Wednesday Stamper - Stripes

I designed this card for Pink Cat Studio a while ago with a set of cat stamps that I'd been given. I used watercolour pencil crayons to colour them then punched them out with my circle punch. I thought they looked very sweet mounted on this striped paper. This card is my submission for this week's Wednesday Stamper.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Flowers

Here I go with my pressed flowers again. I have always loved this quotation from Plato so decided to use it in a round robin journal spread. This is my submission for the Crazy Amigo Challenge this week with the theme of "flowers".

Think Monday, Think ATC - Witches

In mythology, the night from April 30 to May 1 is Walpurgisnacht or Beltane. Walpurgisnacht is a Germanic tradition, whereas Beltrane is a Celtic tradition. Anyway, it’s the night of the witches and I thought to myself, why don’t we let the witches dance and celebrate? This is the description of the challenge this week on Think Monday, Think ATC and this is my submission.

Mixed Media Monday - Playing Cards

I altered these playing cards as part of a collaborative project. Each participant now has an entire deck of cards with PaperWhimsy images on them....stunning! The Mixed Media Monday theme this week is just that...playing cards.

Gothic Arches - Garden Fairies

The theme of Gothic Arches this week is "Garden Fairies". This is my first attempt at creating an arch with fabric. Yes, I actually dug out my sewing machine....and survived!

Blog Giveaway Winner

Well, the draw has been made by my DH for my cigar box top assemblage to celebrate my 20,000th blog hit and the winner is.......Jenifleur-de-lis! Congratulations and thank you to each and every one of you who left such sweet words.

Step Outside Your Box Saturday - Books

I have altered quite a few board books over the years but this one remains one of my favourites. I have long collected passages from books that inspire me and beg me to read them again and again. I decided to alter a board book and create spreads using some of my favourites. The book I selected had tabs so I named the pages according to the theme of the quotation. This is my submission for Step Outside Your Box Saturday this week.

4" X 4" Friday - Florals

I have always been very drawn to pressed flowers. I used to pick wildflowers when I was a child and lay them between the pages of dictionaries and other large books. Sometimes I would remember they were there and other times I would forget. Have you ever been flipping through an old book and discovered a pressed flower? I always wonder if the flower had special meaning to the person who so carefully left it between the pages? I now use my Microfleur for a quick and easy pressing. I adhered the flowers in this piece with beeswax which works beautifully. It is my submission for 4' X 4" Friday with the theme of "Florals".

Happy Birthday Sis!

I was thinking about my own sister when I created this card because she will be celebrating her 40th birthday this Saturday. Happy birthday sweet Sis!

Wednesday Stamper - Insects

Here I am colouring again! I dug my radiant pearls out of their drawer and dusted them off (literally). Dipping my paintbrush into the first little pot felt like coming home. They apply so smoothly and beautifully with such a lovely shimmer......perfect for these little flower fairies. This is my submission for Wednesday Stamper this week with the theme of "Insects" (can you spot the little butterflies?)

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Fabric

The Crazy Amigo Challenge this week is to stamp on fabric. For this mini art quilt I used a transparency. I really liked the way it looked backed by white fabric.

Art Giveaway to Celebrate 20,000 Hits

I cannot honestly believe that I am celebrating 20,000 hits on my blog. I resisted blogging for such a long time. Then one Sunday I thought to myself, "I wonder how difficult it would be to create a blog?" and just started playing. Three hours later, I had one and had even named it. It has changed face here and there thanks to a lovely friend who has talent in creating blog headers. In celebrating 20,000 hits, I'm celebrating newfound friendships, a network of talented and generous artists and opportunities for learning and growth that I would never imagined possible.

This is a little assemblage that I created from a cigar box top. The little fellow atop the elephant just makes me laugh and I hope he'll bring someone out there in blogland amusement as well. Please feel free to leave me a comment and I will draw for a winner on Sunday. I will gladly mail around the world so all of my International friends are welcome to enter....sure hope you will.

Mixed Media Mondays - Hats

It really isn't much of a stretch for me to make a piece of art with a hat featured in it somewhere. It is sometimes just like playing paper dolls to add wands and wings and headwear to collage images. This is a cigar box assemblage that I sent to a dear friend of mine. I call it "Shouldn't we ask for directions?" because I imagine that this little girl is looking at a map as she sits atop her bird friend. This is my submission for Mixed Media Monday with the theme of "Hats".

Think Monday - Think ATC - Water Sprites and Mermaids

The stories of mermaids ignite the imagination. I don't know about you but they often gave me a bit of a shiver....luring helpless sailors to their watery demise. The theme for Think Monday - Think ATC this week is "Water Sprites and Mermaids". I chose a more modern and a lot less sinister version of a water sprite.

Step Outside Your Box Saturdays - Abstract

I get excited even thinking about creating these cards....it is weirdly relaxing to me. They are made by dropping food colouring....yes, food colouring.....onto hot press watercolour paper, adding salt then squishing plastic wrap on top. I make up sheets and sheets at a time then mount them in die cut cards and name them. The naming part is....well don't even get me started! These are my submissions for "Step Outside Your Box Saturdays" this week with the theme of "Abstract".

4 X 4 Friday - Circus

I just find these two fellows dressed up as clowns to be hilarious. Their costumes are decidedly homemade and they don't have a stick of makeup on their faces....a Hallowe'en party perhaps? Entertainment for their child's birthday party? A town carnival? This is my submission for 4 X 4 Friday with the theme of "Circus".

Theme Thursday - Stripes

I was invited to participate in an International artist trading card exhibition. We were to create atcs that captured our country in some way and these were two of my cards. The striped background paper actually came in a Canadian themed package. These are my submissions for this week's Theme Thursday with the theme of "Stripes".

"Love" ATC

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be having a draw for a piece of artwork to celebrate my 20, 000th hit.....only 400 hits to go so I had better get creating! I just want to tell you how much I appreciate all of the visits to my blog. I have made the most amazing friendships in blogland that truly do brighten and enhance my life in more ways that I could possibly express. Thank you!

Quotations/Words Round Robin Pages

I wanted to create a bold look for these two round robin pages. My task was to use words and/or quotations in this spread. I decided to weave stamped words into the encaustic background that related to the two quotations that I had chosen (two of my favourites).

"Don't just ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and then go and do it, because what the world needs is people who have come alive" ~Howard Thurman~

"Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me and raindrops as they're falling tell a story"
~Amy Lee~

Mixed Media Monday - Girls and Dolls

I don't know about you but I loved my dolls when I was young. I could spend hours making up imaginary lives for them and dressing them in the many "outfits" handed down or handmade just for them. "Girls and Dolls" is the theme for this week's Mixed Media Monday challenge.

Canvas Personal Swap Anyone?

I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who would be interested in swapping canvases with me. I recently took the Paulette Insall course and learned many new techniques and think that I would be much more motivated if I swapped with others. I'm thinking smaller canvases....6" X 6".......If you are interested, please email me privately and we will make plans. I never put a time limit on personal swaps....just whenever you get around to creating. I'm happy to mail anywhere around the world.

In Praise of Robins

I am dedicating this atc to all of the robins out there who looked terribly confused and befuddled by the snow coming down this morning. The dear little guys were busy collecting fixings for their nests despite the snow on the tops of their heads.

4" X 4" Friday - Family

I picked up this vintage photo of three young women a while ago and immediately connected to it. Although I sometimes use it for a "friends" theme, I really am convinced that these three are sisters. They are all dressed up in their summer dresses on a warm day. Do you think they're going to a garden party? Perhaps to a wedding? To church? This is my submission for 4" X 4" Friday with the theme of "Family".

Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - Fairies

The Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog theme this week is "Fairies". This was a little library card tag book that I created for a friend of mine with the very theme of "fairies". I used quotations about them to grace the tags.

TGIF - Blue and Green

Every once in a while I like to dig out my watercolour pencil crayons and paint a stamped scene like this one. It is a calming and therapeutic exercise for me. The image is from Old Island Stamp Company in British Columbia, Canada, and is a favourite of mine. This is my submission for the TGIF challenge this week with the theme of "Blue and Green".

Wednesday Stamper and Theme Thursday - Arrows and "Cherish"

I loved the softness of this coordinating scrapbook paper so I created two cards using it. The clock pieces are actually stickers and matched so beautifully. They are my submissions for Theme Thursday which challenged us to use the word "cherish" in our artwork and for Wednesday Stamper which challenged us to use an arrow in our piece this week.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Newest Addition

The Crazy Amigo challenge this week was to use something new in our art supplies. I have been reading quite a bit about grungeboard so decided to purchase some and give it a try. I was creating round robin journal pages for a dear friend of mine. This is a journal of months and she has asked us to use vintage children in them. I dug out my grungeboard to spell out the word "May" and coloured them with lumieres. I also used a new package of encaustic waxes with exciting new colours.

Nursery Rhyme Round Robin Tip-in Pages

I am hosting a round robin tip-in swap with fellow Canadians this year. We all have chosen books of varying sizes and have designated themes for our books. Each month we send and receive a set of two pages that we adhere into our journals. These pages were made for a sweet friend of mine and are only 3.5" X 3.5". She chose Fairy Tales/Nursery Rhymes as her theme. I used an older, unfamiliar nursery rhyme for my pages.

Mixed Media Monday - Paris

Ah, the romance of Paris! This is the theme for Mixed Media Monday this week and this gothic arch is my submission. This lovely woman looks like she is wistful as she remembers her time in the wonderful city.

Arte Y Pico Award

I've been given the Arte y Pico award by the very talented Kristy Christopherson -Thank you so much, Kristy. I am truly honoured!
There are 5 rules attached to this and they are :-1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and that also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her/him the award itself.4. The Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte Y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.5. To show these rules.
Here are 6 blogs (I found it difficult narrow it down to 6!!) that I look at regularly that inspire me:

Val's Altered Heart Journey

Sweet Repeats

Pinkadoo

Magpie's Nest

Xela's Art Blog

Gillian

Step Outside Your Box Saturdays - Color Your World...Differently

We were asked to use colours in our artwork that we normally don't use for this week's Step Outside Your Box Saturday. It's funny how we gravitate toward certain colours and combinations of colours and mine preferences seem to be earthy, jewel tones. For this project I used pastels which normally don't appear in my artwork. This little book was made for my lovely friend Gillian as a personal exchange. It is a library pocket tag book. I used images of babies on cupcakes created by the talented Kris Hubick. I then selected recipes from my own collection to add to each tag accompanying the babies. Gillian and I thought this book was lost because it took 10 weeks to travel from Canada to Scotland! It arrived the day after I'd mailed a second, replacement book. Now we kid one another that it actually travelled by donkey. We have talked about the donkey so often that I think we're going to have to name it. If you'd like to see the book that I received in return, have a look on Gillian's blog and be prepared to gasp!

TGIF - Faces

When I was collecting rubber stamps, I always seemed to be drawn to the ones with faces and this little girl definitely caught my eye. For this card I stamped her on stampbord and carved a little detail into her face. "Faces" is the theme for this week's TGIF Challenge.

Theme Thursday - Orange and Black

Orange and black, the theme for Theme Thursday......what immediately comes to mind is Hallowe'en. This page, however, was created for a round robin journal swap. I really liked the look of the printed transparency over top of the scrapbook paper filled with Autumn leaves. One of my "traditions" in the fall is to go for long walks on my lunch hour and collect bags of leaves. I scour the ground for a variety of colours, shapes and sizes then dry them in my microwave with my Microfleur. The smell I create in the kitchen is very "organic". I then have them readily available throughout the year for my artwork. The lovely image is from Paper Whimsy.

Wednesday Stamper - Trees

The starkness or fullness of trees can evoke such powerful emotions. Those evenings in the late Fall when only a few leaves cling to the branches of the trees and the wind wails through them. Warm summer days when the trees have their full complement of leaves that dance in a gentle breeze. These are the trees that bring welcome shade and make being outside bearable. Believe me, I have spent many a peaceful hour laying on my back under these trees. "Trees" is the theme for this week's "Wednesday Stamper". There is something slightly spooky about the look of this gothic arch, don't you think? I didn't intend for this to happen but I rather like it.

Crazy Amigo's Challenge - Free Theme

Well, I just stumbled into a wonderful new challenge site hosted by some of my most favourite blog artists called Crazy Amigo's Challenge. This is a free theme week for them so I thought I'd post this photo of a cigar box assemblage that I created. I call this "Lucy and Bird". I hope to make this one of a series.

Mixed Media Monday - Believe

The theme for Mixed Media Monday this week really made me sit quietly and think. The theme is "Believe". I just kept linking this word to dreams and realized that I believe strongly in dreams.....so that we can stretch ourselves, give ourselves hope and even improve the world in some small (or big) way. These are altered board book pages created with copies of precious cabinet cards.