Bringing In The New Year Craftin'

I hope everyone is having fun preppin' for the New Year. Me? I'm hunkered down at home with my son...and while he is getting the most of the last of Winter Break - I'm paper craftin'!

Right now however, I'm stuck regarding my card inserts. Since I missed sending out Christmas cards to some, I am sending out New Years Greetings - and I am kinda torn as to how I'm going to "frame" the cards on the cover. I think I know what I'm going to do .. just have to work it out in my head a bit more.

So wherever you are, whatever you have planned - I hope you all have a SAFE celebration!!


Edited at 1:53pm to Add: Psssssstttttt!!!!! I finished them

Happy New Year!!

My wish is that each of us continue to find the creative being inside, and share those gifts among many. You never know if something you have shared is the spark that lights someone else's creativity. May all of you have the safest and happiest New Year!...and may all your dreams come true.

Playing With Polymer Clay

Like everyone else, I am looking for creative and unique ways to store things. One of the places in my house that is totally out of control - is of course - my craft area. My first instinct is always to go to the dollar store, Target or Walmart clearance aisles ... and now a new place to feed my creative hunger - Etsy. I neded a container for my growing collection of markers...but I also wanted that container to be different - and fitting my style of creative artistic eclectic and funky.

Well, while I'm pulling things out of corners and dusty boxes in my quest to organize - I see a bunch of polymer clay that I hadn't used in EONS!!! So of course, I get totally distracted and sit down and start playing with it before realizing that I had no time, no inspiration - yeah okay - NO CLUE as to what I was going to do with this hunk of clay in front of me. The Frugal Fannie in my=e refused to throw it away though, I mean come on, do ANY pack rats you know of just freely toss anything away??

...and then I got and AHA!! moment. I went under the sink and snatched a jar that was sitting in my I'm Going To Paint Something Fabulous On This box...and created the following:


I LOVED it...and my son gave it a big thumbs up. I know it probably looks funny, but to me, its unique - I didn't spend a dime - and it fits my criteria of creative artistic eclectic funky!~

Goodies From Maya Road Close Out Sale

I love, love, love when Maya Road has their close-out sales, and always happy to catch it, as the stock sells out quickly.

Here are all the goodies I received...though many of these pieces - like the acrylic/plastic birds, I haven't a clue as to what to do with.

Merry Christmas All

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My only resolution for 2010 is to fully embrace my style of art...to try not to be discouraged when I hit a block - or look at others work and "wish" I was as good. My Christmas Angel is in the beginning stages, and I promise myself to "Just Paint" ...
and be happy with my own results.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

When The Best Is Brought Out In People...

...it makes all the difference.

Since my husband and I separated, there are a lot of little things that I never did - that I do - not happily - but I do.

The blizzard that ripped through Northern VA was one of those things where I would have ooohed and ahhed at the snow, and made hot chocolate while my husband went out and shoveled my truck out the drifts.

I put it off allllll day, knowing that I only had one shovel, a bad back, an asthmatic child who couldn't help me a lot ... and me.

Went outside with my shovel and my broom, to see a tiny brigade of husbands digging out not only their own cars and the cars of their wives....but ME!!!...and a couple of other Moms who are single. All I had to do was take my broom and get the snow off the truck.

Thank you seemed so insufficient, but they all smiled and waved and kept shoveling, telling me not to TOUCH a shovel as they didn't want me to hurt my back.

I went inside and came back out with 16 ounce piping hot Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate..and you would have thought I'd whipped out cash, they were so appreciative.

As many times as I moan and groan about missing the camaraderie and neighborly spirit of my block in Queens where I grew up ... I realized that I completely missed that I'd found the same thing right here in Northern VA.

I don't see these gentlemen a whole lot, as we all have different schedules and busy lives, but that didn't seem to matter a whole lot, as they helped a newly single Mom and her son out yesterday.

The camaraderie and neighborly spirit has been here all along.

Non Traditional Colors For Christmas Cards

Since we were snowed in today, I decided to work on some more cards. I dont' have a Santa stamp, so I used prints of a Santa that I sketched a while back. I love the colors that Classy Coordinates has in their Nov and Dec paks - I'm happy with the way these came out.

It's A Snow Day!!!!!

It has been snowing since 9:00 last night ... and it looks like Northern Virginia will be getting 2 feet of snow but tomorrow night.

Looooove it. I have printed off mailing labels and scheduled delivery pickups for Monday (poor postman). I had a short week next week anyway - and I can work from home, so this is going to be a good thing!!LOL

I don't shovel - thankfully where we live they shovel for us, but I have been throwing salt down. My son took his sled and disappeared about an hour ago, so I have the fireplace going and getting ready to wrap some gifts.

I hope everyone is safe...and dry, warm and toasty!!


LET IT SNOW!!!!!

I Do It Every Year

....I find myself painting orders up until the last minute. Thank GOODNESS that Christmas is next Friday - one more week!!! That gives me at least until Monday to paint 6 more glass orders, pack em' up - and mail PRIORITY.

When will I learn??

The Only Thing I Will Say About Tiger

...an article asked what he could do to save his fame and popularity ...

My response:

I don't think he should do anything. I think he needs to take a good look at himself and WHY he did the things he did to destroy his marriage. Unlike the media, I don't think his life is over. I don't think what he did should be examined and judged by the entire world - and contrary to the belief of many of my friends - I think he can recover and add value to this world. I think Tiger has been headed down this path for prob most of his life, being held to such a high standard it seems from the time he stepped on to the stage at 4 on the Merv Griffin show with his father. When your parents push you and push their dreams onto you, and you carry their torch - where does it leave you? I think he's human, and I think it shouldn't matter about the fame or popularity that he is losing - I think he needs to save himself so he doesn't lose himself. I still think he has a lot that he can contribute to this world, beyond golf.

So much suffering in this world ... he is still luckier than most.

Christmas Cards for 2009

I have yet to make a scrapbook page - but boy, do I love making cards. These 4 cards will be what I'm sending out this year. I went for non-traditional colors, using Tiare's November 2009 Classy Pak Plush Kit.

The Santa, is from a sketch I did a couple of years ago. I printed off different sizes of the Santa face, and also tried sepia tones and green tones. I am VERY happy with the results.



Supplies:
Classy Pak Nov 2009 Kit
Merry & Bright Collection
Nov. 09 Pak, Kit 3
3 12x12 Merry & Bright Patterned Papers
2 12x12 Chili Cardstock*
1 set Merry & Bright Die Cut Shapes and Phrases
1 yd Brown Ribbon

Ornaments For My Son and Pet

Every year I paint an ornament for my son ... and this year we added a cat - Bully - to the household...so my son wanted him to have an ornament as well.

The round canvas ornaments are painted by me, using a Lorrie Weber design. The kitty cat is actually an ornament painted by my friend Pat, which I thought was PERFECT for our fur baby, Bully.

Why I Love My Artist Friends

Throughout the year I join swaps, paint for myself and others...and over the years I've manage to create a wonderful collection of Christmas items - namely Santas. here is just one of many displays I have been creating throughout my house, with wonderful Santa's painted by not just myself, but other wonderful artists like Deb Malewski, Yvonne Kresal whose Santas are in the pic.

Merry Christmas All .. I hope everyone stops to enjoy the season while hustling and bustling doing shopping and planning for the holidays.

Quick Merry Christmas Gifts For Friends and Co Workers

One simple line drawing from Lorrie Weber at Toletown, gave me all these cute gifts to give this season to friends. Swaps online, secret Santa swaps at work ... I put Lorrie's Santa line drawing/design on boxes of various sizes and used canvas coasters for ornaments (makes shipping cheaper when you mail).

There is still time to paint or craft something quick and easy to give to your friends this year. Just look around that stash of surfaces and start creating. All the items in this pic took 3 hours to complete.

Great Last Minute Gift Tutorial!

LuLu Bird Baby has a great little covered notebook tutorial. I think this is wonderful as a last minute gift item!

Paper Ornaments

I hope everyone had a productive weekend. I am halfway to finishing everything that I need - tomorrow is crunch, as I have to finish 4 orders and get them in the mail.

Today - was the fun stuff:

Paper Ornaments using Brenda Walton templates and paper:

All Our Children Need A Little Bit Of This ... Everyday

Amazon Does 25 Days Of Christmas Music - For Free

Amazon is posting free Christmas music for 25 days of Christmas.


You need to download their free downloader...but the music is nice. It also automatically loads in ITUNES, if you have it.

Some Goodies Out There For Christmas!

So many people out there willing to share their great ideas with us!! Thanks to all who are so giving for sharing your talents with us - for free! If you guys come across a good idea or project - pass it on!!


Free Printable Christmas Tags - over 135 pages!

Recycle Glass Bulbs!!!

Polished To Perfection Scrap Tree

The Original Printable's Holiday Countdown


Tim Holtz 12 Tags Of Christmas

Nina's Altered Christmas Project Countdown

Christmas Beyond The Page Ideas

A to Z Drawing Challenge

Sandy over at Sketches and Messes 2nd Time Around blog issued a friendly challenge - no time limit - doing a little sketch, doodle, drawing, etc...from Ato Z.

I had some down time this morning at work, and found myself doodling. I'll most likely add color later on.

Recycled Watercolor Container

Lately, I've been journaling on the go - mostly sitting at the Kiss and Ride line outside of my son's school. I keep a tin, filled with my watercolors and my Aqua brush (which has become my most indispensable tool). Also, do you recognize what those white pads are in the cellophane? MAKE UP/FOUNDATION squares!! PERFECT for adding edging, backgrounds, etc... and much cheaper than buying the pads from stamp suppliers (sorry retailers, but I'm always looking to save money!)



The tin shown used have cookies inside!! Its the perfect size to hold all my watercolors and my Aqua brush.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish everyone a safe journey - even if you are staying home and just running to the store ... be safe!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Dream In Color Journal

November has been a rough month, I've been sick with the flu for almost the entire month. I didn't feel like doing much of anything, so I started a new journal - most of which is done sitting in the Kiss and Ride line waiting for my son to get out of school.


I used H20 Luminare watercolors, Derwent color pencils and Prismacolor markers. In between doodles, I spritzed my pages with Spectra Fix - a fixative for pencil, watercolor and pastels. What is great about Spectra Fix, is that it isn't in an aerosol can - it comes in a pump bottle.

Some of the lettering is from an old pack of Anna Griffin scrapbook stuff ... and I also used some rub-ons from Fancy Pants that I received from the now defunct Scrap Goods club.

A Question For All The Teachers Out There .....

... do you REALLY like the teacher gifts that your students/we parents give you?

I pose this question, because "Tis the Season to Start Teacher Giving" ... but I hesitate these days because of a small but pointed web exchange I read last year on one of my web lists.

Basically - the teachers hated the gifts.

I read the comments, first wryly ... because yeah, I can understand only being able to do so much with 25 Apple note card sets or mugs ... then sadly, because I know how much fun my son has picking out gifts for his teachers ... then I got angry, because I know how much fun my son has picking out gifts for his teachers.

I began noticing the PTA letters that came home, asking parents to forgo the "cutesy gifts" and send cash or gift cards for the teachers. Cash??? Okay - this irked me because while I understand teachers aren't paid much, that this cash comes in handy - is this REALLY what I tell my son? "No sweetie, we aren't making cookies this year and that hand painted mug - your teacher gets tons of those ... we're gonna give her money"

So ... I'm asking the teachers out there ... and please - be honest - are you sick and tired of the mugs, the pencils, the notepads (grin) ... is it really cold hard cash that you want?

..now, I have my own idea of what my son and I are giving from now on, and I'll post a pic of it soon .,.. but in the meantime ...

Let me know.

Back In The Swing Of Things

Wow ... has it really been 2 months since I have posted?? EEK!!! So sorry for the lapse .. but after the summer, work blindsided me .. then the FLU blindsided me. I feel as if I am slowly lifting from a fog. I still have a lingering cough - and my ears are clogged ( SO ANNOYING ) ... but I am slowly feeling back to normal.

The road trip to Florida was fun - though I think I will have to return to Orlando and spend at least a week at Disney Land. Next year, its back across country!! My son and my sister will be joining me again for our bi-annual road trip and this time we will be driving to Vegas and Disney World in California. I'm already planning for it, as 8 months will fly by!!

Here are some pics of our summer adventures:


Summer 2009_Florida and North Carolina

Summer Get Aways - I'm Out

Last summer I drove across country from New Jersey to Oregon. It was an adventure and one that I hope to repeat again next summer. destination - a painting seminar in Oregon with a wonderful artist named Jamie Mills Price. This was my second summer painting with Jamie in Oregon ... and sadly last summer was her last seminar...so I **HAD** to be there. It was 15 days of fun and my son and sister were along for the ride.

I love road trips, and along with my son, I've driven up to Rhode Island, down to Tennessee ... always making sure that my son is with me. I want my son to realize that the Washington DC area isn't the only place in this country. I want him to see the United States - and to me - you just can't beat a road trip for learning about America. I believe we all take this country for granted, and everyone is always so ready to hop on a plane to the islands, or to Europe ... but I say know your own backyard first...but that is just me.

This summer...we are headed to Florida - to Disney World of course. My son and I went a couple of years ago, but we flew with family members..and it was a short trip - 2 days. I vowed to return and knew that I would be driving. So this week, my son and I hit the road again...and I can't wait. There is something about a road trip in the summer ... that just screams Summer Getaway.

So...whether you are flying to that favorite island of yours, driving to that favorite destination...or staying home this year and enjoying the peace and quiet of home ... enjoy your Summer Getaways. Life is too short not to take one.

Journal

Another swap, another attempt at mixed media. This time the theme on the Art For The Creative Mind group is Recycle & Reuse. I had an old sketchbook - unused - which I thought would look nice with an updated cover.


I crackled the basecoat, added some paper accessories from my scrapbooking stash...and I added the vines and leaves using Ceramcoat acrylics. I am very happy with the way this turned out - and hopefully my swap partner will enjoy it as well.

For The Birds

Collages I see in the mags and on the blogs look so beautiful...so well thought out and put together....until I try and do some. The Art For The Creative Mind group just completed For the Birds ATC swap. My poor partner ...

The Angel Policy - Rubber Stamps and Selling Your Creations

Hello Everyone,

I have been doing research for a friend of mine that wants to sell her stamps online, and I came across lots of information regarding the usage of rubber stamps and selling your creations.

Angel Companies are companies that will allow you to use their images to be used for handmade art, cards, etc in local resale venues such as art and craft shows, etc. However no mechanical reproductions are allowed.

PLEASE do your research in regards to the stamps you are using, before selling your wares - I would hate for the everyday Craft Momma to get sued. Here are some articles with lists of the companies that are affected:

Rubber Stamp Angel Company Lists A thru I
Rubber Stamp Angel Companies H thru Q
Rubber Stamp Company Listing R - S
Rubber Stamp Angel Companies List T - Z

Is Bottle Cap Art Altered or Recycled?

I don't know what bottle cap art falls under - Altered? Trash to Treasure? But whatever category it falls under, I had a lot of fun creating this bracelet for a swap on the Art For The Creative Mind yahoo group.

Some of the ladies on there really have done some beautiful things, using jewelry pieces, chains...lots of bling. Problem is - I'm not a BLING type of gal, so it was hard for me to envision what I wanted to make.

I had all my supplies, most from Maya Road - so I knew that whatever I was going to make would be using those things that I already had. I hope my partner likes this - I had a lot of fun making it.

A Rose Is A Rose

These ATCs are for a swap on the Brush Bunch list. I used Twinkling H20 paint pots to add color. I left them plain, since this is a paint list and did not add any of the normal paper craft embellishment...but I can easily see these used as centers for cards, so I will be using these stamps again. The sayings are stamps I bought from House Mouse many moons ago.

Grin and Bear It

On the Aussie Toler list, the theme is BEARS!!!....so once again I dug through my patterns, deciding to do more of Deb's bears. These bears designs are both from pattern 703.

Christmas In July

I love Christmas, and would paint Christmas items all year round if I could. On the Art For The Creative Mind group, one of the swaps are for Christmas Tags. I decided to paint Deb Malewski bears (pattern #196)on the 4 office supply tags.

Having recently discovered the joys of paper crafting, I forget how much enjoyment I take in painting. I especially love when I can combine decorative painting with paper crafting - the best of both worlds.

Brown Sugar Baby Brushes

I added another blog!!..who would have thought I would have 2!!!...I was stressing about keeping this one up!!LOL If you have a chance, peek in Brown Sugar Baby Brushes once in a while, to see what is on my paint table!

Maya Road Surprise In July

WOW!!!!...what a way to kick off the first day in July, but to receive a nice surprise from Maya Road!! While perusing blogs one morning, someone posted about a grab bag deal that Maya Road had - you pay around 40-50 bucks and get a box of things that they have on clearance. They pack the box for you...you don't know what is coming. I am sorry to say I really forgot what blogger posted their goodies...but I have to say THANK YOU!!!!...cause I took the plunge too..and look what I got!!!

And MORE!!


I took pics of the back, so you can see the names of all this stuff. I'm still pretty new to paper crafts, so I can only describe this as JACKPOT!!!LOL

Much love and a lot of thanks to my fellow blogger - so sorry I can't remember your name!!! - who gave the heads up about this awesome sale at Maya Road.

Paper Bag Book Pages

I entered a swap a while ago, creating a paper bag book. I didn't post all the pages, as I didn't want my swap partner to get a sneak peek. She received it - and liked it - so I thought I share some of the pages I did.

These pages were cream stationary cut in squares, attached by brads and on the right side a sticky note, which my partner can replace.


This page was a little mini blank book for my swap partner to jot down her thoughts.


The left page, I made a mini book out of stationary. On the right page, I took a vellum ATC envelope and filled it with blank ATCs. In the pocket of that page I added more blank vellum envelopes.



This was the last page, and on the right I just wrote a personal note to my swap partner.

Red, White & Blue ATCs

Two recent swaps that I joined had red, white and blue themes ... and I created a series of themed ATCS of 3 originals. The most recent ATC Themed Editions I sent out were titled "Ms. Independence" & "Le Fleur of Independence". I always hesitate when sending out some of my ATCs, because I am a born scrubbler and doodler - and compared to other ATCs that I see - mine always seem so sparse in comparison ... but I love to play with inks, pens and H20 Twinkling Luminaries.