Tuesday, October 18, 2011

OFF TO COLORADO!

Tomorrow I will be flying to Colorado to visit my son and his family in Parker CO.  My return date is December 31st!  Needless to say, I am looking forward to being there and enjoying the beautiful Colorado scenery, along with three of my grands. 

I may be able to work in my Sketchbook 2012 while there and, if so, I will post as I can.  I definitely will be able to visit some of your blogs and make comments here and there. 

Until then, take good care!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

LAST TWO GLUEBOOK PAGES

Here are the last two pages sent to Mary for her vintage gluebook page swap


This page has more of a nature theme.  An old book page, music, map, postage stamps, torn papers and a butterfly are added around the bird images.  I like the overall look of this page.

Here is the next one:


The girl's image is a copy of an old postcard I purchased in a shop on Gaylord Street in Denver, CO.  (lots of little shops to poke around in there.)  Background is a combination of paper provided by Mary in one of her online classes, an endpaper from an old Readers Digest condensed book and some snips of music.  Added the frame and butterfly to focus in on the main image. 

When Mary has received and sorted all pages, we will receive six pages from six different people.  These will be bound into the covers of a vintage book with binder rings.  Mary will also include some other vintage ephemera for our personal use.  I am excited to see the pages I will get from others!

Enjoy your day!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

This vintage gluebook page features a couple on their wedding day.


I used some more wallpaper sample pieces for the background. Bits of music and old text.  In one of Mary's classes she taught us how to make our own paper by combining two or more - the butterflies and music along the right side are the result of this. 

Have a great day!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

SISTERS

Here is one more of my vintage gluebook pages for Mary's swap.


The image of the cute little girls was given to me by a friend to copy.  The sisters grew up to be two of his aunts on his mother's side.  The printed paper was provided by Mary in one of her classes.  I tore the alphabet from an old dictionary and the butterflies are from the same plate I used from an old encyclopedia.

Have a great day!

Monday, September 26, 2011

two more pages

Here are two more pages that were sent off to Mary at Green Paper for her swap:




And:


For the first one, I used an image and some background papers that Mary had provided in one of her online classes.  The map of Paris and the Grand Opera House ticket were in my stash.  A bit of wallpaper again.  On most of my pages I made use of  butterflies cut from a papillon page gleaned from an old encyclopedia.  The colors are soft and I could match them to the colors I was using on my pages. 

The background for the second page uses wallpaper samples, an old book page and some old music. Don't remember where the image of the pretty lady is from.  I fussy cut some wallpaper flowers to "sit" her in and to embellish the page.  Word phrase was cut from an old children's book.  The postage stamps pick up some of the colors from the rest of the page.

I really enjoyed the process of making these pages!  I had forgotten just how relaxing it is just using scissors, glue and odd bits of papers to create an interesting scene. 

Thanks for visiting.  Will be back with the other pages later in the week. 

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Green Paper Glue Book Page Swap

Mary Green is currently hostessing a swap of vintage glue book pages.  I decided at the last minute to join in with the fun.  Here is one of my pages:


The pages are required to be 5 x 7 inches.  I was given two old wallpaper sample books awhile back and decided to use some of the papers on my pages.  For this particular background I used a portion of an endpaper from a discarded library book that looks like spider webs. Then I added some strips of a light blue wallpaper.  The image is one I have had for a long time.  She looks like a "housewife" to me.  I also used an old handwritten recipe and some milk coupons.  So, she likes to cook, save money on milk and dust away the cobwebs in her house!  LOL 

We had to make six pages for the swap; I made seven so that Mary could have one too.  I will be posting the others every other day or so.

Thanks for visiting.  Have a great weekend.

Friday, September 16, 2011

ELIZABETH

Another spread finished for the Sketchbook Project 2012


I am showing my age here - I grew up with Elizabeth and she was so very beautiful as a young girl and woman.  Glamour, fame, happiness, sadness, marriages, divorces, good health, bad health - she experienced so much in her life!

First I adhered old book pages down and added some gesso over the text to tone it down a bit.  A small picture of Liz clipped from a newspaper was added.  Then I used several rubber stamps to create a background, using violet ink to reference her eye color. 

Thanks for visiting.  Have a wonderful weekend. 

Saturday, September 10, 2011

BIRD COLLAGE

Another spread for the SKETCHBOOK PROJECT 2012.  A mix of collage images, patterned paper, rubber stamps, watercolor crayons.



This is something I need to do on a weekly basis now.  Don't want to be rushed at the end!  I really like how colorful this turned out. 

Thanks for the sweet comments - they make my day! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

LENNA'S GIVEAWAY!


Lenna Young Andrews has been hosting various swaps on her blog for so long that she is celebrating her 1000th (WOW!) post with a fabulous giveaway.  Hop on over and join in the fun - remember to leave your e-mail in order for her to contact you if you win. 

And, if you have never participated in one of her swaps, I can say that I have never been disappointed in any of them.  So many fabulous artists to swap with and a lot of different venues, too.  Check it out!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT 2012

Hello, blogland!  Yes, it's me.  Actually posting on my long-neglected blog.  Hope I can be more productive and get back into some collage work!

I signed up for the Sketchbook Project 2012 a few weeks ago.  My choice for theme was:  Untitled!  This gives me lots of leeway as to what I actually put in the book.  Here is one of the spreads that I have finished:


For the background, I laid a paper doily on each side and sponged color through it.  Then I added some rubber stamps and used tea dye distress ink to "age" the pages a bit.  For the focal images, I used the front of an old dress pattern envelope.  I love finding these patterns at garage sales/thrift stores.  The description of the pattern was cut from the pattern envelope and used as the title of this spread.  (thus the color scheme, too.)  Some other words cut from magazines were placed here and there.   

This little sketchbook may just be the trick to getting me back into paper and glue!!

Anyone else out there doing the Sketchbook Project this year??

Friday, May 6, 2011

VINTAGE CANVAS

Here is a 10 x 10 canvas I just finished to give to a friend for her 40th birthday, which we will be celebrating this evening:
 


Sorry for the poor quality of this photo! 


There are lots of layers on this piece, including a base of used tea bags that were dried, taken apart and then the tea was discarded. Matte gel medium to layer them onto the canvas. This created a wrinkled texture that I love.  

Over that layer I sponged through some stencils, then added rubber stamped images that were stamped on tissue paper and then adhered with the same gel medium.  I colored in some of the flowers, rubbed the whole canvas with ink pads, added some more stenciling, etc., etc. 


The collage image with a transparency overlay and some butterflies were added next.  Then I applied the lace at the top, added a shell button and some pink bling here and there.  Grosgrain ribbon was attached to the edges all around to cover up the stapled canvas.


This whole process took me two days to complete.  Hope she is happy with it!


Thanks for visiting.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

ALTERED BOOK ROUND ROBIN

It's been a LONG time since I posted on this blog!  Lately, I have been into card-making much more than collage, mixed media stuff.

However, I am still involved in an altered book round robin and here are the pages I did this month.



These two pages face each other for a double page spread.  The owner of this book had marked her pages for a rainbow of colors and we could choose which color to feature.  Obviously I chose red.  Most of my images have been in my stash for ages and I just added anything else red that I felt could be incorporated on the pages.  Some bling, a faux flower and German scrap flowers and borders for embellishments. 

This was loads of fun to do - hope Marnie will like it!

For anyone the least bit interested in visiting, thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 11, 2011

ANOTHER COLLAGED POSTCARD

Cindy McMath of Pink Bird Studio recently posted a background she had made after visiting Terri Kahrs blog.  Terri and a friend, Roc, had made a video of some backgrounds they had made using ordinary stuff around the house.

To make a long story short, I visited Terri's blog too.  After watching a couple of her videos, I made this postcard:


Sorry, this scan is so dark :(    I had a large crumpled sheet of newsprint that was in a package I received.  I cut it into approx. 8 x 10 sheets and used color washes to spray each one.  Then I cut a 6 x 4 piece from one of these prepared backgrounds.  Sponged around a Tim Holtz mask with pine needles distress ink.  Stamped the words (stampers anonymous) with archival black ink.

Then, as Terri and Roc had done in one video, I used an old credit card dipped in white ink to make marks across the bottom of the card.  The lid from one of the color wash sprays provided the circles, and a section of rubber shelf liner added some other areas of texture.  The little girl and bird images are from ARTchix Studio and the cute little hat is from Lisa's altered art.  So much fun to do this!

Now I have several other sprayed pieces to use to make more collages.  

TFL.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

COLLAGED POSTCARD

This is a postcard that I have made to send to a friend in England. 


Used torn papers and a vintage photo.  Stamped the butterfly on an old book end paper and cut out.  Added some distress inks, rubber stamps and a sentiment.  The size is standard postcard size - 6 x 4 inches. 

TFL.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART

Can't believe it's Sunday again - the weeks go by so quickly.  The theme for Sunday Postcard Art is double take.  We are to use one image twice.  Here is my postcard:



I have used nothing but rubber stamps and ink for my postcard.  The large flower and the small crown were both used twice; the polka dots and the accent stamp were used more than twice obviously.  I stamped the flowers with lightning black Brilliance ink and the rest of the images were stamped with black.  Distress inks in mustard seed and pine needles were applied over the whole piece.  A black marker was used to edge the whole postcard.

Thanks for looking!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

ALTERED BOOK SPREAD

I have been sorting out some of my stuff with the hopes of organizing a bit.  (Daunting job!)  Thought I would share a double page spread in an altered book I did about five or six years ago when I was teaching an altered book class:


The background consists of many torn papers- old sheet music, gift wrap, patterned tissue paper.  Vintage images cut into tags on the right page, with a twine bow, the letter M sticker and some buttons for embellishments.  A piece of mica attached with tiny brads covers the image on the left page.  Also added a small cameo.  Rubber stamping here and there on both pages.  It looks very vintage-y to me.

TFL.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART - FACES

Here is my postcard for this week's SUNDAY POSTCARD ARTchallenge:



First, I created the background on white cardstock using Ranger distress inks in a variety of greens. The sketched faces are from my daughter's high school art class days and I used a circle nestie to cut them out.  Added some Hero Arts circle stamps and a pretty flourish randomly all over.  The edges are distressed with a red inkpad.

Fun to use some original, if not professional, artwork for this postcard!

TFL.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART - HEARTS

It has been a long time since I played here at Sunday Postcard Art!  But, hearts are one of my favorite icons, so decided I had to get in on the action.


The heat embossed sentiment and edges are not as sparkly in this scan as they are IRL. 

Head on over to SPA to see this week's fabulous entries!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

altered book round robin

Time to mail out another book to the next gal on the chain.  This month I had Renee's book and her theme is Numbers.  Her book is an old ledger book with pages 3.5 x 8.5 inches.  I love this size!  Here is the double page spread I created:


I used paper from Tim Holtz' vintage shabby pad, on which I stamped several number stamps (there are quite a few in my stamp collection).  Also a "paid" stamp with the no. 7 on it.  Added a rusty metal 3 to the right page and some computer generated phrases to the left page.  Darkened all the edges with a black ink pad.

Usually I quit at a DPS; but this time I decided to add something to the backs of both pages.  Here is the back of the left page:



Just collaged several bits and pieces of ephemera that have numbers on them - a boarding ticket, a library date due slip,  playing card number stickers and a couple of collage images from ARTchix Studio.

Here is the back of the right side:



A times table that is from an old flash card set, a bingo sticker, the number 5 stenciled over the card, a watch stick pin, and another set of numbers I found on a collage sheet.  Some rusty hinge distress ink around the edge.  I fastened the times table to the page with a round paper clip without glueing it down.

Sure hope Renee will enjoy these pages as much as I enjoyed creating them. 

TFL!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

another vintage collage

Here is another little collage I finished this week:



First I made the background (forgot to scan it before I added my collage elements).  I love using the Tim Holtz inking tool for adding colors to white/cream cardstock.  THis time I used most of the blue distress inks including broken china and then used pine needles to darken along the edges.  Overstamped with a Magenta small floral vine and some tiny dots around the edges.

The image is from Paper Whimsy (love their images).  Butterfly is from K & Co.  Sentiment from an old hymnal. Added a pearl to her neckline, some tiny black gems to the butterfly and sentiment, Stickles turquoise glitter and some soft white ribbon.  Mounted to a piece of black cardstock.

A few more collages are in the making; just a few finishing touches to add. 

Have a good Sunday!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

vintage valentine collage

This week I have been playing with some backgrounds and some collages for a few gals.  Here is one of the backgrounds:


I started with a pale cream cardstock and added barn door distress ink around the perimeter followed by walnut stain.  Overstamped with a pretty stamp from Hampton Art Stamps using the walnut stain inkpad again. 

Here is the valentine collage I made using the background:



I cut the music heart freehand from an old music book, distressed the edges with walnut stain again.  Cut the pretty image into another heart shape.  Added lace and ribbon, brads and a heart button.  Top corners were punched with one of my favorite punches.  Couldn't stop without adding a bit of  Stickles platinum glitter around the heart shapes!!Attached the entire collage to a 5.5 x 5.5 inch piece of dark brown cardstock.

Still working on a few other collages.

TFL!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A VALENTINE

Here is a valentine card I made for a friend this morning:


I am certainly getting a lot of mileage from my new classic fabric background stamp from Hero Arts.  I white embossed it on red cardstock.  Added some XO ribbon to a Martha Stewart heart punched border strip of cardstock.  Stamped and clear embossed  the sentiment (Hero Arts) on white cardstock and 
punched the heart shape around it.  Added it to the center of a white heart doily and layered it all to a folded white card.  Hope she likes it!

Have a great day!

Friday, January 21, 2011

PAY IT FORWARD

Here is a great idea that I discovered on Sarah's blog.  Sounds like a lot of fun - are you up for it??




Here are the rules:  I promise something handmade to the FIRST five people who leave a comment on this post.  To be eligible, you must repost this, offering something handmade to five other people.  The rules are that it be handmade by you and it must be sent to your five people sometime in 2011.

One, two, three - GO!!!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

THANK YOU CARD

Since I still had this Paper Whimsy collage sheet out; I decided to use another image to make a long overdue thank you card for a friend. 


I started with one of my new Hero Arts background stamps, Classic Fabric Design.  Inked it up with two Ranger distress inkpads - broken china and peeled paint.  Spritzed it with a water mister and stamped on white cardstock.  Added a portion of a paper doily and ribbon, then the beautiful Paper Whimsy image.  The sentiment is from another new Hero Arts clear set, Find Joy, and was stamped with broken china and the edges were distressed with the same inks.  Added a cute little dragonfly from K & Co. and some turquoise gems.  Inked the edges of the background and then layered to a light green card. 

TFL!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

SMITTEN

Nancy Maxwell James offered an online class starting January 14th called "Smitten".  The class will be one month long and has several projects suitable for romance, love or valentines.  I have always adored Nancy's artwork - check out her blog for more info and to see her amazing pieces!

Here is my first completed project:


Nancy used a chipboard luggage tag for her sample.  I opted to use a Nestabilities label die cut.  I covered it with some patterned paper which I then distressed with Ranger distress inks in stormy sky and tea dye.  Added some old music and a strip of old ledger paper.  The beautiful image is from Paper Whimsy.  I computer generated the words down the left side and added some pearls and a butterfly.  I colored some white ribbon with the stomy sky ink and tied on with the key.  Some platinum glitter around the edges to finish it off. 

Definitely not up to Nancy's stellar work; but I am happy with it and had so much fun doing this little tag.

Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

INK STAINS CALENDAR PAGES

Roni has been sharing lots of great techniques for calendar pages on her blog.  So far, I have managed to get the first three months done.  Here is my January page:


Using alcohol inks and hair spray to create the background was so much fun.  And, I used a berry sprig stamp from Stampington and Co. Then, I used a tiny hole punch to add extra interest - since I decided to layer my pages to a black base, the black shows through the punched holes and makes it look like there are more berries.  The alphabet stamps are from European Papers. 

Here is my page for February:



Roni calls this technique "gradient embossing".  I used one pink and two purple inks for my background.  This one took a lot more time; but it was well worth it.  The heart stamp is from Penny Black.  Mounted on a black base again.

For March:


For this page, I could only find one shadow stamp which is from Magenta. (there are more in my stash somewhere!) I used three colors of ink on the stamp initially and stamped on white cardstock.  Once they were stamped and dry; I added another color for the edges.  There was too much contrast between the greens and white for my taste, so I then stamped the shadow stamp at an angle randomly on the piece using yet another green ink.  Accent stamp used is from Judikins.

Hop on over to Roni's blog to join in the fun.  I will probably just do three at a time and then post. 

TFL!

Friday, January 7, 2011

GREEN PAPER CHALLENGE FOR JANUARY

I wanted to try to get something done for Mary's monthly challenge before the deadline.  Here is a Valentine card I created using the three images provided by Mary:


I sponged the perimeter of the ledger paper with Brilliance inks (coral and orange) using the Tim Holtz blending tool.  I used a Spellbinders heart die to cut out the couple.  Added some tiny dots around the heart and the corners with a pen; the stamp is from Magenta.  I am going to give this card to my daughter to give to her husband for Valentine's Day.

TFL!!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

ALTERED BOOK ROUND ROBIN

I have been involved in an altered book round robin since September.  We are to do a double page spread in each book as it comes to us; we have one month for each book.  Sue asked for "anything that flies" for her theme.  Here is my creation:


Sorry for such a poor scan; the book is a thick child's board book and we were to keep everything as flat as possible.  However, I did pop up the little girl and the kite for some dimension.  The sky was sponged; the hills and sun were created with patterned paper, the flowers punched from origami paper.  I wrote the haiku myself; something I enjoy doing.  The Asian doll is a rubber stamp from Hero Arts, the trees from Rosebud Rubber Stamps, the kite from Penny Black, the Asian calligraphy (faintly stamped throughout the sky) from Inkadinkadoo, and the birds from Portfolio. 

Here is how the haiku reads:


This was a fun spread to do - I hope Sue enjoys it when it finally reaches home. 

Am glad to be back from my trip to Parker CO; have a long list of projects to work on!!  Thanks for visiting my blog!