Challenges in Art and Life

Salutations! We survived tropical storm Irene but some families did not. The devastation at the beach is tremendous. Beaches unrecognizable and homes removed from their foundations no where to be found. I couldn't imagine what those families are going through. I wish all those families a safe and warm place to sleep and the courage to move forward.

I'm trying to get my mojo back and my craft room looks like a hurricane went through it so I thought I would challenge myself.  I could only use what supplies I had on my table. I could not use anything else except adhesive. I decided to use Mojo Monday's Sketch #206 for this challenge. It was very hard.

Here is Mojo Sketch #206

It can be a round or square card. Going through all the supplies piled on my table I realized that I didn't have many full size pieces except for one 12 x 12 blue piece of cardstock.  Everything else on the card I had to piece together.

I'm not exactly happy with it. Its pretty simply for me. I think it's missing something. I bought the domino Cuttlebug folder for $2 and played with it last week so I had all this embossed cardstock on my desk.  The small squares were made from a piece of Bristol board and Liquidex acrylic paints. I was playing with the paints trying coming up with weird backgrounds. So the next time you need a challenge try making something with only what is left on your table and let me know what you have made.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

No bird soars to high.....

Salutations!  Today I have an ATC to show you.  I was just playing with spray inks and paint and surprised myself with a nice background.

Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Birdcages Stamp set by TCP Studios and

 the faux stitching is a stamp from Tim Holtz

Backgrounds was made with Liquidtex acrylic paint and china blue distress ink

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Aliens!

Salutations! I am in the process of sorting through all my photographs and found this one. I completely forgot all about it. It made me laugh so I thought I would share it with you.

Doesn't it look like some kind of water alien? It looks like it has two eyes. This is a jelly fish that I took at the Boston aquarium a few years ago. 

What do you think it looks like?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Extraordinary!

Crows, Crows and Crows!

Salutations!  I have a tag to show you today but I wanted to explain how I made the background.  The background wasn't planned it just happened.  When I work in my art journals and use Liquidtex acrylic paint I let the excess paint drip on my craft sheet.  Then I use tags to pick up all that extra paint. I do that all the time and now have a pile of tags to use with a start of a background.  This tag had different shades of blue and I added distress inks in orange marmalade and vintage photo. Then stamped the Crows scene stamp from Stampendous, added the book paper on the top plus the Halloween ribbon.

The inks and paint made a real spooky background for this stamp. I love the way it came out. So instead of cleaning up your excess paint with a paper towel use a tag! 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Making cards and preparing for Hurricane Irene!

Salutations!  I decided to keep my mind off Hurricane Irene and make cards instead. Being in the Northeast we really don't know what is going to happen with this storm.  My biggest fear are two large trees; one in the back yard and one in the front across the street in the neighbor's yard.  Like everyone else waiting for the storm we all have our fears. I wish everyone a safe weekend!  On with my card!

This card is being entered into Mojo Monday's sketch challenge #205 and a  Making Halloween card challenge #8.  As you know Mojo Monday the challenges are a sketch but the Halloween card challenge is to have either a black card or a banner or both.

Supplies:

Cardstock in white, orange, lime

Pattern Paper: Basic Grey Eerie and Reminisce Boo Bash

Halloween Ribbon

Felt Boo

Spiders, webs, lines - HOTP Halloween Dazzles

Cat and Word - Inkadinkado

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

 

Happy Birthday!

Salutations!  One of my co-workers asked me to create a card for her grandson's 4th birthday. She told me he loves Thomas the Tank Engine, Cars, and Batman. I'm not very good at little kids cards but remembered I made cards for her granddaughter and they were really for their mother (she keeps them displayed!).  Once I remembered that a flood of ideas came into my head.

Yes, that is her grandson! I found coloring book pages of Thomas and all his friends. I couldn't resist adding his face to the character.  It's hard to see but the balloons were colored then I added diamond glaze and added the strings.

How did I do?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Wonder and Awe!

Salutations!  I have an art journal page to show you today.  Art journals are wonderful to create. It's probably the only place that I can just go for it and not think about if it looks nice or not.  The one thing I like better than paper paste is gesso because it dries faster.  You can add thick gesso to any template to add dimension to the page.  I did that for the white flower on the pages.

I realized I didn't use the whole template but it left an empty spot for some words. The background was made with Liquidtex acrylic paints. The twigs on the bottom are a Tim Holtz stamp.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Artist Trading Cards Swap!

Salutations! I joined an Artist Trading Card Swap (ATC) on Splitcoaststampers. The theme was Steampunk.  It was so much fun. I received my swap cards and I wanted to show you what great talent there was in this group.

First of all here is an explanation (Wikipedia) of what Steampunk is for all those who do not know.

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.^[1] Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually the Victorian era Britain—that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.

I love Steampunk and in the process of picking up more stamps and objects to do more. Here is the first set of ATCs I received in the swap.

There is so much detail on the cards. I love the little metal flower on the card on the left. The three gentlemen stamp is great plus the crossword puzzle corner is a great addition.

The card on the left has cogs and wheel but one wheel has a crystal center. I love the touch of sparkle.  On the right I loved the chain with the metal rings.

The card of the left has a great bird with a big eye. I have that stamp and this card gives me lots of ideas on how to use it. The card on the right is very detailed. If you notice the woman's hair has tiny watch parts (cogs and wheels) in her hair.

On the back of each ATC you are to write the swap's name, card title, the number of the card (1 of 10), and your real name, screen name and date.  Every ATC artist has their own special design for the back of the card.  The back of the card with the corset has something I haven't seen before and loved the idea.

She has a little pocket with a tag with all the information on it. I thought it was a cute idea.

I hope you enjoyed looking at them!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

I love Halloween!

Salutations!  Everyone knows I love to make Halloween cards. I could probably make them all year around. You will see quite a few here and there until I get it out of my system! I don't see very many Halloween cards. In July I always see lots of Christmas in July cards! Thats great but I just can't get into Christmas cards in July. I try but I end up sitting at my table looking at all my holiday stamps and paper but can't find any motivation or creativity.  So I'm starting my holiday cards with Halloween.

All the ink on the card is distress inks on watercolor paper. I love the way distress inks blend so well together. The small bats are from a paper punch and the larger bat and word are stamps from Inkadinkado. The tree is from Hero Arts called Design Block-Tree. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Friendship!

Salutations!  Last weekend my god-daughter was over for a sleepover and we had lots of fun. We always do some sort of craft project. I thought I would share this one with you.  For the first time, she was the teacher and I was the student.

She was a great teacher and explained the instructions with lots of detail. She also said she made lots of mistakes and its okay if I make mistakes too. I love it when teachers show that side of themselves no matter how old they are.

We made friendship bracelets. Here is the teacher's bracelet.

Her knots are so tight that this bracelet will never fall apart!

Here is mine.

As you can tell my knots are not as tight as hers. What was funny as we were making the bracelets we noticed both of us chose the same colors (blue, purple, orange) all but one; green and yellow. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #204

Salutations! Today's card is for Mojo Monday's Challenge #204.  At first I couldn't think of a focal for this card until I knocked over all the miscellaneous piles of art stuff at the end of my table! It's amazing what you find in piles on your desk.  I found a couple of string art flower embellishments left over from another project which was perfect for the card.

Mojo Monday's Sketch

Here is my card.

Here are a couple of close up pictures of the string art.

The string art embellishments are easy to make and the more you layer the flowers and thread the nicer they look.  I made a simple string art (Spirelli) flower tutorial here if you would like to learn how to make them.

Supplies

Cardstock: black and sky blue

Spirelli Paper Punch

Silver metallic thread

Pearl dew drop

Silver metallic paper by The Paper Company

Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Background Paper: Made by Me with crafters workshop templates, distress inks,

acrylic paints, Tim Holtz stamps, and jet black archival ink.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Clouds in the city!

Salutations!  I love clouds and I'm trying to draw them. The key word "trying". I decided to work on drawing clouds in my art journal. A perfect place to experiment!

They may not look real but I had fun and thats what keeping an art journal is all about! The city scape is a Tim Holtz stamp and the butterflies and sentiment are stamps from Unity.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

I spy with my little eye something.......

Something silver! 
Salutations!  On a trip to Joann Fabrics I found these little silver bottle caps in the jewelry section (found 2 inch size caps too!)  I had Tim Holtz paper and stamps on my desk and this little cap screamed to be put on a card.

Here is a close up of the bottle cap.

The caps came with clear adhesive buttons and I cut out a bottle cap from Tim Holtz paper stash.  I bought the 2 inch size and I can't wait to make something with them.

Supplies:

Ivory cardstock

Grunge paper

Coredinations color core

Tim Holtz Stamps - Journy

Tim Holtz paper stash

Distress Ink: tea dye and aged mohagony

Tim Holtz embossing folder

Tiny bottle cap

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Dream Big!

Salutations! Unity Stamp Company's monthly challenge is circles. Use them anywhere in your project but also use Unity Stamps.  My card was quick and easy by using a Crafter Workshop template and distress inks for the background and a fun circle for Unity's stamp set called Dream Big.

The background was so much fun to make and I love all the colors. I just used a Crafters Workshop template (circles) and kept moving it around to add each color. You should always start with the lightest color to the darkest color.

Supplies:

Itty Bitty Stamp Set by Unity: Dream Big

White and green cardstock

Distress Inks; fired brck, mustard seed, broken china, peeled paint, spiced marmalade

Archival Ink - Jet Black

Crafters Workshop Template

White Ribbon

Pearls

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Challenges, Challenges

Salutations!  Thats right two card challenges in one card. This card is for Mojo Monday Sketch #203 and Outlines Monday Challenge #12, which is to use lace.

Here is Mojo Monday Sketch #203

Here is my card for both challenges:

The flower is made from Outlines Rubber Stamps called jagged posey medium and wavy posey small. I didn't have any black lace to match so I found some white and sprayed it with black ink. The background paper I made using spray inks, distress inks, crafters workshop templates and a stamp.

Supplies:

Green and black cardstock

Watercolor paper

Spray Inks

Crafters Workshop Templates

Tim Holtz Stamp: Flourish

Fiskars Border Punch

Tim Holtz Embossing Folder - Damask

Flower Center: Button-Tim Holtz

Outlines Rubber Stamps: Jagged Posey and Wavy Posey

Zing Embossing Powder - Black Glitter

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge!

Salutations!  I have another journal page to show you. I love quotes and use them quite a bit. This one is on my list of favorites!

The stamp is hard to read but it says, Imagination is more important than knowledge for while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination leads us to all we might yet discover and create.

The background is made with distress inks and crafters workshop templates. The hearts I had in my scraps and they worked perfectly with the colors.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Mojo Monday #202

Salutations! I bought two new Memory Box dies this week and decided to use them on my card for Mojo Monday's card sketch challenge.

Here is Mojo Monday's Sketch

Here is my card.

The new dies from Memory Box are the Arboscello Tree and the Ringed Buckle.  I only cut one buckle and cut it in half for this card.  I love trees so I know this tree die will be used many things. I'm already thinking Halloween cards!!!!

Supplies

Memory Box Dies - Arboscello Tree and Ringed Buckle

Cardstock in grey, dark pink and yellow

Background paper was made by me with distress inks, acrylic paint, and ink spray

Senitment - Hero Arts

Tim Holtz Texture Fades - damask and regal flourishes

Distress Inks - worn lipstick and spun sugar

Spray Ink - yellow

Acrylic Paint - grey

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Wishes Are The Magic....

Salutations!  Today I have a canvas to show you. I started it a while ago but couldn't think of what to do with it. In cleaning up my table I found a small pile of grungeboard. It was already painted so it gave me an idea on how to complete the canvas.

The stamps on the canvas are all by Tim Holtz. You can't see by the picture but all the grungeboard has distress crackle paint called rocky candy on them. The silver florish has distress crackle called brushed pewter. I think it might be my new favorite for Christmas.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Use It Tuesday Challenge #12

Salutations!  Use It Tuesday's challenge is to use two hoarded items on your project. This was easy for me. I'm in the process of weeding out my craft room and found tons of hoarded items. Those that are unwanted I will donate to a breast cancer fundraiser in October. 

 My two hoarded items that I used were mulberry paper (wine color) and 7 Gypsies photo carousel cards. I found tons of mulberry paper and they make great flowers.

I like the carousel cards for background paper for cards. They are double-sided so they can be used in many ways. This was a really quick and simple card which isn't like me at all.

Supplies:

Green cardstock

7 Gypsies Photo Carousel Cards

Aged Mahogany Distress Ink

Bird - Tim Holtz Die

Old dictionary paper

brads

Thanks for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Inchie Swap

Salutations! I joined an inchie swap on Splitcoaststampers and it was so much fun. This weekend I received a package full of inchies from the swap. Remember these are 1" x 1" pieces of art.

The theme for these are Vintage Treats. As you can see there are many interpretations for this theme. I love the tiny candy pieces and on the kool-aid inchie there is a little pocket in the back holding a kool-aid packet.

Numbers! 

The bingo card with the little beads is too cute.  The little tag and flower brad is adorable.

Theme: Charmed I'm Sure

Look at all those little charms. They are so cute. I love the little knitting needles and yarn.  The third one from the top I had a hard time photographing that one. Its metal and says friends forever.  Very cool.

This one is my favorite.  Alice vs. Dorothy.  It looks like a tie! Not sure who won this one in the swap. Look closely see the eyes on the chesire cat?  The Dorothy inchie in the middle is wonderful. There is a crystal ball with Dorothy's picture in it.  Amazing.

Everyone in the swap received a little gift. I just don't know how Joyce (Jmaraul on SCS) does it all. She swapped 1600 inchies!  I couldn't do it and don't even want to try. She is amazing!

Sorry it's sideways for some reason blogger won't upload it the correct way. Inside the survival kit is M&Ms and two inchies. 

Joyce, thanks for a wonderful swap! 

Thanks for stopping by.

Go Create and Be Extraordinary!