Hello friends

Here I am!

I’m recovering from surgery... with week three down. The first two weeks were the toughest. Now I can drive and am comfortable moving around. And I only have a few weeks left before I go back to work full-time.

During my early recovery time I went back to some old favorites and challenged myself with some new.

• I stamped thank you cards … I also celebrated my BIG 50 during this recovery time.



• I have doodled Zentangles with a twist after finding inspiration in Mandala Zentangle – a cross between Zentangles and Mandalas, and created some of my own. Check it out on You Tube or at Millande.



• I also created some beautiful macro photography art images to create other cards with some tweaking in Photoshop. I’m just diving into (Photoshop) and find exciting. I pickup Somerset’s new magazine digital studio™ and finding it full of inspiration.
  

I’m searching for something… maybe this is it? Maybe, just maybe, digital art is the new art media I looking for!?! Is my muse trying to tell me something? I think I will follow this muse for awhile to see where it leads. Stay tuned.

It new meantime here are some of my recover creations. Hope you enjoy them.

Something old – Stamped cards - I used new stamps from my sister Kim for my birthday


Something new – Macro Photography Art Images - I used flowers sent to me after surgery and for the BIG 50 - one I made into a sympathy card

Something old with a twist of new – Mandala Zentangle - I used pens, markers, colored pencils and watercolor pencils

Deco Pages

Two more deco pages.

Two more decos...

I started the deco above- front and back pages - on photoshop. Added some stamping and a bird velum overlay.



Again I started these in photoshop and added ribbon and old photos to complete them.

More Deco's

Hi all. I received three deco books in the past weeks from groups I belong to. Funny how they seem to come in groups. Here are the scans of my creations ...they are off to the mail tomorrow, hopefully. I'm going to the Tom Petty concert tonight (YIPPEE!!) and I'm not sure how much energy I'll have tomorrow. I was spoiled with VIP tickets by my sweetie! I'm so lucky!!

This is a deco I just completed. The image is one I created in Photoshop.

Here's another deco. This one's a tag book and I had the pleasure of completing the last page.

And yes still another Deco page for a friends book. The background page is a finger painting page that my grandson Ethan did and I scanned. I love kids art it's so cool!

Here's Ethan's art page scan before I altered it.

Hope you enjoyed my latest additions!

It's been a while since I posted

Even though I haven't posted I have managed to squeeze in some art it the past month. Most of my art projects have been friends deco books, a few little beauties swaps and greeting cards for family and friends.

In addition to that I have been very busy creating my hair clips for local boutiques. I have add on three shops in the month of May alone. So I have to fill the orders for Spring/Summer and get them in before I miss out on the summer shoppers. Once I get over the big rush I can work at a easier pace creating next seasons.

Anyway, the images below show some of my current projects. If you look closely you may even see some of your art.. little beauties, backgrounds and inches used in my projects. Thanks for stopping in!

Decos

Greeting Cards

- birthday card

- birthday & father's day (work in progress) cards

- Mother's Day card

- birthday card

Little Beauties

Love Squared

I have been lucky to participate in the Pink Artist Doll, an efforts against breast cancer. I like so many have lost family and friends to various types of cancer. So this effort has special meaning to me.

Monica Magness has finished creating the art doll out of the squares created by 182 artists. Isn’t that fantastic! The Pin Artist Doll was unveiled Tuesday, April 1, 2002. Monica’s husband, Jeff Magness, photographed the doll for us (pink artists) to share with you. My 2”x2” square is just a small contribution in comparison to the great effort that Monica put into this project

Here she is!
And to quote Monica because her words are so fitting:
“Her name is Love Squared." She smiles because already she knows love and is able to give love unconditionally. To many, she is a symbol of hope. She stands for COURAGE and was built by a community of givers. "

I would like to dedicate my contribution in this project to the special women in my life. My two beautiful and loving daughters of whom I could not be prouder, my sister Kim and friend Janet who are always just a call or email away, and my Mother who taught me to sew. And to end with, Shirley and Grandma, who we lost battling cancer and who, I believe look down on me from the heavens

Love you guys.

I hope you follow along as the remaining chapters of the doll unfold. She'll premier in Art Doll Quarterly™ and head off to eBay for actions. The proceeds will go towards the fight against breast cancer. To see to lean more about the making of Love Squared." and to see more photos visit girls gone thread wild.

New Blog Page Image

I was messing around today and decided it was time for a new blog page image and this is what I came up with. I think it's a nice change.

I signed up for another set of little beauties on Creative Card Swap this time the theme is underwater. Little beauties are quick little "art starters". I have found them useful for greeting cards, ATC's, and different mixed media projects. Guess I'm hooked on them.

Here's the latest set of 10:

Double Deuce Dare!

I signed up for an art challenge "Double Deuce Dare" where you receive a package in the mail full of art goodies. Now you have to create something using the items and send it of to a partner in the swap. when my package arrived it was full of images, tiles spelling home, a gold window frame, CD tin and several other goodies.
I decide to create a house with and accordion fold book inside. This is what I came up with...
it was a challenge to use what someone else gives you. I'm so use to just winging it and grabbing what inspires me at the moment from my stash. This was a good experience for me!
I was enlisted by my Mom to make a greeting card for her friends 90th birthday. When I asked Mom what she like she said "she like birds" Right up my alley. Here's what I came up with - Mom was thrilled (one of my best fans)

I also made a second Image Challenge card - below - because I mail the first one to the wrong person. I need to slow down!

decos and image challenge

These are pages I made for three different deco round robins.


Shattered glass image

This is a card I made from an image challenge. The image came from Adrienne. She shared some awesome photos she took. I made a blank note card using the door image and a photo of a little girl I've been itching to use. I sprinkled her dress with fairy dust and added a little to the vines. The quote under the photo "from small beginnings come great things".

I am having problems with my scanner and the color so sorry colors are off a bit. Hope you enjoyed them.

Art Deco pages

These are the front and back pages I made for an art deco book. The leaf print in the background was from a "little beauties - leaf" swap that Susie made. It was the perfect addition.

It Snowed - I played

It snowed overnight Friday so after cleaning the house I decide to create. I read about Gesso textured backgrounds on Trish B's site, you'll always find something interesting there. Anyway, I decided to give it a whirl. So following her easy-peasy instructions I went to work, or should I say play!

I gesso'd one 8x10 sheet and when dry cut it in half. Painted one black the other green. When they dried I cut them in half so I now have quarter sheets. Using acrylic paints I topped the black with silver, the second black sheet with bronze, a green sheet with bronze and the final green sheet with gold.

They are fabulous...thanks Trish. I will make these again.

I also signed up for another little beauties swap. this time the theme is MEN. So I started making them over the weekend. I used some of the background paper above when making a few. I thought I could go with Masculine as the theme but I was wrong there must be a man someplace on the little beauty. So, I'll need to either alter most or make some new ones because only three have men. No biggie because these will make great card starters.

Easter's right around the corner and I have 4 grandsons to make cards for not to mention a few others I send them to. So I decide to get cracking. I found some cute ideas in a craft magazine and created diecuts and started on them. Here's one style. That's it so far.