"Sine" My Egg ATC

One of my recent antique shop purchases was a 1920s book used by engineers and architects.  The entire book is nothing but tables of numbers that I thought would make fun backgrounds for my art.  (Lord knows I have no other use for logarithms, sines and cosines.)

I stamped my favorite bird from Artistic Outpost on a page in the book and colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The egg and Paris label are from ArtChix Studio.

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; old book page; bird stamp from Artistic Outpost; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; egg and Paris label clipart from ArtChix Studio; flourish stamp from Inkadinkado; frayed burlap distress ink; crushed corduroy distress ink; medium charcoal pencil; white gel pen; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber.

Goodbye Tree Journal Page

Yesterday we had a tree removed from our backyard.  It was over 40 years old and provided some much-needed shade against the afternoon sun.  Unfortunately, the tree had a split in it and needed to be taken out before it fell and caused significant property damage.

I wanted this page to represent a sunset over a grove of trees.  I masked the area for the sun and used a variety of Ranger distress inks to create my evening sky. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend.




Supplies:
Strathmore 5.5 x 8 inch Visual Journal with 140 lb. watercolor paper; background paper unknown; various distress inks; stipple brushes; white acrylic paint; tree stamp from Stampin' Up; flourish border stamp and leaf stamps by Inkadinkado; black Stazon ink.

Four of Spades Paris APC

They're having an APC-athon (altered playing card marathon) on ATCs for All right now, so I thought I would give it a go.  Because playing cards have a slick coating on them, it can be a little tricky sometimes to alter them.

My four of spades features an Eiffel Tower sticker by Cavallini and a clipart glamour girl from ArtChix Studio. The German scrap butterfly is a bright, metallic pink.  This turned out better than I expected, so I may need to keep it for myself rather than trading it.

Thanks for stopping in.  TGIF!

Supplies:
Playing card base; gesso; Victorian velvet distress ink; Eiffel Tower sticker by Cavallini and Company; German scrap butterfly and glamour girl from ArtChix Studio; Tim Holtz film strip ribbon; self-adhesive rhinestones; mini Prima flowers; mini brads; pumice stone distress ink; Stazon black ink; matte gel medium.

Citron Journal Pages

I couldn't sleep early this morning due to another round of storms that blew through, so I spent some time making a couple of backgrounds in my Strathmore visual journal.

I started by lightly spritzing some water on the pages and painting them with yellow citron acrylic paint.  I used a paper towel to spread the paint around and to lift some of it off.  Next I randomly added more of the yellow citron (not diluted this time), using a dry brush so that the brush strokes are still visible.  I spattered on some calypso blue acrylic paint using an old toothbrush (giving myself a lovely blue thumbnail in the process!).  The final layer was made using a Tim Holtz mask along the edges and spraying with gold Smooch Spritz.  I used a dry brush to pull some of the Smooch Spritz across the page, extending the shimmer toward the middle.

Eventually these pages will have some journaling and collage elements added to them.  But they look pretty just the way they are, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: 
Strathmore 5.5x8 inch Visual Journal with 140 lb. watercolor paper; Folk Art Artists' Pigment 503 yellow citron; Americana calypso blue; Tim Holtz mask; Smooch Spritz; two-inch paint brush; old toothbrush; paper towels.

Every Majestic Muscle

This week's Thursday Challenge prompt is men/masculine.

My muscle man is from Alpha Stamps.  I created the background by collaging a variety of matchbook images from ArtChix Studio.  The text was clipped randomly from a 1920s novel and highlighted with a Sharpie marker.

Thanks for visiting!


Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; clip art from Alpha Stamps and ArtChix Studio; Dresden trim from ArtChix Studio; pumice stone distress ink; black Stazon ink; fine tip Sharpie marker; glue stick.

Is that a Banana in Your Pocket?

Or are you just happy to see me?  (grin)  Actually, it's a cucumber in the garden, and we are THRILLED to see it.

I hadn't nosed around in the cucumber patch this weekend due to rain, so I was kind of surprised to find this monster out there today.  Just a couple of days ago it was only half as big.  It's about eight inches long now and ready to harvest.  The Master Gardener will be home later this afternoon; I'll give him the pleasure of plucking this baby off the vine.

ETA:  Five cucumbers have been picked!  The Master Gardener was more excited than a kid opening his presents on Christmas morning.  Guess what we're having for dinner? 

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for dropping by!

Birthday Thank You Poppies

My birthday was almost two months ago but as far as I'm concerned, it's never too late to celebrate!  Just last week a very busy friend and I were finally able to meet for dinner and an evening of gab.  We went to a locally-owned steak place where we had a fabulous meal (I had the prime rib:  DEE-lish!) and excellent service.  Our server and the owner even brought me a chocolate sundae with a sparkler in it.  I think they just wanted to see what was inside the big birthday present my friend had brought for me, but they seemed a bit disappointed when it turned out to be a Cricut. (Obviously they are not crafters.)

I didn't use my new Cricut to create this card, but I did use one of my favorite images on this easel card.  I used my Prismacolor pencils to color the poppies and a Tim Holtz embossing folder for the background.


Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Black and rust cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; German text page; poppy stamp from Inkadinkado; grateful sentiment from Stampin' Up; postmark stamp by Stampa Rosa; black Stazon ink; walnut stain and antique linen distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits;Tim Holtz embossing folder; round and scalloped round Nestabilities; small oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; border punch and butterfly punch by Martha Stewart; Glossy Accents; tarnished brass Stickles; pop-dots.

Tomato Update

Notice anything exciting about this photo?  

Look closely...

I'll give you a hint.  Look for a color other than green. (Maybe this close-up shot will help you.)

That's right!  The first hint of red has appeared on our tomato plants.  And if the rest of the tomatoes follow suit, we are going to have a bumper crop! We are smacking our lips in anticipation.  This week's hot and humid weather should help the little fellows ripen.  Today the high temperature was 96 degrees (35C) but with the humidity factored it, it actually felt like 106 degrees (42C).  Tough on humans, but fabulous for tomatoes.

Stay cool and thanks for dropping by!

Mother and Son Gluebook Page

It's always a thrill to find more than one image of the same person when digging through a pile of vintage photos in an antique shop.  So I didn't hesitate to snatch up two picture postcards featuring a young lad in a striped sailor suit, especially when the store owner was selling the photos for just 50 cents apiece.  

I made laser copies of the two photos and cropped them to use on a two-page spread in my vintage gluebook.  I love the relaxed pose of the photo on the left.  I've imagined that the boy's father was killed in a tragic accident at a young age, leaving his mother to raise him on her own.  It's just mother and son, trying to find their way in the world.

Thanks for dropping by!

Supplies:
Moleskin journal 5x8.25 inches; laser copies of vintage picture postcards; vintage papers; torn Flinch card; glue stick.

Bombardier March ATC

After having several VIPs (Very Important Projects) not go the way I hoped the last couple of weeks, I needed to regroup and get my confidence back (and stop over-thinking everything!).  So last night I sat down to create an ATC incorporating some of my favorite images.

Some World War I-era sheet music, a post-war European map, and this mustached soldier came together to create a card that evokes the time period of the Great War.  Now I hope to get back to my VIPs and not only complete them, but be happy with the results.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage sheet music; vintage map from a geography textbook; clip art gent from Alpha Stamps; postmark rubber stamps by Tim Holtz and Inkadinkado; peeled paint and walnut stain distress ink; black Stazon; medium charcoal pencil.

Scrabble Tile Magnet

Since I still had my bag of Scrabble tiles out, I decided to make a magnet with one.

I adhered a scrap of sheet music to the tile, then transferred a rose image using gel medium.  The word was cut from an old novel.  Some gold paint around the edges and a top coat of Glossy Accents finished the tile.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Scrabble tile; vintage sheet music; rose clipart from ArtChix Studio; word from a 1920s novel; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; Golden soft gloss gel medium; Glossy Accents; small magnet from the craft store.

Weigh Yourself Daily

So the Swami says.  I've always heard that you shouldn't weigh yourself more than once a week.  But since I don't currently own a scale, I guess it doesn't matter!

I used my Fortune Teller stamps from Artistic Outpost to create this birthday card for a friend.  I stamped the images on papers by Cosmo Cricket, colored my swami with pencils, and added a jewel to his hat.

Thanks for stopping in.  Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Stamps by Artistic Outpost; brown cardstock by Bazzill; kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; small oval and scalloped oval punch from Stampin' Up; EKSuccess border punch; antique brass eyelets; pop-dots.

Do You See What I See?

There was quite a bit of excitement at our house tonight, when we discovered something wonderful in the garden.  Can you guess what it is?

Here's a close-up shot to help you.

If you guessed tomatoes, you are right!  For the first time in years we planted a small garden in the backyard that includes three tomato plants.  Almost overnight the bright yellow blossoms on the cherry tomato plant turned into these adorable, miniature green globes!  If our warm weather continues, it won't be long until we have delicious home-grown tomatoes to savor. We can hardly wait.

Thanks for popping in!

O Give Me A Place - Art Journal Page

I have never been one to keep a journal or diary.  I've tried on more than one occasion (as a child and as an adult), but I guess I didn't find it very enjoyable and I could never keep one going.  I don't think this tiger is going to change her stripes any time soon, but I do have a renewed interest in journaling--art journaling, that is.

I stumbled across an art journal thread on ATCs for All and decided to try one of the prompts provided.  My page is rather plain and child-like, but I had fun making it and as a first attempt, I'm pleased with the result.  The quote is from a poem by Arthur Eaton (1859-1937).  I chose it because I've really enjoyed spending time in our yard this year.

I used distress inks to create my background, misting them just a little with water to blend.  The stems and leaves were made with watercolor pencils.  

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal with 140 lb watercolor paper; distress inks: stormy sky, mustard seed, peeled paint, brushed corduroy, spiced marmalade and barn door; Derwent light charcoal pencil; Derwent Watercolour pencils; round punches; spiral clips; spray mister; water brush; permanent black marker; Stazon black ink.

Happy Independence Day!

Scrabble Tile Pendant

The guys had "man plans" yesterday, so my mom and I decided to drive to a neighboring town to cruise the antique shops.  I hit the jackpot at three different places and purchased a variety of vintage ephemera that will eventually find their way into a collage, gluebook or mixed media project of some kind. 

But in the meantime, I made this Scrabble tile pendant for a friend whose birthday is coming up.  I layered my lady (German scrap), on top of some sheet music.  I heat-embossed the edges of the tile in gold to go with the gold headpin and beads (they look silver in the scan but are actually gold).  The final step is a coat of Glossy Accents to seal everything.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Scrabble tile; vintage sheet music; German scrap image; Marvy yellow market; Versamark ink; gold embossing powder; gold headpin; gold spacer beads; blue glass bead; Glossy Accents.