The Glossy Project

June: glossy of the month

2012-06-30T17:18:00.000-04:00

May: glossy of the month

2012-06-05T16:21:00.001-04:00

The Glossy Project: Revamped

2012-04-28T22:39:00.000-04:00

REVAMPED!

I have taken a few months off in order to work on other

projects and other 'glossy-related' goodness..... which are still in progress.

I simply can't wait to share it with you.

I have also revamped this blog and have changed and cleaned it up a bit in order to

make room for some super fantastic BIG news.

In the meantime, you can read more about The Glossy Project and this technique in

Jenny Doh's book called Creative Pilgrimage.

enjoy the video below.

November : glossy of the month

2011-11-30T13:39:00.000-05:00

When The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is released on December 21, boobs on a poster will be the least of anyone’s concerns. In case you have somehow missed it, Swedish writer Stieg Larsson’s novel of the same title, published posthumously in 2005, may well be the unlikeliest runaway best-seller in publishing history, filled as it is with impossible-to-pronounce Swedish names, nefarious financial intrigue, festering Nazism—and some of the most disturbing sexual violence imaginable. As The New York Times put it, “The novel offers a thoroughly ugly view of human nature.” Though Dragon Tattoo is, at its core, a conventional thriller crossed with an old-fashioned murder mystery, the book, like its writer, is bizarrely preoccupied with graphic violence against women. (Larsson supposedly witnessed a gang rape when he was fifteen and never forgave himself for not intervening to help the girl—named, you guessed it, Lisbeth.) Indeed, the infamous rape and revenge scenes in the book are so painstakingly realized on the page that it’s hard not to wonder if Larsson was indulging a few submerged fantasies of his own. Despite all this, the so-called Millennium Trilogy (which includes The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.

October: glossy of the month

2011-10-28T16:09:00.000-04:00

The glossy of the month is the Oct/Nov issue of Bust magazine.

This is what it looks like so far.

I still have a lot of work to do to finish this year long project.

September: glossy of the month

2011-09-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

This is the glossy for September with Jennifer Lopez on the cover.

I am working this one on a floral piece of fabric which should be a really different and interesting effect.

Oh, and by the way.... I have been working on several different projects, and I am so very happy to announce that The Glossy Project will be featured in an upcoming book.

More information on that in December.

In the meantime, glossy on!

“That was my biggest dream, and I really worked hard at it. We both did,” Jennifer Lopez tells Vanity Fair in her first interview since announcing that she and Marc Anthony are divorcing. “Sometimes it doesn’t work—and that’s sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love,” Lopez says. “It’s still my biggest dream. I am positive—determined to move forward with my life, bring up my babies, and do the best job I can as a mother, entertainer, and person. I now look forward to new challenges. I feel strong.”

more HERE

August: glossy of the month

2011-08-10T17:23:00.000-04:00

July: glossy of the month

2011-07-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

The July glossy of the month is Vogue (US).

With the last installment of the Harry Potter movies coming out on Friday, it seems completely fitting.

My son and I can't wait...and I can't wait to finish with this glossy.

-----

:Read the Emma Watson interview below:

It’s the pixie-cut hair and flawless skin that give her away. Emma Watson is dressed unobtrusively in a cotton flower-print French Connection dress and beige sandals, but she is unmistakable. Fans have accosted her five times in the past half hour alone. Today is the actress’s twenty-first birthday, and she is determined to spend it as she pleases—which means a leisurely mid-morning latte followed by a stroll through the Joan Miró exhibition at London’s Tate Modern.

Emma ignores the stares and continues to chat animatedly about Miró’s willingness to take risks with his art. An avid painter herself—“I love it and have a need to do it”—she can talk eloquently about every picture on the wall. Her favorite is The Farm, a painting once owned by Ernest Hemingway that brought the artist his first taste of success outside Spain. What she admires, Emma tells me, is that Miró was both a draftsman and a painter, unafraid to combine these talents to create something that was simultaneously surreal and hyperreal.

continue....

http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/emma-watsons-new-day/

Guest Blogger Series: Connie HozvickafromDirty Footprints Studio

2011-07-11T15:34:00.001-04:00

THE WINDS OF CREATIVITY
Connie Hozvicka

Picking up the paintbrush for me, is like stepping into the basket of a hot air balloon.

I simply get on board, trust, and let the winds of my creativity lead the way.

Yet sometimes I would give all my heart to landing in a certain place.
I cross my fingers. I hold my breath. I ask the gods that be.
And it’s those times...when I hold so tightly to the notion of a smooth landing in a soft meadow of wildflowers--that I totally miss the amazing journey from point A to point B.

That’s the truth about painting or any form of our creativity. How quickly we can get caught up in arriving at our final destination, that we miss the juicy part found in between.
So for me, I think of each painting as simply a new journey.

I stand in front of my paper with only an intention or question in mind, and I let the colors swoon me--and my brush take it’s sweet time.
I want to encourage you to let go of the ropes.
Your balloon is safe, I promise.
Lean into the winds of your own creativity.
Take direction from the current you feel heading your way.
The next time you pick up a pencil, dip your brush into a dab of prussian blue, or you begin to delicately thread your needle..remember the winds of creativity beneath you...and don’t miss one second of the beautiful view.
Art is so much more when you focus on the journey.

BIO

My name is Connie Hozvicka and I help women rise above their fears, strengthen their intuition, and grow confidant as Artists through my biz/blog Dirty Footprints Studio and especially my FEARLESS Painting Adventures.

Photography by Hansel A. Solera

June: Glossy of the Month

2011-06-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

The June issue of Allure with January Jones on the cover.

Should make an interesting design.

May: Glossy of the Month

2011-05-18T17:11:00.001-04:00

This has been another busy month, so I haven't started this one yet.

When I saw Ashley Judd on the cover, I knew I had to transform it in to a Glossy.

This is the May 2011 issue of More magazine.

and the winner is....

2011-05-06T13:52:00.000-04:00

The winner of the fabric journal is:

Michelle LaPoint Rydell

Congratulations Michelle

Featured Sponsor and Giveaway: Penney Klaproth

2011-04-29T17:46:00.002-04:00

I am thrilled to introduce you to multi-media artist and blogger,

Penney Klaproth.
Upon recently moving from sunny Arizona to the mountains of southwest

Virginia I find myself inspired by my new environment.
Now at home with more time to pursue more pleasurable activities (than lesson planning!),
my passion for creating drives my days.

You can find me shooting nature photographs either from my deck in the woods or
on a long walk, baking home-spun meals and delicious goodies, reading,
or most often creating in my upstairs studio.
I've had the urge to create from my youngest days of embroidery and
hand sewing doll clothes through macramé with the Girl Scouts, Cabbage Patch and
Barbie clothes, up to my present addiction of making books and journals.

Along the way I have dabbled in paint, crochet, embroidery,
book making, beaded jewelry, sewing, dyeing, surface design on paper and fabric,
basket weaving, quilting, and card making. I consider my current art style rustic,
eclectic, and shabby. I love raw edges, fibers, inclusions, hand sewing, found objects, and the colors pink and green! Oh, did I mention fibers? I love fabric, ribbon, and thread.

Using materials that are at hand is a challenge I love to take on and usually do. I have created books in boring meetings, while traveling, and in my classroom. There is always an interesting answer to the question,“What if?” and mistakes sometimes reveal something often better than the original. One of my greatest joys is infecting a budding artist with enthusiasm for seeing raw materials in a new way and creating a new type of art. Ultimately I would love to own, run, and teach at an Art Retreat/Bed & Breakfast in the area. My short-term creative goal is to create at home to fill my soul and offer my art to others to fill my coffers so I will feel no need to re-enter the work force.

I'm on my way to reaching that goal with my recent inclusion inSew Somerset Summer 2010 issue and upcoming publication in the spring Somerset Life.check out her etsy shop for more of her journals.

Giveaway:

Penney is offering this lovely fabric journal as a giveaway item.

~~to enter to win: leave a comment/your name. The~~ ~~random generator~~ ~~will pick the winner and I will post it on Friday, May 6th~~

Comments are now closed.

April: glossy of the month

2011-04-12T10:32:00.001-04:00

The Glossy™ of the month is the April issue of Allure.

I think this is going to be a really interesting design.

As for what else is new in the world of The Glossy Project™, well,

there is sooooo much coming up it is beyond words.

I look forward to sharing it with you.

March: Glossy of the Month

2011-03-31T17:44:00.000-04:00

It has seriously been a long winter and a long month in more ways than one.

Lots of Glossy goodness going on....and when the time is right, I will be so delighted to share.

But for now, I am playing a game called 'catching up'.

Though I am a month late with this, I am posting the March Glossy of the Month now.

It is the March issue of Vogue.
How can I not 'glossify' Lady Gaga with her neon pink wig on...
It would just be crazy wrong not to.

Featured Sponsor:Mary Ann SellofSticks and Broomstraws

2011-02-25T12:15:00.001-05:00

I am thrilled to introduce you to our Featured Sponsor, Mary Ann Sell from Phoenix Arizona.

She runs a lovely and creative etsy shop at:
Sticks and Broomstraws
-------

After years of making other people’s patterns, I decided to create and sell my own. I wanted a name for my business that was whimsical and fun. I also wanted it to be a bit unspecific, so that my product line could evolve as my focus and interests changed.

Sticks and Broomstraws represents my building/creating drive in the word “sticks,” and my organizing/tidying mode in the word “broomstraws.” These words also represent both sides of me—the creative and the practical.

Because I am a typical Capricorn, I am very good at details—a skill that’s handy when writing quilt pattern directions. I am also logical. I think through the steps of construction,

whether in fabric or wood, to create a plan of attack for my projects.

These skills come naturally to me. Being creative also comes naturally, but my Muse arrives wearing a belt AND suspenders! One of my current goals is to make art more freely, with a little less emphasis on the outcome and a lot more on the process.

My latest pieces are vignettes on wooden panels. I learned the technique from artist Alma de la Melena Cox, and it involves burning, painting and adhering fabric to wood to create designs.

I’ve always loved working with wood, so to combine that with my love of

fabric and design suits me perfectly.The pieces I create capture a moment that I want to share with others.

I am learning to really SEE when I produce a design for someone else to view.

check out the website at:

www.SticksAndBroomstraws.com

Guest Blogger Series:Lesley Riley

2011-02-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

Lesley is an artist, art instructor and author of numerous
books. Her Lesley Riley’s TAP™, Transfer Artist Paper, has been
named as the most innovative new product at (CHA)
The Crafts and Hobby Association.
This is a little glimpse inside her collection and studio.
I am honored to have Lesley Riley as The Glossy Project's first Guest Blogger.
---------
This is a corner of my studio table.
I love the mix of textures and containers that I store my tools in.
Wicker, alabaster, silvered glass.
The vintage flash card reminds me to say thanks
daily for the gift that is art.

Every good coach has a coach.
This is a Fragment composition book cover I am creating for
my coach & mentor Fabienne Frederickson (http://www.ClientAttraction.com),
the pink is her brand color, the quote, her favorite...and coincidently, mine too.

Blue is my favorite color and my brand color too.
The TAP transfer is from a photo I took last year at
the Artful Journey retreat where I was teaching.
We were housed in an old convent and this is the hand of
the Virgin Mary statue in the dorms.
To me the open hand signifies so many things, all good.

My vintage bookend.

There's a little boy to match but I love having her sitting on my table.

She's a reminder of childhood innocence - a place from which I try to create.

She also represents my other love, reading.

The painting in the background is from a class I took

with Misty Mawn last year at Art & Soul.

When I'm not playing with fabric, I play with paint.

It's the same pull I have between reading and making art.

I am enamored by the beauty in silvered glass.
I collect it - both vintage and modern.
The contrast between the colored pencils and the silver just makes my heart sing.
I'm on a quest to capture that mirrored silver glow in fabric - not easy!
So they sit there on my table serving both as function and inspiration.

Another thing I collect is bowls.
(Yes, I have a silvered glass bowl too.)
This hand-made shallow salad bowl serves as a thread bowl.

Once I choose the colors I need, into the bowl they go
awaiting their turn on the spindle.
The thing is, they're all so pretty there,
jumbled together that I hate to get organized and put them away.

I saw all of these elements laying on the table when i was taking these photos.
I instantly saw a composition in white.
All the snow outside is certainly having an impact.
There's that silver again!
I love that the old dictionary page has ponder at the top.
Winter is a time for pondering and some days, that's all I can do.
I await the flowers of spring!

Lesley Riley
LesleyRiley.com
ArtistSuccess.com
Art & Soul Radio

February: glossy of the month

2011-02-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

This is the one I am working on this month.

I think I am going to use some beading, gold leaf and traditional embroidery on it.

This is what it looks like so far.

January: finished glossy of the month

2011-01-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

embroidered The Glossy Way

A light coat of gesso. Let it dry.

An uneven coat of yellow paint over it.

A bit of airbrush paint

water soluble oil pastels

more painting

Until it looks like this.

Giveaway: The Janome Sew Mini winner is...

2011-01-16T12:35:00.002-05:00

I am so happy to have started the launch of The Glossy Project with the Janome Sew Mini as the first giveaway item.

Below is a list of some of the new giveaway items donated.

Some of the monthly prizes include:

~~a Janome sew mini sewing machine~~

subscriptions to art and fashion magazines

Acrylic paint starter kits

archival sketching and drawing pens packs

huge assortment of glass beads from ArtBeads.com

a collection of mixed media art books

Sulky products from Sulky.com

canvas packs

quality 100% cotton fabrics and batiks

Sewing notions from Coats and Clark

collage and mixed media supplies

50.00 dollars gift card to Dick Blick

and much more.

Stay tuned for the next chance to win.

Have any questions:

email me at:

theglossyproject (at) gmail (dot) com

For updates on The Glossy Project,

'FOLLOW' the blog and

The Glossy Project on Facebook and Twitter.

and Follow my blog HERE

For all things Alma Stoller and The Glossy Project

subscribe to my newsletter:

Newsletter

And now, the winner of the Janome Sew Mini sewing machine is:

Anna at

annakansjalv.blogspot.com

Congratulations.
Alma

Featured Sponsor: Carmi Cimicata: Art Girls Guide to Paris

2011-01-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to introduce you to our new Featured Sponsor,

Carmi Cimicata from artgirlsguide.blogspot.com

I am a full time artist that specialized in handmade greeting cards, altered books, resin embellishments and wearable art pieces. I hand make over 2000 cards a year in order to meet my clients demands at the Toronto One of A Kind shows.

I attained a visual arts degree from Ryerson University that provided a formal foundation for my art pursuits.

Upon graduating from Ryerson,
I founded BACCHUS and The Student Life Education Company;

a highly recognized charity for young Canadians where I was executive director for sixteen years.

I credit the charity experience for inspiring me

to create handmade inexpensive
promotional and educational materials.

I believe you can be cost conscious and effective while still making items that are elegant and professional.

Blogging for me is the perfect way to communicate ideas and images quickly. I have written, mailed and distributed many, many newsletters for most of my life beginning with a comic book style yearbook when I was at elementary school.
Blogging and the internet just made it so much
easier to get my ideas out into the world fast.

About my Paris book and blog:

This is the guide book to Paris I wish someone had written for me ten years ago when I first started going to Paris.

I have managed to learn more and more about Paris each time I visit. Like any grand city, it could take a life time. For those of you who have followed my travels to Paris on my other blog I hope you will be happy to hear that I have pulled

all my research and tips into this guidebook!

This book began as a quick email.

The email turned into a memo.

Then the memo turned into a blog series.

All because ten to twelve times a year I

get a message which always begins with

"Hi Carmi, I know you go to Paris every year,

do you have any recommendations for us?"

Paris, my Paris blog and the guidebook reflects some of the best moments in my life. It is my escape, my inspiration and I believe it will continue to be the place I visit the most.

I walk and look at windows all day in Paris.

Occasionally, I do go inside to shop as well!

I showcase a lot of those windows on my Paris blog.

I visit Paris annually in April,

but I do get the occasional trip in

at different times of the year.

Friends and strangers write to me after my trips. They want to know where I stay, where I go, what I eat and most importantly where do I get all the great things I show off on my blog?

I hope this book answers many of those questions!

I think of going to Paris as a workshop.

It is my opportunity to see new colours,
new embellishments, new designs.
This is what inspires me.

________________________________

Read more about Carmi here
and visit her delightful store HERE.

January: glossy of the month

2011-01-06T14:49:00.000-05:00

WOW! What a lovely start to this site.
Thank you for your emails and comments.

This month's Glossy of the Month is:

the US edition of Vogue.

Here are a few tutorials to help you get started.

How to create a Glossy?

How to embroider The Glossy Back Stitch

As you can see, I've already started on mine.

Still have a long way to go, but a month is

plenty of time to finish it.

Share your progress in

The Glossy Project

Flickr group

Tutorial: how to create a glossy

2011-01-06T13:38:00.003-05:00

What distinguishes a Glossy from other types of

embroidered work is the use of The Glossy Back Stitch.

Unlike traditional embroidery, your image is
transfered on the back-side of the fabric
and then the Glossy Back Stitch is worked on it.

The Glossy Back stitch is similar to
the traditional back stitch.

The difference is that you can change the length of each

stitch as you embroider your image.

Doing so results in a jagged and impressionistic design

on the right-side of the fabric.

That's exactly the goal of this technique.

To create a Glossy, use tracing paper to trace an image.

You trace a photograph or an original drawing.

In this example, I am using the January 2010 issue of Vogue.

Place the tracing on your fabric.

Then use a bone folder or a spoon to burnish the
pencil marks onto the back of your fabric.

When you are done, it will look something like this.

Then iron an iron-on interfacing or
stabilizer over the design.
This will prevent the pencil markings from rubbing off as

you work and it will also make
the fabric a little heavier and stronger.

Now start to embroider it.

Here is a link to:

How to embroider The Glossy Back Stitch

When the entire piece is embroidered,

it will look something like this.

All the knots and loose threads will be visible

on the side you've stitched on.

Turn it to the right-side and it looks like this.

At this point, you can leave it as is, or

if you want to paint it, lightly gesso your Glossy.

Now you are ready to paint, applique, sew,

bead, cut in to, quilt, collage, watercolor,

gold leaf or embellish it any way you want.

When you are done, frame it or

wrap it over a canvas.

enjoy!

Alma Stoller

Tutorial: how to embroider The Glossy Back Stitch

2011-01-06T13:14:00.003-05:00

What distinguishes a Glossy from other types of embroidered work

is the use of The Glossy Back Stitch.

Unlike traditional embroidery, your image is transfered on the back-side of the fabric and then the Glossy Back Stitch is worked on it.

The Glossy Back stitch is similar to the traditional back stitch.

The difference is that you can change the length of each

stitch as you embroider your image.

Doing so results in a jagged and impressionistic design

on the right-side of the fabric.

That's exactly the goal of this technique.

How to embroider The Glossy Back Stitch

I like to use two strands of embroidery floss.

Go in the fabric at (1) and out at (2)

in at (3) and out at (4)

in at (5) and out at (6)

in at (7) out at (8)

in at (9) out at (10)

and so on....

The back-side, which is your working-side will look like this.

When you turn it over to the right-side, it will look like this.

read How to create a Glossy HERE.

Featured Sponsor: Nelly Eisenhower from Nelly's Junk Drawer

2011-01-02T07:20:00.002-05:00

I am thrilled to share with you a bit of the art and life of
Nelly Eisenhower from Nelly's Junk Drawer.

I can tell you all the things I am;
wife, mother, daughter, friend, accountant. I have always been “crafty” so to speak.
I have scrapbooked, collaged, knitted, sewn, you name it.
I love making things and try every “craft” that comes my way.

I came across the blogosphere about 3 years ago searching out new things to make.
In doing so, I discovered the wonderful world of mixed media.
From that point I began taking classes by mixed media artists, Suzi Blu,
Julie Prichard and Willowing online.
I began falling in love with painting and mixed media.

In 2010, I traveled to Seattle to attend Artfest.
It was here that I discovered women living widely creative lives.
Women making a living through creating and selling art.
I could finally put into words what I truly want
to be when I grow up….a full-time artist.

2011 is the year I will begin to live out my dreams.

It is time for me to make the micro movements necessary to bring my dreams to reality.
Stop talking the talk and finally walk the walk.