Gary Farrell Art Show!!!!! WooooHooooo!!

OMGosh!! I have been stressing and working for months on my pieces for my first art showing! :) My friend, Sherre, and I have the November Art Display in the Gary Farrell tasting room!! It is very exciting!!!!! I was able to finalize my last pieces THIS MORNING!!!! (lol... how typical!!)

Here is the tasting room and our pieces! :) Come by in person if you are local..... it's a GORGEOUS tasting room!!

(p.s. Thanks, Mom!! for helping us set up!!)

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Leaf prints on cotton panel by me, grape painting by Sherre, small leaf print by me:

Framed leaf prints by me:

Paper collage by Sherre:

Grapes by Sherre, Leaves by me:

Same wall, different angle:

Leaf print and embossed copper leaves on grape branches by me, grape paintings by Sherre:

Embossed copper leaves by me:

Close up of one of my embossed copper leaves and grape branch:

Overall, I'm very pleased on how the room turned out!! Sherre's pieces are fabulous and I think our work compliments each other nicely! A big pat on our backs, Sherre!!!!! Yay, us! :)

(p.s. all of my prints and canvas pieces are protected with PYMII. I really have to plug them here.... fantastic product for protecting your work!! check it out here: http://www.precision-blue.com/)

Blog Candy Link and Checkin In

Just a quick note to say HI! I have not fallen off the planet, but I'm trying to spend all of my spare time on some art projects for a November deadline. I'm still quite BEHIND!!!! :)

However, since one can never have too much stuff, here is a link to some awesome blog candy!!!! Check it out and Happy October!

http://twinklesglow-glowbug.blogspot.com/2009/09/birthday-blog-candy.html

xoxooxoxooxoxxo

Susan

An ATP Swap! :)

Hi All! :)

School is in session and I'm hoping to get back to some creating!! (I better find some time because I have a showing in the Gary Farrell Winery tasting room in November!!)

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Here is my latest creation. An "Artists Trading Pin" for a swap over at the Arttechniques Yahoo Group. I used some "starts" I had from my Tim Holtz class a few months ago. I "jazzed" them up a little and ....... voila! a pin! :)

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The flower is made from Grunge Paper, a button, a little wire, flower die cuts, Glimmer Mist, Radiant Rain, Distress Inks, Archival Inks, and rubber stamps. The butterfly is Grunge Board, Distress Inks and Stickles, and some Mica Magic Ink.

Hope my partner enjoys her pin!!!!! :)

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Click on the Pic for a nice close up!

Woo Hoo!! Some Cool-io new Cutting Files!! :)

I watched a great tutorial today on how to create a Pattern Around a Path in Inkscape. Ok, that may sound like Martian-speak to some, but it means that I can now create almost an unlimited amount of "neato" frames, borders and mats! Yippie!!!!

A huge thank you and shout out to "ScrappyDew" for the fantastic tutorial!!!!

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Here are the creations I made today after watching the tutorial. If your cutting system uses .svg files OR if you can convert .svg files to a format you can use......please feel free to download the files!! I sure hope someone can use them!!! :) :) :)

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Would love to see your projects if you use the files. Drop me a line and let me know!!

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Ornate Mat or Frame.

You can download the .svg here!

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Square Star Frame or Mat.

You can download the .svg Here!

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Sun/Flower Frame or Mat.

You can download the .svg HERE

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Saw Blade Shape Frame or Mat.

You can download the .svg HERE

2 Cards for the Sonoma County Fair

Hi Everyone!!!

I always try to enter a few projects in our local County fair. This year I made 2 cards, a magnet, a pin, and an altered laminate tag.

Here are the 2 cards.

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The first (the rose card) is entered under the "simple" category. Only paper and ink are allowed. I just love this rose image from Toybox Art Stamps! :) The colors are a bit bright, but it was fun to put together!!

I stamped the rose with clear embossing ink and colored by chalk pouncing. I then overstamped the rose with white pigment ink.

The second card is entered under the "embellished" category. All materials are allowed. I made this tag a few months ago and liked it enough to use it as the focal point of my card. I added some layers, corner punches, and colored edging and that is about it.

Normally both my kids enter items in the fair, too. This year my daughter has 3 big summer assignments due the first day of 9th grade. She is only entering veggies and herbs this year. My son made a "mini bullwhip", 2 lego creations, and a diorama. He'll also enter veggies/herbs and some chocolate chip cookies. We always have a lot of fun trying to find all of our creations at the fair!!

Thanks for looking!

xoxoxoxoo

Some "Request" Aperture Cards

Hi there, folks!! Long time, no blog! ;)

Between end of the school year in May, vacation and kids home in June.... it has not been a very productive "art time" for me.

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I had a special request from my Mom to make some cards for one of her dear friend's birthday. Well, who can turn down Mom?!! (not to mention her friend, a wonderful lady!!)

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So, here they are. More Aperture Cards cut with my Cricut and designed with the software: Sure Cuts A Lot. I had a lot of fun putting the cards together and I like the look with the corner cuts. (by golly, I might have to get a few more! LOL!!) I also used some of the paper scraps on the envelopes. Just a small strip of paper across the bottom corner, but I think it adds that little extra "something". :)

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Peg likes bright colors, so I think she'll be pleased. :)

2nd Grade Teacher Gift

Wow! Where has time gone?? It's the end of another school year. My son's class took a fun field trip to Safari West. A very unique wild animal preserve right in our own backyard! The private owners have over 400 acres and house several birds and mammals from Africa and Asia. (including giraffe, many different antelope, rhinos, cheetahs, flamingos, and oodles of other critters) It is a wonderful place to take the kids and the owners of the park offer very reasonable rates to school groups!

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Here is the teacher gift I made from a class group picture taken at Safari West. Not the greatest pic, but I think Mrs. Maas will like it! :)

I used my Cricut and some cool jungle-themed papers that I have had tucked away for months.

Now........to start thinking about Summer Vacation! :)

xoxooxoxooxoxo

Susan

A Day with Tim!

Well, it has come and gone! The 2 classes I took with Tim Holtz..... what a BLAST!!!!

I know you have heard it a million times before, but the man is incredible! Both classes that I took were fantastic. A non-stop creative marathon! If you ever, ever, ever, ever get a chance to take a class with Tim, leap at the opportunity!!! He is positive, patient, funny, well-prepared, generous beyond words, and extremely approachable, helpful, and encouraging!

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Here is a run down of the day:

Sherre (my art buddy and partner in crime) and I took off at 7:30am to head to class. We arrived early and got a little coffee and bagel. We were allowed to check in for class and grab our seats early. Got both got great "front row" seats! ;)

The classroom was big enough for all 50 student with room to spare. Thanks to Scrapbook Territory for holding the classes in such a wonderful space!!!!

Our first class was : Idea-ology Intrigue - A class of working with Tim's Idea-ology line of products. We completed 6 (yes, 6!!!) projects!!! We were all given complete kits for each project and we worked through all of them in the 3 hour allotment with 1 minute to spare! :)

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Class supplies and set up:

Complete kits for each project.

Tim's class samples on display.

Tim displaying the project we were going to work on next:

Here are the creations that I made during this class. Aren't they all wonderful??!! I do LOVE the Memory Glass Collage piece. The Grunge Paper Flower/Ornate Plate is pretty darn skippy as well!! :) Ok, they are all great!!! :)

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Birdhouse Pin made with Box Corner for roof.

(Remember, you can click on the individual pics for a close up view!)

((Sidebar comment for those of you who attended class: I could NOT get that pretty black ribbon to tie into a straight "blankity-blank" bow, so I opted for the pink bird charm! LOL!! I think it looks cute! ))

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Simple, yet gorgeous Sprocket pendant.

Memory Glass Collage pendant

Grunge Paper Flower and Ornate Plate pendant.

Ornate Plate and Keyhole pendant.

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Whew!!! We all needed a good leg stretch, lunch, and little "pick-me-up" break between classes:

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After lunch, it was on to the next class: Generation Grunge! If you have ever wondered what you can do with Grunge Board and/or Grunge Paper, this class is for YOU! :)

Here is a terrific sample of Grunge Flowers that Tim had displayed: Aren't they beautiful?????

((**You really must click on this pic to see the detail!! Fab!!**))

Here is Tim's sample of what we were to make in class: A fantastic Grunge Board Memory Book:

Here is our class set up and project kit:

This class was VERY intense and the 4 hours FLEW by!!! We were able to get our base book done and several embellishments completed. I don't think anyone was able to finish (or even start) decorating their books. The whole point of the class, however, was to show us WHAT you can do with Grunge Board/Paper .... and we learned tons of different techniques!!!! Thanks, Tim!!!!!!!!!!

Here I am working away on my book!! Our workspaces were QUITE messy during this class! LOL!!! :)

Sherre concentrating on peeling the excess paper off of one of her pages.

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We were QUITE worn out towards the end of class (in a good way! :) Scrapbook Territory had the answer.................

You want an instant "pick-me-up"?? Forget the caffeine.....go for the sugar!!

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Here are my pages and embellishments that I created in class. I'm looking forward to completing my book and I'll post my final version when I do! :)

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It was an absolutely unforgettable day! I just cannot recommend Tim enough as a teacher. He is fantastic.

Behind every great teacher is his support system. James Brown may have been the hardest working man in Show Biz, but I can tell you that Mario is the hardest working man in "Mixed Media"!! THANK YOU, MARIO, FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT!!! This man was running around like crazy all day helping students, assisting Tim, and basically doing whatever needed to be done!! I'm sure Tim could not do any of his classes without Mario!

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Here we are at the end of the day! Exhausted and happy beyond belief! What an awesome day!!!!!!!!

Does this guy ever take a bad photo? I don't think so. He may be the most photogenic person I've ever met!!!! :)

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On a personal note: Tim mentioned in class that he designs his products with other "crafters" in mind. (I must say he does live up to that promise.....!!) I found it curious that he would refer to himself as a crafter. To me he has the heart and soul of a true artist. He's openly generous with his creativity and talent. He holds nothing back and makes it quite clear that his creations, inventions, and ideas are free for us to share with each other......... he is a true inspiration.

One More Grungy Tag Before Tim Holtz Classes!! :)

Here is my last post before I take 2 Tim Holtz classes! I'm sooooooooooooo excited to meet him in person AND take 2 fun classes from him! WooHooooooo! You can check out the class samples here: http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/workshop-samples.html

My friend (Sherre) and I are taking the Generation Grunge and the Idea-ology Intrigue classes! :)

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This tag is distressed with lots of ink. The yellow images in the background are a small tree image. The focal image, saying (and the tree) are all from I Brake for Stamps. I found some flowers, fibers, and the key in my stash to add as finishing touches. :)

Another Distressy/Grungy Tag! :)

Not so much Grungy as "Distressy". All inks are Distress inks. Who knew that I had colors that coordinated so well with the flower and the inks?!! LOL. I guess that if you have enough "stuff" in your storage area, you never know what you might find!!! :)

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The background is the focal image stamped. I inked the stamp and then spritzed the rubber with water. Made a nice diffused, distressy background. (You can see a little of the background through the flower as well) Edges are distressed with ink and a little brad and fiber embellishment!

Image is from the Time to Stamp collection at I Brake for Stamps

Off for a Long Weekend!!

Enjoy your holiday!! Will be back soon!

xooxo

Susan

aka The Artful Mama

In the meantime, here is a lovely quote for you to ponder:

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Albert Einstein

Get your Grunge On!!

My art buddy, Sherre, and I are attending 2 Tim Holtz classes on April 18 at Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley, CA. (will we see YOU there?????)

Thought I better start working with some "Grungy" themes to prepare for class! :) (wow, tough homework! LOL!!)

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Here is my first tag.

Chipboard flowers, manilla tag, oodles of Distress inks and images by I Brake for Stamps. Oh, and a smidge of Distress Stickles in the middle of the flowers.

Had fun with the colors!!

Should have a couple more creations to post within the next couple of days! :)

You can click on the photo for a more detailed view!

Bloom Where you Grow

Well, this is definitely outside of my comfort zone. I HATE my handwriting. I decided to do a small 5x5 inch canvas piece with my writing on it. Thought it would be a "good for me" type-of-thing. Still hate it.......... LOL

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I love these UTEE pieces, though!! Great colors...... and hey, I needed to use that pink canvas that I had sitting on a shelf in my room for, oh, a YEAR!!!

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The UTEE pieces are made by placing a "greased up*" cookie cutter on a rubber stamp (all stamp textures are by I Brake for Stamps) and pouring the UTEE into the cutter directly onto the rubber stamp. I love how the leaves turned out. The flower is a rather subtle image, but I still like it! :)

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The blue edges are Marvy Metallic Paint Pen and the icky handwriting is Sharpie.

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Thank you for participating in my failed therapy session! :)

You'll always be my friend..........

Isn't she a hoot???!! :)

I got some really fun rubber from I Brake for Stamps!! Great humorous images and wonderfully sarcastic and funny sayings! Right up my alley!!

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Here is my first one:

Made by stamping the image on white paper and coloring with pencils. Cut her out. She is perched on top of one of my Homemade Color Wash Spray backgrounds. She is complete with bling and a cocktail...... my kinda gal!

More UTEE!! Instant Art Transfers in Memory Glass Frames! ;)

More projects from my Art Day with my bud, Sherre!! :)

I have done Instant Art Transfers with UTEE before. Suze has a tutorial on her website here: Instant Art Transferz

I decided to try a little twist. Now, I'm sure that some of you out there have already done this, but I was excited to try something new! :) :) :)

Instead of using a cookie cutter, I decided to use a Memory Glass Frame!! I was really happy with the outcome!! Voila! Instant Mother's Day gift! :) :)

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I used Laser copies of some old family photos. After washing the paper off the back (NO, I did NOT get all of the white fuzzies off.......) and letting the piece dry, I painted the back with a thick layer of Iridescent White Acrylic paint.

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Here is my first result. Whatta great looking coupla kids, huh??!! Get a load of our first dog!!! :)

I did decide to do a couple of pieces with some cookie cutters as well. I finished the same way with the acrylic paint on the back. I think I will get a small frame and mount these for a wall hanging.

((Remember!!! "Clear" UTEE is not inherently clear. It has an amber tone. The longer you let it cook, the more amber it will get. So, if you want a "clear" looking piece, you must pour your UTEE right after it melts!!))

Also decided that I would try a collage piece! Why not?! I just layered torn pieces of images, laid the frame over them and poured the UTEE on top. I think this has great possibilities for some very fun projects!!! :)

Comments always welcome!!! :)