the frog prince

the image of the little girl was supplied by Lisa’s Altered Art for the Art Creations Friday42nd challenge

for my5x5″ collage she traded her bow in for a crown …

… she is a princess after all

Mother Nature + Gifts

finally uncovered my sewing machine as I have wanted to play with fabric for a while now

I am trying to embrace the change of seasons … but here is what I ended up creating this afternoon with what was handy (not very fall like)

beginning with a piece of 5×7 watercolor paper (I find it easier to sew collaged fabrics on a paper base) … the lady was already stamped on paper … I had ironed some fabric pieces and they have been waiting patiently looped over a hanger

silk ribbons, tuille netting and the final touch was that beautiful rhinestone button that arrived in today’s mail … it just happened to be the certain something I needed for the right corner … thank you so much Cat ! (btw, I did not know I was going to use it until, when I was admiring my new buttons again, I thought … THIS is it)

just look at the other lovelies Cat of La Dolce Vita sent me

Yes, I did open the sweet hankie wrapped pressie … full cards of lovely vintage buttons, there is even a Hindu button which will be perfect for one of my India altered book pages

it is so much fun connecting and sharing with blog friends … it makes going to the mailbox really exciting!

Grandpa Loves to Feed the Birds

this week’s  Gothic Arches challenge is “bows”

Love this little girl with the bow in her hair leaning on her sweet Opa … thanks to Elizabeth for the perfect image

I used Ranger’s Crackle Paint for the background, washing it with paint and inks … Martha Stewart’s stickers are some of my favorites with blackbirds and tree branches, a little scribbling with the Signo white gel pen too … I had fun with this arch, thanks to Gini for inspiring me with our recent bird conversations

Dans ma maison il y a “une plume”

there is “a feather” in my house for the Dans ma maison challenge this week

a tipi (teepee) came to mind right away … three paper elements for my collage (NYPL Digital collection) along with feathers picked up here and there … a coating of beeswax to stick things together… and a strip of fabric and old rusty bottle cap

“The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe.  The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother.  She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us…” ~Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki Algonquin

Altered Bits Black and White Art Zine

it is my honor to be included amongst some really fantastic artists in Alicia’s latest on line Art Zine … with thanks to my friend, Pat of Ooglebloops, who coaxed me into submitting something

*it takes a while to load the zine as it is in two parts … there is so much to see (you can find me in part two) … be sure and check out the previous issues of Alicia’s zines while you’re visiting

AND info on the upcoming “Notorious” themed zine is also available … why not submit something!

Alicia’s  energy and talents are over the top … prepare to be amazed

here is my humble black and white postcard submission (black cardstock,  Paper Whimsy image, wings stamped on book text, white embossing,  Mr Magpie helped me name this piece)

many many thanks to Alicia for sharing her creativity and time in preparing this visual feast … it is no small thing and not to be missed!

*update: you can click here for easy viewing

or click on my sidebar, with BIG  thanks to Estivalia, who once again saves the day!!!!*

Looking for the Gypsy King

the Sunday Postcard Art challenge theme is “Gypsies” … one of my all time favorite topics

the collage elements for my postcard are the 1888 gypsy wagon oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, the gypsy is a William Clark Wontner painting, the “Gypsy Love Song” sheet music is from the NYPL digital collection, the trim at the top is a favorite piece of sparkly fabric that I’ve had for a long time, the final touch is a bit of  beat up bling at the bottom … can you say that five times quickly 🙂

“We are all

wanderers

on this earth

our hearts

are full

of wonder

our souls

are deep

with dreams”

-Gypsy Proverb

threads of wisdom

the Art Creations Friday 41st challenge is to create something with the image of the lady spinning that June supplied   …   I have played with the lovely lady before and enjoyed her very much

no surprise my postcard is done in beeswax (I am like a kid with a new toy, busy as a bee, even though I have played with wax in the past) … here are some of the tools I use for the initial melting and molding of the piece (I am not crazy about the colored waxes … yet)

later on when the wax sets (doesn’t take very long) I add layers of paint and/or goauche … the final touch was dipping some cotton lace into the beeswax and sticking it on the back of the bookboard … no glue was used on this piece whatsoever

“Be happy.   It’s one way of being wise” ~Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Precious Magic

I created this beeswax postcard for the TGIF “it’s magic” challenge

the winged poppet is from Lisa’s Altered Art

still having fun with beeswax … I rubbed metallic acrylic paint on the stamped beeswax to highlight the edges

fun note about playing with beeswax, you can keep adding or take away just by  reheating the wax … I had added a pressed Gingko leaf at the bottom but then decided to cover it with the angel … I worked on book board which is nice and sturdy

“For every soul, there is a guardian watching it! ~ The Koran

for more great angel quotes visit “Angels Among Us”

Vision is Key

just had to do a second entry for Hermine’s WS “Dress” challenge, this is also for Rosie and Linda’s Awfully Big Art Adventure’s theme of “keys”

for some time now I have wanted to dip a dress or fabric in melted beeswax

this little doll’s cotton dress  seemed a perfect size (4.25″or 10,5cm) to begin with

I stamped in the white space on the bodice …

then dipped the top half and then the bottom half into the wax (I picked up a small “crock pot” at a thrift shop, it was originally intended as a potpourri burner approx 5″ x 5″)

I covered a tall skinny bottle with plastic wrap and let the dress dry there … a couple of tags stamped and dipped in wax … “Live, Love, Laugh” was stamped on pattern tissue and melted onto the hem of the little dress … I just happened to have the perfect “bee” stickpin for the collar

*click pics for a closeup*

I safety pinned a little key on the sleeve … the house smells delicious … bzzzz bzzzz

“The most significant gifts are the ones most easily overlooked.  Small, everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days” ~Sue Monk Kidd

Live * Love * Laugh

here is a “dress” card I made for the Wednesday Stamper challenge…my fantasy angel was created with curtains from an advertisement, and the bodice is a ceramic container

it is interesting to take different shapes and turn them into dresses (all thanks to Gail Russakov) there are so many possibilities

I placed my angel behind a decorated 7 Gypsies vellum piece and stamped the bee on top

have you ever worked on something with lots of detail and for longer than you probably should have…..only to find it’s not exactly what you were going for in the end?  AND it scanned crooked 🙂  oh well I am calling it done….you can tell which stamp is my favorite!

Big Yank

the background for my “Mixed Media” ATC for the TMTA challenge is fabric (thank you Carole), the measuring tape at the bottom is paper, a rusty bottle cap from my collection (thanks to Mr Magpie) with an old overall button (Big Yank) and a bit of pressed fern

the little boy is from an Altered Bits collage sheet, Alicia is having a great sale

little boy blue

combining two challenges in one

SaWo “alter an original postcard or photo” and MMM “make something round”

I used a cabinet card image along with a postcard for my altered CD

baby face

here is my latest piece for our local altered artists puzzle swap

Fran’s theme was “faces”, I used part of a freebie image from Last Door Down the Hall…thank you Elizabeth

you can see other puzzle pieces here, here and here