Glitter Tart Designs

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

2013-06-14T13:05:00.002-05:00

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to loseLouisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

Leeds Castle, Kent England

Me Before You is one of the best written yet horrible books I've read to date and I just finished a Jody Picoult so that is saying a lot.

One of the lines in the book describes how I felt about all the characters in a nut shell. "Her default setting seemed to be stuck on disapprove." (pg 289). In other words I had a hard time liking any of the characters, not just because they were humanly flawed but because Jojo Moyes focused on those flaws more than the positives (but then again the type of character she was writing didn't have many positives).

Louisa's fondest childhood memory is of her bumble bee tights and green rain boots

Me Before You is written in first person. I love first person books, they always end up at the top of my lists. But this one switched characters which I found very strange and unnecessary. The first switch doesn't occur until page 105 and it switches to a very minor character and covers something that could have easily been inferred through Louisa's POV. Some of the switches sections were so short (like 4 pages) that it was just disruptive to the story.

This was a truly British novel. I have read many books by British authors but this one I actually had to look up some of the terms and traditions. Jojo refers to tea a LOT! It took me a bit to realize she wasn't just talking about tea but about meals as well. I enjoyed this aspect, I felt submersed in the culture.

However on the flip side there were two things she referred to that I had no idea what they were and had to stop reading to look them up and get the entire meaning out of them. One was a reference to someone named Christy Brown the other was Dignitas (this one becomes clearer through the story)

Mauritius, where Louisa takes Will

As I stated earlier it is hard to like any of the characters and the moral issue explored in Me Before You is a very touchy one. I believe you have to be on the fence about assisted suicide to be able to make it through this book at all. It requires an open mind, not necessarily designed to change your mind but it does show the struggle presented to these people in a very straight forward manner.

I enjoyed this book despite its heavy subject matter and would recommend it, but also recommend you read a happy light book at the same time.

I'm linking up with Art @ Home: Literary Friday

come join us

Waterhouse ATC Swap

2013-06-05T11:02:00.000-05:00

Blissful ART Swaps is hosting a Waterhouse ATC swap. This swap came along at the perfect time as I had just finished pulling together 2 fabulous Waterhouse Collage Sheets.

Waterhouse Beauties Collage Sheet, click image to purchase

Waterhouse Flowers Collage Sheet, click image to purchase

A few weeks ago I shared one of my creations, you can view it HERE

But I think this one of Ophelia is my favorite!

I can't wait to see what everyone else did with Waterhouse's gorgeous images.

Aging Paper with Walnut Ink ~ Tutorial

2013-06-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

Last week I shared a tutorial on how to create my ATC Accordion Book with cut-outs.

I briefly mentioned that I had done a special aging treatment on the papers.

You can see below how much brighter the paper was before I used it.

And below are two images of the aged papers

This treatment process is best used when you have large amounts of papers you want to age. If you are just aging one sheet I suggest using the Tim Holtz Distress Inks (don't know how to do this, just let me know and I'll pull something together for you)

Supplies Needed:

Decorative Paper

Water

Walnut Ink

bowl (something to mix ink and water in)

Sponge (or foam paintbrush)

Iron *optional

How To Age Paper with Walnut Ink

Step 1:

Collect your papers

Step 2:

Crumple your papers, be careful not to rip them.

The stiffer/heavier weight the paper the more likely this will happen.

Step 3:

Flatten the papers out, but not all the way.

Step 4:

Measure out 1/2 cup of water and pour into a mixing bowl

(whatever you have on hand, I actually use old yogurt cups but for this tutorial I kept it in the measuring cup)

Step 5:

Add 1 Teaspoon of Walnut Ink to the water.

Step 6:

Stir until well distributed.

Step 7:

Using a sponge (or a foam paintbrush) apply the ink to the papers.

Step 8:

Set aside to dry

iron

* I do a bit of both, allow some of the ink to permeate the paper and then iron the paper flat.

Voila, a huge stack of ready to use aged papers!

Hope you have enjoyed my tutorial. As always if you have any questions please let me know.

Peek-A-Boo Cards ~ Alpha Stamp Swap

2013-06-03T09:06:00.001-05:00

Leslie at Alpha Stamps set the bar high with her latest Design Team request.

Peek-A-Boo cards!

At first I had no idea what I was going to do but after much wine and pouring over of the fabulous images she had sent I came up with this Celestial piece.

To hold the transparency in place (because it was smaller than the opening) I used jewelers wire. I also painted the stars and moon using acrylic paints.

The binding is kind of like a spiral notebook and works pretty well and I really like how my town glows. Almost everything I used on this piece is available in the Black and White Silhouettes Kit.

Want to try your hand at these fun cards?

Well come join us in the swap. Click the above image for more information.

ATC Accordion Book with cut-outs ~ Video Tutorial

2013-05-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Recently Alpha Stamps challenged us to create a unique ATC sized book and this is what I came up with.

Have you ever wanted to tell a story with your ATC's or just have a coordinating set all in one place?

(For a complete list of supplies used on The Wizard of Oz book see the end of the video.)

Well, I've created this ATC Accordion Book for just that purpose!
(A complete list of supplies used for the Waterhouse Flowers Book is located at the end of this post.)

To make it even more fun for you I devised a way to add charms!

And Cut outs!

So you are really making 3 ATC's with each panel.

Here is my video tutorial with step by step instructions on how to make your very own ATC Accordion Book.

Below the video you will find detailed images of the more complicated part of folding and cutting out the window.

How to fold and cut your 7 cut-out pages

This is covered in the video but I thought more detailed pictures may help.

Step 1:

Select your 7, 3 1/2" x 5" papers.

Step 2:

Fold in half with the side you want to show inside the fold.
* I did a special aging treatment on the papers for my Waterhouse inspired ATC Accordion book. You can find a tutorial HERE.

Do this for all 7.

The folded pages are ATC size.

Step 3:

With the fold crease facing you. Fold down the loose end to the fold. This is called a mountain fold because it creates a fold that makes a triangle that stands like a mountain.

Step 4:

Flip the paper over and fold down the remaining long piece.

Do this to all 7.

Step 5:

Unfold the paper and lay it as flat as possible on a hard surface.

Inside the mountain folds measure 1/2" and mark that paper.

Step 6:

Fold the mountain folds under and from the crease measure 1/2" in and mark the paper.

Do this for all 7

So you have drawn a cut out that is 1/2" away from all the edges (I consider the mountain fold an edge).

Step 7:

Now it's time to cut.

Using a sharp exacto knife against a straight edge cut along the lines you have made.

Do this for all 7

For the next steps please see the video tutorial.

Supplies Used for Waterhouse Flowers ATC Accordion Book

Available from Alpha Stamps

Papers, ribbons, ephemeral from the May 2013 - The Language of Flowers Kit

Old Fashioned Roses (white)

Stitched leaf Ribbon-moss green

Pearl Mix in a tin

Metal Flowers - gold

Resin Blossoms

Dazzles black thin line stickers

Olivine Glass Leaves

Pink Roses Dresden Scrap

Mini Ric Rac Ribbon cream

Rose Beads

Fancy Gold Buttons in a tin

Crocheted Cotton Lace Trim

Dazzles Swirls, Flourishes & Borders Black Sticker Set

Thin Looped Dresden Borders - Gold

Flora & Fauna Die-Cut Borders

Closed Red Tiny rose buds

Violets CS

Tulip slides & ATC CS

Romance CS

Waterhouse Beauties CS

Waterhouse Flowers CS

Both of my creations are now on sale in my Etsy Shop

Handmade Accordion Book with cut outs: The Wizard of Oz

Handmade Accordion Book with cut outs: Waterhouse Inspired

Thank you so much for checking out my tutorial.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

My Happy List ~ The light at the end of a long 2 weeks

2013-05-21T10:33:00.002-05:00

It is hard for me to admit that the reason I haven't taken part in Ricki's Happy List is well...things haven't been very happy here the past few weeks. However I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! So today I am happy about. Closing the door on my youngest daughter ear drama. She stuck a navy bean in her ear and had to have it surgically removed along with her ear tubes replaced due to damage. Today is her final check up appointment. I am making great progress on the E Monsters Duvet. Right now I only have two more front panels to attach and then the back to put on. I am hoping to finish it up this weekend. This is a huge accomplishment for me since i am an entirely self taught sewer (can't call myself a seamstress).

This has been Mr. Glitter Tart's view for the past week, well it was raining and cold, but still. Today he comes home and the girls and I are excited to see him.

Buttermilk Curry

You know how sometimes you end up having to buy something for a recipe and then have a ton left over. Well that happened to me last week, I have a ton of buttermilk left. But I am excited to say that I've found two recipes that will use it up and look fantastic.

So tonight for dinner we will be having Buttermilk Curry over rice with Naan.

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever
or so it claims to be

Here is the second recipe I will be making with the Buttermilk, but what is really exciting about this one is that I am making it because my best friend in the whole wide world is coming to visit me this weekend!

So I do have a lot to be happy about this week and boy am I glad that the past two weeks are behind me.

So what's on your happy list?

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When in doubt Wear Red ~ Paper Dress Shop Part 2

2013-05-18T07:57:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I shared the outside of my "When in Doubt, Wear Red" Consignment Shop. You can view it HERE

I linked it to a fabulous party, Paper Saturdays hosted by Manopopjes

Almost everyone that plays along makes wonderful light colored fun pieces and I was inspired by it and that's how this little paper house came to be.

So without further ado, here is the inside.

I am going to save the wardrobe to share next week..

Like all good shops there must be a mirror. This one has glitter all around it to make you look even more glamorous.

Then there is the accessories wall.

And of course a cute little window to let in natural light.

There are many many more details I could go on and on about but I think the pictures speak for themselves.

I hope you like it.

I'm linking up with

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Dead Until Dark by: Charlaine Harris

2013-05-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out.... Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

It has been years since I read Dead Until Dark. I read it long before the tv show and way before she was even halfway through writing the series.

So why did I choose it for this weeks review? Well, I've been a bit MIA and I wanted to share not only a review but a bit of art also.

I am a member of a fabulous group that creates ATC's based on Mystery's. One of our lovely members hosted a read along (like a book club online) and this was the book she selected. I took part as best as I could without a copy of the book (mine was long ago sold away) or really a great memory for what happened.

What I do remember is that I didn't like the book and that is why I never read further into the series.

Why didn't I like it? Well quite simply I couldn't stand a character who constantly thought about sex. Given some of the situations Sookie was put in for her mind to drift towards sex was just unbelievable and aggravating.

I did love Charlaine's addition of Elvis. I was sorry to see that they left him out of the tv show, but I do understand why.

And I do have to admit that Charlaine did form a wonderful mystery that wasn't predictable as to who-done-it like so many books these days are.

I was sorry to hear that when she published her final book in the series that she received death threats from the fans because they didn't like the way she ended it. Series, I imagine, are hard to end and please everyone. Charlaine provided years of entertainment for many. Most people in my group (the original group that read it) liked the story.

If you haven't read it and like vampires/werewolves/etc and mystery's you should try it, you never know.

I'm linking up with

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

2013-05-10T08:40:00.003-05:00

Florens, a slave, lives and works on Jacob Vaark's rural New York farm. Lina, a Native American and fellow laborer on the Vaark farm, relates in a parallel narrative how she became one of a handful of survivors of a smallpox plague that destroyed her tribe. Vaark's wife Rebekkah describes leaving England on a ship for the new world to be married to a man she has never seen. The deaths of their subsequent children are devastating, and Vaark accepts a young Florens from a debtor in the hopes that this new addition to the farm will help alleviate Rebekkah's loneliness. Vaark, himself an orphan and poorhouse survivor, describes his journeys from New York to Maryland and Virginia, commenting on the role of religion in the culture of the different colonies, along with their attitudes toward slavery.

All these characters are bereft of their roots, struggling to survive in a new and alien environment filled with danger and disease. When smallpox threatens Rebekkah's life in 1692, Florens, now sixteen, is sent to find a black freedman who has some knowledge of herbal medicines. Her journey is dangerous, ultimately proving to be the turning point in her life.

Morrison examines the roots of racism going back to slavery's earliest days, providing glimpses of the various religious practices of the time, and showing the relationship between men and women in early America that often ended in female victimization. They are "of and for men," people who "never shape the world, The world shapes us." As the women journey toward self-enlightenment, Morrison often describes their progress in Biblical cadences, and by the end of this novel, the reader understands the significance of the title, "a mercy."

Toni Morrison's A Mercy was a read for the fiction book club I attend. It is a book that is all about slavery; women , indentured and African American.

When I went to talk with the group I said "okay sway me because I don't have any feelings about this book at all." After a good hour of discussion I am glad I read the book, see a lot more than I did initially but feel that the book missed its target somehow since I normally have passionate feelings towards books of this nature.

Each section/chapter of the book is told from a different characters point of view. The sections show how the characters judge other characters, themselves and the world around them. You, as the reader, get to see the inside workings of the characters and once it is all said and done you have a completely rounded story.

All the women characters are orphaned, either at childhood or by a family sending them off. Jacob, a Dutch merchant trying to make his living in Maryland, brings these women together and they turn into a family, dysfunctional, but still a family. It is the effect of Jacobs life and his passing that shapes the story of these women.

In the end, the final section has an extremely powerful line said by Florens mother (who you do not see until the end, she only shows up in Florens memories).

" ... to be given dominion over another is a hard thing; to wrest dominion over another is a wrong thing; to give dominion of yourself to another is a wicked thing." pg 196

Leaves one thinking doesn't it.

I am glad I read the book but it won't go down as one of the best reads I've ever had. It was a good book club book because of the discussion.

I'm linking up with

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The Language of Flowers

2013-05-05T08:02:00.000-05:00

Hey Gang, I made this ATC for Alpha Stamps latest swap, The Language of Flowers.

When I learned we would be doing a flower theme I decided it was time to pull some of my Waterhouse images, many featuring flowers, together. I made two collage sheets, Waterhouse Beauties and Waterhouse Flowers, both on sale at Alpha Stamps so go check them out!

This ATC didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to :( I imagined a woman discovering a secret world of flowers but my colors are just off, oh well they can't all be beauties. I used an image from my Waterhouse Beauties Collage sheet pictured above.

Please come join the fun swap! It's easy and the pieces created are always gorgeous. Click the image below for more information.

When in doubt, wear red ~ Paper Dress Shop

2013-05-04T08:39:00.000-05:00

I ran across Manon's blog a few months ago and her bright happy style and love of paper houses inspired me to try my hand at creating my own.

Welcome to

"When in doubt, wear red,"

a retro consignment shop with some very eclectic touches.

the brick work is made out of paperclay that I stamped into and then washed with brown ink.

Gardens have grown wild all around the shop.

The windows are that old lovely thick glass with ripples in it.

And out back hidden in the garden is where the magic happens.

I constructed a mini box to hold all the bits and pieces that make the shop light work.

Yep, there is a working light inside the shop!

Stop by next week to see the inside.

I'm linking up to Paper Saturdays

come join us.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2013-05-03T09:18:00.003-05:00

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.

I first read The Great Gatsby when I was seventeen and have good memories of reading it. My book club decided that it would be a fun read because we could all go see the movie afterwards. I was shocked at the number of members who had not ever read Fitzgerald. Because it had been so many years I decided to re-read the book. Get a new perspective of it now that I am older.

The story is told from Nick Carraway's point of view who has broken from his mid western roots after WWI to sell bonds on the East Coast. If I had one word to describe Nick it would be lonely, the entire book he clings to these horrible people. At the end he even refers to his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom as "...careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made..."

Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan 1974

Nick doesn't seem to have much of an opinion on his cousin, he portrays her as being shallow but Daisy seems desperate and sad more than anything else and the best line she has in the entire book shows that when she says, "All right...I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." about her daughter. The book takes place during the Women's suffrage movement, obviously Daisy is not sympathetic to their cause.

Robert Redford as Gatsby 1974

Gatsby is an enigma wrapped inside of an enigma etc etc...that Nick becomes infatuated with. Gatsby has made up an entirely fictional life for himself and you never really understand why because it seems that all he wants in the world is Daisy who met him many many years ago.

I wonder if we as readers would feel empathy for Gatsby if the story was told from his point of view. But I think Fitzgerald's entire point was to give an outsiders view of how destructive love and deceit can be.

Sam Waterson as Nick Carraway 1974

Nick considers himself "...one of the few honest people..." Which makes it really hard to understand why he hangs out with these people. They are all deceitful and dishonest. It is the true mystery of the story and might very well be what makes The Great Gatsby so Great ;)

I am glad that I re-read the book. After doing so I get the feeling I may have watched the movie more than reading the book as a teen and I am looking forward to seeing the updated version. I hate to admit that the movie looks much more exciting than the book.

Ultimately the book is about missed opportunities, desperation, deceit and how these things destroy everything. It is a classic and should be read by all no matter how much you think you hate it this is a book that you will talk about.

I'm linking up with

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Creative Souls ATC Swap ~ Art Share

2013-05-02T08:27:00.001-05:00

Last month's ATC swap at Creative Souls was so much fun.

We were asked to use the bellow image. My partner, Susan, of Lily & The Lotus - who is a very good friend - and I were paired up. She ran with our friendship as her inspiration.

She knows how much I love elegant things with glitter and she added just the right amount to the lovely ATC she made me.

Not only did she send me the gorgeous ATC but she also sent some fabulous goodies, the floral skinny paper I am using as a bookmark and I love DMC floss. The white item is an absolutely stunning fairy scene stamped into clay.

Thank you Susan I love it all!

You can see what I created for Susan HERE

April Art Giveaway Winners!

2013-05-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

It's that time, time to announce the lucky winners of my April Giveaway.

So without further ado

The Winner of Giveaway #1

Diane at Craftin Your HeART Out! who said...

Your giveaways are always filled with wonderful items to use. Love the Mini Kit...love them all actually LOL!! Thank you so much for a change to win one.

Happy creating!
Take care,
Diane

Winner #2

Tabitha who said...

bath bombs...bath bombs!!!!
i wish i had time to read! you always read the most interesting stuff
hugs

Sorry Tabitha, maybe I'll offer the bath bombs again next month. Hope you like the Mother's Day Supply Kit.

And Winner #3

Ally White Cat who said...

Wonderful give away. Please add my name to the drawing..your blog gets more beautiful every time I come.
hugs

susan s

Congratulations to all and thank you all for entering. Please e-mail me your address, click on the e-mail me button on the left hand bar, and I will have these goodies out to you this week.

My Happy List

2013-04-30T08:55:00.001-05:00

As I stated a few weeks ago, I am trying to re-organize my life right now. Putting what is really important first and I have to admit it is very hard. But what I have seen more than anything is that I have a lot more to be happy about now.

1. One of the many struggles we as a family have been dealing with is how to help our oldest daughter. She has an extreme anxiety disorder along with ADHD (just diagnosed). All year she has been struggling with reading. It got to the point that I couldn't help her so we decided to get outside help, and have her going to Sylvan now. Well, after a month she has not only shown improvement she has blossomed. Yesterday she came home so proud of herself, she had been on a level C book, and skipped over level D and went right on to level E. It was such a joy to see how proud she was of herself.

2. My youngest child is a hand full, she has more energy than the energizer bunny of acid and keeps me on my feet. It is fun and exhausting at the same time. When she sets her mind to something she does it, no matter how much work it takes. Right now her favorite movie is Mirror Mirror, she watches it over and over and she loves this song. Believe it or not my 3 year old can almost sing the entire thing! She sounds so sweet and innocent when she does.

3. Art is not my first hobby, believe it or not I have been writing fiction for years. I write because I have stories in my head, but I also have punctuation, spelling and sentence structure issues so normally what I write isn't very good but it makes me happy. This past weekend I found time to write for the first time in months and it felt great!

4. My sister came to visit a few weeks ago, it was wonderful to see her and the girls love their Aunt so much I think they might have been even more excited to see her. Anyway, The Host is one of my sister and I's favorite books and neither of us had seen the movie so we went. It was fabulous! Spending time with my sister and sharing our love of books and the movies that are made afterwards has always kind of been our thing. I am so glad we got to do it for The Host.

5. Last but not least the girls and I went on a little road trip this weekend. We listened to the Soundtrack from Alice in Wonderland, they sang and I talked them through what was happening when there was no singing. When we got to our destination they played for hours at a huge park and then we all went for dinner and ice cream. They had so much fun and it was a delight to have them all to myself for a few hours.

So there it is, my happy list for this week.

It seems to be getting easier for me to put these together now that I am focusing on the positives in my life, so please come join us.

Click the image below to link up.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

2013-04-26T10:57:00.002-05:00

Paris. 1878. Following their father’s sudden death, the van Goethem sisters find their lives upended. Without his wages, and with the small amount their laundress mother earns disappearing into the absinthe bottle, eviction from their lodgings seems imminent. With few options for work, Marie is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant seventy francs a month, she will be trained to enter the famous ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work—and the love of a dangerous
young man—as an extra in a stage adaptation of Émile Zola’s naturalist masterpiece L’Assommoir.

Marie throws herself into dance and is soon modelling in the studio of Edgar Degas, where her
image will forever be immortalized as Little Dancer
Aged Fourteen. Antoinette, meanwhile, descends
lower and lower in society, and must make the choice between a life of honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a young woman of the Parisian demimonde—that is, unless her love affair derails her completely.

Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural,
and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of “civilized society.”

Buchanan opens her novel with a quote from Le Figaro, 1880 "-No social being is less protected than the young Parisian girl-by laws, regulations, and social customs."

Sounds like a great start, doesn't it!

I was so excited to read this book, I fell in love with the cover and the book jacket summary sounded exciting, but they are marketing trickery.

Little Dancer aged Fourteen

The novel is written in first person multiple point of view. One story told by Antoinette and the other Marie Van Goethem. But the writing isn't strong enough to carry off two different persona's, if the two girls stories hadn't been so different it would have been difficult to tell which sister was telling her tale.

In the end I wanted Marie's story to have been written by Susan Vreeland who wrote Clara and Mr. Tiffany, one of my all time favorite reads. Buchanan and the book jacket write up lead me to believe there would be more interaction with Degas, and I wanted that, in fact there is very little. I believe Susan Vreeland would have made this aspect stronger while maintaining the integrity of Marie's story.

As for Antoinette I wanted her story to have been written by Emma Donoghue, she wrote Slammerkin, a gritty telling of a girl turned prostitute due to her love of clothing in the 1700's. I believe that Donoghue would have pulled off Antoinette's decent into the gutter in a stronger manner.

Rue de Douai, Paris

About 200 pages into the novel I wanted a better picture of how Marie viewed Lefebvre, her abonnes (a wealthy man who take ballerinas under their wing and pay, give gifts to and well you fill in the rest). Buchanan doesn't even give a good physical description of him, how old is he, way too old or middle aged? (You find out much later) But since this portion of the story is told by Marie I expected to know how she felt about this man who was having such an impact on her life.

Antoinette was/is a character that I just don't understand and I chalk that up to an inability to empathise with her character. Buchanan focuses so much on the characters flaws that you end up not liking anyone or really understanding their actions.

Toward the end of the novel things get really unbelievable. Antoinette has a complete reformation. Up until now she has been a constant lier, even before her fall from grace, and fell so easily into Emiles hands.

The final section of the novel is dated 1895 and to me was more of an Epilogue and should have been presented that way.

New Caledonia, Paris

Normally I don't read the Author's notes but I was so disappointed with this book that I wondered what Buchanan had been thinking. She talks about the below BBC Documentary influenced her writing. I found the documentary much more interesting than the book and it took up a lot less time of my life.

After reading the Author's note I wished there had been a Prologue. Many of the things mentioned in the Author's note were not strong enough in her writing. I am intrigued more by the author's note - Degas and the criminal mans anthropology connection-and possibly might have enjoyed the book more with this information being presented earlier.

Overall I was let down and feel that the title had a lot to do with that. This book was not about Degas or the girls that posed for him. It was about two sisters and how much their lives sucked.

I give it 2 cupcakes.

I am linking up with

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Perfume Bottle Postcard Tutorial Part 2

2013-04-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I shared with you Part 1 of how to create my Perfume Bottle.

The first part of the tutorial covered up to this point, how to insert ice resin into a paper piece. You can view the tutorial HERE

Today I will share with you how I finished up the project.

Step 1:

Prepare your embellishments by spray painting them with a white gloss paint..

The ones I used have been discontinued but a good substitute would be these

Antique Silver Leaf Flourishes

Step 2:

Print out Vintage French Ads digital collage sheet onto a clear sticker paper.

Step 3:

Cut out and place the label onto your Ice Resin Perfume Bottle.

Step 4:

Select a backing paper and trace an opening the size of the bottle onto it.

I used paper from the Lyric 6x6 Paper Pad

Step 5:

Cover all edges with black ink.

Step 7:

Attach backing paper to chipboard using Rubber Cement.

Step 8:

By now the white paint should have almost completely dried.

Using the same PearlEx powders I mixed into the Ice Resin,

Step 6 of the first part of this tutorial,

I dusted the swirls with the powder.

And sealed them with a high gloss spray sealer/finisher.

Step 9:

Time to add some Dresden.

I used two, a gold (I would suggest

Baroque Gold Dresden Boarders to replace the gold I used which is no longer available) and the Half-Rounded Dresden Borders in pink

Cut them to size and glue them together.

Step 10:

Add some ribbon around the neck by poking holes to weave the ribbon through.

Finish the ribbon off with some extra fibers and a pearl, see image below.

Step 11:

Attach Dresden on the front and back of the ice resin bottle.

Step 12:

Add your other embellishments,

6mm Pink Metal Flowers, Butterflies from the Blossomwood Die-Cut Boarders stickers, and Antique Gold Diamond Filigree cut in half and covered with Flamingo Liquid Pearls.

You can stop here, but I wanted a back to write on, if you would like that too, continue on.

Step 13:

Grab a piece of

Lightweight Chipboard Postcard and cover it with decorative paper.

My paper is from the Lyric 6x6 Paper Pad

Step 14:

Fold down a 1/4" to help the card sit like a triangle instead of with the back flush. This will allow light in so your ice resin shows off.

Step 15:

Draw a pattern onto a template of your Ice Resin cut out.

Step 16:

Poke holes through the chipboard to create the pattern.

Doing this allows for a difference in light to show through the ice resin when the card is closed.

Step 17:

Sand the back of the card down smooth.

Step 18:

Select a backing paper and attach using Rubber Cement.

I used a French inspired Post Card.

Here are your two piece separated.

Step 19:

Punch holes through the top, equal distance from one another, and reinforce with an eyelet.

There are some really fun Heart Eyelets available through Alpha Stamps.

Step 20:

Weave the two pieces together with Strawberry Glaze Seam Binding.

And there you have it,

all done!

This is what the card looks like open.

And a view of the back, I added a Pink Rose from the Pink Roses Dresden Scraps and have room to write.

I hope you enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing how you use all these wonderful products.

Plexi Glass Eiffel Tower ~ MAMA Swap

2013-04-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

One of the many projects I made this month for swaps is this Plexi Glass Eiffel Tower. It is for a MAMA swap, we were asked to use a template of the Eiffel Tower, place it on a box and fill the box with goodies.

Now of course I had to make it super hard on myself and not use paper. I got this idea in my head that it would be great in glass, but then switched to plexi glass because I had some.

I wanted to make each tear different and fun. The top tear is very skinny and the butterflies I got a little too fat so they didn't go as high into the tower as I wanted. I made the star from paper clay and painted it to match the top of the box, it has a gold sheen to it.

For the middle tear I made a clay cupcake using a tutorial by Garden of Imagination and a crown using the concepts from tutorial by Rook No. 17

The base I filled with clay flowers that I made. I put together a tutorial for these about a year ago, you can view it HERE. Make sure to check out my other tutorials, click the Tutorial tab under my banner.

I had to put each layer together separately, allow for them to completely dry and then add the next one. I'm not 100% pleased with how the plexi glass sealant dried, it is clear but I can still see it.

For the base of the box I decided to go with a "Spring in Paris" type feel. I didn't want to put anything on the top of the box to detract from my tower.

I used a floral fabric for the background, lots of flowers, small white picket fence (that I grunged up a bit), and butterflies (the same ones I used in the top of the tower).

I love the 3D aspect. For the trim around the box I used 2 shades of seam binding and strung together some off white pearls.

Filled it to the brim with goodies I hope my partner will like. I visited her blog to see what colors she leans towards and it was creams and pinks. So that is what I tried to give her.

I tossed in some other fun things, a French decorated soap bar and a large glittery crown.

I learned a lot making this creation about my limits and how driven I am to get things to look the way I want them. I love pushing the boundaries of what I know and what has been done and I think I did a good job with this creation, not great, but with some more practice maybe I can get it better.

Chilly Down Inspired ATC ~ Musical Monday

2013-04-22T11:39:00.002-05:00

The latest ATC swap on Creative Souls required that we use the below image.

Well, I was having trouble coming up with something that was different. I could have made her gorgeous but I wanted to do something a bit more off the wall and on the dark side. My partner appreciates those aspects in art.

Somehow I ended up marrying the image with a scene from Labyrinth, my favorite childhood movie.

Chilly Down by David Bowie, The Fire Guys Scene

When the sun goes down (when the sun goes down)
And the bads are back again (and the bads are back)
The brothers comeround (the brothers comeround)
I get out of my dirty bed (my dirty bed)
I shake my pretty little head (I shake my pretty little head)
I tap my pretty little feet (I tap my pretty little feet)
Were brighter than sunlight
Laouder than thunder
Dancing like a yo-yo, wooh

Don't got no problems (no problems)
Aint got no suitcase (no suitcase)
Aint got no clothes to worry about (no clothes to worry about)
Aint got no real estate or jewelry or gold mines binding me, yeah

Ill just through in my hand (through in his hand)
In the chilliest bunch in the land (in the land)
They don't look much (oh)
They sure chilly chilly
They party till they glow glow, huh (oh)

Chilly down with the fun gang
Think small with the fun gang
Bang hips with the fun gang
When you think it's wild
Chilly down
Chilly down with the fun gang (hey, I don't want a job)
Act tall with the fun gang (woah, walk tall)
Good times, bad food (yeah)
When you think it's wild
Chilly down, chilly down

Wild and crazy, really lazy, high rollin, funky strolling, ball playing
Hips swaying, trouble making, boody shaking, dripping, passing, jumping
Bouncing, brawling, stylin, creeping, pouncing, shouting, screaming
Double-dealing, rock-n-rolling, and oh reeling
With the max in sex appeal
Can you think I grew with feeling?

So when things get too tough (get too tough)
And your chin is dragging on the ground (dragging on the ground)
And even down looks up (down looks up)
Bad luck
We can show you a good time (show you a good time)
And we don't judge nothing (nothing at all)

Just strut your nasty stuff
Wiggle in the middle, yeah
Get you down talking, fun gang

Chilly down with the fun gang (think small)
Think small with the fun gang (bang)
Bang hips with the fun gang (hey, listen up)
When you think it's wild
Chilly down
Chilly down with the fun gang (ah, shake your pretty little head)
Lets go with the fun gang (tap your pretty little feet)
Good times, bad food (come on, come on)
When you think it's wild
Chilly down
Chilly down with the fun gang (wooh)
Think small with the fun gang (ha ha ha ha ha)
Bang hips with the fun gang
***

I titled the ATC

Chilly Down, Her Head Does Come Off!

And I took her head off, filling the space with bright colored charms. Trying to make it look like an explosion.

And placed the heads all around the base of the ATC in a circular pattern as if they were being juggled.

I'm not sure anyone will get the connection but I promise the song did inspire the ATC and I even used words in the background.

Hope you enjoy!

I'm linking up with

Love in a Twilight Garden ~ Spring Fling

2013-04-20T07:18:00.001-05:00

Today is the due date for the Spring Fling 4x4 Swap at Alpha Stamps.

I love my creation but I fear I missed the "spring" mark and hit more of a Midsummer dream theme.

I had a lot of fun making this creation. Mixing Collage images. paint, a variety of fun shaped sequins and of course glitter.

I can't wait to see what everyone else has made.

I'm linking up with my new Saturday Obsession come check out all the outstanding art!

Perfume Bottle Resin Tutorial

2013-04-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with Ice Resin the minute I got my hands on it.

click the above image to purchase Ice Resin from
Alpha Stamps

But I don't make jewelry; so how to make Ice Resin a part of my artwork?

Well, that's simple! I use a similar technique as that used for open-backed bezel pieces.

Step 1:

Cover a piece of mat board or chipboard with decorative paper using rubber cement.

(My paper is from the Lyric 6x6 Paper Pad)

Step 2:

Cut desired shape out of covered board.

I used one of the Chipboard Potion Bottles as a template.

Step 3:

Stain the visible edges with permanent ink.

Step 4:

Cover the back with clear packaging tape.

Click on any image to enlarge them

You might need more than one piece of packaging tape to make a wide enough piece. Make sure your seam is clean, no bubbles/wrinkles.

Press firmly along the edges.

Step 5:

Following the instructions in the Ice Resin Kit; mix your Ice Resin.

You might want to have a mold or two (like these) on standby in case you have left over resin, no sense in wasting it when you can make some embellishments.

Step 6:

Pull together your mix-ins (let Ice Resin sit for about 5 Minutes before adding colors)

I'm using Pearl Ex powders to color the resin and will be adding some Glass Spheres to look like bubbles.

Add a small amount of Pearl Ex and fold it in for about 1 minute,

if you need more color add it now and then fold again.

Once you've achieved the desired color, stir for an additional 2 minutes.

I used two colors,

For my second color I just barely folded it in and let it sit again for 5 minutes.

Step 7:

Pour colored Ice Resin into opening.

Pour slowly, the resin spreads slowly and you don't want it to spill over the lip.

Step 8:

Add any items you want to dry into the resin

(IE: Collage Images, Paper Flowers, Metal Flowers, an assortment of Charms).
I chose to use Glass Beads, for a bubble effect.

Step 9:

Allow to dry completely

anywhere between 6 hrs and overnight

(10 hrs).

Step 10:

Flip the piece over and remove the packaging tape carefully.

Check it out, now you have a see through bottle built into your paper art.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I hope you enjoy and create something fabulous using this tutorial.

Come back next thursday, April 25th, and I will show you how I finished up this project!

Pressure ~ Musical Mondays

2013-04-15T13:35:00.001-05:00

Recently life seems to have become chaotic, things I used to love have started to feel like a chore, worry about my girls has increased, trying to find time to clean the house hasn't happened in weeks, I drive here I drive there and the back again and then all of a sudden the day is over and I am spent.
Just overall overwhelmed.

In other words....

Pressure

and no one said it better than Billy Joel

"Pressure"

You have to learn to pace yourself

Pressure

You're just like everybody else

Pressure

You've only had to run so far

So good

But you will come to a place

Where the only thing you feel

Are loaded guns in your face

And you'll have to deal with

Pressure

You used to call me paranoid

Pressure

But even you cannot avoid

Pressure

You turned the tap dance into your crusade

Now here you are with your faith

And your Peter Pan advice

You have no scars on your face

And you cannot handle

Pressure

All grown up and no place to go

Psych 1, Psych 2

What do you know?

All your life is channel 13

Sesame Street

What does it mean?

(I'll tell you what it means)

Pressure

Don't ask for help

You're all alone

Pressure

You'll have to answer

To your own

Pressure

I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale

But here you are in the ninth

Two men out and three men on

Nowhere to look but inside

Where we all respond to

Pressure

All your life is Time Magazine

I read it too

What does it mean?

Pressure

I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale

But here you are with your faith

And your Peter Pan advice

You have no scars on your face

And you cannot handle

Pressure

One, two, three, four

Pressure

***

So what am I going to do about it?

Well I'm going to deal with the Pressure, I can handle it.

I'm going to determine my new limits, with the girls getting older I can't do as much for myself (art wise) as I used to, after all they come first.
I'm going to lean on my husband, who has always been there for me, I just forget to ask.
I'm going to start taking better care of myself, go to they gym, find time to just sit and relax.
I'm going to carve out time to spend with my family.
I'm going to find time to see my friends.
I'm going to redo my entire life, eliminate the pressure and get happy again. My life is not going to be Channel 13!

I'm linking up with Musical Mondays

The Final Entry by Sushi Antoinette

2013-04-14T15:17:00.001-05:00

Meet sushi Antoinette, but don't fall in love with her because alas she won't be with us long.

Over at the Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group (MAMA) I joined in a Sushi Antoinette Diary Swap. We were required to use the above image on a diary page. What we said on the page was entirely up to us.

To alter the image I added hair, lots and lots of doll hair. I wanted it to look as close to the actual image as possible.

She is surrounded by Fish and Cupcakes.

This is her entry on the front of my diary page.

I've had these cat and fish bead forever and at the last minute decided to add them. The cupcake I made out of clay.

The back of Sushi's diary page is a little grim...

Her hair has been all bundled up in a bonnet,

and I printed a guillotine onto the decorative paper.

Marie Antoinette is supposed to be an angel on this page, but I never gave her a halo.

And this is Sushi Antoinette's final diary entry.

I can't wait to see what everyone else makes, there will be five pages in the diary including mine.

The Three Crows

2013-04-13T06:41:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 13, the final day, of Pagan Culture's Witches in Fiction 4th Blog Anniversary celebration. I am sad that it is ending, I've learned a lot and read some very wonderful posts. I'd like to thank everyone that has left me comments over the last 2 weeks, they have made me feel like my posts, although much different from others, were still appreciated.

Magaly is ending her hop with the theme

Photography

Humm...Witches in Photography, I'm sure there are tons out there but I just don't have any. However I do have a fabulous family photo with a wonderful story.

This is an image of some of my Great Great Great...Grandmothers. My own Grandmother told me the story of this photo a few years ago and I have fell in love with the story and the history automatically. Apparently, back when this photo was taken, it was considered "making it" if you owned a black silk dress, could get dressed up and have your photo taken. Well, that is what these women did and when the photo was developed someone said they looked like "Three Black Crows".

This photograph has inspired and been used in a lot of my artwork. But this one, that I did for a Journal entry, is my favorite.

Look closely, the faces have changed. Can't see it? Well luckily I have some close ups, see bellow.

Now they are my Great Grandmother's.

Now they're not!

I don't know why I associate crows with witchcraft, but I do. Off my rocker probably, but I guess if an evil witch was to transform into anything I imagine it would be a crow.

I hope you enjoy my interpretation of the theme. It has been a fun hop, can't wait to see what Magaly has planned for next year!

I am also sharing this with

Come join...next week I hope to get to play with her adorable little paper doll!

Witches to the Bone ~ Playlist

2013-04-12T08:02:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 12 (almost over-insert sad face) of Pagan Cultures Blog Anniversary.

For today Magaly went with the theme

Music

I love music, it inspires me, makes me sad, lifts me up and is always on. So I decided to create a play list featuring songs with the word witch (in some form) in the title or that sing about witches.

I hope you find a song or two that suit your fancy...it is a very eclectic play list.

I would love to know which song is your favorite, least favorite, or inspires you the most.
Hope you are having a wonderful Friday!