Nice Matters

Mel, from
"Mel's Lazy Dayz"gave me the 'Nice Matters' award!! Now I need to award 5 blogging friends with this award as well...it will be hard to come up with just five, but here goes...

"Sam I Am"

"Belinda -crazyartgirl"

"Sherres Art Zone"

"Karens Altered Dreamz"

"Aileens Musings"

Tip-Ins

I have some tip-ins finished for the swap over at Arttecniques....what a great group of talent!!
Tip-Ins are two page spreads that can be added to a person's Altered book or Journal. The swap partner comes up with three themes in which to chose from....here are the ones I picked to create...sure was fun...and I hope the girls like them.Theme:Horses
Theme:Graffiti
Theme:1920's Women
Theme:Yard Sale

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl

I have ENJOYED this blog that I ran across because the 'Name' of it caught my eye.
"Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl".
She is like my SISTER, if I had one. I grew up in S.Calif, went to the University of Nebr, married a Ranchers son and I have been rural ever since....I really relate to her stories and perspective.
Her writings crack me up...love the Girl's Guide to Farm Speak, of which I could have a ton of fun adding to....
Bloggers often say, "I could write a book, but I blog instead", well, her blog is being made into a book!!! How cool is that!! Not your typical blog, grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a good read!

"http://confessionsofacounterfeitfarmgirl.blogspot.com/"

Artful Blogging...The Premier Issue

Just what I needed....another Magazine.
Stampington has just issued a new quarterly publication: Artful Blogging.
There are 144 pages in this special publication that spotlight some of the exceptional artists’ blogs currently online: Michelle Ward, Belinda Schneider, Misty Mawn, Nina Bagley, Claudine Hellmuth, Celine Navarro and 35 others! This superb publication provides Blogging Etiquette, Blogger’s Must-Haves and How to Get Started on your own blog spot!

"http://www.stampington.com/html/artful_blogging.html"

Altered Route on EBAY

I'm getting with the program on EBAY...and FALL is the theme.

"http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZalteredrouteQQhtZ-1"

Please jump over to Ebay and save me to your Favorite Seller so you get updates on more listings this season...Thanks!!

more Wings!

I posted about butterfly wings recently and wanted to share another great link for some
wings that you can just save to your computor and print. They print out real clear and are great added to your projects!


"http://auroradreams.co.uk/auroradreamsuk_website/Wings.html"

Mail Art!!

My favorite Altered Art friend is at it again!! Aileen has went and altered her Mailbox!! If you haven't been to her blog, go there! It's Aileens Musings that I have saved over on the left column. I just love how she is so brave!!! Love that house!!

Free PDF Online Converter

One is always skeptical when told that something is free, so of course I approached this website with hesitation. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast I was able to generate a PDF!
BCL Technologies has a Free PDF Online Converter that you don't have to download to your computor.
You can make PDF's for many applicatins and they turn out perfect.

http://www.pdfonline.com/


They also will have 'SavePageAs' PDF that is a free service for your websites that allows your visitors to quickly save useful information in your web or blog site to PDF files.

I need an Attitude!!!!

Feeling like I could go in 100 directions...I decided I need to sit down and figure out 3 things or projects to do, until I feel it is exhausted and I might have it right. Sometimes I barely get one thing done and I am distracted by some new technique or color or project in general. I'm like a little sponge wanting to soak it all in and try it all before I forget. I need to get an ATTITUDE! I need to define what 'it' is that I want to be challenged by and exhaust it in my own Style.

Robert from the Painter's Keys says...

"To push yourself to higher ground you need an attitude. The attitude is both achievable and hard won. It's possible to be deceived that this attitude is the result of natural causes. Further, it's easy to give credit to what seems to be inborn talent or irregular creative genius. Digging deeper, the better artists often have many "eureka" moments when the way forward is seen to be clearer. Eureka can happen by simply looking at your hands and realizing that you have everything you need to overcome. "Genius," said Thomas Edison, "is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Perspiring is part of the attitude. Evolved creators are just as curious about their failures as they are of their successes."

http://www.painterskeys.com/

Punchinella

With all the talk about punchinella and where to get it...I had to share what I discovered. Today when my favorite chussy pen went empty, I started to dismantle it for the spring and ring for other projects, but what I liked about the pen was the rubber grippy thing. Well, I rolled it across my stamp pad...then to paper. I think the results look alot like the real deal. I tried it with embossing powders and that's cool too. Thought I would share!!

Splash some Paint!!!

I got this sent to me and just had to share. When you feel that your muse is on vacation go and watch this! This is amazing.

You absolutely MUST watch the entire video...to the end!

Keep it Simple!

Some of you may already know about this but for the people who are
just starting to explore the wonderful world of blogs I have a
suggestion.
It can get a little daunting when you've saved over 40 blogs in your
favorites and have to click through them to see who's updated.

Blogarithm to the rescue!!! It's a neat (free)little program that will
track your blogs for you and send you one email each day with a list of all
your blogs that have been updated. From this email you can just click
straight onto the link that is the blog, saving you heaps of searching time!

The link is....

"http://www.blogarithm.com"

Altered HotWheels

I just added Aileen's Musings blog to my Favorite Blogs section...You just have to see these cool Altered hotwheels that she did at Michael de Meng's class. Go to her blog and scrool down to see the pictures and her story..too cool! She always has something new and different going on and is a delight of a person and fellow Arttechniques artist!

Our Ranch

Thought I'd share some photos of the ranch...Love it when it's so GREEN!!

A fun way to blow time!!!

Mr. Picasso Head, a drag-and-drop abstract art creation tool that lets you make your own Picasso-like masterpieces....will drive you to your creative side! FUN FUN!!


NOTE: The gallery is entirely in Flash, so there's no way to right-click and Save-as. After you create your picasso head, click on the print screen button on your keyboard. This saves the image. Then get into your regular paint program and copy/paste onto a new file.

If you find that you've chopped off a signature or other part of your masterpiece, go back to your picasso image and center it on your screen before you 'print screen'.
After you've copied it properly into Paint, you can edit it and save as whatever you like.

Mr Picasso Head is a great program - very cool to use and very sophisticated to join minds with picasso.

If clicking on the banner doesn't work...here's the link:
"http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html"

Time Flies....

I've been crazy busy and not able to find the time to get over here to blog. Boys are out of school, brandings and cattle drives are done and the cows are out to pasture, yard work and gardens planted....so now I have some breather time to get back to creating time. Here's the beginnings of this years garden....

2nd YOUTUBE to see!

ACEO ~ Art Cards Editions and Originals group has a second ACEO video to view on YouTube. We have this huge group of ACEO artists (nearly 4,000 now) and only 130 views of our lovely video. What the heck...click on this link and show us your support and see some great works by various artists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFGwCgtBMI

Butterflies!!

I've been dying to have wings added to my vintage photos and love the look of butterfly wings instead of angel's wings...and finally found a free source to cut&paste! Just had to share!!


"https://www.dollsandlace.com/clip.htm"


This site also has a bunch of other vintage photos to share for free ...so check them out!

Blogging Without Obligation

Tiffini Elektra X...a great blogger and fantastic Altered Art mixed Media artist came up with this idea!!

I join in her cause and added a banner below if you wonder about it....all I know is, I will feel less Guilt. To know I can just blog when the time is right..is a blessing! ....her site is http://www.tartx.com/

*Because you shouldn't have to look at your blog like it is a treadmill.
*Because its okay to just say what you have to say. If that makes for a long post, fine. Short post, fine. Frequent post, fine. Infrequent post, fine.
*Because its okay to not always be enthralled with the sound of your own typing.
*Because sometimes less is more.
*Because only blogging when you feel truly inspired keeps up the integrity of your blog.
*Because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your tombstone.
*Because for most of us blogging is just a hobby. A way to express yourself and connect with others. You should not have to apologize for lapses in posts. Just take a step back and enjoy life, not everything you do has to be "bloggable".
*Because if you blog without obligation you will naturally keep your blog around longer, because it won't be a chore. Plus, just think you will be doing your part to eradicate post pollution. One post at a time. . .

DIY...New Fav!! Scott Petti

Found a new Favorite artist to watch on tv....Scott Petti!
Tim Holtz will always be a favorite, he has great books and DVDs and once in a while you can catch him on DIY. He has a great product line and shares new stuff on his website. But this new guy, Scott Petti,has a daily show on DIY called SCRAP. He's like the Jessi James of scrapbooking! lol! I guess the reason I like these guys is they just do rustic, prim, nostalgic and maybe even masculine altered art. They make the kind of stuff you can actually display in any decor...no girly pastels or retro mod that I have seen!

SCRAP comes on DIY at 3:30 eastern....1:30 here.


Link

Doodling

ACEO ~ Art Cards Editions and Originals - is a group of people over at Ebay Forums that are always coming up with great challenges. We're going to have an ACEO Doodle Art Competition in June. Do You Doodle??? I used to....back in college or when I used to spend lots of time on the phone doing real estate, but I have to admit..I'm Rusty!!! I am now packing a mini tablet of paper with me everywhere I go..to the bus, dentist office, rides to town, even here at the putor. I am really going to TRY and loosen up!! Maybe some will be good enough to picture here...we will see..lol!



I did try my hand at making some altered doodad 'Shards' for some of my upcoming projects...it was fun!
These are real easy to make...use polymer clay, rubber stamp them, bake,paint with metalics or any color and then antique. They have little holes that you can't see for attaching them to paper pages with brads or for jewelry...they can be page titles, glued to collages, added to altered bracelets/neclaces or anything altered...endless, as I am finding out...lol!!!
A couple have torn edges, like paper...I kinda like that look....and the rubber stamp is pressed in, but you can just ink stamp them too....and you don't have to use stamps, anything that will leave a funky imprint will work. I did one tonight for a collage themed "I'm Tired" where I used one of the boys tonka trucks and drove the tires over the clay...lol! Oh...and you can embed stuff in it like rhinstones for some glitz...see, you can go nuts...

Ephemera!!

I am always on the lookout for great places to pick up vintage ephemera. Judi Foster from my Arttechnigues group told us about Twisted Paper.com Gotta share how great these guys are! And what beautiful images! Some free downloads too!!
http://www.twistedpapers.com/home.html
Go sign up for their newsletter!

Also another highlight for today....My brother Steve stopped at a garage sale on his way to the ranch here today for our branding. He found a made in Italy top of the line...pasta machine for $2.00!!! He loves to cook and had no clue of what I would do with one.... but when I started to squeel with delight he decided I needed it more than he did..lol! How COOL is that!!!

Chunky Charm Bracelet

Just finished a fun Chunky Charm Bracelet. Seems like it took forever, but had a ton of fun watching it come together. The Theme is "Altered Artist."
-There are wonderful glass beads that have metalitics and amber swirling dyes much like background papers.
-There are mini ATC's made of shrink art that are stamped and distressed.
-There are spiral wire wrapped charms in amber, gold and silver.
-There are recycled antigued gold rose beads, amber leaf beads and more oddities like fishing swivels.
-There are 4 silver charms...a cup full of paint brushes, a paint brush & palett, scissors and I love 2 scrap and what all artist enjoy...a tea/coffe pot and cup.
-AND the grand finale...a 1x1" mini collage of a 'vintage artist' and text that is soldered. It is made just like the glass microscope slide pendants and are a real challenge to solder. It's listed on ETSY and I will have more soon as I think I am Hooked!

I decided to start my own collection of ATC's, with subjects of things that are from My History. That should give me lots of subject matter!! lol!
This first one is of... My Mom & Me.

If you're new to Altered Art, you'll be happy to know that it won't require much of an investment. If you scrapbook, you may already have everything you need! Start small … a tiny notebook or tag. Better still, how about creating your first Artist Trading Card? ATCs are often the most rewarding of my projects, mainly because I love working in miniature and they can be completed in no time.

Cool Blog

"Wreck This Journal"
Stumbled across this yesterday. Keri Smith, author of 'Living Out Loud' has a blog companion to her new journaling book, both titled 'Wreck This Journal' If you need a shove to work in your journal, or if you are intimidated by its preciousness, then this is the site for you. Lots of excellent, non-precious inspiration.

FREEBIES!!

I don't know about you, but I am nutso about Dover Clipart, specifically the old wood engravings. I nearly fell off my chair when Jacquie told me that you can sign up with Dover and they will send you FREE images once a week via email. I ran home to my computer and signed myself right up. Sign yourself up here....
http://www.doverpublications.com/sampler4/

Another source for free vintage images is The Vintage Workshop. She sells image packages geared toward fabric crafting, but nothing says you can't use them on paper. Sign up for her email freebies here....
http://www.thevintageworkshop.com/store/information.php?info_id=18

Don't be afraid to poke around both sites, they have a bunch of cool stuff to help you melt the old Mastercard, too.
If you are working on writing your artist statement, Jean sent me the link for this fun (smart-aleck) little utility to give you a hand with the verbage."
http://www.playdamage.org/market-o-matic/

ETSY

ETSY: "Great place to buy (and sell) handmade items!!

If you haven't already discovered it, I urge you to check out etsy.com. It's kind of like ebay for handcrafted items and supplies, though it doesn't work as an auction format. And everything is HANDMADE!

Each seller gets his/her own shop and can update things (put things up for sale) as they like. Financial transactions are most likely conducted through Paypal. But its a delightful place to browse: jewelry, journals, purses, artwork, and supplies (those are some of my favorite categories). You can even browse stuff by color. Go ahead give it a try.
Tip...if you see it...like it...then you better get it quick. Things on Etsy are there one moment and gone the next!!

My Etsy is http://www.alteredroute.etsy.com

Americana

Been getting a jump on Summer...I'm in the mood for Americana things!! It's probably way too soon, but you never know, so I am going to test the waters.

I have a couple new auctions on eBay. I have been debating on doing patterns on these two...

Band-Aid Altered Albums

I spent all day Tues going through my new stash....I feel like I have a store at my finger tips!!

Today I listed a few auctions on eBAy. Seems like it took forever. I haven't listed in a while and I forgot some of the quick-steps. The trick is to list all the time...lol

I also added to ETSY...
I listed a couple Band-aid tin Albums for Mothers Day. ...or Grandma...or anyone special. Fun projects for sure!

7th Heaven!!

Ebay tip 500+..... as a buyer, don't be afraid to get to know your sellers! Why?

About a week ago I bought some wonderful designer papers for a good deal! Was thrilled with the transaction and let the seller know! She let me know she had a few new auctions listed and had tons more to go.... and shot me a deal on a grand LOT of the balance of her entire inventory of Papers, Adhesives, Stickers & Diecuts, Ribbons, Brads and doodads...and more. The shipping was close to 60 lbs!! Well...the box just arrived!!
She said the value was about $500....but after going through the box, she was being extremely conservative. Then she added her patterns with finshed projects for samples, and paper groups that had a few snips, which she didn't consider new. Then she topped off the box with samples of her new passion...candlemaking...yumm, wonderful good smells! Ok...your wondering, but I'm not going to tell you what I had to spend to get such a Wonderful good DEAL...let's just say, "It feels just like Christmas!!!" And gives me 'faith' that there are wonderful people out there that share the same good will to other crafters that I feel I have shown the ones I have gotten to know over the years on the internet!! I feel blessed.
Thank-you Thank-you Brigitte!! You are such a sweetheart!!

Easter/Spring Break

Easter weekend, as well as Spring break, is over...everyone had a great time and now we are knee deep in deviled eggs. We had the indoor egg hunt this year because of the recent snow, but kids don't care...as long as there are goodies involved. As far as the Spring Break which was a 4 day weekend, James and John got caught up on playing with old toys that they haven't had out in a while and taking turns spending nights here with Grandma and Papa. Gotta love grandkids!!!

ACEO ~ YOUTUBE!

I am a member of
ACEO ~ Art Cards Editions and Originals
A place where Artists - gather together to learn the process of creating your own collectible trading cards. We may do exchanges, but this group is primarily for those who wish to create commercial trading cards for the saleable market.

I need for you to take a peek at our new ACEO YOUTUBE video! Thanks so much to Debcoart for putting this together for everyone! Whoooohooooooo!

Here's the link: Pets and Animals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFGwCgtBMI

The ATC " How-To "

Artist Trading Cards are a quick and fun way to do small art pieces that are cheap and less time-consuming, thus can be traded or given away. They say you should never sell them or they just wouldn't be ATC's and I get that....so to be politically correct when taking them to eBay to sell the name gets changed to ACEO's. That stands for Art Card Editions and Originals. They are also 2.5 x 3.5 inches, but since they aren't trading cards, they can be sold...does that make since?? Gotta love how women solve problems, huh!?!
Below are some simple instructions on how to do what I call cut&paste cards like the ones in my pictures at the bottom of my blog page. They are great for using neat ephemera, old vintage photos and using distressing inks and embossing powders!

The ATC " How-To "
1. Cut a piece of thick cardstock, chipboard, or watercolor paper to 2.5" x 3.5". This is the standard size for trading cards, and the thicker material will give you a sturdier base.
2. Choose your theme. What you would like for a focal point. This could be a picture or phrase … whatever catches your fancy.
3. Decide what sort of background you'd like to create. Go through your folder of paper scraps for inspiration, or consider paints, crayons, fabric or inks!
4. Next... cut, tear or outline cut the items that go on top of the background. Choose an adhesive that you use the same throughout your project. Using the same glue on both sides of media, as in decoupage, will reduce the frequency of wrinkling. Allow thorough drying between layers. You'll thank me later.
5. You'll know when your ATC is finished, much the same way you know when to stop with a scrapbook layout. Sign it, Date it and Name it! When complete, your ATC can be traded, saved or even incorporated into a tag, card or layout. Or don't forget...call it an ACEO and sell it!

Aprils Fools!!!

This is my first time to ever to Blog...maybe I am the April Fool!!

Do I really have time for this? I thought it might be fun...a good place to write things down about what is going on and or maybe to keep things I have organized. This new fancy smacy computor I have and paid way tooooo much for, didn't come with WORD.....so maybe this is a place that I can cut and paste from when working on articles & stories for my other websites. I really don't know what direction this Blog will take me....maybe down an Altered Route!