My Journey Into Art

it’s been a while since I’ve checked in, sorry bout that. Art has evaded me til recently and I’ll have to get busy uploading it for all to see.

One thing that really shook me was the amount of spam that was waiting for me hwne I logged on. I had over 300 pieces of spam and more than half of it wsn’t caught by my spam filter!! WTH! Have these people got nothing better todo than cause mischief and mayhem for other people? Getting just a little tired of it!

OK I’m off my soap box!! (sorry)

I’ll post the new art shortly!

a wonderful new challenge hosted by the ever so creative Linda Ledbedder at studiol3 . This is the tag I made at almost the very last minute. Just haven’t been very crafty-creative lately, between spring cleaning, and the old ugly ‘why do I do this’ question, creativity is taking a back seat.

Tim Stuff used – masks, DI’s, tokens, pins, grungeboard and Ranger’s GA.

Hope you like it!

I have had a tag almost done for the last 3  challenges but something has happened each week to prevent me from finishing or posting it. aaargghh Frustrating as I really enjoy taking part in the challenge. And now it’s almost over!!!!

I checked out Linda’s blog this morning and almost laughed! I was so happy that I didn’t have to wrack my sorry brain to come up with another idea for this week’s tech! I had already done it for the card I made my DH for Valentine’s Day!!! What a coincidence! So here it is!!

A lovely lady and fabulous artist named Shelly Hickox had sent me the gears die cuts in trade for the bird cage die cuts I had sent her. She asked me if I wanted some in metal and I am not one to turn down such an offer ! lol The gears are cut out of a dull silver thin metal that I altered with Butterscotch and Terra Cotta AI’s with some Gold metal mixatives thrown in. I also added some TH spinners, gears and some watch parts for good measure! I had put some watch parts in the hole of the large gear and tried to fill it with GA but it went not so accurately! I added a really sappy sentiment inside just for my DH!

I have so much to put up on the blog but I just sit!

OK, so I have just sent off my contribution for an envelope swap with the theme of Postal or I guess mail art. I’m not sure I really met the criteria but I like what I did. Hope everyone else does also!!

the envelopes and what I put in them. There are 15 of us in the swap and all the envies will be bound with a cover that either the hostess, Joanne or the individual artist, in this case, moi! lol will do themselves. I will post the end result as soon as I have it done!

The front of my envies. I used Distress inks, TH Tissue Tape and the flaps are ‘bordered with edging I had bought a long time ago.

Back of envies. This swap was the perfect opportunity to use stamp I had bought ages ago but never used. The air mail, triangular and pen stamps are from Oxford Impressions Stamps and the Gothic Alphabet from Quietfire Designs.

a fellow ATT’er is having her 1 year blogoversary and is offering up a wonderful giveaway to celebrate!!

Please go to An Art Soul, Barbara Mason’s wonderful blog and follow her instructions to get a chance, or 2 to win!

Woohoo, I am so happy I can enter this challenge at the lovely and oh so generous Linda L’s blog! I did this piece a few weeks ago after I saw a tag done by the Man himself for the Ranger blog. I absolutely loved this tag he did but changes things up a bit, after all, I didn’t want to copy what Tim did, but I did want to make it my own! I used the technique I shall encourage you to go to Linda’s blog to discover!!

This is a bad pic but I wanted to get it up, impatient person I am!!! I’ll get a better shot later today and post it! I have also added 3 jingle bells in the empty spot on the bottom of the cage.

From Jean W, a lovely little book, I only have the cover scanned but she uses the Stampington 12 days images and embosses them in gold on a very lovely vellum I think it is.

And from Daphne D, a wonderful fabric art book matk

From Sandie R. A fabulous zentangled keychain which she made with a bamboo tile!

And from Bonnie M. a gorgeous hand dyed, hand sewn bali lantern

From Carolyn A., a sweet paper pine cone ornament, she was kind enough to supply all of us with the template to this ornament also! YAY!! Maybe next year I’ll have a tree of pine cones!

From Marg H., a fabulous personalized luggage tag that Marg had laminated for us! There’s a little flap under which Marg has entered our names and addresses!

from Wendy K, a sweet little sewn banner with yummy lace and wonderful patterned fabrics.

A sweet mini book form Suzanne C who is fabulous calligrapher and hand lettered the quote in the book – it happens to be a favourite of mine! Suzanne also owns Quietfire Designs, a stamp company for which she designs stamps using her calligraphy. Wonderful for those us us who can’t but want to use it in our art!

(wow, I need lessons taking pics!!!! ) The whole saying is “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly!”

of the 12 days mingle – onto Day 2

A beautiful watercolour batik

lovely paper clay decorative buttons from Judy L. Sorry for the blurry pics I was standing over the items trying to get good pics!

I hope everyone had a wonderful celebration full of love, laughter, family, friends and food!

This is our tree this year -

Each year for the last 4 years, I have been organizing a wonderful mingle on one of my Yahoo groups. This is more of a countdown to Christmas than an advent mingle. The 1st year we had 1 group, this year, 3!!!

Day 1

the cover!

Linda did each page in a similar fashion

all paper was hand made. I absolutely love it!

I was in 2 of the 3 groups so I got to open 2 gifts every day! Yippeeeee!!!!!!!This lovely little book was done by Carmen G.

Each page has wonderful backgrounds and lovely images to share!

Thank you ladies, both so similar but soooo different!

I love doing these challenges and Linda has thoughtfully changed the time due from 1 week to 2. Thank goodness as for some reason, I have turned into a last day type person!! Really need to get out of that!

OK so this challenge was Rock Candy Distress Stickles. Head on over to Linda’s blog for all the details!

This is something I made for myself this year. I didn’t realize til I saw Tim Holtz’s configurations and what he does with them, particularly the Christmas ones, just how much I missed my childhood ornaments. I have wanted to make configurations, like Tim’s, since I saw his but I think his configurations are a little pricey.  So I did the next best thing and made my own out of cardboard. I also used paper from TH’s Seasonal pack, and some ornies of mine that I’ve had forever but just don’t seem to make it on the tree anymore. lol

You can see the Rock Candy stickles on the back wall paper. I am so happy with the way this turned out!!

wahhhhh I only got to take part in 3 of these wonderful events.     To see all the details, go to Lisa’s blog, A Whimsical Bohemian, and check it out!

I haven’t been able to do this challenge for a few weeks for various reasons but I had to try this one! Check Linda’s blog for the deets!!

I was and still am unhappy with this tag but it’s kinda growing on me. lol I only have dotted grungeboard but I tried embossing something else and it seemed to come out ok, so …… The wrong part distressed! So I have a polka dotted tree!!! lol  I will be doing this again when I get plain grungeboard! Tell me what you think!

it’s Dec 1st, it’s been snowing and Tim’s tags 12 Days have started!! It’s like someone threw a switch to me, I am almost jumping out of my skin with excitement and my DH is laughing at me! lol

On one of my Yahoo groups, I host a wonderful mingle called the 12 days of Christmas. It’s not the real 12 days which occurs after Christmas but a countdown to Christmas! We each make 13 gifties and send to the other players of the group to be opened starting the 13th of Dec.. I am Day 13 to be opened on each members day so they have something to open. We actually had 3 groups this year!!! I did 2 and a new friend did the 3rd for me. Anyway, here are the packages I sent out this year!

For Group 1

For Group 2

Group 2′s tags were the same as group 1.

I’ll post the actual gifts December 24 (my Birthday). This is such a wonderful mingle and I thank all the ladies who join every year and the new members!!

yes, believe it or not, I am still here! Things are just a little bit out of control for me right now, I seem to be having a small problem with anxiety due to stuff and it’s affecting me in ways I’m not enjoying very much! I have done tons of things over the past little while, all is either scanned or had pics taken but I just haven’t been able to get it up on the blog.  SOON!

there, I’ve said it! But along with the wonderful friends I’ve got back in touch with, the ones I’ve met there and the games … lol… I’ve learned about some wonderful companies that I think will make my stamping and multimedia work easier.

One is Gluearts! The beauty of this company, and it’s not the only one to do this by any means, it has lots of great giveaways! Check out their blog for this one!!

http://www.gluearts.blogspot.com/

so much fun!!!

I am still here. Just things going on, lots of things.

Went to my orthopoedic surgeon last week and I am getting the hardware out of my elbow in May. I wish it was sooner but it can’t be removed until after a year and as my accident and repair happened this past April, ….. I’m just glad it won’t be any later than that, they are booked so far ahead ti’s ridiculous!

I’ve been working midnights for the 10 years and finally decided I’d had enough. I asked to go on days just before I came back from being off with my broken elbow and was to go on days Sept. 13. a week before, a co worker had an accident at work and 2 weeks after that, another found out she needed surgery. I am still on midnights!! Hopefully in another 2 or 3 weeks I’ll get moved over!

Fall has truly set in with cold blustery winds, we’re having lots of  Pooh days right now!!!lol

Working on my 12 Days of Christmas mingle gifties. I ended up with 3 groups this year and am Day 13 in all. Therefore have 36 gifts to make and get ready to get out by Dec 1. Only have 1 group left to do. Pics later!!!

Christmas getting closer daily, T.J. getting more fractious daily!! yippee

see ya soon!