Excited about possibilities in 2011!

I am so jazzed today; one of my fav bloggers and artists, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer wrote a post today and she showed work from many great artists who will be joining her in an Art Journal Every Day challenge for 2011. I was shocked to see she chose one of my works to comment on!!! She showed this one, and challenged everyone to try getting paint on their hands!

Another artist Julie highlighted, Melanie Kisr, had a fabulous hand-carved leaf stamp that she used on her page. Julie encouraged us to create our own stamp.....and I just so happened to have bought a stamp blank at the International Quilt Festival in Houston last month!! So, I drew and carved this:

Then, I took this page in my art journal that I had painted with a credit

card and acrylic paint in September, and stamped it!

as it was:

and newly stamped with my new stamp!

oohhhh.....now I have to go find some more carving material...........don't I have some potatoes in the kitchen?? LOL!

Please go check out Julie's blog

http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2010/12/art-journal-every-day-inspired-to-begin.html

- and even if you don't think you have time, join her Art Journal Every Day challenge. Even if you only can do some of the time, it will inspire you to create - and that's what it's all about. Make Art Every Day is one of Julie's favorite sayings; it feeds the soul and gives us and others a lift.

A BIG THANKS to Julie Fei-Fan Balzer for hosting this journey and to posting my work; and for the lovely comments she made about everyone's art. She is a kind and generous soul, and a great artist.

Final Oct Challenge piece

I finally finished Michelle's challenge at GPP Street Team and have really learned a lot - stretched myself a bit. I have been so enthralled with all the other participants work, I had a very hard time deciding what to do on my own work. There were so many great ideas and incredible work, I am amazed!!!!

This piece was the same printed background as the other 2; I used the stencil I made when I made the mask for the last one, and more Glimmer Mist. I thought the Glimmer Mist didn't really work for this effect, though. I guess it was too close to the background color to show up well. So I took several colors of ink and stamped the same stylized flower image over and over to "busy up" the background. I stamped the word "faith" and I found some cool torn paper scraps in my stash; glued them down, then wrote the verse on the bottom one with a gel pen.

I really like the way this one turned out; I'll probably cover it with matte gel medium and use it and the second one in a notebook I use daily. It has the clear pockets on the front and back, so I can slip these right in.

What's next, Michelle????

Two more for GPP # 45

I finally completed this challenge - and what a challenge it was for me! Michelle asked us to take a print of a previously painted background and alter it. We could paint, collage, stamp, color, whatever we wanted to.....

This is my completed second work - I used Michelle's suggestion of a mask to make the hand shape with Glimmer Mist - sooo sparkly! I love it! Then it needed "grunging" up, so I used Distress Ink to stamp images all around. I didn't ink the stamp evenly to make the images more faded and aged. I scribbled all around the edges with markers and pens, then wrote on the hand.

This is the piece after I masked the hand and stamped it - before I scribbled on it. Sorry, I put the photo's in the wrong order - I still don't understand this blog-thing.....and if anyone has a tip to put a watermark on these pics, I would love to hear it! I only have the photo programs that were loaded on this computer and really don't know how to use them.

I have REALLY enjoyed this challenge - I have utilized methods and tools I would never have thought of. The other people participating in the challenge are all incredibly talented and I have learned much from them. Can't wait to see what Michelle has in store for next month!!

A first in several ways...

This is my first collage; how did I ever get a minor in Art without making a collage, you ask? I have no answer for that! This is for the October GPP Street Team Challenge #45 and it's my first take on the challenge as well - lots of "firsts" lol!

I had no idea I was going to create a collage; I was merely going through a magazine before throwing it out......but creativity had other plans....

I don't know if anyone can see it in the picture, but I took some shimmery green-gold paint and mixed it with matte medium, painted it on a stamp and stamped over the cutouts. It gives a really cool ghost-y shimmer and glams it up a lot.

That was interesting; I may have to try more of that.....thanks Michelle for the inspiration and the challenge!!!

More Challenge work!

I finally was able to photograph and upload some more work based on Challenge #44.

The first one is a page I had painted and "embellished" previously. I had used a paint that had a gritty texture to it, so when I scraped over it with the card, it removed that "grit" from the surface. It's impossible to tell in the pic, but it created a fabulous suede-y texture - so incredibly tactile - I love it!!

The second one is cool, minty greens that I then scraped over with white & wiped off most of it - I wanted a wash, or like a filter, not a "layer."

I can't wait to see what Michelle plans for us to do to these next!!!

Playing along with GPP Network Street Team!

This is soo much fun! I've been scraping everything since yesterday...I even had to go out any buy more paint today!

I discovered the GPP Street Team Crusades blog Saturday, and Crusade # 44 ROCKS! This simple technique has opened up an entire new world for me. I visited all the blogs of the fabulous ladies who had already completed the challenge and was so wired I painted most of the night, lol!

There are some incredible examples of great art at this site - go check it out for yourself -

http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/2010/09/crusade-no-44-in-a-scrape.html

The talented Michelle Ward hosts a challenge each month that I am going to push myself to try. I'll post updates as I explore this fun technique. Try it - it's FUN!

This is my first foray into art journaling and altering books. I've been reading posts by several fabulous bloggers and oohhhing and aahhing over their work - I decided not to put it off any longer and try it myself!

I took a plain spiral binder that I bought at Office Depot and painted gesso on the cover - then I tore a piece of scrapbook paper and inked the edges and sprayed shimmery paint over it. I found some chipboard letters and a chipboard label; I painted these and then glued all of it onto the cover. Then I took my silver Sharpie paint marker and wrote "Isaiah 2010-2011" on the label and made some random marks around the cover.

Now, armed with my colored pens and pencils, I am ready to make my notes for this year! I am really looking forward to this study!

Challenge Card for Christian Paper Crafts

I made this for a challenge at Christian Paper Crafts website - it was a sketch challenge (CPCST41) for Sketch Tuesday. I had so much fun creating this - Thanks to Gloria at CPC for this fun challenge! I used papers from my stash, and my Slice to cut the paper for the flower, and some Stickles for the glittery dots. Leave me a note and tell me what you think! Thanks for looking!

Things I made with my new SLICE

These are a few of the things I have
created using my "new" Slice (thanks again,
Michelle!!) I'm finally getting the hang of
it, and it's much more versatile than I
originally thought! I just saw yesterday that Making Memories just introduced a hand's free accessory for the Slice - woohoo!!!! And they've introduced new drawing tips for even more fun! Can't wait to see these in stores.....

I know Christmas is over, BUT....

...I never had a chance to publish a pic of
the Christmas cards that I made - so here it is. I used a pre-made card & envelope set; and stamped the background with Color Box Chalk Ink in Wheat using an Inkadinkado stamp. Then I inked the edges with Color Box Merlot ink and stamped the wise men and star on the vellum with that same ink. This card had the vellum attached with brads, but all the others I used vellum tape. I was very pleased with these...and everyone who received one said they liked them.

Here's the aloe vera on Saturday, January 23 -you can tell the bloom has grown! I did some research on the internet, and aloe's will bloom when the plant is mature. This is news to me; apparently I've never had a mature one - this is cool! If anyone has ever had an aloe bloom, let me know how your's went. I would be curious to know. Thanks for looking!

Interesting bloom on my houseplant!

We have an interesting event at our house this past week; our aloe vera plant has grown a bloom! I've had many aloes through the years, and none of them have ever bloomed, so this is a new experience for me. Here's what it looked like on Sunday when we first noticed the bloom - it's very fleshy just like the leaves.

New TOY!

I just received my "new" Slice machine and accessories today!! WOOHOO!! I am so excited, can't wait to go home and play with it! I bought it from my new friend Michelle, on the SCS forums. If you haven't been to SplitCoast Stampers, you need to visit! There are sooo many incredibly talented people there, they are all very nice and helpful. Visit the forums and galleries to see some fabulous cards and scrapbook pages - they are so inspiring! The website is

splitcoaststampers.com

check it out!!
Cindi

New Birthday card!

I just created a birthday card for a co-worker; I've never tried to make a "masculine"-type of card before. I think it turned out pretty good - I hope he likes it!