Michelangelo-Creation of Adam

I have long loved Michelangelo's piece "Creation of Adam." I was so excited to see that I Brake For Stamps now has a stamp of them in the Stampinback line :) I did a great background several days ago called "Salty Glimmers" from the latest Technique Junkies newsletter and had to let it air dry. I used Color Mist Sprays and rock salt :)

Its a fun technique and they always come out different-and I love that! Around the image of the hands I dry brushed a little bit of white gesso-its not all that easy to see in the scan though. The paper underneath the hand is french text and I used a graphite pencil to draw lines through the text then brushed on some gesso to make the text more subtle.

Stamps used are:

Michelangelo 6

Holly's Tattered Background

use my code SAVE10KRISTY to get an additional 10% off :)

Art Journal Play day

I have been aching to get out all my supplies and just PLAY. I have not gotten my hands in paint in much too long. Its cheap therapy and soooooooo soothing. Now that Christmas is out of the way and the kids are occupied with their new toys, I got to dig out my supplies, crank up 80's music and mess around.

Supplies used:

Hand-carved leaf stamp (pictured)

Gesso

Acrylics

ink jet photo of tree brushed with light coats gesso

Stabilo pencil

Cemetary Angel from Collagestuff.com

Distress ink (Peeled paint)

As I was working on this it needed something around the edges to finish it off and bring everything together. I rummaged through my old hand-carved stamps (I have hundreds) that I did many moons ago and it just spoke to me. Its amazing to me how it pulled everything together so nicely. I stamped it in Gesso then let dry. I then added ink because it was just too white and it needed a light color. I went around it with the Stabilo pencil.

Ordered the Grand Calibur

So I have been eyeing the new Spellbinders Grand Calibur since it came out. With Gift Cards and money from Xmas I bit the bullet and ordered it this morning :) Should be fun. There is so much I love about it, and I know I will put it to good use. I LOVE that you can put a whole sheet of paper in there without cutting it down, so I can cut more at one time if I wanted.

Anyone else own one?

Michelangelo Images

I didn't think I would actually get ANY time at all for some creative fun, but I told my kids to go out in play (in the rain) and leave me alone for a while :)

Anyway-I have been dying to play with some new Michelangelo images from I Brake For Stamps. I used a new technique from the most recent TJ Newsletter under the Michelangelo image called "Texture Plate Smoosh" using Fiskars texture plates.

Images used:

Michelangelo 3

X-Large Leaf Flourish

Freddie Frog Scrabble Charm

I had the idea to use a digital image on a scrabble tile and it worked out just great!

This is Freddie the Frog Prince sized down to fit on the scrabble tile and painted in with watercolor pencils. I added some Stickles Glitter Glue to add sparkle to his crown.

My daughter has been eyeing this one, so I will probably give it to her :)

Digital image is from I Brake For Digis

Pinecone Collage

I actually did this over the weekend, but due to losing my dog I just was NOT in the mood to blog :(

Anyway, I did this for my Secret Santa person. I love how realistic this pinecone image is on the Pinecone Collage stamp from I Brake For Stamps :) Because I LOVE texture, I added a piece of burlap behind my main image.

Scrabble Tile Necklace Charms

A Few weeks ago I shared a part of a table that my friend had at a community craft fair-and I was selling some Scrabble tile necklaces. They got great response, and my friend asked me to do some for her family members as Xmas Gifts. She got me photos of family members for me to do them-the ones I had at the craft fair were not of photos, but of print paper and other images.

I think these came out really cute!

RIP Xena

My sweet German Shepherd, Xena, had to be put down last Friday. It came very suddenly when my son found her in a place out in our yard that was not her usual spot. She had a hard time moving and just was not herself. She looked at me with very sad eyes like "Let me go" that night. We waited to see how she was the next day and she was about the same. I had to help her get up some steps and then into the car-I knew there was something wrong since she could not do it herself. As I was helping her I felt her underside and found a lump. She had multiple tumors and a very large (almost football size) tumor of the spleen. It was the most difficult decision ever to put her down, but I did not want to see my girl suffer. It is not the same anymore looking outside and not seeing her near the door wagging her tail. My son says he does not like going back there anymore. My poor little Shih-tzu is depressed too. We miss her terribly.

Reflections of the past week

I have gone through a range of emotions this past week. Let me first say, that I have a very heavy, full plate. No one , even family members, know truly what we deal with from day to day.
Some days are extremely trying and exhausting. Some days I don't pick up the phone (it takes energy). I wear MANY hats. My husband also. We do the best we can to help others-sometimes there are things that are just out of our reach for our circumstances. But that does not mean we don't care! This past week my heart was torn in a hundred (or more)pieces. I don't know if I will ever recover. But I know I need to forgive. I have made a pact some months ago to surround myself with positive. I NEED to. I have done well the past couple months, despite our obstacles. My daughter feeds off emotion. Even though she doesn't understand it necessarily, she is very intuitive. This week has thrown her off completely I think because she can feel the heartache I experienced. I am grateful so much for those wonderful friends (and they know who they are *wink*) who understand my circumstances, and love us even if I don't feel like picking up the phone (and trust me, this past year has far been the worst). Friends who know we are good people, and do the best we can. I have to say, despite my circumstances, I do pretty well. Much better than some people could. I wasn't always that way. It has come through life experience, and most importantly, maturity. I once used to get mad & upset over petty things, and things beyond other's control. I have learned so much over the years. I have learned you truly cannot judge another unless you have walked in their shoes. NO matter what. I think life is just way too short to be upset over small things (or circumstances that cannot be helped). I used to hear people say that all the time, and never took it too serious. But now I know, it is true. So with that, I let things go. But at the same time, I will not be walked on. In life, we are only required to do our best, and that is just what I will do.
(photo is a journal page I did a couple years ago, and the broken heart truly went with how I have felt this week)

Advent Calendar

I was itching to get an Advent Calendar then I thought....hmmmmmmmmmm, bet I can make one! So I went on a search to find some ideas and happened upon one on the Design sponge blog here. She used envelopes that have an open end-but I tried to use what I have on hand (see photo with this post) and I had the standard envelopes. She kept hers white, and while they looked absolutely great, I wanted more :) What I did was I stamped these marvelous collage images from I Brake For Stamps onto the standard emvelopes that were all closed shut (had to stamp all 4 images 6 times each onto the envelopes). After I stamped the images, I trimmed off the tops. This made filling them super easy. I thought the numbers on the same Design Sponge Post went so nicely with these collage images I printed them up and attached them to the envelopes. They needed a finishing touch so I added some Distress ink (Brushed Corduroy) to the edges. All we had to do was fill 'em , and attach them to some twine with clothes pins :)

Easy and fun, and using mostly stuff we already have-doesn't get any better than that! :)

Poinsettia

Hard to believe that Christmas is only like 34 days away! These Collage images are helping me get into the Christmas Spirit :)

This one uses the Happy Holidays Poinsettia. Also in the background I used Holly's Tattered Background. I LOVE the tattered background-its large and covers lots of space. I can see so many uses for it-I will probably be using it on everything :)

Wednesday Stamper: Stars

Here is my contribution for the Stars theme over at Wednesday Stamper

Stamps used here are the Stars background from this sheet at I Brake For Stamps!

The girl is from the Stampinback line and can be located here and of course the quote, which can be found on the same stamp sheet as the girl :)

It was fun to make an ATC today:)

Peace Collage Christmas Card

Using one of my new favorite stamps from I Brake For Stamps that can be found here

I used several products here-Distress inks, brush markers, foam tape, Ranger Crackle Accents, Spellbinders dies, organza ribbon and Tim Holtz Distress Rock Candy paint on the frame.

I used the "Torn Frames" Technique from a past Technique Junkies Newsletter

Wednesday Stamper: Asia

Had a little fun with my acrylics, fluid watercolors and some Asian Ephemera today :) Asian theme is often a challenge for me, but for Wednesday Stamper I knew I had to give it a whirl-I had no excuse :)

Also dug out my collection of Washi papers (that are terribly neglected). The stamp image is a great one from this sheet available from I Brake For Stamps. The image is stamped on transparency and attached with my new Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (how have I lived so long without it?)

Baby Card for a friend

Stamps from I Brake For Stamps-from the Stampinback line:

Antique Buggy

Baby Boy

Clown!

I used one of the new IBFS clown images found here.

Two of the techniques I used here, Scrappy Spot and Marker Watercolor, are from past

TJ newsletters

Clown Box

Using some brand new non-cute clowns from I Brake For Stamps that can be found here

Lots of fun to make too-have not made a box in ages. I broke out the Scor-it for this-I have had it for years and have hardly used it. Now that I know how to properly use it, I can see I will be using it alllllllllllll the time :)

The other stamps (diamonds) are from IBFS-the Time To Stamp Line ATC #1 and also the

Bingo Background from the Stampinback line

Art Vignette at The Altered Page

Seth of the Altered Page informed me today that my Art Vignette is on his blog.
Check out his blog post here
If you haven't visiting his blog before, you are in for a real treat! His blog is full of inspiration!

Theme Thursday-Favorite Color Combo

I LOVE using purple and green-I use this combo quite a bit.

Today was an art journal sort of day-I have missed using it on a regular basis.

I used Neocolor II crayons, some acrylics, inks, Pitt Pen, masking tape, decorative tape, decorative paper, stencils. The Stamp at the top is from I Brake For Stamps and can be found here and a little bit of a tattered background stamp found here

Wednesday Stamper:Legs

What a fun theme (again!). This was a challenge for me-but I remembered these awesome Newsprint Dolls stamps from I Brake For Stamps (in the Time to Stamp line). I added some stripes to her legs with a Stabilo black pen just to emphasize the legs. I just felt like doing a gothic arch so that's what I did :) The background is made up of Neocolor II crayons and I stamped an image from this stamp sheet ( Basic Elements) with gesso. The "Be You" stamp is from the Stampinback line at IBFS

She needed something added to her head so I added a portion of a metal embellishment I found in my stash.

"The Brakefast Club" with I Brake For Stamps

Check out the new forum "The Brakefast Club"

Meet other stampers, ask questions, post your card samples, get advice from your friends on the latest crafting trends and more.
Its a brand new forum-just getting rolling. They just posted a Secret Santa Swap-I just signed up for that. It sounds like fun, be sure to check it out!

Take Care Card

I did a little stamping today! I got a new Spellbinders die and wanted to play with it.

Images used here is from IBFS-its a portion of a stamp from this beautiful sheet!

The "Take Care" is from the Stampinback line.

Woman Diva Goddess

This has a variety of images from I Brake for Stamps-from the Time To Stamp, Stampinback and IBFS lines :)

Collage Card

Here is what I did today using the Collage Elements #1 sheet from IBFS . I also added some speckle with the speckle stamp from the Grunge Backgrounds#2 sheet for a little more added texture. Image colored in with Watercolor Pencils.

Wednesday Stamper: Glass

What a fun theme for Wednesday Stamper! As soon as I saw the theme I had no idea what I was going to do......until I went through my stash and found some old watch parts. I cut a circle with my Cricut and stamped some images down on the bitty circle with images from I Brake For Stamps' Bird plate and inked it up. Then I glued it down into the watch back. I affixed the watch crystal to the top and added a bail to the back and voila! a pendant :) So fun!

Wednesday Stamper:Hearts

Its been a while since I have done this challenge and wanted to play today. When I saw that the theme was hearts I immediately thought of this stamp from IBFS and had to use it. The postcard image background is also from IBFS

For the background on the heart I used Color Mist Sprays through some mesh for added texture. Beneath that on the layer stamped with the postcard image, I used oil pastels and gesso.

Tag Tuesday Challenge

This is a tag for the Tag Tuesday Challenge in Orange and Black. Stamps are from I Brake For Stamps, from the Stampinback line :)

Also used:

Tim Holtz Stencil and a couple different Nestabilities dies.

Paris

Image from I Brake For Stamps

Some Stamping Today

Did just a bit, during my couple hours to myself. I used a "Faded Texture" background technique from the latest TJ newsletter. I love imperfect looking backgrounds :)

Images from IBFS, from the Stampinback line.

"By the Inch"

Stamps from I Brake For Stamps.

Art Project for Homeschool

I have decided that Wednesdays will be our "Art" days for homeschool because Gilly seems to need a break in the middle of the week. She loves art so much so I am going to work on teaching her some fun things. This week we are making a painting of birch trees with a resist of Masking Tape. I had fun making a sample-I wanted to try one first and see if I thought it was something she could do, plus its a visual so she can see it. Thought I would share, it was fun to do.
I used my Sparkling H20's for it.

Art Journaling

I finally got to do some art journaling today. This homeschooling thing has been rough!

Not easy at all. We are still adjusting. I have missed my art time terribly!

Today I got a much needed break! Gillian and I BOTH needed time away from each other.

My dear friend took her for a couple of hours. So, I got the paints out and my beloved art journal and went to town. Its so hard to get back into it-it feels like its been forever. Once I get out of my groove its hard to get back into it. I am hoping now I can ease my way back.

By looking at my art journal page, can you guess what story we read this morning? :)

Big Day!

Today has been a big day as far as change goes...........I actually started homeschooling my daughter and today was our first day. Interesting to say the least but its been a great day and we accomplished alot. The best part is..........We do school for about 3 hours or so, and after that is lunch time then I get time for myself! I love it!





Here is what I did to start getting me back into the creative groove. I have felt so out of it since I have not consistently had creative time. Now I seriously hope to!





Stamps here are by I Brake For Stamps-from Stampinback and the IBFS line

I used This image but trimmed it up a bit and stamped the "Franco" postage cancellation on it to change it up just a tidge.

I am still around!

Its been a very hectic past few weeks for me-I have done stuff but just realized I had not uploaded them to my blog! Sorry about that!

I just did this Z fold card using images from the Stampinback line at I Brake For Stamps.

Hopefully now I will be back to my normal routine :)

Online Art Class

I am taking an online art class from Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen. Its more along the lines of Abstract-this week we did some shapes-morphing them into other shapes. Totally out of my league! But it was fun to play a little . Here's a little of what I did. Looking forward to next week's assignment. I am rearing to go.........

Mona Mini Book

I made this out of a tag. I did the background on this tag.......then I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I felt like making something more "functional" today so I decided to fold it and make it into a book. I cut and folded some regular ole white paper to fit into the tag after it was folded. Then I grabbed my handy dandy bookbinding box-and grabbed an awl, some linen bookbinding thread and a tapestry needle. I poked the holes and made a simple pamphlet stitch to attach the pages. On the front, where the tag is folded over, I attached one of those stretchy hair band thingies through the tag just a little, then inserted a decorative brad. Voila!





Oh, and on the front of it-thats one of those Tim Holtz Fragments thingies. Being I love Mona, I decided to do something with her today. All stamps are available from I Brake For Stamps :)

Here are the stamps I used:

Faux Postage Sheet from the Stampinback line

Odds and Ends from the Time To Stamp line

IBFS #D8 IBFS

Venturing out of my comfort zone today

I have felt a style change coming for a while but not sure when it would happen. Not sure that this is IT, but I had fun playing. There are still bits of my style in there, with some of the techniques I used but over all very different. SCARY!! But it was just like being a kid again, playing around. It was fun to paint the dog whatever colors I wanted-talk about freedom!

I may touch it up a tad bit more though, now that I am looking at it again. But my eyes need a rest!

"Bruno"

6x6 canvas panel

mixed media

Paste Up Art Show

Here's a pic of my lovely friend Sharon! She purchased my piece from Paste Up 2010!

What an honor to have a fellow artist and friend purchase my piece! I am so glad its going to a good home :)

With summer comes very little creative time :(

It seems this past week I have been super busy! Went to see Eclipse with several of my buddies and then had to recover since we attended the midnight showing! Talk about crazy! But it was definitely worth it! Its nice to get a little girl time in once in a while :)
With the kids home from school I don't get as much creative time but I am always thrilled to get any creative time in at all.
Today I messed around with one of Tim Holtz's techniques called "Alcohol Ink Monoprint."
I love it-you never know for sure how they are going to turn out and its different each time-and I just love that.
Stamps used are from I Brake For Stamps!

Tag

Its been ages since I have done a tag. I played around and did this Tim Holtz inspired one.

Stamps are from I Brake For Stamps. The background (done on the tag) is from the Stampinback line and stamped in gesso. The others are from the Time To Stamp line :)

Soothing

As I was working on this journal page today, I had paint allllllll over my hands. I thought about how soothing it was, to escape from my busy day and play. It truly made me all giddy!

Now I look at my inked and painted hands and smile. It felt so good to just let loose and play.

I used acrylics, collage, sumi-e ink, distress ink, printed paper, and I also scanned my hand on my Epson printer and included it on the page :)

Hoot Owl Card

I did a card today using this adorable Hoot Owl from I Brake For Digis and the background is from I Brake For Stamps.

I had the idea to make his eyes pop out so I used some of my old mounting tape-I had forgotten all about that stuff. I colored the owl in with Derwent watercolor pencils.

TMTA-Weeds

For Think Monday Think ATC the theme this week is Weeds. I thought of the perfect image to use for this. Not sure if they are considered weeds, but they are more like wildflowers :)

Images used are from IBFS, from the Stampinback line.

Blog candy over at IBFS and playing with new stamps

Played around with a new collage image from I Brake For Stamps!

While I am posting, I wanted to mention that IBFS is having a blog candy! So head over and check it out!

http://ibrakeforstamps.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-candy.html

Just Keep Swimming...

I keep hearing the words "Just Keep Swimming" today. A friend of mine (actually a couple) told me that a couple months ago, when my daughter was newly diagnosed with Seizures.


I find that saying still rings true with me today. I am slowly coming around, trying to do more art, and to find ME again. I miss that person. But I know she is there. I find sometimes, when the going gets rough and the focus is on my family, etc, I kinda get lost. But as I have gone about my day, realizing my schedule is getting more like normal, I told myself "Just keep swimming."

materials used on this art journal page:

Oil pastels, gesso, magazine pics and print outs, ephemera, ink, letter stamps, and graphite pencil

Postcard for the Paste Up Show!

I received a bunch of postcards for the "Paste Up" show I am in! This is both sides of it I scanned together. I think they are wonderful! I am so proud to be among such wonderful artists in this show!