Eagle Eyes

You probably already know this, but the best time to find something is when you are not looking for it. 

In the past, I have passed along the hint that this is a good time of year (spring, with summer on the horizon) to look for cheap plastic goods to use as stencils.  Remember these paper plate holders I got a few years ago:

 

I have not even been looking for more, but when I was at the grocery store this week, my eyes were naturally drawn to a section with said cheap plastic stuff for summer fun. There I found these paper plate holders. Just too good to pass up - especially at 2 for a dollar (at Kroger).

I haven't had time to play properly, but could not resist giving a quick spray when I got them home just to see!

I see some spray fun in my future!

Happy May

Happy May - Spray and Play!

I've been playing with backgrounds again.  These are done with Dylusions sprays.  I put a big piece of freezer paper (shiny side up) on the work table, sprayed two or three colors, then pressed white bristol board into the spray.  Some of the bristol board had gesso on it, some was plain.  The one thing I kept forgetting was to spray water onto the freezer paper before spraying the inks.  Makes for a much nicer blend of color when you remember to do that! 

Freezer paper with spray:

Bristol board blotted onto the spray (forgot to spray water first):

 See how much prettier these are - water was sprayed first:

 I cut some of the bristol board to ATC size.  I stamped birds onto the brighter colors, to be cut out later.  Since the sprays are water soluble, I used a brush to paint water onto the cards to blend and soften the colors:

ATCs are ready to stamp and embellish.  I'm really not loving the birds at all.  They will have to fly away somewhere else, and I will think up a plan B.

Do the right thing

It took every bit of restraint I could muster to give this greeting card to the person I bought it for.

 I spent a lot of time making it all pretty, but it was not until the final moment, when I was putting the card into the envelope, that I discovered the envelope had a brown security pattern inside.  When did they start putting security patterns in greeting cards?  And brown?  Don't have any that color.

I should have let the recipient know I wanted the envelope back later..  I may need to go back to Target and rummage through the other envelopes there - who knows what I missed.

Journal Laboratory

I am always finding out new things about myself.  Most of the time they are blatantly obvious, but I never think it out loud.  Then the realization of it hits me and makes perfect sense.  Like art journaling.  I think I love the experimental playing part more than the actual journaling part.  I have sort of known that over the past few years, but suddenly Really realized it as a fact set in stone.

I'm working on a new journal spread, with experiments on side by side pages.  Gesso as a base on one side, but not on the other.

Same techniques on both pages, starting with a stencil and texture medium spread through the stencil.

Watercolor crayons on both pages.

Playing around with water on both pages to see how well the crayon blends and mixes.

The real reason I started this experiment happened after I was reading Dina Wakley's new book, Art Journal Freedom.  One page had a simple comment, but it has become my new favorite quote.

She was talking about gesso, and said "Gesso is like underwear for acrylic paint.  You can get by without it, but something isn't right."

That cracked me up.  But it totally took me by surprise too.  I sometimes put down a base before working, sometimes not.  I have a feeling, all future pages will have a beginning base of some kind.  I just can't get that quote out of my head.
:o)

Snake Carving

Yep, you read that right.  I've been carving a snake.  Not a real snake (giant shiver).  I still don't care for snakes.  Even when I draw cute eyelashes on its eye, it is still a creepy snake to me. 

Even though it has words carved into it and is not a real snake, just seeing that snaky shape lying on my work table creeps me out.  I need to finish up my Year of the Snake envelope exchange envelopes and move on to something more appealing to me.  Yessssss.

And They're Off...

Whenever you can, you need to do this...

You might come home with things like this....

 You might explore places like this....

You might consider things like this....

You might avoid things like this....

  But always be on your best behavior.

And update your travel book when you get back, making sure to note where Gnawbone was on the map.

Easter Things

Have you painted your Easter eggs?  I have always loved these types of eggs.  These were posted by several media outlets and are painted for the Sorbian Easter Market in Schleife, Germany.  I love the one picture with the bent spoons holding the melted wax.  Very intricate work.

 Of course, if painting eggs is not your style, maybe this Bunny Butt Easter Cake is up your alley.  Looks like the kind of thing I'd serve!  It's from the Betty Crocker web site.

Have a wonderful, blessed Easter!

Just Another Work Day

Happy Birthday to me. 

Sorry you have to work on your birthday, me.

At least you had fun earlier....

 

Do Postage Stamps Have Calories?

How did I miss this?? 

Belgian chocolate + postage stamps.  What?

They have chocolate in the picture.  They smell like chocolate.  They taste like chocolate when you lick them!  Holy cocoa bean, Batman!!

 If they taste as good as they look, I would probably eat them!

 To see them being made, go to this BBC video here.

Everyday Journal

Playing catch-up in my everyday journal - with bits and scraps from whatever is going on that week. 

I had been playing with my Dylusions sprays that week, and was about to throw away my scraps from spraying.  Instead, I tore the paper into strips and glued them down to make a background. 

I'm still a couple of weeks behind in this journal.  I really like going back through my everyday journals.  Sometimes it seems like I haven't done any art in a long time, then these pages remind me that I did in fact play from time to time!

The dictionary called...

Yep, the dictionary called and wants it word back.  That would be my word for the year (Action), which I liked so much last year that I carried it over to this year.

I have hit some kind of slump for about a month.  Maybe it's the dark winter days, feeling yucky half the time, just general malaise.  I haven't even been journaling much.  And the problem is, I keep so many different journals, now I have this anxious feeling of never "catching up".  Totally self-imposed guilt, but I'll get over it.

Friend Gaye and I went to a stamp convention last weekend in Indianapolis, and my plan was to buy more Dylusions sprays - I particularly wanted all the new colors.  The new colors were mostly sold out, but I did buy some colors I didn't have already.  And I bought replacements of some I had before. I love these sprays so much, they are the first ones I have actually used up completely!

I hate it when I waste time looking for things I have misplaced.  I had started a color chart of my sprays, but couldn't find it to add the new colors.  It was quicker to go back to the internet and print off a new one.  I have no affiliation with Ranger, but I love that they have blank charts of their sprays and stamp pads that you can print off. 

At the stamp convention, I also got these new stencils (Coffee Break).  Can't wait to use them.

Daylight Savings Time was last week, and I am hoping the extra daylight at the end of the day will help infuse more energy to get back to that whole action thing!

(Daylight savings time is an illusion - I once heard it said that moving the clocks ahead an hour is like cutting a foot of fabric off a blanket on one end and sewing it on the other end, and then expecting the blanket to be longer.  It's not, but somehow setting the clock ahead an hour feels like the days are longer!)

Making a Case

On a recent post, I showed some fabric I had painted.  In the meantime, I have experimented with making little zippered bags with the fabric.

 My main goal was to make a cigarette case for a friend (who will remain nameless) because her ratty old cigarette case, so cool and unique a few years ago, desperately needed replacing.

Before I used my painted fabric, I decided I'd better practice on regular fabric.  After all, I was flying by the seat of my pants, making it up as I went along.  I haven't put a zipper in anything in about 30 years!  My first effort turned out okay, but I was pretty sure it was too narrow at the top.

My next bags were too big, but to be sure, I had to actually go and buy some cigarettes and a lighter and see how they fit. 

There was too much excess space, so I thought maybe I could put a divider in the middle and she could put her cellphone in one side.

When all was said and done, she loved the case, but I bought the wrong blend of cigarettes.  Plus, she already has a very cool case for her new iPhone.  But it was fun experimenting anyway!  Makes me want to do more playing with painting fabric and sewing little bags.

 

 

Scores of Drawers

What I saw at the antique mall on Saturday.  If only...!

The first one is huge - about six feet high and at least as wide.  I did not spend $1295 and buy it.

I did not buy the second one (didn't see a price either).

I did not buy the two sets of drawers at $195 each.

I did drool over them all.

 

I did, however, spend $2 on this little book about Venice, with its fold-out map and its color and black & white pictures.