Discover

Here's to the discovery of

wonder, beauty, wisdom

and continued growth

in the New Year...

♦ ♦ ♦

Documenting June on T Tuesday

Week 26 of the Documented Life Project:

Add a scripture or quote from another book

to your page.  I added another flap to my

tip-in page, in the shape of a woman's

profile.  The scripture is Romans 12:2.

The profile is taped with decorative (Washi) tape on the right

and is watercolored in black on the back side, with border

designs collaged onto the profile shape.  

On the left, collage "challenge yourself."

When all the flaps are opened, this is the spread

beneath.  Media included are gessoe, acrylic, watercolor,

painted deli paper, Sharpie pen, painted papers,

scrapbook paper, and a scrapbook flower sticker.

The flower on the lower left is a very pale colored

scrapbook embellishment sticker, which I outlined in

black Sharpie marker for stronger contrast with 

the background. The yellow flower is my own drawing.

Week 26 means the year is half over, and I am still

'in the game!'  Time does go by quickly...

Above, Keep Calm and Have Lunch with Art Friends!

A Smash Book collage page...

I had lunch with some fellow artists, and we had 

'show and tell'.  Isn't it funny how a term we used 

in kindergarten is still so appropriate?  I suppose 

there are more 'mature' terms for it, but we do

enjoy seeing what each person has been creating

and catching up on the lives of dear friends.

I hope you enjoyed some  tea (or coffee)

on T Tuesday, and make a visit to Elizabeth at

Altered Book Lover to see what

others are getting up to for T Tuesday. 

Perhaps you would like to join the party!  

The guidelines to link up

are very flexible:  share a photo or art work about

something tea (or beverage-related) or 

something related to tea, or even the Letter 'T'.

And just because it's going to be a 

sweltering week where I live...I'm including

a fun page I did a while ago...just to cool

things down and hopefully make you smile.

I suspect some of the beverages featured this

 week in the link party may be cold!

Documenting Life: Hearts and photos

Above ~ Week 25 of the

Documented Life Project:

Add hearts to your page.

I made color copies of some of

my art work, at 50%, and

glued them onto my page.

I did add some black line-work

on the copies to give more

contrast to the smaller images.

The background is a fluorescent

pink acrylic paint, and the border

is done with Sharpie pen.

I have succumbed to the 

Project Life scrapbooking style...

Since I had so many photos, and the

supplies were on sale at a local discount store,

I took the plunge.  I thought it would be 

less expensive to do one large scrapbook

for the year, instead of several small ones.

Above, a beautiful sunset that we enjoyed in 

February 2014, at Panama City Beach, Florida.

It's supposed to be 'faster' to put

together a Project Life page...

but I end up fussing over tiny collages

like the one above. I love the way it

turned out, but smaller is not

necessarily easier or faster...

the above card is 3"x4".

Do you document the

days and events in your life?

A Father's Day Wish

Happy Father's Day

to all the fathers in my life...

especially my Daddy!

•  •  ♥  •  • 

Documenting Life - on T Tuesday

 Documented Life Project pages.  Above,

inside the Week 21 Tip-In. (which I 

posted here)  Contrasting non-representational

painting with the pen and watercolor 

representation of flowers.

Fragrant peonies just don't last 

long enough...especially when it rains, 

so I wanted to draw them before they

were gone...

DLP Week 23, above.  The challenge was to

write something you are grateful for

each day.  I have many things to be

grateful for, so it was hard to choose.

Even small things can be a big

boost for your health and well-being!

Week 24: Use book pages 

or text paper on your page. 

Included in my collage

 are scrapbook papers with

writing, text pages from a book,

painted text pages and a page

torn from an old calendar/planner. 

Sharpie pen for a bit of line work and details...

The strips of flowers were printed 

from my computer.

Linking up with Elizabeth

for T Tuesday, and sharing a  

tea-inspired collage, above.  When you

create mixed-media collage, every

bit of scrap cardboard and things

like tea-bag tags hold possibilities

for creating art.  Look around you

for the possibilities...see with

a new perspective.

Documenting Life- Week 21 Challenge

The Documented Life Project

Challenge for Week 21 was to 

add stitching to your page.

I thought of Shashiko stitching,

so I chose blue cloth with contrasting

stitching...

Other materials include watercolor,

handmade paper, painted brown craft paper,

and embroidery floss.

Thanks to Elizabeth K. of

of Altered Book Lover blog

 for the handmade paper!

Week 22 of the DLP is to 

"draw, paint or sketch a house."

Time to get busy...

Random Thoughts on T Tuesday

Week 16 of the Documented Life Project:

add a cardboard box (from food) to your page.

Since we had yet MORE SNOW last night,

on April 15, 2014!

strawberries and sunshine

sound pretty darn good

right about now...

A recycled folder that I lightly sanded

and painted to make a little book...

paper yet to be added in pamphlet stitch.

A page in my Eco Green Smash book-

recording my grandson's comment about

my bag matching my clothes. How many

8 yr.-old boys notice that?! and

how cool is that?!

Practicing caricatures for a

local prom...

no erasing when you are working

solely in marker!

Had to break out the snowman mug today...

sheesh!

so tired of being cold...

visit Bluebeard and Elizabeth for

T Tuesday

to share a warm beverage and

random thoughts...

•  ♦  •

Artist Trading Cards - Halloween Edition

Artist Trading Cards from past years...

'Murder of Crows'  -- 2012.

I think this may be my favorite --

'Old Crow'  -- 2008.

I see a theme emerging...  From year to year,

a vintage-style pumpkin is featured in them all.

Above, a tri-fold atc.

Inside the tri-fold.

Another version of the Goblin Queen.

2008

Above, vintage-style pumpkin with

witch's hat -- 2007.

Above, 'Jolly Halloween' -- 2006

Above, another 'Jolly Halloween' -- 2008.

I drew and painted the pumpkin with

watercolors. Background is scrapbook paper.

Button 'moon' and sequin leaves dangle

from embroidery thread.

I love old vintage-style Halloween decorations.

Do you decorate for Halloween?

Do you like vintage, cute or scary?

Mail Art

I received this gorgeous card from Chris

over at Parabolic Muse.

It is full of juicy color, and wonderful texture,

and it's really beautiful! 

I love it!

Chris has been doing the Index-Card-a-Day

challenge also, so visit her to check out what

she's been up to.  Her writing is a hoot...er,

I mean, really fun, so stop by!

Here's the card that I sent Chris.  It has lots

of painted scraps of paper collaged on there,

and the man's photo is from an ephemera pack.

The crossword background is scrapbook paper.

Chris seemed surprised that I sent it through

the mail naked. Ahem, without an envelope.

(Aileen's Tacky Glue is great stuff!)

Chris put hers in an envelope with a lovely 

little Moo card...

I even got a kick out of the stamp

on the envelope...what's not to love 

about The Incredibles!?

I gotta say, it was so great to receive 

mail art that was actual art and

not a copy or reproduction.  I've had

that happen more than once.
Chris' card is going up on my inspiration wall~

It was a fun swap Chris, thanks!

August Impressions~

Polymer clay embellishments in an altered book.  (This is a re-post of an altered book project from several years ago.) Since Elizabeth did a terrific tutorial on her blog Altered Book Lover, I was inspired to show this spread, which is one of the few times I've used polymer clay.

 The button-shaped pieces of polymer clay were made from impressions of old buttons from my grandmother's button jar. The background is acrylic paint over gesso. Circles were stenciled on, flowers from tissue wrapping paper were applied in opposite corners, and hand-carved stamping in green acrylic was added. The clay buttons were also painted in acrylic, layering yellow, tan, and black to highlight the textures. Words were added in brown Sharpie marker...things that remind me of the month of August and the sweet days of the end of summer.

Collage and Drawing

Mixed media collage on a 4 x 6 index card.

I buy them in a spiral pad so I can take 

them with me. I can work on them 

while on vacation or while waiting

for someone to get done with

an appointment. More fun than

looking at outdated magazines...

A drawing on ledger paper, with some

stamping, purchased tags, and

triangular banners of scrapbook paper,

and painted card stock.

A sketch for some canvases I am thinking

of painting.  3 tall skinny canvases, but

grouped together as one composition.

Colored pencil in my visual art journal.

The right hand larger circle is a light blue. 

On my monitor it is too pale...

trying to use mauve, browns & tans

with accents of blue & purple.

Yesterday's post gave me some trouble,

and I don't know if it was Blogger or

operator error. It will disappear and

this takes its place.

A bit of a dry spell right now,

but hoping to make progress

and get into more drawing!