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.

It snowed last weekend. In the middle of April! We don't get much snow in the winter, it is just insane to have it in the middle of spring!

I thought it looked very pretty on the tulips.

I received another of the altered books from the round robin this week. The theme is birds. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. I like the end result though. It was also a challenge to work horizontally. I have never done an altered book this way so I had to do some re-thinking. :-) I hope she likes it.

Very strange! I just went to change the font on this post as I always use Verdana and see that I can no longer do that....just have the choice of "small, medium or large". Wonder why they did that?! Sort of takes away the individuality of the poster doesn't it? Hmm

A new ATC

I was home alone last night. It was only for about an hour and a half but still....all alone! I have not had any alone time since November when hubby ended up in the hospital and we began this cancer/chemo journey.


So, he and the kid went out for dinner and I enjoyed the peace and quiet....and made an ATC.

I used a couple of the images I printed on fabric a while back....the woman and the Eiffel Tower postcard. I frayed the edges of the fabric for texture.

I used a scrap of ivy printed wallpaper for my background as well as a coral colored scrap.

I added a real postage stamp that I sanded to make it look old and worn. The metal photo corner on the bottom right is actually a brad. I twisted lace and added it to the upper left.

I used chalks and inks on the edges for color.

Finally, I thought she needed a fashionable hat since she had been sending postcards from Paris. Using several pastel colored buttons, I attached them with Tacky glue. As you can see, the glue wasn't completely dry when I took the picture (patience is not always one of my virtues) LOL

Mail Call!

Or should I say "Mailbox Call"?!

I am in an altered mailbox swap at the badbaby yahoo group. We went out to Target and found these adorable little mailboxes in their dollar spot.

Each player alters a mailbox, fills it with artwork and then ships it to their secret swap buddy.

Below is my blank mailbox. They are about 6 inches long, made of metal. Quite a deal for only a dollar!

Here are my contents. I made several ATCs and a tag. I mostly focused on the theme of travel. Except for my digital ATC which features one very cool cat! I also stuffed in a bunch of chocolate. Is it possible to have a secret swap without chocolate? I don't think so!

Here a close up of the digital cat. Isn't he the coolest? :-)

Here is the right side of the mailbox with the flag.

I stamped most the images. I choose things that featured postage stamps, letters or symbols of other countries such as the Eiffel Tower. I then filled in between the stamped images with postage stamps from around the world.

I was going to alter the ends as well but decided it took away from the collage in the middle so I just left them blank.

This is the left side. I just love that stamp with the little girl!

Busy Busy Busy!

Boy do I have a lot of projects to get done this month!!!!!

Have I finished them? No! Have I started them? NO! LOL

As a matter of fact, I worked on things that aren't due until next month. Hmm, why do I do this??!!!

I completed 2 spreads in Anne's Asian altered book. For some reason the color in the pictures is off. I tried to adjust it as best I could but it just doesn't look quite right. Oh well, I already mailed it out so this will have to do.

This spread has a fabulous background paper full of asian writing and symbols but only a few show in the photo. :-(

Here is spread #2. I used a piece of Chinese newspaper I picked up in San Francisco. I had a Chinese New Year postage stamp from a couple years ago on hand as well.

The Asian stamps used in both of these are from Stone House Stamps. LOVE their Asian designs!!!! The fortune cookie is from Jim Stephens I think. It is part of a set and also has a blank "fortune" stamp to tuck into your cookie. I used a real fortune I received a few weeks ago. It says "Beauty surrounds you because you create it".

And then there is my favorite dragonfly....very stylized and delicate! It comes from Magenta.

I am in a Bingo Card Book swap. You have to make a book out of bingo cards. I could only find one in my ephemera box and it was a poor copy so I scanned it, adjusted the color and made it bigger. (it was only about 2x3) It is now about 4x5.

I just bought the woman stamp on Saturday. She just called to me from the shelf. She is made by Stampers Anonymous. The "Fun Pass" is from a new set I just got from Close to My Heart. It has all sorts of "tickets"...a very cool and versatile set. The moon face in the upper right corner is from Tin Can Mail. The sticker at the bottom is from the post office. They used to be used to seal the mail.....they no longer use them and my ex husband was a postal worker. They were throwing them away and he brought a pad of them home....this was about 20 years ago. I use them in the strangest places. :-)

I got this girl stamp about a year ago and never used her. I thought she was appropriate for this project as she has bingo card wings. She is from Stampers Anonymous too. I used another "ticket" from the CTMH set. And one of my many cats from 100 Proof Press. I filled the book with cream, sage and country blue pages. I hope the person who gets it likes it as much as I do. That is the hard part of these swaps, parting with things....if I like them I don't want to let them go. LOL

She sells....

I took this picture of the ocean at Brookings last year. I love the rocks of the Oregon coast!

I saw this painting of the woman and for some reason thought she should be walking on the beach LOL

So, now she is. :-)

I used a "pirate map" for my background paper. I made it slightly translucent to lighten the color.

I used a "vintage" frame from Photoshop Elements 5 for around my beach photo and then decreased the intensity of the photo. I added age spots to the photo as well from the crop shapes already available in the program.

The rhododendrons are from Azalea Park in Brookings. They have so many colors, it is so gorgeous to walk through. I can never resist snapping some pictures!

The "swirls" in the upper right corner are a heart shaped brush.

I love playing with this stuff!!!!!

Decos

I sent my niece a box of scrapbooking supplies for her birthday. The thing is, neither she nor my sister have any experience with using all these fun papers and embellishments. So I came up with an idea to give them some practice AND to have some family fun.

We are doing a deco round robin!

I put together the books using their choice of cover colors.

We also convinced my mom to play too. I don't think she is as thrilled as the rest of us though. :-)

Mine is the flower cover at the top left. My theme is flowers. Peyton's is the blue she wants her theme to be Disney (being a huge Disney fan, I can't wait for my turn to work in this one!) My mom's is the green in the lower left with a theme of "books". And the red with cream swirls is Laurel's. She has changed themes a couple times but I think currently is is "colors".

I hope they like these colors since they only told me "red", "blue" and "green". That sure does leave a lot of leeway! LOL

Altered Book

I joined an Altered Book round robin. I haven't done one in a couple years and had been in the mood. This one came up and I jumped at the opportunity.

I had to pick a theme so I decided on Floriography: the language of flowers. It is believed (and used a lot during Victorian times) that each flower had a meaning. So a bouquet would reflect those meanings.

I have done 2 spreads in my book and it is now ready to mail.


First is White Roses. The meaning is "Charm and Innocence".


I coated the page first with gesso and then stamped roses with white paint. You really have look close and in person to see the stamping but I know it is there. :-)

Second is Begonias. The definition is "A Fanciful Nature".

Chinese New Year Parade

Yesterday was the Chinese New Year parade in Jacksonville Oregon.

We have attended the New Year celebrations before but never made it early enough for the parade. This year we made a point of arriving early. We were not disappointed.

It was pretty cold out. Our hands and feet were going numb from the cold but we stuck it out. We were rewarded with the presence of 2 wonderful dragons!

I adjusted this picture in Photoshop Elements 5.0. I put some movement into the background using a motion blur. Otherwise the dragon just got lost in the crowd on the sidewalk.

With this picture I also did some adjustments. I used a radial blur to change the background. The dragon was in shadow (as was I -- freezing my butt off!) while the background across the street was in full sun. I just couldn't get the picture to look the way I wanted so I completely distorted the background to lessen the impact of that bright background.

Tried Something New

My friend Pam prints on fabric with her home printer. I decided to give it a try. Talk about fun!

I have lots of vintage images on cds I have bought over the years.

I resized several of them and printed them up on a scrap of muslin.

I think I need to heat set them in the future.

I followed Pam's directions:

1. Iron a piece of freezer paper (8x10) onto your fabric.

2. Make sure to trim all loose threads from the fabric

3. Put into your printer and print!

I was surprised how clear the images came out. I actually had to blur my picture to post it on the internet because the grain of the fabric was showing up too much. Trust me, the image printed crystal clear.

I cut out one of the pictures and used it for a Vintage Valentine ATC.

Angel of the Mist

I was playing around in Photoshope Elements again last night.

I was trying out some new brushes and experimenting with different filters. I decided to click an option I had never used before and voila!

Don't ya just love Happy Accidents?!

Photoshop Elements 5.0

I received a Wacom tablet for Christmas. I am having trouble getting the hang of it BUT it came with Photoshop Elements 5.0 which I LOVE!

I have been using version 2.0 for years. This upgrade is awesome!!!

I am learning new things every day and spending a lot of time just playing and creating ATCs with it.

I was playing with brushes on this one.

I also was practicing tinting by coloring the roses.

This is my grandparents. Again, more playing with brushes. And layers.

This photo belongs to a friend of mine, she found it at an antique mall. There was something about it. The old woman seated in the front has a slight smile and is wearing light colored clothes. The others, all dressed in dark colors, are not smiling. Why is that? I decided to play up the old woman and really put her over the top.

Balls I made for Christmas

Since Christmas is now over I can show you these balls I made for gifts.

The first was for my sister Jennifer. She has to be the biggest Ohio State fan I know! I haven't heard from her today, probably in mourning!!!!

I covered the ball with tissue paper, painted it white and then sponged on JoSonja's silver paint. I printed the logo on my inkjet printer. I have found that if you spray 2 or three coats of Workable Fixatif on the printed images, you can glue them and paint a sealer over them and they do not run or fade.

Below is a ball I made for the daughter of a friend at work. Another Jennifer. :-)

She is a HUGE Hannah Montana fan! I hear she even has her own Hannah website and if I ever get the address I will post it here for all you Hannah Montana fans out there.

Again, I covered the ball with tissue and then sponged pink and white paint. I then painted on squiggles and stars with silver, turquoise and silver.

Finally, I added the Hannah pics. Her mother said she really liked it. :-)

Christmas is almost here!

I spent today making Christmas gifts for some of my friends.

I created some mini Jar Fairies.

Below are the children I used to make my fairies. I left tabs on their feet so I could glue them onto the bottoms of the jars.



I made wings from gold and silver origami papers glued onto cardstock. This fairy is sharing her jar with some stamped snowmen.

I used glitter pipe cleaners to add some sparkle around the tops of the jars. And added some glittery beads and crystals into the fiberfil snow.

This fairy is decorating a tree in her jar.

The fairy below was supposed to be in a larger jar like the other two but when I unwrapped the jar I found that it was defective so I head back to the store only to find that they had sold out of all the larger jars. So, I had to settle for a much smaller jar.

Maybe that is why she looks sad. That or she is upset about sharing space with such huge gingerbread men.

To add interest, since the jar is so small, I tucked it into a handblown martini glass filled with Hershey Kiss Mint Truffles....yum! Now it looks like a giant ice cube!

I bought a new toy!

Ok, I will admit, I just don't "get" scrapbooking. I mean, spending hours on a single page just to show off one picture?!

Yes, Yes, I have seen wonderful layouts. And I know some fabulous artists that create beautiful pages. But it is just not for me. (just like I know lots of people that think my obsession with rubber stamps is nuts LOL)

But, this week, I gave in to the ultimate scrapbooking tool....I bought a Cricut machine!

I really think it has a lot of potential for what I do. I can now make tags, frames and labels from any paper and any size. Some of the font cartridges look pretty cool too (not that I use alphabets that often...my numerous unused sets of letter stamps can attest to that).

Ok, I was very depressed and stressed and shopping ALWAYS helps!

Once I get some time and figure out exactly how to use this thing, I will post some pictures.

(I have a Christmas cartridge coming very soon) heehee

I'm an Aristocrat!

Saw this on another blog and it cracked me up.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Grace Lady Cheryl the Calm of Lower Bumhampton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Calendar Page

I am in a "swap" of sorts. Everyone involved makes a page for a calendar, the hostess then assembles them and we have this fabulous calendar filled with gorgeous artwork.

My month is September.

I wanted to use the colors I think of when I think of fall. Deep reds, golds, copper. The theme of the calendar is Fashion. So, since I do love asian themed stuff, I made an asian page.

I started with an 8x10 sheet of black paper. I sponged copper acrylic paint onto it. I next tore a striped sheet of autumn colored paper and glued it over top.

Now the pictures. With the theme of fashion I searched for Asian fashion models. I also used pictures of the Great Wall at sunset as well as the Temple of Heaven at sunset. Both show the rich golds I wanted as well as the clear blue skies I think of for fall.

And who else is the epitomy of fashion but Barbie! Here is Chinese New Year Barbie with her rich red dress. She has olive colored leaves behind her to help her stand out against the background.

Finally, the writing down the right side is actually the wrapper off a pair of chop sticks from some restaurant. I have had that wrapper so long I couldn't even tell you where I got it.