Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Swap Pages From Annette




As promised, I am sharing
the fabulous swap pages that
Annette sent to me for my
Word and Number Play theme...



I had never seen a tag that slides
open in the middle. I didn't figure it out
until Annette posted about it on our
Swap blog. It is so cool!! She does
amazing work...




A big chunky bundle of
beautiful tags...



This is why Annette is
the "queen of embellishments."
A stunning combination of subtle
color and pattern, round versus
straight-edged shapes. So glad I
have no restrictions on 'danglies!'
Love all the metal combined
with paper on this page.




Numbers and letters...
"Just my type."




It's difficult to get a sharp scan when
there are so many dimensional bits
on the page.  Please forgive the
bit of blurriness...




"A conclusion is simply the place
where you got tired of thinking."




Truly beautiful pages, and I am
honored to receive them.  The
gals in this swap have set the bar
pretty high...no pressure! lol.
What fun to see the interpretations
of each artist on a theme; each unique
and reflecting their own style.



 I will leave you with one spread in
my Hobonichi Techo journal from
this week.  Linking up with the
T Tuesday gang over at
Altered Book Lover blog.




The alligator on the left (May 29) is the
main design on a plain white mug. The
drawing on the May 30 page shows
the other side of the mug...just the tail.
Do you drink from your Christmas
coffee cups year round like I do? 




Let's have a mad tea party...



Tuesday, May 24, 2016

International Swap Pages from Chris



What's black, and white and
red all over?  This art swap page
from Chris over at Pearshapedcrafting .
My theme for this swap is
"Word and Number Play."
Beneath the red acetate overlay is


'Play', a puzzle, numbers, and playing cards...


Vintage music images, and a
gorgeous tag...



A colorful clown page...
that has a folding door. It
opens to reveal clowns of
television and movies!
Love Danny Kaye,
Robin Williams, and Lucille Ball!



"Strength in Numbers" ~ I think it is
inspired by Lynn Perrella's work.
The simple technique of repeating an image
makes a big impact, especially with the use
of bright colors and interesting textures.


Six of one, half dozen of
the other. Namely, 6 boys--



and half a dozen girls!
The flap opens to reveal the
girls, and the tag has the swapper
information on the back. The
eyelets and strings are fun, and the
 numbered images carry through
the theme...



Vintage fashion images and
a sweet tag. I delight in vintage
images, and can only wish that things
were always "just the right size!"



Linking up with Bleubeard and Elizabeth
for T Tuesday.  The Techo drawing
below with the tiny, wonky coffee cups
will have to do for my beverage reference
today.  You can join the blog hop
every Tuesday over at Altered Book Lover
and share a beverage with the group.

I am so enjoying the swap art I've received,
and next week on T Tuesday,
I plan to show you what arrived
from Annette! So stay tuned...
have an artful week!





Friday, May 20, 2016

Swap Pages



My second set of swap pages
(the Rust pages were the first set)
were due to be mailed out just
as my old computer 'gave up
the ghost.'  So I took photos with
my phone, and am just now
remembering (and figuring out how)
to post them here on my blog...




The theme for these pages was
"Childhood Memories."  Which I
found a bit challenging, since my
childhood memories from here in
rural Ohio might not be anything like
those of someone in a different area
of the country, and possibly in an urban
area.  What childhood memories
are universal? I did have a hint that the
recipient enjoyed stitching themes,
so I took the opportunity to add
fabric, lace and stitching. I found this
charming illustration in a vintage book
and thought it was so cute, so it
became the focal point of the page.




Another vintage illustration from an
old book -the children reading- found
its way onto this page.  I painted the
violets on a page of text that had been
covered with gesso. I used to pick
violets for my mother when I was young,
so that's why I chose violets.  Fabric
scraps and some watercolor doodles,
along with some cross-stitch flowers
finish off the page.









This is the tag for the "Childhood
Memories" page, with the credit to the
illustrator.  Not shown was a tag for
the illustrator for the 'children
reading' image by Annabelle Prager, c.1972.

A fun theme to interpret...
what are your favorite
childhood memories?

♦  ♥  ♦


Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Techo Illustrations and Notes



Do you think having an
illustrated diary might prompt
you to do more interesting things...
just so you have something to
write about or draw?




Or does daily life become more interesting
when we are looking for the opportunities
in each day to write or draw something?

This week, my Techo seems to be all
about the food!  Have you been to one of
those steak houses where the décor
consists of trophy heads on the wall?
Kind of creepy on one level, but an
opportunity to draw something that I
probably won't see in real life.




This trophy head was on the wall
behind my daughter.  The waiter left
blue crayons on the table (the wait staff
writes their name on the paper 'tablecloth'
after they introduce themselves) so of course
I had to take the opportunity to draw!  Then I
remembered my watercolor pencils and
water brush were in my bag...dear daughter
thought it was a great opportunity to post
my photo on Facebook--drawing on the tablecloth.
My first thought upon seeing the post...?
"I look so old, and I'm frowning-(in concentration)
why didn't you warn me?!"  sigh...
but at least she thinks I'm a
"cool mom."





Recording the activities and outings for each
day brings back memories when I read
about them again later...I enjoy investigating
little shops and old fashioned
dime store/hardware stores!




Sharing a mug of mocha coffee
this morning, and linking up with
Bleubeard and Elizabeth for
T Tuesday...
what have you been doing this week?


♦  •  ♦

Friday, May 13, 2016

UnPlanner 2016



For May, I've dispensed
with the monthly view calendar in
favor of a collage in my DLP
unPlanner... 




One of our challenges was to
create a pocket.  I decided I'd like
to have some scallops on the edge,
and make the size so that the
page behind it would show.




Haven't written anything on the tag yet.
I'll figure something out...I used mostly
highlighter on the tag. The pocket
page is a combination of watercolors
and highlighter pens.





Though still doing the
Documented Life Project,
it has been challenging keeping up
with both my Hobonichi Techo and
DLP at the same time. April was a bit
over-committed since I was also doing
a Fake Journal, and swap art too. 
My daily activities don't always show up in
my DLP, but it's a fun way to
follow the challenges of the group and
do a few more doodles and sketches.
And try to use up what's in my stash
without buying more stuff!




Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Techo Drawings and Notes



Notes for the week in my
Hobonichi Techo...
loved the Sketchbook Fury class
by Graham Smith in
So fun, and lots of great tips.
I've always wanted to be
an Art Ninja.




I like to write down random thoughts
and quotes. (I guess you already know this)
 I am amused by most any little thing... 
As I am linking up to
the Tea Tuesday blog hop over at
Bleubeard and Elizabeth's, that little drawing
of the glass coffee mug, in which I had milk,
is my beverage reference today.







Since Mother's Day happened in the U.S.
this week, there were a lot of gorgeous
flowers for sale in the stores...
I bought pink begonias for my mother.
Though it seems that the weather in
our area is barely warm enough for
planting anything outside just yet,
the calendar says we are past the date
for frost danger. A few days ago it was
 getting in the 40F degrees  overnight! 
Really ready for warmer days...





Trying to maintain smiles through the
many cloudy and rainy days recently...
so "cuteness" creeps in to the journal.
How do you find
the 'silver lining' in your days?



Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Techo Pages

Pages in my Hobonichi Techo...random stuff, what I did, heard on the radio, or even crazy stuff I saw. You just never know...