Waiting Out Hurricane Sandy...UGGH!

Living off the NC Coast, close to the Outer Banks, NC and Virginia Beach, Va. we've been under the clouds, rain and winds of Hurricane Sandy. I know we have been fortunate because we haven't lost power and the rain, although a lot, came down in a steady clip so there is no flooding where I live. I haven't ventured out but I'm betting that the area close to the Pasquotank River which opens into the Albemarle Sound which leads to the barrier reef islands known as OBX probably is. We were definitely spared!

Uggh...this is going to be ugly!

Sat. am 10/27/2012

Sun. am 10/28/2012

I did get the opportunity to work on a journal page in between my marathon cleaning event.

Todays's weather is still rain and windy conditions but Sandy has moved up the coast. Sending good thoughts to all in the path of the storm...especially to my daughter Cait, who lives in Buffalo, NY,  who asked me...after I told her to be prepared..."should I buy more eggs & batteries?"

BE SAFE YA'ALL!!!

Tattered Angels & Gift Giving

Geesh...I thought that I would post more last week after having 3 weeks of LIFE CHAOS but it just didn't happen. You know the old saying...something about the best laid plans...lol! Today I want to share 3 projects created for Tattered Angels...fun, fast and fabulous gift giving ideas.

In my world today gifts have come down to either gift cards or money. Although this is the most personal but sometimes the most welcome. I hate using a store bought card to put these gifts in so I came up with an alternative method that can be so easily personalized for the recipient.

I have several boxes of mop tags, left over scraps of paper, left over embellishments…actually it’s my junk drawer that I keep just for this type of project!

I love the new sizes of manila tags that are available from Ranger and this project was created on the new #10 size {4-1/8” x 8-1/2”}. Using scraps from my scrap box of embossed 7 Dots paper, May Arts lace trim, quatrefoil shapes cut from Spellbinders Labels #24, Prima flowers, Tim Holtz Ideaology & 7Gypsies metal embellishments in no time I put together this rather lovely tag. To pull together all the different colors on my scrap pieces they all received a heavy misting of Tattered Angels Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist.  On the back I glued a small manila envelope from Maya Roads that I’ve had for several years.

How about another tag created from your standard size manila shipping tag, left over papers and embellishments and a quote from Balzer Designs Stencil MINI-POPPIES misted with Tattered Angels Marmalade Glimmer Mist. Wrapping the tag with Canvas Corp twine gives it a finished look along with a gift envelope attached with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. Another quick and easy gift tag to present as a gift.

How about a simple frame made from a manila tag for favorite photo of the gift recipient. Using the NEW size #12 {5-1/8”x10-1/2”} manila shipping tags from Ranger Inkssentials and an Instagram photo {4”x4”} in no time you can put together a cute, inexpensive mini frame with your gift enclosed using one of the fabulous mini envelopes found in so many different paper lines. With left over Pink Paislee wood letters arrow misted with Tattered Angels Boogie Board Chalkboard, Mallard Glimmer Mist and an overcoat of Guilded Gold Glimmer Mist, some Helmar 450 Quick Dry Glue I have a gift ready to go! Because I used one of my Mop Tags {because I hate to waste any of the Tattered Angels goodness} I can’t give a color description but I did use a heavy misting of Tattered Angels Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist as an over coating!

Thanks for stopping by!!! Hopefully I'll do better this week with posting ;)

Catch-up Post...

For 3 weeks I have been dealing with several personal family issues...sad ones but I'm back and hope that I have a few weeks to breathe....BREATHE!!!!

Here is a post that was shared on the Craft-E-Corner site for Think Pink Events. I was so honored that they showcased my project as Breast Cancer Awareness is very close to my heart {I have a sister who is an 11 year survivor}.

Here is the final round-up from the Virtual Gallery Walk created by the uber talented Liz Hicks...ARTISTIC INSPIRATION: THEN & NOW. Head on over to Liz's blog to see all the projects in one place.

Today I was highlighted on The Crafter's Workshop blog...thank you Jaime!

I want to also take this time to say thank you to Scraps of Darkness kit club for allowing me to be a quest designer for September. It's an awesome kit club. Today is the reveal for October so head on over to see what the kit looks like!!

So now I'm off to clean-up my studio...uggh! Thanks for stopping by ;)

Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now "Day 5"

Today is the last day of our Virtual Gallery Walk and you will be visiting Cheryl Waters and her beautiful art inspired by Klimt and a quick trip back to the talented Jamie Dougherty and her beautiful piece inspired by Bruce Gray!

If today is your 1st day of the Virtual Gallery Walk you can go back and see all the incredible art from all the participants below {including ME}.

     DAY 1:

Liz Hicks: www.blogerisms.blogspot.com

Jen Cushman: http://www.jencushman.com/

DAY 2:

Kathy Cano-Murillo: http://www.craftychica.com/

Tracy Weinzapfel: http://www.tracywburgos.typepad.com/

DAY 3:

Catherine Matthews-Scanlon: http://cmscanlon.blogspot.com/

Martha Richardson: http://themermaidscloset.blogspot.com/

DAY 4:

Camille McClelland: http://shesonehotmama.blogspot.com/

Jamie Dougherty- http://jaylynnscraps.blogspot.com/

DAY 5:

     Cheryl Waters- http://www.artsyfindings.com/

     Jamie Dougherty- http://jaylynnscraps.blogspot.com/

I'm going to do a final wrap up post showing the entire Gallery and at that time I will also post a complete supply list of what I used for my project. Today I'd like to share some sneak peeks of projects created for Tattered Angels Natural Elements collection.

Thanks for being a part of this Virtual Gallery Walk...I hope you enjoyed visiting all our blogs and allowing us to share where we get inspiration from. I will be out of town for the next week so I will not be posting until I return.

Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now "Day 4"

Hope you've been enjoying this Virtual Gallery Walk. Today's artists that will be sharing are:

Jamie Dougherty- http://jaylynnscraps.blogspot.com/

Camille McClelland: http://shesonehotmama.blogspot.com/

If you have missed the other artists here are the links :

DAY 1:

Liz Hicks: www.blogerisms.blogspot.com

Jen Cushman: http://jencushman.wordpress.com

DAY 2:

Kathy Cano-Murillo: http://www.craftychica.com/

Tracy Weinzapfel: http://www.tracywburgos.typepad.com/

DAY 3:

Catherine Scanlon: http://cmscanlon.blogspot.com

Martha Richardson: http://themermaidscloset.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by...make sure you head over to Jamie's & 

Camille's blog to see what they have created!

Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now...Day 3

Today is the third day of the Virtual Gallery Walk and my day to share my art.  I was really excited when Liz Hicks asked me to participate and I knew that I would really have to stretch myself...it would mean that I had to define myself as an artist. It would mean that what I often take for granted I would have to be able to relay that information to you.

I started yesterday by sharing the four ideas that are the basis of my art....COLOR, SHAPE, NATURE & TECHNIQUES. I think it is important to know that I do have a very particular shape that I love to work with as it will show you why I was inspired by a particular artist and why. I love working in the round and have been since my early college days back in the early 70's {gulp!}...macrame done on old metal rings from lampshades, weavings done in the same manner, a round quilt in the 80's and several mixed-media round canvases today. Here are just a few to share:

                     

When I stumbled across the artist Jill Ricci I felt my heart sing, my jaw dropped open and I felt an immediate affinity to her art. Here's why ;)

Poker Face 2011

~OR THIS~

DEVOTED 2011

After discovering Jill Ricci's art I then set out to find out as much as I could about her and how she creates...this is where the technique part comes in. Working with modern day images, found objects, beads and old world techniques such as Venetian Plaster and gold leaf she creates a bridge between the old and the new.

So from this inspiration I created this:

I was already comfortable working in the round and creating collages from magazines, adding texture with old pages but I never put these two ideas together...it was an aha! moment. You can see where I allowed the magazines pieces to actually become part of the background. I love Jill Ricci's use of the various quatrefoil shapes with the delicate seed beads applied around each one. I chose various colors from my mop tags, my collages from Polyvore and from scraps of Tattered Angels projects to create my quatrefoil shapes...with the help of Spellbinders 
Nestabilities Label 6. The metallic gold comes from Tim Holtz Paint Dabber in Metallic Gold that I stamped, scraped, stenciled onto to the finished piece.

I'm by no means done with this inspiration as I'm going to try my hand at Venetian Plaster and Gold Leaf. Tomorrow I will share a full list of everything I used to create this project and some close-ups but right now I want you to head over to my extremely talented friend Catherine Matthews-Scanlon's blog to see what she has created for this Virtual Gallery Walk.

If you are joinging us for the 1st time today I urge you to go back and check out the following artists and what they have created.

DAY 1

Liz Hicks: www.blogerisms.blogspot.com

Jen Cushman: http://jencushman.wordpress.com

DAY 2

Kathy Cano-Murillo: http://www.craftychica.com/

Tracy Weinzapfel: http://www.tracywburgos.typepad.com/

I want to take this opportunity to thank Liz Hicks for this wonderful art collaboration. I believe that the more we share as artists the better we become at what we love to do. I want to thank Jill Ricci for her wonderful art and I'm so thankful to have found her via PINTREST. I would love to take a class with her and hope that someday that will happen!

Have a wonderful day and make sure you take this Virtual Gallery Tour!

Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now "Day2"

Today is the second day of the Virtual Gallery Walk. Make sure that you "walk" on over to these artists blogs:

Kathy Cano-Murillo: http://www.craftychica.com/

Tracy Weinzapfel: http://www.tracywburgos.typepad.com/

In preparing for this Gallery  Walk and thinking about where I find inspiration I narrowed it down to four ideas ~ COLOR, NATURE, SHAPE and TECHNIQUE. I find that I have to let the initial idea percolate in my mind for awhile...I allow it to take shape in my mind's eye...I don't sketch it out and when I feel that it has taken shape then I go to work on the project. While working is when I start rearranging, adding, subtracting, looking at, thinking, looking at...it's like a loop!

Colors I choose to work with have a tendency to be brighter and often based on the colors of water, beach, ocean. Here are a few examples of my color choices:

If you are just starting the Virtual Gallery Walk you will want to go and check out the artists from "Day1":

Liz Hicks: www.blogerisms.blogspot.com

Jen Cushman: http://jencushman.wordpress.com

Make sure you check out each day as 2 different artists will be sharing their Artistic Inspiration! Tomorrow for Day 3 will be the talented Catherine Matthews-Scanlon and ME!

Have a creative day...

Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now

I'm so excited...today the Virtual Gallery Walk officially starts. For the next 5 days you will have the opportunity to visit 2 of the collaborating artists blogs to find out were they draw their inspiration from and how it influences their art.

1st up {Mon. 10/1} will be featured artists Liz Hicks and Jen Cushman...so head on over to their blogs and take a gallery walk!

Liz Hicks: www.blogerisms.blogspot.com

Jen Cushman: http://jencushman.wordpress.com/

The following artists will be featured on:

Tues. 10/2 Kathy Cano-Murillo & Tracy Weinzapfel

Wed. 10/3 Catherine Scanlon & Martha Richardson

Thurs. 10/4 Camille McClelland & Jamie Doughtery

Fri. 10/5 Jamie Doughtery & Cheryl Waters

I know we are all excited to be a part of this project. I though I might share a small photo of what I've been working on.

Have a great day and see you back here on Tuesday for the next 2 featured artists!!!