Theme Thursday - Busy

I must admit that this theme is not that difficult for me because my work tends to be quite "busy". That's because when I dig out my paints, I just want to play freely and that usually leads to a variety of colours and paint all over everything. My DH has asked me to please not use my computer during this time! This is my entry for the Theme Thursday challenge this week.

The Three Muses Challenge - Quip or Quote

I'm a real sucker for quotations stamps. I always make a beeline to the section of any store that has them and stand and read. Some make me laugh while others make me pause and think. The two above moved me when I saw them. It was like the authors read my thoughts and translated them into beautiful words. These two fabric book pieces are my entry for the Three Muses Challenge this week.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Red

I love the colour red. To me it signifies passion, vitality and energy. In fact, it just seemed like the perfect colour to use behind this very loving looking couple. This is my entry for the Crazy Amigo Challenge this week.

One World, One Heart Event 2010

I am SO excited. The day has finally arrived and is one I've been anticipating for some time. The "One World, One Heart" Event 2010 is being launch and I am thrilled to be participating for a third year. Beginning today, you may leave a comment on this blog post and be automatically entered for a chance to win one of these two altered tins. Each one is very different. One is rambunctious and zetti-like and the other is earthy and sweet. The first features collage images from Lisa's Altered Art and the second spotlights doll images from Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

I am always grateful for this event as it comes at a time in the year that can be rather anticlimactic. The holidays are over and winter has us firmly in its grip. However, the days are brightened by the new friends that one makes and the fabulous blogs and artwork that await. If you've never participated before, I urge you to consider doing so. You won't regret it. Click on the button on the right side of my blog to learn all about this event and the wonderful woman who started it, Lisa Swifka.

I'll be drawing two names and announcing them on my blog on February 15th. Please ensure that I have some way to reach you if I happen to select your name on that day.

Mixed Media Monday - The Games People Play

This baby represents the "old fashioned" game boy....pre-computers. He'll grow up loving to play Euchre and Monopoly, Parcheesi and Scrabble. He'll deal cards and roll dice. This is my entry for the Mixed Media Monday challenge this week.

Lots to Do Challenge - White

Having to use the colour white in artwork causes me some discomfort. White, I think? How do you work with white? For this piece I just simply took a tour around my art room opening drawers and gathering "white" papers, embellishments, ribbons etc. I then realized that white too comes in shades. Have you ever put two white blouses together in your closet and realized that they just aren't the same? This realization relaxed me and I was able to use the various element to create a "white" based collage. This is my entry for the Lots to Do Challenge this week.

One Powerful Hour - Congratulations

This is a card I created to give to a "now former" colleague of mine. She started working at the library on a part-time basis then decided to go back to school to become a librarian. We were very excited for her when she graduated. She managed to get a job in another library system quickly so we had to bid her a fond farewell. This is my entry for the One Powerful Hour challenge this week.

Theme Thursday - Favourite Number

The number "2" always seems like a friendly number to me somehow. Perhaps it signifies togetherness, friendship, company. It has a lovely stylish shape to it too. The Theme Thursday challenge is to use our favourite number in an art piece. This altered tin was sent to a dear friend of mine who exchanges art with me on a regular basis. As you can tell, the theme is a medical one. In this case the "2" stands for "take two and call me in the morning"!

The Three Muses Challenge - Something in the Air

Do you ever look at a piece of your artwork after you are finished creating it and wonder how it could possibly have come from your imagination? The creative process is an interesting one as it weaves together aspects of one's inner world that might have remained hidden if it had not been for the artistic call. These two pages arose from an idea I had to use passages on baby birds from a vintage bird book. When I read them I laughed because I could honestly have substituted "human" parent for "bird" parent in so many of the sentences. This inspired me to use the combination of birds and babies in these round robin journal pages that are my entry for this week's Three Muses Challenge.

Created ByHand Challenge - Waiting for Spring

Yes, indeed, Spring is always welcome isn't it? I'm dreaming of the first crocuses making their way through the awakening earth, the first robin I see, the icicles dripping off the houses. I don't think I've seen more than a glimpse of my neighbours for the past few weeks too. Here's to thoughts of Spring and all that it means. This is my entry for the Created ByHand challenge.

Mixed Media Monday - Wings

I was drawn to the photo of this little girl. She looks as though she is going to a concert. Perhaps she is playing the part of a fairy with her sparkly wings and her flapper-like headband. This round robin journal page is my entry for this week's Mixed Media Monday challenge.

Think Monday, Think ATC - Buttons

Did your Mother or Grandmother have a button jar? Mine did and I used to spend hours dumping it out and sorting out the buttons by size, by colour. I had favourites, ones that intrigued me in particular and I used to imagine the piece of clothing that they had been taken from. In art, I tend to favour the small white or clear ones. This is my entry for the Think Monday, Think ATC challenge this week.

Gothic Arch Challenge - Shabby Chic

I adore Sunday afternoons especially ones that are free of commitments. I light a scented candle, brew a pot of tea, pop a CD into the player and lose myself in creativity for the afternoon until dinner and ironing beckon. Sure hope you are blessed with a similar afternoon. This is my entry for this week's Gothic Arch Challenge.

Lots to Do Challenge - Travel/Transport

I am fascinated by old cars, aren't you? I've always wondered what it would have been like to sit in a "bumper" seat.....bumpy I'd imagine! I also think about what an impact the invention of the car had on society. Nowadays we think nothing of travelling long distances in our cars. Try doing the same by horse-drawn carriage! This is my entry for the Lots to Do challenge this week.

One Powerful Hour - Friendship

A friend and I have a standing date every Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m. We both drag ourselves out of our warm beds, pull layer after layer of clothing on and head out from our respective houses to meet one another halfway. From there we wander around the neighbourhoods of our city until the time on my friend's cell phone reminds us that our time together must end and that we must head home to prepare for the day. I am grateful that we've carved out this time in our week to be together, to get caught up on one another's news, to wax philosophical at times about this or that. It keeps us connected and our friendship strong. Here's to you dear walking friend!! This is my entry for the One Powerful Hour challenge this week.

Theme Thursday - Hearts

Okay, I confess....the Christmas cards just didn't get made this year. So my new goal is to create some Valentine's Day cards to send to loved ones. Hmmm.....time will tell if this gets accomplished but hey a girl can dream. These two skinnies are my entry for this week's Theme Thursday challenge.

The Three Muses Challenge - Water

I always like when challenge sites give themes a week in advance. It gives me a chance to think about them and ponder my interpretations. When I read that "Water" was the order of the week from the Three Muses Challenge site, I knew that my submission would have to include the Titanic. I have always thought of water as very beautiful and very powerful. I love to sit beside it and swim in it while on vacation but at the same time I respect the fact that it has moods, some of which are angry and capable of taking lives. I've long been fascinated by the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic and was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Robert Ballard speak at the Ontario Science Centre about discovering the pieces of this great vessel on the ocean floor. He spoke as a scientist but also as a human and displayed a wide range of emotions as he described his journey of discovery.

Lots to Do Challenge - Winter Wonderland

Just back from my early morning run on a notably beautiful morning. We have a light dusting of snow on the ground (not enough to require shoveling) and everything looks so clean, white and sparkling under the street lights. Being outside so early is really a pleasure, once the initial shock of crawling out of a warm bed subsides, because the world is so still and I am able to hear sounds that normally would be obliterated due to traffic. I tried to capture the beauty of winter in these two round robin journal pages, my entry for this week's Lots to Do challenge.

Mixed Media Monday - Something New

If you've never tried altering a store-purchased greeting card, I encourage you to give it a try. It truly makes you look at cards in a whole new way. I did so for a blog swap sponsored by a friend of mine. We created three and received three in return. I dug out my beeswax (which is never far away in my art room!) and added just a few layers of tissue to the already Autumn-like card as well as pressed leaves and mica bits. The lady is from D.J. Pettit and the tree is chipboard. I recreated the card into "something new", the theme of Mixed Media Monday this week.

Theme Thursday - Paris

What is it about Paris that inspires us to create art around it? Is it its history? its sense of romance? its sense of style? Perhaps it's all of these things and more. It definitely has a mystique. These pieces are my tribute to the famous city and my entry for this week's Theme Thursday challenge.

The Three Muses Challenge - Angels

For the past several years, I have had the pleasure of being asked to join a Christmas Tag Alphabet Swap. Each participant is assigned a letter and must create according to that letter. Some years I am a bit late in signing up and as a result am faced with Z or X but this year I was early and managed to snag A so here are my "Angel" tags. They are my entry for The Three Muses Challenge this week.

Created ByHand Challenge - Freebie; Crazy Amigo Challenge - A Brand New Start

Yes, it's a new year. Perhaps some of you ushered it in with a bit of dancing all dressed up in your finest evening wear. Ours was quieter this year but lovely nonetheless. I hope that you do soar in 2010. This is my entry for both the Created ByHand challenge and Crazy Amigo Challenge this week

Mixed Media Monday - Leftovers

Hmmm I thought when I read the theme for the Mixed Media Monday challenge this week. It's not that I don't know about "leftovers" in my refrigerator. In fact, I swear I've been eating non-stop turkey for an entire week! But leftovers in art....that's another story. Then I thought about this little book that I made for my Mom for her birthday. I started with a flip up board book that had been "left over" from a book sale. It was split in half and the pages flipped up on both sides. I stripped and gessoed it then layered vintage and scrapbook papers with beeswax. I added the poem and copies of old photos from my collection.

Sunday Stampers - Faces

Paperbag Studios has the most amazing face stamps. They manage to capture so many of the emotions on a human face...pensiveness, joy, excitement....There is a sweet sadness about this young girl, don't you think? I've given her a dress made using the faux watercolour technique, the same used for the background. This is my entry for the Sunday Stampers challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday - Use Your Least Favourite Colour

Is anyone else having difficulty trying to get back into some kind of routine after the holidays? I definitely am. I'm behind in challenges including Mixed Media Monday. What an interesting theme....to use your least favourite colour. I really can't say I hate any one colour but yellow is not among the ones that I reach for immediately when given a choice. Once I started working with it though, I found that I enjoyed its liveliness and spirit.

The Three Muses Challenge - Something Old, Something New

I had the pleasure recently of participating in an altered greeting card exchange. The challenge presented by the host was to take an actual store-bought card and to alter it in some way. I was very drawn to the background colours of this one and instantly was inclined to dig out my beeswax and give it more depth using strips of tissue paper and images from napkins. I thought this transformation fit the "Something Old, Something New" theme on the Three Muses Challenge site.

Theme Thursday - Flying

It's time for me to emerge from my Christmas-related stupor and welcome everyone to 2010 and a new year of creating art. If' you're like me, you like to set goals for learning new techniques and ways of seeing that push you further along your artistic journey and broaden your view of the world. I always find this an exciting aspect of ushering in a new year. I thought I'd post a piece for the Theme Thursday theme with a little humour in it. These two birds look positively fed up, don't you think?