Make It Artsy - The No See-Ums Get You Every Time!!!!

I still can't believe it but I filmed two segments for Make It Artsy. I did it!!!! For those who do not know it's an arts and crafts show hosted by Julie Fei Fan Balzer of Balzer Designs which appears on TV with your local PBS channel, online MakeItArtsy.com , and YouTube.  You can also find them on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

As soon as I received the email I had to read it twice. I first thought they had wrong person but my name was right there. I was excited, shocked and petrified. I've never even taught a class before so how could I even do something on TV?  Something inside me said YES go for it and I did.

Doing things out of your comfort is a scary thing for everyone. It's the no see-ums that are scary. All my thoughts running rampant in my head wondering what was going to happen really screwed me for sure.

This is what the studio looks like. All those cameras, lights and no see-ums was a little overwhelming.  After I filmed my first segment I realized that my no see-ums in my head were pretty much nonexistent.  Everyone in the studio was so friendly and welcoming. Julie...she's so good. When I couldn't come up with a word she was right there continuing the conversation so it made it easier for me to keep going without looking like an idiot. LOL 

 

 

The best part were these wonderful artists. They are so down to earth, friendly, so nice and really helped me to stay as calm as I could be.  They have appeared in the show before so it was nice to hear their feedback and tips.

 

Seth Apter

 

 

 

Cat Kerr and Joe Rotella   (I close my eyes when I'm nervous. I need to practice!!!)

 

 

I was so nervous I hardly took any pictures. Thank you to Seth for taking this one which was my first segment I filmed. Yes, my eyes are closed. They are probably closed in all the pictures.

 

 



My second segment went so much better. I was more relaxed and having a little more fun. I'm not sure I want to see myself . I will keep you posted on the date it will air.

Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and it was a great experience. All those thoughts in my head never came to be. I'm hoping the next situation outside my comfort zone I'll think about this day and realize those no see-ums just don't exist.

Have you done something outside your comfort zone? Inquiring minds want to know!

Thank you for stopping by! I truly appreciate it.

 

How I use My Mother's Painting for My Art

My mother was an artist, my parents died in 2004, and she loved nature especially birds. She worked near a river and during lunch she would take pictures of birds to use in her art or just sit and sketch. During one art show someone tripped and knocked off a couple of her paintings. It was raining that day so they were water damaged. One painting was a swan family. She waited patiently every day at lunch to take pictures to create the painting. Since she couldn't sell it because of the damage, she gave it to me (being reframed now).

I love the painting and I've taken pictures of the parts of the painting to use in my art. I've created many pieces that I love and can't give away.

This is another piece of art that I created with her swans a few months ago. It was created on two round wood ornaments. I have decided how I'm going to display them.  I'm thinking of using wire to keep the two pieces together and then display them in a shadow box that I can hang on the wall.

 

I used many die cut pieces and rub-ons. I also used TCW stencils (no surprise there). I used TCW737 Love Sonnet and TCW785 Ornate Borders.  The swans were printed on Matte Photo Paper.  There are actually 5 or 6 baby swans (cygnets). She called this painting The Ugly Duckling. All the cygnets were white except for one which was brown and gray.

 

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to have a daytime or nighttime sky or clouds or sun so I put it all on this piece.  This piece made me realize how much I love collage.  

 

 

 

As soon as I get it back from being re-framed I'll add a picture to this post. My photograph is only part of it so you can't see the whole thing.

 

The pieces I create with her art is like having her right with me. She's my biggest fan next to my daughter. Growing up with my parents reading fairy tales to us this one became very special when she named it The Ugly Duckling. That story is one of my favorites.

 

Have you used something special from your loved ones to create a piece of art?

Inquiring minds would like to know!

 

Thank so much for stopping by! 

 

 

Rebekah Meier's Paper Art Collage Techniques BLOG HOP!!!

Welcome to Paper Art Collage Techniques Blog Hop! 

Today we are celebrating Rebekah's new book Paper Art Collage. It's a fantastic book. You can read all about it here at:

Bella Crafts Publishing

At the end of this post you'll find all the other artists joining in on this blog hop. Go check out their projects! 

The one technique that spoke to me is the Creating a Stencil Resist on page 24 of Rebekah's new book. It was a lot of fun to create. 

I used Rebekah's Mixed Media Art Paper and her stencil from The Crafters Workshop Distressed Lace (TCW803). I created this on a 3x3 block of wood. Rebekah's technique was easy to follow with picture step outs. 

As you can see about it creates a gorgeous background and her mixed media paper is adhesive-backed so it's easy to put it on anything.

Here is what I created to finish my project.

 I added her stencil design to all the sides too.

Rebekah's new book is fabulous and has tons of techniques with easy to follow instructions. 

Check out everyone's projects created using one or more of Rebekah's techniques from her new book.

Rebekah Meier Designs

Madeline Arendt

Connie Shaw

Deb Riddell

Again you can find her new book HERE!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

OUT OF MY MIND, I SAID YES!!!

I HAVE AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!!

 

 

I'm going to be on Make It Artsy!

 

 

 

I'm heading to Ohio in December to be included in Season 6!

OMG I'm so excited.

Petrified

Nervous

Petrified

Excited

Did I say petrified????

 

The show appears in over 94% of all US households and airs on Public television, CREATE, online at makeitartsytv.com, and You Tube. You can also find them on social media including Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

 

I'm going to be on TV!  When I first read the email I thought they had the wrong period. LOL. Part of me wanted to say no but the other part wanted to say yes. My gut told me to say yes.

 

Now as I'm preparing for this new experience with a huge learning curve, I'm overwhelmed. I'm trying to get my design team work and other commitments finished so I can just work on show stuff.

 

So little time so much to do!

I'll keep you posted.

I'll be posting behind the scenes on Facebook and Instagram!!

 

Wish me luck.

 

 

 



HALLOWEEN WRAP UP!

Hi Everyone!

I didn't get a chance to post on Halloween.

I've been busy and behind posting.

 

It was my daughter's 30th birthday on Halloween.

She lives far away from me so it was hard celebrating through a phone call. When I'm out there for Thanksgiving we will celebrate her birthday and mine.

 

Here are my Halloween cards I created this year. I usually make tons of cards but I just didn't have the time this year.

 

This one was created on a piece of cardboard. I forgot how much I love working with it. I have tons of cardboard saved but haven't touched any of it in a long time. 

 

Here are a few close ups.

 

 

I hope everyone had a fantastic time on Halloween!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 

 



on my mind, out of my mind, oh no my mind

Welcome to another post when I'm feeling out of my mind. I have a hard time transitioning to fall. I love summer even the hot and humid days. The only thing I do like are the colorful leaves. They are just starting to show themselves.

I work for a tax accountant and I start prepping for that horrid tax season in November. I think that's why I have so much anxiety for fall. I'll be busy from November through to April 15th. Also, I hate the cold.

In the fall my art is sort of a mess. I look at it and wonder where my head is at. So out of my mind is correct. To keep my mind focused I work like to work in mixed media collage. It keeps my mind and hands busy with little pieces of paper trying to make it work. I don't know why it's calming for me but it works.

This piece is called Many Moons. Here is a picture of my auditioned papers. I spend quite a lot of time auditioning pieces and sometimes they just don't work and I'm diving into my box of scraps looking for something else.

The long strips are dried wet wipes. I keep them and use them in collage all the time. I have quite a stack.  Some are a form of polyester plastic so I figure with gel medium they will last quite while and not disintegrate.

Here is the finished piece. Its hard to photograph because of all the metallic on it. What you think is white is silver.  I also added Seth Apter's Cling Rubber Stamps by Impression Obsession called Border Lines.  I'm obsessed with this stamp!

Another thing I've been doing to keep my mind focus is color. Every time I use a stencil I spray it with water and put it down on paper. I keep going on one piece of paper until I like the way it looks. When it's all dry I put it away to use another day.  Fall is here so now I'm pulling them out and coloring them in with watercolors. I'm not a fan of watercolors so in an effort to change my mind about them I try to use them.

Fall makes me feel like I have to squirrel away all my nuts for the winter and get everything in order so working on collage and coloring in a page like a coloring book keeps my mind at peace. Well, maybe for a short time!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

A Bouquet for her Wedding

Hi Everyone! My sister got married a few weeks ago. For her shower I creating this 14 x 24 wood panel for her.

It took me one full weekend but a couple of hours each night after work to finish it. Although I used stencils for the flowers, I did not use the whole stencil design in one spot. I added flowers with paint and I also added flowers with TCW Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste. 

Each part of the design that I added with modeling paste, I had to wait for it to dry before adding more. That's why it took so long. TCW Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste dries fast if you put it in front of a fan. Don't use a heat gun unless you want the paste to look bubbled. 

TCW Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste is porous so when you add a little water and then add paint it's reactive. The paint will spread through the paste.  I think that's why it's my favorite. Its like magic!

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with stencils and mediums to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

Here is a close up of some of the flowers.

I'm currently working on two more right now. Very different from each other and this one. I'm creating paintings for a Breast Cancer Fundraiser called Scraptoberfest.  Everyone buys as many tickets as they want for all the raffle prizes to get a chance to win something. It's an all day event, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.  I don't scrap but I bring stuff to make cards or work in an art journal.   100% of the proceeds go towards those who need wigs, prosthetics, rent, electricity, etc.

If you want to see step out pictures of this wedding bouquet you can hop over to The Crafters Workshop Blog to see it.  I also listed all the stencils I used for this project.

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading this far!

I greatly appreciate it.

 



Where to Find Cheap Wood Substrates

Hi Everyone!

I love to paint on wood. It's my favorite substrate but expensive.

 

 

Where do I find my wood?

 

T.J. Max, Marshals, Target, and any other place that sells wooden signs. You know the ones that say Welcome, Be Happy, Family, or have little quotes on them. They go on sale. I've bought them for $1.99 (regular price $6.99) and sometimes less. They come in all shapes and sizes. I bought 25 sized between 10"x10" to 2"x2".  Guess the cost? ........... $12.00!!! YES!!!

 

Go to the stores after every holiday and you'll find some. Before you paint them make sure all the price tags are off and sand them. I don't try to take all the paint off just the surface layer. Use gesso or gel medium on them before you start.

 

Here is one I created using when of my finds. This is a Crafter's Workshop Design Team Project. I used TCW Big Wreath 6x6 on this project.

 

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with stencils and mediums to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

On top of this piece I added gel medium with a sponge and then added Seth Apter's Baked Texture Vintage Bees Wax. Because I didn't use embossing ink, the gel medium bubbles.

You can see how I created this on The Crafters Workshop Shop Blog.

 

 Head to your nearest shop to buy wood for your paintings!!!!

You won't regret it.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!



Words, words, words

I'm loving large font words on my art lately.

For this piece I used printed tissue paper I made with paint and stamps and attached it with gel medium. I used my alpha stamps to add the work Listen. I don't know why I used that work. It just came to me so I went with it.

 

I used a black Uni-Posca Paint pen to darken the word after I stamped it with Archival Ink. Then used Seth Apter's Borderlines stamps set by Impression Obsession on the word plus in a few places here and there on the canvas.  The blue stars were something I found in my stash drawer. I believe they are chipboard painted, wired and beads added.  Once I attached the stars I used some watered down blue paint to the canvas.

 

Finished.

 

 

I'm definitely going to create more with words. I think I love the idea of one word instead of a quote.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

 

You Have To Show Up!

Hi Everyone!

When your muse takes a vacation what do you do?

 

I find I just have to show up in my art room and keep working.

Even if I'm just scribbling in my art journal, playing with mediums I just show up.

Eventually the creativity keeps flowing. I may find some of the things I created are not my best but I feel good that I showed up.

 

I showed up with inspiration from the picture I took of a woman's shirt.

 

 

I love strips in art but I've never tried it before. To start I used a napkin with stripes and flowers. I used gel medium and add it to the canvas. I just continued to add more flowers. I used stencil by The Crafters Workshop.

 

TCW824s Growing Wild

TCW823s Rose Bouquet

 

I'm not fond of the color combination but I showed up and kept working on it. I did learn that I love the stripes in the background and will use stripes more often. I love pink but I'm more fond of brighter pinks. I'm no in search for my favorite shade. 

 

 

My muse is always with me even though it seems like its gone forever.

I'm proud of myself for showing up. Sometimes I walk away but I find that just doesn't help.

 

DID YOU SHOW UP TODAY?

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 



on my mind, out of my mind, oh no my mind

Welcome to another episode of My Mind!  I traveled a lot in August and I'm still trying to get my art mojo started.  Do you have that issue?  If I'm out of my art room for an extended period of time I just can't get going again. 

Everything I do I hate and just paint over. In fact, I ripped out an art journal page and threw it away. I started to get a little bit focused this weekend.  OR I tried. Sometimes I feel like I love creating to many projects in many different mediums that I can't decide what to do first.

This little 3x3 piece of wood had a great background.

 

 

Then I did this to it. What was I thinking!!!!!  Or maybe I was thinking to much.

 



I did create this on a piece of 11x14 mixed media paper but I didn't like it.

I did create this which turned out okay.

After a while I just get frustrated and have to walk away and regroup. So I love to play on SnapChat and a in photo app called PhotoLab.

  

 

The second mermaid is my daughter.

 

 

Lately, I feel like I'm out of my mind. My hands and brain won't work together. I think I'm heading into my art journals again. I think its time to play with Mermaid photos!  Don't you?

 

Thanks for stopping by!