Black Eyes Blazed - 4x4

I haven't given up on the idea of participating in a Halloween chunky swap, so I sat down last night to try my hand at another one.  This time I started with one of my favorite spooky images: a bat from Oxford Impressions.  I used this stamp last year to create these ATCs that were traded in record time.

I spend a lot of time building up the background layers on projects like this, and it's where I have the most fun.  Even if the first layers end up largely obliterated by what is added on top, a little bit peeks through here and there to add depth and interest.

Happy hump day!  Thanks for dropping in.

Supplies:
Medium weight chipboard coaster; patterned paper by Authentique; titanium white acrylic paint; Dylusions fresh lime ink spray; Heidi Swapp clock stencil; crackle background stamp; Ranger archival black ink; punchinella; dusty concord, rusty hinge, old paper, walnut stain, and black soot distress ink; bat stamp by Oxford Impressions; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; vintage book text; My Mind's Eye distress rub-ons; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; white, peat, and burnt orange charcoal pencils; Adirondack black and espresso acrylic paint dabbers; Elmer's glue stick; Golden matte gel medium.

Arthur Coffin - 4x4

Last week was a busy one, leaving me little free time to work on any art projects.  And I swear I suffered withdrawal because of it!  So yesterday I skipped doing laundry and started to play around with some ideas I have for a Halloween-themed chunky swap.  After a while I decided that the images just weren't working for me, so I switched gears and this is what I ended up with.  It's not particularly "Halloween-y," but it is kinda spooky!

I started by covering a 4x4 inch chipboard coaster with some Halloween-themed patterned paper.  I toned it down with white gesso and added some stamping, stenciling, and book text.  The main images are stamps by Oxford Impressions.  A lot of distress inks, acrylic paint, and charcoal pencil went into giving this piece a dark and mysterious feel.

Have a great Monday!  Thanks for popping in.

Supplies:
Medium weight chipboard coaster (4x4 inches); patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book text; rubber stamps by Oxford Impressions; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger archival black ink; distress inks: dusty concord, antique linen, vintage photo, black soot, frayed burlap, rusty hinge; Adirondack acrylic paint dabbers or distress paint: espresso, frayed burlap, snow cap; white gesso; charcoal pencil; Dresden trim; white gesso; punchinella; gel medium.

2013 Summer Fashion Trends

Some cards just make themselves...

Last Friday a colleague of mine discovered, on her way home from work, that she had been wearing two different sandals all day long!  And either nobody noticed (what she hopes) or people noticed but didn't say anything (what she fears).  Either way, this gal has a great sense of humor and was willing to share the story AND take a picture of her feet wearing the two sandals.  One of my first thoughts (after OMG--that's hysterical!) was "I have to make her a card with this picture."

I imported her photo into a Microsoft publishing software in order to add the title.  On the inside I used a stamp that says, "Be Good.  And if you can't be good, be Stylish."  I know she'll get a bang out of it.

Have a great day!  And be sure to check your feet before you leave the house in the morning.

Supplies:
Yellow cardstock base by DCWV; white and fuchsia cardstock by Bazzill.

Refrigerator Pickles

Since I still had plenty of cucumbers even after giving some away, I decided to make refrigerator pickles.  I used a recipe from MyRecipes.com and I gotta say, the pickles taste pretty darn good!  I put some on a grilled hotdog and the combination was fabulous.  The recipe I used has a little more kick than my grandma's recipe for refrigerator pickles (which are more of a bread and butter pickle), thanks to the red pepper and the garlic.  I reduced the garlic by half and diced it fine, but I still think these pickles will be a little too spicy for one member of the household.  Since it looks like the cucumbers will be producing for a while, we'll have enough to make a batch of grandma's pickles next.

Have a great weekend!

Extra! Extra!

I returned to my stamping roots, so to speak, to create this birthday card for a male friend.  He's one of those big guys (a former noseguard for the Nebraska Cornhuskers) with a soft side, so I think he'll like this card.

The paper boy was stamped on cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  He was adhered to a patterned paper stamped with a newsprint collage (all stamps are from Artistic Outpost, by the way).  I created the frame with two Nestabilities Label 8 die cuts.

I can't believe it's Friday already!  I had to look twice at the calendar to confirm it.  Thanks for dropping in and have a great day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Bristol smooth white cardstock by Strathmore; rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger archival black ink; antique linen and vintage photo distress inks; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Derwent burnt orange and natural charcoal pencils; tortillion (for blending the charcoal pencil); oval, scalloped oval, and label die cuts by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Speaking of Cucumbers...

I found this bad boy in the garden yesterday.  He should have been picked a couple of days ago (at least!) but he was hiding right in the middle of the patch under heavy foliage.

At almost 10 inches in length and seven and a half inches in circumference, I know he'll be full of big seeds.  I won't let him go to waste, however.  I'll just slice him lengthwise and scoop out the seeds, turning him into a cucumber canoe.

Have a great day!

2013 Art Calendar Challenge - August

Our little garden is currently producing cucumbers like crazy, so I decided to make them the theme of my August art calendar.  I am so pleased with my watercolor cucumbers!  I drew them with pencil (I had a "live" model...hee hee), then colored them using Derwent watercolor pencils and a water brush.  A sepia-colored artist pen was used to simulate the little bumps and ridges on the cukes.

The first layer of these pages consisted of a plaid pattern created with painters tape and spray mists, but I had forgotten to prime the pages with gesso first.  Once I scraped on some white gesso and added some strips of washi tape and rubber stamping, the plaid design was mostly obliterated.  You can still see some of the chartreuse spray mist, especially around the edges.  But the stars of these pages are most definitely the cucumbers.

To see more August art calendars for Kate Crane's challenge, please visit her website The Kathryn Wheel.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal with 140 lb watercolor paper; blue painters' tape; Heidi Swapp spray mist (chartreuse); Ranger Perfect Pearl Mists (turquoise); white gesso; washi tape; punchinella; distress inks: mustard seed, peeled paint, scattered straw, vintage photo and tumbled glass; Stazon olive green ink; flourish stamps by Inque Boutique; Heidi Swapp polka dot spray stencil; Derwent watercolor pencils; Niji water brush; Pitt sepia artist pen; Pitt black artist pen; large alpha and number stamps by Wordsworth; small alpha stamps by Hero Arts; date stamper; Derwent tinted charcoal pencil (forest pine); matte gel medium.

Thank You

A couple of weekends ago we road-tripped to Des Moines for the weekend.  The initial reason for the trip was to attend a 50th wedding anniversary party, but we also visited one of my cousins who I don't get to see very often.  After a tour of her garden and back yard, she and her husband treated us to a delightful lunch on their patio.  We then went downtown to West End Architectural Salvage, an interesting place that was the setting for an HGTV decorating show last spring.  Overall, it was a wonderful way to spend a day with one of my favorite relatives.

My cousin is a world traveler who is always planning her next trip.  She's thinking about going to Paris in February, so I created this thank you card using stamps from Artistic Outpost (Paris Exposition set).

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Black and mustard cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger archival black ink; focal image stamps from Artistic Outpost; background stamp by Inkadinkado; Francaise stamp by Hero Arts; distress inks: wild honey, rusty hinge, fired brick, crushed concord, brushed corduroy; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; pop-dots; corner rounder punch.

2013 Art Calendar Challenge - July

No need to check the calendar on the wall--it IS August.  And yes, I'm just now finishing and posting my July art calendar.  What's even more embarrassing is that I started the background for this at the end of June!  I thought I'd expand my horizons by working with some colors I don't normally gravitate toward, so I started by applying some pink, green and yellow acrylic paint using a brayer.  Well...I didn't like it.  And then I became busy, and the next thing you know July is gone and I hadn't looked at the page a single time the entire month.

But a couple of nights ago I found a poem called July in a 1911 school book, and that gave me the motivation I needed to finish this calendar page.  To tone down the pink and green, I stamped on some white gesso using a piece of punchinella (sequin waste) and stippled on some tumbled glass distress ink (a light blue) through a larger-holed piece of punchinella.  Then I adhered some sheet music scraps tinted with scattered straw distress ink and swiped on more white gesso using an old credit card.  And finally I was happy with the background!  (Lesson 1:  Don't give up.  Lesson 2:  White gesso can fix a lot of things.)

After adhering the daily squares and the poem (torn into four stanzas), I added some random stamped images and doodled some borders in black ink.  And you know what?  This may be my favorite art calendar month thus far!  I love how light and airy the colors are and overall how playful the calendar is.  And since July was a busy month with a lot of fun social engagements, that seems appropriate. Now it's on to August before any more time passes!

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Please come again.

Supplies:
Strathmore 9x12 Visual Journal with 140 lb watercolor paper; Ceramcoat pink quartz acrylic paint; Folk Art yellow citron and sunflower acrylic paint; brayer; white gesso; punchinella; stipple brush; sheet music scraps; poem from a 1911 reader (school book); distress inks: tumbled glass, broken china, scattered straw, tattered rose, peeled paint, picked raspberry, mustard seed, and dusty concord; alphabet and number stamps by Wordsworth; dragonfly, butterfly, and flower stamps by Inkadinkado; Ranger archival black ink; Pitt black artist pen.

With a Flutter at the Heart - ATC

I've enjoyed my recent "roll" making moo cards, but frankly, I was ready to get back to making larger pieces of art.  I decided to start by making  a quick ATC using some scraps and ephemera that have been on my desk for a while now.

The three main elements of this card include a row of cancelled postage stamps from the 1920s (that miraculously were still connected to one another), a Crossword Lexicon game card with the middle cut out, and a clipart butterfly.  I adhered them to a collaged background of vintage book text and sheet music, and then brought everything together with some white gesso, distress inks, acrylic paint, and charcoal pencil.  The found poetry is from a 1911 school book.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
ATC blank; vintage sheet music and book text; white acrylic paint; vintage Crossword Lexicon game card; vintage postage stamps; butterfly clipart; punchinella (sequin waste); white gesso; tumbled glass and peeled paint distress inks; Adirondack snow cap and espresso acrylic paint dabbers; Ranger frayed burlap and vintage photo distress paints; old plastic hair rollers (to stamp circles with); Golden gel medium; charcoal pencils.

On the Fence - Moo

This is the final moo for the swap I'm participating in.  I'll be happy to get these into the mail today, but then there's the long wait to receive my returns (the swap deadline is September 12).

Once again I started with a bingo card that had been dry brushed with white acrylic paint and stamped with a blue ticking stripe and brown splatter.  I colored the cute little guy from Artistic Outpost with Prismacolor pencils and distress inks.  Due to spacing issues and for added interest, I added some vintage text along the bottom.  The edges of the card were finished by dabbing on some espresso acrylic paint.

Here are my three bingo card boys together.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; bingo card; sandpaper; white acrylic paint; ticking stripe image and little boy from Artistic Outpost; splatter stamp by All Night Media; Stazon black and saddle brown inks; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; weathered wood and antique linen distress inks; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; vintage book text; charcoal pencil; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber.

Paper Boy - Moo

I've had a bottle of distress crackle paint languishing in a drawer for a while and figured I better use it before it dried up.  I painted a thin layer onto my base (a bingo card) and got a multitude of fine cracks.  Once I rubbed a little distress ink and charcoal pencil into them, they became more visible and made a wonderful background for my little paper boy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; 1970s bingo card; sandpaper; antique linen and vintage photo distress ink; Ranger distress crackle paint (picket fence); paperboy image from Artistic Outpost; Stazon black ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; vintage book text; medium charcoal pencil; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber.

Peoples Coal - Moo

For the final three moos I have to make for the swap I'm in, I decided to start with some bingo card backgrounds and use a trio of young lads as the focal points.

I first sanded the bingo card to remove the shiny coating, then dry-brushed it in white and stamped a blue ticking stripe and a brown splatter.  The smiling boy from Artistic Outpost was colored with Prismacolor pencils and the coal ticket from Oxford Impressions was grunged up and tinted with distress inks.  Some dabs of espresso acrylic paint further distress and age this moo to perfection.


I hope you're having a fabulous weekend.  Thanks for dropping in!

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; bingo card; sandpaper; white acrylic paint; ticking stripe and young boy rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost; coal ticket stamp from Oxford Impressions; postmark stamp by Hero Arts; splatter stamp by All Night Media; Stazon black and saddle brown ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen, weathered wood; pumice stone, vintage photo, and black soot distress inks; peat and medium charcoal pencils; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber.

Leafy Pear - Moo

I decided to make a third vintage botanical moo for the swap I'm in.  I like to create series of themed cards, even though I know the cards will get split up by the hostess.

I bought this pear stamp (by Stampin' Up) on Ebay to use on greeting cards, but the pear ended up being much smaller than I thought so I haven't used it much.  But I hung onto it and lo and behold, it's the perfect size for a mini card!  I stamped it on smooth cardstock, colored it with Prismacolor pencils, then carefully, care...ful...ly... fussy-cut around the entire image, even between all the leaves and the fragile stems.
 

 Here are the three vintage botanical moos together. 

 Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye and The Paper Studio; very vanilla cardstock and pear image from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen and vintage photo distress ink; peat and white charcoal pencils; Adirondack gold and espresso acrylic paint dabbers.

Magic Mushroom - Moo

Here's another vintage botanical-inspired moo that I created for the swap I joined.

The mushroom (or toadstool?) is from Oxford Impressions.  I colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils then adhered it to a collaged background.  I love how everything came together on this card.  For such a small piece of art, it packs a real punch.

I can't believe it's August already.  Where has the time gone?  Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.


Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; vintage dictionary page and book text; patterned papers by The Paper Studio and Graphic 45; mushroom image from Oxford Impressions; Stazon black ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen and vintage photo distress ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber.