Mini Memory for Mel

April's Mini Memory recipient is Mel on the DCI group. Her choice was any theme with aqua and blue as her colour choice.

I started with a coaster from our Don Cherry's pub, covered it with gesso then rubbed aqua and blue inks over it after embossing it with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I coloured a little frame with some blue metallic acrylic paint and attached it to the centre. I added a game piece that my friend Muzzy had sent me on a card a few years ago (used with her permission). I took an old pair of earrings and removed the backs and placed the roses with the game piece inside the frame.

I had some Maple Leaf brads (to continue with the shape of the coaster) and embossed them with some navy blue embossing powder, removed the backs and glued them around the frame. Still needed "something" so put some blue stickles around the edge.

Mini Memory for Jackie

Jackie is the February recipient for the Mini Memory swap in the DCI group and she chose vintage with earthy tones and gold as her theme.

I took a canvas and gessoed it then added scrunched up foil, cheesecloth and added some embossing paste with a stencil. I painted over the whole piece with various colours of acrylic paints to attain the vintage look.

I printed off  a vintage picture of a woman from digitalcollagesheets.com and glued it to the canvas. In my stash I found an old picture frame, which I touched up with paint. I cut out a piece of acetate and covered the picture, then attached the frame.

Added some vintage buttons that my friend Annie sent me awhile ago, a piece of paper tape and some book corners to finish the piece off.

Mini Memory for Carol S

Carol S chose a floral/nature theme for her mini memory and the colour choice was left up to the artist.

Now there are two things I know for sure about Carol; she loves her Cuttlebug and butterflies as she uses them a lot in her art. So that narrowed down my choice of items to use for her mini memory.

Carol did not want anything larger than 5X5 square or rectangle. I have some Magenta chipboard frames that were the perfect size. I took some handmade background paper and ran it through the Cuttlebug, then attached it to the frame. I then touched up the raised pieces with some green rub n buff.

I took a chipboard swirl and embossed it with some purple and green embossing powders then stamped into it while it was hot, and attached it in the corner. I added some polymer leaves that I punched out of green card stock and added some veins with my stylus. On top of this I glued a flower that I had from one of nieces' wedding.

I took some chipboard letters and embossed them with purple embossing powder and glued them to the frame to spell "nature". I then stamped and embossed some butterflies on vellum, and added them to the frame in a 3-d effect to make them look like they are flying.



After making this piece I discovered that the butterflies would not stay in place, likely because it is so dry here. So I revised it. I added a shrink plastic butterfly which I had saved from a card I received a couple of years ago made by Trish L. (hope she does not mind that I recycled it). I also added a few beads at the bottom.

July Quote of the Month

This month's quote is : "The man who has no imagination has no wings" Mohammud Ali

I have been trying to think of something a bit different for this swap and decided to make a photo or recipe card holder.

I had a small block of wood and one of those old fashioned clothespegs so thought I would use them. My DH attached the clothespeg to the small wood block and added a base.

I painted it and added some texture and colour. Added some pictures to the sides and back. I found a picture of Muhammed Ali and framed it with a chipboard frame coloured and embossed then added the quote and embossed it in clear.

For the "wings" part of the quote I added a butterfly with a piece of wire for the feelers and beaded the ends.

This will be going to my swap partner Debbie in the next couple of days.

Image transfer swap

I recently signed up for an image transfer swap and decided to do a canvas. Well it was one of those days when no matter what I did nothing worked!! I must have done about 5 attempts at the transfer and was really getting discouraged as none seemed quite right.

I coloured the canvas with gesso and then added layers of acrylic paint. I then used gel medium to transfer the image directly to the canvas. The final look is quite faint, but I think it just gives it an aged look.

I added some images from tissue paper, stamped and embossed swirls and then stamped a text stamp around the canvas.

I took a chipboard frame and embossed it with platinum embossing powder and UTEE, then stamped directly over it while hot to add texture. I used this to frame the picture. Fiinally, I added the little saying piece to complete it.

June Quote of the Month

The June quote was: "There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."
Saint Thomas Aquinas.
A friend who used to teach at my local rubber stamp store invited a bunch of us over for an open house for stamping products and we did a couple of projects, one being a note card holder. I decided to use the idea for this month's Q.O.T.M.

The holder is simple and is just a single piece of cardstock creased and folded to hold the note cards. I then took another piece of 130 LB cardstock and colored it using direct-to-paper with pigment inks and overstamped it.

I stamped and colored the little girls and attached them to the front piece, then added the quote with a little frame. The holder is held together with a piece of ribbon.

Since I do not have an envelope die cut I used one of the envelopes from my sample and cut them out of fancy paper and edged them with decal scissors. I stamped little note cards to fit inside the envelopes.

March Quote of the Month

This month's quote was -" In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous" Aristotle

I decided to use some of my stamps that I have not dusted off for a while.

I started with 130LB card stock and stamped the wolves on it. I then did the "stamp smoosh" technique with Fluid Colorbox inks. I masked the wolves (Coronado Island) and added the scene (A Stamp in the Hand) and the Pine Trees (Stampscapes).

I cut around the stamped piece and made a frame. I attached the stamped image to a piece of charcoal card stock then added the frame with double-sided foam tape.
I stamped the wolves again, cut them out and attached them on the previously stamped area with double-sided foam tape.
I had some chipboard bookplates so decided to use one to frame the quote. I adhered some Sookwang tape to it and then added some Glitter Ritz. I attached it with some brads to hide the holes.
I thought it still needed "something", so I punched out some maple leaves from a piece of mono- printed card stock that I had made, then stamped them with a Magenta stamp that had some texture. I adhered the punchies with some metallic thread to give the look of a vine.

This will be mailed off to Debbie along with the It-Girl gift for April.

March It-Girl

The ArtVenture It-Girl for March is Karen and her theme is Shrines. This is something that I have never done before and I really struggled with the theme. I made several attempts but was not happy with them, so back to the drawing board.

I was looking for something in my spare room and came across some small picture frames and thought they might work for the shrine. I settled on one that had a deeper "box" for the picture and a nice leafy motif.

The frame was a dull gold tone and I decided to jazz it up a bit. I started by painting it with gold Lumiere paint, then dry brushed silver, turquoise, blue an pink around it. The bottom was done with bronze.

The centre (background) is a matchbox into which I placed a piece of cardboard covered with plumbers a tape which I embossed with my Cuttlebug and dabbed with Alcohol inks.

The image is a postage stamp honouring Star Trek figures, but it looked a bit like an old Monk to me so thought it fit the theme. I adhered it to a Style Stone and edged with Krylon pen. I attached it with some E6000.

The charm at the top was silver, but seemed to stick out like a sore thumb, so I coloured it with some Adirondack Markers before attaching it. I added the gems and the flower embellishment to complete it.  I also glued the stand onto the back again so that it can sit on her desk or another piece of furniture, if she chooses. I hope Karen will be as pleased with the piece as I am.

Art Doll

This piece is for another swap.

I had some little wire mesh floral pieces in my stash and decided I would try making my art doll using one as the body.

I had some frames left from a charm swap and thought I would use one as the head. I inserted a face inside the frame, then glued a fan charm on top and glued this to the "body".

I strung some beads and charms together for the arms and legs and attached them to the body.

I think she is a modern day gal as she has her cell phone in her left hand!!!

I added an S shaped paper clip as the torso an attached a heart brad and gem at the neckline.

The waistline is a couple of paper flowers and a brad. I finished her off with some faux rivets around the edge of her hem and the arms.

More play

I belong to a Milliande's creativity group and many topics and ideas are discussed, as well as various tutorials. One that I recently looked at and decided to try was the "scanner art". You just place an object on the scanner bed, add things behind it ( if you wish) and scan with the lid open. Add a frame and or border around the art, even play with different textures etc in the photo program.


For the first one I laid some fabric autumn leaves on the scanner then added crumpled tinfoil over the top, cropped it and added a frame and border. The second one is the same pic done as the hot wax coating on the Artistic Effects in Corel PSPX. The third one was Neon Glow in the Artistic Effects in PSPX.

The last picture is a deoderizer block that I scanned and then distorted in the effects menu on PSPX, then added a frame and border.

This was great fun, and I think these would make great ATC's.

Playing around

On one of my groups there is a swap to make 4 connected ATC's. It is quite a challenge and I felt a bit intimidated after looking at a couple of examples on some blogs!!

I thought I would give it a whirl anyway and this is what I came up with. I am still debating about joining the swap as I am not sure if I "got it right".

A special Dare

On CC Swaps, Sweetpea had a challenge-Double Deuce Dare where she sent a number of items for us to alter and send to a partner. Part of the challenge was that we had to use 75% of the items. Unfortunately due to an illness in my family, I forgot to scan all the pieces prior to creating my art piece.

Pea sent a frame, scrabble pieces, a plexi-glass piece, slide mounts, pictures, twill fabric, some bellies, an AOL disc tin and a bottle cap. I managed to use most of the pieces along with some other items of my own.

I made a little book for the inside, leaving the inside of the tin plain.

I have sent my finished piece off to my partner Denise and sure hope she likes it as much as I enjoyed working with all the fun pieces.

Another Swap

The latest swap I participated in was to create a card or some other item representing a house. I got out my foamcore, paper, paints, stamps, embellishments and some pictures and set to work. I painted the paper using a technique I recently learned in an online class, stamped some words and images on it with white pigment ink. I cut out the foamcore in a house shape and did the same with the paper and adhered it to the foamcore.

I made the roof with some sequins that my friend Annie had sent me, and added some gold rick-rack to finish it off. I had some picture frame charms which I used for the windows, and put pictures underneath to represent a family.

I added some stickers and other embellishments to finish it off and was quite happy with the results. Just hope my partner Sue, will be pleased with it.

Book for my Sister

Each year I include a handmade item with my Christmas Gifts for my Sister. This year I made a book for her using a technique taught at a class by Cathie Allan of Western Educational Activities. She is a wonderful artist who has been published regularly and designs for one of the RS ink companies. She makes each class so much fun, and inspires us to go home, play with the ideas and make each item "our own".

The book includes family pictures as well as quotes, and a little calendar inserted in the back cover.