Dustin off my ATC's

Recently a friend told me I needed to get my ATC's out of the binder I kept them in and out where I could see them everyday and be inspired. So I had this little wire thing sitting on the shelf for years holding little baubles I had received and made. I had hubby mount it on the wall and hung some of my favorite ATC's on it. The little curlies on the bottom use to be the stand but now I can hang more stuff on them. I think I am going to make one more and dedicate it just to ATC's

 

Still that was just not enough display space so I wound wire around a paint bottle then flattened it and stretched it out. The I attached some wire leafs that I had received as a bow on a Christmas gift to the top.

It just makes me feel so good to sit at my desk and see them. Do you see one you made? :) This really makes me want to get into trading some ATC's again ... Want to do a One for One just email me :)

Over The Roof

I missed "The wearing of the green" :{ I am soooo bad and it really makes it worse since hubby and I were engaged upteen years ago on Saint Patrick's day :/ Things just got so busy with our little holiday and club meetings... But I did get this weeks card done for the Created Byhand Challenge The theme is "My Heart Dances" I had seen a similar card a while back and I had it stuck in my head. I figured I just could not get it out of my head until I made one ...lol

 

 

Oh almost forgot to say ... all the stamps are from

Scrolls Work. As many of you know I use to own Inka Stamps so these are the stamps I have also since my Daughter in law now owns Scrolls Work I get all her new stamps too... lol

Artistic Souls Scarf

I am a member of two local art clubs and yesterday was the meeting of the souls ..... Artistic Souls that is :)) The wonderful Judy Johnson hosted and she presented this fabulous project. We started with a plain white silk scarf then we put texture sheets under it and then used a stippling brush to lightly brush across the surface with Fabrico ink. I used two textures and two colors. Once the background was done we stamped them. I use a stamp from hero arts and again the Fabrico ink. I just love it!

Here is a close up so you can see how the background looks

Oooops! Challenge

I am so honored that Jeanette over at Soartful challenges chose my free "Oops" postcard below for the theme of her challenge this week... so of course I had to enter :)) This little ATC is up for trade as well. Just use the email link on my right hand sidebar.

 Oh and the tutoral link for making your own little paper fringe is in the free online workshops I offer on the left hand sidebar ... it is included in the peek a boo Easter eggs workshop

Doll Tin ...yep ...Steampunk again : /

Monday was out local art club meeting and two of our fabulous members teamed up to bring us this great project. We all used wallpaper books as our first layer then embellished to the finish :)) I was drawn of course to the the adventure of the world, using vintage maps and a moon to create a little doll type tin. I wrapped eyelash yarn around the edges of the lid. Then to steam punk it out I added some gears and watch springs to the front. I then made a little hat from cardboard and an old map and added a tiny compass that I glued inside a spiral paper clip, a brass finding and some specks made from vintage tidily winks were my finishing touches. I just love it! Renee and Jill even brought us some of there beautiful hand made soaps to put in our tins. We always have so much fun and I count myself so fortunate to be in such a fun artistic group!

 

Stuck on Steampunk : /

Ok ... I admit it...I am stuck on Steampunk

My entry for the Created Byhand Challenge this week "You Go Girl"

Update: March 11

What is Steampunk? I have had several inquiries. The best way I can think of explaining it is, if you were able to travel back in time to the Victorian industrial age....when so much inventing was going on, and tried to create items from our era with the materials available then. You would end up with strange flying machines, computers that had the look and feel of an old typewriter, maybe a dishwasher made of an old ice box and so on.

I felt this card fit the theme because in those days most of the inventors were men. While the women stayed at home taking care of the children and house hold chores. But my lady is not content with sitting in the parlor watching the men have all the creative fun. I punched stars in the lens of the goggels to dipict the stars in her eyes as she sits with goggles in hand at the ready to meet the sky.

Letter to my friend....

OK ... so I messed up with the Created Byhand Challenge and posted too late : ] I got the day the new challenge is posted mixed up... so I am giving it a go again :) This week it is "Letters to friends"

 

The stamps are Scroll Works and the background is from my old books collage sheet. I just enlarged it.

One if by land...

Two if by sea

...but no body mentioned this! What to do??? :))

 

It has been a long time since I entered any challenges but this week was things that fly over at Created Byhand Challenge so I decided to play :)

I used that new one step crackle paint for the background, the newspaper is from a real old newspaper and the stamps are from Scroll Works

Peek A Boo Easter Eggs

What is old is new again :) These are the little eggs I made last year but because of several requests the instructions to make them are now in my free online workshops. Just click on the link in the left hand sidebar. You can also click on the picture above to get a better view of all 4 eggs!

 

 

 

Yes these are just plastic Easter eggs!

To begin you need to glue the seams of your eggs with E6000 so they don't open. Once that is dry make an oval template and using a dremel tool, cut an oval on one side of each egg. If you don't have a dremel you can make one with out the peek :)) see the picture of the purple egg.

 

Once that is done mix a little white glue with water so it is really runny. Then tear the cut edge from some printers paper and tear that into strips. Soak each strip in the water and smooth onto the egg. Now you have to wait again :) but you can cut out the images your going to use while you wait. When that is dry use a heavy coat of Gel medium and yes, wait again!

When dry sand your egg as smooth as you like. I used a sanding barrel on the end of my dremel to speed that up. I also did not smooth it out totally because I wanted that hand made artistic look. Then I painted them with white Gesso, once dry I dry brushed them with a little color, whew ... the drying is done! and now it is time to decorate! 

I just stamped the outside of the egg according to the style I chose for each one. I used the inner circle of a canning jar lid to hot glue a little nest of moss and then glued my egg to that but you could use all kinds of things to stand your egg on. A few ideas are candle holders, little box bottoms or even a napkin ring. For the peek-a-boo eggs I used images cut from Altered Artifacts collage sheets available at my Etsy store, floral elements and colored tissue paper that I had sewn and made mini garlands out of. These are simple to make, Sew lines down several layers of tissue. I use it straight from the package and I just leave it folded as it comes. The lines you sew do not have to be perfect nor does it matter if the tissue tucks a bit as you sew it because it really will not show when your garland is finished. Then trim the tissue about 1/4 of an inch from each side of the stitching. Whala your sewing lines are straight! The without cutting through the stitching clip the tissue about every 1/8 and inch and this doesn't have to be exact either. Once you have the entire strip clipped on both sides of the stitching, hold both end in one hand and twist it up. Without letting it untwist gather it into a ball and roll it in your hands to form as small a ball as you can. Unroll it and fluff. This can be repeated until you are happy with the look. The more you twist roll and fluff the softer it gets.

 

Now for the whole Victorian egg I wet the back of my image. This made it pliable so that it would contour to the egg easily without wrinkling. This only works with laser images because the ink might run for inkjet images. Once it was soft, I applied a little glue and glued it to the egg. Then I masked off my image and sprayed the egg with Elmer's craft bond glue and rolled it in glass glitter, removed the mask and glued it to a little tissue paper nest that I had also glued onto a caning jar inner lid 

 

Flower Fever :o

Literally! I think I mentioned that I had been a little under the weather ...yep I think it was flower fever. I am better now but I felt so bad I did not feel like doing anything but sitting in bed and watching TV....well that got old real quick! so I sat in bed, watched TV and made flowers.... Now I have a pile of fabric flowers that I have to figure out what to do with : / but aren't they pretty!

 

I put pin backs on some and sent them to friends. I think I might decorate some tee shirts and jeans with them too. They are so easy and I thought you might like to make some too!

 

I just folded a square of fabric in quarters, folded the top square section back to form a point, folded the bottom square section the same way so the whole thing was folded to a point. Then cut the top into a petal shape, unfold and you have a flower shape. Scrunch it in the center and tack it in place by hand. Do this in several sizes and layer them up. I did the same with a nylon sheer fabric and alternated the layers. I think it really made a difference.

 

Steampunk ATC's

Last night my DIL brought me the two new sheets she just got in over at Scrolls Work Stamps so while she was working away trying to get all the orders out I got to play :)) The backgrounds are from my collage sheets you can find them at my etsy store and the stamps are all Scrolls Works

 

For The Love Of Theater

I have been under the weather so I have not done much of anything but sleep. As I was looking thought my pictures I realized that I had not blogged this. I think I had planned on saving it because I am working on a new free workshop for little theaters and some of the pictures taken during the construction of this one will be use. But I decided to share it because I have also finished another little theater I can share when I get the workshop finished.

 

This on was also done from a reclaimed drawer out of an old jewelry box. I used my dremel to expand the hole into a slot where the nob was. That way the little puppet can be lowered through the slot and the little handle can be used to make her dance.

 

Step by step instruction will be posted as soon as I can get up and around enough to finish writing them :)

My Little Monster Man

The other day I was visiting Totally Tutorials Blog and they had the cutest tutorial for making monster valentine cards by Art, Adventures, and Toddler. My grandbaby was visiting and when the little monster saw the monsters on the computer he of coarse wanted some. So I had the idea to make the little monsters more toddler friendly.

I just cut out two and added a little batting and a magnet. He played with them for hours! Luckily our coffee table is metal. I am not really an accomplished monster seamstress so they don't look quite as precise as the tutorial but our little monster was happy! He had on some little cargo paints that day and it was not long before he had one stuffed in each pant pocket :)

The little monster and his monsters

Diva Dolls

I know I have been a little quite but I have been busy working on a fun project for the local stamping club I attend...Designing Diva's. This month it was my turn to present the project. I had seen these little Victorian paper dolls and decided it would be such a fun project for valentines day.... then I thought if we were going to do dolls they should have our faces! So I got to work making a personalized paper doll for each one of us ... but only some are represented here.

What a fun evening we had! but really I was giggling all week as I designed each doll. I could hardly wait for last night so I could reveal "the girls" It was so worth the wait though as each doll was revealed to the giggles and squeals of our Diva's The lighting was not great but they all turned out so cute

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UPDATE
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Now you can be a real doll too! ... available in my etsy store! 

 

:-**•-: OWOH One World One Heart Give Away :-**•-:

And the winner is .....
Angie in AZ from Artvisionz

Congrats!

I have two ... count um two prizes to give away ...
and I might just be adding more as we go!
Click on the badge below to find a whole list of giveaways too!

Just hang on to the edge of that magic carpet and have a wonderful ride!

First up.. I have a little terrarium necklace. The little chain hangs on a black cord necklace but it is cut off in the picture. The bottle section of this measures just over an inch high... so it is tiny ... and yes it will stay alive in there. I have had this one hanging here in my office for about two months. I did have to figure out the secret for keeping them alive but that will be passed on to the winner :) The little charm says "Create" and I just thought that was appropriate for this fun little blog party.

I also have a selection of unmounted rubber. They were generously donated by Scroll Works Rubber Stamps my DIL little online store. Also visit her blog as she is running a blog candy giveaway too ... so leave a comment and you could walk away with one of these great prizes!

Leave a comment to win and don't forget a contact email or link so I can notify the winner :)

I am working my way down the list as well so if I haven't been to your blog yet ... I will get there :))

Weight Watching Bott

If you watch my blog you already know that my hubby made some little robots for our "guy" gifts at Christmas. I say "guy" gifts but really most of the wife's were claiming them too :))... Anyway I have been encouraging him since and he has just been building the cutest little robots. I just had to share this one. Every time I look at her I think "do these pants make my butt look big". Also if you push on the little weight tray the head will bob. I would love to keep them all but we live in a very small house. Since we really don't have places to put them all, I have talked hubby into opening an etsy store. He called it Tinkers Warehouse because I am Altered Artifacts and since we are both Warehouse 13 fans he thought it fit. Be sure to drop by for a visit!

Steampunk Bird Workshop!

The amazingly talented Lynn Stevens from Trash To Treasures Art hosted a steampunk bird workshop at her studio yesterday for some of her friends. I can't tell you how fortunate I feel to have been on the list. We had so much fun punking out the wooden bird blanks that she spend hours carving for us! Her hubby spoiled us rotten too! He had mocha lattes waiting for us when we arrived and then when lunch time rolled around he had made us the most awesome soup I have had in a long time! Some wonderful birds were created by all! but I am just going to blog mine because I am sure each one will want to blog about there birds too :)) If you click on the picture it will take you to a larger all sides view.

Valentine Margareta Candle

I know it seems I have disappeared, things have just been so hectic at our house. I still wanted to take time out from catching up on my blog reading to share this little project I did at Artistic Souls. It was Barbs turn to host the project and she came up with this darling Valentine Margareta! We stamped papers and decoupaged them to the inside of the glass. Some of us stamped the outside also. Then we added the beaded trim and I love the chunky glitter on the rim. She provided candies for it to be used as a candy dish but you all know me... those chocolates did not last ten minutes :)) ha! Instead I am going to use mine for a candle holder for a special Valentines day dinner .. shhhhhhhh... don't tell him :)

Marie Antoinette Fabric Collage Wallet

These is a couple examples of what I made for a local Christmas gifts fair. I did wallets, makeup bags, change purses and even key chains. Wow did they sell well. I had saved out several for gifts for friends too. I did not want them to see what they were getting so I had to wait to post. I also posted some to etsy but removed them when they sold locally.

 

 

Recently some of my friends were upset that someone had copied my idea... but the whole reason I post my work is so that I can encourage others to create art :) I am truly honored if someone likes what I have done enough to want to create something similar. I like to give a link back and a that would be great but I also understand that blogland is huge and we all belong to the same yahoo groups as well. Sometimes as artists we see something and it gets stuck in our creative subconscious and we really don't remember where we saw it so I understand that too .... now just go create something fabulous!!!
Inka :)

Upcycled Lighting :)

Ok ... so I had two of those ugly brass light fixtures we all hate in my studio... so I painted it black since most of the furniture in there is black. It was better than that shiny brass but I still hated them!

Then I cam across these vegetable baskets in the thrift shop and I thought they looked like they would fit over those ugly lights. So I brought them home, painted them black and stuck them up there. It was better but I still did not like them much. However I thought I could tie some ribbons on the wires, hang a few crystals here and there and maybe I would like them better.

Then it came to me... I had crystal garlands in my Christmas decorations! ... Now I love them! The room just sparkles when they are lit and I get to enjoy my crystal garlands year round :)