Fantastic Voyage Mail Art Postcard

I created this 5x7 postcard for my December mail art exchange partner (spoiler alert, Envie Addicts!).  If you think it looks a little different from my usual style, you would be right!  I have been in the doldrums this month and was not having any success with the first couple of things I tried, so I made a left turn and ended up with this funky collage that I named after one of my favorite R&B songs from back in the day (more on that below).

I started by covering a piece of watercolor paper with Tim Holtz tissue paper and spraying Dylusions crushed grape through a stencil.  While that dried, I dug through my clipart files and found a dapper gent that I had rescued from a deteriorating 1890s book.  He was the right size for the piece and had a fabulous mustache.  Unfortunately, the paper was so fragile that when I glued him to the background, part of his face came off!  It could not be repaired so I went back to the clipart files and found the lion image that I trimmed down to fit the body.

The letter V was to represent my partner's name but it also led me to the word voyage.  That, combined with how fantasy-like this postcard ended up being, reminded me of the song Fantastic Voyage by Lakeside.  I was a big fan of funk and disco music (still am, actually), and listening to this song again totally made my day.  Here's a link to the song and video on Youtube (dig the pirate costumes!).  Now please excuse me while I get up and dance.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend.

Supplies:
Strathmore hot press watercolor paper; Tim Holtz tissue paper; Tim Holtz stencil; Dylusions spray ink; miscellaneous clip art; butterfly rub-on by 7 Gypsies; Tim Holtz Idea-ology word sticker; Derwent lavender charcoal pencil; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; gold Stickles. 

Merry Christmas One and All

May your Christmas be filled 

with much happiness and joy!

Clean and Crisp Sympathy

Just ten days ago I could boast that my mom still had three uncles living.  Now within one week we have lost two of them.  Both have been in declining health and lived very full lives, but it's still difficult to say good-bye.  My heart goes out to my aunt and cousins who have to deal with such sadness right before the holidays.

So among my Christmas cards I had to make another sympathy card.  I've used this sentiment numerous times because I think it's absolutely lovely and very comforting.  The floral image was colored with markers and stamped twice without reinking.

I hope I don't have to make another sympathy card for quite a while!

Supplies:
Textured white cardstock by Bazzill; green and whisper white cardstock by Stampin' Up; flower and sentiment by Stampin' Up; markers; Anna Griffin embossing folder; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Stickles; corner rounded punch; foam tape.

Precious Penguin Cards

I had two more penguin images already stamped, so I made two more cards and sent them on their way.

Christmas is just one week away!  Are you ready?

Supplies:
Lilac cardstock by Bazzill; green and whisper white cardstock by Stampin' Up; penguins by Stampendous; sentiment by My Sentiments Exactly; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Sizzix falling snow embossing folder; round, lacy round and banner die-cuts by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; Stickles; Glossy Accents; Scotch foam tape.

White Poinsettia

As much as I was enjoying the snowman cards, I was ready to switch things up.  I get a little bored making multiples of the same card, so for Christmas I generally make several designs.  I did decide to stay with a mostly white card, however.  My eyes are appreciating a rest from all of the heavy layering and colors I tend to use.

I used the poinsettia die-cut by Spellbinders as my focal image, sponging a little gold ink around the edges of the petals.  I used gold Stickles for the centers.  In order to maintain the clean and crisp look of this card, I decided to put the sentiment on the inside.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
White cardstock by Bazzill; poinsettia die by Spellbinders; falling snow embossing folder by Sizzix; gold ribbon from Michaels; corner rounder punch; galaxy gold Brilliance ink pad by Tsukineko; gold Stickles; Scotch foam tape; Glue Dots; Glossy Accents.

Home Run Hitter Birthday Card

I created this card for my oldest brother who is celebrating his birthday this month.  One of his first toys was a baseball bat (and a baseball) and he grew up to be quite a good ball player.  He played first base and one of his nicknames was Ma Bell, because "when he hit the ball, it went long distance."  I think you have to be of a certain age to understand that joke.

All of the stamps on this card are by Artistic Outpost.  After creating my own background paper, I stamped the ball player image separately on white cardstock and colored it with Prismacolor pencils.  It was adhered to the card using foam tape for dimension.  I added Glossy Accents to his cap and collar for additional pop.

Thanks for dropping by and as always, I appreciate your comments.  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Blue cardstocks by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock by Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; stamps from Artistic Outpost; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Stazon dove gray ink; Memento Danube blue ink; Scotch foam tape; corner rounder punch; Glossy Accents.

Big Oak Sympathy

I took a break from Christmas cards to make this sympathy card.  Until a few days ago my mom still had three uncles living (my grandma's three youngest brothers), now there are only two.  I'm sending this card to my aunt and cousins to express my sympathies.

This oak tree is from an older set by Stampin' Up called Lovely as a Tree.  It must be one of SU's most popular sets ever and for good reason: the images work on a variety of cards from autumn-themed to Christmas, from birthday to sympathy.  For my card, I stamped the oak on very vanilla cardstock and colored it with Prismas.  That bit of blue under the tree was an experiment at first, but the more I played with it (with odorless mineral spirits and a blending stump) the more I liked it.  It almost looks like there's a range of misty mountains in the distance.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
All cardstocks by Stampin' Up; tree from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Sizzix embossing folder; Provo embossing folder; Cuttlebug; Martha Stewart border punch; Scotch foam tape.

More Penguin Cards

A few more colorful Christmas cards started their journeys yesterday.  I don't think I mentioned before that I am making duplicates of all of these (two of each color scheme).  I kind of "assemble line" the process by doing all of the stamping first and then cutting all of the papers (including the pieces for the inside of the card).  That way when I'm done coloring, I have everything I need to assemble the cards toot sweet.

One copy of this card went to a cousin who attended Iowa State.  Their school colors are cardinal and gold; I figure the colors I used on the large penguin are close enough. 

This card has the unusual combination of a light aqua blue and a dark apricot.  I had extra fun coloring this card as I had to blend more than one pencil to get the hues I wanted on the scarves and hats.  I really do love to color and have gotten my money's worth from my Prisma pencils.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Colored cardstock and whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; penguin image by Stampendous; sentiment by My Sentiments Exactly; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; circle, lacy circle and banner die cuts by Spellbinders; Stickles; Glossy Accents; embossing folder by Sizzix; corner rounder punch; foam tape.

Bright Penguin Cards

I decided to use nontraditional colors for some of my Christmas cards this year, and I am really enjoying it!  I dug through my stash of 12x12 cardstock and pulled out some bright colors that I know certain friends will like.  Little did I know that I would end up liking them, too.

The penguins were stamped on whisper white cardstock and colored with Prismas.  The background is also whisper white cardstock, embossed with a Sizzix folder called Snowfall.  I added frosted lace Stickles to the hats, scarves, and snowflakes for additional bling.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Colored cardstock by Bazzill and Stampin' Up; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; penguin image from Stampendous; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; sentiment by My Sentiments Exactly; round, lacy round and banner die cuts by Spellbinders; Snowfall embossing folder by Sizzix; frosted lace Stickles; Glossy Accents; foam tape.

Simply Scrappy Christmas Tree Card

This is a Christmas card idea that I've seen numerous times over the years since I started stamping, always thinking "how cute!" and "how simple!" and "what a great way to use up all those tiny but pretty paper scraps!"  Well, this is the year I finally make some of my own.

I embossed the swirled frame on kraft cardstock, then cut the trunk and branches of my tree to fit.  I used a combination of old patterned papers by My Mind's Eye and vintage book and sheet music scraps.  The star was punched out of gold cardstock for a little pizazz, but since I like the rustic country look I didn't add any other bling or embellishments. This card is going to Pennsylvania with my Winter Morning artist trading card.  'Tis the season!

Have a fabulous day.  Thanks for popping in.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; vintage book pages and sheet music; embossing folder by Provo (Cuttlebug); gold cardstock; star punch.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all the best (and a giant drumstick)

 this Thanksgiving!

Winter Morning - ATC

I decided to participate in an ATC swap with a winter theme.  I'm glad I have to make only one card, because this is not an easy theme to do without it starting to look Christmas-y.  (Not that there's anything wrong with Christmas-y, I just didn't want my card to look that way.)

The Winter Morning sheet music image and the little girl are rubber stamps from Oxford Impressions.  I embossed the sheet music on white cardstock which I then tinted with distress inks.  The little girl was stamped separately and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The snowflakes were created by stamping a splatter background using white pigment ink and then gently smudging each flake with my finger. I like how it kind of looks like she's peeking out of a frosty window at the snow falling outside.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; stamps from Oxford Impressions; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Versamark watermark ink; black embossing powder; Colorbox frost white pigment ink; stormy sky, pumice stone and dusty concord distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Derwent tinted charcoal pencils; titanium white acrylic paint; vintage book text; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber.

Merry Penguin Christmas!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I mailed my first Christmas card today!  I wanted to send it early because it's accompanying a gift that can be used as a decoration.  With Thanksgiving in just a few days, the Christmas decorations will be coming out soon, if they're not out already.

I stamped the penguins on white cardstock and colored them with Prismacolor pencils.  As if they weren't adorable enough on their own, I glammed them up with some Stickles and added the die-cut snowflakes that were also given the Stickles treatment.  We don't have big Christmases anymore so sending out cards has become one of my main (and favorite) activities for the holiday.  Since I didn't get many cards sent last year, I'm determined to do better this year.

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Teresa Collins; penguin stamp by Stampendous; sentiment by My Sentiments Exactly; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Stickles; Glossy Accents; circle, lacy circle, snowflake and banner die-cuts by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; pumice stone distress ink; pop-dots.

In Flanders Fields - Envelope Mail Art

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I, or the Great War as it was called then.  I've been learning more about WWI since becoming obsessed with poppies, which are an enduring symbol of the war.  From what I've read, the red poppies grew naturally in the battlefields of northern France and Belgium, sprouting among the graves of the fallen soldiers.  After the 1915 poem In Flanders Fields by Canadian soldier John McCrae, the flowers became forever tied to the war.

Front of the envelope

My main interest in poppies is much more aesthetic:  I'm simply in love with their crepe-paper petals and funky pods.  And if you've been reading my blog for more than a few months, you know that I've been painting poppies, and planting poppies, and otherwise mooning over poppies like a woman mooning over her first love.  So for this month's altered envie exchange I just had to use...poppies!

Address side of the envelope

I did a loose watercolor and ink painting of poppies and foliage on a piece of watercolor paper.  After cutting and folding my painting to form an envelope, I adhered a photograph of some WWI soldiers from a penny postcard I bought at an antique shop.  Among the poppies I wrote the beginning lines to John McCrae's poem.  I've included the complete poem at the end of this post in case you've never read it.  I think it's magnificent.

Close up of the front

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Schmincke Horadam watercolor paints; Faber Castell black PITT artist pen; medium charcoal pencil.

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row by row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard among the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

No Regrets - Mail Art Postcard

All work and no play makes Miss Iowa a very dull girl!  Fortunately, I got caught up with work this week and was able to reward myself with some art time last night.  I started a couple of different projects that I need to get in the mail soon.

I've had this particular postcard in mind for a couple of months, ever since I did my Bogey and Bacall postcards.  However, this time I was inspired to use more colors and additional stenciling in the background.  I like the juxtaposition of the bright, contemporary colors with the vintage image.  The butterfly and the sentiment are rub-ons.  This postcard will be sent in a clear envelope with an address label on the back so that everyone can enjoy Mae West along the way.  I think she would like that.

TGIF!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; vintage Russian sheet music; picked raspberry, ripe persimmon and peacock feathers distress inks; Tim Holtz and Heidi Swapp stencils; computer-generated photo; Derwent lavender tinted and medium charcoal pencil; Ranger Archival black ink; Tim Holtz and 7 Gypsies rub-ons; Lumiere silver metallic acrylic paint; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber; Gelly Roll white pen.

The Sky's the Limit - Altered Envelope

I didn't waste any time devising a plan for my first hand-drawn, hand-painted face:  I decided to use it on a piece of mail art.

I made a #10 sized envelope out of heavy bristol paper to adhere the face to, wrapping the paper around the entire envelope.  I further embellished it with a scrap of sheet music, washi tape, stamping, and a gold painted border.

I didn't do much to the address side of the envelope, but I'll show it here so you can see how I wrapped the image all the way around (that's the rest of my gal's magenta hair along the bottom).  I want to make sure that the post office has no problem reading the address, so I toned down the background with some white gesso.  As a final step, I sprayed both sides with an acrylic spray sealant.

Thanks for visiting my blog!  Have a great Friday.

First Hand-drawn, Hand-painted Face

A hostess for the Envie Addicts Unite group shared some links to a couple of videos by Dina Wakley.  Now, call me late to the party, but I have never visited Dina Wakley's site and have never watched any of her videos!  I have heard of her and seen ads for her art products, but for whatever reason I had never investigated further.  That is definitely going to change.

Dina made the process of drawing and then painting a face seem so simple, that I had to try it.  I started with a piece of newsprint that I had used as an "under paper" for a previous project.  It had the remnants of a stencil design in blue and green acrylic paint, a rubber stamp image in black and a little red distress ink.  I selected a section of the paper where the background wasn't as heavy and drew my face using a Staedtler Mars Lumograph 6B graphite pencil (since I don't own the type of pencil Dina used).

I used Liquitex Basics acrylic paints to transform my drawing into a sassy chick with striking green eyes and magenta hair.  I was able to fix her neck at this stage (it was too narrow in my initial drawing; now it almost looks a little wide!).  Other than letting her hair get a little out of control on the left side, I am super thrilled with how this turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Here are links to the Dina Wakley videos that I referred to above.  (1)  Learn to Draw Artistic Faces.  (2)  Learn to Paint Artistic Faces.

Supplies:
Newsprint paper from Dick Blick; Staedtler Mars Lumograph 6B graphite pencil; Liquitex Basics acrylic paints.

Happy Halloween!

Aunt Agatha wishes you a bewitching All Hallow's Eve!

Poison? Nah....

A buddy of mine had a scary (no pun intended!) fall at home and after a lengthy hospital stay, he is now in a care center for rehab.  He doesn't want any visitors yet so I put together a small Halloween care package to brighten his day.

I started by making another quick skeleton card.  Using an old credit card, I scraped some gesso rather thickly onto an old book page.  I stamped the skeleton and a little crackle background, then stenciled on some distress inks through a piece of punchinella.

I also created this 2-5-7-10 box to hold some poison, I mean, candy treats.  I've made some of these before and they are super easy.  You can find the tutorial here on Splitcoaststampers.  Make sure you use a sturdy cardstock for the box (I used Stampin' Up basic black cardstock which is an 80 lb paper) and extra strong adhesive.  I decorated the box using a patterned paper by Authentique and images from Oxford Impressions and Artistic Outpost.

It's hard to put together a care package for a man, but he likes to do crossword puzzles so I included a couple of puzzle books and some mechanical pencils. I hope he enjoys the surprise.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Black cardstock from Stampin' Up; orange and kraft cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Authentique; very vanilla carrdstock from Stampin' Up; skull and raven stamp from Oxford Impressions; poison stamp from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; vintage photo and antique linen distress ink; mini black brads; plaid ribbon from Michaels.

Ginkgo and Linden Leaves - Watercolor

Last night in watercolor class we painted leaves.  I bet that sounds rather boring but it was actually quite fun.  Leaves are fascinating if you take the time to study them.  Think about it:  based on just the shape you can identify what type of tree or plant they are from.  They come in a wide range of colors and even their veins follow different patterns.  They make great subjects for painting.

This is my interpretation of a leaf from the "little leaf linden" tree in our front yard.  At this time of year in Iowa, the linden leaves are a bright golden yellow.  My leaf is not yellow because I wanted to practice a wet-on-wet technique where you put two different paint colors on the same brush.  However, my leaf does include the dramatic "age spots" that were found on the original leaf.  (The shadow I tried to create was not as successful, so we'll just ignore that.)

My second leaf is a ginkgo, which one of my classmates was kind enough to share with me.  I remember several years ago when ginkgo leaves were all the rage among rubber stampers.  I never bought such a stamp although I love their shape, and now I don't need to because I can paint my own!  I'm especially pleased with how this leaf turned out.  Notice the pattern of the veins compared to the linden leaf.

For my final leaf, I used a different linden leaf and combined the leftover colors on my palette.  Notice how the shape is a little different from the first linden leaf, even though they are both from the same tree.  You can see the serrated edges better on this one, but I should have turned my paper around when I was working on the veins; one half definitely looks more natural than the other.

I hope the autumn weather holds out so I can get over to a local park in search of different leaves to paint.

Thanks for popping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb cold press watercolor paper; Schmincke  Horadam watercolor paints; leaves.

Watercolor Poppy - ATC

I spent some time watercolor painting over the weekend, and it took "only" an 11x17 sheet of paper to obtain this single ATC.  (Laughing at myself.)

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Schmincke Horadam watercolor paints.

Trick or Treat

My Nomad in the Woodland ATC is going to an artist in California. Since this trade was part of a Halloween-themed swap, I decided to make a Halloween card for her also.

I started by swiping some white gesso onto a page torn from an old Czech book.  While that dried, I searched my stash for the other papers.  I stamped the skeleton from Oxford Impressions with black ink and added some stenciling using punchinella and distress ink.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous Friday.

Supplies:
Purple and orange cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book page; skeleton stamp by Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; crushed olive and dusty concord distress inks; cursive text stamp (unknown); Ranger Archival watering can ink; vintage photo distress ink; Golden gesso.

Nomad of the Woodland - ATC

I created this ATC for a Halloween-themed swap on Facebook.  It's a 1:1 swap which is good because my creative mojo has gone AWOL this week.

The background consists of patterned paper and vintage book text colored with distress inks and titanium white acrylic paint.  The bat was stamped on white cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  I added a lot of shading with tinted charcoal pencils to make the background look somewhat foggy so that the bat would stand out against it.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book text; bat image from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; red Sharpie; wild honey, gathered twigs and dusty concord distress ink; titanium white acrylic paint; crackle background stamp (unknown); postmark stamp by Stampa Rosa; Ranger Archival watering can ink; punchinella; Derwent tinted charcoal pencils (white, lavender, medium); Adirondack black and white acrylic paint dabber; Plaid glossy acrylic sealer.

Maid in the Garden Envelope Mail Art

I've been wanting to use this girl's image since I first found it in a local antique shop.  The photo was still in its original holder from a studio located on a historic street in our town, not far from where I grew up and now live (and where I had dinner Wednesday night!).  Thanks to Google, I found an announcement in a September 1922 issue of Bulletin of Photography that the photography studio had just opened that year.  Based on her glasses and hairstyle I had guessed that this photo was taken in the 1920s, so I was thrilled to find a reference that verified that.

After scanning and printing the photo, I went to my paper stash in search of inspiration.  I found some sheet music for a song titled The Maid in the Garden which mentioned roses, and the theme was set.  I adhered the sheet music to a #10 sized envelope I made myself and colored it with distress inks.  I used clip-art roses from ArtChix Studio and a butterfly rub-on by 7 Gypsies to create my maid's garden.

Since this envelope has to go all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I kept the address side pretty clean and simple.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb bristol vellum paper; scanned copy of photo; vintage sheet music and book text; wild honey and Victorian velvet distress ink; titanium white acrylic paint; Ranger Archival jet black and watering can ink; Stazon olive green ink; vine stamp by Inkadinkado; stencil by Tim Holtz; miscellaneous washi tape; clip-art roses from ArtChix Studio; butterfly and number rub-on by 7 Gypsies; vintage postage stamp; dark charcoal pencil; mail art stamps by Red Lead Paperworks.

Zodiac Fortune - Altered Matchbox

This is my third and final matchbox for the swap I joined.  The idea came from a piece of new-but-made-to-look-old ephemera by K and Company.  It was the perfect size for the cover of the matchbox; all I had to do was age it a little using distress inks.  After covering the box with some patterned paper, I adhered the cover piece and added a "page pebble" over the guy's picture.  The effect reminded me of a crystal ball.

The inside took a little bit more work.   After playing around with several ideas, I settled on an accordion pull-out that features a brief fortune for all 12 signs of the zodiac.  Since I'm not into astrology that much (I read my horoscope in the paper but don't put any stock in it), I found a website that had the dates and a description for each sign.  Based on that I created my brief fortunes.  I printed them on cardstock and punched them out with a small oval punch.

On the reverse side, I stamped some images from the Fortune Teller set by Artistic Outpost.

I took photos from several different angles to give you a feel for what the inside looks like.

This ended up being a fun project and I hope the recipient enjoys reading her fortune, whatever it is.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:

Small matchbox; vintage-looking ephemera by K and Company; antique linen and vintage photo distress inks; page pebble (unknown); patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket I think; stamps by Artistic Outpost; small oval punch from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; dark charcoal pencil.

Most Likely to Marry - Altered Matchbox

This was actually the first matchbox I completed for the swap I joined.  I was planning to do a "sweet and sassy" series:  sweet on the outside, sassy on the inside.  I ended up switching gears when the other ones weren't working out the way I wanted.

The wedding cake on the cover is a stamp by Inkadinkado that I colored with pencils and then covered with Glossy Accents for dimension.

On the inside, my ersatz groom is from a patterned paper by Prima Marketing.  The photo looked like a yearbook picture from back in the days when the seniors were given titles such as "most popular girl" or "best male athlete."  I decided my bow-tie-wearing cutie was the class cad.  Watch out ladies, he'll break your heart!

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Small matchbox; patterned papers by Prima Marketing and My Mind's Eye; silver Lumiere acrylic paint; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber; cake stamp by Inkadinkado; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Glossy Accents; ring fastener brad by Tim Holtz; black and clear self-adhesive rhinestones; Pitt black artist pen.

At the Beach - Altered Matchbox

This altered matchbox was created for a swap on ATCs for All (they have swaps for all kinds of mail art, not just ATCs).  We were to alter a matchbox, including the inside.  I hadn't worked on anything this small in a while, so it was quite a challenge for me (as was taking these pictures--I apologize in advance).

Fortunately, these stamps from the Boardwalk set by Artistic Outpost were the exact size I needed.  I stamped the cabana on cardstock, colored it with pencils, and cut out the door.  I then outlined the door on the matchbox cover and cut it out so you can see into the box (this was not easy).  The Atlantic City image was stamped separately and adhered after coloring.  The sand underneath the seashells consists of glass bead gel tinted with acrylic paint.

For the inside, I stamped my bathing beauties on cardstock, colored them, and adhered them to a striped paper before attaching them to the matchbox.  I used more of my glass bead gel sand and some teeny-tiny seashells to complete the tableau.  I'm really happy with the finished matchbox.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Small matchbox (approximately 1 x 2 inch); barn door distress ink; stamps from Artistic Outpost; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; hot pink Sharpie marker; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Xacto knife; striped paper by Graphic 45; charcoal pencil; Golden glass bead gel; mini seashells from Michaels; Golden matte gel medium.

Blue Skies Smiling at Me - Watercolor

Tonight's watercolor lesson was on skies.  We also learned several techniques to lift (remove) color from our paintings.  To create clouds, dab a torn piece of tissue or paper towel on the paint while it is still wet.  For a moon or sun, use a circle stencil and a Magic Eraser (slightly damp) after the paint has dried.  To help delineate a horizon, use a slightly damp brush to lift or pick up color.  I used masking fluid to create the reflection in the water.  Our instructor used a clear candle; the wax acts as a resist against the paint. 

I've actually become pretty good at making skies.  It's when I try to add other things that I'm not as happy with the results.  In this example, I fussed too much with my trees and their reflection, and as a result some areas got overworked.  It's not as noticeable from a distance, so this is one painting that should be viewed from across the room (wink).  I do like the turquoise, cobalt blue and lavender hues in this painting.

Another thing I tried (in my sketch book) during class was painting a white birch tree using a palette knife.  The instructor gave a quick demonstration for one of the other students who had been working on a painting of white birch at home this past week, so I decided to try it myself.  This is definitely something I want to try again!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day. 

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb cold press watercolor paper; Schmincke Horadam watercolors; paper towel; Magic Eraser; Grumbacher Miskit Liquid Frisket; miscellaneous brushers: 2 inch hake brush, small angle brush, no. 8 round; palette knife.

The Bird Sings - Mixed Media Postcards

I created two postcards last weekend but since they were going to folks who now read my blog, I waited until after they had been received to share them with you.  It's the two year anniversary of the "Envie Addicts Unite!" group, and I wanted to surprise the hostesses with a piece of mail art.  Not only do they do a phenomenal job of organizing the swap every month, but they keep the group going with lively conversation.  They have created a community of artists that is truly a pleasure to belong to, and I have had so much fun and learned so much in the few short months that I've been participating.

I was so happy with Marylee's birthday card that I decided to try to replicate the look for my postcards.  I started again with 140 pound watercolor paper, stencils and spray inks.  I wanted to try different colors though, which led to a happy discovery:  the Perfect Pearls Mists I had bought long ago and never found a good use for (especially the sunflower sparkle) were perfect for this project!  I'm not typically a glitter girl but I love the subtle color and shimmer that this spray ink gave to the postcard.

On the other side, I created a bright and festive collage featuring a cupcake by Inkadinkado with two candles (drawn by yours truly).  The postcards are 4.25 x 5.5 inches so they fit into the standard A2-sized clear envelopes that I already had.  I purchased mine from Stampin' Up but I'm sure there are other sources for them. 

Thanks for popping in!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb cold press watercolor paper; Dylusions fresh lime ink spray; Ranger sunflower sparkle Perfect Pearl Mist; Ranger scattered straw, black soot, ripe persimmon, spun sugar, dusty concord and seedless preserves distress inks; Heidi Swapp stencils; Tim Holtz stencil; Tim Holtz patterned tissue paper; vintage sheet music; bird and sentiment stamps from Red Lead Paperworks; washi tape; Gelly Roll white pen; Adirondack black and white acrylic paint dabber; punchinella; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Adirondack Archival jet black ink; Georgia Pacific white cardstock; Derwent white and lavender charcoal pencil.

Asian-Inspired Poppy - Watercolor

Last night at watercolor class we once again had the chance to paint whatever we wanted.  For inspiration I used a landscape photo a friend of mine took while on one of her walks.  Unfortunately, I started out using too dark of paint where I shouldn't have, and the whole thing was pretty much a disaster from the start.  So I switched gears and worked from a painting I found on the internet.  It was a very simple and loose composition of poppies in just two colors, red and black.  It had an Asian or Japanese feel to it and looks as if it were done using sumi-e ink.

My painting had more foliage in shades of gray and black and another poppy to the right that I didn't like at all, so when I got home I cropped it out!  (Ah, the advantages of having a variety of craft-related tools at my disposal.)  I added a few splatters of black paint and little squiggles to the large poppy using a fine-tipped black Sharpie, and ended up with this 3x6 inch painting that I mounted on red cardstock.  It may eventually become the front of a greeting card, if I can bear to part with it.  Right now I'm enjoying it too much myself.

I can't believe it's October already!  Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Schmincke Horadam watercolor paints; red cardstock by Bazzill; fine-tipped black Sharpie; long narrow rectangle Nestabilities by Spellbinders.