SerenitySecret

Through the Year - 2011 - Altered Book style :)

2012-01-25T20:43:00.000-06:00

After a year-long Altered Book Holiday Round Robin, my book came home busting with magical art! :-) I still had to do the month of December, and because this was one project that I wanted to see to completion (unlike most...LOL!) I also "filled in the blanks." I didn't want any blank pages between the spreads so I filled them in with holidays not already used.

But it is complete now! And it's wonderfully fat and full of art! (We'll see how many images this blog actually lets me load! LOL!)

This is the cover as I sent it out last January. I had thoughts of adding more 3-demensional embellishments to it, but honestly? It's grown on me, so I think I'm leaving it as is....;)

This is the sign-in page where the participating artists signed the library card as they "checked it out"....

And the participants themselves, in the order they worked in the book (blurred out for privacy issues, obviously), with their addresses for easy access to the next artist who needed to mail the book.

A calendar of possible holidays...I was going for a quilted look that a friend of mine had achieved so successfully once-upon-a-time. Not sure mine quite measures up to hers! LOL!

This was kind of a "bonus" page, for me anyway! LOL! I realized I hadn't included a letter of "hello" and instructions, and didn't want to just stuff it into the book, so, having just learned how to work with layered backgrounds a little more effectively, I pulled my paints out and went to work! Loved the way the background came out! :-) The paper pocket is homemade paper. :)

"Focus" was my Word of the Year, and thought it appropriate to include it in my book for the year. The serendipity squares were made especially for this spread. They were the most fun! :-)

This was a blank set of pages originally. One of my "fill-ins" as I worked through the book after it came home. After I did it, I halfway panicked! "Did I put the right half of the groundhog on the right half of the page???" LOL! A quick Google search and yup...I didn't get it mixed up. Even if I had, it was going to have to do! :)

The February spread was the first done "on the road," by Terry R. It's in two pics to show both sides of the insert.

Dr. Seuss's Birthday is another fill-in-the-blank spread that I did after the book came home. I'd been looking for an excuse to use this brightly bold paper I'd been hoarding!

For March, Karen C. painted this whimsical frog just hangin' out by a bold pink flower for St. Paddy's Day!

JoAnn G. crafted this fun little page for Easter in April. I love the puffy "Happy Easter" in robin's egg blue! :-)

Jackie S. made a perfect choice for May with Cinco de Mayo, as that was our theme for our neighborhood progressive dinner that month! The little donkey pinata is too cute!

I got to craft my own Memorial Day spread, which made me happy. The picture was taken when my kids were little. They are standing next to the flag which was draped on my father's casket, oh-so-many-years-ago, and now waves proudly on all National holidays. :-)

Lisa is the artist behind this lovely soft page for June, and the one immediately following it for Flag Day.

The 4th of July is always cause for celebration, and thanks to Pam, I have this great celebratory page in my book! :-)

For my friends (and some family), Friendship Day was a fun filler for me. Half the fun was finding the right pics to use! My face kind of got flashed out in that bottom picture, but everyone knows what I look like anyway....LOL!

"Birthdays" was a perfect choice for August, from Darya. Ava and I both have August birthdays. Love the birds and the little vintage girl with the happy little hat!

The left side of this page was blank, so I filled it in with complimentary paper to go with the start of September's spread by Kathy Mc.

I don't think I need to say how MUCH I love this particular spread! :-) Okay, I'll say it anyway...LOVE IT! :-)

Love the simplicity of this very elegant September page. Makes me want to sing....:-)

Sweetest Day, this past October, was October 15th, but in 1975 (and now I am about to "date" myself...LOL), it was on October 18th, my wedding day, so yeah, I was happy to have a set of blank pages to include this sappy happy little holiday! LOL!

Terrie L. went happy-happy with a new toy she'd purchased, and I got several spreads for Halloween! It's a win-win situation as far as I could tell! :-)

Once again, I added some paper to a blank page, to (hopefully) compliment the start of Angela's November pages.

Thomas and Thomasina look their very best! Not sure that's a wise move at this time of year for a turkey....:)

I thought I was done with the empty spaces in my book, and as I started gluing together the remaining blank pages, I realized I didn't have a Veterans Day in my book! And with a date like 11-11-11, well, I had to do it! Used a picture of Daddy in his uniform from WWII. :-)

And December was all mine. I had planned on doing only one spread for Christmas, but I had too many ideas. For this first one, I used several pieces I'd received in our Christmas Matchbox Swap, along with some tissue paper from our Christmas.

Being that my family is so photogenic, I used some leftover Christmas card pictures for this spread, along with some Christmas paper I'd bought originally for my Matchbox swap and then ended up not using anyway.

And this was a no-brainer. Had to have a Grammie and Ava Christmas page! What the heck, it's my book and I can do what I want! LOL! I really loved the silver foil and blue snowmen on a Christmas envelope we'd gotten this Christmas but really wanted to use the "I heart Santa" paper, which had no blue, so I took a chance and used both anyway! I think I got it pulled together, and if not? Eh, as I said, it's my book...:-)

The last pages of the book I left unembellished, for the most part. The "thumbnails" are images from spreads I'd done in everyone else's book throughout the year.

And this page, I just left as is...it was just too funny, and too fitting! LOL! It's the original end page in my book.

The inside cover, which, yeah, I know, looks incomplete as it is. Just didn't know what else to do with it, so it stays. Can't have perfection on EVERY page! :-)

And this is my book as you look at it from the top. WONDERFULLY full and FAT! It won't begin to close! Isn't that great?!? LOL!

And there you have it. Right now the book is sitting on my dining room table, because it makes me smile every time I walk by it, and that can be nothing but a good thing!

One final note: a HUGE thank you to all you gals for all the hard work you did in my book! I had a great time working in yours! And Kathy, you may be getting tired of all these "Thank You's" but thank you, seriously, for hosting this RR, and for coming up with the idea in the first place. Altered books was the vehicle that brought me back to art, so I feel like I've come full circle. Not that I'm done...oh no, I'll just keep going around the circle now that I've found my way back! :-)

Yellow is as yellow does :)

2011-12-27T16:47:00.000-06:00

I have no idea what I mean by that, but it's what popped into my head! LOL!

This is my last Inchie for Every Inchie Monday for 2011. I can't believe we're on the last itty bitty piece of art already! When the year started I said to myself, "Self, this is a big undertaking." Well, big undertaking for small art. Big, in that it's a 52-week commitment. Self-imposed, mind you, but a commitment all the same. And I'm pleased with myself that I actually stayed with it. Me, Queen of Procrastination and Duchess of Unfinished Projects!

So here is my Yellow Inchie for December 26, 2011 - a day late, but it's the right year at least! I'm not a yellow person, so I had to dig!

Blue Monday, and Goin' Green!

2011-12-27T00:47:00.001-06:00

Catching up on the last few Inchies, and then, amazingly enough, I am done! I've done them all! I didn't quit - (Yay for me!) - though I was late with many. And I have one more to go after these two!

Every Inchie Monday for December 12th was "Blue."

I couldn't decide on whether to go with light on dark, or dark on light, so I did it both ways!

And December 19th's was "Green."
(I love Christmas!)

Out of the RED!

2011-12-10T00:15:00.000-06:00

Yes! I'm out of the "red"! I'm all caught up on my Inchies now. Yay for me! :-)

This past Monday's Inchie prompt was "red." (I think 'someone' ran out of words...LOL!) So RED it is! :-)

Amuse/Amusement Monday (for November 28th)

2011-12-09T21:08:00.000-06:00

I started my little clown a few weeks ago, but didn't get him finished till just now (because I was stuck with the previous Inchie...and, of course, doing all the procrastinating!). He's made out of FIMO, and I had to use a magnifying glass to paint him! Now I know some people have phobias about clowns, so I apologize in advance! LOL!

Oh, and I mistakenly thought the word was "amuse" when it was really "amusement" but it's close enough!

"Pretend" it is still November 21st! :-)

2011-12-09T21:04:00.001-06:00

Because that is when this Inchie was due! LOL! Got behind again. It's tough this time of year, when you're busy trying to get Christmas decorations up, or rather procrastinate about putting decorations up! Mostly, I've spent my time just trying to stay warm! I'm a wimp, yes, I am, but I digress...

So, the word for the day for Every Inchie Monday for November 21st was: "Pretend" :-)

What's more fun than little girls playing house, in their own little chef's hat and apron! And no, she's not the stereotypical "housewife," our girl is a Master Chef at the finest restaurant around! (Or so we can "pretend"....)

Little Matchbox Tree :)

2011-12-04T19:45:00.000-06:00

All 25 of my Altered Christmas Matchboxes came in the mail from a swap I am in, and they are all hanging on my little fiber-optic tree in my den/art room. They are numbered 1 - 25, and each day we (the fellow artists and I) get to open up that day's box. A fun way to start the day for 25 days running! :-)

11.11.11 in Holiday Altered Book RR

2011-11-17T18:51:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe a year has gone by already, but I just completed my last spread in the last Holiday Altered Book Round Robin. I chose Veteran's Day, because really, how could I not! The whole "11-11-11" thing, plus, it was my son's birthday. Plus, I enjoy doing patriotic spreads so it all works! :-)

Karen's book was notebook style so I was able to remove the ages and work on them individually, which is nice. No worry about messing up someone else's pages, or working in a really FULL book (though really FULL books are fun to caress...LOL!) At least this way you can lay the page flat and work on it with ease. :-)

I painted the background, then filled the page with papers, sparkly stars (though the sparkly really does not like to photograph well), and stamping. I had to take the pic at an angle because of glare from the flash and lights, but you get the idea!

A "Daring" Inchie!

2011-11-17T15:36:00.000-06:00

Oooooooooh...

He flies through the air with the greatest of ease, the "daring" young man on the flying trapeze! ('nough said;)

(Last) Monday's "Life"

2011-11-15T18:16:00.001-06:00

A teeny bit behind in my Inchies again...mainly because I was stuck on "life"! Nothing and everything ran through my head but how to put all that into a mere Inch when Life is certainly bigger than an Inchie could possibly hold!

So my Life Inchie represents a certain blue-eyed someone (Read: Ava!) who, by simply coming into this Life, completely changed mine...

This one's for you, Baby Girl :)

gRaFiTti uP YoUr moNdAy

2011-10-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

brick wall + paint = grafitti :)

Boo! It's a Spooky spread!

2011-10-25T23:32:00.001-05:00

This is my October page in JoAnn's altered book for the Altered Art Divas Holiday Round Robin. I love Halloween and the purples and oranges, and cats and bats, and witches and ghosts, and I just love Halloween! LOL!

Encouragement on a Monday :)

2011-10-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

My nephew participates in Special Olympics, which to me epitomizes the very meaning of "encouragement," not to mention the local support he has received over the years from friends and family. So this is for all the Special Olympians and the encouragement they receive on a daily basis. You're an inspiration, Wyatt! :-)

Monday Dreams

2011-10-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

If the background to this one looks semi-familiar, it's because it was actually the first reject to "Imagine." I came across it and was going to toss it; instead I stuck it in my Inchie envie (where I store unfinished Inchies and/or ideas for the next one), and when I went to create "Dreams," I came across this reject and ended up using it! The teeny runners came from a health newsletter I get in my paycheck envelope every month! But they were the perfect size so I put the little guys to good use! :-)

Curiosity on a Monday

2011-10-10T18:42:00.001-05:00

I almost changed my mind on using this Inchie for Curiosity and saved it for Daring, but since I made it with Curiosity in mind, decided to stick with it!

If you've ever had a cat and a door (and if you have a cat you most certainly have a door!), you know how much they love sticking their paws up underneath the door to "see" what's on the other side. Sometimes, they may not want to know!!

Destination: Monday

2011-10-03T17:54:00.001-05:00

The only "destination that matters"...
the route from Grammie's house to Ava's House! :-)

Wisdom on a Monday :)

2011-09-26T22:09:00.001-05:00

(Edited to add: my wise ol' owl made the Every Inchie Monday page! :-)

No great story with this one. I just like owls....:-)

Every Inchie Monday, Monday, Monday, Monday, Monday, and Monday ;)

2011-09-21T00:06:00.000-05:00

Yes, I was six(!) Inchies behind! Which, when you consider it's only an inch a week, I guess I was only six inches behind, which sounds inherently better than six weeks behind! Yeah, I'll go with that!! :-)

Anyway, being woefully behind, I played catch-up this week. Yay for me!

August 15th - Strength - With September 11th less than a month away (at the time...) and after reading several scattered updates from surviving family members of victims of 9/11, my "Strength" Inchie represents the many, many layers of support and faith and strength and hope for the future of those families and for our country.

August 22nd - Imagine - I had originally intended to leave all color out of this Inchie, leaving it to the beholder's eye to "imagine" their own color and design, but, in the end, I am a color person, and my poor little bland Inchie was screaming "COLOR ME!", so I gave in and gave it a rainbow which by its very presence inspires imagination.

August 29th - Change - The end of August brings with it the coming of autumn and a change of seasons, as my little inchie tree depicts the seasons' "change."

September 5th - Cozy - There's just something about a nice warm mug of Chai Tea that makes me feel all warm and cozy inside no matter where I am. Both Inchies (clearly I was having an indecision kind of day) were stained with, what else, Chai Tea. :-)

September 12th - Kiss - A kiss, a kiss is on their lips...my little kids show up again, sneaking a "kiss."

September 19th - Sparkle - I love the sparkle of the twinkling stars in the late-night skies.

Rust(y) Inchie :)

2011-08-10T15:47:00.000-05:00

It takes more art supplies than you might expect to rust a key small enough to fit in an Inchie! Especially when you're not sure what the heck you're doing and have to re-do your efforts! But I like the way the rust effect came out for my Every Inchie Monday representing "Rust."

Go 4th and Celebrate! - July Holiday Round Robin Altered Book

2011-08-01T17:39:00.000-05:00

This is August, yes, I know, but my month for Pam's book for the Diva's Holiday Round Robin Altered Book was July. I was originally leaning toward the whole flag theme, but the month before mine was June and the holiday was Flag Day so I didn't want to duplicate it too much.

So then I started re-thinking the 4th of July and what came to mind were all the 4th of July picnics and get-togethers we've have in the past. Swimming, picnics, and fireworks afterward, so....:-)

Micro "Sunset" Inchie

2011-08-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

Sunsets inspire color and brilliance and, generally, a great vastness of sky and space, but working in Inchies one has to think small. So what represents color and brilliance in one square inch, for me?

Microbeads....gotta love 'em.

They may be microscopic to work with, but well worth chasing them around the desk as they try to escape the confines of your workspace! :-)

An Inchie "Nest"

2011-07-27T10:27:00.000-05:00

This week's Every Inchie Monday prompt was "nest," although I seem to be missing Monday lately....:-)

I had wanted something 'unique' for my interpretation of nest but the muse wouldn't have it, so 'we' went with a traditional, sort of, nest. The three little blue eggs represent my three kids, and the white specks are bits of crushed egg shell. :-)

The Three Blue Chairs + 1

2011-07-21T02:27:00.002-05:00

So this isn’t really an art related post today, but thanks to my daughter’s eye and imagination, and my tendency to snowball any given situation, was too fun not to share. It’s the impromptu and unlikely story of three blue chairs and one purple chair.

~~~

Once upon a time there were three chairs. The three chairs had many common characteristics and similar interests. They all had the same rounded backs, and were very very blue. They also shared a love of the outdoors, mostly hanging out in the backyard. They were very supportive when someone needed them, and often times helped with chores around the yard when items needed to be hung and dried.

Then one day, a purple chair took a seat next to two of the blue chairs. The two blue chairs were happy to have a new friend in their seating arrangement and took it in with open arm rests. However, the third blue chair was not amused and refused to join in, keeping its distance from the seemingly oblivious trio. The third blue chair did not trust this new “friend” with the square back and curious shade of purple. It only knew that its two blue buddies had taken in this…this…purple stranger.

So the three chairs – the two blue and one purple – sat side-by-side in the cool of the large shade tree. And the stubborn third blue chair sat alone in the hot-hot sun where it grew very-very lonely.

And the Moral of the Story is…no one wants to sit in the hot seat so you better play nice.

(And this is what happens when we move the chairs to the middle of the yard so we can spray paint them :-)

"Ava Bunny"

2011-07-21T00:12:00.000-05:00

My little bathroom on the main floor has sort of turned into a "Bunny Room," where my collection of bunnies reside. (There are a fair amount...you know how those little rascals can multiply! LOL!)

Anyway, on the window is a quilted hanging I had made for a curtain quite some years ago; with a mama bunny, papa bunny, two brother bunnies, and one little sister bunny. How fortunate it is that they match my family! LOL! So a couple of visits ago, Ava noticed the bunnies on the quilt and wanted to know their names.

So I pointed out (revising for her sake) Grampa Bunny, Grammie Bunny, Uncle Ryan Bunny, Auntie Lindsey Bunny, and Daddy Bunny. She thinks about it a minute, and then asks:

"Where's me???"

:-O

So Grammie Bunny got busy and by the time Ava came for Ava Week, Ava Bunny joined the ranks of the Bunny Family! I haven't "quilted" her yet, but she's painted on!

And my Little Miss Ava Bunny was pleased....:-)

We "heart" Books Inchies!

2011-07-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

My 3 1/2-year-old granddaughter (though she's nearly 4, but I'll call her 3 1/2 till the day of her birthday! LOL!) was visiting and watching me while I dusted the top of my piano where I display my Inchies. She asked what they were, so I told her, expecting her to have a "What, Grammie???" look on her face, so I was a little bit (but not totally) surprised when all she said was, "I want one!"

So a brainstorm hit and I quickly grabbed a few things we would need to make an Inchie for her (and myself, in the process), and together we created these two Inchies for Monday's prompt, "Books."

"All by herself" she punched out paper hearts, and one flower, out of some old book pages that I'd colored a while back to use for quickie projects, such as this.

Then I dabbed a dot of glue on an old phone book page (they make great disposable workspaces) and she used a little paint brush to "paint" the glue onto the backs of the heart, and one flower.

Then she glued them on two Inchies - one for her, and one for me. The idea being, "We <3 Books!"

And then she went off to play....

"Love" them Inchies! :-)

2011-07-11T17:38:00.001-05:00

My two "love"ly girls - my daughter and granddaughter.
Love
times
two!
:-)

Sweeeet Inchie :-)

2011-07-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

A few days late again this week *sigh* and no doubt I'll be late the next couple of weeks, too. Oh well, better late than never, right??? :-)

Anyway, this week's Inchie is/was "sweet." And since we had this deliciously sweet, and very patriotic, cake on the 4th with the Neighbors, decided to make my piece of red, white, and blue sweetness my Inchie of the Week!

Catching up on Inchies!

2011-06-30T22:22:00.002-05:00

And I was doing so well for awhile....

Oh well, time to catch up on Every Inchie (every 3rd?) Monday! And since I found myself three weeks(!) behind, went all-digital because it's the quickest way for me to catch up! Hopefully I'll be able to stay on track after this. Miracles can happen!

The first Inchie is "Sisters", and since I have three of them, found an old black and white (showing my age, I know...) of me and my sisters. (I'm in the back right.) This photo was originally taken on my little brother's 3rd birthday, but I had to cut him and my older brother out! Bad sister I am.... But it was so cute of us girls, just had to use it! Sorry, guys! :-)

The second Inchie is "Woman," and instant I saw that, I knew which image I had to use! For the sake of speed and simplicity, since I was behind in posting my Inchies, I used/altered an image I had made several years ago for a playing card deck project with my Divas. The "woman" is my grandmother; a photograph I always thought of as "hauntingly beautiful."

And the third Inchie, which is actually for this week is: "Harmony." No matter where I plant my flowers, they are always in harmony with each other. :-)

And there you have 'em!

A winning Inchie of "Merriment" coming to you from Vegas, Baby! :-)

2011-06-06T22:06:00.000-05:00

Okay, talk about the perfect word for this Every Inchie Monday! LOL!

First off, I cheated. Mainly because I'm in Vegas at this exact moment and there was no way to art up an Inchie, much less post it! So this Inchie was done a few days ago, but (hopefully) capturing the "merriment" I'm having right now! :-)

Final posting of Inchie, courtesy of the daughter....Thank you, Linds, for doing this for your Mom! :-)

"Home" is where the Heart is...even in an Inchie ;)

2011-05-30T08:52:00.000-05:00

This week's word prompt for Every Inchie Monday has never been more perfect.

"Home"

Opting for simplicity this week, I drew this Inchie house with regular crayons, placing a heart-shaped button, painted with textured paint, at the center, which to me is exactly what a home signifies. Home is where the Heart is...:-0

And today, on this Memorial Weekend Monday, I am "home," and the my favorite little 3-year-old (that would be Ava! LOL!) is also at my home.

She is my Heart, and my Heart is "home," so.....there you have it!

(It's been a great weekend, by the way....:-)

May Day in Holiday Altered Book RR

2011-05-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

Karen O's beautiful bird book for our Holidays Altered Book Round Robin has been nesting at my house throughout the month of May. My spread depicting "May Day."

A little bit of Solitude on Monday

2011-05-22T23:06:00.002-05:00

Do you ever marvel at how some times you have to actually "think" (God forbid) when it comes to ideas, and other times the idea pops up before you knew you were even thinking it? Okay, so maybe not, but that's how the inspiration for this week's Every Inchie Monday word prompt hit me. The second, or maybe the instant before the second, I saw that this week's word was "solitude" I knew exactly what it was going to look like. Partly because I'd already done it.

Years ago (and I mean many years ago), when I was just a lass, I drew/sketched/painted a series of pictures of a little girl, usually around the farm where I had lived the better part of my childhood. Always alone. But not necessarily lonely. At least that's how I saw her then. Having dug out my stash of artwork from "way back when" I found my little girl and choose a piece which was actually complete. (Even then I had a nasty habit of starting a project and getting bored with it halfway through the process! LOL!)

This little girl was done in acrylics, from the looks of it, and I scanned it in, cropped, resized, and added the lettering.

And before you ask, or speculate, no, this little girl isn't me. Or at least I don't think so! Most of the little girls were blonde, and I am decidedly not! LOL!

"Solitude"
Unfortunately some of the detail got lost in the resizing/printing process
- not to mention the coloring is a bit off - so I also posted the scan itself.

The original scan

Fancy'D

2011-05-16T23:09:00.000-05:00

And this week's Every Inchie Monday word prompt is: "fancy"

I wasn't sure how to portray "fancy." Even Googled the word to get inspiration! With nothing coming forthwith...(forthwith?? LOL!) The only image that popped into my head (oops, almost typed "pooped!) from the get-go was fanciful lettering, as in a monogram, so...

Bibbity - Bobbity - PINK!

2011-05-11T22:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Every Inchie Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday!

Monday, because I thought about it on Monday.
Tuesday, because that is when I actually arted it.
And, Wednesday, because I didn't get around to posting it sooner! :-)

I really had no clear vision for this week's word: "Pink," so I just grabbed a bunch of baggies from my art drawers that looked like they had pink in them and worked with what I had (at work, but shhh....they think I work there! LOL!)

Pink it is! And what is pinker or more fun or more magical than a pink Fairy Godmother shooting colored sparks from her fairy wand! :-)

Holidays Altered Book Round Robin: April - Spring!

2011-05-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

My April spread for Kathy's Holidays Altered Round Robin Book was "Spring." Or more precisely, the hopes of spring...seeing how my favorite season has proven to be a bit more elusive than usual. Emily Dickinson's poem kept running through my head, so I went with it!

The book was an old record album with pockets, that had been separated for ease of working in the book. We were to decorate one page, front and back, and got to make tags for the pockets. Looking at the pictures now, I almost feel I should have/could have made more than the two tags, but it looked "complete" at the time. Below is the front of my page, with the tags inside. I painted the background and used an old calendar page (for April, no less!) for the bird and other images on the page.

The back of the page:

And the tags....

The verse of Emily Dickinson's poem that inspired the spread....:-)

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all.

I "Heart" the U.S.A. - Every Inchie Monday

2011-05-02T18:31:00.001-05:00

This week's Every Inchie Monday came out a bit differently than I had originally planned for the prompt word: "Heart," but after last night's news I felt this much more appropriate for today's flavor! :-)

Jeremiah was a Joyful Inchie....:-)

2011-04-26T23:21:00.002-05:00

This may be a stretch, but when I contemplated this week's Every Inchie Monday word: "Joy," the only (literally, the "only") image that came to mind was Joy to the World's, "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog." So this past week, just to try to get that image out of my head to make room for the real Inchie I would ultimately do, I drew a frog (in larger than Inchie size, sorry...cheated again this week and sized him down...LOL!). And then I drew his pond. And then I got to thinking how joyful would it be to have nothing better to do than to sit in the middle of a beautiful pond, on your own little lily pad.

Needless to say, the real Inchie never happened, because, as it turns out, Jeremiah was always the Real Deal! :-)

So...I ended up scanning in the pond, and the frog - for some reason I drew them separately, then had to cut the teeny tiny little frog out(!), and stuck a Pop-Dot behind him so he stands out a bit.

Inchie Friend

2011-04-18T20:36:00.001-05:00

So many possibilities for this week's Every Inchie Monday word prompt, but not wanting to make any one "friend" feel bad that I didn't use their pic in an Inchie, opted instead for a simple little drawing representing those I consider Friend! :-) Always there. Always by my side. Always willing to bail me out of jail if the need should ever arise!

A little bit of Peace on Monday ;)

2011-04-11T23:04:00.002-05:00

This week's Every Inchie Monday word is: "Peace," and I knew the minute I saw it what I wanted to do. Just getting it done was another matter, but! I got it done, and, it's even Monday yet! :-)

I sort of cheated this time, and worked in a larger format, then scanned and resized to Inchie status. But I love it! Or maybe it's the "subject" I love so much...

There is nothing more at "peace" than a sleeping baby - a pencil drawing, enhanced by colored pencils, of Ava at three months. :-)

Sing, Sing a Song Monday

2011-04-03T22:52:00.003-05:00

"Sing"

Every time I thought of this week's Every Inchie Monday word: "sing," I started singing (in my head, mind you, don't want to annoy the masses) "Sing a Song" by the Carpenters. So I made my Inchie sing! :-)

I used a Serendipity Square I made awhile back for another project, that still is not done, and fashioned a singing musical note from some purple FunWire I found in my closet when I was cleaning it out. (Amazing what a person can find in a major clean-up-and-out.)

So, remember to "sing a song" as you go about your Monday....:-)

Holidays Altered Book Round Robin - March, St. Paddy's

2011-03-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

March brings in the Green, and my spread in Terri's book for our Holidays Altered Book Round Robin. Terri's book, first of all, is amazing! Bound together specifically for the swap, I only hope I photographed it well enough so I can steal her idea one day! LOL! Anyway....:-)

My month in her book was March, so I did the traditional holiday, St. Patrick's Day. I had fun making the background, still practicing my skills from the online class I took awhile back. I loooove the totally random result from layering paints, papers, stamping, and more paints. Never know what you're going to end up with, and if you don't like what you did, just cover it up with more paints, papers, stamping, and more paints! LOL!

When Books Have Wings....

2011-03-27T20:37:00.004-05:00

When books have wings...Imagination soars...

My Miniature House was so kind as to donate one of its books from its meager little (actually, "miniature") library for this week's Every Inchie Monday word prompt: "Winged" I had to tear out some pages as it would have been too thick, and added some happy little clouds and winged birds to fly alongside.

I'm not as satisfied with this Inchie as I've been with the others, but I guess you can't pull off a winner every week! LOL! I got my inspiration from a spread I did in my very first Altered Book Round Robin, and if I could find the scan I took of it before mailing it off, I would do so. It's around here "somewhere," and if I find it I'll post it.

Monday's "Rhythm"

2011-03-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

A lot of possibilities with today's Every Inchie Monday's word - "rhythm" - and I really tried to veer away from the obvious (something musical), but this tiny little couple kept dancing through my mind, on piano keys, no less, so what's a girl to do! Let's just say it's a good thing it was a relatively slow day at work today! :-)

Spring Matchbox Swap

2011-03-19T00:18:00.001-05:00

So I bought the larger sized matchbox I needed for this swap some time ago (actually, I bought 3, as they came in a pack of...), and then promptly lost all three. So I went back to the store to buy another package and emptied the matches out of the boxes. Do you have any idea how many matches those matchboxes hold??? If anyone needs a match, just holler...

Anyway, the idea was to art up a matchbox, then fill it with fun, little things that remind us of spring, then mail it to our swap partner. "Little," being the key word here, as they need to fit in the matchbox.

Don't yellow and green just scream spring? :-)

There is one more little gifty that goes inside the box, but I'm not posting it just yet so it'll be a surprise to my swap partner.

Oh, and yes, I did find the original three boxes of match I thought I'd lost. As I said, if anyone needs a match....

Once all the little goodies were stuffed inside, the box

got really FAT! Hope it holds together okay in transit!

Endless Monday

2011-03-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

When I thought of this week's Inchie word - "Endless" - all I could think of was Endless Love. Not the Lionel Richie version, though I do love that song...;) But the endless love that exists when a child comes into your life. More specificially, a grandchild.

Endless love

Endless hugs

Endless joy

Endless energy

Endless smiles

Endless giggles

Endless....well, you get the idea...

"Dance" into Monday!

2011-03-06T14:17:00.001-06:00

So this Inchie turned out completely different than what I had pictured in my brain, other than the little pink dancer which adorns it.

When this week's Every Inchie Monday word was "dance," I knew I'd found a use for the tiny ballerina charm that had come out of my daughter's stash of junque. :-) But the ribbon I had envisioned circling the edges of the Inchie wasn't going to happen. Mainly because I didn't have any lace, white or pink, tiny enough to accomplish this goal! And mostly because when I found the wider black lace in my shoebox full of bits of lace and ribbons, it just sort of jumped onto my Inchie and stuck there! LOL! The little beaded strip was part of a larger whole, but I cut off the fabric on either side to leave the beads, since that lace would have hidden the beautiful lacing beneath it. Add a few beads where the yarns attach and voila'! It was so easy I almost felt guilty at not spending more time on it! :-)

A Little Monday Frolic ;)

2011-02-28T19:32:00.003-06:00

Such a fun word for this week's Every Inchie Monday: Frolic!

The final result just sort of materialized despite the other ideas I had frolicking about in my brain! But I guess my Muse knows best! :-) Slow day at work, so I dug out my colored pencils and grabbed a blank Inchie I now keep stashed in my drawer (LOL!) and just started coloring little people frolicking about! No doubt inspired by my weekend visit with Ava. It's simple, but says it all!

Holiday Altered Book Round Robin - February

2011-02-22T18:12:00.000-06:00

February is the month of love, and there is no love so great as that for the child of your child. So in honor of Valentine's Day, I devoted a page in Angela's book to that love. I couldn't find a suitable picture of a grandmother holding a baby, at least not to my liking, so you know what they say, if you don't like what you see, do it yourself! So I drew my own picture. :-)

It's just another "Cosmic" Monday :-)

2011-02-21T22:51:00.001-06:00

Today's word is "cosmic." I experimented with alcohol inks because I love the way they flow into themselves. Clearly they wouldn't work on paper (though I stupidly tried to spray them with a sealant first and the inks soaked in anyway...hey, it was worth a shot!)

So there I was, sitting at my desk at work (shhh, they think I "work" there...LOL!), rifling through my desk, looking for something to ink up. Then I grabbed another cracker out of the baggie sitting on my desk and eyed the plastic bag itself...! Hmmm...

Long story short, yes, it worked! I then glued the inked plastic square onto a square inch of dictionary page, but I had to put a coat of gel medium over the top to keep the ink from rubbing off, and in the process lost a bit of the run effect, not to mention it dulled it a bit more than I would have liked. But I sprayed it with PYM to further seal it, and the gloss sort of came back so all was good! Thus, was born the background for my "cosmic" Inchie! :-)

Something's "Fishy" Monday

2011-02-13T23:22:00.001-06:00

I just love Dory and her simple logic to "...just keep swimming...just keep swimming..."

So when this week's Every Inchie Monday word was: fishy, of course, Dory popped into mind. And as long as she was there anyway, had to go with her! :-)

So even though it's Monday, folks, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming....:-)

It's an "Electrifying" Inchie Monday!

2011-02-07T16:20:00.000-06:00

Today's word for Every Inchie Monday: "electrifying"

Inspired by a print of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" which hangs in my daughter's room, I pulled out my colored pencils and recreated my version in an inch, adding a bolt of lightning to the night sky - because the painting itself it just "electrifying" :-) - and adding some texture to the ground.

Holiday Altered Book Round Robin - 2011

2011-02-06T10:49:00.002-06:00

What do you get when you add twelve artists from around the country, twelve books of varying origins (from rescued books saved from the discard pile, to hand-crafted books), with the twelve months of 2011?

You get a Holidays Altered Book Round Robin, and twelve months of incredible artwork as the books make their rounds to each of the twelve artists for at least one holiday spread per month. :-)

We all did January in our own books before mailing them off to their next home for the month.

The Cover for my Book

"Through the Year"

It's not totally finished as I didn't want to add any bulky embellishments so it'd be easier to work in the book.

Sign-In Page, where the artist of the month can "check out" my book by signing their name on the library card.

The list of artists (with full names obviously blurred out for privacy issues....;)

The Calendar Page - listing possible holidays through the year. I tried to make it quilty-looking; not sure I got there or not! LOL!

This page is just sort of an added bonus (for me, mostly! LOL!) I was just going to print a page of instruction/suggestions and stick it in the front of the book and call it good, but I found this quote and loved it! So I had to add a page, using techniques I learned in Tam's online class, Art, Heart, and Healing. I am pleased with how it turned out....:-) Oh, and the pink "pocket" is some paper I made in the backyard last summer.

My official "January" spread, reflecting my Word for the Year

"FOCUS"

I gesso'd the page black and added serendipity squares that I'd made, adding doodles and swirls with a gold pen.

The back semi-finished back page: I just needed a envie of some sort in which to insert the tags I'd made to separate sections of the book into 12 months.

And this is a snippet of the ribboned-off sections for each month.

Can't wait to see my book at the end of the year with months and months of holiday art, but plan to enjoy the journey along the way of working in eleven other books! Stay tuned....:-)

Getting a Jump on "Mirthful" Monday!

2011-01-30T23:06:00.000-06:00

So I decided to go digital, for the most part, this week for Monday's word: "mirthful"....:-)

Ava just looked so mirthful when she was playing around with the beads we were using to make necklaces over the summer. I used my PaintShopPro Photo X2 and used the "colored foil" artistic effect, playing around with the settings until I got it "just right!"

I did print it out and mount it on cardstock and then used a sparkly pen around the edge to set it off a bit more. Still enjoying the Inchie Mondays sooo much! :-) Already thinking on what to do for next week! :-)

And here is the original photo:

It's a "Maudlin" Inchie Monday

2011-01-24T17:04:00.001-06:00

So I wasn't really sure how to portray the word for the day, but every time I thought of the word maudlin, a sad little clown materialized in my brain, soooo....I actually drew this clown in my art journal, then scanned it, colored, scanned it again to resize, and mounted it on my Inchie!

A "Caring" Inchie Monday

2011-01-17T12:03:00.000-06:00

Today's word for Every Inchie Monday was "Caring"...so I used a serendipity square that I had leftover from an altered book RR I'm working on and cut it to size - 1x1 - which is really teeny tiny when you go to draw a mama birdie keeping her baby birdie safe from harm. Thus, the "caring" part of the Inchie....:-)

I think I'm having as much fun coming up with different spots to photogragh the Inchies as I am making the Inchies in the first place! :-)

A "Powerful" Inchie Monday

2011-01-10T16:50:00.000-06:00

Given that the snowfalls across the country have pretty much shut down a good portion of it, I'd say snow is pretty darn powerful in itself...which is convenient, given that today's Every Inchie Monday word is Powerful! :-)

Every Inchie Monday :-)

2011-01-04T17:06:00.000-06:00

So I've decided to see if I can "focus" on doing a year-long project called Every Inchie Monday. Shouldn't be too hard. It's only a once-a-week committment. And only an inch a week. Using a word prompt for inspiration and interpretation. I can do an inch a week, right?

So...I rummaged through my desk at work to see what kind of goodies I had saved from certain dumpster death and found some purple cardstock, waste from a roll of hole reinforcers, a little red jewel I found on the carpet, and then dug out my smiley stickers, colored pencils, gel pens, and glue stick, the word prompt for the week..."eclectic"...and went at it, and voila'....

My 1st Inchie

Eroded Teddy

2010-09-01T18:15:00.005-05:00

Remember back in January when I hung an unsuspecting Teddy out in the weathered elements, wired to a bundle of miscellaneous this'n'that, where they hung through snow, sleet, snow, wind, snow, rain, snow, sun, and more snow???

Teddy was actually part of an Erosion Art Bundle Project which I had participated in with my fellow Altered Art Divas. if you want to read the specifics in more detail, see the first post explaining the project and what hung in my bundle...but long story short...we were to hang a bundle of erosion-friendly items outside from January (see Teddy in the snow) through April, from snow and ice through sun and wind, at which time we would retrieve the (hopefully) disgustingly eroded bits'n'pieces that were left and make a collaborative art project that we passed from artist to artist.

The final piece was presented to one lucky Diva in a drawing.

The remaining pieces of delightfully disgustingly eroded bits'n'pieces were to be made into an art piece of our own choosing - one we can KEEP! So I spread out the lovely weathered pieces and chose what would go into my own eroded art.

And Eroded Teddy was born! With a couple of exceptions (my muse needed a couple of random additional items), all the pieces came from my eroded bundle. I was actually stunned at well Teddy, himself, had come through from his "hanging out" in my backyard for those four months!

And now I am all excited about doing another erosion bundle! Already I am collecting this'n'thats'n'everythin'else to hang outside. Only this time I am taking more care to find items that are more easily erodable! :-)

An Altered Tin Vignette

2010-08-07T22:10:00.000-05:00

In one of my cleaning jags in that gawdawful closet under the stairs where I stuff my art supplies, I came across some of the many Altoid tins I bought a few years ago (full of Altoids candies that I couldn't hardly give away!!). I loved working with these little tins. There are so many possibilities! So I sat down and Googled for some ideas and really liked the images where artists had removed the lids and repositioned them, or made little vingnettes. (Sorry, no links, I didn't think to save any...)

So I pulled out one of my tins, ripppped the lid off, and just rummaging around for items to add to it, starting with an ink pad to color the silvered tin. I found the broken plate out of my good dishes that I couldn't bear to throw away because I loved the colors in it! I pulled some fibers out of their tub. I found a teeny tiny bench that was left over from some miniature project I never completed. :-) I grabbed some baggies of beads (I love beads...;) And I raided my miniature house in the entryway and "stole" a book to alter! LOL! While I was there, I pilfered three tiles that used to be the house's sidewalk (I'm replacing it with old mini-tiles...)

It took about an hour to pull all my "stuff" together. And than another hour to actually put this little creation together! I had NO idea what I was doing, or where I was going with it, but it turned out just perfect! The "altered book" on the garden bench takes me back to the original inspiration that pulled me back into my art. And it's purple-ish! How more perfect could it get!! :-)

Hey, Hey, Hey...it's a Picnic Basket, Boo-Boo!

2010-07-20T19:42:00.000-05:00

I've had this old picnic basket for years, having found it at a garage sale eons ago, and we had literally used the life out of it. When some paint got spilled on the top of it, making it look a little more gross than usual, I stuck it in the basement (first mistake) with plans of "fixing it up." LOL! Imagine if you will...a black hole. Well, yeah, that's my basement...!

Fast-forward (at least) ten years:

I'm in my basement trying to dig through the carp that has accumulated over the years. In one of my digs, I refound my picnic basket! Yay!! So I dragged it upstairs and finally "fixed it up"...:-)

Since I forgot to take a picture of it in its original gross stage, I started just after painting the top and bottom trim, and top of the basket white...

I wasn't sure what to do with it, exactly, until a friend of mine (Jody!), mentioned Yogi! I LOVE Yogi and Boo Boo Bear! So went with that theme!

And what's a Yogi themed picnic basket without the Master, Himself! :-)

(Now you see why I had to go with Yogi....)

BTW...when looking for something specific (such as: red picnic-checkered napkins) that you think you'd seen somewhere, always go with your first instinct and look there first! Instead of wasting your time making other stops because they were close by and...;)

Weathered Teddy

2010-02-21T17:37:00.003-06:00

Okay, so now I feel a little bit guilty about relegating poor little Teddy to the windy, wild, winter weather. It looks like his tears have frozen to his face!! :-O

On the Plus Side!....the book is becoming nicely discolored from the wrappings I used to hold my bundle all together! :-)

Snippets from the Past

2010-01-27T17:24:00.004-06:00

Years ago when my mother, aunt, daughter and I were cleaning out my grandmother's house we came across boxes (and boxes) of neatly bundled cards and letters that she had kept since moving into the house in 1949 (the current year was then 1997). Not being able to bear to toss them, I took the lot home with me where they have been stored, waiting for me to figure out what to do with them.

Some of them I had used in Christmas ornaments. Some I used in altered tins that I gave to my family. The leftovers from those projects were still sitting around so I decided to go through the rest of the cards and letters to see if there were any that needed to be saved to other locations.

I came across a couple of birthday cards/letters written by my sister to my grandmother, from 1987 and 1986. In these letters she talked about her young children, the youngest being a new baby in 1986. Sweet little snippets in life. Written snapshots.

I knew immediately that I had to return these to my sister so I set them aside.

Fast forward a couple of days and I'm thinking that just handing them to her sounded so...boring...LOL! So started to think of a more proper "presentation."

This is what I came up with....the envelope is a sturdy double-sided design scrapbooking paper. The image on the envelope came from the card that accompanied one of the letters.The postmarks are from the original envelopes.

I edged the sides of the envelope with Distress Ink,

and the text on the back came from the inside of the same card.

Then, to identify the letters, I stamped the years they were

written on the letters themselves and slipped them in the

hand-made envelope. She loved them, by the way....:-)

First Snow

2010-01-03T11:51:00.001-06:00

Not the first snow of the season (not by a long shot), though it may be the first snow of the New Year, but seeing how it's only the 3rd of January... But it is the first snow on my Erosion Bundle and Teddy is covered with it!! :-)

Erosion Art Bundle 2010 :-)

2010-01-01T16:53:00.005-06:00

Who knew that gathering and bundling and hanging “stuff” outside for a few months could be so much fun! I am participating in the Erosion Bundle Project for 2010, which entails gathering items from the house/garage/art supplies/wherever you can find them, and bundling them together to hang outside to let the elements do what they will with them, and then creating an art project with the “remains” of whatever Mother Nature left for you!

We are supposed to hang them out starting January 1, 2010 and retrieve them on April 15, 2010, and have a finished art piece by August 1^st.

My “stuff” included in my bundle:

Jute, blue and natural colored

Plumber’s strap

Silk leaves

Green macramé yarn

Rolled paper, green and natural

Leather piece

Metal heart

Blue/yellow/purple fluffy yarn

Lace, cream and white

Blue/green/purple material

Red/purple/yellow “point cards” from work (aka cardstock)

Denim pocket

Raffia

Copper wire

6 strips of homemade papers

Christmas wrap from Diva swap

Bingo cards

Puzzle pieces

Book

Mini Teddy Bear

And as an afterthought:

Canning lid ring

A different copper wire

Plain ol’ wire

Paint brush

Mat frame

I wrapped everything in and around the book with the yarns, and wires (hope I can get it off again!).

A close-up...

(Mini-Teddy looks kinda scared...LOL!)

And the top and bottom of the bundle...

Then I hung my bundle on the birdfeeder stand on the north side of our house. This’ll be great as I can see it from my kitchen window when it gets snowed on, rained on, and blown around! The sun may even hit it late in the afternoons.

So have at it, Mother Nature! And let’s make art come April!

Oh, Christmas Wreath!

2009-12-09T15:32:00.000-06:00

My today's project was getting my store bought wreath all prettied up and mounted above my mantel-less mantel. :-) The lights were already strung on the wreath so all I had to do was to place the balls and the drape the ribbon. I love the rich, elegant look.

Thus, the Rose...

2009-11-23T17:55:00.002-06:00

Thank goodness for a slow week at work so I could start/finish 17 beads for a "Diva Rosarie Bead" swap with my Altered Art Divas.

Rolled paper beads were coated with pearlized paint and embellished with FIMO hearts, painted red, and wrapped with copper and/or silver wire. It was one of the hardest and easiest swaps I've participated in so far.

Hard, because the bead was supposed to represent us/our life/etc...tell something about us.

Hard, because I had NO idea what I was doing, or how the heck I was going to make a bead, let alone 17 of them!!

Easy, because once I did a bit of research on bead-making and coming across this tried and true (and quick and easy) method, and figuring out how to embellish the beads, the rest just fell into place.

And easy, because I really did do the bulk of it at my desk at work! LOL!

The rose embellishment represents my life because of my flower gardens, and the roses my grandmother just to grow, and not just a little bit because my grandbaby's name is "Ava Rose"...:-)

Thus, the Rose...:-)

watch the Water fall

2009-09-28T22:35:00.002-05:00

Just a little something from the latest batch of pictures from our Ava Weekend. She loves to take walks, more specifically she loves to walk though the campus grounds where the water fountains run. I think she would sit there all day if we let her! And if we're really lucky, we'll have a penny with us to toss in to make a wish! :-)

Nothing fancy used in this LO. I cheated and used a sample page from Storybook Creator. Though I did change the background paper color from greenish to blues to better reflect the water. :-) I thought it all looked rather fall-ish...

Altered Halloween Cabinet Cards

2009-09-06T11:15:00.003-05:00

My altered Hallowen Cabinet Cards for the Diva Halloween Swap. The original cards were scanned and copied, then embellished digitally with the corner frames. The background was made to resemble the old-time card backings, complete with photog's "company" name. :-) What doesn't show in the scan very well is the crystalized dabs of paint to highlight the "frames," and I blurred out my name and addy in the right-hand corner. The bats, cat, ghost, and pumpkins are foam pieces found at Dollar Tree. Colored staples anchor the corners.

Laugh Every Day

2009-08-29T23:45:00.002-05:00

Playing with layers again...Love her smile, it's my favorite thing...ever...:-)

Remember Moments

2009-08-21T16:54:00.002-05:00

So it's been awhile since I've played with pics just for the sake of playing with them, other than the class pics from below, yet this also falls into the category of using some of the techniques I learned in that online class using masks. I LOVE using masks! And layers. I was using layers before, but not so many at one shot. Now I have to watch myself that I don't overdo the technique! LOL!

Combining Days 1, 2, 3, and 5

2009-08-07T14:56:00.005-05:00

Because I was bored last night, and really just wanted to "play," I used my favorite photo of my favorite granddaughter (and only) and combined the vintage, hand-tinted look, added a frame to it, and used three different textures, playing more with the opacity button on the textures, and added a couple of the new leaf brushes that I'd found. I really like the way this turned out. Then I added the text, where I was happy that I remembered how to "curve" my text! I think I'm hooked!!

Now I have to get going and move on to Day 6...TTV?? Hmm...guess I best get to crackin' to see what this is all about!! :-)

Jessica Sprague Digital Online Class - Day 5, Textures

2009-08-07T14:48:00.003-05:00

Textures are fun! Textures are awesome! I've played with them before but never used more than one to texture a photo, much less three! Who knew!!

Using downloaded textures from Jessica's class, I used a film texture, grunge, and brown paper bag. I also desaturated the photo to give a more old-time look. Then used added on some text because she just looked like a dreamer here...:-)

Jessica Sprague Digital Online Class - Day 4, Clipping Masks

2009-08-07T14:05:00.006-05:00

Day 4 was a tricky little bugger. Insofar as that PSP doesn't "clip" the way Photoshop does, so I have to go a'Googlin' to find an alternative method because from the instructions and examples that Jessica used, this just seemed WAY too cool not to try!

I did find some initial instructions from Designer Digitals but holy mackerel(!) it was a complicated mess! I did finally achieve a clipping mask, but oddly enough (or not, I may have messed up along the way) I couldn't seem to duplicate my efforts with the same consistency.

And yes, I used the same photo as in Lesson 4. ;-)

So I went searching again, and found this, by a poster named "chantillylace," which seemed a better, MUCH less complicated method to simulate the desired effect, using the materials/texture palette and flood fill. It did alter the overall look of the mask somewhat, but it's still effective.

Meanwhile, while playing with the layers and masks and what-not, I accidentally created the image I was looking for, only wasn't sure how I did it!! Fortunately I was able to do it twice. UNfortunately. I didn't know how I got it the second time either! So I worked backwards, using the "undo" button (thank you whoever created this most important feature in programs), and figured it out...eventually...

For anyone using PSP and wanting to use the clipping mask technique, this is how I did mine:

Open up both the photo and mask images.
Layer the mask over the photo.
Right click on the mask.
Click on: "New mask layer"
Click on: "From image"
Make sure the photo name OF your mask is in the source window.
Check the button for "source opacity."
Click: OK
Duplicate the photo you're using.
Delete the original, or hide it.
Move the photo to the bottom layer of your "Group."
Delete the original mask, or hide it.
Voila'!!!

You have your clipped mask! I'm sure there is some fine-tuning that could be done to the photo/mask/etc, but I was just thrilled to be able to DO it at all! LOL!

Jessica Sprague Digital Online Class - Day 3, Create a Vintage, Hand-tinted Look

2009-08-07T11:33:00.011-05:00

I think Day 3 has been my favorite so far. I love the vintage look this technique brings, and the depth it brings to the image. Added hand-tinting just adds to the wonderful overall vintage feel to the photo.

The first photo is one sent to me by Ava's Momma. It was just begging to be played with (the photo, not Ava, though she begs to be played with too...LOL) I used Jessica's techniques with no problem in PSP. Both programs are very similar in how they name/describe their tools and uses, though the tools are in different locations so I usually had to go looking for the right one! Which was good, actually. Made me explore my own program a bit more thoroughly than I normally would have.

The second photo is just a zoomed-in version of the one above, just because I could...;) and softened for a more dreamy effect.

Jessica Sprague Digital Online Class - Day 2, Brushes

2009-08-07T11:25:00.004-05:00

Day 2 was working with Brushes, something I'd only tinkered around with in PSP previously. I did learn how to resize the brushes as a result of having to work with brushes for this class, and I found several cool new brushes and figured out how to install them into my program, so now I'm all set for playing with brushes in the future! And have a new pastime as I search for more brushes to use in future projects! :-)

I did use the brush that Jessica provided with the class, just to keep things simple for now, but I played around with the color to better match it to the subject (again, my favorite little girl in the whole wide world...:-) And I added some "paint splatters." I also added a frame about this photo because it seemed like it was lacking...

Jessica Sprague Digital Online Class - Day 1, PNG Frames and Word Art

2009-08-07T11:08:00.004-05:00

Okay, it's been ages since I've posted on my blog, so thought I'd post some of the results from an online digital class I've been taking from Jessica Sprague. I've learned TONS so far from her instruction and am not even done with the course yet! As an added challenge, while she uses Photoshop in her directions, I have only Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, so I have to translate instructions from the one program into mine! So far I've been able to figure it all out, but not without some mild frustration. ;) Like I said, just adds to the challenge! LOL!

Day 1 - PNG Frames and Word Art

This was fairly simple as I've done similar steps before in PSP or in my Creative Memories program, StoryBook Creator 2. I've used a photo of my favorite subject, of course!! :-)

I did learn how to resize a photo to a specific size a whole lot easier than the way I had been doing it!

Toe Art! :-)

2009-04-25T12:29:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted in ages - thanks, Life! - and then I didn't post because I've been laid up due to foot surgery (I'll spare you the gory details). So between the surgery, meds making me stupid, and a back that's been aching from sitting/walking crooked, my poor 'puter hasn't gotten the workout as I'd hoped!

Anyway...

Due to sheer boredom one day, I broke out the nail polish and decided to paint my toes (or, nails, to be specific). Couldn't decide on blue or purple, so went with both! Then that looked too boring, so decided the big toes needed some additional decoration and painted flowers on each!

To spare you the vision of my feet/toes, I cropped the pics to show just the "Toe Art." The following pic is a page out of my "365 Project" in which I'm taking a pic a day for a year.
The toes are no longer blue and purple though...through wear and tear and wonderously soothing tub soaks, they have been repainted red and pink - flowers to come! :-)

OWOH

2009-02-21T16:14:00.004-06:00

Looky at what I won! :-)

A beautiful Purple Fairy from Judy Keefe of JMK Originals. She was part of the OWOH (One World, One Heart) event by offering this exceptionally beautiful art doll on her blog for a prize simply by commenting on her blog. I am so happy that I choose to click on her link and reply! She's simply beautiful! And she came on a day when I happened to be wearing purple anyway, so we match quite beautifully! :-)

Thanks again, Judy! I will smile whenever I look at her. :-)

And yeah...I just noticed that my hand is covering up her beautiful base on which she stands! Sheesh! LOL!

Hangin' Out

2009-02-20T19:46:00.003-06:00

A fun page with pics we took when we went to the Children's Museum of Minnesota, in St. Paul, over Valentine's weekend. Ava seemed to have a good time, even though she wasn't feeling 100%. Found the images/background from....well, carp, can't remember where I got them from now! But they were a "collection" from somewhere!! LOL!

*edit*
AHA! I found it! Backgrounds, and images came from http://www.scrapgirls.com/. Like to give credit where credit is due! :-)

Hope

2009-02-17T22:24:00.005-06:00

Playing around with a new technique - making a grid template. Had I known how darn easy it was, I'd have done this eons ago!

I created this in Creative Memories Storybook Creator, simply by using a collage page already in the program (I cheated, though you could make your own grid, with pretty much any shapes you wish), then highlighted the squares (and in this case, the stitches holding the little squares together), flattened the images as a whole, then filled in the selected image with my picture! And voila'! I have Ava in a grid! :-) I also overlaid a background over the photo and adjusted the opacity to give it soft effect.

Yup! I can see I'm going to use this again!! :-)

Accidental Photograph

2009-01-20T22:24:00.003-06:00

All I was trying to do was to take a pic of President Barack Obama to document the day for my "365 Project" (one pic a day for a year). No altering, no enhancements, no "photoshopping." I just happened to take it as they were transitioning from one scene to the other and got the COOLEST shot!!! I love Happy Accidents! :-)

And how appropriate...our newest, 44th President, looking out over his people....

Cherish

2009-01-12T10:27:00.003-06:00

Going backwards in time here, but I never quite got around to posting this before Christmas!

"Cherish" - In the mood to create something I could actually "touch" and get my fingers sticky from glue! So I made this, not with digital, but actual StuFf!! The background is the napkins we used for Thanksgiving dinner at my Mother's (we host at her house because my house could not accommodate all my family), and the leaves which were scattered on the table, including the shiny confetti, in lieu of a centerpiece.

The frame is from Creative Memories, one with which you switch out layouts and add extra little embellishments with the included, cute little clothespins! (a gift from a good friend - you know who you are! ;)

The Last of the Decorations

2009-01-02T01:39:00.006-06:00

And as long as I've posted pics of my mantel-less mantel and my miniature house, I figure I may as well post pics of the rest of my Christmas display.

Starting with the dividers between the living/dining rooms, with my Santas on one side, and my version of an Ava Shrine! LOL! The snowglobe is new. I figure this will work as long as I have just "one" grandchild!

The stockings were hung on the divider with care, with the three "kids" on one side, and Ava's on the other.

The red and white table scarf was hand-crocheted by my mother as a present to me from last year. The little button tree on the sewing machine was made by me and Lindsey when she was a little girl.

The front door is home for the toy-stuffed stockings, though the mini Golden Book is getting somewhat faded. And the snowglobes - on a shelf my father made - is only a part of my collection. They have long since outgrown the shelf!

Just a couple of shelves hanging in the dining and living rooms. The "Believe" picture is what the front of our Christmas cards looked like.

And last but not least, Ava Bunny (from Build-A-Bear), who lives with Grammie, in her new Christmas duds, and our "official" new ornament of the year. Bet you can't guess who the little one in the ornament is supposed to be!! :-)

And that's the last of Christmas! Till next year....:-)

In the Land of Gilliput

2009-01-02T00:38:00.009-06:00

In the back corner of the entryway at Gilligan Haus (a household with an Irish/German blend) lives the Land of Gilliput, where a mother and father live with their three children and one set of grandparents.

Even though the Christmas decorations are never far away (in some rooms, never put away!), the house hadn't been fully decorated in a couple or three years, so the family decided that this year was certainly a year for celebration. Lights were once again strung along the front porch and the big evergreen tree in the yard. The sleigh and Santa were brought out of storage to sit on the front lawn. And the Christmas wreath was hung on the door.

Packages were wrapped and stacked under the tree (with those needing wrapping yet awaiting their fate up in the master bedroom on the second floor), and the favorite storybook, "The Night Before Christmas" lie waiting on couch for Grandpa to read to the little ones before they went to bed. And, of course, the milk and cookies for Santa have already been set out, waiting for that magic hour when the Jolly Ol' Elf slips down the fireplace with his bag of toys!

The family gathered in the kitchen for a nighttime snack of cookies and treats, with a bit of Christmas bubbly for the adults, while the dog hung close, hoping for dropped crumbs.

Upstairs the children's rooms waited, ready for their owners to plop into their beds to wait for Santa's visit in the middle of the night. From the top of third floor in the little boy's room (and the sewing room, where it looks like someone was sewing a Christmas surprise), to the second floor bedroom of the little girl and, of course, the nursery.

Throughout the house, from the nativity set on the bureau, and Santas on the piano, to the Christmas plate on the desk on the second floor landing, and the golden angel on Grandma's favorite tabletop, Christmas cheer greeted the family wherever they roamed.

The only rooms lacking Christmas decor was the bathroom on the third floor, and the messy, messy attic (is there any other kind??), and that was only because the decorations were normally stored 'in' the attic and are now, obviously, in other parts of the house!

So the occupants of Gilliput wish to wish you all...

a very Merry Christmas to All...:-)

Light of My Life

2008-12-31T00:42:00.004-06:00

I am Sooooo proud of myself! Normally I use my Creative Memories Storybook Creator (and all its fun features) to create my digital art, but I have this nice graphics program (Paint Shop Pro Photo X2) that I paid good money for and yet, I have barely used half the features it offers! So today, (as if my Christmas tree is going to take itself down) I started playing around with my PSP and explored some of the features that I've seen others use (and have drooled over) and lo and behold! I DID IT! :-)

It took me all...day...long, literally - I think my butt is molded into this chair - but the above is the result. I used vector layer, and rastor layers, and beveled (which I've done before but I love the effect it gives!), and finally but finally figured out how you use shadows in this program, the only one of which I actually kept in the finished product is the text, but at least I know how to do it now!! I played with the paint brushes and textures, and I think I have a good handle now on "layers"! YIPPEE!

Anywhos...the original pic is one I got from Ava's mama in a photo session they did at home. This was one of my favorites - gotta love that smile of pure joy in the lights! She truly does light up MY life! :-)

NOW I can go to bed! :-)

My Mantel-less Mantel

2008-12-21T00:11:00.005-06:00

Not to mention I have no fireplace either, but that doesn't stop me from decorating the shelf above the TV like I would as if I had a mantel! (I had considered buying one of those DVDs that show a fireplace burning...:-)

The framed pictures showcase my family through the years - these were all pics used in Christmas cards/letters - starting with the first Christmas we spent in this house way back in 1986, when my baby girl was just over a year old. Ending with my grandbaby's first Christmas pic from last year. And this year, with Ava just over a year old, it feels like we've gone full circle! Not that we're stopping! Oh no! We'll just have to start that circle all over again!

12 Days Diva Tree

2008-12-21T00:01:00.005-06:00

My little fiber optic Diva Tree is happy, happy now that all the "12 Days of Christmas" gifts are hanging in and around its branches! I couldn't resist arranging some of the artsy tags and gift-wrappings as well! This has been the most fun swap! Can't wait to do it again next year. But I may have to get a bigger tree!!! :-)

On the 6th Day of Christmas

2008-12-11T16:15:00.010-06:00

And here are the Gifties that were my contribution to the Altered Art Divas "12 Days of Christmas Swap." I mixed them up when I packaged them so who got what colors is a total surprise to me, too!

The tags that were attached to the packages...

The ornaments...

Second image is the backs of all the ornaments...

It's been GREAT fun opening amazing gift after amazing gift each day! I can't believe I didn't do this last year, but count me in NEXT year! :-)

12 Days of Christmas

2008-11-20T18:54:00.003-06:00

This is just a sneak peek of my contribution to the Altered Art Divas "12 Days of Christmas" gift swap. I'm Day 6, which occurs on December 6th, at which time eleven other Divas will open the gift boxes shown, and at which time I can post the gift inside.

Sorry, no peeking before then! :-)

Among the Autumn Leaves

2008-11-04T23:32:00.003-06:00

Just a little quickie from some pics my son sent me when they took Ava for a walk among the autumn leaves. The golden sun shining on the golden leaves with her golden smile just begged to be arted!

Little Sammie Pumpkin Head

2008-11-01T23:04:00.005-05:00

Every year we put out our headless pumpkin man, Sam, on our front porch swing. Well, Sam got wet in his off-season home (the corner of the garage) and rotted on us. After a brief funeral over the garbage can, we went on a quest for a new Sam. Goodwill, our usual stomping grounds for all the "good" stuff, was sadly lacking in adult-sized overalls, offering up only a size 5 in children's, so sometimes you just have to go with what there is, and voila'!

Little Sammie was born!

Little Sammie even has a pair of personally custom crafted "altered" shoes!
And to ensure that Little Sammie does not meet the fate of Sam, Sr., Little Sammie will live in the basement in the off-season!!

Pumpkin Moon

2008-10-27T10:39:00.004-05:00

Playing around with some pics when we took Ava to Vala's Pumpkin Patch. They had these cut-outs, and I think we've found her calling! She was so tickled when Daddy held her up to look out the peep hole at the rest of us other poor souls who were on the other side!!

Perfect Day

2008-10-10T22:00:00.002-05:00

Just a simple collage from last weekend, which we (we, being Lindsey and me) spent up in MN with my beautiful little grandbaby, Ava. Omigosh, is she really 14 months old already???

We never really have any "plans," so to speak, when we go a'visitin'. Heck, I'd be happy just to sit and watch her sleep, eat, and play all day! Which, come to think of it, is pretty much exactly what we do! :-)

But we did take our Elmo coloring book and crayons with, and Grammie and Ava joined forces and colored a page together, the results of which are now adorning my refrigerator door. And we pulled out the little yellow rubber ducky out of my purse when it was bath time. And, we took a couple hundred more pictures! LOL! What can I say...when you have such appealing subject matter to photograph...:-)

Reflective Ava ;)

2008-08-31T21:46:00.002-05:00

Once I was into my program again (and also due to the fact that I got my dates wrong on the Ridge Cemetery Tour that I thought was today but is actually two weeks from today and I had nothing else to do...) I started playing around with the filled letters again. This time I cut and paste and flipped them around and use the opacity button to create reflective letters. Ended up doing something similar with the background papers, and, it seemed to work! I like it anyway...:-)

The Magic of Bubbles

2008-08-31T14:57:00.003-05:00

Still obsessed with the bubbles pictures, I created this a while ago and sort of forgot I had done it until I pulled up my program again and browsed through my finished projects and saw this and thought, "Wow, that one is cool!!" LOL!

Bubbles and More!

2008-08-15T10:44:00.007-05:00

Nothing like a new technique to sidetrack your day!

I watched a Webinar last night for Creative Memories Storybook program, and learned a simple, yet fascinating technique in which you can add text under a picture (or anywhere around it, actually) and have the text become part of the picture! Cool beans, huh??? :-)

All you do is create the text, then line it up next to the picture (or as I found out, it doesn't necessarily need to be touching the photo). Select both the pic and the text, flatten them, then fill the image area with the picture. It's sooo fun to see what you can do with it!

Here's what I was doing till just past one in the morning! LOL!

I could have positioned the above photo a bit better,
but it was my first attempt,
and I was too excited to get to the rest of the pics!!
Did the one above,
then decided to use try a different take on it...

I couldn't decide which of
the Bubbles I liked the best...;)
So the next trick is to pull myself away from this 'puter before I find myself pulled into playing around with this even more...!!!

Torn Pages - Summer Breeze

2008-08-09T22:55:00.003-05:00

So I was playing around with my Creative Memories program with a new technique (torn pages) that was so darn simple I can't believe I couldn't figure it out for myself! And, in the process of testing out the procedure, I got a bit carried away and started playing with other buttons I've not used utilized much, such as switching out paper, the shapes button, and using textures on the papers. I'm not sure what this is...? But it was interesting!! At least I found it so. Hope you do, too...:-)

Ava Art - Session in Fingerpainting :-)

2008-07-27T13:56:00.011-05:00

The budding DivaArtist-in-Training wasn't sure what
to think upon the first touch of fingerpaint.

But it wasn't long before she dived in with both hands!

"Like this, Grammie??"

Didn't take her long to be awed by the colors and feel ...
my little artist-at-heart...;)

Though she wasn't thrilled with making handprints
on the mat for her newest creation....

So we did the next best thing, and did the feet! :-)

Look what Grammie did to me!!

Can't decide whether she's thinking, "Why ME???"
Or, thanking the heavens for fingerpaint!!

The End Result:
"Ava Art"
(This is the second piece she created;
the first one went home with her ;)

"Flowers in Grass"

2008-07-12T14:34:00.003-05:00

So you'll have to indulge a very proud Gramma here. :-) But this is the very first piece of Ava Art for my refrigerator! Done in Crayola, with the beating of the crayon on the paper technique, this piece was completed in the past week by 11-month-old Ava. Clearly she shows an aptitude for the art world! Junior Diva in the making!! :-)

American Made

2008-07-01T11:35:00.002-05:00

Couldn't resist doing a "4th" bit of (digital) art, seeing how long it's been since I've done anything even halfway creative of late. Maybe this will get me back in the swing of things. And what better inspiration than our little Ava!