More Row Houses

Well, I decided I didn't really want to part with all of the houses I made last weekend. My only solution was to make more houses. Now I have an even bigger problem, I am not sure I can part with these either LOL

Below is a School House I made last night. The report card, little girl and numbers are rubber stamps from Oxford Impressions. I cut the books out of a clip art book. I am not sure you can tell in the photo but the tan transparency is a photo of old school desks. I attached it with little antiqued star brads. The crowning touch on this house is the bell. I cut out a hole and hung the bell using another star brad. I think it is just way too adorable (modesty is not always my best quality LOL)

This house I call my Spooky House. In reality, the background paper is quite lovely but has that old faded/discolored wallpaper look to it. I find the woman to be sort of creepy, maybe it is the look on her face. I actually lightened up the photo a lot to give her a more eerie appearance. The lace over her head is white but a rubbed black ink over it so now it is a dingy gray.

I created a "balcony" in the tower and made a little mini piece of art using Stampbord. It is pretty cool stuff. You stamp it or paint it, what ever you want and once done you scratch off the ink or paint and reveal the white underneath.

The face over the door appears to be made of polymer clay, it was included in a package of stuff I received in a swap. It was bright green so I rubbed walnut colored Distress Ink all over it. And lastly, the door, it opens to reveal a surprise inside. :-)

This is a close up of the Stampbord. I used chalk inks for the center and blank permanent ink for the outer edge. I then used the tip of an old exacto knife to score the lines.

And what neighborhood is complete without a dog? I saw this puppy cutout on my last trip to the scrapbook store and couldn't resist. I ran right home and built him a house.

Row Houses

The badbabyart group will soon be celebrating it's fourth birthday and to acknowledge the occasion we are having a "Row House" swap. Each participant will make 4 houses (one for each year) from chipboard. They should be approximately 5.5 x 8.5 inches. And can be decorated any way the artist desires.


I was immediately enthralled with this project and created 4 houses in just a couple days. The problem is that I really like all 4 of them and do not want to part with them so I am going to make some more. That way I have some to keep and some to swap.


This is my first house. I chose the birds since there are 4 of them. The "B" in the corner is for the bad babies. The upper script covered triangle is actually one of the corners I lopped off. I then covered it and glued it onto the roof. Although you cannot see it in the photo, the button at the top is an antique. I appears to be some sort of plastic in an antique gold color with 5 faceted "jewels" on it. It is quite sparkly.

House #2. I added a chimney and covered it with script paper to creat the visual effect of "bricks". The image of the woman is dressed in layers of lace so I added lace to the top and attached it with a fancy brad in antique bronze. The wrought iron fence and daisies are both stamped images.

House #3. I wanted to used some more stamps and I also wanted a more rustic feel. I love the large pine tree I used as "columns" on either side of my house. It is such a large stamp I rarely get a chance to use it. And that sun is a very cool image as well. Again, I decorated with buttons. The one at the top is really very bright/shiny gold metal. The one at the bottom with the ivy is shiny gold plastic. And the 3rd button, the one on the ATC, is a brushed gold metal button. They least shiny of the three and yet the brightest in the photo. :-)

I added a library pocket to the front of this one. I cut a scalloped edge and then made an ATC to go inside. That ivy, by the way, was a gift from a friend at least 5 years ago and I have been hanging on to it all this time just waiting for the right project. It is made of rusted metal and was easily shaped to echo the scallop of the pocket.

Here is the ATC I tucked inside the pocket.

Here is house #4. This one took me the longest. I don't know if that is because I didn't use the same type of neutral backgrounds like I did on the other three or because of the many distractions that occurred throughout the day.

This house went through several idea changes before settling on the one below. Originally I had the image of a little girl and she was going to be standing in front of a fence (the flower border down the right side). Then I found a cool image of a girl sitting on a bench wearing a 20's swimsuit and thought she would be fun sitting on the "fence". I finally found the woman draped in nothing but the sheer lace and she seemed to fit with the night sky the best. The fence then became a "wall". I stamped the clock and set the time to almost midnight. What other time would you be prancing around your house wearing nothing but a sheer lace sheet? LOL

The "sister" definition is an acknowledgement to the bad babies who really are like a large group of sisters. :-)

The corner stamp was first stamped in metallic copper but it just didn't show up that well so I stamped it again in brown and it really "pops" in person.

Lastly, I added a couple metallic colored star brads to the sky, placing them directly over existing printed stars. It gave the sky that little extra twinkle.

Another Altered Book

I am nearing the end of the altered book round robin. Only one more book to work in. Not to worry though, I have signed up for a True Colors swap so I will have another book in circulation very soon.

Last night I finished working on Tamara's Birds: Songs, Soliloquies and Salutations. I have to admit, seeing the title for this one had me worried. I had no preconceived notions of what I was going to do but once the book arrived the idea just came to me!

I created a 2-page spread with a transparency between them. That is where my bird image resides. I had to make sure that the papers I used looked good together since both would be visible at all times AND I had to make sure any items placed near the top did not detract from the image on the film.

Below is spread 1. I added small twigs to give the nest dimension. And there is a branch stamped in brown on the upper right side of the left page but it doesn't show well in the photo.



This is page 2. I loved this paper with the words "How Sweet the Sound" and wanted to make sure they didn't get covered up. You can see part of the nest from the previous page so it almost appears the bird is sitting on it. I may add some notations to the graph card. Not sure yet.


This is a close up of the transparency. It is actually 2 different images, one of the bird and the other of some writing. I placed them face to face to protect the ink so it can't be rubbed or scratched off.

Here is the poem that is partially visable below the bird. I found it online and the author was not listed so I have no idea who to credit.

The Sparrow

A little bird, with plumage brown,

Beside my window flutters down,

A moment chirps its little strain,

Then taps upon my window-pane,

And chirps again, and hops along,

To call my notice to its song;

But I work on, nor heed its lay,

Till, in neglect, it flies away.

So birds of peace and hope and love

Come fluttering earthward from above,

To settle on life's window-sills,

And ease our load of earthly ills;

But we, in traffic's rush and din

Too deep engaged to let them in,

With deadened heart and sense plod on,

Nor know our loss till they are gone.

Back to Beeswax

I haven't done any beeswax art since I took the class....a year ago I think. Or was it 2?


Anyway, one of the groups I am in has a monthly lottery. I knew the theme was Vintage Buttons but for some reason just never got around to doing anything. Then today I thought...Hey, I want to play! So they pushed back the date until Friday so I could join in.

I have been wanting to get out the beeswax for a while now but really had nothing I wanted to make so it sat on the shelf. This theme just called out for BEESWAX!

I stamped all the images. They are from Oxford Impressions except the 3 women stamped in brown, they are from Tuscan Rose I think. They are all stamped on tissue paper except the woman. she is on copy paper AND tissue paper.

I used a 6 x 6 inch canvas board. I covered it with melted wax then scribbled on some water soluble oil pastels. yellow and brown. Then then began laying down the stamped images starting with the text.

I used fabric that I tore so it would have a frayed edge, not that you can tell much under the wax.

Next came the the copy paper woman. I laid down this image and then tinted her cheeks pink and her dress blue using the oil pastels. I then put the tissue image over top so the colors became muted.

Next the other stamps and finally the lace.

The last step was the buttons. I has to put down a puddle of wax, press the button into it and then dribble more wax over top. They are each encased in a little wax cocoon.