TGIF Challenge - Little Witches

Here's to all of the little ghosts and goblins who will be out and about tomorrow evening. Happy Hallowe'en! This is my entry for the TGIF challenge this week.

Theme Thursday - Favourite Colours

It is so difficult for me to actually narrow down colours that are my favourites. I find that I like certain ones to wear and others to adorn my home. When I use colours in art, I want to convey a mood and am very interested in trying new combinations to see where they lead. Sometimes I just plunder my scrap box and choose a piece of scrapbook paper with a colour palette that fascinates me and I use it in a piece. The house above uses shades of blue, taupe and beige and I really love the feel that the colours create in it....soothing and uplifting. This is my entry for this week's Theme Thursday challenge.

The Pink Artist Block Party Project 2009

I had the honour of participating in a quilt project that was coordinated by the wonderful Monica Magness from Girl Gone Thread Wild. She named the project the Pink Artist Block Party. The idea was that each artist would design a square from materials that Monica sent to us and we would then return the square for Monica to assemble. The quilt would then be used to collect money to support breast cancer. This is the end result. It takes my breath away really to be part of such a wonderful cause and to see the heart and soul sewn into each square. Monica, you are an inspiration to all of us! You can see more photos of the quilt here if you are interested.

Created ByHand Challenge - Hallowe'en; Crazy Amigo Challenge - Men

I participated in a house shaped fatbook exchange with the theme of Hallowe'en. Each person created a page for each member of the group and we all received a gorgeous array of pages in return. Here are a couple of mine. Can you tell I was trying for the whole creepy, atmospheric look? These houses are my entry for both the Crazy Amigo and Created ByHand challenges this week.

Think Monday, Think ATC - Skeletons, Ghosts and Pumpkins

Yes, it's less than one week to Hallowe'en. Has anyone else broken into the candy yet? I know, we just won't talk about all of those little wrappers that are littering my garbage cans around the house. These atcs are my submissions for the Think Monday, Think ATC challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday - Marvellous Moustaches

Oh how distinguished this fine gentleman looks with his moustache and beard. They could do with a bit of a trim if you ask me. In my mind, this fellow is a railway man....perhaps a conductor....who enjoys the adventure of a job on the move. After all, life is all about the journey. This round robin page is my entry for this week's Mixed Media Monday challenge.

Sunday Stampers - Monster Mash

I am honoured to be a design team member for Kris Hubick from Retro Cafe Art Gallery. Kris always seems to design the most unique collage sheets and these sweet Hallowe'en dolls are from one of her newest. I think they're delightful and humourous at the same time. In keeping with my current obsession for altering microscope slide mailers, I used a couple of the images on the painted and stamped mailers. This is my entry for the Sunday Stampers challenge this week.

Saturday's Workout - Make Your Own Jewellery

I made this bracelet in a whirlwind workshop given by the very talented Keely Barham, one of the artists in the True Colors project. The day was very intense but I managed to finish the bracelet. I chose to use semi-precious beads and vintage images sandwiches between plexiglass pieces of different shapes. Let me tell you, it's a monster when on the wrist!! This is my entry for the Saturday's Workout challenge this week.

Saturday Surprise Challenge - Autumn

My morning runs usually take place in darkness but this morning, due to sleeping in later, I ran with full daylight. It was a treat really because I had the pleasure of seeing all of the glorious colours that I associate with Autumn. I also realized with sadness that we seemed to be past the middle point of the trees changing as more were on the ground than left on the trees. Never mind though, then I'll have the rustle of the fallen leaves under my feet in the morning. Autumn is the theme for this week's Saturday Surprise challenge and this is my entry using another beautiful D.J. Pettit image.

Dans ma maison il y a un papillon

What is this lovely woman thinking? Is she remembering an evening filled with romance? This is my entry for the Dans ma maison.... challenge this week.

Theme Thursday Challenge - Faces

Do you ever tire of studying faces? They are so intriguing in their bone structure, the way that all of the various parts are arrange, the myriad of expressions that they can convey. I am very drawn to the faces that D.J. Pettit creates and this is one of them. There is such pensiveness in this woman's expression with just a touch of sadness. This round robin journal page is my entry for this week's Theme Thursday challenge.

The Three Muses Challenge - Long Ago and Far Away

I really had to stop and think about this theme. What does the phrase "long ago and far away" mean to me? I kept coming back to a fantasy world where anything is possible. This piece was actually inspired by a Hilda Conklin poem stanza:

When they hear clouds calling

Mother Sea, send us up your song

Of hushaby!

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week.

Wednesday Stamper - Hallowe'en

Do you have your costumes made? Your candy purchased? The pumpkins hollowed out and carved? The pumpkin seeds roasted? It's just around the corner...Hallowe'en, that is. These pieces are my entry for this week's Wednesday Stamper challenge.

Slide Mailer Giveaway Winner

Well, my dear Friends, the random number generator has assisted me in choosing the winner of my altered microscope slide mailer. And the winner is.....


BARB

Congratulations Barb and thank you to each and every one of you who left a comment. Stay tuned....more giveaways to come.

Hallowe'en Microscope Slide Mailer Giveaway

Well, my Friends, this is the last day to enter my draw for this Hallowe'en Microscope Slide Mailer. All you have to do is leave me a message. I'll use a random number generator to select a winner this evening. These giveaways are my way of saying thank you for all of your wonderful encouragement and support and your friendship.

Mixed Media Monday - Mothers and Daughters

I decided to kick myself out of my comfort zone and try creating a couple of canvasses that are larger. I have a tendancy to work on smaller surfaces. All of that blank space that needs to be filled makes me rather nervous to begin. My task was to design a couple of pieces that represented the lives and loves of my Mother and my Grandmother. I wanted to give them pieces of art for their birthdays. These two canvasses honouring this mother/daughter duo are my entry for Mixed Media Monday this week.

Also, please feel free to enter my draw for an altered microscope slide mailer in celebration of Hallowe'en. You can find it at this post.

Gothic Arches - Risque

I thought we might just take a wee peek into this lovely lady's boudoir where she has halted the process of getting dressed for the day to gaze at herself in the mirror. I dug out the beeswax for this arch and tried using old sewing patterns to create the background. They worked "like a charm". I added a few feminine touches such as the lace, the real pressed flowers and the perfume label and created a private haven for quiet contemplation. This is my entry for the Gothic Arch challenge this week.

Please feel free to enter my giveaway. You can read all of the details here.

Saturday's Workout - Recycle It!

We have an ongoing used booksale in one of the meeting rooms of our library. The walls are lined with bookshelves for browsing before, during or after meetings or other functions. It's not surprising that books in this room tend to find homes. I always scan the shelves as well and one day I discovered this treasure. It was a Sesame Street board book in the shape of a house with a little window in it. I think I let out a little squeal because my colleague looked at me sideways. I scooped it up and set to work transforming it into an altered book with a "home" theme for a girlfriend's birthday. This is my entry for Saturday's Workout this week.

Please feel free to enter my draw for an altered microscope slide mailer outlined in this post.

Saturday Surprise - Black and White

It's dramatic, it's striking and it's mysterious...it's the colour combination black and white....the theme for this week's Saturday Surprise challenge.

Microscope Slide Mailer Giveaway

Do you have one of those cupboards (or perhaps several of them) that are stuffed with items that you just had to have, have no idea what to do with but simply can't imagine throwing or giving away? Yes, I do too and in it were several microscope slide mailers. I have a "thing" about these. I love the small size of them and the fact that you can encase images under glass and weave them into an art piece. Well, I painted a few of them a while ago and they've been sitting on my art table awaiting attention. Yesterday I finished them and in honour of their completion I'd like to give one of them away. Just leave me a message if you'd like this one to come and live with you and I'll draw a name on Tuesday.

TGIF - Pointy Hats

Yes, 'tis the season for pointy hats! Hallowe'en is just around the corner and little ones are planning their disguises and parents are scrambling to make these dreams a reality at least in some small way. We're planning to transform the children's department of the library into a haunted house on October 3rd. The aisles and small rooms naturally lend themselves to paths full of unexpected and scary surprises. This altered tin was created to highlight the celebration. I used beeswax and stamped tissue to create the background and dug out my box full of embellishments to add here and there. This is my entry for the TGIF challenge this week with the theme of "Pointy Hats".

Theme Thursday - Winter

This time of year brings with it a range of emotions doesn't it? I find that I am still cherishing the memories of summer while at the same time mourning its passing. The pool has been closed, the outside furniture stored, the gardens are fading. At the same time I am reveling in the glorious sights and sounds of Autumn yet at the same time recognizing the bite in the air and the frost that leads the way to winter. It's not that I hate Winter but I find it a lot more work....extra layers of clothing, shoveling, defrosting. All that being said, I would miss the changing of the seasons immensely. This is my entry for Theme Thursday this week.

Created By Hand Challenge - Harvest Time

I can always tell when it's harvest time because the population of ladybugs increases in our house. I find the little guys crawling up the walls. Soon the pumpkins will be ripe in the fields ready for carving and painting. The sights and smells of autumn are so powerful aren't they? Enjoy them because they are very fleeting. This round robin page is my entry for the Created ByHand challenge this week.

Think Monday, Think ATC - Autumn Impressions

Autumn and beeswax are a marriage made in heaven in my artistic world! This is my entry for Think Monday, Think ATC challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday - Pink

It's been a lovely Thanksgiving weekend here in my "neck of the woods". I must say that it's my favourite holiday of the year. I love the crispness of the air, the colour of the leaves and the slightly musty smell outdoors. I'm also very aware that Christmas quickly follows (as does the snow but we won't talk about that!). These two little round robin pages celebrate the upcoming holiday in non-traditional colours! They are my entry for this week's Mixed Media Monday challenge.

Gothic Arches - Twilight

Twilight, the time between dawn and sunrise, and the time between sunset and dusk. I don't know about you but I am fascinated by the sky in the twilight hours. It can be dark grey or exhibit the most gorgeous array of colours ranging from purple to orange to yellow to red. I imagined this lovely lady to be resting after a long and arduous day. She too is enjoying a lovely sunset before the colder air sweeps in and she scurries inside for the night. This is my entry for the Gothic Arch challenge this week.

Saturday Surprise Challenge - From the Past

When I was in Grade 8, I learned a great deal about architectural elements and was fascinated by them. Our teacher coordinated a walking tour of the downtown area of our city as an end-of-the-year trip and we spent the time studying historical buildings and houses and identifying these elements. So many of them seemed to have originated in Ancient Greece. These round robin journal pages are my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.

Theme Thursday - ATCs with a Bird

It's a terrible thing to be forced to include birds in artwork...NOT! I have to hold myself back from using them all the time in fact. It's likely because birds are so much a part of my life with three as family members and a host in the great outdoors that eat me out of house and home. I can't believe how much birdseed they manage to consume each and every day. My reward is watching the dynamics around the feeder. There is definitely a "pecking order" in the bird world. This is my entry for the Theme Thursday challenge this week.

The Three Muses - Numerology

Time, money, height, weight, age....we are surrounded by numbers all of our lives. That was in the back of my mind as I designed this altered tin. This is my entry for this week's The Three Muses Challenge.

Wednesday Stamper - Double Trouble

The theme of the Wednesday Stamper challenge this week is "Double Trouble". I discovered that this stamp was created from a collage sheet image that I had in my collection so I decided to try to incorporate both into a piece. These two little ones are bundled up and loaded on a sled all ready for winter fun.

Dans ma Maison il y a....de la magie (magic)

When I created this house, I was thinking about the world of imagination and magic. I pictured this young boy, perhaps having just finished a book full of fantastical adventure, lying on the grass and dreaming of living with wild animals in Africa. This is my entry for the Dans ma Maison il y a challenge this week.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Birth Cards

These are not your typical birth cards but I did use them to welcome two new babies into the world. To me, the collage images of the babies just spoke for themselves. There's a luminescence about them as well as a gentleness. These cards are my entry for the Crazy Amigo Challenge this week.

Think Monday, Think ATC - Big Cities

Venice to me always is surrounded by an air of mystery and a vague sense of loneliness. Perhaps it is the water flowing through its streets restricting large crowds of people. I wanted to convey this sense in my atc depicting this famous city. This is my entry for Think Monday, Think ATC this week.

TGIF Challenge - The Color White

Do you ever have those times in your creative life when you just need to step back and revisit a technique that you enjoy. I usually do this when I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed with the rest of my life. In this case, I took a pack of playing cards and layered gel medium, phone book pages and gesso on top of them until I achieved a look that I liked. The starkness of the gesso on the top layer allows the rest of the collage elements to just jump from the page. These atcs are my submission for the TGIF challenge this week.

Saturday Surprise - Your Favourite Colour/Colours

I've always been partial to the colour red. I wear it quite frequently and always feel good in it. It is notable and lively and signifies excitment and passion. I have even found myself accessorizing my home with shades of it. What colour do you favour? This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.

Theme Thursday - Wings

Are you fascinated by ravens and crows? I know that I am. My domesticated birds always duck their heads from their safe havens inside our house whenever they see a crow fly overhead. They are large, raucous and often very noisy. These journal pages were created for a round robin exchange. I pillaged my stash and discovered that I had lots of raven/crow bits and pieces. A vintage bird book provided me with some information on the birds that I scattered here and there. This is my entry for the Theme Thursday challenge this week.