"Bad Boys" Page

"Bad Boys"
Journal Page
8 1/2" x 11"
(Click on the page to see the details!)

During my journaling class a few weeks ago, I posted the blank version of this page. Since today is the last day that our class website will be active, I thought I'd share my finished page with you.

If you missed the "blank" version, here's a peek . . . .

I still have a few more blank pages to journal, but they'll have to wait until I complete my Christmas preparations.

Hope you have a bit of time for art today!

"Santa's in Town!"

"Santa's in Town"
4" x 6" Postcard
(Click on a snowflake to enlarge!)

This week's theme for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge is "let it snow". It just so happens that I completed a few postcards recently for a Christmas postcard swap, and this one features snow. How fortuitous! For me, nothing says snow like Santa.

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My Techniques

This postcard began by gluing a piece of scrap wrapping paper to watercolor paper. The beautiful vintage Santa image (from PetitePaperie - Etsy), was resized in a photo editing program, printed and carefully hand trimmed (the old fashioned way) with scissors.

I then tried something new. I added masking tape with a black and white stripe pattern (from Origamisan - Etsy) to the top and bottom of the postcard. I just received two rolls of this tape, and must admit that I'm in love with this stuff! The tape adds instant impact with very little effort.

After gluing Santa into position, he was enhanced with watercolors, Pan Pastels and Prismacolor pencils. Further definition was given to the image with a black Pitt pen. White Sharpie poster pen dots added more "snow" to the background, and a silver metallic pen was used to edge the entire piece.

Hope you have a jolly day!

A Christmas "Freebie" & A "Winner"!

A PNG Holiday File
For your artful pleasure!
(From the public domain)

We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day filled with love, laughter and lots of good food. Now that the Christmas season is officially underway, I thought I'd give you this little guy to get your holiday off to a good start. To make your digital life a little easier, the first image is a png file, and the second is the traditional jpeg file. Enjoy!

The Jpeg File

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The Winner Is . . . . . .

Congratulations, Diana Evans! Please email me at tkahrs@optionline.net with your home address, and I'll pop this journal page in the mail. My sincere "thanks" to everyone for your sweet comments and overwhelming response - you've made my heart sing!

Hope you have a merry day!

"Time in a Bottle" & Giveaway Reminder

"Time in a Bottle"
5"x7" Collage
(Click on a butterfly to enlarge!)

The Three Muses Challenge site has chosen the theme of "Time" for this week's creative challenge. Most of my creative ideas begin with clear thoughts of a particular image, and my starting point for this piece was the thought of time being captured in a bottle. Oh, wouldn't it be lovely!!!

How would one go about capturing such an illusive, gossamer thing, I asked myself. A beautiful fairy princess would have to be involved, I'm sure! The glow of her aura would gently appear somewhere between the magic of the nightingale's song at dusk and the lark's first notes of morning joy. Her silky satin gown would rustle with her quiet movements in the soft breeze, while she quietly captures stolen moments and memories and slips them into an enchanted crystal bottle for safekeeping. And, with the glimmer of the day's first light, she magically disappears!

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My Inspiration

For your art!

(From the public domain!)

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My Techniques

A piece of recycled chipboard was covered with a vintage page from a children's book, and distress ink was used to give it a vintage look. The image of the fairy was enlarged in a photo editing program, printed and then trimmed with scissors. The enchanted bottle holding the timepiece was created with the magic of a digital photo program, then printed and hand trimmed. (Special thanks to Flickr's ArtsyFartsyQueen for the image of the bottle! I added the clock.) Trim at the top and bottom of this piece was created from scrap paper and a paper punch.

All of the images, including the butterflies from Dover Publications, were further enhanced with watercolors (pencils and crayons), pan pastels, acrylic paints and Prismacolor pencils. A gray Prismacolor pencil was used for the shadows. The white swirls were stenciled after all of the overcoloring was complete. A gold marker was used for the background "dots", and edges the perimeter to add a finishing touch.

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A Giveway Reminder!

"Give Thanks"

8 1/2" x 11"
Journal Page
(Click to enlarge!)

Just a reminder that in the spirit of the season, and as a way of thanking you for all of your lovely visits and comments, I'm giving away a print of my journal page "Thanks Giving".

To enter the drawing you can leave a comment on this post or my previous post until midnight on Thursday, November 26th. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 27th. That's it - easey peasey! Just leave a comment and you're "in". If you've been lurking in the shadows, this is a great time to stop by with a comment. There are no strangers here, only friends we haven't met yet!

Hope you have a enchanted day!

Seasonal Reflections & A Giveaway

Time for Reflection

We're about to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday here in the States. Families are gathering, and soon the beautiful colors of gold, amber and rust will be giving way to seasonal red, green, blue and silver. But since autumn is my favorite time of the year, I want to hold onto this time just a little longer.

I adore the colors of this season, the aroma of favorite foods baking in an oven, and the smell of burning leaves. I love the feel of donning a sweater when it's chilly and the weight of adding an extra blanket at night.

I love the crisp sound of biting into a fresh apple, the snap and crackle of a wood fire, the sound of leaves crunching underneath my footsteps, and a cool wind brushing my cheeks.

Whether or not you're celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I wish you a day filled with joy, gratitude and many blessings!

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A Giveaway!

"Thanks Giving"
8 1/2" x 11"
Journal Page

In the spirit of the season, and as a way of thanking you for all of your lovely visits and comments, I'd like to give away a print of my journal page "Thanks Giving".

To enter the drawing just leave a comment on this post or any of this week's future posts until midnight on Thursday, November 26th. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 27th. That's it - easey peasey! If you've been lucking in the shadows, this is a great time to stop by with a comment. There are no strangers here, only friends we haven't met yet!

Have an awesome day and remember to be thankful for the "little things"!


Note: I took these pictures at the Green Dragon Flea Market in Lancaster, PA this past summer.

"Beautiful"

"Beautiful"
4" x 6" Collage
(Click on a star to enlarge!)

Things have been a bit busy lately, so it's been quite a while since I've participated in the Sunday Postcard Art challenge. When I saw that this week's challenge was to create a postcard with a flourish, I remembered this postcard that I originally created and sent as a "thank you" to my friend, Cathy at Reflections of a Ramblin' Girl.

A few months ago, Cathy sent me the most beautiful piece of fabric art. It is so extraordinary, an ordinary "thank you" just didn't seem adequate. I tried to make a postcard that would reflect my joy, and also one that would celebrate her beautiful spirit and magnificent talent. (If you click here, it'll take you to Cathy's post where the piece is showcased!)

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Some of My Techniques

This piece began with a colorful piece of scrap wrapping paper that was glued to a piece of watercolor paper. The sweet image of the little girl was glued to the background before being enhanced with watercolor pencils and Prismacolor pencils.

The background was then stamped with faux writing in black StaZon ink, and flourshes in clear embossing ink. After embossing the flourishes with silver embossing powder, I punched out little stars from more scrap wrapping paper and glued them to the background. Finally the word, "Beautiful", was added along with some doodling for extra interest. A silver metallic marker was used to edge the entire piece.

May you have a beautiful day!


Credits: Thanks for SuzeeQue (Flickr) for the beautiful image of the little girl, and to Nancy Baumiller's Crowabout for the word, beautiful.

Thanksgiving "Freebies" & A Special Thanks

For your artful pleasure!

(Both are PNG files!)

A little something for your Thanksgiving holiday fun and image files. The image of the turkey was extracted from a public domain postcard. The image of the Pilgrim lady is from the Library of Congress.

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A Special "Thank You"

My sweet blogging buddy, Tammy at Daisy Yellow, awarded me with a surprise "Over the Top" award this week. Thanks, Tammy! Part of the fun in accepting this award was answering the following questions:

1. Where is your cell phone?…Somewhere buried in the depths of my purse.
2. Your hair?… Needs a cut & color BADLY!
   
3. Your mother?… Outspoken
4. Your father?… Was the BEST!
   
5. Your favorite food?… Pasta of any kind - Yum!!!
   
6. Your dream last night?…Wild and crazy
   
7. Your favorite drink?… Tea
8. Your dream/goal?… Being published
   
9. What room are you in?… Family Room
   
10. Your hobby?… Photography
11. Your fear?… Getting lost & not being able to find a way out
    
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?… Hmmmmm . . . Good question!
    
13. Where were you last night?…Home
14. Something that you aren’t?… Number and/or math literate
    
15. Muffins?… Carrot or lemon poppyseed
    
16. Wish list item?… Macro lens for my SLR
    
17. Where did you grow up?… Suburbs
18. Last thing you did?… Laundry
19. What are you wearing?…Jeans, T-Shirt, Birks with funky socks
    
20. Your TV?… Flat panel
    
21. Your Pets?… Mini-Schnauzer (Love of my life!)
    
22. Friends?… Wonderful
23. Your life?… Full, rich and creative
    
24. Your mood?…Relaxed and happy
    
25. Missing Someone?… Yes
26. Vehicle?… White SUV
27. Something you're not wearing?…High heels & a feather boa!
    
28. Your favorite store?… AI Friedman (fine art supply store)
    
29. Your favorite colour?… Can't name just one!!!
    
30. When was the last time you laughed?…Today
31. Last time you cried?… Two weeks ago
    
32. Your best friend?… Shhh! It's a secret!
    
33. One place that I go to over and over?… Michaels - My home away from home!
    
34. Facebook?… Member - Only because my adult kids talked me into it!
    
35. Favorite place to eat?… Italian restaurant

If you love mandalas and art journaling, you've got to check out Tammy's blog. While you're there, check the archives - her journal prompts and tutorials are extensive and amazing. You can go there by clicking here.

Hope you have a weekend filled with good friends and laughter!

Orange

As they say on Sesame Street, today's post is being brought to you by the color orange!

Lately, I'm just loving this color and can't seem to get enough of it. The passion could have been ignited by the pictures that I took of nature's bounty at some of the farmer's markets we visited while in Maine this past summer.



Just look at all of that luscious color! Thank you Mother Nature, for your bounty and your wonderful organic orange!

Hope you have a vibrant day!

"Give Thanks"

"Give Thanks"
8 1/2" x 11" Journal Page
(Click on a turkey to see the details!)

Since Nancy Baumiller supplied us with some great Thanksgiving images this week, and we're entering the final stages of our "Collage Dreams" journaling class, my Crowabout entry is a journal page made to celebrate the season.

Mainly because of all of the lovely comments I received from you in my previous post, this is the first time that I felt brave enough to actually put journaling on my newly-created page. Thank you, My Friends, for your support and encouragement. As I penned the letters, I felt you standing in back of me, cheering me on. Sometimes it does "take a village", and I am grateful.

To satisfy your curiosity, here's a picture of what this collage looked like before the journaling and final details were added. Once you've seen the finished version, this page looks a bit naked!

Hope you try to conquer a fear today!

Credits: All images from Nancy Baumiller's Crowabout Flickr group with the following exceptions: From Suzee Que (Flickr) - Baby behind the turkey, the wishbone with fruit, and the turkey spoon. From TumbleFish Studio (Etsy) - All of the crowns, including the one on her head and those used to make the ruffle for the apron. From Dover Publications - The butterflies. And, finally, dapper Dan (on the right) was one of my "freebies". Click here to make him yours.

Experimentation & A Freebie

Journal Page

A Lettering Sampler
8 1/2" x 11"
(Click to on her hair to enlarge!)

Admittedly, I have a problem with lettering and spontaneous journaling. Many moons ago I attended an architectural drawing class in collage and spent hours practicing lettering to "find my own style" of printing, as the professor suggested. It was torturous. Who'd have thought that I'd have such a difficult time of it - after all, my Catholic school penmanship was exquisite!

Since I'm a bit of a chicken about journaling on my new pages, I decided to create a practice page. Believe it or not, you're looking at a breakthrough journal page. There is not one planned, pre-drawn or computer generated letter or piece of journaling in sight. Although it may be a little exuberant, it's spontaneous and honest - warts and all. Now all I have to do is work up the courage to fill in my empty new journal pages. Wish me luck!

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Your Freebies

Tiny Dancer
PNG File
For your creative pleasure!

This week's image was created from a picture that I found in the public domain. When you click your mouse to "save" her, you'll see that she's quite "large". But that's OK, you can make her any size you'd like once she's in your files. Thought you might like a jpeg file too. I hope you have a lot of fun with her. Personally, I think she needs a set of colorful wings!

Your JPEG File

Hope you try something new today!

Charms & More Teesha

Thought I'd share something different with you today, so here's a peek at a few of the charms I made recently for my art group's "charm swap".

We could make up to ten charms, and there was no limit on materials, etc. that could be used.

Since this was my first time doing anything like this, I thought I'd try a few different techniques including, using Diamond Glaze over images, words glued to wooden shapes, polymer clay, crystals, pearls, beads and tiny silver charms.


I DID find that I have great respect for jewelry artists! Working with tiny pieces and large implements is quite a challenge!

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More Teesha!

If you enjoyed Teesha Moore's recent journaling videos on her blog, Teesha's Circus, check out her new lettering videos on You Tube. Click on these links: Lettering-Part 1 and Lettering-Part2. They're awesome!!!

May you have a charming day!

"Play Time"

"Play Time"
8 1/2" x 11" Journal Page
(Click, on the Man in the Moon to enlarge!)

This week's Crowabout challenge images were colorful, fun and featured a "moon" theme. I've always been fascinated with the moon and, in particular, I love vintage images of the "Man in the Moon". Maybe it's the "romantic" in me!

I seldom create blue backgrounds, but felt this watercolored page suited the collage theme. All of the images, with the following exceptions, are from Nancy Baumiller. Special thanks to Angellea (Flickr) for the great "numbered" scalloped border under the rusty star on the left-hand side of the page, and to Norma Frances (Flickr) for the "pastel" scalloped border used at the top left and bottom right.

And . . . a very BIG "special thanks" to Marsha from TumbleFish Studio for the awesome crown, the tiny red hearts (one is on Mr. Moon's top hat), the word "Moonbeam", and the fabulous turquoise and green scalloped border that I've used at the top and bottom of the page. Marsha has just created several digital collage sheets that are - in my humble opinion - a must have. They're bright, unique and FUN! Can't you tell that I adore them! So hop on over to Marsha's Etsy shop (click here) to grab a few for your files.

While you're over at Etsy, you've got to skip on over to the Koupie Shop too (click here). My dear, talented friend, Lynn from Her Creative Spirit, just listed some gorgeous digital tags and lovely Victorian images just in time for our Holiday creations. Lynn's tags are sooooo pretty and elegant - print them out, add a bit of ribbon, and they're the perfect finishing touch for your Holiday gifts.

Hope you have a "colorful" day!

Collage Class Homework & A Freebie

Journal Page
8 1/2" x 11"
(Click on her hat to see the details!)

Somehow I've managed to get all of my collage class homework assignments finished, in spite of being down for the count with some sort of nasty bug - not really the flu, yet not a cold. Just a lot of "yuck".

On many levels I found it comforting to have to "take it easy" for a bit. Since my activity level was sub-zero, I was forced to sit and play in the studio which gave me an opportunity to explore a few new techniques. Having so much time to relax was energizing and healing. It reminded me of my childhood when I would play for hours with a box of crayons and paper dolls.

So . . . taaaa daaaahhhh . . . here's my last journal page for the week! Now I'm all ready for my next lesson - lettering!!!!

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Your Freebie

A PNG File
For your artful pleasure!


A quick digital example!
(Click on the hat to enlarge!)

When I found this picture in the New York Public Library files, I was intrigued by the look on this girl's face and thought you would be too. I'm sure she has many stories to tell. Because we love choices, I've also included the original picture and a "plain Jane" PNG file too. Hope you have a lot of fun creating stories for her.


Special thanks to Elizabeth from The Last Door Down the Hall for her beautiful photo of the door that I used in creating my digital example.

Wishing you a weekend filled with fabulous choices!

Teesha's Tutorials

Journal Page
In Process
8 1/2" x 11"
(Click on the crown to enlarge!)

IF you love art journals, new techniques, vibrant color and anything "zetti", you MUST hop right on over to Teesha Moore's blog, Teesha's Circus, immediately (if you haven't already!) to watch her new series of videos. (They've also been posted on "You Tube".)

I've long admired Teesha's work, so finding these awesome tutorials was a treat for my eyes and food for my creative soul. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and watched enthralled as she went to work creating journal pages in her distinctive style. Shot by her husband, Tracy, this concise series is filled with lots of tips and techniques. Even if you've been journaling for awhile, you're bound to learn a few new things.

Immediately following Teesha's "master class", I headed to the studio to try some of my new found skills. As I worked, I could almost hear Teesha over my shoulder saying, "Don't think about it too much. Just go with it!"

Generally, my collage work tends to lend itself to a lot of "fussing" and detail. So, while this "in-progress" page may not be as spontaneous as I'd like, it was a lot of fun to create. And, who knows . . . I just may get the hang of this Zetti-thing after all!

Hope you do something spontaneous today!