Take the A Train

I've been so busy making arches and whatnots for ARTzona, that I almost forgot to make a birthday card for my favorite uncle.  He's turning 88 and my cousins are throwing him a party this weekend.  It sounds like it's going to be a mid-winter family reunion.

My uncle enjoyed going to the Old Threshers Reunion every year.  He took his horses and surrey (and yes, it had fringe around the top) to ride in the parade.  So I think he'll like this card with images from Artistic Outpost that evoke those long-ago days of steam engines and train travel.

Have a great weekend! 

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; orange cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Crafty Secrets; stamps from Artistic Outpost; olive green and saddle brown Stazon ink; frayed burlap distress ink; corner rounder punch.

Darling Heart - ATC

I decided to make an ATC using some of the same supplies used to make yesterday's Gothic arch: my red and yellow stenciled background paper, washi tape, and a Dina Wakely heart stamp.

This is one of those pieces that just wouldn't scan well, mainly due to the abundance of silver paint on the heart.  I tried adjusting the colors with my software, but even that didn't help much.  You'll just have to take my word that this looks better in person!


TGIF!  I hope you have fun plans for the weekend.

Wakely Heart - Gothic Arch

This Gothic arch started with a piece of background paper that I made myself using a variety of items for stencils and acrylic paint.  More on that below.

I cut an arch from a section of my paper and layered on some washi tape, book text, and a stamped flourish.  The heart image by Dina Wakely was also stamped on my background paper, then jazzed up with silver acrylic paint.  I finished with a metal bird by Momenta and a silver border.

I am extra pleased with how this arch turned out.  It reminds me of the mixed media projects I see in my favorite Somerset Studio or Stampers' Sampler magazines.  Those art pieces always look so "easy," but having worked to achieve that look myself, I know that there is actually a lot of thought and planning that goes into every aspect.

Here is a picture of my stenciled background paper before I cut my arch out of it.  Can you identify some of the items I used as stencils?

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

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; white gesso; alizarin crimson and cadmium yellow deep acrylic paint; small spray bottles; miscellaneous items for stencils; washi tape (various vendors); titanium white acrylic paint; flourish stamp by Hero Arts; heart stamp by Dina Wakely; black Stazon ink; book text; metal bird by Momenta; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber.

Beauty and Grace - Chunkies

A chunky (as I understand it), is a 4x4 piece of art that includes dimensional embellishments on the front, top, right side, or bottom.  You'll often see them with some type of fancy trim, dangling items such as beads or charms, or other "chunky" hardware that fits the theme of the piece.  When people make chunkies for a swap, the left side is to remain free of embellishments so that the chunkies can be bound together to form a book.

My chunkies started with two coasters covered with patterned papers and vintage sheet music.  I stamped a flourish and heat embossed it in gold before adding these beautiful clipart ladies that were in a kit I purchased at Mystic Paper in Mesa, Arizona (which sadly, is now closed).  The labels are stamps from Darkroom Door.  For embellishments I used Dresden trim and paper flowers accented with rhinestones.

It's not too late for me to add some danglies to the side (I thought about adding a few beads on a ribbon), but I am running out of time and choosing beads from my stash can be time-consuming.

Have a great Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by.

Altered Bingo Card Nametag

I created this collage nametag (using my online nickname) for the upcoming art weekend that I'm participating in.  I am super pleased with how it turned out.

I started with a vintage bingo card and knew that I wanted to use the Scrabble tiles and old game card letters for my name.  I die-cut the letters using Nestabilities, added eyelets, and attached them to the bingo card with jump rings.  I played around with a bunch of different ephemera before settling on the following:  vintage kid's Valentine, bingo marker (I-22), a well-loved 1940s wallet photo, old milk bottle lid, the letter K (another game piece), red paper flower, and a couple of buttons.  Most of the items received a touch of acrylic gold paint around the edges before being glued on with heavy gel medium.  I mounted the bingo card on some floral patterned paper and then on black cardstock for added strength.

The final step was to add the garter belt clips on the top and a sheer black ribbon long enough to hang the nametag around my neck.  I knotted the ribbon in a couple of places and added another charcoal paper flower, so it's almost like a necklace and nametag combined.

This collage uses one of my favorite color combinations (black, red, and ivory) and represents my artistic style 100%.  I can't wait to wear it!
  
Have a great Monday!  Thanks for stopping by.

B is for Bird Gothic Arch

This mixed media Gothic arch features a variety of new and old papers, blended with acrylic paint and distress inks.

I cut the B using a Cricut and used it as a stencil, backing it with some sheet music.  Although the purple vintage postage stamp (from Hungary, I believe), ended up being partly obscured, the pop of color contrasts beautifully with the green in the background and the orange of the bird. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; patterned papers by Basic Grey; vintage book text and sheet music; vintage postage stamp; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and dusty concord distress ink; Stazon black ink; postal cancellation stamp by Stampa Rosa, north/south/east/west stamps unknown; black cardstock from Stampin' Up; bird clipart from Red Lead Paperworks; Cricut Classic Font.

Christmas Cardinal - Gothic Arch

I decided to make a Christmas-themed arch since I had some good-sized scraps left over from my Christmas cards.

The middle of the arch features some vintage Christmas music that I purchased at a garage sale and dimensional stickers by K and Company.  I continued with the Christmas theme by stamping a "Christmas day delivery" faux postal cancellation.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; vintage sheet music; patterned paper and postal cancellation stamp by Kaiser Craft; dimensional bird and holly stickers by K and Company; black Stazon ink; walnut stain distress ink; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber.