Happy New Year

Saying goodbye to the old and ringing in the new. May all the blessings of a New Year comes your way. Looking forward to learning more new ways to express myself through my art. Have a happy sober new year's eve.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope 2010 is a very creative year for everyone. May the year bring you joy and peace.
Picture taken from a free on line site.

Yesterday what happened to it?

I was working all day yesterday creating a Gratitude Journal for a friend. Do you have a friend who doesn't see gratitude in the simple things? Everyone hates her, well in her mind they do? I thought a good gift for her was a journal. Everyday you write down 5 things you are grateful for. They don't have to be big things. Gee...being able to sleep in a warm bed, having enough food to eat should not be taken for granted. At this time of year I like to think of the gifts I can give Jesus for Christmas. What a better gift is there but gratitude. When Jesus healed the 10 lepers only 1 came back to thank him for his gift. Are we the one or the nine who took it all for granted?
I hope this season brings you all the blessings of Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever holiday you follow in your heart. God Bless!

The journal I created was simple. I added quotes and bible verses on gratitude and ways on how we can practice gratitude in our lives. Showing how gratitude can make her happier with herself and others. I coloured around the edges of 80 pages and added stamped sayings and little flowers around some of them.

Christmas page

I took the blank pages seen before and created a Christmas page. I think I'm happy with it. I'm not much of a writer so I did add a little to the page. What do you think?

More started pages from my journal

Here are three pages that I'm working on. I need inspiration. I did follow helpful ideas I found on some blogs about using up your left over paint on your palette and just painting the backgrounds on different pages. So that is what I did. Now for the fun part.

Looking back

This time of year we start to look back over the year and evaluate our achievements. Did we make resolutions we didn't keep? Did we set goals that we fell short on? I just looked back at my altered art here and realized that I don't add enough to them. I need to embellish more. I need to bring my art to the next level. My art needs some WOW factor. Am I afraid to do to much? I guess I'm still trying to find that artist within. I need to release her from the binds that have her tied up in knots. She needs to be 'free'. Set goals and reach for the stars and if you fall on the moon...that's ok...you are higher than you were yesterday. Don't be afraid to try...to seek new horizons....try new adventures...reach new heights...

My new best song

Right now my favourite music album is by Johnny Reid called "Dance With Me". There is one song I particularly love and it's called My Old Friend. It reminds me of my dearest friend Marj who lost her battle with cancer in June 2009. I miss her so much. Yes, I miss my best old friend. My other favourites on this album is Dance With Me and A woman Like You. I wish I knew how to create a playlist.

Two ATCs

Here is a couple of ATCs I've been playing with. Trying to get a New Year's feel to them. Sorry one is a little blurry. I don't know why I can take one picture ok and the next one blurs. I'm getting too old and shaky..hahahaa I hope you enjoy these. December is always so busy..but then, I've been busy dreaming more and doing less. Looking forward to January and hopefully we can have lots of new swaps on my group to keep us all busy and happy learning new things and romancing the artist within us.

These 7 pictures represents my beginnings of a journal. I was trying to take Teesha Moore's ideas and make my own creations. The pages didn't come out in order of how I did them, and there is one I still have to finish. Journalling is one thing I find difficult to do. I am so controlled and I need to free myself and allow myself just create what I feel.

Last day of November

The last weekend

I'm still working away on decorating for Christmas and making vintage paper balls for a church ladies group. I know I'm really missing out of some great blog challenge themes. I just can't spread myself too thin at this time of year. I haven't even started my Christmas cards, but since I send alot of cards out all year I won't be making too many. I have so much Christmas stuff though. Christmas is such a great time of year to create. I love winter and the colours winter brings. This week I'm planning to be a little more productive. I found this little image somewhere out in space.

Slowing down

I'm slowing down in doing any new art or blog challenges. I need to work on Christmas cards and other bits and pieces. It's a busy time of year. I've already put up 1 tree out of 3. I've also spent Saturday de-cluttering and downsizing my Christmas ornaments and other display items. I've given away all my Halloween things. I don't think I will be decorating that much anymore. I'm getting too old to fuss taking things out, unpacking and pack up again and put them away. In the new year I will spend more time working on new art, challenges and my journal. I've always wanted to make an art journal but time just seems to get in the way. The only thing I've created was a house for a Home For the Holidays swap which I will post here now. This was a challenge for me and I lost patience with it. I will try to post now and then to let you all know I'm still alive and well.
Hope you have enjoyed my blog and don't be shy and become a follower. We all love to hear your comments too. Stay in touch.

A stale week

Since I haven't done anything this week, I thought I would put up a pear card I made this summer. It was on my other blog but I think it works here as well. I've also been doing Vintage paper Christmas balls with poinsettas. I used the Nestablities poinsetta die. I've pulling my hair trying to come up with a decorated house for a swap called Home For the Holidays. It just isn't working for me this week. Haven't worked on any challenges either. Maybe next week will be a better creative week.

Trying to resize

For today since I won't have time to create that I would try out resizing the picture from the help Maria sent me. I hope it works. This is a card from a series of vintage alphebet cards.

Sorry

I wish I knew how to enlarge or reduce the pictures. I use my camera to take the pictures and I haven't been able to get the size I need to you can see the pictures at the right size.

Singing Duo

Singing Duo...a pair of pretty bluebirds singing their love to each other. Pairs is the theme for this weeks challenge on Three Muses blog. http://thethreemuseschallenge.blogspot.com/

Don't you just love giveaways?

Check out this blog for a great giveaway... http://artistlanikent.blogspot.com/

Think Monday-Think ATC

I thought I would try to do the brown challenge on TMTA blog http://tmta.wordpress.com/

Lord Frederick Leighton

This week's challenge on http://gothicarches.blogspot.com/ is Lord Frederick Leighton. Here is my rendition of this Lady in Blue.

Gothic Arch Orange & Black

I just couldn't get it together this week, so I think I missed the challenge on Gothic Arches site. Here is what I came up with. Happy Halloween.

Gothic Arch "The Music Room"

I like the way this one turned out. I never know how things will turn. I never seem to know how to plan, they just happen.

Taking Flight

I had fun playing around with this tag. I'm calling it Taking Flight and the lady holds the owl and is ready to fly away.

My last night whimes

A couple of tags I played with last night. The texture on the tags makes them harder to see when they are scanned. It was fun just to play around with different textures and stamps.

Halloween Moos

I thought I better create something this week. I had promised some Halloween moos for a friend, so here they are Dee. Hope you like them.

On the road

This was taken on the road back to Vancouver from Kelowna, BC. We had to stop and take pictures and buy some apples and pears. Everything is so colourful this time of year.

Another atc

This old crow is so fun on the bingo card.

A gift

Isn't this box the cutest thing? This is from our Halloween Box Swap. Thanks Joann for this beautiful box.

Some ATCs I made this week

I've been playing around with ATCs this week. I want to make more Halloween stuff but October is almost over. So maybe I should start with Christmas.

Today is card day

Another one of those fun alphabet cards to keep you while I make cards today. I will post the cards on my other blog. Hope you have a fun filled day creating. I will be watching. Come back soon and see what I'm up to.

Moonlight Garden Mixed Media

I'm finished and after adding gesso, more paint to the flowers, and added round punches to the center, I decided to call it Moonlight Garden. Today I covered it with wax and smoothed it out with my iron. So that's it. My dh likes it...didn't think he would...since it's so contemptary or simplistic. This is my first stab at this kind of painting and especially using wax. I guess you can say I used the whole ball of wax...hahaa
Should I do more canvases? I think I might...I have some ideas rolling around in my head. Since I haven't slept well since Thursday past, I might as well make good use of the ideas that kept me awake.
You should add yourself as a follower to encourage me to keep creating or leave a comment. Love to hear from you.

This is the right side. The moon and stars are washed with colour. I add some little dabbed flowers in the background and since this picture I've added centers. I think I will do something different with the centers tomorrow. I might even try my hand at covering the whole canvas with wax. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. See you tomorrow.

Now the fun stuff

This is the left side. Added colour around the edges of the flowers, painted in a stem and cut out paper leaves and glued them on and outlined the flowers and leaves with black pencil crayon.

Next came the flowers and sky

I cut out a moon, stars and these goofy flowers out of book pages and glued them using Golden Gel Medium.

A new discovery in mixed media

Well I had this large canvas sitting around for years. I had started something with texture paste, crackle, and different tones of yellows to browns acrylic paint. And there it sat. Today I had a revelation. I thought I would do some mixed media using different colours of paint. Here is the result. Ok...it's the ugly stage. It is actually very interesting because the paint didn't cover some of the texture underneath and this interesting pattern for the background. So see what I did next.

I'm home

We had a wonderful time in BC for 10 days. The weather was nice between 17-21c and sunny everyday. We drove and stayed in Kelowna for a few days. I love stopping at the roadside markets to sample their fresh fruit. I didn't find any stamping or scrapbooking stores until the last day we left Kelowna...on the way out we found a scrapbooking store called Memories & More. I bought a few Tim Holtz stuff that I didn't have plus I picked up some Studio Multi Medium to try. Today I worked on my Halloween Box. I redid the inside on the top part and I think I like it better now. So I will take pictures of it later and post them. I checked out some of my favourite blogs today to see what everyone has been up too. Some great art out there. Time for me to get back to the drawing board and start producing the art in my heart.

On vacation

I will be away for a few days. Maybe I'll come back with some creative ideas. I'm feeling unmotivated these days and weeks. Some good mountain air might be the trick. See you when I get back.

Halloween box

Here is a Halloween box I made today. Not sure if it's finished or not. It's been fun but also a challenge. I think the inside needs something.

Catching with Mondays

I love doing these Gothic Arches. Fall is my favourite season when it comes to colour. I think I like the way this one came together. I've been thinking about it all weekend. I never get much art done on the weekend, but it's always on my mind. I didn't really get much done all last week either. I was in kind of a funk last week. I hope to be more creative this week.

Gift from Pam B

Here is a lovely gift I received from Pam Barnes. I love all the piercing on the card and the medallion on the card and atc. Makes it look like the lady has a Indian Headdress. The colours are great in the background. Thank you so much Pam.

Blog candy giveaway

http://anostalgichalloween.blogspot.com/ check it out. Don't you just love giveaways. You never know when you could win wonderful gifts.

Autumn Leaves

I just love fall or autumn especially the trees changing colours. Here in Ontario we have such beautiful colourful maples and other trees and shrubs. So here is a couple of atcs I worked on last night. They are simple in style but I think they make the point.