the sea lives…

more sea pages for my art journal using bits I had leftover from creating my friend’s mermaid pages with inspiration from a stamped mermaid tail  (some Glossy Accents gave it a wet look)…

I layered torn strips of turquoise tissue paper with shimmery dots embedded in it on top of my painted book pages (the camera doesn’t want to show those)…

tearing bits of peeled decorative napkin which included a couple of happy seahorses…

and a mermaid that did not want to be left out…

joining Mix it Monthly’s “A Happy Couple” challenge along with Art Journal Journey’s “The Sea” (my other contributions for AJJ are #125 & 133)..

“The sea lives in every one of us.” -Wyland

the sea maid’s music …

at the beginning of May I finished pages for a friend’s mermaid book for our local Mixed Media Collaborative round robin and I thought I would finally share those pages with you…

and join in Art Journal Journey’s May “The Sea” challenge…

I had some paper towel fusion paper that I had made on hand which took some extra touches of acrylic paint nicely to help complete the backgrounds (I especially like how the paper melts onto surfaces letting text and such show through)…

a Fred B. Mullett sea fan rubber stamp helped add some interest to my pages…

bits of torn napkin and fish and shell cutouts were fiddly but fun to work with along with the addition of some pressed flowers…

what does not come across here is that I worked on four pages (if you click on the image above you can see that I glued two book pages together and tore them above the middle of the page)…

and when you turned the second and third pages my altered magazine mermaid was revealed as a bit of a surprise…

I was lucky that the placement of the Shakespeare quote worked out because I really had not planned ahead for these pages…

“…the rude sea grew civil at her song, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, To hear the sea-maid’s music.” -William Shakespeare … Oberon from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act II, Scene 1)

~♥~ my heartfelt thanks to everyone on your kind words about my friend Lennie’s passing oxo

Seth Apter’s 6th Annual Buried Treasure and My Mermaid Slipper

my search for Buried Treasure had me digging back to September of 2010 for my entry in Seth’s Buried Treasure event this year I came across a favorite altered shoe I created:

“pretty much everything has a story doesn’t it …

this story goes back to around 2009 …

Mr Magpie who is SO very supportive and encouraging of my creativity was exiting a major highway …

he saw this lonely shoe and made a second loop back to the exit about 3-4 miles to rescue it from the side of the road

… imagine my surprise and delight …

kind of felt like Cinderella…except I have never worn a heel like that … ever … 😉

I have altered shoes before with a couple of examples here and here … back in the day I even did dried flower arrangements in little children’s shoes …

the minute I saw this high heeled number …

I thought “mermaid slipper” …

maybe it was the cork platform heel …

I have been most distracted lately by our collection of seashells … it led me to making mandalas the other day and finally… after all this time …

I got the clear chaulk out and got busy transforming my special shoe …

almost complete …

I painted the inside of the shoe after I glued on the shells … a little silly … what can I say I got excited …

Lumiere Pearl Turquoise gave a nice shimmer …

I knew it needed words …

mermaid thoughts …

what WOULD a mermaid do with a shoe anyway …

in my excitement I showed Mr M the finished slipper and boy did we have a laugh … when he read the quote out loud …

speaks to the “soul“

it hit us … yes … the SOLE!

the shells were all collected from Florida beaches … Sanibel Island mostly … a small black shark’s tooth from our dear friend Carol’s brother Joe along with some tiny pieces of sponge …

creating my mermaid’s slipper was like taking a mini vacation …

everything melted away …

I forgot to drink water …

I forgot to … well you know …

it was perfect escape and very satisfying …

wish you could feel the weight of the shoe layered with seashells!

“Come walk with me
Along the sea
Where dusk sits on the land
And search with me
For shells are free,
And treasures hide in the sand.” ~Unknown

sjöjungfru… sirena … zeemeermin … havfrue … syrena … sirène … Meerjungfrau”

You can visit all of the participants here…

Enough …

here we have the last spread in a visual journal that I started working in back in 2009…

as finishing this journal this month has been a challenge I set for myself I am entering it in Susi’s Art Journal Journey May challenge…

lots of my painted pages began because of inspiration from a Julie Prichard online class that taught me so much (she is a wonderful teacher!)…

the first spread I completed above in this 1958 Funk & Wagnalls  Encyclopedia was inspired by a Pretty Paper Hearts challenge blog that no longer exists …

 links to several other spreads can be found here… 

below you will find a bit of my creative process for the last pages which got quite thick…

strips of my citra solv paper and torn vintage map (thank you Carmen ♥) blended in with some white gesso…

using some of my unmounted rubber stamps on pattern tissue paper…

and lots and lots of layers of Distress Stains (one of my favorite Ranger products!!!)…

using my hand to blend and smear the stains and YES it DOES stain your hands :)…

to finish off the gutter of the book I wet my hand a little and used a small paintbrush to gather enough color to finish off the center of the pages…

above you can see my pages before I found my tiny seashells and starfish from a trip to Florida…

I did try and not make the pages too bulky but you know how it is once you get going…

I am a big mermaid fan…

twenty-eight spreads (double pages) in the recycled encyclopedia that originally covered French Literature — Gothic Architecture and now all it needs is a cover…

“Enough is abundance to the wise.” ~Euripides

and a bit of extra fun with my mermaid and free Photofunia…

a Deb ‘sea’ surprise…

everything about Deb Christensen’s surprise package to me recently charmed the socks right off me…

she had me with her fish tail magic islands card…

and goodies galore…

her fresh water pearl and delicate sea glass necklace is beyond beautiful with its pretty silver chain…

I put it on right away…as I just happened to be wearing a pair of green sea glass earrings I got some years ago…

they are in no way as delicate as Deb’s jewelry creations…

a glass vial of fresh water pearls she carefully tucked in reminded me of mermaid’s tears…

or precious babies teeth…so very sweet…

the last packet of treasures I opened totally wowed me too…

how kind and generous of Deb to share some of her treasure trove of perfect rust and patina with me…

with touches of salt and sea and time spent on Alaskan shores…

a place I have only dreamed of…

if you have not yet had a chance to see the fish tail creations she’s made the last several years for a Kodiak Alaska Community Art Auction…you’ll definitely want to take some time to check them out here…

each one is a marvel…

be prepared to get sidetracked by her photography…storytelling and art posts…with SO much to enjoy!

Deb is a mixed media artist extraordinaire…

when I visit her blog and read about her life I am always entranced and feel richer and happier for it…

she’s a great cook and does that professionally in a really special setting each summer…

her absence in blogland for those months always makes my heart grow fonder awaiting her return…

BIG Yay for blog friends and art mail and wonderful surprises!!!

“i hope when you wear the necklace you will feel our misty cool sea breezes and smell the green cucumbery smell of the beaches!” ~Deb Christensen, Dy-ing to be yours

thank you dear Deb for sharing your talents…your art and your heart…it is people like you that help make blogland such a great place to be!!!

my mermaid slipper

pretty much everything has a story doesn’t it …

this story goes back to around 2009 …

Mr Magpie … who I must say is SO very supportive and encouraging of my creativity …

was exiting a major highway … he saw this lonely shoe and made a second loop back to the exit about 3-4 miles to rescue it from the side of the road

… imagine my surprise and delight …

kind of felt like Cinderella…except I have never worn a heel like that … ever … 😉

I have altered shoes before with a couple of examples here and here … back in the day I even did dried flower arrangements in little children’s shoes …

the minute I saw this high heeled number … I thought “mermaid slipper” …

maybe it was the cork platform heel …

what is the one thing a mermaid might long for … legs ?

I have been most distracted lately by our collection of seashells … it led me to making mandalas the other day and finally!!! … after all this time …

I got the clear chaulk out and got busy transforming my special shoe …

almost complete …

I painted the inside of the shoe after I glued on the shells … a little silly … what can I say I got excited …

Lumiere Pearl Turquoise gave a nice shimmer …

I knew it needed words …

mermaid thoughts …

what WOULD a mermaid do with a shoe anyway …

in my excitement I showed Mr M the finished slipper and boy did we have a laugh … when he read the quote out loud …

speaks to the “soul”

it hit us … yes … the SOLE!

the shells were all collected from Florida beaches … Sanibel Island mostly … a small black shark’s tooth from our dear friend Carol’s brother Joe along with some tiny pieces of sponge …

creating my mermaid’s slipper was like a mini vacation …

everything melted away …

I forgot to drink water …

I forgot to … well you know …

it was perfect escape and very satisfying …

wish you could feel the weight of the shoe layered with seashells!

“Come walk with me
Along the sea
Where dusk sits on the land
And search with me
For shells are free,
And treasures hide in the sand.” ~Unknown

sjöjungfru… sirena … zeemeermin … havfrue … syrena … sirène … Meerjungfrau

Water Tea

I am enjoying a cup of Passion tea compliments of the lovely and talented, Dot Ferrero … she surprised me with this pretty card … thank you so much Dot

this Tuesday is the beginning of something a little different for Kimmie’s “T”ea Tuesday’s … there will be a theme each week if you choose to play along … the more the merrier

my theme choice for this week is WATER

seeing that our winter here in Northern Virginia has been all about snow … the most snow ever recorded for this area

I have posted so many snow photos already this winter … just had to include this peek of the neighbors very fine icicle display

swans and mermaids are two things I am drawn to again and again … it just so happens that they have everything to do with water

here is a sampling of some pieces I’ve collected over the years

below you can see a precious mermaid created on foam core by my artsy friend Michelle

did you know that when your cursor hovers over a photograph a name will appear … sometimes telling a little about the photograph … at least that is what I see on my computer screen

five swans a swimming

our youngest son made this beautiful ceramic fish in kindergarten

below is the cover from a mermaid themed altered book

I liked it so much … I sliced it off the book and added wire to hang it on the wall

“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium.  There is no life without water” ~Albert Szent=Gyorgyi (Hungarian Biochemist)

to visit other T Tuesday participants … you can click the names below:

Kimmie

Pat

Christen

Chriss

Penny

Jean

Judy

“Meadowlark Days”

Dianne

they are from all around the world and lots of different time zones

Chriss from the UK will be hosting T next Tuesday on 23 February … her theme will be “the 70’s”

… follow your wishing heart

more heart journal fun

my ‘seaside siren’ pages have a Christmas tissue paper crown background … stamped and collaged with napkin bits and some pretty green and gold paper … a piece of map that popped up on my work table … the perfect Polish postage stamp is from Eliza … I created the siren using a Dover Geisha image and sea shells

these pages began with peeled decorated tissue … some rubber stamping … and Dover birdies … the little angel (Debrina Pratt) is dreaming about the castle (Berkeley Castle)  her true Love built for her

“It is important to follow your wishing heart” ~Lisa Loeb

more heart journal pages can be found here and here

just another glamour girl at the beach

two challenges in one postcard, TGIF: A Day at the Beach and SPA: Glamour Girls

junk paper background stamped and painted, along with water soluble crayons and words that popped off a book page

The Three Muses Challenge Blog

there is a new challenge blog in town…Marie, Bev and Ann will be hosting a weekly Wednesday challenge…The Three Muses

their first theme is Mona Lisa

I created a Mona Mermaid using an arch from back in April that I was never happy with…what would I do without gesso 🙂  Ranger Crackle Paint also helped the transformation

*you can click for a close up*

torn napkin applied with Golden’s Fluid Matte Medium and a bit of stamping

thanks to Elizabeth Golden for the lovely mermaid tail.    She  shares the most wonderful images!

the sea maiden and her shells

Rosie and Linda’s ABAA challenge this time around is “seashells”, something near and dear to my heart.  I find it challenging to walk on a beach and not pick up anything….so many little treasures everywhere you look.  I began by gluing peeled napkin onto a dollar wooden frame; I decided to paint over it too.

I got to use one of the sea urchins that we brought back from our February Florida trip this year (thank you Carol for inspiring me to use glitter glue on the sea urchin, I have more of those in the works),  along with other shells we gathered

I turned this little Paper Whimsy girl into a sea maiden

by cutting a tail out of a piece of painted security envelope, the seaweed (yummy) and seahorse are peeled napkin pieces adhered with Golden’s Fluid Matte Medium, all on a painted background with bits of collaged papers

I glued the shells on using Golden’s Heavy Gel Medium

In a golden mist about her eyes.
Her laugh is fresh as foam that springs
Through tumbling shells and shining things,
And where the gleaming margin dries
Is heard the music of her sighs.

“The Sea Maiden” ~Dowell O’Reilly

Mermaid Bottle

Our local altered arts group got together to alter bottles.  It is always fun to see what different people do with the same theme, lots of different bottles and really great ideas.

* Meerjungfrau * sirène * sirena* sereia * zeemeermin *

I had this old liquor bottle that a friend found for me (thank you Janet M).  It was stuck upside down in my garden over the winter along with some blue glass bottles, they catch the sunlight beautifully

*click photos for closeups*

Florida beach sand and shells along with the pink twiggy bits (not sure what they are exactly) can you see the tiny starfish (thank you Lanise)

using matte gel medium I adhered two different images back to back, gluing them to one side of the bottle in a perfect indentation

the mermaid even has a golden slipper along with a rusty key to unlock her dreams

the bottle measures  about 8 inches tall by 4.5 inches wide and 2.5  inches thick  (20,3 x 11,5 and 6,4 cm)

here is a mermaid song for you if you have a few minutes to spend by the sea

Under the Sea

It is Wednesday Stamper/Mittwochstempler time again and my turn to select a theme.  I chose Under the Sea

these pages are part of my round robin Mermaid book.

Most of the background paper is fusion paper that I made with rubber stamping under and over the pages

pages torn and layered like waves, collected images, recycled seafood restaurant placemat, charms, netting from a bag of avocados, luggage label, mother of pearl button, odd earring and seed beads

a link from a sand dollar stretch belt, foil from a ‘fish’ chocolate, plastic envelope with sea ‘treasures’, including a button from a navy pea coat

it is challenging to capture these pages in photos  as there are so many layers and pages to turn

*click pictures for closeups*

be sure and visit WS for lots of wonderful under the sea eye candy