Really COOL Stencils!! Coffee Break Design

Do you like stencils??

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You may have heard the name Coffee Break Design. He (Michael Meador - the owner) makes reallly wonderful and unique stencils! I have placed several orders with him and have always been very satisfied with the stencils. The fun part is that you are also sent the negative of the stencil which you can then use for a mask! Wow!!

Double fun!
His website does not have a current list of stencils available, but I have scanned his current .pdf file here!!

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His prices AND shipping are very reasonable and the stencils are super sturdy and can be used over and over and over again. You can even make them last longer by coating each side of the stencil with Microglaze (Michael sells this also!!) or even PYMII (CI Super Seal)

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His designs range from fun, humorous, silly, pretty, and downright weird! :) He also has some images that would make awesome backgrounds!!
Just a happy customer!!!! Check 'em out!

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Click on image to enlarge!!!! You can copy and save each image to your own computer as well so you can print out mull over your order! ;) ;)

Personalized Custom Collage Sheet!!! :)

I have ordered several collage sheets from: Phenomenon1859 She has a store over at Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5250859 I really enjoy her sense of humor and her unique collage sheets! Plus, I love digital downloads so I can use them over and over again!

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Anywho........ I was chatting via email with the owner of the shop, Maggie. I asked if she would be interested in making a custom sheet with some of my family photos. To make a long story short, she liked the idea and has ended up with a custom collage sheet that looks like this:

Isn't it great?? I love it!!!! You can have one, too!!!! Check out her Etsy site if you are interested!! Tell her the "Artful Mama" sent you! :)

Now, I'm off to show this to my Mom! :) :) :)

Happy Birthday, Sandy!!

My sister-in-law's birthday is this Sunday. She just loves her "fur baby". I made this 5x5 inch stretched canvas for her.

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The base is Lumiere paint. "Casey" is stamped in white acrylic paint. The crown is grungeboard and painted with a silver Krylon pen and then I lightly rubbed the blue Lumiere paint over the swirls. The words and photo of Casey are laser print copies. I sealed the entire canvas with 3 light coats of Super Seal (aka PYMII) [this sealer is truly fabulous! UV protection, water protection, dirt and fingerprint protection!!] The frame is a mail-ordered canvas metal frame. They are awesome!!! Give the canvas such a finished look!!!

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I think she'll get a kick out of it!! :)

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Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!!!

I made it in!!!

I'm so excited!! All 3 of the entries I submitted to our little local Art Show made it! :) :)

I made a last minute decision to replace one of the pieces with this one:

I submitted this print instead of the dark blue/purple one. (This photo stinks, too... but, you get the general idea..... at least I kept my hand out of this picture!!!!) The dark blue/purple print was just a little too dark..... I need to define the leaves more. The print above is much prettier in person. There is significant color shifting and shimmer when you walk by the piece. Maybe I need to take little mini video clips of these pieces instead of still photos???!!!

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Anywho, just wanted to pass along the good news!
Yippie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Trying to Get 3 Pieces Into our Local Art Show

Here are 3 pieces that I'm trying to get into our local Art Show. I have to take them in to be juried on Saturday. The show is only 1 week and just for artists in our town. They are all framed 8x10 with a 5x7 opening.

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I hesitated posting these because they photograph so HORRIBLY!!! If anyone out there has any tips for trying to photograph iridescent and two-tone mediums, I'd appreciate it!!

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The flower piece has been shown here before unframed. It photographed well, I'm sure, because of the non-glare glass. The other 2 are covered in acrylic (extra glare) AND are very shimmery - double whammy.

They really are much prettier in person!

We'll see if any of them make it! :)

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Flower prints. (Osteospurnum, to be exact) Canvas board with Color Mists and acrylic paint.

Grape leaf prints. Starburst Stains, Moon Glow Shadow Mists, and acrylic paint on watercolor paper.

Grape leaf prints. Starburst Stains, Color Mists, and Lumiere and "regular" acrylic paint.

Nice picture of me taking the picture......yes?!?? :)

11x14 Paper Collage on Stretched Canvas

She's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!!!!

Yes, I'm still here. It has been "Fast and Furious" lately. End of school is roaring towards us like an unmanned freight train! Whew!!

I have been able to sneak in some art here and there. I have had a couple of "play dates" with my Mom and her friend, Anita. We have had some fun acrylic paint sessions. Mom and Anita are watercolorists normally and have really been enjoying some of the "freedoms" of the acrylic medium! :)

I dabbled around with staining some papers (a la Carrie Burns Brown) and actually completed a collage piece. It is an 11x14 inch stretched canvas. Base layer of acrylic glazes and then 2 layers of the stained papers over that. Sealed with Satin Medium and Creative Imaginations Super Seal (aka PYMII). The diamond-shaped 3D embellishment is a UTEE tile that I made quite a while ago. [Yay! I used something I made!! :) :)]

I painted the wooden frame with 2 layers of acrylic paint. (custom color a la Susan) :)

If you have not seen any of Carrie Burns Brown's work, I highly recommend her DVD!!! She has a wonderful sense of color and composition.

I may enter this in the fair this year.......

Rubber Stamps for Sale!!! :)

I'm thinning out my rubber inventory! Come check out all of the great deals on Ebay! I have oodles of stamps I'll be listing over the next couple of weeks! All sorts of themes to be posted. Check out my auction and check back often! New stamps will be posted every day! (hopefully! :)

See my ebay postings here:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZboog_dog

Thanks for looking and please feel free to email me with any questions!! I am willing to ship this rubber overseas! :)

Have an awesome day!

Acrylic Paint Transfers.....Wowza!!!!!!

All the latest buzz is about Claudine Hellmuth's fabby new tutorial on You Tube. Using Ranger Metallic Acrylic Paint Daubers as a transfer medium! If you haven't checked the demo out yet, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9mL5hk6ieQ

Ok, the demo is great, but I can mess up just about any transfer....

I don't have any of the Ranger Paint Daubers, but I do have some cheapo metallic acrylic paint! I decided to give it a try......what the heck!

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I slathered on some Folk Art Pearl White acrylic paint over a small laminate sample. I tore out a little girl image from Lisa's Altered Art and slapped that baby down over the paint. I gently burnished the image and then let it dry. I then ran some cold water over the image and rubbed off the paper (and a little of the paint around the image)

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Well, I have to say that I want to kiss Claudine Hellmuth! (This would be followed by legal action and a possible restraining order.....good thing she lives in another state......) Not only did the transfer work, but it's about the best transfer I have ever done!!!

I LOVE this technique and I am almost crying because I can now do a good transfer with very simple ingredients!!

Life is good............

Here she is:

Some of my paint peeled off of the laminate sample, but I like it! :)

Another "Flooring Sample" Collage w/ Faux Dichroic Piece

I made another collage using another free Flooring Sample I got from my run to Home Depot the other day. This is also a Cork Flooring sample.....it is called "Mocha". I smeared Purple StazOn all over the base. I inked the edges with with Galaxy Gold Brilliance ink. I used the heat gun to set the ink and I got a few small bubbles.......must be the laminate that is bubbling......

I stamped the Mona image (I Brake for Stamps) in Galaxy Gold and embossed with gold powder. I then took one of my Faux Dichroic pieces that I made a while ago and re-heated w/ my gun. I then stamped the Mona image into the liquid UTEE. (also with the Brilliance Galaxy Gold)

This piece was a $%*&^%$&#*^%$^ to photograph. With all of the shiny gold and shiny foils and UTEE, it looks pretty terrible in the pics....... sigh....... it really does have a neat look in person.

I have posted 2 photos......one w/out a flash (1st) and one with a flash (2nd). The colors are true in the 1st photo and you can see the textures quite well in the 2nd photo......

Without flash

With flash..........

Some New Cards....Great Paper Therapy!

I finished up some cards today. I haven't made any cards in a while and I really do enjoy it! :) It is nice "paper therapy" and I get to play with a few of my stamps! :)

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This is a simple tag card. Leaves are by I Brake for Stamps. The word "love" is embossed using my BigShot. A corner punch, some foam tape, and some fibers!

I love this image. Also from I Brake for Stamps. The pretty paper behind it is some Mica Powder paper that I received in a swap. Again.... layers, corner punch, and fibers.

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Here are 2 cards that I made using an image from Third Coast Rubber Stamps. I really love this image. I stamped her on acetate with black StazOn and then used my BigShot to cut her out in a flower shape! :)
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On this card I placed the acetate flower over the same shape text flower. I colored the book page with distress inks and a little Crimson dye ink. I used the flower centers as embellishments.

For this card I wanted to keep it simple. I did several paper layers and then just ran the acetate flowers through my Xyron. Stuck them onto the white paper.... I really like this face as a flower! :)

I think there are lots of possibilities using the die cutting machine and acetate!!!!! :)

New Collage - Wood Flooring Sample

I was in Home Depot the other day.... happily wandering aimlessly.... confusing all of the customer service reps... "may I help you find something, ma'am?" "Oh, no thank you, I'm just browsing....." This is followed by a confused silence, and then..... "Uh, oh, ok.........." I found myself in the carpet and flooring section when I spied "free wood flooring samples" Ohhhhhhhhh! Free is good!! LOL!!! I grabbed a purseful (I LOVE my backpack purse......) and scurried home!

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This collage is 3 x 3 3/4 inches and 3/8 inch thick. This is a "natural cork" flooring sample.

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I sprayed some color washes over the cork. I used both Color Mists and Starburst Stains. I blasted it with a heat gun (and I do mean BLASTED) to dry the inks and create bubbles. Once the piece cooled down, I sprayed with a very generous coat of PYMII to prevent smearing. I edged the sample with black StazOn ink.

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I stamped the baby image and crown (both from I Brake for Stamps) onto thick vellum using Black StazOn ink. I cut the images out and then flipped over and embossed the wings and buttons on the baby and the entire crown using an embossing tool. I colored the wings and the crown with gold Krylon Leafing ink and colored the baby's dress with color pencils. The effect on the front side is subtle, but it has a nice 3D effect in person.

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I gathered up a scrap of background paper, some German Scrap (Dresden Paper) border, a few metal swirls and a metal sentiment charm. I used my Xyron to adhear all of the elements to the flooring sample. She is finished! :)

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I just love this baby image......isn't she cute???? :)

A couple of close ups so you can see the textures and colors with the cork showing through....

New Collage -- Ann Baldwin meets Michael de Meng

I thought it would be fun to document a collage. I have made a PhotoShow of my thought process (or lack thereof) and collage process. It was fun for me to see what I originally started out with and what I ended up with.

I dubbed it the "Ann Baldwin meets Michael de Meng" because I applied some ideas from both classes I recently took...... :)

Hope you enjoy! :)

Here is the final collage. You can click on the image to see more detail if you'd like! :)

Michael de Meng Class - Morpheus Box Part II

My art bud, Sherre, and I went to a Michael de Meng class on Saturday. We did the Morpheus Box Class. (See info and picures of my project on the post below) It was a wonderful time!!

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Michael is a very generous and gracious teacher! Very open and willing to let the students "go and do" on their own. At the same time he was completely available if anyone needed help or had any questions. He went over his painting techniques and shared recipes for some of his "signature" colors. He shared some tips and hints on embellishing our projects. He also offered a "Dremel 101 Overview" for those dremel virgins in the class.... Overall he was a great inspiration and a very fun person to be with! I would recommend any of his classes to anyone!!

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Most all of the projects were texturized with caulk. I decided to use Gel Medium to texturize mine instead..... (such the renegade). My embarrassing moment came when I blurted out to the class during our critiques that I was "caulk-less". Now, I don't think most people heard that "L"........so, there was a confused dead silence for about 2 seconds. After I clarified "C-A-U-L-K", harmony was restored. Heh heh heh.......

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Class projects!! Wowzers!! They were all fabulous!!!!!

Sherre's project is on the right. It is absolutely magnificent!! The textures and colors are wonderful! Check out better pics on her blog: Sherre's Art Zone

Sherre and Michael

Me and Michael

Do you think that I could get my insurance to cover plastic surgery for a "genetically induced double chin"?????

Michael de Meng Class - Morpheus Box Part I

My first PhotoShow!! :) Here is a quickie show of my project from the Michael de Meng class I took on Saturday!

We did a "Morpheus Box". A box with a turning piece inside where you can display 4 seperate images by turning the rod. Very cool!!
I'm not finished, but I thought I'd show you my progression through the project in class... I'll post more pics later and a description of the class!

Awesome Art Day!! Workshop with Ann Baldwin

Well, what a GREAT art day!!! On Saturday, 6 of us joined Ann Baldwin at her home studio for an all day workshop. It was a Layered Collage Workshop. "Layering, glazing, collaging, painting" :) I cannot recommend Ann enough as an instructor!! --- She is: Patient, Easy-Going, Lively, Gracious, Funny, Well Organized, Relaxed, Self-Confident, etc. etc! :) Did I mention that we LEARNED a lot, too??? :)

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We watched some demos, did some exercises (magazine collage and glazing) and then we were given the "freedom" to work through a final exercise of a painted collage. Ann was very helpful with guidance and feedback.

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I really had a wonderful time!!

Here are some pics of our class and my final class exercise:

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Left to right: Roberta, Sally, Jackie, Janene, Ann, Sherre, me!

Obviously entranced ..... (I had about 3 minutes to finish my final exercise when this shot was taken....do you see any panic???.....LOL!!!!!)

My final exercise. I'll give you a little self-critique if you make it to the end of this post! :)

Some close ups so you can see the different layers and textures. I REALLY LOVE the look of the glazing and layering!!!!!! Not to mention all of the textures (both visual and physical) that can be made a part of this type of work!! :)

Ok, now if you have made it this far..... I'll tell you what I think about my piece. The more I look at it , the more it disturbs me. I love the colors and I love the textures...... I really dislike the composition. Ann did make a comment that I "broke the composition rules".....but, she LIKED that about my piece! Part of me knows that I do like more "middle of the road" art and that this particular piece was really a huge step outside of my comfort zone. That is a REALLY GOOD THING!! But the piece makes me feel ....... like I have to move around it a lot. I cannot just stand in one place and look at it..... the 2 strong images opposite from each other give me too much to look at at the same time. Does that make sense....??? There is no "easy flow" from one side to another..... you have to look 2 places at once....that bugs me.

So, what to do?? I'm going to try to do 2 things..... 1. Leave this piece alone. 2. Try to "re-do" this piece with similar images and a different composition.

We'll see what happens....... stay tuned!! :)

Toodles for now!

2x2 inch Collage Challenge!!

I participated in a 2x2 inch canvas collage challenge. Let me tell you, 2x2 is SMALL!!!!!! LOL. I was rather intimidated by that tiny little white space! I stared for quite some time before getting started.......... then a few smears of watercolor and I was off!!!!!!!

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I really went layer crazy with little canvas. Started with magenta watercolor and smeared it over the canvas, added some blue and green metallic acrylic paints, (diluted with Matte Medium) Let dry. Dabbed and smooshed some Distress Crackle Paints over it. Let dry. Smeared on some Ranger Crackle Medium. Let dry. Added more crackle paints mixed with acrylic paints (greens, coppers, and blues). Let dry.

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Printed out woman image from Twisted Paper on my ink jet printer. Colorized with chalks. Tore out image. Sprayed with a generous layer of PYMII to protect the image and hold the chalk. Edged in copper acrylic paint. Let dry.

Glued image onto canvas with Matte Medium. After dry stamped Library Card image over the canvas (Ma Vinci Reliquary) with Sepia Archival Ink.

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I glued the image onto the canvas as well as the copper German Scrap with Matte Medium. After that dried, I smeared more Ranger Crackle medium over most of canvas. Concentrated most coverage over the woman image. Waited overnight for that to dry completely.

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Randomly stamped another Ma Vinci image (small text from the new "Fractured" plate) around the sides and up onto the front of the canvas with Ultramarine StazOn Ink. One more light coat of Matte Medium......and.........

VOILA!!!!!!

A couple of close-ups so you can see the texture and color........

Misc. Background Papers

Found a background paper in my stash that I forgot to share! :) Shame on me!!!

Also worked on some new Watercolor Texture backgrounds this week, and one "Kitchen Sink" background! :) :)

Below are some piccys of the papers. I took close ups (about 1/4 of the whole paper) so you can see the detail!

For "uber" detail, click on the photo!!!!

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Here is the background that I did a while ago. I mixed up some coffee grounds with diluted Matte Medium and smeared over a textured watercolor paper. After it dried, I rubbed off the excess "crumbs" and then sprayed the paper with Moon Shadow Mist (the walnut ink with a secondary shimmer color mixed in from Lindy's Stamping Gang)

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Here are 3 Textured Watercolor backgrounds that I did. I did a "wet on wet" watercolor wash over the paper. After I got the colors spread out how I liked, I then covered part of the paper with saran wrap, wax paper, and bubble wrap. When using this technique with watercolors, you must wait until the paint has completely dried before pulling off the papers and wraps!

Purple, Blues, and Magenta:

This one was based off of a picture of an arched window. Yellows, Oranges, Ochre, and Sienna Brown:

Yellow and Purple:

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Here is my Kitchen Sink Background! LOL!!!! On watercolor paper: Smear diluted acrylic paints. Let Dry. Paint through stencils (punchinella) with Distress Crackle Paint and acrylic paints. Let Dry. Noodle brush some Lumiere Copper paint. Let Dry. Sponge and "smoosh" more Lumiere paint in Indigo and Metallic Green.

Voila!! Paper a la Kitchen Sink!

New Canvas Collage - Vineyard Goddess Dreams

I have been working on this canvas since last fall!! It is a 12x12 stretched canvas. I used distress inks as a base coat. I stamped grape leaves onto the background using acrylic paint. I sealed the piece with PYMII.

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I then used the peeled paint technique with a very heavy coat of gree acrylic paint and revealed the leaves underneath. I washed over the piece with a very diluted coat of acrylic paint in a "bright" orangy color. I also highlighted the veins in the leaves with a Sakura gel pen (clear).

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The woman image is from Twisted Papers. I modified her coloring on the computer, printed her out, sealed with PYMII, cut her out and glued her onto mat board.

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I love this woman image and went through about 10 different compositions before I settled on this final version. She is distressed with gesso, washed over with the orange acrylic glaze and then edged with white acrylic paint.

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The embellishments are the top of wine capsules. I distressed them with gesso, washed over them w/ the same "orangy" acrylic glaze and then highlighted again with white acrylic paint.

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The wording around the piece is my own. I wrote it using a Sailor White Pen. (available at Outside the Margins!)

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I'm so HAPPY to be finished with this piece!! :)

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Close up of wine capsule embellishment:

Close up of texture detail: