ATCs

Made a couple of ATCs this morning. The first is a inkjet transparency I'd used as a transfer and then stuck it on a piece of scrap while I fiddled with the transfer! I rather liked the way it looked so turned it into an ATC. ;-) The second one's background is cut from a botched sheet of Quink/bleach experimenting with Mecanorma and stamping over it.

Doodad

This is the first of my two pieces for the Artella Spring Sprite swap. I wanted to make a doodad to hang up and inspired by one of these tins that a friend (Liz) had turned into a Christmas decoration I thought I'd have a go. It was almost a disaster as I Superglued the lid on and then realised I hadn't cleaned the fingermarks off the INSIDE of it!! Fortunately my lovely DH had a cunning plan and rescued the situation! :-) I actually prefer it with the lid off (as it is in the pic) but I'll send it along to my swap partner and she can decide how she likes it best. I'm really pleased with this but it is green so no surprise really! LOL

Badge

I made this badge yesterday, says it all really! LOL

AB Spreads

Finished my second spread in a magic themed AB for one of my friend's from book group (which meets tonight). After last night's fiddle with the scanner I took the easy option and took a photo of it! I really like this one, probably because it's green! LOL The blue spread is my first spread which I did a while ago but hadn't taken a pic until now. I wasn't really enthused by the magic theme, couldn't get going at all, so considering that I'm really pleased with both of these!

Journal Cover

Went straight to my work room after the bus run again this morning and created this journal cover. It wasn't on my list of things to do but it suddenly became an important thing for me to do today. The scan doesn't really capture it very well, it's quite subtle really. I know!!! Subtle!!! Whatever next?? The brass frame got pressed funny in the scanner but you can see the quote properly in real life!! It's quite simple but it's for me and that's what I wanted! ;-D I think I need to do something that isn't pink or purple now!

AB Spread

I've been working on a spread in a Once Upon a Time themed AB today. Had a bit of a job with it and it shot off in a direction I hadn't planned but I think I'm done! Can't get the book on my scanner properly so it's two odd pics but you'll get the general idea I hope! Didn't think until afterwards but I could have taken a pic with the camera! It must be luvverly to have brains!

Altered Spoon

This a birthday present for the same friend. We had an altered cutlery challenge on my Yahoo group and I came up with the idea of "Quote Spoons - to stir your life with" but didn't actually manage tofind time to do any of them for the challenge! Anyway, this is my first effort and I'm quite pleased with it. ;-) Not a great scan as the light bounced off the bowl of the spoon! I have seven more of these cute little spoons to play with - junk shop find for £1 ages ago which I couldn't resist but knew I'd find a use for! LOL What do you think?

Card & ATCs

Here we go with the first of today's offerings! I went straight up to my work room after the school bus run this morning as I was so cross with myself for wasting yesterday so first up I finished something that I can't post pics of yet because the recipient lurks about on here and then moved on to making this birthday card for a friend's birthday later this week. I stamped three ATCs and chose the one I liked best for the card but thought I'd complete the other two while I was at it! The stuff around the edges is a silvery/rainbow foil which is much lovlier in real life than the scan is making out!!

ATC

It's ma wee man again! LOL Another ATC from my scraps box!

Deco

Did this fun piece in a crayons themed deco this morning.

AB Spread

I finished this spread in my nature AB this morning. The pic on the right is a magazine pic that Laura demonstrated the Brasso technique on so I tinkered about with some paint on it and thought I'd use it in my book. I now realise however that it isn't a pic of a fern! LOL C'est la vie!

Envie

My lovely friend, Laura, came to visit this week and showed me this technique on a magazine page where you put PVA/gel medium over the image you want to keep then use Brasso to remove the background. I had a play with it on this piece and then used acrylic paint and stamping around my image. I was so pleased with it that I've made it into this envelope for the monthly mail art swap on my Yahoo group. Definitely going to been playing with this technique more!

Deco

This is my work in a peace themed deco that I've had for ages! *blush* In fact I temporarily mislaid it when I moved into my new room so I was very pleased it surfaced again! It has no planned route so if anyone fancies working in it just holler!

Deco

This is my work in the last vintage rudie nudie deco I have to work in. Wasn't sure where I was going with it but I'm quite pleased with the end result!

I was up in my work room earlier sorting through some stuff when something sparked a huge surge of anger in me. ;-( I stopped what I was doing and frenziedly made this piece instead. Art therapy, what a wonderful thing!

AB Spread

This is my completed World Cup spread in the 60s decades AB. The metal football (from a keyring) has been knocking about my desk for ages so it was great to use it!

Papers

I lied, that AB spread wasn't the last thing from today!! I had a bit of a play with Aquawash and Brusho paint powders this afternoon and these are some of the papers I made. E has been invited out for the day tomorrow so I'll have some extra art time and I might have another play with them as I had great fun with these!

AB Spread

And my last piece of the day is this spread in a 60s themed book in the Decades AB RR I've been hosting and which is about to finish. I also have a half finished spread about England winning the football World Cup which will be done and dusted tomorrow I hope. This player's book disappeared in the post and she didn't want to make another although she has continued to work in everyone else's books so hopefully this replacement will be a lovely surprise for her. ;-)

Card

My next offering from today is this birthday card. I'm not very good at making cards and I think this is a bit wishy washy but I wasn't sure what to do to improve it so this is it!!

ATC Book Spread

DH is off taking FIL home so I'm pottering about clearing the decks of a few arty commitments. This is my spread in a butterflies themed ATC book RR I'm participating in. Everything before me is very "scrapbooky", if you know what I mean, and I've steamed in with a bit of grunge!! Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with scrapbooky at all but I just can't do it!! Just hope the recipient doesn't mind what I've done!!

ATC

I also made this ATC from my scrap tray. I'm liking the grubby look I seem to be attracted to at the moment! I used this image alot last year after liberating the photo from an antique shop and found this one printed on acetate lurking about at the bottom of a box of assorted scraps during a decluttering moment last week! It's stuck over gessoed dictionary page.

Everyday Book

Spent an hour pottering about in my work room while the troops were at agility this afternoon! :-) This is my spread in one of the books in the Everyday Book RR on my Yahoo group. The theme is black & white and imagine. I was having trouble coming up with an idea for this and put it to E in the car (while we were travelling to my niece's 1st birthday party) as a distraction since she was feeling sick! This was her idea so I can't take any credit really! LOL It rather amuses me, not sure what the recipient will make of it though!! The background is stamped with the stamp that I carved under Kari's tuition and the zebras are from a vintage encyclopedia illustration.

Deco

Home from the last night of the show and my brain is still buzzing and will be for hours so thought I'd tinker about online! I managed to grab half an hour in my work room this morning and did this piece for a Sculpture Garden themed deco. It's an altered photo of one of the statues at Anglesey Abbey, a National Trust house not too far away from here.

Deco

This is my work in the second vintage rudie nudie deco I needed to finish today. I like this one more! :-) I smooshed some metallic oil pastels onto the other one and I'm happier with it than I was!

Deco

I have two vintage rudie nudie decos that I need to work in ready to pass on tomorrow and this is the first. Feel like it's lacking in something but will let it lie for a while and then look again later. Any comments, am I done??

ATCs

Found myself half an hour of art time today and made these two ATCs from my massive scraps pile!

40 Goals!!

Since I turned 40 a week ago I've been thinking about goals for the coming year. I've made a list of 40 arty goals (as well as another list of personal goals) and I thought I'd post them here so I'm a little bit accountable! They're a mixed bag, some specific, some more loose, but all things I'd love to achieve. I've no idea how many of them I'll succeed in accomplishing but I'm going to give it a damn good try! So, here we go:

1. sell a piece of art
2. produce a zine
3. alter a whole pack of cards
4. make a shrine
5. make and AB for Eleanor
6. learn to solder
7. do The Artist's Way
8. finish Reg AB
9. make Quench AB
10. finish Dashing Away AB
11. submit some art to a magazine
12. make a book from flattened tin cans
13. host a chunky book swap
14. host a mini zine swap
15. write "rules" for my Yahoo group
16. make Artful Zebra rubber stamps
17. make eyes AB
18. visit Tate Modern
19. make four elements decos
20. get to grips with Photoshop
21. visit Leverington Road cemetery
22. start working through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain again
23. learn more about colour
24. produce a zine for children
25. use fabric/stitching in artwork more
26. make artwork for my Etsy shop
27. make bunting for my art room
28. go to Artfest
29. make more unplanned work ie not for swaps and RRs
30. comment on work on blogs of artists that I admire
31. create art in timed slots
32. experiment with techniques more!
33. try shaving foam marbling
34. make my art room the way I want it to be
35. keep a sketch/ideas book
36. use my Polaroid camera
37. make Secret Garden AB
38. make wooden and metal decos
39. make nan and grandad shrine
40. believe in my creative abilities!

ATC Book Spread

This evening I've hurriedly done this spread for one of the books in the ATC book RR I'm in. The theme is music. I should have posted this today, ssssssssssh, but at least it's done now and ready to go off on it's travels tomorrow. Not sure about the bit of Sharpie madness I had on the vintage pic but otherwise I hope it passes muster!

Postcard

Finished this postcard this morning for someone on the ArtDecos group. Another gesso moment! LOL I just hope it's sturdy enough to wing it's way to the USA without getting damaged!!

Deco

This is my work in a Native American themed deco. It's not a theme I'd choose but once I started casting about for things to use I quite enjoyed myself! What a beautiful Indian maiden!