♥♪♫This Blog Is For Me!♫♪♥

Color Palette I Purple/Blue/Green

2012-01-29T14:28:00.000-06:00

I never really join the "color palette" swaps, because you can use very little black or white and the main portion of the artist trading card (ATC) has to be the colors listed. However, I really like the colors purple, blue, and green. This was going to be a challenge for me and I had to think outside the box. What could I do that would allow me to use all three colors while incorporating little to no black and white.

I decided to break out the watercolors and start there. I took three ATC sized watercolor cards and started to paint the three colors on the cards without really thinking about form. When I was done I walked away, so when I came back it would be with new perspective.

When I returned to the cards; I was excited to see some type of form or shape and immediately broke out the glitter and metallic markers to start adding the needed flare for each card.

Needless to say, I was both pleased and impressed that I could actually handle doing a color palette ATC without alot of strain on the brain.

Paper Doll Swap: Fantasy & Aliens

2012-01-25T12:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, I joined yet another paper doll swap. These paper doll swaps are great because they force me to go out of my comfort zone and draw, paint, or color something that is not just an ATC in shape and size. I chose, for this particular swap, to do aliens and I went one step further and used Star Wars aliens for inspiration.

I am breaking out and using my water colors again and I really like the effects on each of the dolls that I made.

This first one is based on the Star Wars character known as Admiral Ackbar, but I call him Akbacca, because someone said he looked like a cross between Admiral Ackbar and Chewbacca! I was really going for Admiral Ackbar without that space suit he wears!


Akbacca

The next one I did was just for grins. This one I named Gidget, because I saw her as a girl and I wanted to name her after one of my all time favorite classic movies.

Gidget

The third one, again, is based on the Star Wars character known as Rodian, his name is Greedo!

Greedo

Finally, the last one is also based on a Star Wars character known as a Ortolan, his name is Sumo!

Sumo

Turtle, Birds, & a Gecko

2012-01-16T21:48:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what got into me tonight, but I had this uncontrollable urge to draw something Native American. So, I whipped out the watercolor pencils and made four backgrounds. Let me explain something that I like about watercolor pencils; they, in my honest opinion, have the most brilliant colors.

Turtle

I did the Gecko card with my watercolor blocks and the rest I did with my watercolor pencils. See how bright they turned out.

Gecko

Next, I drew each Native American symbol and then colored them in with permanent marker, which works really well for drawing over watercolor.

Bird 2

I posted these as available to trade and hope someone takes the bait!

Bird 1

Our Fine Feathered Friends Swap

2012-01-15T16:52:00.000-06:00

I was invited to join another art doll swap. I was really excited to find out that it was about birds! I made four bird dolls and they all turned out very colorful and pretty. I drew each bird and then used watercoloring for coloring the birds. I then used my permanent markers and outlined and added the details.

I haven't even begun to pretend to know how to watercolor, but I sure do like the effect. I tried some different techniques like using a watercolor pencil to "draw" in the wet watercolor. This can be seen on the parrot.

I really enjoyed making these birds and just wish I knew the name of the bird that hangs upside down.

Jungle Fancy Pigeon

Jungle Parrot

Jungle Blue Bird

Hanging Tropical Bird

Cat in the Window Popularity

2012-01-10T19:58:00.000-06:00

I made a silhouette ATC called "Cat in the Window" with a Citra-Solv background and I couldn't believe how popular it was. I've had 3 requests for the ATC. So, I made another one using a different colored Citra-Solv background and am trading it for a Halloween ATC called "Frightful" from Rogue Gal.

Cat in the Window 002

You can never have too many Halloween ATCs and I really like her work. Then I received another request for the "Cat in the Window", so I PM'd the third person and asked if she didn't mind me making her one as well to trade.

Now to let her know which ATC I want from her gallery!!

Citra-Solv Backgrounds

2012-01-08T12:42:00.000-06:00

I love drawing "silhouettes" and I have these really cool backgrounds made using Citra-Solv that I can use as backgrounds. I drew the silhouette, cut out the white areas, and added the Citra-Solv background so it looks like you are actually viewing something in the background.

I am super excited as I am listed on the Citra Artist Contact Info page and some of my previous cards are listed in the ATC gallery.


Cat in in Window

Cat in the Window

Why do you sit and stare?

Are you waiting for something special to happen?

Is something on the other side catching your attention?

Do you secretly wish you could be on the other side?

Are you contemplating life?

Or, is this just a relaxing past time?

Please, share your secrets with me.

More Metal Embossing

2012-01-04T19:48:00.000-06:00

I had some scrap metal left over from the embossed metal ATCs that I did the other day and doodled on them. I've only walked past them for the last five days wondering what to do with them. Last night I decided to take these small pieces and put them onto ATCs. I had some scrap paper from some very nice people that have recently sent me extras with the couple of personal trades that I've done, as well as, some Citra Solve background scraps.

I then proceeded to add some old language torn up book pages and other picture scraps and then I sprayed them all with alcohol ink. Once the alcohol ink was dry I started tracing different patterns on the paper with various colored permanent markers.

After all the collaging and coloring were done; I glued on the metal pieces and ended up very pleased with the final results.

What I am not pleased with is the scanner I have. My printer is going down hill and so is its scanning quality. I scanned the four cards together and they all have the same metal, but one of them scanned really dark. I still enjoy looking at them and I hope I get to trade them soon.

Captured Destruction

Great Work

The Dream of the Illusion

Truth in the Streams

Mount Sunflower, Kansas

2012-01-01T19:53:00.000-06:00

Mount Sunflower is 26 miles northwest of Weskan, Kansas and we drove by on our way to Colorado.

Our family traveled from Oklahoma to Colorado for Christmas and on the way, in Kansas, we saw a sign for a place called Mount Sunflower. I couldn't stop thinking about drawing or painting it, so when I got home I did this watercolor.

Mount Sunflower

I'm not sure if I should take this place seriously or laugh. It really isn't a mountain, but as it is the highest point in Kansas, it deserves some recognition, I guess.

Metal Embossing

2011-12-29T23:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I joined another swap, but this one has to do with Metal Manipulation. I remember making some Christmas cards one year using a similar technique and decided I would try to free hand some art on the metal and make some ATCs for the Metal Manipulation Swap over at ATCs for All!

I first used the tools I had, which equated to a sculpture tool, thin end paint brush without the end, a 2/2.25MM crochet needle, and a stylus. While you can see what looks like scratch marks up close on the scan, it doesn't look like this when you just look at the card.

I ordered some actual metal embossing tools tonight from Dick Blick and should get them around the 15th of January with their super saver shipping and then I plan on getting serious with this new found fun thing to do!

This first one is called Water Lily and is based off of a piece of art that I hand drew last year. When I was done with the embossing I used alcohol ink to color it in. I think it's pretty, but the jury is still out on the alcohol ink.

Water Lily

These other two are simply embossed drawings on the metal. Both of these were done based on drawings I did last year.

Mermaid Head

Sunflower

LADYBUG Swap

2011-12-20T19:01:00.000-06:00

I recently joined a swap over at ATCs for All! that I thought would be a lot of fun and get me over my fear of LADYBUGS! The swap is called LADYBUGS!! and is Due Date January 10 2012.

I finished two of them and still need to draw and color two more.

So, without further ado here are the two that I finished;

Ballerina Ladybug

Mr. Bo Bug

Birdie Birdie Couplets

2011-12-19T19:37:00.000-06:00

One night my husband says, out of the blue, "Birdie Birdie in the sky; why'd you do that in my eye?". I can't remember the reason for him saying that and knowing him there really wasn't one. So, then I say "Birdie Birdie on the pole; about to put you in a hole" and we were off and running for like three nights coming up with what I later found out were called "couplets".

So, I posted a game on FaceBook asking others to post some of their own. Not a whole lot of luck with this, so I decided to host an ATC Swap over at ATCs For All! (AFA). My swap is called "Birdie Birdie Couplet Swap". So far I have four players and am very impressed that one player came up with 16 of these couplets in like five minutes.

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. I am hoping that once the holidays are over the number of participants in the swap will pick up. Actually, I'm sure it will, because I private messaged over 50 people on AFA asking if they'd like to join my swap!

The Art of Wrapping Gifts!

2011-12-18T14:58:00.000-06:00

These last two weeks have been filled with lots of wrapping of presents. While, I loath this part of Christmas, it did bring up some very interesting questions for me. What exactly is the art of wrapping paper and who started this?

I read on the do-it-yourself website that "...according to the Japanese, who are masters at gift wrapping, it is a ritual with great meaning." Really, what is the meaning? I guess I will have to go look this up, as it has peaked my interest.

Japanese gift wrapping is called tsutsumi. They use both paper and cloth for creating these simple and elegant wrapped gifts. The large piece of cloth that is used is referred to as Furoshiki. This type of gift wrapping is used by the Japanese for birthday, holiday, and wedding gifts. They even use this type of wrapping when shopping. You can even support and promote recycling by using this specific type of wrapping technique. So, all you conservationists looking for a new idea for wrapping presents this year should definitely look into this.

Read more about Japanese Gift Wrapping here.

Also, don't forget to always have at your side the relevant tools necessary to wrap a present including scissors, one-sided and double-sided tape, paper cutter, wrapping paper, ribbon, and bows.

Here is an awesome article on the history of wrapping gifts.

Off to read the article and maybe get enlightened on this strange tradition!

Done with the Freaky Deaky New Year's Art Dolls!

2011-11-20T19:55:00.001-06:00

Whew, I am finally done with the other two art dolls for the Freaky Deaky 2012 New Year's Swap. I love making art dolls, but I need to get back to making ATC's for fear I may lose my muse for doing them. Anyways, here is Zombie Girl Avery and Lady Lydia.

This is Avery, who is now a zombie. She got off the school bus, on her way back from an away game, to go to the bathroom. No one on the bus bothered to count the girls to make sure they were all aboard before taking off and she was left behind. The gas station was owned by zombies and when she came out of the bathroom, they gave her the deadly zombie bite and made her a part of their family. She misses basketball and all of her friends. She realizes now the importance of telling someone where you're going and accepts her fate.

Lady Lydia is ready to party and is looking for someone to be her escort!

Getting Down with the Freaky!

2011-11-17T22:33:00.001-06:00

This is Toby the wanna-be house elf. Please do not mistake him for his "perfect" brother Doby the house elf. Toby was born with one side longer than the other and his eyesight wasn't perfect either. Toby loves to party and is really looking forward to turning over some new leaves with this upcoming 2012 year. He loves walks in the bog and absolutely hates house work. Aside from the rather severe tooth malformations he really is a handsome guy. Toby is not sure yet what is wearing for the upcoming New Year's Eve party, but he is considering a couple of different options.

I totally don't have the gory, gruesome, or grotesque kind of mind, but I do like the weird and wacky when it comes to creatures. So, I signed up for the the Dolls: Freaky Deaky New Year's Swap and this is my second doll I have made so far.

Next is Alexander the poison dart frog. Alexander kills an average of 10 people a year. He never gets invited to parties and when he finally does, he brings his own darts. If you decide to chance playing a game with him beware; very few have lived to tell anyone about it and if you miss his dart board that has been painted on his stomach; he gets a free throw at you!

As soon as I get the other two done I will share those with you all as well!

Art Dolls Holiday Characters Swap!

2011-11-14T19:44:00.001-06:00

Here are the other three characters I finished for the Art Dolls Holiday Characters Swap. Oh yeah, I ordered some more "brads" in different colors to help add some flair to my future Paper Dolls. They are time consuming to make, but I love how they turn out and sometimes I just don't want to see them go. That is why I keep them in my gallery at ATC's For All! and on my computer.

First up we have The True Mrs. Jingle. She is an elf that use to be a giant! You see, the swap only allowed for dolls under nine inches and when I first made her, well, she was 10.5 inches tall. I had to crop her legs and arms to decrease her height. I still think she turned out super cool though.

Next, we have Jacquilene-in-the-box. People always do "Jack" and I thought I would put my little twist and make this fun box toy a girl. She was alot of fun to make and she slides from left to right, which is kind of different for a "doll", but definitely worth the outcome.

Finally, we have the Spirit of Christmas Present. We were watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and I forgot how amazing the human puppet for this character was. I fell in love with him all over again and decided that he would be my fourth and final paper doll for this swap.

Still on the Paper Doll Kick!

2011-11-14T19:30:00.001-06:00

I finally made my last paper doll for the Art Dolls: Holiday Characters -- Due Jan 10, 2012. I know they aren't due until January 10th, but when I get into something I can't do anything besides just that and I am obsessed with getting something done. I wanted to post my Leprachuan Steve because I wanted to show you all how just using a white gel pen to highlight my characters. I am often amazed at how a small thing like a white gel pen can make such a difference.

All of my Art Dolls can be found in my Gallery at ATC's For All!

Before Highlights

After Highlights

Hand Drawn/Hand Painted Pups in Cups!

2011-10-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

Here are my ATC's for the Hand Drawn/Hand Painted Pups in Cups swap at ATC's for All!

1. Pipi
2. Terri
3. Bubbles
4. Kari

SpOoKy HaLLowEeN Paper Doll Swap

2011-10-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

Here are my paper dolls for the SpOoKy HaLLowEen Paper Doll Swap at ATC's for All!

Trudy Disturbed

Jack O'Fire

Voodoo Medusa

Missy Dreadful

Freaky Frida

Quitting Smoking

2011-10-08T09:49:00.000-05:00

This is my second day of not smoking using the Nicoderm CQ patch and it is making me sick. Yesterday I had it on my arm and my arm felt like I had a tourniquet around it with no circulation and severe pain. I called the Pharmacist and he said to get that patch off of my arm; that I was having a severe allergic reaction to it. He said it could be the adhesive or the drug that is used to deliver the nicotine that I could be allergic to.

I put a new patch on, but this time I put it on my back hoping that, maybe, this would work. I don't care about the allergic reaction; I WANT TO STOP SMOKING! So, today I am feeling icky and hope that I can do this. I have smoked for over 20 years and have hated it all along. I call myself the closet smoker! I don't smoke in public, in my car, around anyone, or in restaurants.

I hate the smell on my hair, my clothes, just in general. I know that many more doors will open up if I do stop smoking; like having more friends, you know, the ones that you really want to be friends with, but are so afraid that they will find out you smoke.

I'm not getting any younger and with the longs years of smoking it has taken its toll on me. I have allergies and smoking just makes this worse. I feel like I have a lump in my throat all of the time, I have no energy, and I am coughing up that green stuff.

I kind of had an eyeopener this week with my 9 year old. She came home from school with this poster that she wanted to create for the "Don't Do Drugs" campaign and right in the center of the page was the "No Smoking" symbol. I asked her what that was about and she told me they were learning about not doing drugs. I asked her what kind of drugs were they talking about and she said "cigarettes". She even asked me how to spell cigarettes, so she could put that on her poster.

I realize that nicotine is a drug, but cigarettes are legal. I also asked her if she knew of other drugs that no one should do. She said she didn't, so I proceeded to educate her. Maybe she isn't old enough yet for this talk, but any opportunity I have to explain anything to her I take, because I didn't get talks from anyone when I was growing up, so I didn't know any better.

Why didn't they teach this stuff back when I was in school? My life might have turned out differently. Here I go to try and go through another day without a "cigarette".

Wish me luck!

Modern Day (Small Town) County Fairs

2011-08-21T10:51:00.001-05:00

I've lived in a few small towns and this is probably the smallest one. I took my eight year old to the local County Fair last night and was shocked at how much it costs to go these events now-a-days. For starters each ride was one ticket and each ticket cost $3.25. Now, you could buy 10 tickets for $25.00 and that would make each ride $2.50. If you have a family of four and two people want to ride the rides it could cost $50.00. Now, I bought her five tickets because I didn't have the $25.00 for ten tickets and I knew she wouldn't ride all of the rides anyways. So, for five tickets it cost me $16.25.

Crystal rode the Spider, the Cliff Hanger, the Carousel, and the Farris Wheel. She had five tickets, but they wouldn't allow her to ride the Farris Wheel by herself, so she wanted to use the extra ticket so I would ride with her. I swallowed my vertigo and went on the ride with her only because they had the Gondolas and not the traditional seating. Had they had the traditional seating I would have had to decline riding with her.

On the spider and the cliff hanger, she had a look of terror on her face during the ride and gave me the thumbs up after she got off the ride. I thought this is the start of our next adrenaline junkie!

Now wait, there are still the games. Each game was two tokens and each token was a dollar. Crystal played six games for a total of another $12.00. The nice thing about the games is that; one, you no longer have to give the game attendant any money as there are "token" machines in front of each game and two, you actually get to play on some of the games until you win. Here is my thought on playing until you win; is this because our kids are so spoiled today that we are afraid to see them "disappointed"? What happened to competitiveness at these games? Like, the horse race where you roll the ball into the colored holes in order to see your horse advance and hopefully win or the dart game where you try and pop the balloon so you can win a cheesy prize.

I guess that is all out the window with these games today. Crystal had a blast and walked away with like six prizes and didn't have to feel the pain of defeat for not winning any of the games.

I did get upset at the Carousel ride when the guy taking the tickets told a grandmother of a two year old that she could ride the ride with him, but it would cost her a ticket. Really? When did this change come about? That was just wrong. I spoke with the Grandpa and he said he thought it was a rip off too, but what are you going to do when the children want to ride the rides?

The total budget for the trip was $20.00 and we ended up spending $28.25; the the $8.25 coming from the left over laundry money for the day. All-in-all, she had fun and even got to see some sheep, goats, and bucket calves, so her day was a good day after all.

Cell Phone Etiquette

2011-08-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not the best at always answering my cell phone, but I do really try hard to answer my phone calls when people call. Of course, there is the occasion when I just can't. I understand that we are all busier, running faster and longer, etc., But, would it really kill anyone to at least within a week acknowledge that you received a phone call?

I found this article titled "12 Unwritten Rules of Cell Phone Etiquette" and I was surprised to find out that there is such a thing. The article discusses everything from screening your calls to talking in public and more.

Item #11 caught my eye, because with the age of technology comes long drawn out processes when calling someone. It states "If I reach your voicemail, don't you think I already know you can't take my call right now and want me to leave my name, number, and a brief message? Do you need to waste my time telling me that? The whole process of leaving a message to begin with is too long. The last thing I want when I finally reach your personal greeting is a lengthy description of what you want me to do. We've been using cell phones long enough to know the drill. Just as you want my message to be brief, so too do I want you to keep your personal greeting short."

This can also go for those automated phone systems that the majority of companies incorporate because they don't see the need to pay anyone minimum wage to sit and answer the phone for them. Please don't get me started on the hilarious phone systems that take how many prompts to get through before I finally get the person's voicemail. I think I should leave a lengthy message just because of how long it took me to actually get through to your extension.

Well, off to call my landlord again to see if they can fix a broken light fixture. Hey, maybe my daughter will have light in her room by next year when we have to move again!

Seedy Garden People Paper Dolls

2011-07-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

I have never "made" paper dolls, so this swap was a bit of a challenge for me. We had to use vegetables, fruit, and flowers in order to come up with these "Seedy Garden People". The fruits and vegetables were easy, but trying to fit the flowers in somewhere was the greatest challenge.

I used brads for the four moving parts, which included the arms and legs and then I just secured the head. The fun part was putting each little person into an actual seed packet, where they will reside until they meet their new owners.

We also gave them names and I used word from the catalogs that I received and put them together to give each a unique name. There names are, from left to right:

Ruby Red Seascape

Paula Nemours

Sarah Blossom

Alcea Bernhardt

Small Town Fireworks Show

2011-07-06T22:32:00.000-05:00

So, you might think that a small town wouldn't or couldn't put on a great fireworks show, however, our little town did a fantastic job at putting on a very impressive show.

It was so hot that the Fire Department had Fire Engines set up so the kids could cool off and have water competitions while doing so.

There were turtle races, questions to answer regarding the United States, hot dog eating contest, and lots of people shooting off their own fireworks.

All-in-all a very successful, hot, and fun 4th of July holiday. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday as well.

Back into the Swing of Things!

2011-07-02T13:01:00.001-05:00

Last week I was able to whip out some artwork and I feel really good about it. I was able to get in some trades with people over at ATCs for All! I plan on focusing on doing some serious artwork and laundry.

Feather Mask

Mr. Sun Mask

Coffee Lover's Dessert Recipe Card

Lemon and Blueberry Bread Recipe Card

Fire and Ice Face

2011-06-24T23:51:00.003-05:00

So, I've been working and lost my muse for a while. Seems that is happening alot lately. I am seriously always trying to get something done, but never in the art department. I made this ATC a while ago and am now just getting around to posting it. The really funny thing is that I can't bare to give it up for trading.

I love the porcelain masks with the different pictures painted on them and that is what inspired this particular piece of art. I think I might just keep creating ATCs with more like this and then I won't feel so guilty about trading one.