Back to backgrounds

I finished up a banner swap project today and was in the mood to keep working. I started by preparing a blue and green acrylic background in my current altered book. While waiting for it to dry, I grabbed a 6' x 8' canvas board and some orange acrylic paint. By applying the paint with a dry sponge the paint dried quickly--faster than what I had going on in the book. Soon I was stenciling, stamping, layering, and adding bits of scrap. I had nothing in mind when I started other than fading the darker orange edge to a lighter center for a glowing effect. I wanted to practice some background techniques. This is what I ended up with--mainly background and little focal point, but it was fun to create.

Step Outside Your Box - transfers

For this week's Step Ouside Your Box we were to use a transfer in our work. I made my transfer using matte gel medium. After I applied the transfer to my page, (upper left corner) I stamped and collaged around it. To see other methods of transfers, go here.

I am hosting a swap! The theme is Hats, Handbags, & Heels.

Come join us!!

Make a Moo - Spring

Make a Moo or Two.....how about three? This week's theme is spring. Spring has come to my part of the world and I couldn't be happier! More moos.

I am hosting a swap! The theme is Hats, Handbags, & Heels.
Come join us!!

4 x 4 Friday - "Da Vinci Ladies"

4X4 Friday is Da Vinci Ladies (other than Mona Lisa). I chose Cecilia, otherwise know as "Lady with an Ermine".

See more ladies here.

I am hosting a swap! The theme is
Hats, Handbags, & Heels.

Please join us!!

Spring Banner - Letters "N" & "G"

Spring Banner Week 5:

the "N" & "G" pennants

The challenge is to incorporate needlework

into the "N" pennant

&

use gems on the "G" pennant

&

post your completed banner

I hope each of you have enjoyed working on the spring banner as much as I have. It is such a pleasure to see your beautiful, creative and unique art work!

I doubled up on the last two letters to get you in shape for this:

Hats, Handbags & Heels

Let's do a swap! Some of you have been involved in swaps before, but some of us, including me, have not. It would be so exciting to share a bit of ourselves with each other.

Here's how it will work: Everyone that wants to participate will create 5 coordinating pennants with the theme "Hats, Handbags & Heels" When your pennants are finished, you will mail 4 of them to me and keep one for yourself. Get them in the mail by March 31. Be sure and write your name on the back of each pennant. After I've received all the pennants, I will randomly select 4 new ones to return to you. We will each have work from 4 different artists with which to create a unique banner!

This theme should inspire a lot of glitz, glamour and fun!

Since this is my first time to do this, I will have to figure it out as I go along. Maybe some of you seasoned swappers can give me some pointers.

To keep the size uniform, I have prepared a template that I will email to you, as I do not know how to make a pdf file. Let me know via comment or email if you want to participate. In the same email with the template I will also send you my mailing address. My email address is: elsie_lisa(at)hotmail(dot)com

I am very excited about the swap and hope you decide to play along. Please consider this post your personal invitation!

Hats, Handbags, & Heels Swap

Let's do a swap!
This theme should inspire a lot of glitz, glamour and fun!


Here's how it will work: Everyone that wants to participate will create 5 coordinating pennants with the theme "Hats, Handbags & Heels" When your pennants are finished, you will mail 4 of them to me and keep one for yourself. Get them in the mail by March 31. Be sure and write your name on the back of each pennant. Do not punch holes for the ribbon. After I've received all the pennants, I will select 4 new ones to return to you. We will each have work from 4 different artists with which to create a unique banner! I will ask everyone to post their completed banners so all participants know where their pennants ended up.

To keep the size uniform, I have prepared a template that I will email to you, as I do not know how to make a pdf file. Let me know via comment or email if you want to participate. In the same email with the template I will also send you my mailing address. My email address is: elsie_lisa(at)hotmail(dot)com

I am very excited about the swap and hope you decide to play along. Please consider this post your personal invitation!

Mixed Media Monday - "Men"

Katrin is the guest host for Mixed Media Monday. Her theme for today is "Men". This is a subject I don't use too often or see very often in others' work. It was a great challenge and I especially like how my altered book spread came together. Thanks Karin for a great idea! There will be a lot of men featured today here.

Make a Moo - Numbers

I only made one moo today. With numbers being the theme, I should have made at least 2 or 3, but I'm just happy I got this one up!

Make a Moo or Two.

4 x 4 Friday - "Fairies"

It's a magical day at 4 x 4 Friday! Our theme this week is "Fairies" or "Faeries" depending on where you are from. I used a watercolor backgound, a dragonfly stamp, some vellum, glitter, shells, beads and fringe.
I imagine this to be the Dragonfly Fairy.
I can't wait to see the rest of the lovely fairies here.

Spring Banner - Letter "I"

Spring Banner Week 4:

the "I" pennant

The challenge is to incorporate inchie(s)

into your pennant.

Ok, girls, get ready.

I don't know if it's the time change, spring fever, or what, but I'm ready to spring forward with the banner challenge. The possible source of my impatience may have something to do with a new idea I have for us to try! Oh, it's good, girls! That's all I'm going to say about it for now because you have work to do.

*The challenge for next week will be to use

needlework on your "N" pennant.

AND

use gem(s) on your "G" pennant

AND

string the whole thing together!*

That's right, we're moving on!

Are you curious? Are you excited?

Can't wait to see the completed banners!

Can't wait to share my idea!

Are you in?

Mixed Media Monday - "Purple & Gold"

Hidden Beauty

Gerda is the guest host at Mixed Media Monday. She chose purple & gold for the theme this week. I had fun finding people to fit the Mardi Gras masks in my image collection. My camera and Photoshop skills are limited and I could not get that feather to look purple in the photo! Trust me, it is! And there is lots of gold glitter sprinkled about--only some of it caught the light.

This was a fun layout for my altered book. Take a look at other beautiful creations here.

Step Outside Your Box - canvas

I was excited when I saw the challenge for this week at Step Outside Your Box was to work on canvas. I had been thinking about canvas and this was just the push I needed to do it.
This is an 8 x 10 canvas that I happened to have. The background for this piece was inspired by Suzan's tutorial at Thrifty Collage Artist. I used gesso, acrylics, stamps, stencils, sandpaper, antiquing, and a few other tools and techniques to achieve the background. This whole piece is an outside-the-box creation for me. Now I want to do another!

Step Outside Your Box Saturdays

Make a Moo - Children

Make a Moo* theme for this week is "Children". These are fun little canvases to work with. This is a new challenge for me and I'm still finding my way. To see more of these tiny creations, go here.

*What's a Moo?
A Moo is a little card with the size of 2,8 x 7 centimeters or approximately 1,1 x 2,8 inches. Beside this fixed size it's what you make of it! Choose the materials and techniques you like and show us how you worked with the theme.

4 x 4 Friday - "Pets"

The 4 x 4 challenge this week is pets. Due to technical difficulties I don't really want to discuss right now, I was unable to feature any of my own sweet pets on my 4 x 4. These little faces are representatives of my 2 sweet cats and 2 precious dogs. They are all rotten--spoiled by me!

Follow this link to see other 4 x 4's in this week's theme.

Spring Banner - Letter "R"

Spring Banner Week 3:
the "R" pennant
The challenge is to incorporate round
into your pennant--polka dots or circles.

**The challenge for next week will be to use

an inchie(s) on your "I" pennant.*

Mixed Media Monday - "Music"

"Music in a Circle"

It's Mixed Media Monday!

My piece is made with a 45 rpm record and a cd. To complete the theme of circles, I incorporated the Circle of Fifths into the piece. I was inspired by Step Outside Your Box to create this dimensional project which is something quite different for me. Just to be courteous, I will not tell you what song is on the 45 so that you will not be humming it all day!

Step Outside Your Box - color methods

This week at Step Outside Your Box we were challenged to use unconventional methods to color our art work. Since I already had tags and dictionary pages stained with coffee, I started with those. But that was too easy. Next I created a yummy buttery yellow background with tumeric. Then I glazed the leaf stamps with green nail polish. (I had a teen-age daughter not too long ago.)