Monday's tag!

Today my husband had to have a most unpleasant test done, so after we got home from the hospital, he needed some rest, which means I "should" try to be A LITTLE quiet. Course he sleeeeeeeps and snores like a bear, but still.... So I had done the background on this tag using Gesso and Distress Stains. LOVE THOSE BABIES! And you can't even SEE the cool effect with all the 'layers' I did! This weekend I had a blast demo-ing Lutradur and TAP (Transfer Artist Paper) at Artist and Display. The main image here from My Vintage Vogue is transferred onto white cotton. How clear & crisp is this??? LOVE IT! I used some vintage buttons & rick-rack. A Butterick dress pattern and in the back ground another collage image of patterns from Altered Pages. There's also a small dress pattern image from Tim Holtz' CD. The 'thread spool' stamp is done on parchment and part of tim's new Haberdashery stamp set which I just love too!

ATB something to crow about...

As usual, this ATB started on a different path than where it has ended! But that's the beauty of doing artwork and being creative.

I used one of the crow stamps from Altered Pages layered onto Grungeboard and colored with the new Distress Stains from Ranger. The canvas flower is also from AP and inked with Distress Stains and Perfect Pearls Mists. Jean at AP has a challenge to make something with HATS. You gotta love a Crow with a Crown, and this one had to have a fun hat with a clock on it!

ATB - Around the block

This Sunday's class is an Altered Trading Block! Since it involves a row house, and rusty bracket, a key fairy and a townhouse, and well it IS a BLOCK, it's theme is Around the Block!



There's a lot going on with this! Shrink Plastic, Grungeboard, Images, Memory Glass, Fragments, ephemera!


I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Happy St. PAT'S!!!

And a contest. Would YOU like to win this banner?

It's about 7" long and a good 15" wide. Made of Dictionary pages, images are from Altered Pages, ephemera from my holiday stash, some Shamrocks I made from a template and 7Gypsies tape!

YOU'LL need to do a little something for me. By SUNDAY (3/20) you'll need to make a little piece of artwork and post it. Either on your blog, take a picture & email it to me or post it on my Facebook page.

NOW your artwork 'should' have some kind of Irish theme. St. Pat's in all it's glory, at least done in GREENS.. It can be anything you want. An ATC, Card, Banner, canvas, collage, ATB. Even a page from your journal will work for me!

I'll use my smartypants phone and random generator app to pick a winner! Good luck, but mostly have fun! I'd love to hear what you're creating! THANKS!

Tuesdays tag

I'm on a roll! I went to an antique center to ogle at this wire torso I saw. Thought maybe I'd pick it up but for $138 I believe it can wait...
So I decided to buy vintage buttons, rickrack, pins and an old 50's pattern and lace.

This is the tag I made with them.

Monday's Tag

This tag didn't start out to be this. I was working on a tag for a Game theme.

Then I ran across this image, which I LOVE! You gotta understand Frank Zappa. A brilliant musician. Odd as hell lyrics, and quite philosophical...

BUT this isn't about Frank. Or my wandering muse.

Our state is going through a lot of turmoil right now. I don't like to make political statements here or on Facebook, and quite frankly (heee hee hee) I'm sick of hearing about it and talking about it.

THIS is my statement. Take it any way you want. I don't care. I have my views, you have yours. Get over it and move on with your day. I NEED to create something and all this fuss is taking up valuable space in my head. so I am KICKING that entity OUT! Bye Bye you!

Here's a close up just in case your peepers aren't quite as sharp as they used to be!

Actually, this also works for the Simon Says Stamp challenge over on their blog about working with metal....

Maybe I need to delete some of my comments as to not offend? Naw.....

Altered Trading Block... HOPE

This is Hope.

She was created for an auction benefiting my friends newphew who has cancer.

When I was asked to do this, I knew JUST what I wanted to do. That dosn't happen often in my world, as the voices in my head usually take over. That's just how I roll.

The angel wings are a new BigZ Die from Sizzix, Covered with white Dabber and crystal Diamond Dust for a shimmer. The Torso is a stamp from Lost Coast Designs, and colored with a Dabber and inked with Archival. The 'flowers' are from Michaels Reflection collection (I swear Prima makes these).

Hope's 'skirt' is The Bird Cage Die from Tim Holtz, cut from Grunge and inked. A piece of the packaging is but and placed behind it, as to be a bit of a window. The letters to spell HOPE are Grungeboard letters from the Mixed Minis, colored with the Black Dabber and covered with Glossy accents.

The back is simple. The word STRENGTH I lettered and placed in an Ornamental Frame.

Each side has a word or element to fit the theme.

Sides are done with a stamped poem, and a key of Grunge I rusted with a key 'chain' that says Miracle. There's also a 4 leaf clover charm, as they are Irish.

On top is a vintage glass button with a 1/2 pearl glued in it set on paper.

A simple topper.

Various elements hang from the cage, including a word charm from Tim's collection that says COURAGE.

She's sitting on top a pedestal I painted. I hope she did well at the auction and goes to a good home. I'm so honored to have been able to do this.

Tag for today!

Jean at Altered Pages sent some collage sheets over (THANK YOU JEAN) and I just HAD to work with the Scrabble Tiles (AP-1603) and Games People Play (AP-617) sheets.

The tag is embossed with the Damask Texture Fade from Tim Holtz, inked with Distress Ink in Pumice stone, Wild Honey and Crushed Olive. There's some white from a snowcap Dabber and the edge is inked with Red Pepper as well as the tiles.

I used square Grungeboard shapes to adhere the tiles to to spell GAME.

I ruffled paper tape from 7 Gypsies to the bottom as a border, and made an accent using vintage button a stick pin tied with string.

I cut the game box for the frog game so it looks like it's open, giving it some dimension.

I lifted the left side with pop dots, and adhered the 'frog in a drawer' with glue dots. I also added some Glossy Accents to his mouth & eyes.

There are other great images on the Games People Play sheet that I look forward to using soon!