Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Where did Fall go???

I know it's almost December and I should be pushing the whole Christmas decorating/shopping mode around here, but geeze, what happened to Fall? It has been crusty, crunchy & blustery cold here for over a week. It snowed about 3 inches before Thanksgiving and hasn't been warm enough for even a slight melt. Hope it's not going to be one of those TUFF winters that we all dread.....

Here's a shrine I did for a Trends Challenge. We were to use a past ATC that we made and make a shrine using a box, sardine can or anything. I had this small old New Haven clock case that was empty and waiting for some altered use and thought I would try it....wasn't brave enought to slap paint on the nice wood though. It's a Mom and Me tribute, hope you like!

PS...I WON!! I received a great gift certificate to InkaStamps.com Thanks Inka!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Christmas Brown Bags Albums

I have been busy making some Christmas Brown Bag Albums for eBay. I have found that once you have all the materials out it just gets addicting and the mess just gets bigger and before long you end up with 3 or four books going at the same time. Then there's the picture taking and it takes so many that the auction template ends up with a ton of pictures that you end up scrolling and scrolling before you see them all.... So, I have been having fun making little photo slides. Here's my first one and I will be adding more here on my blog as I go. Click over to my eBay button to see the auctions, if you want.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Turkey Day Thankfulness

I am thankful for the little things....
boys, giggles, horsing-around and HUGS!


"If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get."
(Frank A. Clark)

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving." [H. U. Westermayer]

"Thanksgiving is nothing if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart to God in honor
and praise for His goodness." [Robert Casper Lintner]

"Without Thy sunshine and Thy rain
We could not have the golden grain;
Without Thy love we'd not be fed;
We thank Thee for our daily bread.
[Anonymous]

Monday, November 12, 2007

What clears your creative block???


The dreaded block happens....when we least expect it...like the FLU!
A cure for "creative block" for me is to take a small break from whatever my current ART passion is....currently Altered Art. I have several UFO's here (Un-Finished Objects) such as a couple partially naked theme dolls, some boxes to decopage', the assembling of the quilt block swaps, a couple suitcases and 8 pairs of iceskates to think about. Oh, and a large floorcloth all base coated and ready. ( notice they are all Big items that take up precious space.)
Digging through supplies to attempt this will lead me to new projects, I'm sure. Just the elimination of the 1/2 finished stuff can help find more room to work on the future projects that I want to do and help my mind to wind down for more tunnel vision on projects I want to spend more time with....know what i mean? But...I won't touch a thing or Alter Anything until those other projects are done and the creative pallete is clean. Remedy: Starve the passion, Feed the piles of projects!

While this is all going on...I will still be in Hunter-Gatherer mode!
With Altered Art you need a stockpile of emphemera, trinkets and distressable junk, so .....Grab inspiration from weird locations...
Magazines are good. But not the 'usual' favorite magazines. Try Ancestry or Bridal magazines, go to the library and use their copy machine to gather cool clip art of your own. And for fun try "Boutique" catalogs - the ones that carry odd "artsy" type pictures, knick-knacks and such. All magezines are a great source for weird fonts and wordage. For trinkets...go thru your junk drawer. Antique shops have tiny junk grab bags...head to the garage or better yet print out a wish list. All kinds of mini junk like game pieces, jewery, old vintage gift cards and hardware pieces can be gathered from friends and family....sometimes they bring you the perfect off-the wall items!!
For Themes... you can take one inspirational item: a photo, trinket or ephemera piece. Go online and search keywords related to it for great ideas for adding more to it and get a direction to take. History, a historical event or significant link to provenance gives the finished item more value or an interesting write-up in your listings.
For Color...I need to experiment and stretch from the norm, so I get out and look at "real art". If there's no museums or local galleries, thumb through books or go online. The whole objective is...don't be afraid of color in your art-pieces! Be an observer...take notice. Take a walk. Even in winter, you have colorful birds, great sunsets and snow shadows.
I myself, with pressure to create a lot of art in a short period of time, found myself running short of creative fuel. When this happens, it's all about stepping away from the "canvas" and "seeing" what's around me or look to outside influences in theme and color. This recharges me and my output is much improved.
Here's hoping you find out what clears your creative blocks!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Tip Ins

I just had to share these 2 sets of tip-ins from my angel friends...these fit right in 2 different altered books that are works in progress. Sarah Whitmore made the first one for my 'Old West' theme and Michelle Bonds did the second set for my 'Garden' book. Both sets are awesome in person and thankyou angels for the wonderful tips!!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Trick or Treat Winner

The Halloween Blog Party was such great fun...and it's not over yet. I was on the computor for most of the day and I didn't make it through all the blogs on the list....so I am headed back today! There are some fantastic blogs out there and I guess that is the purpose of such a party ...to get to know and visit with other neat people and see what all their interests are.

I had a great response to my blog candy and the winner picked by the hubby was NINNIE!! I will be contacting you to let you know and to get an address. Congrats!!
"http://samiamcreations.blogspot.com/"
I have been asked to share more fun Blog Candy...Better click on the link above and GO SEE!!!