1st page in Ocean Art Journal

The 1st page of my Ocean Art Journal is coming along. I used lots of paint for the background. I added strips of book pages to give some layers. I kept adding gesso to blend the colors. To create the shore I used sea shell and starfish stamp, and added some real shells I have collected over the years.  Also used a wave stamp to add dimension for the ocean. I still want to create better edging but this is a good 1st page.

This quote came to me while I was working on the page and right now a process I am using a lot to get through work.

Lots to be thankful for this week and the top 5:

1. Even when I may feel that life is complicated, Art can soothe it all
2. My favorite hymn"The Summons" was the gathering song at Mass today
3. Stencils
4. Still working and know that each day I will do what I can
5. Everyday a new chance to try again

Have a wonderful week, Amanda

Sunday Treasures

 Yesterday was so much fun! My sister and I went to a vintage antique show.

There were lots of vendors with wonderful items. Many vendors created very artistic displays. I am so inspired!

The icing of the cake was this amazing hand craved St. Francis statue. It was love at first sight! The birds are hand craved and added on the statue. I do not know the artist name as they wrote on the bottom in ink and it has rubbed off mostly. This little statue has a new home and it just made a wonderful day yesterday, perfect.

 This was another little jewel that I got. Have other pieces of this set from mine and my husband's family. This little dish is a fun addition.

Another simple item that I found yesterday is this vintage box of greeting cards. They each have a little sparkle. Love the box they came in, too. Can't wait to use one on a project.

Don't forget the Paper Traders blog hop, check the link on my sidebar or here


I am so thankful for my little treasures and such a wonderful day with my sister. My top 5 this week are

1. Learning to handle work frustrations
2. The spring sun
3. The artist I do not know that created such a beautiful St. Francis statue
4. Blessings from someone I need understand differently
5. Knowing that art gives me such great peace and joy

Have a wonderful week, Amanda

Keep Going Sunday

There seems to be a list of To Do longer than time this weekend. Last week I was able to do some creative work. These were two cards created for a coworker.

Both cards used scrap papers that I love. I liked the colors and details in each card. Both have a vintage feel. I reused an old button for the center of the flowers and then created the cardboard heart added gold paint with a splash of gesso for the other card.

One day I hope to be more of the art but until I am thankful for the time I get to do little bits. I am truly blessed and my top 5 blessings this week..

1. A beautiful homily at Mass today.

2. Music

3. Time with family

4. Paint pens

5. Yummy bakery items

Have a wonderful week, Amanda

Blank Slate

Art can do so much and I found that it helps me in many ways.

I am working on my next tip-in trade pages for the swap at Paper Traders. The request is White on White pages. I love this idea. So here is my first phase. I cut the pages and there are elements I want to use but do not know if it will all stay.

 

The heart is something I cut with the cricut on some ledger looking paper and the very tip has a butterfly.

 This is some texture wallpaper with leaves.

This is some tissue paper with a light pink pattern. She said that muted color was acceptable. I am still thinking but gesso could cover some. I really love this paper because of the shine and the pattern.

Even with a request of white on white there are many options. Starting with a blank slate is refreshing and reminds me that there is always an option to restart and hope will guide you through.

Wonderful days and much to be thankful for and the Top 5:

1. So much to learn and enjoying every minute

2. PINTEREST fun

3. Stressful job helps me to value my art time

4. Time with my girls

5. The many blues of a morning sky

Have a wonderful week and wishing you projects that give you hope.

Amanda

Sunday Journal

 

Finally got this together. This is my new Art Journal for a challenge at Paper Traders, 2013 Word Prompt, Life Mantras. They have a great link for the making of this from Teesha Moore's website. This journal was created using one 140lb watercolor paper 30x24 sheet. She has great video instructions on her site. The final size of this journal is 8x10.

 

 

I remembered to take some pictures as I was painting it. Forgot to when I was making it but it is a start. I made some of the mistakes she talks about but it is my first one of many more. It is really easy to make and I love the way it comes out.  

Some pages are fold-ins. Love the size and creative options this makes. I do like adding the paint and with a wet brush spreading the color and then taking a paper towel and removing some and adding swirls of dimension. (Another video on Teesha's site)

 

I made my brush too wet and colors bled through to the other pages. (She warns in her video)  I will do better next time. The varying color shading is so fun. I do need to get back to the journal though. ,In this challenge, each month we are to follow a word prompt and January is Live Simple and must include stamping. As it is the 27th, I better get to getting.... 

I am very thankful for so much but my top 5 are:

1. Sunday morning of beautiful winter sun

2. Watercolors that are never the same twice

3. Catholic Schools Sunday and little ones in uniforms, first time in 20 years it is not my girls (A little feeling old... haha)

4. Remembering that no mistakes just options

5. Fresh pages for creating

Busy Sunday

It was a fun day. Lots to do and trying to keep a balance so worked on finishing a project. I love creating backgrounds. These are done with Alcohol Ink, blending solution, and water-base dye ink. Started with the lettuce green alcohol ink and then rubbed in early espresso dye ink. The blending solution created the neat looking rings of color (or lack of). My goal was to create a feel of a rabbit hole. This is for a swap at Paper Traders, Alice's Mad Tea Party ATC. What do you think?

Then found this great vintage clip art on Graphic Fairy. A perfect fit and used some photo pens to color her in to give a aged look.

Here is the almost completed ATC. I stamped a clock face on the background. Added some black card stock that was embossed. I liked the added piece tea cup and heart. Seems like it needs something.. may need to let it sit..  What do you think?

Time flied today.. feel just like the Alice rabbit... I'm late, I'm late...  but just relaxed this afternoon and found lots to be thankful for and my top 5 are:

1. Beautiful weather after a good rain
2. So much inspiration around
3. A wonderful Palm Sunday and the beginning of Easter Week
4. Alcohol Ink
5. Keep trying new techniques

Have a wonderful week!

Sunday inspirations

It was a rainy day today and for most of the weekend. Spent time working on small projects and with the family. This is a card I completed this week. The daffodil stamp is a older stamp that I love to use. I have colored it several ways. I have used chalk, markers, and this time was ink with a blender pen. It is a more watercolor type look. Sponged the thank you tag and some on the flowers too. There is a small butterfly up on the left side. Wanted the card to have a nature feel so I used a mulberry paper for the background. This is a fun spring card. I have lots to be thankful for and the top 5 today are:

1. Rain that was needed

2. Daffodils

3. Sharing art design with my sister

4. New beginnings and keeping my hope up

5. Making cards for friends

Spring Sunday

This time of year is beautiful here. Today is a sunny day after a few windy rainy days. Spring is also a time of new beginnings and freshness. And who can not miss all the beautiful new flowers. Here is a flower we made at a demo meeting I had last week. It is made of ribbon that you cut and place on sticky paper in a spiral pattern. Then you use a heat gun and the ribbon melts and curls to make the ruffled petals. After it is cooled, we added some layers of leaves and a large brad for the center. 

The flower can be added to many things, a gift package, a card, or as I am doing this week at my open house, a bookmark. So simple yet very pretty. Such beauty does remind me of my thankfulness. My top 5 this week are:

1. Sharing art with friends

2. To always be open to learning

3. Changing weather and the beauty of spring

4. Prayers and thoughts for those affect by the tornadoes and bad weather

5. Though tough sometimes, to find a good balance in life

Sunday clarity

Well I am back after a wonderful retreat with my daughter. This is the first statue you see when you walk up to the retreat center. It was so welcoming and a lovely place, I wish I could stay there longer. I am very thankful for what I did get to do and my top 5 items this week are.

1. Learning to slow down and appreciate my blessings

2. Fun times with my Daughter

3. Keeping an open mind

4. Keeping good to my Lenten promise

5. Time to do what I need to do for myself and others

Have a wonderful week.. Amanda

Monday feeling like Sunday

 I finished a project today.. I was thinking it was Sunday because it just feels like it so I am going with that..  I was part of a swap and we exchanged Love Notes. Everyone created a beautiful embellished envelope with a love note inside. To finish the swap we were to create a book to put them in. This is the cover page. The rose and hand on the bottom was an image I used on my envelopes.

Here is the front inside view. I received 5 beautiful envelopes in the swap. They now are pages in my new book. The binding is according folded cardstock to hold each envelope.

Here is the back of the book. The masked cupid is also another image I used on my envelopes. This was a fun project. And though I missed it as it is not Sunday, here is my top 5 items I am truly thankful for.

1. A wonderful day spent with my sister and mom
2. An extra day to create art
3. Knowing as Lent approaches that I can be focused
4. WW recipes
5. Wine

Wishing all a wonderful week..

Only on a Sunday

I had lots to finish today. And mostly things I did not want to do like taxes.. yuck!!  Well I did sneak in some fun. This is an ATC. The fun part is that it is a "Hitchhiker ATC" The concept is to add something to it and then add it to a SWAP item and then next person adds to it until the 6th person. They get to keep it. I added the stamped stencil and the hearts.  I put it with my ATC SWAP that I am sending out tomorrow. All this is part of the Paper Traders group I belong to. I have a lot to be thankful for

1. Being part of a fun group

2. Finishing little projects

3. Knowing that I may not like it but my taxes are done!!

4. Life can be hard but it makes me appreciate all the blessings I have

5. Hearts.. I love them almost as much as Pandas... did I say that???

Have a wonderful week...

Little books

 

Here is a little scrapbook I made for my daughter's birthday. It is a Big Word book spelling CAT. I added the sign on the C to put in her kitty's name.

Here is the A page. She loves cheetah print so could not help but use some of that for the background papers. I added stickers, jewels, and ribbons for the embellishing. I also used the Cricut to make a kitty and the dragonflies. (A special bug that the kitty loves to chase, she fits her name).

The T page had the most room so added some extra pictures and lots more ribbons and jewels.

The back page is just more of the items used throughout. I did have fun using a rolling paw stamp. And I had gotten a tiny punch at Halloween that was a kitty so just had to add those in. Then tied the ribbons on the book rings that holds all the pages together. This was a simple fun project that I hope she likes. My younger daughter has seen it and now wants one for her kitty. Better find another book.. Haha  I am thankful for the fun and my top 5 this week are

1. Making scrapbooks, always my first love
2. That my daughter is a part of my life
3. Sharing a wonderful dinner with my family
4. Keeping balance in my life
5. Staying true to who I am and looking for opportunities to improve

Busy January

January is a busy month. Not only trying to work on resolutions and 50 by 50 list but lots of birthdays. And silly me I keep forgetting to take pictures of my cards. But now I am working on another swap project at Paper Traders It is an ATC swap with a Mardi Gras theme. So I decided to create my background using alcohol inks, blending solution and some gold acrylic paint. Fun to be creating and thankful for so much. The top 5:

1. A wonderful Saturday with my sister for her birthday

2. Ink and paint on my fingers

3. Working on list items.

4. Keeping better track of food

5. New art toys to play with

Wishing all a great week.

Happy New Year

This is a big year for me, turning the big Five O. While blog hoping, I read a 40 by 40 post. This person is turning 40 this year and she made a list of things to do before she does. Well that seemed like a great idea, so I have made a list of 50 things I will accomplish by the time I turn 50. I have posted this list in my art room and near my bed. I will share the list items in the next few days. Some of the items are very challenging for me. My big one is to lose 50 pounds. I have struggled with this issue but I am committed to it! I can do it. My birthday is in the last week of November, so I have 48 weeks to accomplish these tasks, wish me luck.

I have many things to be thankful for and the top 5 are:

1. Walking
2. Knowing that I am in control of my list
3. Another day to try to track points!! UGH
4. Three swap items that I am working on
5. Stamps and punches!

Have a good week.

Busy Day

This is a busy time of year and there was lots to do this weekend and then I added one more thing. I purchased this desk from a coworker and we picked it up yesterday. I am so happy because not only is it a lot bigger than the one I was using, it is a beautiful piece of furniture. It was made in the early  1900's by her uncle. A simple design made of solid oak. I have not figured everything out yet but I just love it.

It is definitely a larger area of working space. On my old desk, my computer was over the top of my working sheet and then my stamping pad was covered with my scrap box and this photo doesn't even show the pen box I use now. It was getting pretty crowded. I am so thankful for the new space and this week the top 5 are:

1. Room to create
2. Beautiful winter days
3. Putting up Christmas decorations
4. Spending time with the family remembering old memories
5. Looking forward to more opportunities to grow into my art

Have a wonderful week.

A cold Sunday

Some projects start out with a simple idea. I wanted to put together a gift to my friend who gave me two tins full of buttons. There were all kinds of buttons but a lot of white and cream ones. So I created a heart shaped pillow and began to sew the buttons on. Well, the final piece has over 100 little buttons! I do wish I took better pictures, this is a fun little piece. The lace I used was some she had given me from her mother's supply. The tag is my new paper with a layered flower. I twisted wire to attach it to the pillow. When I gave it to her, she was very surprised. It was a fun project, I am very thankful for so much. Here is this week's top 5.

1. A wonderful Thanksgiving with family

2. Fun creations

3. New paper and inks!

4. New techniques with ink

5. Sharing my love of paper and ink with friends

Getting back into it

Everyday there are choices to make that have outcomes and effects. Lately, my choices have given me a lot to do and put me on a HUGE learning curve. However, when I get too far off, my soul brings me back to where I need to be. So here I am writing a new post after over a month away. I missed it dearly. Let's begin, last Wednesday was my wedding anniversary and we took a trip up the coast to Fort Bragg. I brought my journal and sketched the footbridge at Pudding Creek.  I learned some things on this trip. I like adding color and it is amazing how the wrong green or blue changes everything. And waves are a challenge for me.



The camera's eye from a different angle and so beautiful. Hubby and I daydreamed of how to retire here. It is our happy middle ground. He loves the redwoods and I love the ocean; this is the best of both worlds!!



And who would not want to live near a carved redwood PANDA statue!!!  I was so excited. I really wanted to take him home with us, but it would not fit in the car. This was a wonderful trip. Lots and lots of thankfulness and the top 5 are...

1. A Redwood Panda

2. Coming back to center, a spot I need to keep closer too

3. Trust

4. The belief that there are opportunities for me out there, I just need to be open

5. Paper, ink, watercolor pencils, and all kinds of fun toys to play with

Have a wonderful week!

Sunday Sweet Fall

I know that the Fall season officially started a few weeks ago but I just feel like October is the start of Fall. And here locally, the weather has just now started to help it feel like it. However, in my family October is a huge month for the favorite holiday. My older daughter is still crazy about this holiday and this Halloween countdown calendar is my gift to her this year. It was a project in the September/October Paper Crafts magazine.  I liked creating all the day tags and then adding some additional elements. I even tied the witches shoes. I guess I will always like to make silly little things, I am thankful for the joy it gives me.

Top 5 list this week.

1. OCTOBER and Fall is here!!!

2. New friends in my stamp business

3. Sharing ideas and learning how to create a new path

4. Patience

5. Having ink on my fingers

Sunday Gifts

It has been awhile since my last post. Lots of life lately. Daughter's birthday dinner with family was nice though she was not feeling. This was a card I made for her to give out. I also did not feel 100%  so I got behind on my creativity and my blog. Hopefully things will go better soon.

And then I finally got the nerve and jumped in. I have wanted to start my own business for awhile but just can't swing the complete change. So I have done the next best thing and became a demonstrator for Stampin' Up. I love their stamps and all the extras they have. I will begin slowly but maybe by the time I retire, I will have forged new friendships and built a little business. The future is unknown and scary but I am ready to make it work. Thankful for what I have and my top 5 are:

1. New business and opportunities
2. Belief in the unknown and strength to see it through
3. Challenges to make me grow
4. New ink pads
5. New friends who love to do what I love and understand the desire to run a business doing it

Busy Sunday

Today was one of those days that it took longer than I would hope to get some things done. I have wanted to try making these pinwheel folded paper for awhile and thought I would use them. I like them but there is a lot of different concepts. The width and then the length effect the size and the fullness. So several attempts to create one that would work on my card did not happen but I still like them.

This big one is 2" by 12". I like the fullness but too big to fit a card. Also I tied the ribbon backwards, so I would need to cover up the string if I use it.  The one in the corner is 1/2" by 6" but still too full. So need to change up the scoring width. Well not really working out today so need to go to plan B. I am still learning and thankful for a plan B.

However, my top 5 thankful items are:

1. Courage to start up a side business I have wanted to do for a long time and belief that I can do it

2. That there is more than one way to create opportunities

3. Friends and family that believe in me

4. Warm weather (I have to be thankful, right???) UGH

5. That my baby girl can't grow up any faster!