. Don't ask why I chose fabric, I guess because it's a dress. I promise, there won't be a whole lot more fabric in the rest of the doll dresses.

You can see the plastic bags I dyed in hopes of finding something that will work on plastic other than the fabric dye that Alisa Burke uses. I will be playing more with that today or tomorrow, depending on Dana's schedule and show what I've done so far in another post.


I have narrowed down my choices for the clothes and put the rest of the supplies back where they belong.


You can see my choices and the two different patterns I made, which have slightly different sleeve styles.


As an aside, I want to comment on my mug. I think it is only proper, since "T for Tuesday," the brainchild of Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons, is today. Check out Kimmie's blog for other players and their blog addresses. Now these ladies drink tea, find ways to use it in their art, and display it in gorgeous cups.

I have some similar gorgeous cups. I could play, but I'm not much of a tea drinker, preferring coffee instead. And when I'm in my studio, in fact, all the time, I use this old nasty looking mug. I take it everywhere I go. I even left it in a convention room in San Diego back in the mid-90s and it was still there when I went back for it. It has gotten ugly and well worn with age. It hasn't grown old gracefully! But I keep it and take it everywhere, even though I have two other brand new ones like it. Kathy even tells me she thinks I should replace it, but I keep saying at least no one will steal it if I leave it somewhere. When I'm in my studio, I want something that covers the drink, I don't want to worry if I drop it, and I don't want any errant liquid art supplies getting into it. So, you'll often see it in my photos.

Now you have it. That's my one and only contribution to T for Tuesday. And yes, I had tea in it when this photo was taken: a black loose leaf tea. As soon as I had consumed it, I was back to drinking coffee.


Back to art. I decided these were my finalists for the front of my dress. The "ticking" is actually some gorgeous tissue paper I've been saving for "that perfect project."


I couldn't just do one thing. I tore some strips of red and white plaid and sewed them to some red material.


I'm not sure you can tell, but this and the heart tissue paper are on the orange side of the red spectrum, unlike the hearts and ticking, which are on the pink side of the red spectrum. If you aren't sure what you're looking at, use a full spectrum light or go outside to test the pieces.


Remember the 4" of material I bought on Friday? I cut the edge (not sure what that's called, but real seamstresses would) from the material. Why is this so important? This is the VERY FIRST TIME I have ever used a rotary cutter to cut fabric. I normally tear all my fabric, but I just couldn't do that with this material. It's amazing when you know how much this material costs, you treat it so very differently. Since I had such a small width, I didn't need to get out my large cutting board, either.


I've also cut the material to about the size of the pattern I've made for the bodice.


As I waited for the iron to heat (yep, it's old and stained from craft projects), I sandwiched the wonder under, which didn't have backing, between the material and the card stock.


I got a bit carried away. While the iron was out and hot, I also backed some lace, this time with pellon, which did have a backing.


I took this photo before I ironed the material, but you can see I have both the front and the back ready to go once I have the fabric bonded to the card stock and cut to size. As I started to put them together, I realized that I had drawn the pattern on the "right" side of the tissue covered cardstock. It turned out, when I flipped the piece over, it was not symmetrical, so I had to cover the other side with the same tissue. It worked out well, though, because any little bits showing from behind will be pink and more closely match the front than stark white would have. I also used the pink tissue under the ticking, which I think made the ticking a bit too dark. Too bad, I'm not starting over!

Today's blog fell into my lap. Literally. I won a giveaway at BrittanButterfly's blog which is called Little Owl Arts. Was I ever blown away. I don't even remember how I got to her site in the first place, but I was so impressed and stumbled onto the giveaway when I was checking out her blog as a possible one to showcase on mine. She is a mixed media artist, gardener, and fantastic photographer. Her art is totally different from mine. I was blown away by her generous giveaway, but I was most impressed by the hand spun yarn. She celebrates "Five Questions Fridays," and I'm sure she would enjoy your playing, too.

Saturday and Sunday in my world

My dear friend Kathy called me early Saturday morning, just as I was going to sleep, and told me she would be at my house in a little over an hour. She was looking for mauve colored fresh water pearls and wanted to hit a bead store or two. After watching a couple of segments from PBS sponsored "Quilting Arts," we were off and running. I was hoping that the day wouldn't be an all I could spend blowout, like the day before with Dana.

As we drove downtown in the bleak, overcast day, I couldn't help noticing that the statue was pointing the way.


Kathy was intent on getting to the bead store and barely took her eyes off the road to see the peeling paint on the signs to her left.


We had made it, but couldn't find a spot on the busy street.


Has anyone heard of Big Dog? It's a motorcycle and you are seeing the WORLD Headquarters in the background.


Guess I'd better quit gawking and catch up to Kathy before she leaves me in the dust.


Once inside, I saw more ribbons and bows than I knew existed.


It looked more like a party store than a bead store, but the beads were behind the racks and racks of ribbons in the first picture above. I forgot to take photos back on that side.


You name it, they had it. However, even Kathy, who can drop more money than a compulsive gambler can in twenty minutes in any store we visit, thought the prices were high. As an example, one tiny 2mm cut glass bead was going for $2.25 and the prices went up from there. They had some Asian inspired beads that were $15.00. I have a couple that look similar to the ones I saw and I can assure you they didn't cost that much.

Kathy bought some ribbon roses and I carried a package of rocking horse stickers around throughout our shopping experience. I just wasn't committed, but I may have to go back one of these days, because I think they would go well in an AB spread in my rocking horse book. Sadly (or maybe thankfully), Kathy didn't find her pearls, either.


Next we went to Mrs. O'Leary's and both Kathy and I stopped in the "clearance" room. I spent most of my time there, while Kathy had a brief look around, then headed for the new stuff. Neither Joanie (the owner of the store), nor Kathy had heard of grunge paper. I wanted to either get a piece or see what it was like in case I had something similar I could use instead. Joanie promised to check out the Tim Holtz roses from the 12th day of the 12 Tags of Christmas.


Looks like Kathy has gotten distracted by shiny things, or possibly the rescue kitty that now owns the store. At least SHE's not camera shy like my guy.


I took about a dozen pictures in the main room (not the clearance room), but none turned out worth a hoot. I must have been really shaky, because everything looked like a drunk was walking through translucent fabric. I could have shown them, but then you'd have had to kill me.


We left my home shortly after 10 am and by the time we hit the Asian Market, it was well after 2 pm. I was looking for anything that had "Year of the Tiger" on it. Sadly, we left empty handed.


Next it was a stop at Home Town Buffet, where I ate really light considering I love to graze in those places.

After that I forgot to take out my camera when we went to Michaels, where we spent about two hours. The good news is, Kathy found the pearls she was looking for and I found a Jolee's sticker of a tiger that I can only classify as "cutsie." But at this point, I was desperate, tired, didn't care, and didn't want to deal.

About the time I got home, I had blog duties to attend to, internet friends to visit, and an ATC I wanted to make. By about 7 am, I was not only tired, I was mentally and physically exhausted. However, I had a long and busy day ahead and was hoping to get some art finished. After all, I still have two collages to make for my OWOH giveaway. I did manage to get the pattern cut out for the dress I'll be making in a day or two.


After spending the rest of Sunday morning trying to put out some fires of my own doing, it was off to pull the "Unrequited Love" Valentine swap boxes and envelopes out of their safe haven (nice term for dresser drawer). By this time it was early afternoon, but you wouldn't know it from this photo. This photo was taken (unwittingly) with a flash. Note how clean and white the table covering is, and how dark the background is. The tablecloth really IS this color, and the unopened packages' colors are relatively true to form.


However, when I turn off the flash, the top of the table is decent, the scene outside is comparable, and the craft items on the table and in the shoe holder on the door look about right. The sides of the table and tablecloth, however, don't look white at all. Just couldn't decide which photo to post, so decided to let you decide. I'm too tired to make decisions about now. Before I began the swap, I had to raise the leaves on the table so I'd have enough room to spread everything out.

I spent about four hours looking for a suitable blog for today and I'm wiped out. I finally found a colorful blog that is not part of OWOH. The owner's name is Lynn, and I will get some information later today. Right now, I've dozed at least six times, so I leave you with my weekend and Lynn over at the No Name blog. I bet you'll like her work and I'll notify her of my blog with a blog comment once I've had some sleep. Right now my everything is numb and disoriented.

Update: After a few hours of sleep, I am feeling much better. If you clicked on Lynn's name to her blog, you saw her blog banner has "journal, art quilts, photography, mixed media" Wow, what more can you ask for?

Silent Sunday: Peeling remains of a simpler life

Silent Sunday's blog

In keeping with Silent Sunday's blogs which I post prior to my Silent Sunday post, I found this blog while on a random hunt. In keeping with featuring blogs that might interest you, my fellow readers, but are not part of the One World One Heart event, I give you Two Crazy Crafters, the mother daughter team of Twyla and Lindsey.

The first thing I noticed on their blog was the post with the vintage Valentines featuring rocking horses. I figure it had to be fate that put me at their blog on this particular day. I could tell by reading through their blog, they love Valentine's day and show it through their paper and yarn crafts. I hope you smile when you visit them as much as I did.

Boosting the local economy

Today when my friend Dana picked me up, she suggested we go shopping. And not the type of shopping we normally do, but to check out some new places. We went to a strip mall that has both a quilt store and a scrapbook store. I should have known I was in trouble from the beginning!

Dana warned me about this quilt store called "The Picket Fence," and how she had been there once and all the fabric was to die for. What she didn't warn me was how costly fabric is, especially fabric that was this beautiful.

Once upon a time, as Dana and I later discussed, people sewed to SAVE money. That is definitely not the case today. Fabric is so expensive, unless you buy an old outfit at the second hand shop and take it apart, you are going to spend over $50.00 for the material to make a handbag. Don't ask how I know this, because Dana did just that!


This was the first scene I saw when we entered the establishment. I wish I'd saved the picture that captured the lovely wood and brocade foot stool you get a glimpse of in the lower left. I got suckered into the heart fabric on the top of the stack on the sewing machine, thinking about the dress I am going to make for my "Dress Up 2010" project I've joined over at Margaret's blog.


Everywhere we looked we saw little vignettes of lovely fabrics.


The displays were stunning,


and there was way more material than anyone could see in one day.


I was perfectly content to take photos of all these beautiful areas until I saw the tag on the above bag. Be sure to enlarge the photo to check out all the goodness going on in this bag. I simply FLIPPED OUT. After a long and involved discussion with Dana, I finally settled on FOUR INCHES of each fabric I purchased (I show them later in the post), except for one fabric that the print was so large I need six inches to get the full effect, and some turquoise "ticking" that I couldn't pass up and bought 1/2 yard of. I won't even begin to tell you how much I spent, but suffice it to say, I've never spent that much in one store and gotten so little in my life! However, I have some incredible (and I do mean incredible) memories of the place and a few nice photos, too.

After leaving the fabric store, we went to the scrapbook store, which was on the other side of the strip mall. I had told Dana about Graphic 45, a scrapbook line I found several weeks ago. Now I'm not a scrapbooker or card maker, in fact, there's not a whole lot of good things I can find about scrapbooking, but I fell in love with this paper. After I piqued Dana's interest, she went online and found all the lines they carry.

I totally forgot to take photos in the scrapbook store, but I'll show what I bought (later in the post). I found the 75% off row and went to town, buying all the twill they had in two colors, plus a yard each of some that had sentiments on it. I couldn't beat the price of $0.18/yard for the plain and $0.25/yard for the printed. I made up for it, though, when I splurged and bought ONE page of Graphic 45 precut tags (with ONE ROCKING HORSE), Staz-on reinkers in colors I didn't have, and some bling.


Next it was off to Home Depot, where I wanted scrap lumber. Unfortunately, Home Depot no longer sells scrap lumber except in full cartloads. I have no idea if this is company wide, but it sure is the case at our west Wichita store. So we looked around for storage aids. I found these I thought were decent, then realized I had no idea what size to buy and where I would put it after I did. After all, it would have to go in my basement studio, because just about everyone knows that casters (included) don't roll worth a hoot on carpet.


Dana, however, bought a Husky organizer. She plans to keep her journals and pens in them. There are pockets all the way around AND along one long side on the inside of the tote. The handle is nice and sturdy, too.

Even though it was my idea to go there, I ended up getting only a 1/2" wooden dowel for my "closet" that I will have to build in the near future. At least I now have the "rod" that will hold the hangers that my dresses will sit on. At this rate, the cabinet will be made by July!


Next it was off to the pet store, where Dana bought some cat "essentials."


I'd never been in this store before and once again, I got sucked into buying something I had NO plan of buying or even realizing I needed. As Dana was checking out cat litter boxes, so did I. I found one with a lid, handle, freshener, and door opening. I'm not sure if Bleubeard will use it or not (don't know what he'll use if he doesn't), but it will sure beat cleaning kitty litter every day from around his current box. Of course I had to buy a big one because of his size.


It was late in the day when Dana got me home. I was about to put everything away, when I decided to show what I had purchased (minus the 36" long dowel rod). I apologize for the quality of the photos, but I have noticed that this new camera takes better outdoor shots than indoor. Since I have to save them at such lo-res, they loose their resolution quickly. The heart ribbon might just get used in my February dress, but I somehow doubt it. I don't think it's classy enough for that expensive fabric I purchased.

The pink bird laying on the envelope they put it in for safe keeping was one of those things you buy when you need a few dimes more to jump the dollar amount high enough to get a store card punched. If I recall, it's one punch for every $10.00 and you get something free, or at discount, once the card is full. Guess I should check, but I will probably give it to Kathy, since she is the only scrapbooker among us.


Here is a picture of what a small country could feed its people on for a month!! I got a total of 7 lengths of 4" wide strips. Wow, 4" isn't much, is it? The material in the back is the ticking. The buttons, thread, and floss are colors I wanted for either Christmas or Valentine's day embellishments and have nothing to do with any of the material I purchased.


Here is the pale turquoise ticking and a fat quarter I found at half price. There are children, bicycles, airplanes, and an old car all printed in black with a turquoise background.

I certainly boosted the economy yesterday at several stores. I was surprised how much I purchased that was not on sale or at deep clearance. I'm just glad I don't go out and about with Dana every day. But yesterday was fun, and both of us forgot about all the packing, sorting, and moving that is ahead!

Today's featured artist is the web site of Lynda Andrus, a Professor of Art at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. I should probably save this site for Earth Day, but I'm having trouble finding people who are not part of OWOH. Andrus's art is best described in her own words:

"My pieces are created from vintage fabrics and thrift store finds. The materials express subtle tactile qualities of past experiences and make everyday objects take on a sense of the sacred. Nostalgic sentiments emanate from textures of worn cloth, discarded candy wrappers, dishes, toys, and other found objects from the home. These materials become precious links with those who have handled them."

Her art has a vibrancy and eco-friendly aspect to it that I think you will enjoy.

Clear protector sleeves background technique and tutorial

Yesterday I had a conversation with my art friend Dana about saving clear sheet protectors. She was sure I was going to want her to save all of the ones she had from her teaching days. I told her I felt the only thing they were good for was the following technique. Dana and I are getting together this morning, which means I won't be working on my experimental fabric paper today (can you believe it still isn't dry in spots?), show you some of the messes I made yesterday. I'm going to try to have my Valentine ATCs made before she arrives at 10 am, so I need to get to bed, then hopefully, I'll have lots to show and discuss in the next few days when I get back into the studio. In the meantime, this technique, reposted in its entirety from 20o8, is dedicated to Dana.


Many months ago, possibly years ago, I saw this technique on a web site or discussed in a Yahoo group. I can't remember where I saw it, but as I recall, it was in more than one place. I always wanted to try it, but couldn't find any extra clear protector sleeves. Then a few days ago, I ran across mine and now I'm able to try this technique, which I'm happy to share with my readers.


Supplies:
dye reinkers
card stock (CS), or substrate of your choice (2 sheets the size of your sheet protector)
clear protector sleeves (mine are 3 ring sleeves)
scissors
Craft sheet (optional to protect your work surface)
Not shown: Brayer (optional if you have one)


Cut one side and the bottom of your clear protector sleeve.


Place drops of dye reinkers in random spots on one side of the sleeve. For this one, I used four colors.


Close the sleeve and work the ink around


until you are happy with the coverage.


Open the sleeve, and place two sheets of CS or substrate of your choice inside the sleeve. Close the sleeve and press the ink onto the pages. Use your hand or a brayer if you have one to ensure good, even coverage.


Lift one side of the sleeve. If the ink is nearly or completely transferred, remove the pages. You may have to lay them out to dry for a few minutes if some of the ink has pooled. This only happened the first time for me and the ink was dry within a couple of minutes. By the second batch, I was better able to control the amount and placement of the reinkers.


These are my next sets. I only used a few dye ink reinker colors, but you can see how you can alter the design and coverage based on the amount and placement of the ink.

This was a fun, fun technique and it is something you can whip up in a very short amount of time if your reinkers are handy. You also don't need a lot of room for this background technique, since the substrates will be practically dry when you remove them from the sleeve. And it's pretty obvious that no two of these backgrounds will ever be the same, although you will get mirror images with each batch. Enjoy!

Today I'm taking a cue from Marilyn Rock, and featuring Caterina Giglio, Marilyn's guest artist of the month. I first got acquainted with Caterina from very nice comments she left on my blog, including pointing out some men who are both artists and have blogs. So go treat yourself to La Dolce Vita and spend some time admiring Caterina's art.

When good ideas don't go as planned

If you haven't already, please don't forget to leave your ideas for my ATC sentiment here. Today is the final day I can take ideas, so please get them in. And before you ask, I haven't decided anything yet.

I want to make fabric paper, but not the same fabric paper that most people make, or that I have made in the past here, or here (toward the end of the post), or even here. I got this wild and crazy idea to use fabric and tissue paper.

I started this project last night, thinking I could have something ready to go and show this morning. First, I didn't have any muslin, so I went through my fabric stash and came up with the two colors I hoped to use. Then I went through my tissue stash and came up with some lovely tissues.

I have sorted them here, by color. The materials I started with for this project were all kinds of mostly cotton fabric, tissue paper, UHU Twist & Glue, and my craft sheet.


The first thing I did was take an old tee-shirt I had painted in forever, cut it up and put Twist & Glue all over it.


I spread the glue around using an old faux credit card. I never got good coverage, though. The Twist & Glue was not the right consistency for the project. Now I know why you can ONLY use watered down white glue when making fabric paper. In addition to that, I used a ton of glue.


Next I added my leftover circles from the "Love" flowers. They didn't want to stick and the glue was really starting to dry, and at an uneven rate because I never got the right coverage.


Although I used a credit card on the glue, you can see the coverage was spotty at best. I checked just a few minutes ago and the glue is still not dry, even after about 10 hours. Now I have to wait until tomorrow for the glue to completely dry, so I can lift it off the craft sheet and try something different. Since I hope to spend today with my friend Dana, I will pick this up on Friday, or late tonight. At least I know the project will work, but it's going to need a different glue. Stay tuned. All failures provide learning experiences. This is just a minor set back in my world.

Today's blog comes all the way from Germany. As if you haven't been round the world already with OWOH, this blog will have you saying WOW. She doesn't go into much detail about her art, techniques, or materials she uses, but the eye candy is above reproach. Be sure to go and check out Gaby's Colorful Adventures. I can assure you, you won't be sorry.

Another grunge background

Before I start this post, PLEASE check out the Valentine ATC I made and posted last night (Feb 2). I need your help, please.

I thought since I was on the subject of grunge yesterday, I would bring this second grunge background back. I copied it in its entirety from January 29, 2008. I hope you like it, and find a way to use this fun background technique in your art. Again, note how clean and pristine my workspace was back then.


A few days ago (January 24), I showed how to take an ugly scrapbook paper and turn it into an altered grunge piece. I did another, using a piece of white scrapbook paper that I accidentally got paint on.


Supplies are simple:
12 X 12 sheet of scrapbook paper, or any substrate of your choosing
Various paints and glazes of your choice
Gift, old credit, or hotel key cards (be sure they are plastic because the paper ones don't work well)


Begin by spreading two complimentary colors of acrylic paint on the page using a credit card. Note that I used inexpensive acrylic. You don't need the good stuff here, because much of it will be covered anyway. I chose red and yellow because I love that combination.

To that, I added lime green, covering some of both the red and the yellow. This helped to create even more color.

Next, I dipped another credit card in dark green glaze and using only the edge, swiped lines into the center. I then filled in the remaining empty spots on the page using the same glaze.

I repeated the above step using dark blue glaze.

Then I swiped orange glaze in select areas using a clean credit card.

Here is the completed piece. If someone had told me that red, yellow, and lime green paint, and green, blue, and orange glazes went well together from a color standpoint, I would have shaken my head in disbelief. But, since I tried them all together, I really like the results. Hope this inspires you to create your own grunge background.

You really should go to today's blog. I first learned about this from Mar (Mary Hunt) at Working Projects. I just have to pass on a blog I read about on hers. Mar has been a dear cyber friend, leaving supportive comments on my blog for a long time and including me in her blogroll. It wasn't hard to offer to pass the word about Ophelia who is trying to raise money for a family in her North Carolina town. We often send money to those in need in other places when disaster strikes, but seldom reach out the way Ophelia has right in her back yard. In her quest to help this family, she is selling many of her supplies, including paper, fabric, and her really expensive Bernina sewing machine. I was so impressed, I just had to shout out for her. If you need a package of paper or fabric and can afford it, consider buying one or more from her in order to help her raise this money.

I need HELP fast.

I am desperate. I need help and who better to ask than my fellow bloggers and followers. I am in an "Unrequited Love" Valentine's Day ATC swap and it is due in two days. Thankfully I'm hosting, so mailing is not a problem.

I boxed myself into a corner by printing this image Patty Szymkowicz gave me permission to use from her freebie collection. My problem is, I have been racking my brain (what little is left) for an appropriate sentiment for it.

I was playing with the idea that when a person dies, especially one who is young, does her/his lover mourn for what could be, what really was, or what the memory left and time built on. I don't want to make it morbid, though.

If you come up with the sentiment I finally use for the project (REMEMBER, I only have TWO DAYS), I will send a small thank you gift your way. So please, please, help me out with the wording I need. I don't have a lot of room on this ATC and the photo (printed on photo paper) takes up most of the space. Again, if you can give me suggestions or a good sentiment, please post it. Thanks in advance.

Making a background from ugly scrapbook paper

I brought back this tutorial from January, 2009 on one of my favorite ways to alter scrapbook paper. In fact, you can just as easily use this technique when starting with a blank page.

I usually make my own backgrounds, and love the grunge look. However, I've never seen a tutorial on how to take a sheet of ugly scrapbook paper and turn it into something that can be used in altered art. So, I started playing around awhile back, trying to come up with the look I so love and admire, and came up with this. I was just playing, pulling out my supplies, and adding layers until I got a page I liked.

I started with this really ugly sheet of lightweight scrapbook paper,

and turned it into this. The main colors in the original page were lavender and yellow flowers, and green leaves. This is the palette I decided to work around so some of the background could still show. Click to enlarge and see the difference.

I started by placing gesso on the page. I didn't try to cover the entire image, because I wanted some of it to eventually show through the grunge.

After I had toned the paper down a bit with the gesso, I spritzed it with green (Bottle) color wash. I then allowed the color wash to dry.

Next I added a silver glaze, covering some of the piece and leaving some of the original background intact.

My next color was Cranberry color wash.

I used a dry paper towel to wipe some of it away.

It spread into the still slightly wet silver glaze for a really nice effect. I then repeated this step in another area of the page. Since color wash dries quickly, you should work in one small spot, then repeat, rather than trying to work with the entire page at the same time.

For my next step, I sanded parts of the page, being careful to not damage the thin paper.

Using the edge of an old credit card, I added white paint.

I specifically left the lines rather than spreading the paint around.

I used a different credit card to spread gold metallic paint around, but this time, I didn't just create lines. Instead, I scraped in a few places.

Next I used the same credit card without cleaning it to add a green glaze.

I again added just lines with the green glaze, much like I did with the white paint.

Next I swiped white pigment ink on the page, using the direct to paper method. I poured clear embossing powder over the ink and heat set. I did this in a few places only, and not all over.


Although I didn't photograph this step, I added some lavender paint using the same dirty credit card. And finally, I dipped a bottle cap in the same lavender paint and created the circles. From ugly to grungy, and now I have a background I will use in my art.

If you like color, splatters, and drips, you are going to love my blog choice for today. I just found this blog and I think her art is so unique and different. Her name is Carol and she proclaims she is a self taught artist from Los Angeles. Check out her blog, called Carol's Bloggie, if you like color and whimsy.

UHU January project

Back in January (sounds so long ago), UHU sent samples to the UHU gluers, as well as a number of people who requested a sample of the glue of the month.

We were to decorate one of these cute little boxes, also included. Although we were provided a template, I popped the seam on my box and cut the pattern from one of the sheets of paper I was sent.

I had a ton of trouble with this project. From the looks of things on the UHU site, I was the only one, but I suspect it was because, as I have said many times in the past, I am craft knife challenged. I simply don't find it easy to use an Xacto. So I got out my scissors and cut the heavy cardstock. Needless to say, I had a ton of troubles trying to fit the cardstock to the box, which included bending the cardstock in the proper places, even though I scored it.

After awhile, I gave up in frustration and would have scrapped the entire project, had UHU not expected me to provide a working sample.

I finally did about the only thing I could think to do. I got out some tissue paper, slathered glue stick (not the sample of the month) all over the box and went from there. I used some of the paper UHU sent to make the little hearts, which I glued to both sides of the box.

Then I had problems photographing it. I never did get a good photo of it, but this was the best of about 40. I sure hope my February project goes easier!

In the spirit of taking you to different blogs, and those not part of OWOH, today's blog is a fellow UHU gluer, Jessica. Jessica is a scrapbooker whose blog really lives up to its name: So Completely Random.

A thousand or so words (on Seth's blog) are worth a photo or two

Sunday's spotlighted blog

In the spirit of spotlighting blogs that are not part of OWOH, I found this blog a few minutes ago. Once again, I am trying to feature men's blogs who make or discuss art and art related issues. Therefore, today's blog is by Stonepost. I looked all over his blog and profile and couldn't find his name, but I think you'll enjoy this change of pace blog titled "What IS Art?"

As an aside, it's hard to have a silent Sunday when you have to explain something. My Silent Sunday post, which I have yet to create, will show photos only referencing the Art Secrets I will share at The Altered Page, Seth Apter's blog, today. I still have to come up with some art secrets, too. Yep, there are days when I'm way behind.

House party at Seth's tomorrow

As if the OWOH blog hop hasn't robbed you of valuable sleep, Seth Apter at the Altered Page is having a house party tomorrow, and YOU are invited.

Now I realize I have a lot of new followers who may not be familiar with Seth, so allow me to introduce you to your party host. He is an amazing artist and organizes collaborations like the original DisCo (disintegration) and the Secret Sunday project.

For the last 10 weeks, Seth has posted secrets gleaned from artists, some of whom are top names in their field. I hate to drop names, but some you might know are Sally Turlington, Julie Prichard, JoAnna Pierotti, Ingrid Dijkers, Sarah Fishburn, Dave Dube, Kelly Kilmer, Lynne Hoppe, Cyn Richardson, Lisa Renner, Mary Hunt, and others. I feel honored to be among these gifted artists and that Seth chose to publish two of my secrets on different Sundays.


One of my secrets involved rust, which is something Seth loves dearly.

Tomorrow is YOUR day, too. Seth has opened the secrets to any and everyone. Here is Seth's personal invitation:

"Remember to come by Sunday for my open house to share and hear secrets. Tomorrow's edition of Secret Sunday will be written by YOU! Stop by and leave a comment sharing your most coveted art secret and stick around to read all the others."

That means YOU can check out all the previous secrets and the ones that will appear tomorrow. You might even have one or two of your own you want to share. I'm sure I'll have one or two that I'll even photograph and use for my Silent Sunday contribution right here on this blog.

While I'm at it, I'll share the answers to two questions posed by readers yesterday.

1. Where do I get freezer paper?
I'm sure I got mine at WalMart. I've never seen it at Sams. I get my deli paper at Sams, but not freezer paper. You should be able to find it close to the wax paper, parchment paper, and aluminum foil at most grocery stores.

2. How do I glue items to the two previous backgrounds I shared, since they are both slick? For the EP background, I used PVA glue on both sides. That's just a fancy acronym for plain old white glue, like Elmers. I glued the non-stick side to book pages using PVA, then added my image on top of the EP using PVA. I never had a bit of trouble.

For the freezer paper/Alcohol Ink (AI) background, I've used both PVA and glue stick on the dull side. Either will work equally well, depending on the substrate I'm adhering it to. For the AI side, I mostly use glue stick because the image is usually cut from a magazine.

If all else fails (which it hasn't yet), I'll get out my gel medium, which I hoard because it's the most expensive glue I own. Gel medium sticks to just about anything, except the front of wallpaper samples. There's also a glue called "The Ultimate," which some people call white super glue. It would hold Bleubeard to the ceiling if he'd sit still long enough for it to dry. If you own a Xyron, the adhesive works good, too. However, it would NOT hold Bleubeard to the ceiling.

Hope that answered both questions.

Since Seth is not a part of OWOH, I've chosen his blog, The Altered Page, for my pick of the day. Did I mention he's a fantastic artist and photographer? You'll spend a lot of time at his place both today and tomorrow when you share your art secret(s).

Glitz and Glam Background Technique

It's snowing right now. We have around 3" on the ground. That means it's also cold, so I'm going to heat things up a bit today. I thought for sure I had shown this technique before on my blog, but after spending a good deal of time searching for it, I have decided I've never posted it.

Back in 2008, when my friend Theresa came to visit (see this recent post), she helped demo this technique while I took the photos. To my knowledge, this is an original background technique. I've never seen it anywhere before. As with many of my techniques, this one came about accidentally. I have several rolls of clear acrylic book covering that I was gifted with and had planned to make some backgrounds using it for a different technique. Specifically, I cut strips of various colors of cardstock in 1" strips, then planned to adhere them to the clear sticky backed material. After they were adhered, I planned to cut those strips in the opposite direction and adhere more clear material. Unfortunately, this stuff I have was too old and wouldn't stick to the cardstock. In frustration, I tried the following technique that I call "Glitz and Glam":

Materials:
Clear shelf lining, book covering, or any clear contact paper sticky on one side
Scissors
Heat tool
Embossing powders, several colors (colors of your choice)
Heat resistant surface


Cut the clear contact paper to a manageable size.



Remove the protective backing, exposing the sticky side of the paper.


Place the contact paper on your heat resistant surface sticky side up. You may have to weight it down, depending on how much it wants to curl.


Tap a small amount of your first embossing powder (EP) color in various areas of the paper.


Repeat step four using a second color. The second color should be in a different location, preferably in an opposite corner.


Repeat step four using as many colors as you choose, until the entire surface is covered with a thin layer of embossing powder.


Using your heat tool, emboss the entire surface. Once cool, run your hand over the entire piece to be sure all the embossing powder has been heated. This is a very deceptive process and you will probably find you missed a few places.


This is what the completed front or (formerly) sticky side looks like when finished.


This is what the completed back or smooth side looks like. Sometimes the back is prettier than the front.

The brand of clear covering was quite thin. Theresa was able to hold the heat tool close to the surface, which is not normally the case. I also have some clear covering that is quite thick and will bubble and melt if the heat tool is too close. Be sure to test your covering before you begin your actual piece.


The thicker the EP is applied, the less transparent it is. If you continue adding EP to the project, it is best to do so after you have begun the embossing process, rather than at the beginning.


If you get a blob of EP on your page, gently tap the underneath (smooth) side to redistribute it. If you like the look of more EP in one spot, be sure your heat tool is far above the surface when you begin, or you will just blow the EP away. I cannot stress enough how you should run your hands over the cooled project. You may think you have melted all the EP, but there will probably be some you have missed. The surface will feel smooth if the EP is completely heated and grainy if it isn't.

Experiment with different colors, and use clear EP if you want to use the sheet as a foreground, rather than a background. Gold and black are especially nice. This is an easy, beginner background.

In keeping with spotlighting blogs that are not part of the OWOH giveaway (until after the event has closed), here is a blog with so much eye candy, you might have to give yourself an insulin shot. I present you with Sue Pelletier's blog. I saw her work in Cloth, Paper, Scissors and just had to find her blog. If you like mixed media (and who doesn't if you follow my blog?), today's blog will have you going "WOW."

Freezer paper and AI background technique

This is a technique I first demoed in April, 2009. I'm bringing it back because many people followed Tim Holtz's 12 tags of Christmas posts. In one of his posts, he made the comment that you could not use photo paper with AIs because it stayed sticky, but needed to use glossy paper. Since glossy paper is not always available, and since it's rather pricey, here is a low cost alternative to both photo and glossy paper. As an aside, you can tell how new and clean my vinyl table covering is in this photo. I can assure you, it isn't that pristine now.

One of my students in my AB 101 online class, Beverly W., came up with the concept behind this fun background. Of course I had to try it, since it fits with my idea of finding alternatives to high priced materials. Beverly doesn't have a web site, but I appreciate her allowing me to use her idea.

Supplies:
Freezer paper
Alcohol Inks (AIs)
Blending solutions
Scissors
Craft sheet or some way to protect your work surface
Optional: rubber gloves


Tear a manageable piece of freezer paper from the roll. Note that there is a slick or shiny side and a dull side. Make sure the shiny side is up.


Randomly apply several drops of three or more AIs to the shiny side of the paper.


Working quickly, squirt blending solution all over the paper, not just where the ink is.


Fold in half and squish together.


Manipulate the ink by pressing and pushing on the paper. Try not to crease the fold.


Open the paper and see if you like the results.



If not, add more blending solution and more AIs. Repeat until you are happy with the results. Now you can cut it to the size of your project.

These were a lot of fun and went quickly, since the AIs dry fast.

Is everyone enjoying the OWOH annual blog event? Remember, you don't have to offer a giveaway to visit your favorite blogs, along with a few new ones you might find. As of six am, there were 762 blogs registered.

Today's blog spotlights Rachel Baldanza who lives in NY, and in keeping with the spirit of OWOH, is not part of the giveaway. Since many of my readers are painting faces at the moment, I thought her blog might be something different and inspiring. If you click on "next page" at the bottom of the page, you'll see one of her sketches and a peek at her sketchbook.

A day with my friend Dana

Yesterday I spent the day with my art friend Dana. For those of you new to my blog, her MIL died on Dec. 31. Dana and her husband own the house she lived in and will soon be moving there.

This is the view across the street from Dana's new home. The snow geese have taken over the pond for the winter. They love Wichita rivers, private ponds, and bodies of water because unsuspecting people decided to feed them one year and the geese decided to stay and get fat. About 10 years later, they won't leave. Why fly south when they can find food here? Although they were adorable the first couple of years (and NO, I never fed them), they are now a menace, as anyone who has had to walk through their slippery poo will tell you.

Once we got to Dana's new home, we were reminded of how a life can be interrupted. Dana and I agreed that this should be the first thing to go. So we turned on the lights, celebrated the tree one last time, and spent the next hour or so locating saved containers, and packing up everything Christmas around the tree.

After the tree had been stripped of decorations and lights, we took a well deserved break before tackling the decorations everywhere around the house, including the ornament on the wall in the upper right of this photo. Dana and I carefully collected some art fodder from the Christmas things, wrapped and stored a few special ornaments from Dana's husband's childhood, then packed everything else up to sell.

Before we left around 6:00 pm, I took a photo of one of the many, many walls where we will soon be stripping wallpaper. You can tell this was done professionally, so we're hoping the stripping will be easier than if the previous homeowners had done it theirselves.

And because I didn't have time to copy photos from an old technique, I decided to share the inside cover of my hands AB which helps reinforce the pages. The background is made from paper towels found at service stations used to clean your car windows. They are light beige and take water without breaking down like paper towels will. I colored them with a few pastel watercolors, then added various magazine images.

I seem to be on a Liz/Elizabeth link kick. Today's blog is by my dear friend Elizabeth Golden. Many of you probably know Elizabeth. Her art is always stunning, never disappointing. I know you'll love it and find it as inspiring as I do.

Crayon background

This is not a new technique. In fact, I made this tutorial last May. However, I lost all my photos when I lost my computer, so all I have are my blog photos.

I decided to repost this today because most everyone I know, including most of my devoted followers, are probably blog hopping around the OWOH (see sidebar for link) giveaway or have a giveaway they are hosting. If you haven't checked out the OWOH event, please do. That will keep you busy all day long, I promise.

Over the next few days, I will be posting a few of my favorite background techniques. Those of you who have never seen this technique will appreciate it, those who have can go back to blog hopping. Once the giveaway slows down a bit, I'll resume regular posting. As of midnight CST, there were 579 confirmed blogs and I had over 100 people who had visited me. I was thrilled, especially for the first day.

Without further ado, here is a simple and fun technique even your children will enjoy. My secret for fun is the warming tray. I have made these backgrounds before on the stove using a pizza pan, but it is hard to control the heat, so you end up smoking the crayons or taking the chance that they don't melt. When I found a warming tray at a garage sale awhile back, I was thrilled. It is just the ticket for this technique.

Supplies (from left):
Warming tray
Iron (I didn't use it)
Heat tool (optional, I didn't need to use)
Foil, preferably heavy duty
Crayons, preferably Crayola brand since they have more pigment
Substrate such as card stock (not shown)
Dress pattern or tissue for second background (not shown)
Beeswax for second background (optional, not shown)

Cover your warming tray with foil. Turn the warming tray on to medium.


While the tray is heating, remove the protective papers from your crayons. It is much easier to do this before you begin.


Draw a design on the heated foil. This is supposed to be a pumpkin. Have I not mentioned I can't draw anything?


Gently lay your card stock onto the melted crayon. Don't move it around, just lay it flat on the tray.


Gently press until the crayon has soaked into the card stock. You will be able to see the crayon soak through the paper.


Lift the paper straight up.


This is what the pumpkin looks like now.


I repeated the color in the same spot and repeated the process. This time I didn't let the crayons melt as much, so the color didn't spread as much and the pumpkin looks better defined and less like a blob.


Clean your foil using a paper towel. There is no need to add more foil. As long as you clean the foil after each color, the foil will last all day long.


For the second experiment, I repeated removing the protective paper from the crayon, but this time I simply squiggled lines on the foil.


Lay dress patterns over the melted crayon.


Add more crayon on top of the dress pattern, making sure it is completely saturated.


Lay your card stock or other substrate on top of the dress patterns, being careful to not twist the substrate.


Gently lift one edge of the card stock and remove from the warming tray.


This is my completed piece. You can see where I got more color in some areas than others. If I want to even the color, I can do that using my heat tool, an iron covered with protective foil, or a small clover iron (you get these at the craft store, but I don't own one).

Consider using tissue paper instead of a dress pattern and add leaves between layers of tissue. Always add crayons or beeswax between each layer for good coverage.

The warming tray doesn't get hot enough to burn or smoke, so it is safe for children. This is a fun technique that will keep children and parents occupied for hours. The bonus is, you will have loads of backgrounds or images you can use in any of your paper projects.

Today's blog is The Quilted Turtle. I had to search for blogs that didn't have the OWOH giveaway. This gal's blog is an eclectic mix, so it should appeal to some of my dear followers. By the way, her name is Liz.

Silent Sunday: OWOH sneak peek

Silent Sunday's blog pick

If you're a collector, and especially love pink, you're going to love this blog I found last night. Martha is a confessed "serial collector." Just take a peek at a few of her collections and you will agree. While you're looking around, check out how she organizes her collections.

More organization tips

My brain is numb. I still have to finish my One World One Heart project (see sidebar for details), but I just couldn't bring myself to make art today. With the deadline looming, I just felt I was spinning my wheels. I always tell people when that happens, organize something. You'll either get inspired, or find something you forgot you had that will jump start your creativity.

Tip 1: When creativity is lagging, organize.

With that in mind, and Bleubeard cheering me on (can't you just FEEL his excitement?), I decided to share a few more tips.

You often see this dresser in the background behind my work space. It is always clean. Tip 2: Always keep at least one horizontal surface clear of clutter and art projects.

There is another reason for this space to stay clean, too. Since I host at least one swap a month, this is my "shipping zone."

I have everything nearby for mailing. I keep labels, postage, and scales in the left drawer, shipping charges, address labels, and customs forms in the right drawer. I pulled the papers out a bit so you could see what they are. On the lower right is trash can that holds envelopes. Behind that in the blue bag is packing material (bubble wrap). The next drawer down, which is a single drawer, is where I keep all swap packages I receive. I never open them until the day I make the actual swap. That way I know everything is safe and never lost.

Tip 3: Keep like items together, whether it's postage/shipping supplies or crayons.

This system works for me. It may not work for you, but it does for me. And, NO, that is not mold or a stain on my carpet. It's just how the light reflected off the wall or baseboard.

I started removing all the books from one shelf, using a makeshift box to store them until I find a place for them. Then I realized I had forgotten a very important tip:

Tip 4: Always know how much space you need and have a place for things you want to move and keep.


Nope, no space here. There are already altered books everywhere you look.

No space here. This space is overrun with altered books.

Could there be room in here?

The next task is to measure the amount of space I have on this shelf and to ask myself where I will put the things I remove from it. I obviously didn't find the space I needed, so it's back to the drawing board. I may just have to give my altered books away.

Today's blog will totally waste your time (what could be more perfect on a Saturday). In fact, it is called More Ways to Waste Time. Unfortunately, the person who ran this blog shut it down in 2008, so there are no new posts. However, the ones that are still on her blog are fun to see if you like photography, furniture, and gallery art. This is an eye popping, color rich blog and I'm sorry to see it is no longer active.

Making messes

Yesterday I made a bunch of backgrounds. I am playing around with various ideas, so the backgrounds were as varied as my thoughts.

This one is about 6 X 8 and made with only fabric and metallic paints.

This one uses book pages, gesso, fluid acrylics, glazes, and acrylic paint. Sorry, I can't show the others.

I always preach to clean your work space as soon as you finish one project and before you start another. After all that play, I didn't take time to put anything away until after I snapped this picture. There are so many different projects represented here. I seriously believe this is the messiest my art space has EVER been. So, those of you who are neatniks like me are probably repulsed by this sight, as am I. Those of you who like to work in clutter will find it refreshing that I could allow it to get so bad in one day.

Since I made such a mess yesterday, today's blog is by another guy, but not an artist. This guy has an organization challenge blog, where he shows pictures and gives advice for how to declutter, etc. I simply looked for a blog about decluttering and Greg's popped up. Not bad. Although he has nothing about art studios, he makes some good generalized points.

The Electric Heart

I almost forgot to post anything today. Yesterday Dana and I were unable to work together, so I spent the day working on projects that have a short due date. I can't show them yet, but all will be revealed soon.

One thing I did finish and can show is this spread in my Hands AB. I started with a sheet of the yummy deli paper for a background, which I never got around to doing anything more with. To that I added a magazine image that I sewed a piece of deli paper in the shape of a heart to, and added the beads. They actually dangle below the book, but this is how they scanned. I still have to add the title, but I was in a bit of a hurry to have something to post. This is turning out to be one of my favorite spreads, except I now believe I'll add more red to the background. It's a bit too pink for the image and the fabric beads.

Today's blog of choice is Jeb's Junky Trinkets. Don't let the name fool you. His art and photography are definitely NOT junk. They are true works of art.

Artless

Yesterday was dreary, foggy, and bleak. Dana came by and picked me up s0 we could pack a few more things for her upcoming move. I will share the only eventful event of my day.

As we readied to leave, I actually remembered to get my house key and lock my front door, something I haven't done in at least five years. Then we were off to Dana's. Once we got to her place, I looked for my keys, but they were nowhere to be found. I was unconcerned, but Dana was, considering all the activity that has been going on in my neighborhood lately.

Needless to say, I knew I had left them in the front door, so we hopped back in her car and returned to my place. As soon as I got close, I knew they were there, even though they were virtually hidden by the screen.

Safely waiting for me to come home and rescue them, the keys were gentle reminders of why I never lock my door.

Hopefully I won't make the same mistake tomorrow.

If you like crochet, you will probably like this blog I found for today written by Alicia Paulson. Although I'm not big on crocheting, I can still appreciate the beauty of it. I can't wait to read about the new granny square pattern she says she will be sharing soon. This is my first time at her blog and it looks like she has one book already published and another on the way. So her name may even be familiar to some.

How is your rubber made?

In April, 2007, three of my ABC yahoo group friends and I got together. It was supposed to be a get together to celebrate Theresa coming to Wichita, but it turned into a birthday celebration for me. I was totally surprised and blown away by the surprise.

However, this post is not about a two year old birthday memory, but how rubber stamps are made. Before a stamping company called River City Rubber or RCR (those of you who stamp have probably heard of it) had to move from the place they had occupied for more than a few years, they were located at what was called "The Barn." RCR is owned and operated by sisters Dana, LeAnne, and Mary. At the time, they all even lived in the barn.

I lost all my photos when my hard drive died a couple of months ago, but I was fortunate enough to have stored these photos on a Yahoo group site. These were taken by me and copied from Yahoo. Those of you who don't know about Yahoo, they store photos in a standard thumbnail, large, and larger size. I copied each in the largest size that Yahoo allowed. I'm not sure how much larger they will get if you click on them, but I hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did, hopefully with photos you will be able to enlarge.

From left, are Celia from Great Bend, KS; Kathy from Hutchinson, KS; and Theresa from Clarksville, TN. In the background is the sign pointing the way to The Barn, and the "shop" where the rubber is made.


When we got there, there was nothing but rubber stamps. I mean they were everywhere. There must have been a gazillion or more. OK, a bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but more stamps than I have ever seen in my entire life. It was overwhelming, inspiring and totally unlike anything I had envisioned. While looking at rubber stamps, we told Dana DeCicco, one of the sisters who run the store, about our venture. She called the "shop" (about 100 yards from the barn) and we were given a tour of where they make the rubber stamps. You can see a tiny bit of the red "shop" in the background of the first photo.

The three stampers (Celia, Kathy, and Theresa) all ordered unmounted rubber stamps (UMs). I had forgotten you could get UMs there, since their main focus at that time was mounted. As a bonus, the rubber was made that day with us watching. Now how cool was that?


Entering the shop was pretty low key. It was a small operation at that time, and I have no idea what it's like now that they have moved. Here Theresa, and Celia behind her, have entered the shop. I stopped to take a photo of the order board, which is the first thing you see when you enter. The cat box on the floor says it all.


Dana showed us the etched plates used to make the rubber. These they buy. Please don't ask me where, I don't remember and didn't write anything down that day. The shelves in the background are filled with wood mounted stamps that are waiting to be shipped or sold in the store. If Dana's name sounds familiar, it's because she has been on HGTV's Carol Duvall show.


While we were waiting for the press (or oven) to heat to the proper temperature, Theresa spotted one of the rescue cats that lived there. She almost took it back to Tennessee with her. Mary, one of the sisters, looks on in the background.


Mary, in back, Dana (in the middle with back to the camera), and Celia, examine the remaining components needed to make a rubber stamp. One side is flat, one side has the image plate, and the unpressed rubber is sandwiched in the middle.


Dana (on right) explains the process that is about to happen and how hot the press needs to be in order to get a good impression, while Celia watches the setup.


In this photo, one of the workers places the rubber on one of the plates now that the temperature of the press has heated sufficiently. The plate is then inserted into the hot press (oven) shown on the right. Note the heavy heat resistant gloves she is wearing. This press gets extremely hot, but I forgot what the final temperature was.


After pressing, the plate is removed from the press and the rubber is removed from the HOT plate. Rubber and plate are very hot and the rubber is quite maleable at this point. The piece had been in the press for several minutes before it was removed.


When the rubber is cool, a worker accurately cuts the rubber using an electric scroll saw.


LeAnne (one of the sisters) is working on the machine that makes labels for the wooden blocks. The disk that LeAnne is using must also be purchased.


In this photo, Dana show and tells us about the machine that LeAnne (not seen in photo) is using to stamp the image onto the wooden blocks. Each plate costs $10,000. I can see why it would be advantageous to sell only UMs. From left is Theresa, Kathy, and Dana.

From there, the blocks go to the same worker who cut the rubber, who carefully adheres the rubber to the block, precisely lining up the stamp to the image.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour through "The Barn," although it no longer exists as a rubber stamper's paradise. I also hope you found learning how rubber stamps are made was as fascinating to you as it was to me.

Today's blog focuses on Mary, a gal who has a ton of rubber stamps, none of which were probably made by River City Rubber. Mary often features handmade cards on her blog that are both lovely and well photographed. She always lists the materials she uses, so if you like Stampin' up stamps, this one is for you. While you're there, check out her craft room from the link on the right side of her blog. It's to die for.

A political rant and a Hands spread to honor Haiti

Before I get on my soapbox, I just want to comment on yesterday's post. I have over 400 rocking horses. I have collected them (and been generously gifted with many) since the 80s and I love, love, love every one of them. There are tiny ones no bigger than a nickle, there are huge ones that children can ride, and there are all sizes in between. There are rocking horses in every room in my house. I also have rocking rabbits, and several other rocking animals. If they rock or roll, they are welcome in my collection. You can't look anywhere in my home that you don't see at least one, usually several. I will show a few of them any week I don't have a changing landscape to share. Now let's talk about Haiti.

I'm not one to get on a soapbox, but I just had to rant about two issues concerning Haiti. One concerns the lack of personnel, facilities, and medication to take care of the wounded. The other concerns credit card companies.

First, it's bad enough that people who have nothing, are given help by willing and decent people, only to have a portion of it used to line the pockets of the credit card companies. Now I'm all for business, but not bilking. It seems the credit card companies are taking as much as 3% of donations given to Haiti survivors. Many people who donate to various charities do so using a credit card. These credit card companies are getting rich off the donations that hardworking people are sending. It's not enough that the credit card companies are constantly raising interest rates, they now have found a way to charge unsuspecting donors for their kindness and caring.

Although some of the credit card companies have waived their fees for certain charities, others are still being taxed. Many charities, including Doctors Without Borders don't fall under this protective umbrella. If you intend to make a donation, please be certain that your entire contribution makes it to the charity you specify. Either check with your credit card company if you are paying by credit card, or pay by check or PayPal. Remember that the credit card companies take this money off the top, so that means less reaches the charity.

Next, ask yourself where is the money being spent. It seems there are no supplies, no drinking water, no sanitary conditions, much less antibiotics, or ways to repair broken legs and arms. The dead, lying in the streets with either a sheet or cardboard over their broken bodies, is heartbreaking to see, but no drinking water and food are just as bad, if not worse.

Although reports that the UN removed doctors from Port au Prince on Friday due to security concerns, this was actually not the case. This was a decision made by head doctors from various countries to evacuate. Thankfully Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical adviser, along with CNN staff and a Haitian nurse who refused to evacuate, were there to help overnight, providing makeshift care.

Although I couldn't find any documentation, I heard that World aid volunteers had been trying to get food to the Haitian people, but some of them began shouting that the food was contaminated, thus causing many Haitians to be afraid to take both food and water. Can things get any worse?

Sources:

1. "As Wallets Open For Haiti, Credit Card Companies Take A Big Cut," The Huffington Post, January 14, 2010

2. "Some Card Fees Waived for Haiti Aid," The New York Times, January 14, 2010

3. "False Reports of UN Ordering Medical Personnel to Leave Haiti Field Hospital," UN Dispatch, January 16, 2010

4. "Security concerns cause doctors to leave hospital, quake victims," CNN.com, January 17, 2010

5. Americans requesting news about family members in Haiti may call 1.888.407.4747, which is set up by the State Dept.



I could not create a post with no art or photographs, so this one is for Haiti. I call it Faith, and hope that is what the people of Haiti have: faith that many survivors will be found, faith that those who are sick will survive and get well, and faith that International help will show Haitians they have touched the hearts of the world.

Today's blog is by a missionary couple and their children who recently moved to Haiti. Their names are Cody and Maria Whittaker and their blog has tons of photos of Haiti, the people, the town (Jacmel) both before and after the quake. It's well worth your time to take a look at their blog to learn a bit about this country so many of us know little about, and to see the beauty before, and the devastation after the quake. Be sure to click on older posts because the photos on their blog are stunning and revealing.

Silent Sunday: Collection (Part 1)

Sunday's new blog

I simply fell over The Gathering Nest after visiting one site, then another, then another. The owner's name is Debby and she makes colorful and beautiful art. I recognized a lot of ArtChix and Paper Whimsy embellishments and images, so I knew I would like her art. Hope you do, too.

Back to my Hands AB

Can you believe the first month of 2010 is half over? It doesn't seem possible.

After taking a several day hiatus from making art, I returned to my Hands AB last night. I cut two different, but similarly painted sheets of deli paper into four sheets each and adhered them to the two pages. I keep getting these same images in my trade magazines. I'm trying to come up with different ways to use them, because I really like them. For the first spread, I used the original image cut from the magazine, and doctored it with a stenciled caption that covered the ad underneath. This post documents the second time I used it.

Today's blog is really fun. The Queen of Arts, Kim Mailhot, will entertain you with her painted rocks and art journals.

A few organization tips

Yesterday I asked these questions for you to consider when reorganizing your art space. The reasons I asked will become evident as I proceed to explain what works for me. Now I'm not saying that my way is the only way. Heavens knows, I'm not an expert, just a neat freak. And the way I make art and the types of art I make, dictate how my art spaces are set up. So before I head off to Dana's, here are a few pointers. Remember, these are guidelines only, not hard and fast rules.

1. What types of art do you make?
This will dictate the types of areas you need. Do you paint? If so, you will need an area that is protected from drips and spills. Do you need water? If so, you should be prepared to haul it if there isn't any close by, or locate your work space near a water source. Do you need both a "wet" and "dry" zone? Be sure to consider all types of art you need.

2. How many zones do you need?
That depends on the types of art you make. If all you use to make art are a few doodle pens, then your work zone will include a comfortable chair, a place to steady your arm, and a good lamp or natural light. However, if you have multiple interests like many altered artists, you will need to plan several zones. These will be set up according to your needs, tools, and materials.

3. How much space do you have?
I admit it. My entire house would be turned into a craft room, if I could get rid of my furniture. As it is, I am far more lucky than many artists. Although I don't have built-in storage cabinets and beautiful custom made furniture or storage units, I have space: space that is filled with art fodder. Whether you make art in a closet, on your bed, or in a huge well lit studio, you can find ways to do it. You just have to pare down and don't go dumpster diving like I often do.

4. What has and has not worked in the past?
If you've tried in vain to get and keep an organized work space and have failed, it is because your system isn't working for you. You must ask yourself how you work. Do you like a neat, clean table (as I do), or do you prefer your supplies within arm's reach?

Here are a few more questions to ask yourself.

5. How much clutter are you willing to put up with before you have to clean?
I read somewhere that the clutter had to get to within one inch of workable space before the gal would clean her area. That works for her. It may work for you. It would not work for me. If I am working on a project, then finish it, all the items go to their respective homes. When I finish using a rubber stamp, stencil, or paintbrush, I clean them. If part of your organization problem is letting things pile up, then you need to know just how willing you are to work in an unorganized space.

6. Do you know where your supplies are?
Did you just buy the latest, greatest gadget you couldn't live without, and instead of putting it where it makes logical sense, put it where there was a hole or three inches of space? Did you look for hours on end, believing you have that perfect image for a layout, only to give up in frustration when you hadn't found it at the end of the day? Or even worse, did you just spend a week organizing and forgot where you put everything?

When I buy or am given something, I look at it, maybe even photograph it. I hold it in my hand. I ponder. I ask myself "Where does this go (or belong)?" That's where zones come in handy. I also ask "If this was lost, where is the first place I would look. It may not sound logical, but if it's the first place you would look for it, then why not put it there?

Let's look at a few problems I have and how I intend to correct them in the next few weeks.

Although I love all my altered books and swap items, I no longer have room for them. They are multiplying by the day, and since they now look so cluttered, I must find a new home for them. Just think what I can do with all that added space.

The top shelf is so high, it's hard for me to reach items there. That shelf also isn't working.

I'm incredibly embarrassed to show this, and I'm glad it's behind a door. This shelf has gotten out of hand and it's all because of the ribbon, much of which is paper, not at all suitable for altered art. I must find a place for it. I know what I want, but I must find them and at a reasonable price. I want pant holders that swing out and hook together. Once I find some, I will place them on the back of my door. That will free up the second shelf for other things.

This was one of those "good ideas" I had. OK, I swear I wasn't on drugs when I did this, but I have no idea why I chose to keep my bits and scraps of material in this drawer. I guess I thought they would be easy to get to and really close to the sewing machine. Add to that, batting (do you have any idea how much space batting takes up?), wonder under, and pellon, and you have a disaster. Now I can't get anything out of there without taking everything out. Nothing is sorted, little bits of fabric sit with fat quarters or whatever they are called, mixed in with old clothes I intended to take apart for the material. Talk about a disaster. This is one place I will have to change. Do you have a place in your studio like that?

My plan was to have the material close to the sewing machine. The dresser is to the right of the picture. However, this is an example of when you don't have floor space, go up. I placed the small night stand (that's what it was in a previous lifetime) on the other dresser. It may not look like much, it's certainly not fashionable, will never make one of those "studio" magazines, but it is functional. You can see that I keep my thread near my machine, too.

What DOES work is my paper holder. I love these two units that hold 8 1/2" by 11" paper. My paint holder also works, although lately I have not been good about putting like colors together.

Another thing that works is my shoe caddy. It holds many, many tools. I have one on the front and back of this closet door. Because they are see-through, I don't have any trouble finding exactly what I need or want each time. Again, I try to keep like things together.

Now that I know what isn't working, how do I correct the problems. First I must determine how much space I need, since I already know how much space I have. From there I will draw a diagram, much like I did when I redesigned my basement studio.

This is a detailed plan of my basement studio after it was remodeled.
Even before I brought a single thing into the room, I knew where it would live. I set up zones, many of them with their own dedicated shelves. Don't think that a zone needs an entire wall. A zone could be just one shelf. It all depends on how many items are associated with the zone.

Just make sure you try to draw to scale, and be prepared for change. Think and rethink before you move anything. It's much easier to move things on paper than in reality.

This is my polymer clay zone. Everything I need to make polymer clay can be found here. Now if I had a HUGE studio, I'd have a table with the toaster oven plugged in and ready to go, the pasta machine clamped to the table, and the clay, molds, cutters, etc. nearby. But that isn't possible in my space. Besides, I work with clay maybe once every couple of months or so. When I do, it's not a problem to move the oven or the pasta machine. It works for me, and that is what is important. So, I call this my clay zone.


Above my clay zone is my glue gun that I keep in the basement, along with glue. If I buy glue, I know right where it goes, because the glue gun in the other craft room is small and the glue isn't the same diameter. I'll never get the two confused. Behind the glue gun is my Gallery Glass paints. They make faux stained glass. I use these about once every year or two, so I'm not concerned I'll have to move something to get to them. Ease of reach is important, but I'm willing to move things once every two years if it means I can reach the pieces I use more often. Again, this works for me.

This zone is a bit of a mess because I played with beeswax right before Christmas and it's not the neatest area. I also soldered some wires a few weeks ago, which had nothing to do with art. This shelf holds both my soldering equipment and my beeswax and crayon melting equipment. Although it looks messy, each "zone" has the requisite tools needed. And, if I'm going to solder, I know right where the flux, the copper tape, the extra tips, and solder are. No hunting needed. So, on the left is my soldering zone, on the right is my beeswax zone.


The same goes for my UTEE melting pots. All the materials are close at hand, the pots are near an outlet, and it takes no time at all to get things ready to go. This is my UTEE zone.

I wish I'd bought two of these roll around carts when they were at Big Lots a few years ago, but I only got one. The top is sturdy and acts as a work surface. I keep my cutter there (my guillotine cutter lives in my craft room upstairs), along with what I consider cutting tools.

Not sure if you can see, but I have FOUR, yes four boxes filled with those nasty X-acto knives. After Dana gets moved, I'm gifting them to her. I just don't feel safe using them. But for now, they live under my paper cutter, because this is my paper cutting zone.

One tip: Buy see through storage. If you can't see it, you won't be able to find it. Also, if you can't see it, you forget you have it.

I call this tower "adhesive central" because it holds all kinds of glues and adhesives. Keeping them together until I need them for a project, means I always know where my adhesives are. Putting them back after I use them, is also easy because I know where they belong.

Zones don't have to be pretty, but you can turn them into both pretty and functional by placing materials in glass jars. This is my "glass tumbling" zone. When I have (or find) broken glass or bottles, I don't leave it sitting around. I add it to the other broken material and use it when I tumble a load of glass.

I may have missed a few questions along the way, but this one is very important.

7. What strategy do you use to organize?

Do you organize by shape or similar materials,

or do you organize by color?

And one final question:

8. How do you work when you make art?
Do you prefer to sit or stand to make your art? Do you like to be able to move around, or sit without a great amount of moving?

To recap, know yourself and your work habits. Know if you are willing to keep an organized space clean after you do all the work or give up after awhile and let it get back to messy. Know whether you are willing to find a home for each of your charms, brads, etc., or whether you are content to hunt through your treasures each time you want to find something.

Know your search habits. Do you search by color, by item description, or by where you thought you left something? Do you begin looking where you thought you last saw the item, or do you look where you think it should logically be?

Remember, most of us are in the same boat. I've tried ways to organize that failed, I've run out of room, I've bought organizing containers that didn't work, and I've made other organization mistakes, too. So please let me know if this post has been helpful. I'd also like to know if you learned anything, or if this was all information you read about in the past. I often think my ideas are original, having "discovered" something over time, failure, or mishap, only to discover someone wrote a book that said something similar. I hope that's not the case today, because everything here I've learned either the easy way or the hard way.

Today's blog link is Inspiring Adventures of Always Inspired. I couldn't find her name anywhere on her blog, but she has many diverse interests, including embroidery, sewing, and just recently, ATCs.

Helping Dana and a hands time out

In the light of day, Dana and I observed the window next door to me (see yesterday's post) that was broken that alerted the police to the possible break in.


As we were leaving, I took a picture of the front of the house next door where all the excitement had been. The front door, which had been battered in, was apparently securely closed, presumably by the police. However, the broken window, seen in the back right side of the photo, was still gaping.

My friend Dana is moving in the next few weeks and yesterday I went to help with that daunting task. Although I didn't think we got much accomplished, Dana was thrilled with the progress she saw. We even took boxes to her "new" home, which Dana and her husband actually own, but her MIL lived in until her death on New Year's eve.

Dana and I took a few minutes to photograph our hands filled with Christmas M & M's. MMMMMMMM!!! It's pretty easy to tell these are mine which are ravaged by an arthritic condition I've had since birth.

Dana's hands were much prettier, but I think she ate a few of the M & M's while I was trying to get the shot.


Here I am nearly standing on my head, trying to get a good shot of Dana's hands when the camera decided to take a picture on its own. OK, maybe it had a bit of help. I simply had to take this shot because I thought it looked so artsy and abstract.

I reread yesterday's post and I have NO IDEA why I said I'd post organization tips today, when I full well knew I would be at Dana's from early morning till dark. However, I will do that today and post a few hints tomorrow, too. In the meantime, here are a few questions to ponder:

1. What types of art do you make?

2. How many zones do you need?

3. How much space do you have?

4. What has and has not worked in the past?

Here's an update regarding my Penny Experiment Art Project. There are other new pieces, too.

As promised, I am trying to find men who make art. I am also trying to show artists whose styles are different from mine. Both these conditions are true today with the work of Jeremiah Ketner. His art is so much different than anything I've shown on my blog in the past, but very appealing. I like his profile that states he "likes to make pretty paintings.

Sadness and activity in the neighborhood

I almost didn't post anything today. I didn't make any art. Instead, I spent the day searching high and low for my stamp cutters. It all began when I took some things I bought on Monday to the basement studio to put them away. I also took my bead making supplies and camera, because I intended to create the bead tutorial.

In order to start the bead tutorial, I had to clear off the work space by putting everything in its proper place. Since I like to keep like items together, I wanted to put the cheap pink erasers with the stamp cutters. I'm not even sure what they're called, maybe "lino" cutters, but they are the tools needed to cut the rubber. What eventually happened was I looked a good portion of the day for them. I looked where they had been prior to the restoration crew packing my craft room into boxes about this time last year, I looked where I thought they might be, and I looked where I thought they wouldn't be. I removed items from drawers, off the shelves, and out of baskets, full well knowing the cutters wouldn't be there. But I kept looking.

Around one pm, I moved upstairs to my upstairs studio. I looked in the tools, I looked in the rubber stamp drawer, I looked in the pockets on the door. I even drug my step stool over to get a better look in all the pockets. Nothing.

The reason I'm so sad is because I had a dear friend who gave them to me. After she died, I told myself I would open the package and actually try making my own rubber stamps. I knew she would have liked that. But I never did. I put things off, like I often do, like I've read that other artists do, like I did with today's post, in fact.

What I felt was sadness, sadness that I would not make a stamp, after my friend went to the trouble of buying this gift for me. Like the stamp making kit (several tools and a block of rubber), my friend was gone. Both are now just a memory. Sadness set in. It set in on top of my art slump. I didn't take a single photo of the mess I made during the search process, either.

However, I have a few tips I will share tomorrow about organizing. Some people even ask me to help them organize their art spaces, so tomorrow I will take a few minutes to show what I've learned over the years. However, today, I will be helping my friend Dana (who was in yesterday's post) begin to pack for her move. I'll be helping create her new studio in the coming weeks, so you'll see what I preach in words and pictures.

Near sunset, one of my friends from the neighborhood called to ask why the police were in front of my house. Actually, he asked in a joking way what I had done that a dozen or so police cars were sitting in front of my house. Not having made any art yesterday, my first instinct was to grab my camera and see what was going on.

As I walked outside my house, this was the scene I saw.

There were nine police cars, a CSI van, and several officers standing around the house just north of mine. I knew it had been empty for awhile, but couldn't figure out what was going on. The friend who called said they had been there for about an hour before he called me. So much for knowing what was going on in the neighborhood.

Police were everywhere, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was going on.

Lots of cars, but no action. Although I didn't get a picture of it, one of the windows in the side facing my house was broken out and the police had apparently chased someone who they thought was in there. They were waiting on a search warrant so they could enter.

One of the policemen came to ask if I was OK and said they suspected stolen property, but not drugs. I should have realized that because there wasn't a drug dog in sight.

Now the action was about to begin. The guys dressed in black are from SWAT.

They came in two cars, all six of them looking like they could take on the world in their bulky protective gear.

It took a bit of discussing,

then they huddled together and formed a single line (which I missed), went up to the door and battered it in.

A bit of excitement in the neighborhood, but no art for today's post. Hopefully, I'll have something uplifting to show tomorrow. I actually started a spread, but couldn't find what I wanted to complete it. So there IS hope!! I appreciate everyone sticking with me through this slump. My sadness has lifted today, I will renew my search for the cutting tools, and if I don't find them, I will figure a way to cut the rubber. Maybe I'll hear one of those 40% coupons calling my name.

I found this link on a friend's blog a week or so ago. Today is the perfect day to share The Moments Jars web site. I couldn't find a way to let them know I was showcasing their site today, but I guess that's not the point of the site, anyway. Maybe you'll have fun reading the memories and post one or two of your own.

Happiness is

Happiness is
an early morning get together with two friends.

warmth, true warmth.

deli paper at Sam's Club.

sea salt with various herbs and spices.

a few goodies to spice up my altered recipe AB.

shiny, sparkly Christmas goodies found on clearance that can be used on altered art.

a little cardinal my friend Kathy bought me,

that simply refused to be photographed.

cheap, really cheap, pink erasers to practice stamp carving.

a word that describes how I feel about my blog.

new warm,cuddly, Dearfoam house shoes.

a new jar of gesso.

a really cool, and unlike any other tree in my collection that sparkles and shines

even when the lights are turned out.

How do YOU define happiness?

Today's blog to visit is Sheila Thornton's. In trying to stay diverse, she is an oil painter whose blog I discovered blog hopping. First time visit for me, too.

Another Hands AB spread

I had planned to have and post a bead tutorial today in response to the comment and question that Roxanne left on a previous post. About a third of the way through the process yesterday, I took a break to eat and clean up the kitchen before I continued. Then the phone rang. It was my art friend Dana. Apparently I didn't get the water turned off when I answered the phone and the water filled both sinks, doused the counter, got into the cabinets under the sink (left open as experts suggest so your pipes won't freeze), and was threatening to reach my dining room carpeting when I finally got back to the kitchen about 40 minutes later. Needless to say, I spent the entire rest of the day sopping and mopping. Everything had to be taken off the counter and out of the cabinets under the sink to be washed or dried, whichever was more appropriate. But I couldn't do any of that until I had baled the water out of the kitchen because I was afraid if I didn't get it cleaned up, the water on the floor might freeze overnight and turn the kitchen into an ice rink!

The only laughable incident occurred when Bleubeard decided to come investigate and found the "lake" around his food and water dishes. He took two huge, quick hops into the dining room. Now THAT was funny.

By the time I had it all cleaned and two loads of water laden towels washed and dried, I was exhausted. And no, I didn't take photos since you wouldn't want to see me with my bottom in the air as I mopped the floor on my hands and knees. Luckily, I had finished this double spread late Saturday night, or I would have nothing for today. In fact, I'm not sure what I'll post tomorrow, since my other art friend Kathy, along with Dana, and I are going shopping today.

I started with the right side, which I've had finished a few days. But I saved the other half of the beige card stock I used for the background, hoping some special image would grab my attention. The right side began with another magazine image and I imitated the color in the cartoon using the direct to paper method and blue ink. I also colored the green tickets to make them more like the color in the cartoon. The words "high five" were right off the cardboard information holding the blue buttons (used on both spreads).

I got to looking at the stitches on the guy's black jacket in the left image, thought it looked like a jean jacket, and remembered a small piece of scrapbook paper my friend Kathy had given me. I turned it into a sleeve and cuff, where the cuff is raised using dimensional tape. I wanted it to look like the image was coming out of his sleeve.

I'm off to get ready for shopping today. After all, it takes energy to keep up with Kathy, whose single favorite activity is shopping! Have a wonderful and warm day. There's talk it may actually warm a bit today.

And since I was unable to post the bead tutorial as promised, I'm featuring Roxanne's incredible blog. There's nothing she can't do: paint, journal, take lovely photographs, and make some stunning mixed media pieces that center primarily around nature. Her blog is filled with her thoughts that she accents with her beautiful photos. I hope you enjoy her blog as much as I.