Journal of Dreams, Journal of Anything, and an Altered Book Update

I recently received Lori's book from our Journal Of Dreams (let's just call it JOD) collaborative journal project.  Maybe it's the title, but in this group I just can't help getting into my head (oh what a scary place that can be at times) and my pages for these journals are just very different than those I do for the other groups.
Another influence this week:  I was visiting my friend Teri, and met her friend (now mine too!) Rita, who brought along for the show and tell portion of our visit, a book she made in a Lynne Perrella workshop.  Her pages were full of little doors that opened and I knew my next journal pages would use that technique.
My page for Lori with the doors closed:

And opened (just a little -- what's behind them is Lori's surprise).

The background....various papers and some of Tim's wonderful tissue tape....lightly covered with gesso.....textured with cardboard and bubble wrap......colored mostly with Portfolio water soluble oil pastels......more gesso, more pastels.....and the journaling done with Sharpie poster paint markers.  The little houses are all Invoke stamps, inked with black Ranger Archival ink, colored with the Portfolios and further embellished with glaze pens.

For this journal we decided on one page rather than our usual two page spread, but we do some sort of art on the reverse side.  Here's my second side:

The background started out as a leftover page from my altered book project, one that had been sprayed with colorwash.  On to that I glued some pictures from a new PID sheet called photobooth.  Then I dabbed some gesso around and even over the photos and tinted it with some vintage photo distress ink when it dried.  I was trying to make the photos look a bit more organic....less like they were just plopped down on the background....which of course they were....so softened some of the edges with some gel medium.  I really wanted to use some modeling paste but couldn't find it so settled on the gel...which produced a shinier look than I would have liked, but it's OK.  When that finally dried I went over the gelled parts with some coffee Archival ink, then added the journaling around the photos.

When I was at Teri's we decorated journal covers with a collage technique she wanted to share with us.  When I got home I added the focal image, and here is the finished journal cover:

For the background, we covered the book with various papers, collage-style, added some color with Shiva Paintstiks (very cool product), then we used a palette knife to add some texture with gesso (I think it was gesso...all those Golden jars look alike).  When that was dry we brayered some deeper color (paint) over the raised textured areas, then kept brayering until we'd spread what was left of the paint all over.  I love how it turned out.
I added the Tim bird and cage on a chipboard plaque, some Sizzix SU butterflies highlighted with a perfect pearls spray, and a little blue rhinestone bling.


For those following along with my altered book journey, that blog was updated today with some folding techniques.  Here's a little peek:

Oh, and one other thing:   Happy Friday everyone!  This weekend, see some friends, make some art, and have some great food.  Cheers!

A Tag and A Necklace

I really do love NY, which is a good thing, since I live there.  Here's a NYC-themed tag I just finished:

The background is part of a NYC subway map (I live in the upper left hand corner. The blue on the edge...the blue that is part of the map, not the chipped sapphire distress ink blue I used there...is the Hudson River, and I can see it from my windows).

Anyway....the NYC skyline is a Tim stamp and it looks grungy, purposely, of course, because it was inked and embossed with black distress ink/EP.

The Statue of Liberty surrounded by scaffolding is a Stamping Ground stamp inked with olive pigment ink.

The banner is one of the elements on Tim's Regal Crest die.  I found those faux typewriter keys in a dollar store and scooped up every package they had.  I made the heart disc by gluing a tiny blue paper heart to the back of a black bingo piece, edging it with a gold pen, and covering the top with Glossy Accents.

I recently admired the fabulous charms my friend Val makes and uses to create gorgeous necklaces.  Next thing I know, she's asking me what colors I'd like my necklace to be.  Val's enormous talent is exceeded only by her generous heart.  I asked for black and white with only a little pop of color (hey, I'm a New Yorker, and to steal a line I heard once in a movie -- and no, I can't remember which one-- "in NY we wear black, and will continue to do so until they invent a darker color.")

Check this beauty out.  Click on it and admire the charms.  Each different, unique, and fabulous.

Well, that's all I've got for today.   Go make something!

Tags, A Button Fairy, A Cool Technique, And More

I just got back from the optham opthomol opthamol oh, crap, the eye doctor, and had my pupils dilated, so I'm writing this with sunglasses on, squinting madly and looking generally deranged.  Well, I don't care how I look; you can't see me, but I am a little concerned about what I'm writing, basically through one half shut eye.  I'm just warning you that I'm not responsible for typos today.
First, some tags I did.  On Saturday I went to a rubber stamp expo and scored some very cool Frida Kahlo stamps and used one on the tags.

A couple of close ups:

I did two variations on the chalkboard technique.  On the tag itself, I inked it thoroughly with chipped sapphire distress ink and let it dry. Then I stamped it with white ink and a flourish stamp.  I dabbed some pastels over the white ink.  That's variation #1, and though much of it is hidden, you can see some of it on the left side of the tags.

For the second variation, I stamped the Frida Kahlo stamp with versamark on dark blue cardstock, then dabbed all the stamped areas with perfect pearls.

Frida has a necklace made from a resistor.  She's attached to the tag with Tim's tiny attacher staples.  Peeking out on the right side are a couple of strips of tim's tissue tape (which I LOVE).  Other details include some rub ons, a little sparkle in the form of flat crystals on the top left corner, and the word "artist" spelled out in tiny letters that are under little domes.

Over at PID, our weekly challenge theme is "In the Garden," and my contribution is a garden button fairy.  How I got it to fit the theme, was by attaching some little flowers to the buttons.  Pretty clever, aren't I?  (Yes, right now I really am LOL).

Those wings that really do resemble stained glass, will be fully explained tomorrow on the PID blog (Technique Tuesday, my weekly contribution).

And that isn't even the cool technique in the title of this post.  A few days ago I posted a picture of a beach themed canvas I did, and asked that the creator of the grungepaper fish I used identify herself.

Well, she did, and I am happy to give you a link to her tutorial on how to use GP and glue to make this amazing little critter.  Look to your left and check out that fish!

 Thank you Linda!  Even if you aren't interested in GP and glue (and why wouldn't you be?), go to Linda's blog anyway.  She is talented and a hoot besides.

As a designer for PID, I create projects for specified themes a few times a year.  For our June newsletter, my topic was shrines, boxes, tins...things that can be opened and closed.  A couple of these projects have just gone up on the PID blog.  Check the out if you care to.

And last of all, for those of you following along with my altered book journey, there's a short update on that blog re: making your own glazes.

Now, stop reading and go make something.

More Marie, A Day At The Shore, And A Gorgeous Giveaway

I just finished the pages for my friend Lill's Marie Antoinette journal.
(check out her blog....she does some awesome stuff)   Page 1:

I started out with some watercolor paper, which I covered with gesso, then added some torn up bits of paper doilies, then more gesso.  Added color with portfolio pastels and perfect pearls.  After that, I took some paper from one of Tim Holtz's new paper stacks, distressed it, tore it, inked it, put some rub-ons on it, and glued that down.  Oh! I almost forgot....before that I had sewed some gold tulle onto the background, but wasn't crazy about how that looked, so  it is mostly covered by the TH paper.  You can see some tattered strands of it showing at the edges, and that's OK with me.

As for Marie, she started out as an image from a PID collage sheet.  I added lots of ribbon and other blingy stuff to make her skirt and painted over her blouse.  Lots of gel and glaze pens on the hair and hat, plus a real feather.

 Page 2:

The background is the same as for page 1.  I stamped the bird cage lightly, then stamped over that with Marie on a swing, lining up the ropes so it looks like the swing is suspended inside the cage.  Marie is colored with pencils, glaze pens and gel pens.   After I took the photo I added a little journaling, but packed it all away before I could take another picture.

Lill asked for a tag from everyone, and I made this little shoe:

So much for Marie.  Now, as for the day at the shore....that's the theme of this month's PID jackpot, and this is the 4x4 canvas I did:

The background is lots of texture done with tissue paper and gel medium, colored with acrylics.  Some text, partially hidden by the gauze I used as a net.  Real shells.  The fish is something I received months and months ago in a grungepaper swap.  Yep, it's made of grungepaper, don't have a clue how, and it is fabulous!  Sadly, I have no idea who sent it to me, but if someone out there knows, please tell me so I can give credit where it is certainly due.  The bathing beauty is from a PID pin-up sheet.
Now, the gorgeous giveaway.....my friend Val is a super talented artist in many media, as well as a very generous blogger (free graphic downloads there daily).  Right now she has been churning out beautiful and eclectic charms and turning them into stunning necklaces.  One such beauty is on her blog as a giveaway, so if you want a chance to win it, hurry on over to The Sum of All Crafts NOW!!
I think that's it for today.  I really have got to do some laundry, but I guess you didn't need to know that.

A Winner, A Technique, and More

Big thanks to the folks who entered my Tim Holtz apron giveaway, and especially to the many who left comments even though they already have the apron and weren't looking for another one.

My friend Random.org was being very uncooperative with me this morning.  He kept picking people who said they didn't want to be in the running for the apron.  But, after several tries, I do have a winner.  

And, I am pleased that it is someone from one of my yahoo groups.  Someone who was just complaining about having a bad day in the art room.  So, I do hope this cheers her up and helps her get her muse back.  Sherri Auld, c'mon down!  Well, you don't have to actually do that, but make sure I have your mailing info and I'll get that fab apron off to you this week.

Every week I do a new technique on the PID blog.  Today's is super easy and I used it as a background on this piece.

If you'd like to see how I did it, visit the blog and take a look.

Also, for those of you who are interested in the altered book project, there is a new post on that blog as well.

Have a great day and go make something!

Mini Banners, A Funny Award and Some News

A while back I signed up for a mini banner swap at the Wendy Vecchi yahoo group (EWV....aka, Everything Wendy Vecchi).  Of course I did.  When in comes to swaps I have zero resistance.  And I have the cluttered work table to prove it.
The swaps came in the other day, and I have to say, I do love them.  As soon as I can figure out where in this tiny stuffed-to-the-rafters (if I had rafters) studio I can string them, they will be hung.
Anyway.....here they are.

From Debby, our fab host:

Allie:

 Kathy:

 Lori:

 Susan:

K

Kate:

A

And here's the one I sent out:

Thanks all you crafty chicas!

Those who know me know how I feel about most blog awards, and though I appreciate the bestowment (?) I don't accept or forward them any more.  Until today.  My very talented and amusing friend Lori presented me with this one, and it is one I will gladly take.

Too funny!  I don't have the patience to explain it, and Lori already did that so well on her blog, so I'm just gonna do some creative stealing blog-lifting, and just copy (and paraphrase) what she wrote:

And the rules are:

1.  Express gratitude to the blogger who bestowed the award unto you... Copious,grovelling …I am not worthy… gratitudes.   Yes, Lori, I am thankful, I am humble, I am unworthy.....

2.  Display the picture on your blog proudly.   Check!

3.  Be nice and provide a link to the person who gave it to you.  See below

4.  Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth, or switch it around and tell six outrageous truths and one outrageous lie. I'm not telling which is which.  (They're coming!)

5.  Nominate seven (I'm doing five.  Sue me) creative writers who might be into doing this. See below

6.  Post links to the seven five blogs you nominate and let the owners of those blogs know. OK, here's my problem with this one....Lori already nominated people that I would have, plus, I sure would have nominated Lori, so what I'll do is just list some names of people whose blogs are not only full of cool art, but who consistently crack me up.  They can accept it, or not, follow the rules, or not, pass it on, or not.  I just want you all to know where to go when you need inspiration and cheering up.

So some outrageous lies (or are they outrageous truths?) about me:

1)   I applied to NASA to be in the Teacher-In-Space program

2)   One of my earliest dreams was to hitchhike across America, and I did get part way there

3)   After I broke Mick Jagger's heart, he had to settle for Bianca

5)   The FBI has a file on me

6)   Unlike Lori's outrageous lie, I actually did meet Donald Trump, and gave him my hairdresser's business card

7)    Tim Holtz reads my blog for his inspiration

Visit the blogs of these funny and creative folks:

 Lori

 Hels 

 Wendy

 Suze
 Megan and Cheryl

 

And finally, on to the "news."  I am one of the guides, leaders, facilitators (pick the noun you like best) of a group working on altered books.  I'm no expert, but I've done a few, and I love exploring techniques.  It's hard to describe them on a yahoo group, so I decided I'd do it in blog posts, so there could be photos with the text.   But, I wanted it all in one place and not mixed in with my usual ramblings.  So, (drumroll for the BIG NEWS), I created a new blog, just for the altered book project.

If ABs are something you're interested in, please check it out. This is a go-at-your-own-pace project, no deadlines, and everything I post is a suggestion only.  Plus, I have links to sources that know way more than I do.  I really outdid myself in the creativity/originality department when I named the new blog:   The Altered Book Journey

Sue me! 

A Grungy Book and Ribbons Tamed

Over at ATT, there’s a swap going on (that of course I had to join), where an experienced user of all things Tim (that would be me) is paired up with a newbie.  I’m to create something using my Tim stuff for my partner, and she will do the same for me.  I wanted to use a lot of techniques but also make something that could be done even more simply, should my partner want to give it a try.
So, I decided on a little notebook.
                                                   
The covers are made of grungeboard, which was inked with wild honey distress ink, embossed with a cuttlebug folder, and reinked with forest moss distress ink to highlight the embossing.  On the side near the coils, two of Tim’s on the edge border dies.  The brown one was inked with walnut stain distress ink and embossed with the same color of distress embossing powder.  The green border was inked with peeled paint distress ink, over stamped with a flourish then embossed with clear embossing powder.
The little bird is from Tim’s caged bird die, and it was inked and embossed, though I can’t remember what color I used.  I added some peeled paint stickles to its wings.  His crown of feathers is a piece of foliage idealogy that I cut up and rearranged, and attached with a brad (which cleverly forms the eye).
The charm hanging off the book is one of Tim’s, and I inked it and embossed it with peeled paint.
Inside the book are pages cut from Tim’s retro grunge paper stack:

And the back cover:

I’ve been working on a project to bring some order to my ribbon collection.  They were all on their original rolls, took up a lot of space, and were also scattered all over the studio.  They are going from this:

to this:

I’m making my own little bobbins from cardboard from cereal boxes, tissue boxes, even some random playing cards.  I’m not finished, but I’m getting there.  Now all my ribbon, fibers and threads fit in one drawer:

By the way, the plastic containers the various color groups are in are also something recycled.  My beloved  biscotti come in them, and I’ve been saving them not knowing what I’d use them for.

Speaking of bobbins, many of my ribbons had this plastic at the core.  It is two parts that snap together.  I saved them because they look like something I can use, but I have no idea for what.  If any of you have any thoughts on this, please let me know:

Journal Pages, A Technique, and yes, A Giveaway!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently signed up to be part of yet another collaborative journal group, this one with Frida Kahlo as its theme.  The launch date is June 15, and I have done some more work on my journal.
First of all, I tweaked my cover art.   Here is the original cover:

And here is the new (and I think improved) version.  Can you spot the difference?

Well, I didn't think you could miss it.  I drew the lizard on grungepaper, cut it out, inked it and decorated it with gel pens, glaze pens, german scrap, and dimensional pearls.  His eyes are half pearls that I painted.  You can't see his tongue, but it hangs off the page and is made of a coil of wire.  Pretty cool.

I've also been drawing some folkloric images on paper handmade in Mexico (thank you Lori!  see, I finally used some!) and added some to this page, which may wind up being my back cover,  Or not.  But it will be in my book somewhere:

I needed some sort of sign-in page.  My journal is very small (6x6"), but I was determined to give the artists tags to decorate and sign.  And, I wanted to use my new friend, the sewing machine.  I covered a piece of cardboard with fabric, then sewed on strips of acetate to form pockets.  There are enough for everyone in the group, and I did one myself.  Remember, the whole page is only six inches square.  The tags are tiny!

Next, I just want to remind you that every Tuesday (that would be today) I post Technique Tuesday on the PID blog, and today we're using bleach as paint.  Hop over there and check it out.  Sneak peek:

OK. Journal pages, check.  Technique, check.  What else was I going to talk about?  Oh, yes, my giveaway. Well, yesterday I shamelessly bribed you for six more followers so I'd have an even 100, and you've outdone yourselves, people.  I'm now up to 108.  LOL!   Well, this is what I have to offer.   Back when Tim's new book came out, he was giving away very cool work aprons for those who ordered the book directly from him.  He had only a limited number, and I was one of the lucky ones to receive one.    Subsequently, I got yet

another one, a gift from my friend Elena, host of the wonderful Key Largo retreat.   So, I am giving away one of them.   It's a nice full apron with adjustable straps, two big pockets, and plenty of blank space to decorate, if you care to.

And, of course, the top is already printed with some of Tim's most popular stamps:

So, if you'd like a chance to own this limited edition piece, leave a comment on this post and I'll pick a winner next week, after the holiday weekend.  But please want this to use it.  If I see it on ebay I'll be VERY upset.  And upsetting a Brookyn-born girl is not recommended.

How Do I Distress? And A Giveaway in My Future.....

It seems that most everything I create is done because a swap is due, I have journal pages to get out, or a design team project has a deadline.  Very seldom do I just sit down and make something with no particular goal in mind.  This weekend I found myself all caught up, and decided to just play with some techniques.

Is it serendipity or what?   Just this morning I saw that Tim has a great giveaway on his blog.  He wants to know how we all distress (use the distress inks), and one way to win is to create something and send him a photo.  I used distress inks all over my piece, so sent him this photo in a hurry:

It's a 4x" canvas, which was first inked with rusty hinge and crushed olive.  Some flourishes were added (some die cut, some stenciled on), and some perfect pearls brushed on in spots.

The flower was cut from Tim's tattered floral die (it's grungepaper), inked with wild honey and forest moss, then overstamped with french script in black soot.  A Maya Road stick pin is in the center.

I attached the rose to the canvas by nestling it in the niche on the back of an even smaller canvas then gluing that onto the larger canvas.

The flourishes around the rose were also cut from the flourish die....for these I glued silk fabric onto grungepaper.  I added a bit of gold tulle around the flower.

I made a little crystal and pearl danglie and hung it from the bottom of the smaller canvas with a tiny eye screw.

Here is a side view, so you can see the dimensionality (and the ruler ribbon I wrapped all around the canvas -- and further distressed with some forest moss distress ink).

And speaking of giveaways......I just noticed that I have 94 followers.  Amazing!  Well, just need six more to have a nice neat even 100.  If I should reach that magic number any time soon, I have a really cool giveaway in mind.  Do you read this blog but are not a follower?  No pressure, but.....giveaway....really cool one....I only need SIX more victims  followers.....I'm just sayin'....... 

My Inner Ringo

Today my friend JennyB showed us how to make wire wrapped rings.  I like this technique, as no ring blank is necessary.  All you need is some wire, a nice (preferably) flat bead, and a gizmo called a mandrill mandrel, which allows you to size the ring properly.  (Duh!  Just edited my spelling....isn't a mandrill a baboon??)

I don't have a mandrel here at home, so no photo, but it is a tapered rod with lines and numbers corresponding to ring sizes.  After you string the bead or beads on the wire, you center them and hold the bead over the correct size on the mandrel and then begin the wrapping process, bringing one end of the wire up one way, and the other end up around the other side of the bead.  You finish it off by sliding the ring off the mandrel and wrapping the wire tightly a few times on either side of the bead to hold everything in place.

Very hard to describe in words, and I'm sure there's a video tutorial somewhere here in cyberland.  I did one with silver wire, one with gold, and one with a gorgeous chocolate brown wire.

Is this too much?

Friday Fill-Ins

Some of my blogging buddies do Friday Fill-Ins from time to time, and since I have no new art today, I thought I'd give it a go.
1. Time with friends never fails to make me smile.
2. I'm looking forward to making wire wrapped rings tomorrow.
3.Traffic noise is what I'm listening to right now. (actual traffic noise, not the name of some new group)
4. Potato salad must have mayonnaise in it! (duh!)
5.A toasted bagel was the best thing I ate today.  (well, so far the only thing I've eaten today)
6. Today was just getting started.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a home cooked meal, tomorrow my plans include making those wire wrapped rings with my art buds and Sunday, I want to read, watch TV and make art! 

Twinchies!

So, I signed up for a twinchie swap at Everything Wendy Vecchi, figuring how much trouble could making 6 two inch squares be?  Hah!  It is amazing how much more difficult I find it to design for a small piece than a large one.  Also amazing is just how much junk artistic elements can fit on such a space.
My twinchies are in celebration of my new-found interest in my former nemesis, the sewing machine.

The base is a 2" square grungeboard piece, that I embossed with a cuttlebug folder, then dragged through a puddle of ink and water, then brushed with some perfect pearls.   On the left I attached a bit of paper tape measure and Graphic 45 paper with a zig zag stitch.  I did a zig zag stitch!  Check out the cool multi colored thread.  It has a sheen too.  Soon I'll give up my paperqueen crown and be the threadqueen.  

I stamped Wendy's little stamp on a 1" square stampbord (great product!) in coffee archival ink, then put some rusty hinge distress ink over top.  I hate naked buttons (buttons without thread) so sat and threaded and knotted all 18 buttons by hand.  

I thought I was finished, but it seemed to want more.  So I punched some little rounds (standard size hole punch) of grungepaper, glued together a double thickness of those, then attached the tiny Jenni Bowlin letters to write "sew."  I really wanted to write "stitch," but after thinking about doing all that for a three letter word vrs. a six letter word, "sew" won out.

And here's a closer view of one of the twinchies.