Saturday Autumn

 Here is a banner I made for a swap at Paper Trader and it fits in with the theme at Inspiration Avenue "Autumn". For the banner design, we were to use a template but I took a little artistic liberty and used a template in my cricut to cut the backgrounds. For the paper on the backgrounds, I used double sided paper and then alternated the sides. I used the cricut again to cut out leaves of different colored texture paper. Underneath the letters, I added ribbon wrapped and painted cardboard for more texture.

Each letter included a pumpkin that I had sanded to give a more rustic feel. The fiber sting that tied each letter together was multi-colored. There is a little sparkle on the letters too.

Then on the last letter I added a dangled group of leaves.

Then yesterday I received in the mail my banner that was created by Connie  It is so beautiful. I love the sparkle background, warm earth colors, and the leaves, vines, and pumkins. I have hung it over my window in my art room.  



Beach Treasure

This piece has been in my mind since the beginning of the week once the theme was put out for Inspiration Avenue. I still believe that there is more to this piece but it is where I am with it now. I still feel like there are ideas in my head that don't come out as well on paper.

Summer Sun-kissed

It has been warm here again but the "Delta Breeze" has come in the afternoon to keep it livable. Those wonderful breezes make me daydream of a picture I cut out of a magazine. Then the theme at Inspiration Avenue is Sun-Kissed so I decided to create that picture. I started with water color pencils. I drew and used a wet paint brush to get the color. Then the hammock is made from a mesh bag and gesso. The palm tree is scrap paper (always a few scraps need to be included.. haha) The sun is stamped on tissue paper with some yellow watercolor behind it. The final touch was adding the small shell pieces.

Tea time anyone..

A little creation for the challenge over at Inspiration Avenue. The theme this week is Tea. For this project, I got to play with my Cricut. The cups were cut using the machine. I learned how to flip an image and to reduce the size. So adjusted each cup to be able to pour into each from largest to smallest. For the top, the tea pot is a freehand cut out of a tea pot.  I inked the cardboard a darker brown to look like pouring tea. Then used rub-on letters for the "tea time". For the background, I chalked it with a light lavender and then inked the outside edge with a darker heather.

Journal with wings

I posted earlier this week the start of this journal. I had a lot of ideas I wanted to try with this project. Some are good and some not so good but learned from all of it. Wanted to have dimension and words to invoke creative and fun.  My favorite parts are the zig-zag ribbon edges, the dangling jewels, and the flower. This project works for my entry into Inspiration Avenue challenge theme of "Wings". I love the winged heart symbol. I feel that my heart is flying when I get to create art. It feels like I am being my true self.

A close up of the flower and ribbon.

The inside front page. I made some of the pages for journal writing and some blank to create art.

 For the back page, I added a smashed bottle cap and may want to collage more later.

Inspiration_Avenue_Picasso

With my scraps of paper I just had to create an entry for the challenge at inspiration avenue this week. The theme is Picasso and I created a version of his Three Musicians. It was fun creating his painting with scraps of paper. For one of the musician clothes, I took an orange paper and drew lines and colored the triangles with yellow pen to get the look. The box shadow around the edge is paper too. But the dog under the table is inked in.

My background does not match the painting but I wanted to be a little different. Used alcohol inks and then chalk ink on top. Then to get the layer of color used a blending solution.

Inspiration_Avenue_Purple_and_Green

Worked on my journal today. Used the weekly theme from Inspiration Avenue of purple and green. Started the page with purple and green acrylic paint. This reminded me of the gardens on the Hana Hwy. We were coming back from a day spent in Hana and the mountains were full of purple and greens. One of my favorite memories of our trip was the colors. Maui seemed to blend all the colors everywhere. The purple plants and setting sun would play with the colors to add such beautiful blues and yellows and oranges in hills, so amazing. Then I loved this plant called the Lobster claw. So I tried to create some in the edge.

The opposite page I created the purple background and then used green ink and pens to create the large leave plants that were everywhere. With so much water and sunshine, all the plants grew so big and beautiful.

Inspiration_Avenue_Tropical

Here is a colored in sketch I did of a Hana waterfall that we saw on our Maui trip. It was a pencil sketch I had made in my Maui book. The book was one that I made from an "Open Spine" bookmaking class my sister and I took a while back. I have been creating different pages in the book from our Maui trip.

However, about a couple months ago, I took it on a little trip to Monterey. I wanted to practice and learn to sketch for relaxing. It worked out well until I accidentally took it down to the ocean and climbing back up I dropped it in the water. It is fine now after it dried out except the photos had to be replaced. And a few of my hand-drawn items were kind of messed up. This one had gotten some color bled on it, so today I decided to add more color and see what would happen. Still need to work on depth perspective but it is a start. This works in with Inspiration Avenue's theme of Tropical. Lots to learn but this one turned a negative into a positive, always a good thing.

Inspiration_Avenue_Celestial

My favorite artist is Van Gogh. And then this week's challenge at IA was Celestial. So here is my ode to Van Gogh's Starry Night. I put my favorite elements from the painting into this collage. I always dream what it would be like in that little town with the church on the hill. Of course in the Van Gogh, the details of the darkness to the side of the town has a spooky feeling to it. So really wanted to add that detail to the collage. And then the details in the sky on Van Gogh painting is amazing.  I don't even come close but I had fun creating the stars with cardboard and gesso.

Inspiration_Avenue_Breathe

I have been off a few weeks but tried hard to get an entry together for the Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge. There is a great topic this week. It is something we have done since the day we were born and will do until the last day of our life on this earth. But just like it was posted, there are days I have to tell myself to BREATHE...  I love this theme. Blogland is a wonderful place of inspirations, stories, tips, and positive support. It is a place to travel around and breathe. I also find that any day I can spend walking on the beach is a perfect way to breathe. So my entry to the challenge is a collage of the things that help me BREATHE.. Scraps of paper, my drawing of a vase of flowers, and my belief that if I breathe in beauty, I will exhale love.

Inspiration_Avenue_Broken_Pieces

When this week's Challenge at Inspiration Avenue was announced, I had a piece I knew I wanted to do. I have had a long busy week so I tried to finish it today and I hope I make the post time at IA.

The California coastline has some very beautiful places. One beach is very unique, Glass Beach in Fort Bragg. This beach has a very interesting story. In the mid 1900's, they used it as a public dump! Yep, they dumped trash, car parts, and a whole lot of glass jars and bottles. Fast forward over 60 years later, waves and salt water crashing over and over on these items. The ocean has created a shore of tiny glass pieces that are beautiful. Broken pieces that have rolled and turned so they are not sharp and edgy but soft and beautiful.

In my life, I have had some broken moments. And just like the glass pieces, I can be edgy and sharp. But over time I have had waves of not salt water but love wash over me. I am thankful for time to help soften my edges. As in nature, I believe that life has a purpose and given time will provide beauty you may never have guessed.

I started this piece with a picture taken of the beach shore. I collaged torn, punched circles, and strips of paper. For the bottom edge, I added broken pieces of seashells. Then on the corner of the picture I added a few piece of the broken glass I collected from the shore. I added my label and date.

Inspiration_Avenue_Month

The challenge this week is your favorite month. I have to say that picking one month is difficult. I love each season. Spring is new growth, beauty, and renewal. Summer is vacations and long days. Winter is cold days and warm tea. But Fall is my favorite.. the harvest and the changing colors of nature. I love it. But if I had to pick a month, it would be November. It includes Thanksgiving and I love being with family.  Then it is the month I picked to get married. And I guess I have liked it for a long time as it is the month I entered into the world.. haha. Then when I think of my favorite colors to use in my art, I think of colors like brown, orange, red, and green and these colors are predominate in nature in November so how wonderful is that. Therefore, this piece has all my favorite things I love about the month of November.