Thank You

Here's another thank you card for a friend who helped make my birthday extra special this year.

The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye.  The main image from Artistic Outpost was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with distress inks.  I added Glossy Accents to her glasses, a simple technique that I just love.

TGIF!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Plum and black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; very vanilla and crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Victorian velvet, bundled sage and pumice stone distress ink; Momenta/My Little Bicycle die-cut; Prima paper flowers; brushed pewter Stickles; Glossy Accents; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by Martha Stewart; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

ICAD No. 59 "E" Bird

ICAD is winding down but since I missed quite a few days I will be making and posting more cards even after the official ending date this Friday.

For inspiration tonight I dug through my file folder of Stampington artist papers.  If you subscribe to Somerset Gallery magazine, you know that each issue includes several sheets of tear-out artist papers or clip-art images.  (Occasionally they include some in their other publications, such as Art Journaling and The Stamper's Sampler.)  The artist papers tend to have more modern designs, but the clip-art images almost always have a vintage vibe to them.  For this card I chose a bird, hand and the letter E.

For the background, I combined a piece of Basic Grey patterned paper, vintage book text and washi tape.  I added a little stamping using a low contrast ink color.  This close-up view shows some of the background detail.  Those pops of red are large polka dots on the Basic Grey paper showing through the washi tape, and the oval image on the left is part of a stamped image.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
4x6 index card; Basic Grey patterned paper; vintage book text; Tim Holtz washi tape; titanium white acrylic paint; pumice stone distress ink; clip-art images from Stampington and Company; French post stamped image by Hero Arts; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media; Ranger (Wendy Vecchi) watering can Archival Ink; black Stabilo All Pencil.

Adventure - Vintage Map Envelope

Call me crazy, but just for kicks I joined IUOMA, International Union of Mail-Artists.  It didn't cost anything and I think it will be a good source of inspiration for mail art.  I created a basic profile and posted a few photos of items I've made, and within hours received three requests for mail art trades!  In less than a week, I received my first piece of mail from another member.  Time to get busy.

I've had this idea on my "to try" list for quite a while:  create an envelope out of a map.  Most of the maps I have are in old geography books and the paper is pretty fragile.  So after cutting out my envelope shape, I folded it around a piece of lightweight chipboard (a scrap of cereal box) and glued everything shut.  This is not an envelope that will be opened upon receipt.

This piece is going to a man so I used these two dudes from Artistic Outpost for my focal image.  They were stamped on some German book text.  The sentiment and the numbers were stamped on the leftover margin from around the map.  The paper had such a lovely patina that I couldn't let it go to waste.

For the address side, I used white gesso to paint a section large enough to write the address.  I did this using a calligraphy nib and black India ink.  I'm so pleased with how this envelope turned out.  I will probably have to start collecting more maps!

 Thanks for dropping in.  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Map from geography book; piece of chipboard; stamps by Artistic Outpost, Tim Holtz, Hampton Art Stamps and Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival black ink; Wendy Vecchi watering can ink; Stazon red ink; old book text; washi tape; black Stabilo All Pencil; black India ink; calligraphy pen; Golden white gesso.

July Birthday Postcards

Who wants a cupcake?

I do!  I do!

These two silly cupcake postcards are going to the birthday girls this month.  I used acrylic paints on a collage background, then got really wild and added glitter glue.  These cupcakes are quite shimmery in person.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Strathmore Bristol vellum paper; miscellaneous paper scraps; titanium white and miscellaneous acrylic paints; black Stabilo All Pencil; Stickles glitter glue; Faber-Castell black Pitt artist pen.

ICAD No. 50 No One Can Stop Me

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper; Golden gesso; Golden fluid acrylics; black India ink; calligraphy pen; vintage book text.

Together We Were Determined - Trifold Envelope Booklet

The idea for this project came from my mail art friend Mel.  I'm going to direct you to her blog, A Mynah Production, for instructions on how to make the basic booklet, as those are the instructions I followed.  The main difference between mine and hers is that mine has only one pocket, due to the bulkiness of the item I created to go inside.  I simply sealed up the other pockets with washi tape.

I used three 6x6 cardstock envelopes by Bazzill.  These are nice, heavy envelopes and they've been in my stash for quite a while.  After assembling the booklet, I reinforced the seams with postal-themed washi tape.  I then searched my stash for patterned papers to coordinate with the envelopes (a color called red robin) and made two collage backgrounds that include vintage sheet music, white acrylic paint, stamping and stenciling with inks and paint, and a rub-on flourish.

I adhered my photos (copies) and word stickers to the collage backgrounds and then to the envelopes.

I have used these photos once before, on some gluebook pages that I shared back in 2011.  In that post I mentioned my theory that the father had been killed in a tragic accident.  For this project, I took that idea one step further and wrote a short story for the center panel.  My handwriting is rather large so I typed my story on the computer, chose a font that resembles cursive writing, and printed it on vanilla cardstock.  I further aged the paper using distress inks before adhering it to the middle envelope. The story and more information about my writing process are provided at the end of this post.

The final step was to create something special for the pocket.  After much thought I decided a photo of the father would tie everything together.  But, I had no photo of the little boy's father.  Although I have a few photos of World War I soldiers in my stash, none of the fellows looked enough like the boy that anyone would believe he was the father (you'll understand why this was necessary, after you read my story below).  So off to the world wide web I went.  After much searching I found a photo on a blog called Portraits of War.  I saved it to my computer, cropped and resized it, and printed a copy on photo paper.

I decided to make the photo look like something the man's wife would have kept in a locket.  I die-cut the photo and mounted it on a piece of black cardstock that I distressed with acrylic paint and ink.  Since a holder similar to a real locket would be too bulky to fit in an envelope pocket, I searched my stash for ideas and found a bag of mica tiles.  Perfect!  I glued the photo to the bottom piece of mica and attached the top piece using two eyelets, then tied seam binding through the top eyelet.  Not only does this finish off the piece, but the dangling ends are the "clue" that something is hidden in the pocket.

 I didn't decorate the outside much.  I already had the washi tape on the seams and had to leave room for the recipient's address and a few instructions on how to open the booklet.

I'm a little nervous about sending this through the mail naked, but I'm going to do it.  After all, that's a major part of the fun of making mail art!  Now, let me share with you my story for the center panel.

I wrote the story as if it were a diary entry written by the mother in the photo.  Based on the estimated age of the photograph, I knew I wanted to set this story in the mid- to late-1910s.   The United States entered World War I in April of 1917, so I chose June 29, 1917, as my story date.

Then off to the internet I went to do more research, such as what day of the week would that have been?  What were suitable names for young boys and grown men at that time?  I thought about what a young mother and her son might do on a summer day.  Did drugstores have "soda fountains" then, and would Coca-Cola be a logical drink to order?  How many people had automobiles in 1917, and what were the models called?

It also took several drafts to get the language to sound as if it were written in 1917, not in 2015.  I think I did a pretty good job because after my mom read it, she asked me where I found it.  I told her, "I didn't 'find' it; I wrote it.  I made up the entire story myself."  By the look on her face I'm not sure she entirely believed me!  Here is the full story and you can judge for yourself whether it sounds authentic to 100 years ago.

29 June 1917

A Friday.  After breakfast Charlie and I walked to Mr. Webber’s.  He has agreed to take payments on the photos so I may post them to James right away.  The sitting was fine and Charlie never looked as much as his father as he did today.  Even Mr. Webber remarked as such.  After the photos we walked to the drugstore for a Coca-Cola.  Mrs. Porter offered us a ride home in her new touring mobile, which I was grateful as the day had become quite warm.

In the afternoon I set about darning Charlie’s socks. That boy is so hard on socks!  

Evening.  The boy has gone to the Millers for little Albert’s birthday party.  I am glad he was not home when the telegram arrived.  When the knock came I knew instantly that my beloved James was gone.  Deeply regret to inform you…killed in action…I shall wait until morning to tell Charlie so as not to spoil the party.  Oh my dear heart!

So, what do you think?  I would love to hear your comments about my story as well as the entire piece!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Thanks! Card and Domino Magnet

My friend Stephanie, card-maker extraordinaire and all-around fun person, not only came to my birthday celebration but also gave me a gift bag full of stamping and art goodies.  She is so generous.  And I absolutely adore the birthday card she gave me.  You can see her blog post about it here.

It was high time I thanked her in return, so I created this card for her.  The cute little girl is from Oxford Impressions.  The background papers are by Prima Marketing and the thanks die-cut is by Momenta/Little Yellow Bicycle.  I really like their word die-cuts and they are the perfect size for greeting cards.

I also made this altered domino magnet to give to her.  She and her husband have a loft condo in a former manufacturing building, and she mentioned that she'd like to get more magnets for the exposed steel beams.  I covered the front of the domino with a scrap from a Russian-English dictionary tinted with distress ink.  My gal from Artistic Outpost was stamped on a piece of vanilla cardstock and colored with Prisma pencils.  I edged the sides with a Krylon gold leaf pen, but left the back of the domino bare so you can see the pips (the dots).  Otherwise you might not realize that it's a domino.

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Card:  Black cardstock by Bazzill; kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Prima Marketing; titanium white acrylic paint; vintage photo distress ink; stamped image from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; thanks die cut by Momenta; EK Success border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; small flowers by Prima; frayed burlap Stickles; pop-dots.
Domino:  Domino; vintage book page; broken china and vintage photo distress ink; stamped image from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; Tim Holtz word sticker; black Stabilo All Pencil; Krylon gold leaf pen; Glossy Accents; glossy spray sealant.

Cousins Buying War Bonds

Several years ago I made this ATC featuring a photograph of my Uncle Keith.  I hadn't been doing vintage collages for very long at that point, but I thought this card was very successful and it's still one of my favorites.  I've been telling myself that I needed to find a way to share this card with Keith's children, my cousins, but it always got pushed to the back burner.  They all live out of state and only one routinely comes to the family reunion.  To be honest, I don't know many of my cousins very well.  There are about 50 of us born over the course of 35 years or so and most of us haven't spent much time together.

Well, last week I found out that all five of Keith's children would be at the family reunion this year!  It would be the first time in eight years that the five of them had been together anywhere.  And it would be the first time that I remember meeting (as an adult), the two eldest ones.  Here was my opportunity to do something.  I decided to keep it simple since time was short.  I made enlargements of my ATC and mounted them on coordinating pieces of cardstock.  I wrote some relevant information on the back and inserted them into clear cellophane envelopes.

And here are my cousins, holding their custom prints!  They were so surprised to receive them and it made me happy to finally get them copies of the card with their dad's photo.  It was a special moment for all of us and it reinforced why I get so much satisfaction out of the type of art I make.

Have a great day!

Those Whom We Have Loved

My favorite uncle on my dad's side of the family has passed away.  The funeral service is not for a couple of weeks so I planned to mail sympathy cards to my cousins, even though I know I will be seeing them at a family reunion before the service.  I still plan to do that, but in the meantime my mom asked me to make a sympathy card that she can give to them in person.

I used my favorite sympathy stamp set from Stampin' Up for the front.  The flowers were colored with Tombow and Marvy markers and stamped without reinking.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Fuchsia and pink cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock and rubber stamps from Stampin' Up; Marvy and Tombow markers; Ranger Archival black ink; Cuttlebug embossing folder (scrollwork) by Provo Craft; Stickles; Nestabilities die cut by Spellbinders; pop-dots.

ICAD No. 28 Dramatic Abstract

I'm a notorious night owl and that's when I do most of my art work.  But today I decided to start my day with some art, specifically an ICAD, so I can fill in some of the days I missed.  I also thought perhaps by creating in the morning, I wouldn't dilly-dally around.  And trust me, I didn't!  Maybe I'll have to become a lark.

This ICAD was inspired by the abstract artwork we saw at a local restaurant on Father's Day.  I took a picture of one of the larger prints to remind myself of the style and colors, which I particularly liked.  I created my version using Liquitex Basics acrylics.  I added a strip of book text that was laying on my craft table and the magic happened when I used my brayer to make sure the book text was adhered well.  Some of the paint was not fully dry and the brayer carried bits of it into the other quadrants.  Below is a close-up of one corner where you can see the color variation better.

I'm thrilled with how this turned out.  It has the feel of a monoprint without as much work (or mess).  I just wish the colors would have scanned better: in reality the green is a bit brighter and the orange a bit deeper.  I tried to edit them but they would not cooperate.

Have a fabulous Monday!

Supplies:
Strathmore smooth bristol vellum paper; Liquitex Basics: titanium white, brilliant yellow green, cad yellow deep hue, burnt sienna, mars black and cad red medium hue; book text; paint brush, palette knife; brayer.

ICAD No. 35 September Song

I don't know why I felt like creating an autumn-themed card on such a warm, summer day.  Perhaps the dry, brown leaves I noticed in the yard this week made me think of fall.  Perhaps I'm feeling a little melancholy, thinking too much about how short life really is and how much of it I've squandered.  For the umpteenth time I have had to tell myself to "turn over a new leaf" about certain things.

I was digging through my paper scraps and found a piece of watercolor paper that I had used to clean off a stencil.  I drew a leaf on a text tag using a black Stabilo All Pencil, went over the pencil with a water pen, then cut out the leaf.  I tinted it using distress inks before adhering it to the background.  I added a strip of old sheet music and some stenciling, then willed myself to stop before the card got too busy.  I didn't want to lose all that beautiful white space, which really sets off the other colors.

In case you're not familiar with September Song, I've included some of the lyrics below.  It was originally used in a 1938 movie but has been covered by many artists since then.  My favorite version happens to be by Willie Nelson.

Thanks for popping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; TCW stencil Mini Time Travel; Dylusions spray ink (dirty martini I believe); text tag by American Crafts; mustard seed, wild honey, spiced marmalade and gathered twigs distress ink; vintage sheet music; Pigma Graphic 1 archival ink pen (sepia); Tim Holtz stencils; Stabilo All Pencil in black and white: Faber-Castell PITT black pen.

September Song

(Weill, Anderson)

Oh, it's a long long while
From May to December
But the days grow short
When you reach September

When the autumn weather
Turns leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing you all a joyous and peaceful July 4!

Patio Party - Watercolor

Even though I had work to do today, the weather was just too perfect to stay indoors.  I played hooky for a while in the afternoon and painted this little vignette based on the set-up my mom had made on the patio.

I was trying to emulate the plein air sketches or paintings that some folks do in their journals, especially when they travel.  It's something I aspire to do even if I stay in my own town.  It's not about making a perfect painting; it's about capturing the experience or the feeling at that moment.  So it doesn't matter that the perspective is off a bit, or that I took artistic license with some things.  What matters is that I enjoyed myself, got to play with watercolors, and now have a wonderful reminder of this beautiful afternoon.

Here's the vignette that inspired my painting.  I think I've mentioned in the past that my parents spend the winter in Arizona.  Even though summer has barely begun here, they're already talking about how soon they head south.  So it was no surprise this week that my mom bought a new umbrella for the patio table they use in Arizona.  She found the perfect tablecloth for it at Goodwill, for a mere $2.88!  (She has the best luck at Goodwill.)  Today she set up everything on the patio, cranked up the stereo in the motorhome and just enjoyed being outside.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Strathmore 5x7 hot press watercolor card; Grumbacher transparent watercolors; Staedtler black  pigment liner sketch pen.

ICAD No. 31 The Scholar

I kind of fell off the ICAD wagon for a couple of weeks.  I am so disappointed in myself (she wrote, somewhat tongue in cheek).  But we're starting a new month so I'm back on the wagon again.

Today's card was inspired by the academic theme that was posted for a couple of days ago.  I've worked in higher education my entire adult life, so the theme is right up my alley.  It reminded me of this old graduation photo I have in my stash.  I adhered a copy of the photo to a page from a 1934 spelling book and then gave it "the treatment" using acrylic paint, distress inks, rubber stamps, stenciling and a rub-on (the round clock-like image).

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
4x6 index card; page from an old spelling book; photocopy of old photo; Victorian velvet, vintage photo, walnut stain and black soot distress inks; Tim Holtz ruler stencil and stamp; Tim Holtz rub-on; white acrylic paint; punchinella; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media.