Bell Book & Candle Mixed Media Art

2012-02-06T14:04:00.001-08:00

R.R. pages done for one of my swaps in a board book...I love doing these.

2012-02-06T14:00:00.001-08:00

Here is the painting that I finally finished for Lorne for his birthday. It was a long time coming...

2012-02-06T11:34:00.001-08:00

2012-02-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to make my own journal pages and so went forth bravely. They need some critiquing but this is my first try. I used pages from various big K&Co books and others to get the feel of what I want to do....I also added some embelishments of my own to give it my feel...this is a tryout and I will do more with my own designs. (Thanks Marion for the inspiration to try my own)...these pages can be used as separate or glued together to make one page...I will be adding more to the forthcoming pages for my journal but this is the beginning...and it is addictive....

2012-02-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

MVP award...

2012-02-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

be patient!! I am almost finished tooting my grandaughter's horn ....hahaha
the next picture is for the tournament her regular hockey team played in and Nicky won the MVP against some pretty big guys and fairly assertive players...she held her own....oh gosh I love it when I can yell....'WOMYN ROCK'....

2012-02-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

the brongze medal was won in the tournament for the school. She played on the boy's hockey team and they won the bronze medal for that. She was the first girl to score, assist and win the bronze medal so that is an accomplishment to go on her list of accolades.

2012-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

the bronze medal....

Nicole (grandaughter) plays on a boy's hockey team and is the only girl. They played in a tournament and the team did so well they won the bronze medal.

2012-02-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

here is a shutter card I did...my first ....ummmm...for me I think it takes too much patience.

I have neglected my blog once again and I am sorry for this...I have been busy though...doing workshops, doing journaling, watching my wonderful grandaughter's hockey games......

2012-01-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

I spent this afternoon doing a couple steampunk pages in my journal. This was amazing amount of fun. I cut out the head from steampunk images on cd from the book I got for Christmas from my d.h. 'Steampunk Sourcebook.' the crow is a stamp; wings also a stamp; the gears are from Tim Holtz cut out on my Big Shot. This brass ring around my lady's eye, the eye of the bird and the buttons down my lady's dress are all watch parts I bought in tiny tins when Lorne and I went to a book show last year...what a scoop that was. The clock by the lady has the hands from one of the little tins I got..so I have plenty to play with in future art...This was an afternoon well spent for sure.....

2012-01-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

This page is done with washers, verigrated leafing,stamps,hinge and punk art from the same book as above...A lot of fun to do; just let the imagination run wild.

2012-01-07T12:41:00.001-08:00

I am still learning about setting up my blog....which is hard when you don't have much patience....I just changed it as I wanted a little bit of 'steampunk'....
but still working on it to make it the way I want it...

2012-01-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

I try not to miss any of my darling grandaughter's hockey games. Any follower of mine knows by now that Nicole plays on a boy's team. I call her my wild mare because her long blond hair flies in the wind from the bottom of her helmet when she skates....this is a picture of her wearing the 'hard hat' which they get for being the hardest worker on the team for that night...they all work hard and are a great team...Nicky got a couple goals this night.

2012-01-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

I did a round robin book swap on my mixedmedia art group but I am bad for getting pictures off my camera but I finally did it today. so here are a couple of the books...this book is for Jenn and I simply couldn't stay away from my birds. The tag clips on the page.

These pages are Lisa's and she had a couple pages on time so I kept with the them...I love my bunnies and so I wanted my 'I'm Late I'm Late'......grunge pages

2012

2012-01-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet New Year but at least I stayed awake!! My dh kept me up with my new big screen TV by watching all the programs I liked...devious is that man!! It was fun though...I am too emotional for New Years...I don't like saying goodbye to anything even inanimate objects...don't like all the drunken slobbering and cry at Old Lang....so I try to avoid it all together...I didn't when I was young and a party girl...but now yes....
So I wish all my friends a Happy New Year and I hope this year is better for everyone...

2011-12-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

here is a little atc (I love atcs) that I made for a swap on the mixedmediaart group....it is called Celebrate and I thought I would celebrate the hat.....I just couldn't resist this twist.

2011-12-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

Well finally back to blogging. Hectic before Christmas as you all know. I did lots of things but as usual in my rush I forgot to take pictures of most of them...I made some fun cards for the grandkids and had a great time with them....cards for others but mailed away before picture taking.
I spent yesterday cleaning up my studio. I don't know about you but when I create I am like a hurricane hitting....everything is out...so now it looks nice and is beckoning me to start again....

2011-11-28T05:11:00.003-08:00

Monday Morning and I am ready to get in to the studio and produce!!
I want to work on some clay this morning as I am wanting to get back to my roots....molds and altering....going to be a good day....

2011-11-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

I have been playing with toilet paper molds today....I have Pam Carriker's book
Art at the Speed of Lite and she has lots of neat techniques in the book; this being one of them. I thought I would show you that now you buy toilet paper not to use in the bathroom but in the studio room....the toilet tubes for journals and the tissue for molds...
I didn't cut them really close and well because they still are a little damp and this is my first crack at doing this. It sure is fun..the hearts are made from the toilet tissue..the fleur de lis was made from the backing of napkins. I have a napkin one drying and decided I would let it dry naturally until tomorrow morning. I also have a face from a polymer clay mold drying and will leave that one until tomorrow...the leaves one I sprayed after it was almost dry to see what Glimmer Mist would be like on it...I only did a couple of sprays so the next time I will do more...I did the little flower out of patterned tissue paper and it came out okay but it was too hard to cut out because of the pattern so I will try on some plain tissue next....Thanks Pam...this is going to be lots of fun to do and to add the embellisments to cards and other projects....
Any questions you have just email me....
So instead of working on my swaps I played....me bad!!!

2011-11-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

2011-11-19T08:29:00.001-08:00

Here is another tag for the swap.

2011-11-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am doing a fabric journal and tag swap on our Mixedmediaart group. This is one of the tags I did for one of my partners...This has been so much fun and I am almost ready to start putting my journal together....

2011-11-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't help myself making this card for Jacob's 15th b'day. He is a big Tim Burton fan as I am also and so I had to put his head in this custom (I think it was a Dover download)...see his lucky #7 at the edge of his cloak...

2011-11-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

I have been working with different techniques lately and having so much fun with them. Here is a postcard I made for a special friend. The tree image is printed on fabric...I love printing on fabric....

2011-11-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

Next we have a picture painted and collaged by my grandson for art in highschool...I learn so much from Nicole and Jacob's art. I never took art courses in school and the kids learn so much today.

2011-11-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

Here is Nicky and the team in Pittsburg where, on a tournament won all of their games and came home proud with the trophy.

2011-11-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

here is a picture of my grandaughter. She plays hockey on the boy's team Meadowvale Mohawks. She won the shovel a couple weeks ago for player of the game. Nicole is an avid Hockery player and is determined to be in the olympics one day.

2011-10-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here is Step 2....the horse and girl are my paintings and the other is a mixed digital I played with....

2011-10-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

Good Morning World! The sun is shining and it is warm and beautiful outside. That alone should make us smile.

Step one

Well this morning I revamped the technique on the paper towel that was on youtube...when I was pulling the top layer of napkin off it was going okay but one little area caught and made a hole...and the bottom layer of towel was stuck to the cardstock...didn't like the fact that I was wasting a piece of cardstock so I decided to try it this morning without the adhesive and just with tape....here are the pictures of doing it this way....came out perfectly and I can resuse the cardstock.....

2011-10-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am so excited!!! I love new techniques and on one of my art lists one of the members graciously shared this video with us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF1zIweCBPI&feature=uploademail

Here is the one I tried...I am sorry I don't remember the blog I got the tags from but they were so pretty I just downloaded them for inspiration but the blog url is at the bottom of the printed page.. You can see the blue tape at the top of the page and the pulled back area off the cardstock and the two pieces that you can separate...this is just way too fun.....there goes my day.....

2011-09-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is the second and third step in my mixed media. You can see Justin is gone.

This is the next step and as you can see I changed a lot on here...my muse told me too. I also brought back Justin's eye..hehehe...I think I might write something in the blue over his forehead.

2011-09-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

Board book cover. Mine is on birds...

2011-09-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of my mixed media canvas. I had to add a napkin picture of Justin for my grandaughter. What young girl isn't in love with him? too cute. I added fibre, tissue, burlap stamping, newspaper, scrapbook paper and even a drawing I am doing in Carla Sonheim's workshop where you have to look at the picture and not at what you are drawing...it was quite funny, wallpaper has been added also....hmmmm I antiqued it a bit...so now to the next stage of developement...bye bye Justin....

2011-09-24T08:52:00.001-07:00

a page in the altered book swap I was going to do..it was on Melancholy....

2011-09-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

here are some of the toilet paper tubes and tags that go inside of the tubes...what fun!! If you haven't tried it you should....

2011-09-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Wow I can't believe it has been a month since I posted...am I bad or what...the days seem to just go so fast; I know, no excuses...
Well my muse has been with and we have been creating so that is a good thing isn't it?
I have some art to show you and having so much fun in my studio. My life partner put up another table for me so now I can mess that up also. I now have a laptop down in the studio as well as my computer in the guest bedroon so there should be no excuses now I guess.

I have been working on an altered book swap but my partner that wanted to swap has not sent her book so I am thinking she doesn't want to do it now...I guess just too busy so I will carry on with my book myself...we were going to send to each other every month so we would complete pages for each other...
I am doing a fabric swap with another group...and when completed with fabric sent to each other we will compile our books and looking forward to that one.
Also working on toiletpaper tube journals...did a swap already and now doing another....I love those as they are so much fun and on one believes you when you tell them these are toiletpaper rolls...
Board book swap in the works and tags and atcs...so see I am busy...oh yes also doing a mixed media collage on canvas...which is fun....

2011-08-26T13:47:00.001-07:00

This is the cover of the journal for my step daughter Lori's birthday. I really hope she likes this...Her favourite colours purples and dark pinks....

2011-08-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Family page for photos and notes. I had a glare...I took pictures away from the light sources so I don't know.....

This is the back cover and it doesn't show up either but the little girl represents Lori and the witch represent me as I have always, since Lori and her brother were tiny, called myself the "wicked Step Monster." and that has always been our joke...I couldn't love either one more than if they were my own blood...all my kids are special.....

2011-08-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

this page shows twice...they are campers and I thought this was a cute page for pictures and notes.

2011-08-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Pictures go behind the wagon which again didn't show the red as it should have...grrrh...a little tag above held with a paper clip for journaling. The doll was a material yellow doll and it doesn't look appealing at all but it is...the wagon and doll represent Lori's two kids (my grandkids).

2011-08-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

This page, the lace paper doesn't show up as pretty as it really is.

this was the prettiest page in red and pink roses and th tag doesn't show up ...just a big white glare.

2011-08-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

The lace was dyed with a distress spray and the picture of the lady and bird was a beautiful envelope sent to my by Mary Ann a dear friend and outstanding artist in a swap from one of the lists I am on...I kept that envelope because I thought it was so beautiful and this page called for it......so...I cut it down and used it. Check out Mary Ann's blog..it is beautiful.

http://www.plumcat.blogspot.com/

2011-08-26T13:25:00.001-07:00

2011-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Inside cover with envelope att'ched. In the envelope is a poem about my step daughter.

2011-08-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just finished a journal for my step daughter's birthday and off it went to her...I took pictures but I am really disappointed in the way they turned out...A photographer I'm not I guess!! I hope you can use your imagination to visualize some of the colours...they were vibrant and I guess too much so for my camera...hahaha. This is the cover and the only one, I think that turned out properly...her name is Lori so the L is on the cover and her favourite colour is purple and pinks come next.

2011-08-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday Everyone.

I have a new group that I am participating in and boy it is filled with the most amazing artists. The swaps are fantastic and I am so excited to be a part of these talented artists.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mixedmediaart/

I can't believe a month has gone by since I last blogged. I hang my head in shame and will pull up my socks and get some art up here....

I am working on journals, and a golf painting and swaps so there will be much to put up as well as some techniques and hints...

I am excited and looking forward to the coming months.

I will leave you with this smile:

We'll be friends until

We are old and senile

Then, we'll be

New friends.

2011-07-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone. I hope all of you are finding ways to stay cool. It is going to be very hot today and a history record breaking "hot" on Thursday. I must look up Worker's Compensation and see how hot it has to be to stay home....trying to get hubby to stay home tomorrow but he says that is not fair to the other drivers; they are telling him to stay home also....hmmmm does that mean we're old and the heat is too much for us? hahahaha.

Here is a little piece of altered art I put together to send out because my swap partner has not received her inspiration card from me yet...I love the mail!!! Don't know where it is but there are two that haven't reached the destination so I will send another and one will surely appear sometime....The little girl in this piece came in on a piece of advertising mail for steam cleaning...I took one look at her and knew I had to use her in my art....the paper is graphics 45.....Hope you like it.

2011-07-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

My Miss Cali Cat has decided she is going to critique the painting.....sigh.....

2011-07-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished a painting using Bob Pennycook's pattern. Jo Sonja paints and textured medium. I think though I will add something else to it ...maybe the words tulips or something. It just looks unfinished to me. Bob's doesn't but mine does....

2011-07-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you one of my absolutely favourite artists....she is having a giveaway right now and so you should run over and join in. I watch everything Steff does and she is my biggest inspiration in journals...amazing young lady....plus she always makes me smile...

http://withagrin.blogspot.com/

I just love her work and can't praise her enough....also check out her videos on you tube..you will learn lots....

2011-07-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone, Beautiful weather again today...so far...had a lazy day yesterday which was nice. I spent most of my time catching up on my email lists and watching workshop videos I signed up for....but today I must be productive...physically productive...

I found the blog that I learned to do the Pinesol transfer from.....it is http://harmonyroadstudio.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-inkjet-transfer-tutorial.html Lesley does great art and shares with all of us on her blog...well worth sitting with a cut of tea and exploring.

2011-06-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

I should tell you that buying inkjet transparencies here in Canada is very expensive and so I brought cases in to sell at a very reasonable price to my Canadian friends....I'm here if you need me....I use so many transparencies in my art that it was well worth it to me and I thought it would help you out as well....

2011-06-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

A girlfriend sent me a piece of material with cats all over it because she knows how much I love my cats. I photocopied the material (inkjet) on to cardstock and then I put it in my journal using pinesol....it came out pretty good I think....so there you have it....transfers are so much fun!!!

2011-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

This was done in my journal with an inkjet transparency and water...it even does the colours where the glossy paper does not....I got three transfers from this one photocopy in my transparency....if you look above at the transfer in the journal with the two pages below on the left hand side of the book you will see the large part face with eye and below that in the green paint if you look closely you will see the hand with the finger pointing up...that is the third try with the transparency...it shows up better on the book than this picture but it is faint but you can still tell it is a hand with a pointed finger.....

2011-06-30T11:20:00.001-07:00

This transfer is done with glossy photo paper and water..so easy....

2011-06-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have been busy painting again....gave up doing some swaps so I would have time for me to create; so many things to do and so little time to do it in....My muse came back to me with a vengence and I am now working on a golf painting for my darling partner in life and a canvas painting for me and a couple scratch art pieces...no I can't just do one thing at a time....isn't that an illness? lol.

Well today I broke to play with some transfers and these are just too easy and too much fun to do...

This transfer (right hand side) was done with pinesol and the book is an altered book I am doing with a partner...I will work in my book for a month and then we send it to the other one and we will work in each other's books for awhile...my friend picked the topic "Melancholy" and I froze at first, but once the thoughts started coming I just can't stop...I picked an old book on Paris and it has so many little sentences I can use right on the pages...it is so much fun.

2011-06-12T07:39:00.001-07:00

Struggling with background colours to fit the painting....but GulfSprite did it!! Enjoy the video....from you tube

2011-06-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hot and muggy today folks...the sun and overcast are battling it out to see who'll win....Doesn't matter to me which of them wins...I love the heat and don't mind rain....

I did a couple journal pages ...one is called Work in Red which I did from a workshop with Pam Carriker. I have pretty well done all Pam's workshops. She is an excellent teacher and an amazing artist and I always learn new things in her workshops.

this one is from the group I belong Art For The Creative Mind...It was a weekly challenge in our journals of masks and stencils. I used watercolour, acrylics, daubers, watercolour crayons, distress inks on this page. It was just a fun thing to do.

2011-06-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

I made these tags for a swap in California...what fun I have doing this!!

2011-06-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

I guess I haven't been totally lax as here are a couple of atcs I made of my cats for a swap called 'Cat in the Hat', of course.

2011-06-06T07:27:00.001-07:00

This one is called Spirit

2011-06-06T07:26:00.001-07:00

An Inspiration Card I did for a swap this one is Solitude

2011-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, I really can't believe I have let my blog go this long. I apologize...just wasn't up to talking or painting of any kind...but back now and feeling good.

I will be posting lots more work in the days to come because my head is bursting with ideas so I will be spending my days in the studio trying to get my must to take them from my head to canvas, paper, journals and clay.....I know I should focus on my thing as my darling partner in life keeps telling me but I can't do that....I am too eclectic or a flibbergibit (spelling)....and perfer to think I am more eclectic...sounds better don't you think? (big smile here)....

2011-04-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Now this is my beautiful loving talented grandaughter...need I say more....that beautiful smile makes the world stop stop and stare for awhile...she is truly amazing just the way she is.

Sunday Spring NOT, 2011

2011-04-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Well it started off with snow then sun, then snow again like a minnie blizzard and now rain and the wind is whipping around. I think we have really "teed off" the heavens....

I bought the Memories Slice Machine this week and I couldn't be happier with it...I am having a blast.
I am off to my studio downstairs now to do some creating, laundry, pouring molds ...that should keep me busy so I won't be dwelling on the weather.

2011-04-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

I belong to a group called Journal Techniques and our last challenge was to go to a website and click on 4 buttons and up came four colours....you then had to create a page with those colours on it...I got too involved and ended up having two pages...it didn't have to look pretty it was child's play and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed just taking colours and adding on the pages...scrapbook paper, prima flower, glossy accents with white glitter power; watercolour crayons, fiber and torn pages from old and new books. It is all done in my recycled Journal book my hubby gave me...each page holds a quotation so it is fun to use...My colours were white, cream orange and brown.

2011-04-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

This Inspiration card is called Growth. it is wallpaper with add ons and watercolour pencil and a tiny wooden embellished (blue) flowerpot....giving it the 3d look.....

2011-04-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

I use cardboard for all my work instead of chipboard and this is what I used for my Inspiration Cards. This one is called 'the ability to embrace silence and solitude.' The upper half (lighthouse, cun water) is matrial the bottom part is wallpaper cut up. I love using wallpaper in my work and I find if I am stuck I just have to browse through my wallpaper books and my mind starts coming up with all kinds of ideas....When I was young we had a cottage on Georgian Bay on the water and the silence was golden when I sat on the beach...it is a loving memory that I hold dear.

2011-04-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

This Inspiration card was done with paper (eek I forget Graphic 45 or BoBunny)hmmm will look that up...KC butterfly and sticker. I added some Glossy Accents to the wings and around the flower centers and Glitter and added little stone embellishments to the centers of the flowers...This card is called Spirit

2011-04-11T09:10:00.001-07:00

this is an Inspiration Card I did for my SketchbookProject group...bowl of fruit. We had themes to choose from. this is lace and wallpaper layered.

2011-04-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

this is ATCs of "Cat in the Hat" for ArtForTheCreativeMind group I belong to. Just had to do my little Salem boy with Dr. Seuss hat and my Ms Cali Cat with her lace and roses....

2011-04-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh have I been delinquent on my blog. My muse left for awhile and now she is back with a vengence.

2011-03-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

This is a top hat made for one of the swaps on another group. It is a little blurry because of the 3 D on the hat, but in real life I love it...hehehe...the word on the hat is travel done is a gold glitz...it has gone off to my partner but I thought it has been long enough so I could put it up now.....

2011-03-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

Here is an inspiration card I did for a swap on one of my art groups. It is about being adventorous in your life...I fell in love with the steampunk image on her head.....

2011-03-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have been missing in action AGAIN....I go through art blocks and just don't seem to be able to contribute...I am coming out of it now and starting to create again. So many things I want to do but they don't get from my brain to my hands...hopefully we are starting a period where they will.

I belong to the Sisters of Avalon and I think that is helping with a lot of issues I deal with....learning to be yourself is a long and ongoing process but one we should all try to go through I think.

2011-01-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

I held a seminar a week ago last Friday and the artist Joann McLean came in and taught a beginner's apple...this is my first attempt at coloured pencil and I like it very much...of course I can see lots of oops in it but the next one will get better hopefully. I find it very relaxing and fun to do.

2011-01-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

How monotonous the sounds of the forest would be if the music came only from the Top Ten birds." --- Dan Bennett

Another week has started and a big snow storm is headed our way for tomorrow...hmmmm...yet again I say...hate the winter...

I have moved my studio downstairs now and it is working out much better for me...maybe I can get some real work done now...

2011-01-25T04:57:00.000-08:00

This about brings me up to this past week!!! I held a workshop here last Friday and it was very good I think. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves so I will be holding more here. It is good to get back in to it...I haven't held a workshop since I lived in London Ontario 3 years ago next month...sigh...I have missed it...

this time we had Joann McLean in to do a workshop on coloured pencil...boy that is not as easy as it sounds...lots of work goes in to it like any other medium but it is wonderful and relaxing to do. I will put mine up when it is finished. It is almost there...if you haven't seen Joann's coloured pencil art please, if you are on facebook look her up or go on my page and find her in my friends....she does awesome work and just look at her work on "coins" you would think it is a photograph....

I am blessed to have so many wonderful fantastic amazing womyn artists as friends...sometimes you just have to pinch yourself to make sure it's real....

2011-01-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

These are two ATCs I did for the swap on Art For The Creative Mind. "Grace"...they were fun to do.

this was an inspirational card I did for a swap on The Sketchbook Project...

I have managed to get some art done....

2011-01-25T04:49:00.000-08:00

Been busy moving my mixed media art back to my studio downstairs in the basement...it was killing my guest room up here as my stash just kept growing and it was harder to go downstairs to do any painting so now it is all in one spot and I can do everything...plus laundry...hahaha no more excuses since it is all on the same floor now....My guest room is getting back to being a guest room...and I feel more inspired to go to the studio now and work. My dh is connecting a laptop down in the studio to connect with my big one in the guest room so at night I can work on this one upstairs and during the day I can use the one in the studio.
It sure helps with the legs....

2011-01-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

Front Cover and says Nana's Dictionary of Words

Inside of front cover

Back Cover

Here is the front of the journal that Nicky did

2011-01-25T04:42:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh!! I have been so bad. I just couldn't seem to get back into my blogging since before Christmas and I love blogging...so I apologize..
So many things have happened...I had a wonderful Christmas. I always get spoiled..

I helped my grandaughter Nicole (11yrs) make a journal for her other Grandma...what a fantastic job she did on it...I am posting a few of the pages for you to see...It was based on her Nana's favourite sayings....

2010-12-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

I just punched out a page of tags I bought at a scrapbook store last week. I sat the puched out page (12x12) on the printer and happened to sit it on a patterned piece of scrapbook paper which it immediately caught my eye because the page of tags had all the framed cutouts of the tags so it looked like my patterned page underneath was framed by tags...you got it...my punched out piece became a template for making other tags....I put up pictures so you can see what I mean....I have to play around and maybe cut the page in half so I can get all the tag templates on...however now I can make fancy tags with my cutout page....music sheets under them, plain for writing no end now how many tags of different kinds I can make and just cut out....on one if you look carefully you will see a snowman that I got in a package of acetate cutouts....so I can layer on different things also and personalize my tags...I just wanted to share this idea with you.....some of the tags have borders and others don't.....

2010-12-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

I received a lovely surprise in the mail today. A beautiful card and decorated cd ornament from my friend Sandi Mcilvried. We have known each other over the years from different email art lists but have become close email friends this last year. It was a wonderful surprise because I wasn't expecting it and still kind of down over my baby Echo dog....Sandi is a beautiful artist and her work is always making me want to try harder and harder with mine art...I am so blessed and thankful Sandi is in my life...

2010-11-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

A little Chrismas card I made for a friend...the pocket on the front holds the Dear Santa list and a tag....and I love my lace so just had to add some to the card...and also the envelope which I embellised...love sending out altered envelopes.

2010-11-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

I received this beautiful material postcard from my cousin...I am and was blown away by what she did....She put her quilt on facebook 12 Days of Christmas and it is amazing. What talent and of course now I want to do it....sigh....I need my 9 lives back...hehehehe

2010-11-23T04:08:00.000-08:00

My little boy!! He was such a good companion and totally faithful to me...How I miss you when I come downstairs and you are not waiting at the bottom bouncing and wagging your tail; how I miss you when you come to the door with me to say good bye when I am leaving or not being at the door when I come home...these days my heart is very heavy with pain as it was when your sisters left to travel over the Rainbow Bridge these last two years...but you are all playing together now and that makes me smile....Love you Echo my shadow.

2010-11-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

Today I am going to put up a tribute to my darling campanion Echo who passed last Thursday at 19 years old....I am going to do it today because before I didn't think I could through without completely breaking down again.

2010-11-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

below is a video of some of the work Lena did while taking Mary's class.
I have taken her class also and I think she is one of the best mixed media artists around....you learn so much from her workshops.

Enjoy!!!!

vintage collage :: lenna andrews

2010-11-22T03:28:00.000-08:00

vintage collage :: lenna andrews

2010-11-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

What a bright beautiful day in Mississauga today!! I had a great weekend. On Saturday I did a seminar with Shelley Prior. We did these grapes in a crystal bowl. Now I have to tell you I make all kinds of mistakes when I do a seminar...this morning I sat and played with them and they are looking better. Shelley is a wonderful teacher as she encourages you and doesn't make you feel like a drip. I love taking classes from her and her watercolours are so beautiful....www.shelleyprior.homestead.com Thank you Shelley for a great class and thanks Liz for hosting it in your studio. I must say it sure made me miss teaching and having a teaching studio....

2010-11-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

I am doing inspiration cards for a swap on sketchbook project. What fun I am having. I love inspirational sayings so much...the little girl is from graphics fairy. I love that site. The background was a freebie and the saying is one I love and oh so true.

2010-10-29T18:03:00.001-07:00

Oh gosh he makes me smile...let's have another picture of him...

2010-10-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

here is a picture of my grandson Jacob as Jac the Night before Christmas...I think he is the handsomest "ugly" guy going....He got 6th place in his high school for his costume.

2010-10-27T12:14:00.001-07:00

Had a great drive in to London today. The weather was not horrible like they were saying but beautiful and bright and a fantastic day for a drive on the highway. I love driving on the highway when you can go along at a good pace (not saying what pace) but a good one, with the music going and feeling free as the wind...
So I dropped off my order and called a girlfriend and met for coffee and then drove back to Mississauga.
The wind was picking up by the time I got home but it was still a beautiful day and I enjoyed it so much.....

2010-10-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favourite fall poems to share with you. Enjoy and have a wonderful fullfilling day!!

October's Party

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came.
The Chestnuts, Oaks and Maples
and leaves of every name.

The sunshine spread a carpet,
and everything was grand.
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow
The Oaks in crimson dressed.
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best.

All balanced to their partners,
And gairly fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New falled from the sky.

Then in the rustic hollow
At hide-and-seek they played;
the party closed at sundown
And everybody stayed.

Professor Wind played louder,
They flew along the ground.
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around".

George Cooper "October's Party"

2010-10-27T03:48:00.000-07:00

Well I am going to be brave and travel in to London Ontario from Mississauga this morning to deliver some
bisque for an artist to work on. I am saying "brave" because we are supposed to have tornado winds coming our way by the early afternoon....I will get in and get back before I end up "flying" home by car....

2010-10-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Good Morning World....it like spring here again and I would be so happy if it stayed this way all winter..sigh..

Well I am going to post a couple matchboxes I did for a swap on one of my lists....It was fun to do and we stuffed them with all kinds of goodies...mine have left the building so I figure they had enough time that I could post a picture...of course I have received mine already and they were wonderful and so full of neat things to play with. Our topic was Paris....so that was an easy one to do...

2010-10-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have been spending my day doing laundry, cleaning up my studio and then I decided to try to do some digital merging with some of my work...the time piece is from Graphics Fairy who is so generous with their "digital freebies." The poem is by Tagore. I thought hey were kind of nice to merge together. This will be a nice piece for a collage.

2010-10-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

This darling little girl doll was sent to me my Laura Haviland a beautiful person and a fantastic artist http://www.creativewhispers7.blogspot.com/ I was her partner in an art swap on art for the creative mind list....I am so excited to receive this doll as Laura inspires me to strive harder in my art work....