Thursday, June 30, 2011

Passion :) :) :)

First of all,
Happy Holiday
Weekend
Everyone!

So for all of my American Friends
Happy 4th of July Holidays this week
and to all of us here in Canada
Happy Canada Day!!
And to everyone else
Happy Weekend!
(grin).

Now, the dictionary states
'Passion'
'A powerful emotion or appetite'
So today's Blog Post is about my 
latest Passion, as I figure what
I lack in talent, I surely make up 
for with Passion for any new art form
that grabs my attention, or interests me
whether it's 'flash in the pan' for a moment,
or becomes a life-long interest.

This new Passion, started up with my 
Art-Pal Leslie giving me a big handful
of this wonderful thick, watercolour paper.
It's 11 x 15 inch has had me intimidated
for months looking at it. 
I kept picking it up when I would come across it in my art cupboard and the feel of it, the texture and thickness, would always make me feel like 'this could really be interesting to do something with', but  I lacked the self-confidence to think of a project to use it for.


Until now....or should I say, over the past week,
as I have been up for days and nights playing
with this, (grin).
First up, supplies:)
I decided to pull out all the stops, and
get into my art drawers and cupboards to
see what would motivate me with this
lovely blank paper.
So I pulled out my collection of 
Claudine Hellmuth Acrylic Paints,
My Tattered Angels Stencils and Stamps....
Tattered Angels Chalkboard and Glimmer Mists...
Tim Holtz 'Distress Stains'....
My wonderful assortment of ....
Watercolour Crayons...
And other assorted Stamps, pens and such
to start 'something'!
I decided to try my hand at making a 
Journal from scratch.
Not using graphics, or collage, or commercial
products, but using my own imagination.
I painted, sprayed, stamped, and started with one big sheet.
Then after doing this to both sides of each sheet, while
still slightly damp, I took a ruler, and tore the sheets
against the ruler, into quarters, to create pages.
Once they were torn into quarters, I inked the edges,
punched each page for putting into a book form later.
Then the real fun began....
Layering acrylic painted images, stamping, inking,
playing!

Layer after layer of whatever grabbed my attention
to use, I did!
Now, I must confess.
I have no ability with calligraphy.
So using a set of stencils, I made up for my inability
to create lovely lettering with tons of pen and ink work!
So I just kept playing....
Until I came up with this:)

Now, that I've decided that it is to be a journal,
I made the covers, ( to be finished at a later date).
I cut chipboard and glued with gel-medium,
front and back to the chipboard and pre-punched
the ring holes.

So now that I have found this new passion,
I think this project will be keeping me busy
for quite some time, as each page is turning
into a 'discovery' and 'journey' 
in itself.
Here's some more examples of pages
to be 'worked on' and some 'sort of finished'
A beginning...
Looking forward to playing with this one:)
Wouldn't this image make a great background
for an ATC!
(I'm finding this new passion leads me into all 
sorts of ideas as I'm playing:)
I have a feeling this will take months!!!! 
(grin)
And I'm just getting started!!!!




So I have a beautiful old gold box from last years
Christmas cards, that I'm going to keep all these
pages in, so at a moments notice, I can grab a
page and work on or complete as I feel the 
'Passion'
So over time, I'll be sharing more pictures of this
As I always can jump from one medium
to another, to incorporate in the finished
journal:)

So that's what I'm up to this week!
Hope your Holiday Weekend and coming
Holiday Week is full of fun times, great 
Family get togethers, and maybe even
some lovely Art Time!!!
Cheers to you all!

Enjoy!
project in between other shorter posts:)






















Monday, June 27, 2011

7Gypsies Photo Tray Project Finished!!! (Finally!)


Well as I said in my last post, now that I'm
somewhat back in the Land of the Living
and getting over my bout of pneumonia,
( at least I'm out of p.j.'s!).
I'm frenzied in my finishing projects
that have been waiting for me in 
my Art Room for the past 
4 weeks!  
This project, my 7Gypsies Photo Tray
has been too long and I apologize 
for dragging it on.
In it's previous posts, there were
two more slots left, so I'm pleased
to say that they're finally finished:)


Slot #5 of the series 
is
'Being an Original'
This picture is of my dearest wild friend
who you've heard me refer to on occasion,
who we call Bubbie.
He was a true Original, even though
he was a 'twin' to his sister 'Sissy'.
We had a nearly 4 year relationship
with Bubbie, from his birth to the time
he went into rut and disappeared last
year. His sister 'Sissy' I'm pleased to 
report, has just given birth for the
first time, a few weeks ago, to a 
pair of twin babies, ( I think boy and girl).
She comes every night for her carrots and
apples, and has now brought the babies
with her:) I have known this little 'family' for
nearly 6 generations, and have kept track of
their lineage, and of their 'personalities'.
But I digress....:)
Last but not least in the 7Gypsies Photo Tray Project
Baby Woodpecker:)
Our little 'visitor' spent a few days with us
last Spring having a little 'rest' then was
set free again in our area, where we 
were so pleased to actually be able to keep
track of the little guy all that Summer.

I hope you've enjoyed the series, and again
with apologies, for it being so long and
drawn out, but do check past individual posts
of this project to see how it all came together.
I wanted it to be a little different from
using the Photo Tray for 'family photos' as
most are using it for.
But then, in Nature, they are all our 'family'

Enjoy!


Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sunday Night Muse:)


Greetings All
How's your weekend been going?
I've had a wonderful weekend
feeling better from my 
month long dealing with the 'crud'
and spent this whole weekend
playing in the Art Room!
I had so many half finished projects
waiting for some attention, and over
the past month of being under the weather
I keep hearing the projects calling my
name from the Art Room.
(Ok, so I don't lack in imagination:)


Tonight's post is another 5 x 7 Mini Journal
'Precious Things'
I made a 5 x 7 Mini Journal in a previous
blog post, so I won't bother showing the
whole procedure again. If you need
to, look up in older posts to see my 
previous Mini Journal:)
Tonight, it's just some 
'Eye Candy' 
to enjoy:)
Inside Cover of
Mini Journal
This is first page, and I have to give a 
'shout out'
for Debrina at Land of Enchantment
for the great dress graphic!
I bought her collection of these
dresses, and in future projects
you'll be seeing them from 
time to time as the colours and
the graphics are rich!
Also on this page of course
one of my pet bird's feathers,
(Doodlebug the Woodpecker:),
and the wonderful Retro Cafe Art's
Bird Lazier Cut-Outs!

Page 2
Just plain and simple:)

Page 3
A little more involved:)
Used some more of my handmade
flowers, that I used on my previous
post of 'Urban Wildlife'
A few lovely leaves, some lace,
and a bit of rusty metal:)
(Thanks Kristin:)

Page 4
Bits and Pieces:)



Page 5
A 'Spring Scene'


Page 6
The 'Secret' Page
A 'Secret Wish'
that is....
On the back is lined paper
to 'write your wish'...
and keep it in the 'Secret' pocket:)
Page 7
And what Mini Journal is complete 
without a place to 'Keep'
special things....
and in my case, what journal doesn't
get a peacock feather in it!
(grin)
And the back cover
I think it's my favourite page
in my Mini Journal.
Mr. Wise old Owl
a wonderful graphic from
Piddix:)

So there you go, some fresh 'eye candy'
for a late Sunday night blog post:)
I have a few more blog posts coming
up over the next day or two to
catch you all up on my latest
finished projects and even a few 
other interesting things:)

Have a Great Start of the New Week!

Enjoy!















Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Back in the Land of the Living Again:)

Hi Everyone:)
Well after long silence,
(sorry if you've been checking in
and finding the same old post!)
I'm back in the land of the living,
although still not 100% yet,
but feeling better enough to 
finally be getting some Art-Time in!

I started this canvas quite a while ago,
but after being laid up nearly a month,
it's been staring at me from the easel in
the art room, screaming to be finished!
(It's also been in the way in the art room
as space is at a premium!)

The canvas size is a odd one,
12 x 30 inches, that I've had
hanging around in it's packaging
for a few years, never quite knowing
what I had intended to use it for.


I used Claudine Hellmuth Paints for the first time
and found them to be really something different!
And the colours are wonderful!!
The canvas I call
'Urban Wildlife'
As you know, ( or at least
learning about me:),
I'm a wildlife, pet,
animal freak:) I always think of
the saying that the 'animals were
here before we were' when it comes
to Urban Development and in the 
area where I have lived for nearly
24 years, I have slowly watched 
our incredible wild countryside
give over to the urban setting.


I've had to photograph the canvas in stages
so you can see the details, as it was so
large, I couldn't get the camera to capture
the bits and pieces in the pictures.

What if the Apartment Building
were home to the animals
was sort of my idea for this.

The garden, are all hand made flower heads,
that I punched out of plain paper, stamped,
inked, mounted on chipboard, used layers to
create depth, used brads and vintage
buttons for the centres, then mounted
them on tea stained round tags.
The leaves are wonderful ribbon leaves,
made from what seems to be satin, that
once I started using, thank goodness
my Art Buddy Leslie still had extra of!
(Just goes to show I was flying by the 
seat of my pants, and didn't check before
starting the project if I had enough supply!)
The 'Apartment Building' 
itself, is a piece of chipboard wrapped with
the new 7Gypsies Tissue Paper which 
I am absolutely in love with!
I've included lots of metal bits and pieces
that I had purchased from 
Retro Cafe Art!
I love the rusty fences, and the door knob
is a Tim Holtz Hitch!
(As you know from my previous posts,
I used these Hitches for feet on an
ATC Project!)
I love coming up with more ideas for using
them!
Each window of the building has a photograph
mounted on hand made paper backing,
and the window frames are also new
wonderful cut-outs from
Retro Cafe Art:) that I covered
in Vintage Dictionary Paper and inked.
The 'Residents' are
'Bubby' the deer (top left),

'Doodlebug' my Kitchen 
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
(as a baby when he first arrived:)
(top, right)

(bottom right)
'Hop-a-Long' another of our
local deer community at my home

and 'Oliver Howard' 
our wonderful Spitz.





Love all the rusty metal bits! (Thanks Kristin!)
And all of the Lazier Cut's of the birds 
were from Retro Cafe Art too!

All of the little bee's on the canvas are a stamp
from 'Magenta' that I have had great fun 
playing with, and colouring and cutting 
them out for all sorts of uses:)
The top of the 'Apartment Building'
are also wonderful products from
Retro Cafe Art
that come in masonite kits 
that you put together,
embellish and create with.
(Previous Posts ATC Holder also 
one of Kristin's kits!)
I lined this one with the Vintage Dictionary Paper
before adding the embellishments.
(The mini feather is from our Budgie's
shoulder, which she doesn't moult 
very often, so I 'prize' these feathers
for special projects:)
Then I added the 'top' which was
a piece that I made of another
of Kristin's wonderful kits!
I had great fun making this 
piece, and the colours in
the photo's just don't do it
justice, as in person it
is such a cheery thing to look at:)
Now I have to find a place to hang it!
(grin).

Hope you enjoyed this piece and
hope it gives you some new ideas
to play with!

Enjoy!
(More posts to come, as I am now
back in the Living!)