Back to Painting...Back to my Roots

Back from CHA and had a WONDERFUL time!

There truly is NOTHING more fun than having friends that love ART! I am so blessed.

This is a piece I did a while back for a Breast Cancer Awareness benefit auction.

It's on a 5x5 stretched canvas with Golden Heavy Body and Fluid Acrylics.

The canvas is encased in the plain wooden frame I learned to make YEARS ago from Claudine Hellmuth in one of her books.

It works great for stretched canvases and is a rustic way to add something to your art.

The Butterflies are Graphic 45, of course, as is the gorgeous lady by Alphonse Mucha.

She's from the Monaco-Monte-Carlo print.

He is definitely my favorite Art Nouveau artist.

I added Glossy Accents to the butterflies for dimension.

The doily is underneath all the layers of paint and I love how it turned out!

The lovely lady is accented with pens and layered onto black chipboard. She's protected with a thin layer of Micro Glaze by Judi Kins.

That stuff is WONDERFUL.

I've had it for years and a small jar lasts forever.

That's it for today.

I've got another 8x8 piece I'll show you later.

Always movin'...never standing still...jumping from one medium to another.

What shall I play with next...perhaps a bit more sewing!!!

Linda

Configurations Playtime-Just a Couple of Ideas

I've had this laying on a tray with bits and pieces for MONTHS....yes, I started it before CHA. I was not happy with it, and had to get it off my desk, so I put it on a tray, hoping for a better day. The little mesh purse is another find from Phil. Bless his heart.

So today I decided, give it a try. I added Sandal Alcohol Ink to the little bulb and cut a round hole in the top of the Configuration box to push it into it. The little Game Piece bingo chip has black paint swiped across it.

I love this little guy. He's from Collections in Australia. He fit perfectly in this old piece I found in my "collections" drawer. It's full of things from the past that I've hoarded. Love Julie van Oosten.

The stars are wooden buttons from JoAnn's. I was going to add twine, but I liked the naked buttons better. But that's just me.

Speaking of naked...this is my actual vintage doll from Phil on the left, and Tim's Fractured Doll reproduction on the right with some Alcohol Inks giving her a bit of color. Tone it down with some Blending Solution.

Now this is so cool. The little bottle was one I added a couple of drops of Rust Alcohol Ink to, then swirled it around to add an aged look.

This bag of clear glass blobs came to me from my friend Susan Hanks. She gave them to me after a class in Bloomington. I put some in a little plastic bag, added a few drops of Cranberry Alcohol ink and shook it up.

Spread it out after a bit onto a piece of paper to dry. I added a bit too much, so you may not have to do this if you're smarter than me...

Then you put it in the cute little bottle that you had sitting there with the Rust AI ...now dried.

Add to your little box for the Configuration, or do whatever you like.

Create Something Today! And Have a Great Weekend!

Linda

Happy Easter

I seemed to have forgotten to show you Emma hunting her Easter eggs from a previous year in one of my Creative Imaginations DT projects.

This was using the Felicity line on a wooden frame. I added Distress Inks....can't be without them...and black Glaze pen marks and stamping to make the colors pop.

The stickers and chipboard pieces from CI match up beautifully. I love the big Color Me Crazy flower from Pelaloo behind the bird. It was inked, pen lined, and stamped. The opportunities are endless with these flowers. (If you want to see some incredable work with flowers, click here and look at the new DT works. They are a remarkably talented group of ladies!)

The white chipboard brings out wonderfully bright and clean Distress Inks for about any color you want. I used the new Chipped Sapphire and Wild Honey as well as the old standby Peeled Paint. Mixing colors also works great when you need that "exact" color to go with your project.

We went out last night to celebrate the end of "the move" for the kids. I'm too old for this!!!! Ribs and Tiramasu....with a Wine and Advil chaser.

Works for me!

Happy Easter...............Hope Jerry the Easter Bunny has a good day, too.

BEAUTIFUL Peacock Metal-UPDATE

***UPDATE-One of the comments said this color looked more green than blue. That is a result of the Luminarte misting and the angle of the shot. This shows the finished project on the left and the original metal on the right. The picture of the finished project is taken under an Ott light...not always good....but it's the only way I've found you can show a "metallic" affect that is very hard to photograph. If you look at the metal straight-on...it's more blue, at an angle...it's more green. See the color to the far left turning more green?

But, that having been said....I think the photo of original metal is too blue...it's really more turquoise. *****

This blue is truly GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have got to tell you. It's the Peacock color that Ten Seconds Studio just released.

I used a couple of new molds and the older diamond one here. Also used Lin Brown's fabulous "controlled squish" method to get out of spackling the back.

She is BRILLIANT!

Then I sprayed with some of the new Luminarte sprays(recently bought by Creative Imaginations) and added a bit of Alcohol Inks to the raised areas. Some black acrylic paint was used in some of the recessed areas as well.

TOO MUCH FUN!!!! I put it on a square canvas and will use it for something. But I had to show you how beautiful this new color is with the gold accents.

Go Play and CREATE ART!

Ten Seconds Studio's New Stuff!!!!

You all know how I LOVE TSS metals and molds. Well, Cheryl sent me the new colors and all the new molds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE them all!!!!! And I'll bring them to class on the 13th!!!

Here is a 3 drawer box that I covered with the new Bronze Gold and some Barn Red thrown in for color. I also used a technique from the Great and Wonderfully talented Lin Brown of LB Crafts in the UK to add texture paste over the edges of the metal. Then stamp into the texture paste.

You must visit her blog. And if you're lucky enough to be in the UK, her classes are to die for......go look.

Anyway. I used the new Big Daddy molds 07 and 08. Don't you just love the words? And the Kabukas 07 and 10 for the wonderful Timepieces and backgrounds.

I added black acrylic paint and Glimmer Mist to the top for a more aged look.

White Acrylic paint was dabbed onto the texture paste just a bit.

It was fun, had a great time using the new stuff, and hope you get some inspiration from the pictures.

Go Create ART!

Tim Holtz Altered Bird

I guess this is as good as my Tim bird is gonna get. So here he is. You can get these birds at Paper Imagery Designs...very reasonably priced, too! FUN!

The house is using acrylic paint and Ten Seconds Studio metal on the roof and sides. A few white Sharpie dots add a bit of interest.

The bird has wings and head gear from Vintaj. He looks a bit evil in his coloring, but I kind of like him. The TSS metal in bard red and rock star black has a bit of stability added with......you guessed it....GrungePaper!

The hardest thing to come up with was his feathery topknot. Very thin red wire. Wrapped and cut for the added height he needed.

Get one and make it your own!

UPDATE: A couple of you asked how I did the roof. It is the same Barn Red metal as on the tail feathers. It has been run through the Cuttlebug with a TSS mold. The differentiation in color is because of the sunlight angle. Hard to take good pictures of the metal for this reason....at least for me!

L

Coffee Break Shrine

I got my new stash of Graphic 45 papers out and applied glue, chipboard, and just a dash of Distress Ink....oh, can't forget Tim's Hitches for the drawer pulls.

The bottom has 2 cute little drawers and a shelf for treasures.

The Coffee Break shrine is from Ginny's Small Studio Productions. WHAT A BLAST!!! These little gems are so darn cute. I added some height with a couple of wooden blocks.

After giving 30 years to the "Phone Company", I wanted to make something to put a few charms and tiny phone in.

I LOVE the roof with the eyes...the entire word is Communique, but the eyes HAD do go on the top...regardless if the whole word fit.
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Create ART!

Alcohol Inks and Acrylics

Margaret at Scrapbook Friend'z has asked me to come back and teach a class using the Alcohol Inks on Acrylics on Mar. 28th. The flower is a cool technique on a great shape!

We'll use Grungeboard and ribbons and dew drops....you can change the whole look of your piece with Distress Inks and the colors of you Alcohol Inks. You can stamp Grad, Baby, Kids, etc. on your frame to remember a special event. MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

Pick up your frame and paint before class so we have plenty of time to play!

Dress Form Collage

Remember the necklace from the last post? Well, I thought I needed a place to showcase the piece.

I've had this dress form since our trip to Carolina Moon during CHA-S 2007. (Bless Cecile's little heart for taking us there. Boy, can that girl drive!! )Sometimes I need time to think about how to use something...no kidding.

And yes, the butterflies are really that vibrant. They were from a piece of Collage papers in Somerset magazine. I don't know why you can't click on to enlarge the back...over my head.

Keys are t!m's, Idea-ology, there are pieces from Vintaj, Maya Road, Grungeboard, Grungepaper, Distress Stickles, and various vintage pieces I've collected. The white knob on top was aged by using alcohol inks. It was too bright for me....so....ink it!

And the papers are 7Gypsies tissue paper I've hoarded for years over several layers of paints that were wiped off and added again until I got a really old look.
I know that look when I see it....I see it every day in the mirror!!!!!

Have a great day!
L

The Shrine from Small Studio Productions

I tried to get some pictures of the Shrine from Small Studio Productions today. Mother Nature is not cooperating much....no sun...but the snow on the ground seemed to help reflect some light! The clock, Tim's Game Spinners and Brads are from SSP, too. The butterfly is a piece of Tim's Grungeboard...of course.

This is the front. The shrine is painted black with acrylic paint and the papers from Graphic 45 are added before it's glued together. Every piece is inked with Distress Inks to add the depth and warmth. That's just my opinion.

This is the inside of the shrine....just papers, inks, and glue. I LOVE these papers!!!!!!!!!!

And the back. More papers, ink and glue. These papers stand alone in beauty and need nothing more to create something memorable.

Let me know what you think!!!!

Small Studio Productions Collage

Here is the 1st collage from Small Studio Productions!!!! Can you spot her wonderful things????

It started with the black 3 hole cubbie...sooooooo easy to put together, and you get 2 in a pack! Then the bird is too cute! Cover him with paper, stamp, add a picture and ta-da! LOVE IT!

The numbers, black leaf ribbon and the large chipboard house are from SSP. The house is one of 7 in the 7Gypsies Home Sweet Home pack.

THEN....we had to have some vintage pictures!!! So the Paper Imagery Designs little ones are here, too!!! Delightful!!! Three are behind Fragments and the little guy in the bird is not.

AND PID is taking Pre-Orders for Tim Holtz's NEW STUFF on the blog!!!! Yes.....go take a look, and a discount, too! MY ORDER IS IN!

There are many more things too numerous to name, but you know you can ask if you're curious!

UPDATE: The metal behind the children is tape run through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder and several colors of alcohol inks are added...and sanded...and added...and sanded...till you get what you like! Simple as that! (It's a sickness...)

Decorated Box with Vintaj

This little box has been painted black. The paper is the same kind that Tim's tags are made from....a manila paper. I used the Perfect Pearls in mini-misters with reinkers I made up from an earlier post with the star.....very cool.

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Then I used some distress inks on the edges and added Vintaj pieces to the top and sides. I added a cool closure using Tim's trailer hitch in the holes with a beaded latch. The hitch fit perfectly. If you're at CHA, just take a look!!!
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My daughter and I are going to Chicago to see Wicked on Saturday! Can't wait. A bit of shopping, lunch and a Broadway Musical. Sound like fun? We're pretty excited. And NO kids.....hers....are going. Just us. Should be a good time.

Another Vintaj Project

We've decided that if you have the opportunity to see the whole project, maybe you will want to go see the whole booth for Vintaj at CHA....enticing you to look them up. Sounds right to me. This has Cloud9 rub ons, Cuttlebug embossing, chipboard and the Vintaj pieces.

They are a New Exhibitor in booth #2713....make sure you go take a look at the wonderful products they carry. They are too cool and sooooo fun to work with in Altered Art and jewelry. And if you love vintage, which I do.....you will love these pieces.

So here is the Baby Transparency complete. I personally hate sneak peeks and surprises and teases.............but that's just me. It's a childhood experience thing.

On another note....is anybody thinking about going to to Scrap St. Louis and haven't signed up yet????? Just talked to Aleta today from For Keeps Sake and she's really excited about the 2nd year for this great event. There's going to be TONS of things to do, classes, make and takes, dinners, shopping, and a crop night with Stephenie Hamen from Fiskars. She is terrific!!!

Jump over to the site and take a look....and sign up!!!

That's it for today....tomorrow I'll put up another project...and it's a bit different. Not a tease...........just a promise!

Avery - the entire piece

Getting ready to pack these things for shipping. Here's Avery in complete glory. This child is the cutest redhead. Can you imagine the personality? These old pictures are wonderful to try to think of how these little people lived long ago.

Thanks to Paper Imagery for the vintage photo and Vintaj for the brass. Don't forget to visit their booth at CHA. Collections chipboard and the Cuttlebug were used for the house elements. But the Graphic 45 papers are what really make this piece stand out. And not ONE stamp!!! Amazing!!!

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It's time to CREATE something!

Linda

Two Days of Work

This is the piece I worked on for the last 2 days. Thanks to DH who feeds me! How many Vintaj pieces can you spot? And this is just a sneak peek of one corner!!!! FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!

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And of course that is Avery in the picture from Paper Imagery. And here she has wings!! Fit right in with the Graphic 45 papers don't you think? And lots of chipboard from Collections.

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Just took a break from sitting on my %@#&* reading a book to post (I am from Illinois, you know.)

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Good Night!

Fun Day!

Erin wanted to create an art project. And here it is!!!! Erin's House! All designed by her!
She had a blast painting, gluing, and especially adding the rhinestones...a girl does need a little glitz.

My son and his wife are in the Bahamas for their 10th anniversary. The 4 grandparents are trying to keep the 2 girls busy enough to not miss mom and dad....it's a combined effort of their Aunt and Uncle, too!!!

After the trip was booked, Erin's recital for baton and pom poms got scheduled...she was a bit sad.
BUT, the 2 grandmas tried to rise to the occasion and attend. And here she is! One grandpa took her to rehearsal to see her show, and the other one stayed with the "Emster." Boy would I like to have all the $$ spent on all the costumes for studio supplies!!!!

MORE METAL

Played with more metal last night. Late into the night. Had to watch the weather as I AM the storm watcher for the family!!! They know they can go to bed and sleep without worry because I WILL be up making sure no one gets caught unaware!!! Yep, that's my job. Night Protector of the Storms....

Anyway, I painted 3 wooded letters with metallic acrylic paints by Plaid. Then I traced the letters onto 36g aluminum metal from Ten Seconds Studio. Emboss and deboss with tools. Attach the heavy duty adhesive to the back, and THEN cut out the letter. Very important tip there, it works best that way. Peel off the backing and lay the letter on top, carefully placing evenly around the edges. Burnish the edges with a wooden skewer or bone folder.

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You can buy Ten Seconds Studio metal and tools online here.

http://tensecondsstudio.com/onlineretailers.html

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And it's done!!! Place in a prominent place in your home or studio, or give it to a budding artist as a gift!

Check out Wendy's blog for exciting information on HER OWN STAMP LINE FROM STAMPER"S ANONYMOUS!!!! YEA, WENDY!

My Interview with The Dabbling Mum

I just received an email that Alyice Edrich of the Dabbling Mum has published her interview that she took with me earlier on her site. If you have time, check it out. She has some wonderful interviews with people in all kinds of mediums and will have several more to come.

My interview is at: http://thedabblingmum.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-05-26T10%3A37%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=3. And her personal blog made my day with her comment.... Create Art for the Right Reasons!
http://www.alyiceedrich.com/2008/05/25/creativereasons . Thanks, Alyice!


Here is the Garden Angel that Erin and Poppie made with Grungeboard on it. The angel has a golden Grungeboard butterfly and beaded body. Don't you love the sweet face Erin made for the lovely lady...and her white scalloped collar? The wire hair was a collaboration! And the butterfly is holding up great in the outdoors!

And I finally got the battery charged enough to get the birdhouse picture taken. I used really great foamies by Making Memories ! Really crisp for a foam stamp...and the wrens are enjoying the unit!

Be well.....keep Wendy's Rick in your thoughts and prayers as he is still recovering from his eye surgery...hang in there Rick!!!!!!

Published in Altered Arts!

Boy this has been a long time in happening, but what can you say. This is a collage box that I did with Collections vintage photos, a metal canvas corner and lots of beads and wire. I really love doing this type of project. The wooden trim is from the dollhouse section in the hobby store and painted with various acrylic paints. The eyelets have wires joining the pictures together and mounted on wooden blocks to bring the images forward.

I can post it now that the May/June issue of Altered Arts has arrived at my doorstep. Thanks to everyone there for using my little work of Altered Art!

And if you have time, I'm on the Vintaj blog page featuring my journals. They did a nice job there....appreciate that, girls! http://www.vintaj.com/wpblog/

House of Grunge

You know how I can get the phone to ring? Start gluing or painting something....it's a given! I had just started spreading the glue to add the tissue paper (7Gyypsies) and our good friend calls! Well, then I give the phone to DH to talk, and the DIL rings the doorbell....I am amazed the paper went on straight. Thankfully, we have a portable speakerphone...boy does that thing come in handy when you're covered in glue or paint!!!!!

This is the results of my fun day, playing with a cute house and Grungeboard. I call it my House of Grunge. No stamps..hard to believe.... just acrylic paint, grungeboard, pigment inks, Distress Embossing powder, and some Antiquities. The roof comes off of this paper mache' house...so you can store your "door prizes" inside. You see where I'm going with this St. Louis people?!?!

Fun way to spend a cold and rainy day....and dinner out...works for me!!!