My Tickled Fancy

Round Robin Altered Book: "Girlhood"

2012-02-20T11:33:00.001-08:00

This darling book, "Girlhood-With A Touch of Pink", belongs to Rachelle & it is just as sweet as can be! Here are my pages created in Rachelle's book:

Now, off to finish my pages in Carla's book, "Paper Dresses"; I'll be posting those later today. Bye for now!

Lovely Daze

2012-02-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

I've been really enjoying a few days off work & using the time to get creative, explore new friendships & savor the beauty of my everyday world.

This past Friday evening, I met up with 2 new art friends, Kaprice & Tracye, to visit & play in altered books we are each busy with. We decided to call our little group "Journal Junkies" & we'll each be making a themed journal that we will then swap among each other; our themes are Garden (Kaprice's book), Travel (Tracye) & Dress Up (me). I'll be posting pix of our creations in our books as those come about.

Saturday, I attended my first art journaling class at the Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville, CA. thestampartshoppe.com & it was WONDERFUL! Our instructor, Karen, is so much fun & has an amazing depth of fabulous techniques to show us; we'll meet monthly for an entire year & I'm thrilled to be on this journey to explore the world of art journaling!

A sign posted in the classroom is a great reminder to just jump on in & give it a try:

Here are my supplies I brought for the class:

Playing in my class journal; our assignment is to write a 4 word "self-help" sentence; I immediately thought "art feeds my soul" & that's what I wrote! I will continue to explore this thought within the pages of my journal.

Later that day, after my class, I strolled through a nearby neighborhood & came upon a lovely tulip tree in bloom, complete with a bench beneath; perfect spot to sit a spell, don't you think?

The sky was blue, the weather was mild & the tulip tree's blooms were soooo pretty:

Much too nice a day to be inside, so I ended up at a favorite spot along the river for a cocktail & to enjoy the sunset:

Missed catching the actual sunset on camera, but love this silhouette of palms against the dusky sky:

What a beautiful day it's been!

Rockin' the Round Robin - Part I

2012-02-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

Ithas taken me quite some time to complete my pages in the first book Ireceived from Pen Stuart's altered book round robin (RR), but FINALLYI have finished them! Visit Pen's bloghere http://infinityandjellydoughnuts-pen.blogspot.com/

There are 14books in this RR from artists all over the U.S. plus several inAustralia-WOW! The book I'vejust finished working in belongs to Kaitlyn Brannon & has "Night"as its theme; Kaitlyn created this lovely cover for her book:

Andhere are the 4 pages I created inside:

I wrote a haiku for this "dream" page; it says: "At night, dreams take hold.
Our world becomes limitless
and we are set free."

"Nightlife" - the sassy lady has a faux fur collar made from soft black fiber I had in my stash

"Nightingale" - the bird image is from packaging that held an acrylic stamp; it was too pretty to throw out!

"Stand by Me" - lyrics from the classic song..."when the night has come & the land is dark & the moon is the only light we see...stand by me."

Now, off to create in the next 2 books for this RR plus create my pages in the second RR I'm playing in. More to come on my creations for those, so stay tuned!

2012-02-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

How Fun...I Won!

Yesterday was a "happy mail" day-Wheeeeeee! First, I discovered I had won this great rubber stamp from Two Peas in a Bucket:

"Love Grows" rubber stamp by Penny Black

Next, I had a package from my brother, Paul, that contained a Valentine's card & other fun items with wishes for a happy heart day!

And, finally, I received another altered art book to create in for one of the 2 round-robins I'm playing in (I'll have a post up tomorrow with more on that). Here's a sneak peek:

Ta-Ta for now!

2012-01-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Messin' Around

Today I am taking on a challenge from Cocoa Daisy Scrapbooking http://www.cocoadaisy.com/blog/.

The challenge is "Layer Cake" & the goal is to create a layout (LO) using the 10 suggested "layers" in the design. It is a perfect jumping off point for me to dive in & play with my new Crafters Workshop stencils (mine are all from Julie Balzer's new line for them)

http://www.thecraftersworkshop.com/The_Crafters_Workshop/New_Products.html

& Ranger Ink Colorwash Sprays by Tim Holtz plus Perfect Pearls mist

http://www.rangerink.com/products/prod_dyeink_adirondackcolorwash.htm

http://www.rangerink.com/products/prod_perfectpearls_mists.htm

Here is layer #1 for my challenge LO-mist the page:

Close-up view; the camera really doesn't do justice to the beautiful colors. I sprayed the leaf stencil with the Colorwash in "lettuce" & "espresso" then sprayed a layer of Perfect Pearls mist in "bronze". Love this combo!

And, here are some other results I got from messin' around with the Colorwash sprays & the templates:

The color combo used with this stencil is "red pepper" & "wild plum" Colorwash plus "heirloom gold" Perfect Pearls mist. This one was sprayed directly through the stencil & the others are the result of laying plain colored cardstock on top of the stencil after it was sprayed; the colors & design then transfer onto the cardstock. It's a great way to use the leftover ink that's been sprayed onto the stencil.

And, here is the result of laying a piece of colored paper onto the leaf stencil after I had sprayed it for my challenge page LO. This rocks!

Now, on to layer #2 of my LO-add some paint:

Acrylic paint color is a mix of sky blue plus tan; my sky blue paint is really blue so I used the tan to soften it. I think this color works so well on the page!

Layers #3, #4, #5 are: a bit of sparkle, some patterned paper & add a sticker on the patterned paper. Layer #6 is the photo, which I don't actually have yet so am skipping this for now. Layer #7 is to add a bit of ribbon.

Layer #3-the glittery word "beautiful", layer #4-the brown patterned paper in the center of the page, layer #5-the phrase at bottom left of the page, layer #7-ribbon tied at the top of the brown patterned paper.

Layer #8-add stitching:

This was the hardest part of the challenge for me. I love the look of stitching on scrapbook pages but never do it because my sewing machine is not convenient to get at & stitching by hand on a page layout always seems to be difficult. Nevertheless, I did manage to add a wee bit of hand-stitching with some twine.

Layer #9-a little stamping:

Stamped some lovely butterflies near the bottom left & top of my page.

Layer #10-add a title
My title is "Enjoy the Beauty of Nature" So, no need to add anything else; I am done & here is the final page:

Such a fun way to spend a relaxing afternoon!

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

Wishing you all a beautiful

creative year!

2011-12-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

Nourished in the New Year

As the new year approaches, I've been pondering on what I want for myself in 2012 & I kept returning to a need to feel nourished; not just nutritionally, but physically, emotionally, creatively & spiritually. And so, I'm committing to nourishment of my being starting RIGHT NOW! Feels sooooo good!

This morning's breakfast

Today I am being creative & completing some unfinished art projects; I'll be posting them here so I hope you'll stop back by & visit to see what's new.

Happy & Blessed New Year to you!

2011-12-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

GPP Crusade #58

I wanted very much to take part in Michelle Ward's GPP Street Team crusade #58 "Girls on Film" because I agree wholeheartedly that it's important we do get in front of the camera from time to time; this was the perfect challenge to help me step out of my comfort zone behind the lens & smile for the camera! These pics are during holiday fun this month. I'm so glad I did get these photos of enjoying my time with people I love! Here's a link to Michelle's GPP Street Team site http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/

Thanks, Michelle, for your encouragement to document my life from in front of the lens & not just from behind it!

Cake pop vendor let us us his props for a fun photo

Here's me & my dear friend, Linda, gettin' festive over a holiday weekend getaway. Top pic is at the Cornish Christmas in Grass Valley, CA. & below is at the Victorian Christmas celebration in Nevada City, CA. Good times!

Below pic is on Christmas Day, with my youngest niece & my nephew. Love those 2 sooooo much!

Hoping that you've all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season!

Thrift-A-Licious!

2011-07-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was on the hunt for items (vintage forks, to be exact) to use in an altered art project; so, off to the thrift stores I went! Not only did I find the forks for my project, but also scored a few other delightful things; my most excellent being 3 lightweight, yet sturdy & just-the-perfect-size chairs for my dining nook-$19.96 total for 3 chairs (no 4th, but that's OK 'cuz 3 fits better into my teeny-tiny dining space).

What a deal!

Snagged a couple of sweet doilies & a wooden spoon that are all destined for future art projects:

A wee bit over $2 for the lot!

And, this amazing basket that I just had to have-vintage masher is woven into the basket for a handle-how clever is that? Oh, and the price of $2.50 could not be beat!

Next, a lovely, shabby stoneware bucket I'll fill with gilded pinecones for the holidays-won't that be pretty?

I saved the best for last...at least, for me, it's the best; I love Frankoma pottery (my dad was originally from OK & we used Frankoma dishes all during my growing up years). I've just begun my own collection & looky here what I snagged for $4:

Yessssss! I've never seen a Frankoma 4-leaf clover-oh, lucky day! It's the sweetest lil' dish & I just LOVE it!

And so, another happy thrifting adventure comes to a close...'till next time!

Mad Scientist

2011-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well....I'm more of a happy scientist, especially when I'm messin' around in some sort of creative way & for the very first time I'm joining Michelle Ward's "GPP Street Team" Crusades. Current series is "Evidence" (this one is #53-Mad Scientist & is all about mixing colors); go here to read all about it http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that

I wanted some sunset colors & decided to start with an orange-y pink; so, bright orange + salmon

= this:

I call this "Creamsicle"

and, though pretty, not quite what I have in mind. So, next I mix in a great big glob of "Pink Sherbet"

and...TaDa!

I'm calling this new blend "Rancho Rosa"

because it reminds me of the outside of my favorite market near where I work; the building's colors are just dee~lish:

Then, after all my concocting & mixing, it suddenly strikes me that this color looks nearly identical to the ready-made bottle of Salmon paint I mixed with the orange to begin with...WHAT? I mixed that up just so it could look EXACTLY like one I started wtih? Felt like I was going in circles here; but, no, look at the left (ready-made) & my creation (on the right) and they are not the same after all.

Ready-made My mix: "Rancho Rosa"

My concoction is just the shade I was looking for; had I not played "mad scientist", I would not have had this lovely "Rancho Rosa" to pink up a sunset I wanted to paint on an art piece. Thank you, Michelle, for inspiring me to experiment with color!

Chaos on Canvas

2010-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

You may recall a previous post earlier this summer about a canvas swap project I was having oodles of fun creating for in the "All Things Tim" Yahoo group. Well, the swap took place & I have received my finished work of art back from the swap hostess, Sharona, and lemme tell ya...it totally rocks! For the participants, Sharona attached the 5 canvases together that each of us was to receive & created a header piece for the top (note: we all had 1 of our own canvases included in the 5 we got back & I thought that was great because I was rather attached to those I'd made; guess that's to be expected when you put your heart & soul into creating). So, without further ado, here is the art piece that is now hanging proudly on the inside of my front door:

2010-09-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sharona's header piece

My canvas

Stephen Jew's FANTASTICAL creation~isn't it wonderful?

Canvas created by Barb Urbassik; LOVE how she cut a "window" into the piece!

Amazing canvas creation from Jason Pettigrew~so COOL!

Michael Farrell's DIVINE vintage Paris canvas...Ooh La La!

Thank you, Sharona, for being such a FABULOUS swap host and also to each of the artists who created such BEAUTIFUL canvases. I ADORE them all!

2011 Sketchbook Project is underway...

2010-09-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about taking part in this artistic adventure that is a worldwide undertaking! Click on the link at right for more deets & there is still time to participate~sign up by 10/31/10 at the project site.

My chosen them for my sketchbook is "Make Mine A Double". Wondering what I will be creating in this theme? Check back here periodically for sneak previews! I can't wait to see where this journey will take me and I'm tickled pink at the idea of having you along for the ride...whether as a participant in the project or a visitor here to see the progress of my book. Won't this be fun?

Summer Beauty

2010-08-29T07:53:00.003-07:00

Though summer's end is drawing nearer, there is still so much beauty to behold. Gorgeous, lush colors abound in nature's palette & the "Summer Beauty" ATC swap over at Red Lead was callin' my name! Pop on over to their blog & check out all of the wonderfulness going on there (a link is included in my Blog List over on the right sidebar). Images on these 5 ATC's I created for the swap are from Red Lead's "Summer Beauty" collage sheets & also a couple from ArtChix Studio. Happy summer Sunday to you all!

2010-08-29T07:53:00.001-07:00

2010-08-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

ArtChix Sisters Dreambox

2010-08-22T10:10:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone~

I'm very excited to show you my dreambox created for a swap I'm taking part in at the ArtChix Sister Site Yahoo group. I've never done a dreambox before & have wanted to for quite awhile so this was my perfect opportunity to jump in & create one. The partner I'm swapping with likes fairies and so that is the theme for my creation. I really like how it turned out and can't wait to make another one right away! Have a groovy day, all!

2010-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Close-up of the embellie on top; also, I outlined the dreambox in Diamond Stickles & used that to also enhance the dots that are embossed already into the tin dreambox (dreambox plus fairy image & gates inside are from ArtChix Studio, one of my most fave on-line stores ever!).

2010-08-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

The doors open to reveal a tiny, yet mighty fairy queen in her glittery, flowered lair. I hope my swap partner enjoys this creation~I had such fun making it for her!

2010-08-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for the CCC #10, hosted by Linda @ Studio L3 (studiol3.blogspot.com). This challenge is all about Distress Stickles~oh how I love them so! I used Broken China, Peeled Paint & Spiced Marmalade to give the Grungeboard butterfly gobs of pizzaz! Take a minute to peek at Linda's blog for the deets; you'll be glad you did!

CCC #7

2010-07-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

I've been having loads of fun expanding my knowledge of the various techniques & products detailed in the Compendium of Curiosities book by Tim Holtz & here is the tag I created for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge, week 7; hosted by Linda at her blog, Studio L3. I embossed a small plain manilla tag with Tim's Damask Texture Fade embossing folder & then inked it with Broken China & Weather Wood D.I.'s. Once dried, I lightly dabbed on white acrylic paint, let that dry & then inked the edges with a blue-gray S.U. inkpad. Lots of layers with the inks & paint in order to bring depth to the embossing. Then, affixed my tinted vision fragment to the tag & added the ribbons for that finishing touch!

CCC #6

2010-07-24T10:20:00.001-07:00

ATT Canvas Swap

2010-07-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm taking part in Sharona's canvas swap on the All Things Tim Yahoo group & am just loving how much fun I'm having creating on canvas. Each of us creates 6 canvases; here are my first 3: