Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year...

... and I hope 2011 brings you all the creativity you desire.

For fun ....



Your rainbow is strongly shaded violet.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What is says about you: You are a creative person. You appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Scraps Of Color E:spire is having Give-Aways!

... all this week SOC E:spire is having fun give aways!!! Don't miss out - read all about it and join in on the fun HERE!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas Everyone!


I wanted to wish all of my online friends the very best Christmas and New Year! My wish for all of you is to have good health, prosperity & blessings throughout the New Year.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Check Out My Latest Project in Toletown's CyberPalette

Hello Bloggers! I posted earlier that I was so happy to be doing projects for Scraps Of Color E:spire and Toletown's CyberPalette. Well, my Santa Baby ATC card was one of the features in the new Toletown CyberPalette issue! It's now a monthly ezine ... so if you have some extra funds and want to see lots of wonderful decorative art painting projects - subscribe and paint to your hearts content! With the demise of so many decorative art magazines, this is a nice way to keep up with your favorite designers too.

...and don't forget to subscribe to E:spire - it's FREE!! I can not WAIT for you to see the project I have for you guys in February - it's a big one !!!

Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Inexpensive 12x12 Paper Storage


... okay...I'm CHEAP. But I just don't have the money to spend on the fancy schmancy incredible storage options I see in all the stores and on the online blogs and such. I don't have a handy man to build me the most FANTABULOUS wooden storage unit, nor do I have the time or the patience ... or the skills to build anything myself. I mean - I'm a do-it-yourself kinda girl ... but I'm not a miracle worker!! When Danah on Scraps Of Color issued this blog challenge - I knew I had to share.


So, when I saw this storage idea last year on one of the blogs (I'm sooo sorry I didn't write down where I originally saw this), I knew this was right up my alley.

Plus, it makes me feel good to recycle all those boxes that keep coming with all my scrap stuff ... and I get rid of all my scraps too!!LOL So, to the original crafter that came up with this idea, THANK YOU!!. I'm just so sorry I didn't remember where I scrap-lifted this from.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

That OOPS!! Moment

Hello and Happy December!!! If you're like me, you've spent the past week saying "I can't believe it's December already! Where has the year gone?" The past couple of weeks, I've been running between my paint table and my paper crafting table ... and like you do when you're in a rush - you sometimes have those OOPS! moments.

I was on a roll, stamping sentiments in cards I'd just finished, when I noticed I stamped them on the WRONG side of my card! After swearing, LOL, I stared at it for a couple of seconds, and stamped it on the right side ... still wondering what the heck I was going to do ... cause I was NOT making these cards over again.



I looked over at some of my scraps ... and then decided to "line" the upper portion of my card on the inside. It would hide my mistake, and also give my card a nice "weight" to it.



Niiice!!! LOL ... I loved it ... and I was happy I didn't have to do all my cards over! I think sometimes our OOPS moments, lend themselves to creative solutions which more often than not, make our creations extra special.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Good Stuff Coming in 2011


Scraps of Color E:spire


As I posted previously, I'm so excited to also be a part of this new venture.
and I wish I could show you what I have in store for you ... but I can't - not yet. You'll have to subscribe to find out what I'm planning for the premiere issue!


Toletown's CyberPalette Ezine

I've been painting at Toletown.com since it's inception in 2002. Lorrie Weber was one of the first artists online to have online painting classes ... and it's where I went from Onestroke to learning to paint tole. Since then, Susan Kelley has joined and between Lorrie and Susan, they have turned Toletown into one of the most comprehensive online painting communities out there. One of the features of Toletown is a wonderful magazine called the CyberPalette. The magazine had previously only been available to paying members of Toletown. Well the good news is the CyberPalette will now be a monthly ezine ... and it will be available to everyone.


There are lots of fun things coming in 2011 ... I'm so excited about all the good stuff coming up creatively in 2011 ... and I hope you'll sign up for these publications and be a part of it.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Scraps of Color E:Spire is About To Launch - and I'm On The Team!!

I'm so excited to have been accepted as part of the first Creative Team!!!

I feel blessed to have been given this creative opportunity. I've always thought in colors, so they say ... and last year after many starts and stops - I found Tiare Smith online, an extremely entrepreneurial sister who is determined to let the world know that Sisters Scrap Too!!.

Tiare is the genius behind Classy Coordinates. I found kindred spirits on her Scraps of Color ning group, other women of color who loved to play with paper. LOL

Tiare is on the move again, launching Scraps of Color E:spire, and has offered me wonderful opportunity to share my art with you and my love of history. I hope you all take the time to join and become a part of this exciting adventure. I can't wait to share with you what I have in store for 2011.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Weekend Craftin'

I had a real burst of creative energy this weekend, and I've managed to finish every swap project that I had for Oct and Nov!!LOL I guess its true that when the inspiration hits you - it hits you.

All I have to do on Monday is mail out everything.

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comSanta's Sistah cards, using a print of a painting that I did over the summer.

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comSanta Tag Cards that I did using one of my favorite holiday stamps, called Stampers Collage.

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comThese are calendars for 2011 that I did, love the colors and stamps. The stamps are from the now defunct ScrapGoods group ... but they were so perfect for this project. The flowers, I bought from Overstock.com - they come blank, and you color them yourself.

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comThis fun little angel is on a 4x6 piece of watercolor paper. I used acrylics and glazing medium...and micron pens for the details.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Getting My Mojo Back

A little over a year ago, I was in such a funk that I didn't even have the desire to pick up a paint brush. So, like any crafty chick - I switched gears and turned my attention to the paper arts. Scrapbooking in particular. I had no supplies, so I joined some cool clubs like Studio Calico, Treasure Box, Unity Stamps ... and voila!! I was off.

But a funny thing happened on the way to being the perfect paper crafter.

The more I scrapped and made cards ... the stronger my desire to paint became. Every time I stamped an image - I wondered how long it would take to draw. Every time I looked at digital stamps, I thought of all the line drawings I had on my PC, that I could use instead of purchasing a digital stamp.

And then all the papers!!! OOOOH LA LA!!! There are some scrumptiously gorgeous papers out there ... and I'd think how wonderful it would be to be the ARTIST who created those papers.

And then ... slowly but surely ... I began to gravitate back to my painting table. Not with the full force that I'd had for so many years (over ten years) ... but enough for me to start to try again. Another thing that helped, was all the mixed media blogs and you tube videos. WOW. If you want inspiration, there are so many blogs and you tubers out there so willing to share their creative talents.

Don't get me wrong - I love to scrapbook. I love making cards too, but the pull to paint is so strong within me ... I guess I needed that break to make me realize how much I missed it.

In my perfect painting paper crafting world - I am able to combine my love of painting and my love of scrap-booking and card making ... and the fun of it wil lbe trying to get there.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Working Through Painters Block

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I started this piece sketching on it freehand ... and after working on it off and on ...I got so frustrated I'd planned on sanding down the entire piece and starting again. I sometimes think I rush my vision, if that makes sense. I know the traditional way is to paint the background first - but I never seem to do that ... and I'm wondering if that is what is getting me into trouble.

I worked through some of the issues on this piece - its not finished, its still a work in progress. What I learned this weekend was to not force anything..that when I get to the point of frustration - I need to walk away.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Creative Columbus Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend ... and for my Canadian friends, I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was wonderfully spent with family and friends.

Me?..I had plans that fell through ... so I spent the last 3 days in my studio/basement going between my painting table and crafting table. I managed to finish all my swaps but one. Here are some of the cards that I worked on:




Saturday, September 25, 2010

Last Weekend in September

I hope everyone is enjoying the last days of September. I have been doing lots paper crafting and painting. I completed my first Travelogue, and mailed it off this past week. The book I received had a Charmed theme ... and my page was about timepieces I collect.

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I also sent out my ATC swap for Urban Scrappers. Every month everyone picks a letter - and we keep going until all the letters of the alphabet are used. This month, I got the letter "S". My ATCs are named Santas Soul. I really loved creating the background - and I used a Tim Holtz stamp.

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Autumn Cards


I love the fall. I love the crispness in the air .. the beautiful colors of fall foliage ... and it was that I was thinking about when I created these Autumn cards. Now, I fully intended on adding some embossing to these, but BOTH of my embossing guns died over the weekend. They simply shorted out - which is surprising to me, as I hardly ever used them. So, the Autumn tag on the card, which I'd planned on using embossing powder, is actually a piece of acetate that I stamped. I love the way they came out....hope you do too.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

I've Been Out An About

Hello Fellow Bloggettes!! (I don't have any male followers) I'm enjoying the last days of summer with my son before school starts. I hope you all are having a wonderful time as summer wraps up! I've made a little something to explain my Artful State Of Mind.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I've Been Painting ...

... and posting my progress on You Tube. Please feel free to leave critiques.

Hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer vacation - I can't believe only 2 more weeks and the kids are back in school!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Pattern Panashe on SOC


Scraps of Color is a great site with great challenges, especially for scrapbooking. I have done more scrapping since January, than I have the entire 5 years I was hoarding supplies!!

This week's challenge, for Technique Tuesday, was to combine at least 4 patterned paper and incorporate into a layout.

Now, this is not my thing, mixing lots of patterns, but I tried it. Now, I'm not on a design team, I don't work for any craft companies ... so when I list items at times that I've used - its only to share.

The papers are by Fancy Pants.
The letters are by Thickers
The *bling* is good ol' Stickles
The flowers are by Dear Lizzy

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Playing With Stamps_Celebrate Cards


I am so hooked on making these little stamps! I accidentally broke one of my soft blocks, so I doodled a little something on it .. and made these cards for a challenge.

I didn't have enough black ribbon, so I used cardstock and vellum. The lettering on the vellum is from my printer. I use a heavier vellum, so it isn't all hung up when I try to print something.

I also don't have swirly bling, so I used stickles for the swirls.

The little beads are floral drops from the gardening section at TARGET...I colored them with some dark alcohol ink.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Jazzy Papers Challenge


Tenia over on Jazzy Papers has a cool challenge going on! Here's my interpretation of her sketch.

Hello Blogosphere!


Hello out there in blog land! I've gotten a lot of requests as to the face behind my little drawings in my profile recently. I realized I had no recent pics of me, and decided to say "Hello!!".

I've been on a slow quest to lose weight. I've been lucky so far, as I have no real health problems - and I want to keep it that way. Last year I got a WII for myself, and began the WII Fit program. Its been a slow process, but I have managed to lose about 20 pounds since last year. I've fallen off the wagon a couple of times, but I'm back on now, and recently joined a fun group called ScrapNFit. Tiare runs a fun group, and has different ways to achieve your goals. Right now, I'm focused on portion control and exercise. I don't own a scale, so I depend on my Wii to give me my weight on a weekly basis.

Anyhow ... that's the journey I am presently on, and anyone who would like to take it with me, please feel free to post to me and share your journey!

And for those who wonder about the gal behind the caricature .. here I am ... trying to keep cool here in Northern VA.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Weekend Scraps

This weekend I took a break from painting, and decided to make cards only using the scraps on my paper crafting table.

A perfect excuse to do this was the ongoing swaps on the Art For The Creative Mind yahoo group. One of the swaps I signed up for, was a card swap with the theme, Games People Play.

Here's what I came up with using only the scraps on my table.

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Who Am I?


So many times I feel we as women look only at what is wrong with us, who we want to be, how we can change. But do we accept who we are right now? I know I don't always do - and I'm trying to change that. In my twenties, I know I was trying to figure myself out ... my thirties, I became a Mother, a Wife ... and now, in my forties ... I feel as if I not only know who I am ... but accept who I am. Is there room for improvement - of course. What I asked myself over the weekend ... was do I LIKE WHO I AM??

Yes.

Monday, July 5, 2010

My Son Was Being Bullied on Facebook

I'm so upset. My 12 yr old woke me up last night, and told me he wanted me to delete his Facebook account. I allowed him to have an account - which I monitored like the dickens ... and for the most part he seemed to enjoy it. He had a small amount of friends and family - and all seemed to be well.

Until this weekend.

He wanted me to upload some videos of he and his friends skateboarding, so as I was uploading - I do what Mothers do - I looked at his FB page.

Now, I know I am sorta over-protective of my son, and no parent likes to think their kids are doing things that they don't approve of when they aren't around ... but I'm not naive either. I was a smart mouth 12 yr old way back when ... and I remember exactly the things I did and said ... and how "grown" I thought I was, LOL. I was bullied, and on occasions I'd had to defend myself physically. Back then (in the late 70's/early 80's), you weren't kicked out of school - you were suspended. the suspensions were also served at the school, not at home. So when I fought Rachel, the bully who'd tormented me all summer - I spent a week in suspension, in the Principals office!

But these days, bullying is insidious and its often violent, and all I could think of was the kids I'd read about who are bullied online, that hide it from their parents ... and they have taken their own lives. Is it a stretch? Probably - but that's directly where my mind went.

Normally I would not have acted, but this boy threatened my son on Facebook. He basically told him that when the new school term started ... frankly, there'd be hell to pay.

My first thought - what idiot carries a grudge all summer long, over a Facebook page?

Then I answered myself. A Bully.

I had a knot in my stomach, as I read my son's responses to this boy. He cursed at him, and to see the foul language on the page, that I know was written by my son was eye-opening to me. Like I said, I don't put my head in the sand, I know kids do things we don't like when we aren't around ... but this "felt" different to me. What I read on the page was my son "defending himself" as this little boy continued to "go after him with a certain viciousness.

I may have even let it stand, had I not noticed an open chat window that my son left open with one of his friends. In this chat window he expressed not the foul language he used on the page against the boy ... but fear. He told his friend that he was afraid, and that he now dreaded the first day of middle school, because this boy would be waiting for him. He said that the boy was bigger and meaner and he said the only thing he could do was remember all he was taught in karate for 5 years ... and fight.

I started to cry. I remember feeling like that. Here I am, 45 years old and I remember EXACTLY how that felt at 12 years old. Unadulterated fear.

I don't apologize for being a nosy parent. I called my son inside, and I told him that I wanted him to delete the foul language he'd posted on facebook. I told him that as much as I understood his anger and fear, that facebook follows you wherever you go. I told him his teachers, his principal, etc ... that it wasn't worth ruining his enjoyment of facebook.

Surprisingly, my son was not angry with me for reading his page or his chat ... and somewhere deep inside I realized he wanted me to see it. We talked a long time about this ... and his tears hurt me to my core, as well as the helplessness he expressed in "not being able to get away from this boy" who apparently had been bullying him ALL YEAR LONG IN SCHOOL!!!!!!!

I was livid, but at the same time so happy that my son still feels close enough to me to talk to me about his feelings. He told me he wanted to enjoy Facebook, but he didn't think it was worth it if he was going to be bullied. At first I asked him to think about it, to not let one person ruin something that he enjoyed.

I sent the boy a message on Facebook that said the following:

Your parents are more than welcome to call me if there is a problem with my son. _____ parents have my number, if your parents would like to talk to me.

I have already told my son not to respond to you anymore, and I'd appreciate that you do not respond to him any longer.

If I see anymore conversation on facebook between the two of you, I will have to speak with your parents.


The part of me that understood a 12 yr old, knew that my son would not like my message. But the parent in me wanted to shut this down, and REMIND the other boy that parents read these pages.

I am proud of my son. I sometimes see glimpses of maturity and clarity in his decisions ... but for the most part, he is still 12 - and not a 12 going on 20 twelve year old. He's just a normal twelve year old.

Four hours later, he woke me up, and asked me to delete his account. He said he knew he would not be able to NOT respond, and that he knew this kid would continue to come after him on Facebook.

I took a screen shot of the pages, and then, at the request of my son I deleted his account.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Christmas in July cards!!

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comCan you believe Christmas only six months away?? These cards were quick and easy to make ... and I wanted to do non-traditional colors, at least with the card stock. The envelopes I used a border stamp and brown Anna Griffin ink.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Isn't She Cute?

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comI bought this cute little stamp a while ago ... and finally got a chance to use it. I love her little face.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Sketches_Face Two

This is the second sketch of the same pic. I tried to change the focus, and the direction of the eyes.

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This is an ongoing class at All Norah's Art ning group.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Recycle Project: Foil Box Ribbon Holder

This was a REALLY quick and easy project, and I still can't believe that I looked at the foil box and came up with this.

**SCROLL DOWN to the bottom of the page and Press PAUSE on the MUSIC PLAYER BEFORE PLAYING THE VIDEO**

Figuring out what I can do with this box:



Getting down to work:


COMPLETE:

Monday, June 14, 2010

6x6 Scrapbook Journal Complete

I am so happy, I love the way my journal turned out. I think I like doing books best of all, so many possibilities. I also had a lot of fun trying my hand at posting youtube videos .. I will definitely do more of those.

**SCROLL DOWN AND HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON ON THE PLAYER BEFORE VIEWING VIDEO**

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Accordion Insert for 6x6 Scrapbook Journal_wk 3

Before watching video -

**SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM OF PAGE AND PRESS PAUSE ON THE MUSIC PLAYLIST**


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Week 2_6x6 Scrapbook Gratitude Journal

I added another weeks worth of pages to my Gratitude Journal that we are doing on the Scraps of Color site. I have been sick so I didn't do a long one, I felt well enough today to just go through the pages I managed to finish. Between my allergies and my asthma, I've had a pretty rough week. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

**BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO, PLEASE SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE AND PRESS PAUSE on THE MUSIC PLAYER**

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

6x6 Scrapbook Gratitude Journal

I took advantage of this past holiday weekend to try something different, so far as sharing my scrapbooking - I made videos! I know to some that might not mean much, but for me, it is.

I worked on a Gratitude journal, a challenge on the Scraps of Color Ning site. We're doing this for the month of June.

Check out what I did!!


Before watching video -

**SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM OF PAGE AND PRESS PAUSE ON THE MUSIC PLAYLIST**




Where I stopped on my journal:

Part One


Part Two


To see more of my videos, click HERE. I had a BLAST making these once I got the hang of it.

Friday, May 28, 2010

In Remembrance on Memorial Day


Before barbecues and parades ...
Before hitting the road to beaches and friends...
Give thanks to the men and women of our Armed Forces who are giving their lives...
And have given their lives ...
To protect us.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Painted ATCs

I love painting ATCs. The perfect mix of paint and paper ... and I'm in creative heaven. This batch was fun to do. I used my WISP brush (the largest size) to paint the lines. When I paint on paper with acrylics, instead of using water - I use glaze medium. No buckling!Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comFree Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com

These are for a quick ATC swap on Urban Scrappers.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Unmounted Rubber Stamp Tip

I have a lot of unmounted rubber stamps, as I am sure everyone else does too. And like everyone else - I have those acrylic blocks that can be kinda pricey.

Well, this afternoon, I was looking for something to use for a rather long border stamp I have. I thought about putting 2 of my acrylic blocks together - when it hit me I had something even better.

A ruler!!!

I have several acrylic rulers that I knew would work ... and of course - when I need one - I can't find it!!! Soooo...I wondered - would a plain ol' wooden one do as well?

Yep!!

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Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com

And VOILA!!...I added borders to my journal page!!

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Sunday, May 2, 2010

National Scrapbooking Day_My First Tag Book_LONG POST...Lots Of Pictures

For National Scrapbooking Day, I worked on my first Tag Book. I'd actually finished the basic book earlier this week, but yesterday was spent adding lots of details.

The theme of this tag book was Grunge - so after some quick You Tube and GOOGLE searches, I jumped in. Since my upcoming cross-country trip is on my mind, I decided the theme of my book would be Trips, aptly titled Life Is A Trip.

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Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comFree Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comFree Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com


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Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comFree Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comFree Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com

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This was done for a swap on Art For The Creative Mind yahoo group. This group is a swapping group, so there is always something going on. If you want to stretch yourself and swap - this is a group for you.

A tip: For the pockets that held the mini tags - I used manila folders to cut out the pockets. I also managed to cut out 5 large tags from one manila folder .. and I am sure you can get at least 10 smaller tags from one manila folder. So, if you don't' have any tags from the supply store - use a manila folder.