Follow Your Heart

In our Paper Traders group, we are doing a word prompt journal challenge this year.

For January, the prompt was "Live Simply" and had to include some kind of rubber stamping... here's my page:

This month, the prompt is "Follow Your Heart" and the challenge is to include some hearts on your page... so here's what I came up with:

The lavender is actually a printed napkin layered over the torn text... one of my favorite techniques!

White-on-White

I know my blog posts lately have been sporadic at best.  I really have been working on several things recently so I will try to get them updated here soon to show you.

This past week, I finished my spread for Cathy's tip-in journal in our Paper Traders group.  Her theme is White-on-White so this is what I came up with... let me just say that it was somewhat challenging to place that tulle on the page using gel medium!

Gives me Goosebumps

I made this project using a few newly acquired art supplies - Goosebumps clear texture spray and Prima resist canvas shapes.  You can read about this technique and my product review on the Paper Traders blog here: http://papertraders-art.blogspot.com/2012/05/product-spotlight-goosebumps-texture.html

Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue

The new blog challenge over at Paper Traders is to use a ship in your art.  Again, I used my new MyMemories digital scrapbooking software to create a digital collage.  I used elements from the "Brise Marine" kit by Mary89 as well as the "Poetry of the Sea" kit from Marie H Designs - both so pretty!  Once I had my picture created, I printed it out and layered it on some cardstock to create a little greeting card, complete with real seashell embellishments!

This was a really fun challenge.  Hop on over to Paper Traders and play along!

P.S.  There's still time to get $10 off your own copy of the MyMemories Suite v2 Software plus $10 in free products from MyMemories.com.  Just use my Promo Code: STMMMS53179

Vintage School Memories

The Paper Traders blog challenge this time is "Vintage School Memories" and I think it's such a fun theme!  I made this canvas by starting with some pretty scrapbook paper, which I scratched and sanded before rubbing with Distress Inks.  Then I layered a transparency over a page from an actual student reader printed in the 1800's... and added a few school-themed elements to finish it off.

These blog challenges are a lot of fun and open to everyone.  So hop on over to the Paper Traders blog and show us your stuff!

Let's Go Traveling... to Balboa Park

For our Round Robin Journal project on Paper Traders, I'm working in Janne Ryan's book this month.  Her theme is "Let's Go Traveling" and I chose to feature San Diego's own world-famous Balboa Park, which is one of my very favorite places.  I love the beautiful gardens and breathtaking architecture, the wonderful concerts and plays, and all the fascinating things to see and learn about in the multitude of museums.  Located in the heart of San Diego, it is a treasure of the city with many free attractions and free parking, too.  You can learn more about the numerous things to see and do here by checking out their website: http://www.balboapark.org/

On the Road

The Gingersnap Creations blog challenges for July are underway!  I am honored to be a visiting artist for this month... and now I can show you my first contribution - a mixed media art card for this week's theme "On the Road."  The challenges are fun and anyone can play along so come and join in the fun!

Be Happy

This is my entry for this month's winner-take-all ATC lottery on Paper Traders - another fun and funky collage a la Teesha Moore!

One World One Heart 2010

***** COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED - I'LL BE DRAWING OUR WINNERS SHORTLY...

Lisa "oceandreamer" Swifka started the ONE World-ONE Heart event in 2007. The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people and, in the process, possibly win a prize along the way. This is more than wanting to win something - it's about finding kindred spirits. It transcends geographical location, social economics, political affiliation, religious beliefs... it's a coming together like the giant community we are on this planet. If only it took a simple giveaway to create PEACE everywhere! In the meantime, here we give from our hearts. We are not solving the world's problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging. The mission of this event is to meet new people and them meet you. It is almost like being in a huge convention room where you meet and mingle - only the "hello my name is" badge is each persons blog.

I participated in this last year and it was so much fun! However, I almost didn't do it this year because I have been so busy but... I just couldn't help myself =) This year, I'm giving away some of my "stash" - fun items for paper collage. I laid these out on my bamboo floor mat for the photos... I guess that's kind of like a magic carpet, right?
There are 3 prizes up for grabs.

PRIZE #1 - Asian Ephemera:


PRIZE #2 - Specialty Paper Collection, includes handmade, mulberry, rice paper, etc:
(This prize will not be awarded to an international participant due to the real leaves, petals, seedpods, etc. that are in many of these papers)


PRIZE #3 - Tissue & Napkin Assortment:


You do not have to be a blogger to enter; just leave a comment below along with some way for me to contact you if you win (a blog link or email). I will draw 3 lucky names from all the comments on February 15th.

Please take some time to view my blog (or bookmark it for later =) and make sure you visit all the other OWOH participants! Have fun and GOOD LUCK!!

***** COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED - I'LL BE DRAWING OUR WINNERS SHORTLY...

More Funky Art

I decided to try making more art in the style of Teesha Moore's tutorials. These are both ATC's which I found much more challenging due to their small dimensions (about the size of a playing card). Still it was a fun project, even if the results are a bit odd =)

Blue Christmas & Red Hot Thanksgiving

This week, my parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. I was so excited to have them come here! My mom is by very best friend and usually I only get to see her once or twice a year. My dad is a cool guy too and I love doing things with him. When I go home, we often go fishing together. This weekend, we took a drive up to the Florissant Fossil Beds and took a short hike - although the melting snow made the trail alternately slick and muddy. We had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner and did some Black Friday shopping too.

My mom shares my artistic interests and we do a lot of projects together, often participating in online swaps through Paper Traders or other groups. As I posted earlier, our Paper Traders group puts together a CafePress calendar each year. We had to come up with one more spread for December so mom and I watched a few of Teesha Moore's tutorials and then put our heads together for this collaborative creation using magazine ads:


I had so much fun with this! It is unlike anything I've ever done and was very freeing... I think I'll try doing an ATC this afternoon in the same style. Take some time to watch Teesha's how-to videos... she's so easy going with her art - I love it!


UPDATE: Our extra calendar page wasn't needed after all but there are still many lovely pieces of art to display, including my pear mosaic. If you're interested in a calendar, you can order one here: http://www.cafepress.com/PaperTraders.324251835

The Great Escape by Holly Hinkle

On my way home from work today, I stopped by a downtown boutique that was displaying art by a local mixed media artist, Holly Hinkle. I thought her work was absolutely lovely! It's on display all month at Terra Verde on Tejon, if you live in the area and want to stop by:
http://edificegallery.com/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=32&year=2009&month=06&day=05&Itemid=48&catids=24

Mind your own beeswax

These are my beeswax collaged ATC's for an upcoming Paper Traders swap. This was a kind of challenging technique and we made quite a mess while working. We also discovered that some wax is much better than others so I recommend paying for the premium stuff... much easier to work with! These all incorporate real flowers, leaves, seed pods, etc. and the wax gave everything a vintage look.

Asian Houses Redux

As I mentioned earlier this week, I haven't been satisfied with the quality of my recent artwork. So I decided to remake my asian chipboard houses. I didn't start over from scratch but did take them down to the background paper and rebuilt them up again, adding more features, more distress ink, and adjusted the layers. I am much more satisfied with the results:

Pushing through

Last Friday, I had the WORST migraine! And ever since then, I've been exhausted... and that seems to have left me unmotivated and muse-less. I have been pushing through the artistic block and trying to create something each day. This week, I managed to do these chipboard houses - all with an asian theme (one of my favorites). Unfortunately, I'm not loving what I'm creating.... but still pushing on...

French Collage

I made this rubber stamp collage using several stamps from a Stampin Up! set I have... plus a few others. I rubbed a Q-tip over my stamp pads and used it to paint the lady's face. The bird shows up darker IRL but it's stamped with a shimmery Pearl-Ex ink that didn't scan well.