ATC Beauties Received...

 Do you enjoy ATCs?  I enjoy making them, giving them and receiving them.  Even better I love a little surprise Random Act of Kindness in my mail.  This lovely French themed card I recieved from the equally lovely and very talented Dorthe of Den Lille Lade.  The bits of lace and the wooden button really add such detail.  Thank you dear Dorthe.

These little gems came to me from Australia.  Judy of Judy's Fabrications is another lovely lady with lots of talents.  She created this adorable little fabric stocking ornament with beads sewn on.  I adore it and the card with the 3D candle and holly.  Thank you dear Judy.

 Look at this lovely pear.  This ATC is made with napkin applique and enhanced with some beautiful gold leafing which does not show up well in this photo.  Meet Daniella of Layers of Creativity.  I am certain we will be swapping ATCs on a regular basis as Daniella loves making these little works of art.

 This very Thanksgiving Autumn ATC is made by my friend Joy.  She does not have a blog...yet.  Joy is uber creative and has the most beautiful gardens surrounding her home.  I had sent her an ATC just because and that introduced her to this little bit of art and creativity.  Joy is now making beautiful ATCs and teaching her mother, Eva, to make them as well.  They are now looking to swap with others.  I am linking Joy to all the best people I know.  Under the little brown scalloped flap she has stamped swirls and written "Family and Friends" in the most fluid perfect cursive writing.  Thank you Joy...your little ATC brings me much "joy".

And here is Eva's (Joy's mother) gorgeous ATC that she also sent me last week.  I believe Eva fussy-cut the roses.  Remember years ago when we sat with tiny manicure scissors and fussy-cut tiny little scenes and then made framed 3 dimensional pictures?  I loved those.  That is when I learned to turn the paper not the scissors.  I am thrilled that our little creative world shares and allows us to spread all the happinesses that come from such wonderful talented artisans.  Thank you Eva for this little piece of art.  No link here as Eva has no blog, however she does want to swap ATCs with others.
I would be happy to pass along any swap info to Joy and Eva if you just let me know here in comments or via email. 
Blessings and peace as you enter this busy week of holiday preparations...Thanksgiving here in the US.
I am truly blessed and so grateful for the gift of blogging friends and gracious giving.

Tutorial tried and loved...

 So many times I see some wonderful inspiration and tutorials while blog hopping and I always want to try so many of them that I save them in a "tutorial folder".  Do I ever get back to them and actually try the technique?  Well...honestly...very seldom.  All good intentions and time or laziness or busy or whatever and I just never seem to get back to that folder to really try such wonderful ideas and techniques.  Well...this one was so simple and doable that I actually dropped everything and did it.  Let me link you to Lori of elvie studio whom most of you already follow.

This is my completed piece and I am so thrilled with it.  This really is a "hand drawn look".  Thank you Lori.  You are quite an inspiration to me!
I will definitely be doing this technique again.  Maybe now I will go take a look into my elusive "tutorial folder" and see what else I can accomplish.  It is such a great feeling to actually make and finish something. 
I am busy making my lists.  The holiday season is upon us and I want to at least keep up this year.  I was hoping to be ahead of the game this year but somehow November is here all too fast and I wasn't prepared like I thought I would be.  November is also a busy birthday month in our family.   Not to worry...I will get it all done and what I don't get done I suppose was not really necessary.  This is my coping story and I am sticking with it.  ;o)
Now lets go make something and maybe try a new technique from the amazing array of tutorials available to us here in Blogland.  There are such generous sharing souls here.  Thank you each and every one of you.
May you have a week of serenity and checking off your lists...

ATC Swap...

 This is my second swap ever.  The first was for charms and now this one for ATCs.  What an amazing joy to be part of such great gifts.  Thank you Roni and "mom" for hosting this swap.  I am so thrilled with all I received.  This swap since it was before Halloween was two fold...Halloween theme and General theme.

 Here are the Halloween themed ATCs I received.  Each one so amazing and fabulous.

These are the General themed ATCs and what an array of ideas and creativity here.  I know the photos do not do justice and therefore you really must join a swap and be the lucky recipient of tiny little works of art in person.  I wish to say thank you to everyone who submitted and shared so generously.  I will be visiting each of you that I have info for.  Some ATCs did not include any email or blog address so I thank you here. 
I know for certain that when Roni does any kind of swap again I will definitely be participating...after the busy holidays that is. 
Thank you again Roni and "mom" for hosting this swap and doing all of the logisitics and work involved. 
If any of you have not been smitten with the ATC bug then you may want to be.  Quick and easy and ever so much fun. 
Our weather is chilly but beautiful.  I pray for all the Northeast to be back to power and warmth. 
Blissfully creating...

Happy Haunting Halloween...

 Last of the ATCs...well maybe.  I made these two folders for Roni and her Mom.  They hosted an ATC swap and the results of that will be posted next week.  If you have never participated in a swap I highly recommend it.  Lots of fun!

 Inside the ATC folder.  I kept this pretty simple and flat as I think my post office service is not fond of me or my artwork I pay extra to hand cancel and send safely. 
Here are the ATCs I included inside the folder. 

 Here is a piece of artwork I won from Lindsay.  Her work is unique and she has been published so many times I have lost count.  Please go see what Lindsay is up to in the creative realm. 

This is made on a Mahjong tile and I adore it.  Mr. C always says I ride a broom.

 Thank you Lindsay. 

 Here I am wearing my Halloween casual clothes.  Glittered pumpkin socks, a soft orange jacket my dear sister gave me that I get so many compliments each year when I wear it and my new Mahjong Witch pendant.

 Yes, another ATC that is in the mail.  By-the-way this is some of Lindsay's artwork that she got printed by Pinecone Press into 12" x 12" scrapbook papers.  Super cute drawings all over the entire sheet.  I only wish I had purchased many more pages. 

And you asked me to post my costume I wore at the local Chamber of Commerce Saturday as I hosted the Visitor Center.  Here I am in all my Witch glory...complete with Trick or Treat bag I made years ago. While I was at the CofC I had lots of people take a second look.  Several asked if they could take my photo and I said with a smile, "If you must".  :o)  It was a great day and I was definitely channeling my Grandma and Mother.  Grandma's birthday was October 30th and she finally gave in and always dressed up as a witch each year...of course creating her very own costumes and always out-doing herself every year.   So...
In the tradition of Halloween and my lineage I am continuing this Witch costume theme and enjoying it very much. 
Happy Haunting and Safe Trick or Treating to you all...

Art Journal Class...

I have never been very artsy with the traditional painting themed supplies.  I don't draw.  I don't paint.  I don't consider myself an artist in the truest sense of the word.  I do however love to try all mediums and I always hope something miraculous will come from my hands. 
Along comes Miss Roni of Ink Stains.  I have blogged about her before but this time she is my teacher.   Roni is actually giving tons of lessons for making an art journal.  We have no idea what we will be doing or what supplies we will be using.  This is part of the fun for me.  I have lots of supplies, especially since I won Roni's grand giveaway.  This will be the perfect opportunity for me to use these art mediums I own.  I have always thought that if I purchase and own something I will automatically become adept/skilled...like the time I bought a brand new piano and paid for it for years.  Did I ever really learn to play that piano?  No.  Same for lots of other things through the years.  Osmosis just does not work with me.  :o)

Usually I save everything.  Never opening or using just in case I need it later.  Well...I opened and inked and brushed and spread and used my supplies.  I followed Roni's technique and had a great time.  This photo above is my initial template but I had so much fun that I ended up inking it and trying different looks. 

I haven't journaled on my pages yet but this one is my how to sampler.  The embossing, the white rubbing and the inking that results in "faux rubbing".  This is really super fun and even I didn't mind making a bit of a mess...not too much mind you as I am known as Miss Prissy my entire life.  Get my hands dirty?  Ewww!

This page will be my art journal cover.  I absolutely love how it turned out.  I may add something more however not so far.  It has an ethereal look and feel and yet it was so easy to make. 
Thank you Roni for offering your expertise and sharing with us.  I am looking forward to our next lesson. 
I will be using individual sheets of papers so that I may put them into a 3-ring binder.  That will allow me to utilize lots of sizes and thicknesses and not be limited by any one type of pre-purchased journal.   I have been collecting (all my life I have been collecting!) some pertinent ephemera for this journal too as I want it to reflect me and my likes and dislikes. 
After all this is MY ART JOURNAL...

Painting Envelopes...

While ordering office supplies late one evening I was compelled to add a box of small coin envelopes to my order. I knew I could craft with them and they would be fun to decorate. Mr. C was not amused. "What are you going to do with so many little envelopes!" he said. I replied, "I don't know however I will use them!"

Here I am painting each little envelope with gesso to tone down the kraft coloring. I included my hand as proof that I can get messy. I am very fussy and never like my hands to get dirty or messy at all. So in true artist style I am forcing myself to allow messiness as others say it is part of the creative process and even others say it is part of the fun. Hmmm...my hands did clean up after the painting and it really wasn't so bad. There might be hope for me after all. :o)

No picture of my hands here but trust me they got lots of paint on them with all of this process. I painted each envelope with different colors on both sides. I wanted a variety.

Here is my favorite little blue envelope. I even added liquid silver leaf circles and it really gave a lustrous shine.

This treatment of dry brushing several colors included a metallic copper which I really liked. The photo does not show it well.

This little one was dotted with some black ink. I used the end of a square chop stick.

Hard to see the gold leafing dry brush technique here. I thought the colors were representative of a bright spring day with all the trees leafing out.








What am I doing with my little painted and gilded envelopes? Now that is for another day.

Here we are in a new week and I shall be busy cleaning and weeding and ironing and weeding and generally enjoying being a homeowner.

How is your week shaping up?

Wonderful week and I hope you make time to make art...

Celebrations Complete...

Ahh the Grand Lady, Elsbeth, herself. A gathering to celebrate her 90th birthday. It was a wonderful celebration enjoyed by many. The setting was beautiful. The food divine. Red Velvet cake for the finishing touch.

Our table decorations were a welcome addition. Bookmarks and candy for all to take home.

Happy Birthday Elsbeth and may we celebrate many more.

This was also my annual girlfriend road trip and the week passed by so quickly. We leave the husbands and our fur-child kitty cats home and off we go. We spend the week with Elsbeth and have a great time telling stories, playing Scrabble, going out to eat when we aren't eating all of her delicious home cooking and relaxing at the dock on the lake. This year our trip was over July 4th so we enjoyed a huge fireworks show down at the lake and it was spectacular. I saw amazing fireworks I had never seen before and some of them had sound effects like sparklers. I lived many years right near Disneyland so believe me I have seen a lot of fireworks in my day.

It is always so good to be home and in my very own bed. My BooBoo kitty is not letting me out of her sight. I shall be spending my week catching up on laundry, grocery shopping and other assorted household and yard chores.

Most of all I am looking forward to catching up on my favorite blogs and see what each of you have been busy doing. I have sincerely missed you. I had no computer, no internet, no access of any kind for over a week and I truly missed my daily blog perusing. I know I owe some serious thank you notes and will get to them as quickly as I can. I had a stack of mail awaiting my return and fortunately little packages of bliss out-weighed bills. I will need to really use my time management skills wisely this coming week in order to get it all done.

Thank you for all of your comments and emails. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends. May you have a wonderful week and make all the creative art that makes you happy...

Christmas in June...

This box is truly Christmas in June for me. I was the super fortunate winner of a massive give away by the uber talented Roni of Ink Stains. Please visit her blog if you are not already following her and her incredible talents. Today she has the cutest paint brush charms. Roni never hesitates to share all of her techniques and she makes it so easy for everyone to create amazing art.

I gathered Mr. C and told him this box is Christmas in June. Then I slowly opened the box. What to my wondrous eyes did I see...

More art supplies than I could have ever imagined. And...a beautiful large Vera Bradley tote bag. Each and every item I brought out of the box was just so much fun. Mr. C was clearly amazed at how much was in this box of goodies. We were both overwhelmed with the generosity of Roni. So many of the supplies are exactly what I wanted to buy for my crafting.

Thank you so very much Roni. You are the best! I feel like the luckiest createology gal in the world. I am inspired by your talents and now have lots of wonderful supplies which I can use to create some super fun art pieces. I will definitely be reviewing many of your posts so I know how to use some of these supplies.

I have no excuses now!

P.S. My favorite item in the entire box is a copy of Roni's book titled "Collage and Altered Art". This book is one that you definitely should acquire for your library as it has enormous amounts of techniques and ideas and finished art pieces as inspiration. When you visit Roni's blog there is information on how to get your very own copy.

P.S.S. When I set the cigar box on the table Mr. C immediately opened it hoping for a cigar. Not. More art supplies. He said, "This is a really old cigar box. Look at the price, 2/27 cents!" Too funny Mr. C.

Sunshine-Splitting-Stacking...

With the winter weather comes disaster when you live in the forest. This happened a couple of months ago during the night and thankfully just missed our house. Half split and impaled the lawn which damaged the drip irrigation Mr. C installed. The other half crashed across our steep driveway and of course was covered in snow. That was then...

This is now...

Mr. C and I borrowed a log splitter and spent hours splitting the huge rounds that were cut into 16" lengths. They were too heavy to get up the driveway so we had to dangerously split on the downhill. This photo is very deceiving as this is pretty steep.

I am so not a fan of doing this type of physical work. And Mr. C and I are truthfully too old to be doing this type of work. However, we have to do it to have wood for the fireplace come winter again.

This one truck load took us the better part of the day. And...we are only 1/3 done splitting.

Hmmm...now how is this wood going to get out of the truck and stacked into the wood chateau?

Oh yeah...Mr. C and I! We spent the next morning unloading the truck and stacking the wood neatly into it's home awaiting next winter.

And...we are only 1/3 done! Joyous!

Me...I don't even care for a wood burning fireplace. It is very messy and can be very dangerous. My mother always taught me..."Fire can be a wonderful servant but a terrible master." I am and always have been very much afraid of fire.

Mr. C however loves the real wood fireplaces and has two of them. He carries that messy wood all through the house, splinters and spiders included.

Maybe our next house will have one of those new-fangled remote controlled electric fireplaces. Lots of ambiance but no real wood smell or warmth like the real thing.

So while the sun is shining and the weather here has finally become glorious you will find me outside splitting and stacking wood.

I am managing to sneak in a little creating in the studio for a future post or two.

Wonderful weekend to all...

Gifted ATC...Thank You

When I saw this Marionette ATC I was smitten. I decided to follow this artist and I am so happy that I am doing so. Please visit Laura at her blog and see how wonderfully talented she is.

One day as I was reading her post she was offering this exact Marionette ATC as a giveaway. How fortunate I was when my name was selected. Thank you so very much Laura.

There is such detail in this tiny little ATC. An ATC is Artist Trading Card and the size is 2.5" x 3.5". ATC's were created as a way for artists to share their work and give it to others. ATC's are not to be sold. Therefore I believe ATC's are even more special. Like a gift from the heart. She has tied little red threads to really give it the illusion of being a marionette. I am still smitten with this art.

I will be putting this on my inspiration board.

Now it is time to go to the studio and spend the afternoon having creative fun with my girlfriend who is on her way over.

Happy Creating...

In Lace Heaven...

I'm late, I'm late...I must create! This just has to be lace heaven and I am in the midst of it all.
While in Scottsdale, Arizona three of us women skipped one of the car auctions and went shopping at the big Fashion Mall. Then off to the bead store. Then off to a fabric store. I couldn't tell you where it is because GPS kept turning us around and back and forth and somehow the street signs were no better as from block to block it would say north or west or north again and who could figure that out. Well, by the time we finally found the store in a very old neighborhood our time was short! After quickly perusing the goods I was on complete overload. What to buy? What not to buy? How much to buy? Such decisions to make in a hurry. My arms could not carry what I was picking up. My handled basket I found overflowed with stuff. Sort Sherry. Weed out the riff raff Sherry. FOCUS Sherry! OVERLOAD!!!

As you can see by these photos, I did manage to buy just some laces. Then of course I had to condense it down so Mr. C wouldn't have a coronary and luckily we had our car instead of having to fly with luggage. Oh what fun we girls had. No sooner had we left the store (only because they were closing) than each of us wished we had gotten whatever we hadn't gotten. No time to go the next day as we did have expensive car auction tickets we had prepaid and the boys just would not understand the desire, need, craving for more lace or fabric.

Hmmm...what ever shall I make, sew, create with this fabulous table full of lace? The ideas are truly making my head swirl. OVERLOAD!!!

Did I tell you all of this was less than the price of dinner (in Scottsdale of course)? No! Yes! It was super affordable and that is why we all wanted to go back and fill up a semi-truck.
What would you do with lace?

Happy Creating while we wait for Spring to Bring Birds who Sing!

Art Journal Calendar 2011...

Here we are one week into this wonderfu new year 2011 and all that it holds for each of us.
This is an Art Journal Calendar 2011 which I received as a giveaway gift from the artisit Paula McNamee. She is a Portland artist and please check out her blog to see the interesting art she creates. Paula was also one of the artists who participated in the Portland Art Collective Show and Sale. Unfortunately I was not in Portland during this time frame so I was unable to attend.
I like my Art Journal Calendar as there is sufficient room each day to write notes or keep track of something special.
Each month also has a quote or two for inspiration. January is:
"One gets into a state of creativity by conscious work" Henri Matisse
"Let choice whisper in your ear and love murmur in your heart. Be ready. Here comes life." Maya Angelou
There is a simplicity about this calendar that I really appreciate.
Thank you Paula for gifting me with this daily reminder to be creative.
As for my day I spent it hosting our local Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. I do this volunteer effort at least once a month and sometimes more. I love meeting people and listening to their stories. I meet locals who live here and others who have traveled near and far. It never fails that every single time someone asks me something I do not know or have never come across before so there is always learning involved which I love. Yes, there are some interesting characters that come in. I have been doing this for many years and I still enjoy it very much. Today was slow as it is extremely cold and not a lot of people out and about. Amazing how exhausted I am at the end of my day. Good excuse to get comfy and cozy and eat some warm grilled cheese sandwich and soup for dinner. I love comfort food. The kind I grew up with.
What are you doing this weekend?
Warm Hugs and Sunny Smiles...

Two Birds and One Cat...

Here is an adorable little bird I received from Miss Lilla of Hawaii. Many of you already follow her blog and know the fun things she makes and shares. This bird is made with ticking fabric. Lilla also included the cafe au lait sticker just for fun. Thank you so much Lilla. I love my bird.

This is bird two that I received and I am loving the message here. Kerri's blog was the very first blog I ever followed and I am so glad I found her. She is wonderful and talented and heartwarming. I just love this piece of her art. Even the back is decorated and personalized. Thank you very very much Kerri.

And with birds there must be a cat. This is an art piece I received from Terri. She is part of 3 Creative Studios and her blog is filled with lots of art, fabric quilting and zentangling. I am thrilled to have this adorable cat to inspire me. Thank you so very much Terri.

The generousity of bloggers is always amazing. I feel blessed to be able to enjoy so much.
Each of these pieces of art inspire me to create. I think that is partly why I like blogging so much as we all share our ideas and abilities and inspire others to make their own creations.

What will you make this week? I am making some simple birthday cards for January mailings.

Create something that really makes you smile with delight this week. After all we are beginning a brand new year where anything is possible for each of us.

Charming Creativity...

In my wonderful world of blogging and following other creative souls I found Michelle Palmer and her super creative pen and ink drawings. She does the most detailed and amazing tiny birds and nests and lots of other cuties. However it is her tiny little mice that I fell in love with.

One morning I got up early and was enjoying my blog reading when I saw this adorable little pink baby dress with the strawberry eating mouse. If you follow Michelle and her art you know it gets purchased as quickly as she can list it in her etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/MichellePalmer?ref=seller_info

and therefore I had missed every previous mouse. I was determined I would not miss out on this little pink dress mouse. I ran upstairs for the plastic and whew! I didn't miss this one. I was so excited I was shaking.

Even Mr. C knew exactly what I bought when I said Michelle Palmer. He knew exactly where I would display my newly acquired treasure...on the line he made me in the laundry room. How cheery it is to do my chores with strawberry mouse watching over me.

Isn't this just the cutest?!! My patience paid off and now I have my very own adorable pen and ink drawing. Michelle is so well known and respected that people commission her work. Thank you Michelle for sharing your charming creativity.

I love my little strawberry mouse on the tiny pink dress. This is a true collectible.