Saturday's Workout - Altered Books

Do you find yourself getting excited when you look at used books dreaming of the potential for altering them into works of art? Working in a library, I have lots of opportunities to scout out books that have been donated or weeded from the collection. This little gem made me squeal with delight. It started life as a Sesame Street book and ended as a tribute to "home" and a gift for a girlfriend for her 40th birthday. I loved the house shape and the window on the cover of it. This is my entry for this week's Saturday's Workout challenge.

Saturday Surprise - Exotic Places

Is there a place that you travel to in your mind.....one that represents a sense of the exotic? the romantic? I've always been interested in visiting Italy and, of course, Venice. The country figures prominently in literature and film and despite its small size has a rich array of landscapes and historical diversity. What is your exotic place? This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.

TGIF Challenge - Architecture

A year ago yesterday a tragic fire that was deliberately set claimed one of the most significant buildings in our city, Alma College. This beautiful, stately building had graced our horizon since 1877 when it was chartered as an independent girls' school. It ceased operations in 1988 and closed its doors in 1994. From that point until its demise it had been the subject of much debate and controversy. Different organizations had taken residence in it for short periods of time and it had even been considered as a seniors' residence for a time. In its final years, the wrecking ball was a constant threat. We had an art display at my library yesterday called "Legacy and Loss" that had been inspired by the architecture of Alma College. The Grade 7 and 8 students had to drive around the city taking photos of houses and buildings built around the same time as the college. They used these photographs to create clay tiles and watercolours. Just seeing the artwork was a reminder of the importance of our history and the influence of architecture.

The TGIF challenge couldn't have been more timely. My round robin journal pages are a tribute to the influence of Greek Architecture.

ATC Wednesday - flowers

It's all about the flowers these days with Spring firmly taking a stance. Is your garden full of glorious colour? I noticed that the peonies in mine are well on their way as are the ants that accompany them!! This is my entry for ATC Wednesday this week.

Wednesday Stamper - Purple and Green

The colour combination of purple and green has such a sense of freshness and restfulness to it. I used it in this round robin page describing the garden as a place to think creatively. This is my entry for the Wednesday Stamper challenge this week.

Created ByHand Challenge - Insects

I was digging in the garden on the weekend and unearthed a bumble bee beneath the ground. I don't know who was more suprised! He was rather dozy and stumbled around before taking flight. This is an encaustic ode to Spring and all of its wonders and is my entry for this week's Created ByHand challenge.

Mixed Media Monday - Feathered Friends

I hear one of the feathered friends who lives with me scolding me for not feeding him as I post this morning! Life is all about a strict routine, you know! This started as a Christmas box with a snowman on the top and ended up a nesting box. Our neighbour has two sparrows who have started a family in his box. We call the male bird the "proud papa" as he fiercely guards his brood, attacking larger birds and squirrels who come near. The female travels back and forth finding food and stuffing it into the big open mouths of her babies. This is my entry for the Mixed Media Monday challenge this week.

Think Monday, Think ATC - Wild Animals

I am always entranced by shows on wild horses like those on Sable Island. They have a wonderful sense of freedom. This is my entry for the Think Monday, Think ATC challenge this week.

Gothic Arch/Sunday Stampers - Garden Sprite/On the Wings of Love

I've decided that this arch works well for both the Gothic Arch challenge as well as Sunday Stampers this week. I pictured this very contemplative and lovely sprite standing in a garden of flowers. I used real pressed flowers adhered to the piece with beeswax. The background is a piece of scrapbook paper with stamped tissue on top of it.

Saturday Surprise - Wish

I have to tell (or maybe I don't) that I have a rather strange sense of humour. I just couldn't pass up noticing the rather disgruntled look on the faces of these two birds. To me they looked as though they just wished to be left alone! That wee fairy needs to find a new perch...or else! This is my entry for this week's Saturday Surprise challenge.

Theme Thursday - Numbers

How high? How long? How many? How much? How old? Numbers surround us so it just seems natural that they appear in artwork. This is my entry for Theme Thursday this week.

Wednesday Stamper - Mixed Media

I created these two altered tins for a very dear friends of mine. I started with an encaustic wax background with swirls stamped on it to give a sense of energy and liveliness then added the two young ones with their birds. This is my submission for the Wednesday Stamper challenge this week.

ATC Wednesday - Angel

There is something so serene and gentle about this wee angel, isn't there? I don't usually use shades of purple in my artwork but the mauve dress inspired me to try. This is my entry for this week's ATC Wednesday Challenge.

Mixed Media Monday - Altered People

This is my Mother when she was in elementary school! Actually I gave this canvas to her for Mother's Day. It was my first trial with transfers and it was rather nerve-wracking, I must admit. The theme of the piece is education and schooling. My Mom did well in school. In fact, she skipped a grade. She was voted Queen of her graduating class in High School and went on to become a teacher herself. I used images of her with her best friend sitting in her desk in their one room schoolroom as well as a photo of her teachers' college. This is my entry for this week's Mixed Media Monday challenge.

Gothic Arch Challenge - Peace

I am honoured to be hosting the Gothic Arch challenge this week and chose "Peace" for my theme. Peace is something that is very important to me and I'm sure that it is to many people. It is what I strive to achieve both within myself and in my life. I'm not by nature a very calm person so I work to find ways to balance my energy and drive with a sense of calmness and serenity. Creating art has been a blessing to me as has gardening. I hope that you have found your own "peace".

Saturday Surprise - Time

I am fascinated by watch and clock parts. To me they are incredibly intricate, very unique and come in so many shapes and sizes. I purchase an assortment every once in a while to use in my art but I study them first and marvel over them. The theme for Saturday Surprise this week is "Time" and this is my entry.

Theme Thursday - Masculine Theme

I tend to gravitate towards using children and women in my artwork but I do also collect cabinet cards of men and look at them often imagining what their lives were like and who they were as people. This gentleman has such an expressive, thoughful face. To me, he worked on the railroad as a conductor. I'm fascinated by railway history. This is perhaps fueled by the fact that I live in a city that was once an epicentre for travel by rail. Each day I walk past the huge, old station and imagine the travellers in their long skirts and suits with valises in hand waiting to journey to visit relatives or to vacation. It is a gorgeous red brick building with huge windows. I often stop and look in at the wicket where they sold tickets. This is my entry for Theme Thursday this week.

ATC Wednesday - Music

There is something incredibly freeing about just opening your mouth and singing, isn't there? Perhaps you save your concerts for the shower or maybe you are comfortable belting out a tune when the spirit moves you? Music is incredibly enriching in our lives and invites us to participate in it. This is my entry for the ATC Wednesday challenge this week.

Wednesday Stamper - Under the Sea

Who knows where your imagination can take you? I'm always suprised to see what I create when I just allow myself to dream and to fall gently out of what is "real". Sometimes when you show these pieces to friends and family, they look at them with their brows furrowed a bit, don't they? This little girl just looks so bored and I'm wondering how that can be possible when she gets to swim with the fish? This is my entry for Wednesday Stamper this week.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Cake

I decided to use a library pocket tag book to create a recipe book for a lovely friend of mine. The images of the babes on cupcakes from Retro Cafe Art Gallery just seemed to lend themselves to sweet recipes so that is what I included....tried and true favourites to satisfy that sweet tooth! This is my entry for this week's Crazy Amigo Challenge.

Collaborative Art Journey

I recently finished a collaborative project with fellow blogger and dear friend, Val Foster. We each created backgrounds on a canvas and sent them to one another to finish. These are the two pieces that were created. I've described the exciting and challenging experience below!


I created the background for the piece above and Val very beautifully finished it. I so admire her use of found objects and organic materials.

Val created her luscious background on a pizza box and I finished it with "vignettes" created with tiny canvases. Each holds a tiny surprise. It's amazing how we both use organic materials but in totally different ways.

I have been so excited to share this experience with everyone. I recently completed a collaborative art project with a fellow blogger of mine, Val Foster from Val's Altered HeART Journey.

We had become quite friendly as we visited one another's blogs and commented on artwork. We also laughed about how different our styles were. One day, Val proposed that we collaborate to create canvases. Each of us would create a background then send it to the other person to finish. This started a journey that has taught both of us so much and has deepened our relationship as friends and artists. We emailed one another frequently and expressed our fears, our insecurities, our delight and our elation, often finding that we shared many of the same feelings about the experience.

We both initially worried that we had to somehow duplicate the style of the other. After talking about this, we gave ourselves permission to finish the pieces by being true to ourselves and our own styles. This was a freeing moment, believe me.

Val and I decided to post about our collaborative experience at the same time so that you could read each of our thoughts. We also wanted to urge you, if this at all appeals to you, to give it a try. The results will amaze you and leave you somehow changed!

Think Monday, Think ATC - Jewels/Jewellery

Do you ever look at a piece and just think to yourself that it needs a little something. For some reason, I often tend to head for the rhinestones. I really like just a tiny bit of glitz and flash. In this case, the lovely winged girl just seemed to need a pretty pink necklace and a tiara. This is my entry for this week's Think Monday, Think ATC challenge.

Mixed Media Monday - Helping Hand

Hands are something that I notice about people. I find them fascinating because they come in so many shapes and sizes. When I see them in artwork, I find them evocative and very symbolic. The theme for the Mixed Media Monday challenge this week is "Helping Hand" and that's what I tried to convey when I used this wee hand with its single daisy. To me it symbolizes the gifts given from one friend to another....a pot of soup on moving day, a recommended book, a hug to congratulate or comfort, a tin of cookies just because they're your favourite.

Gothic Arch Challenge - Little Girls

How about a little girl with a great deal of attitude? This one has that and more. This PaperWhimsy gal just looked to me as though she was taking a stand and letting the world know that she has some very definite ways of doing things and opinions. The moon has a very exasperated look on his face, don't you think? This is my entry for the Gothic Arches challenge this week.

Saturday Surprise - How Does Your Garden Grow?

I have the pleasure of hosting the Saturday Surprise challenge this week and have chosen the theme "How Does Your Garden Grow?". I wanted to ensure that there were many ways that this could be interpreted to leave lots of scope for the imagination. Perhaps the garden is a literal garden or maybe it's the garden of your soul. I was thinking the latter as I created this piece. I used the symbolism of seeds and planting and combined it with the idea of striving to make each day meaningful.

TGIF Challenge - Childhood

There is something very dear about this wee one clutching her doll, isn't there? I used bright shades of encaustic wax, stamped images and even a real flower to surround her with colour and symbolism. This is my entry for this week's TGIF challenge.

Theme Thursday - Dance and/or Music

I can just imagine this little girl all dressed up in costume for a play or concert. The photo was taken just before she left home for her performance and the person behind the camera had her pose. If that person is her Mom or Dad she's likely telling them to hurry up, she'll be late! This round robin journal page is my entry for this week's Theme Thursday Challenge.

Wednesday Stamper - Spoons

At an early age, my Mother taught me to set the table the "proper" way....fork on the left and knife and spoon on the right. Like so many other children, this was my "job" at mealtime and I took it very seriously. I find myself almost compelled to correct the placement of cutlery if it isn't "correct". The Wednesday Stamper challenge theme is spoons and this is my entry.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Come Fly with Me

I had a little fun with this poor wee babe! He is from my rapidly growing vintage photo collection and is a favourite of mine for the startled look on his darling face!! The wedding photo is also from my stash (don't you just love her hat?). When I created this piece I was thinking of the beginning of the journey of this newly wed couple and the possibility that the future held a baby or two! This journal page is my entry for the Crazy Amigo challenge this week.

Created ByHand Challenge - Mother's Day

There is such a look of adoration on the faces of both mother and child in this image. "Adore" seemed to be exactly the right word to describe the scene. I thought that they belonged in some sort of home as well. Happy Mother's Day this weekend! This is my entry for the Created By Hand challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday - Inspirational Words

I have always been fascinated by words…even as a child. I would uncover a delicious sounding word while I was reading and I would run for the dictionary to discover its meaning. My thesaurus was always handy so that I could find “just the right word”. I find that words can also transform a piece of artwork and act as a jumping off point for interpretation. On Mixed Media Monday this week we are to use a word that inspires us…in my case “Grow”. It is something that I seek to do in all aspects of my life and comes from living, learning, relating with others and experiencing.

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Sunday Stampers - Happy Birthday!

I decided to feature a birthday card that I made for a dear Aunt of mine. This photo shows my Aunt and my Dad playing outside their farm house. I think my Dad might have been a "handful" in his younger years, don't you? I've heard rumours to confirm my suspicions. I used beeswax and stamped tissue to create the background and to adhere the flowers. This is my entry for Sunday Stampers this week.

Saturday Surprise - Open Theme

Is anyone else thoroughly enjoying mucking around in their garden? Every day seems to bring with it new buds, flowers and a reminder of the wonders of nature. I inevitably stir a patch of earth and find a snail or a ladybug going about their business. I thought this little PaperWhimsy girl with her jaunty little stance would make a perfect wee gardener. This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week with an open theme.

Gothic Arch Challenge - Vintage Women

Ah, the glam, the glitz, the gorgeous red lips! Isn't this woman just divine? I just had to give her a rhinestone brooch. This is my submission for this week's Gothic Arch challenge.

Saturday's Workout - Make a Collage

The theme for this week's Saturday's Workout challenge is to "make a collage"...ok, if you insist! It's only one of my most favourite things to do art-wise! This is a round robin journal page that I created around the theme of "dolls". A girlfriend of mine was telling me about trying to get her daughter to participate in a photo-taking session. The little girl insisted that her doll be prominent in all of the photographs and have a starring roll in one! My girlfriend consented...all in the name of compromise. She'll never forget that at that stage in her daughter's life, she had a favourite doll. My guess is that this little girl had the same!