ART FROM THE ROAD: El Golfo de Santa Clara, Sonora, Mexico

Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog today. To begin, I want to share a great time and space saver I have found. A number of weeks ago, I purchased a ream (150 sheets) of 8-1/2 x 11" 120# white card stock and, periodically, I use my paper trimmer to cut some sheets, each one yielding one card blank, measuring 4-1/4 x 11" (later scored at 5-1/2"), and two pieces cut to 4-1/4  x 5-1/2". It is on these smaller pieces that I do my actual creating. When ready, I can either adhere the artwork directly to the front of the card blank or trim the artwork and use matting before adhering to the card blank. (I guess if you are a cardmaker, you will get this!) Previously, I made cards in every size and shape and color imaginable, which required me to store card blanks in all those sizes and shapes and colors! No more! I make white cards measuring 4-1/4 x 5-1/2". Now, I can buy more art supplies and store them in that empty space!!

Moving on, I have another card to share with you. Quite simple to make but not without a challenge or two along the way. I have chosen to use another of the products recently purchased from Altenew.com, called Hanging Gardens. 

On its website, Altenew graciously provides inspirational samples to assist its customers with creative ideas. Inspiration in this case was provided by Design Team Member Laurie Willison.

I began by grabbing a  pre-cut piece of white card stock, measuring 4-1/4 x 5-1/2",  the size of my pre-cut card blank. Using the grid lines of my glass work surface, I was able to easily mask off 3/4" rectangles by using 1/4" washi tape.

I had already gathered my artsy supplies, including my Sizzix Big Kick, the Hanging Gardens die, four mini ink cubes from Altenew.com (Midnight Violet, Deep Iris, Lavender Fields, and Soft Lilac), a blending brush (only needed one since the four colors are in the same family), and a scrap piece of card stock to protect neighboring rectangles as I added the inks.

Applying the inks was quite time consuming and frustrating as the colors always looked mottled. Happily, in the end, they were perfect. (Hard to be patient at times!)

I wanted the die-cut image to stand out against the background, so I cut three and glued them together before adhering it (them) to the artwork.

Yeah, it was the "gluing them together" that was my biggest nightmare. I started by using a Quickie Glue Pen but that wasn't providing enough glue. I then tried the Zig Two-Way Chisel Tip and it provided too much glue! I have used this technique before on many occasions, always successfully. I guess it was so much fine detail in this beautiful image that did me in. That said, I remain very happy with the end result!

When I began to make this card, I had no idea which sentiment I would be using. Sadly, before I was even done, it became a sympathy card. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Thanks for coming by. I appreciate both your visit and your taking a moment to leave a comment. Both inspire me!

ART FROM THE ROAD: El Golfo de Santa Clara, Sonora, Mexico

Thank you for taking the time to visit today. I am grateful for your visit! We remain in Mexico during the global pandemic and I remain creatively active, though my blogging is sorely lacking. However, I found a good (albeit selfish) reason to begin blogging again. At 76, I have a lot on my mind! So much, in fact, that there is little room for new information. 

A short while back, after watching a video produced by Jennifer McGuire, I created a beautiful card--since mailed. I wanted to recreate that card for a box of cards I am creating for my daughter. I had made the card before, right? I could do it again! Truth be told, my head had too many directions for card-making and the wires quickly became crossed! It took me at least an hour to find that particular video and learn (again) how to create it!

I successfully recreated that card today and want not only to share the process with you but also want to record the directions for posterity! 

I cut a piece of white cardstock to 4-1/4" by 5-1/2" and taped it to my work surface with blue 1" painters' tape, creating a frame. I then chose three colors from my collection of  Ranger Distress Inks, Sunflower, Tea Rose, and Orange Blossom. 

I have long been a fan of ink blending, but only recently acquired a set of Craft Ink Blending Brushes and love them! I began by adding the lightest color at the top, then gradually added the other two colors, overlapping as I went. Not my finest talent, but I did like the end result.

Before removing the painters' tape, I used the brush that comes with Perfect Pearls to add Sunflower Sparkle (aka "gold") on top of the still-wet ink. There is a learning curve here, as I added WAY too much Perfect Pearls! I brushed away what did not stick to the ink.

Next, according to Jennifer's explicit directions, I carefully removed the tape by peeling it back over itself to avoid tearing the cardstock. Embossing is next, so I uncovered my Sizzix Big Kick die cutting machine, blew off the dust, and chose a Tim Holtz (the other man in my life) 3-D Texture Fade floral embossing folder. Following directions for this particular type of folder, I folded back Tab 2.

The result is just what I remembered! I have become acquainted recently with using "fun foam" rather than "pop dots" to add dimension to an image and find it quite easy to use when it is partnered with liquid glue. Using the liquid glue allows a bit of wiggle room before the adhesive bonds.

Once positioned, I like to set something heavy on top of the project as it drys. The heaviest thing I have is my container of clear embossing powder! Works every time!

Success!

For a sentiment, I auditioned five that had to do with being thankful. I chose this Japanese proverb which came with a stamp set I recently purchased from Altenew.

And, the final hurrah:

Thank you again for visiting. Your visits and your comments really do inspire me!

ART FROM THE ROAD: El Golfo, Mexico

Welcome, and thanks for your visit today. This almost feels awkward since I just noticed that my last post was just short of a year ago. That does not mean that I have not been creating, just that I haven't taken time to post anything. I am going to try to make this a habit again. Only recently have we added "Mexican internet" to give both my husband and me sufficient service to accomplish all that we need/want to do. 

We are located in El Golfo de Santa Clara, a small fishing village in Mexico, on the Sea of Cortez (also called the Gulf of California). My husband and I are full-time RVers, so our home has wheels and is currently parked in a campground on the water's edge. A month or so before the COVID-19 first came to the Americas, we had decided rather than return to our home campground in New Hampshire, we would stay in the Desert Southwest/Mexico area for the summer. We consider ourselves very lucky and very safe to be here now that the virus has created a pandemic. In a town of fewer than 6,000 people, there are no cases of the virus to date. The one road into and out of town is blocked by the police and/or military. Anyone is allowed to leave, but if you are not a resident (including those in our campground) you are not allowed to re-enter the town. When in public places, we are required to wear masks. Much like most of you, we are to remain in our homes, giving me lots of time for crafting!

There are many crafty women in the campground and we used to meet regularly twice a week. That came to a halt several weeks ago, but, diehards that we are, we could not give up crafting "together." One of the members of our group started a weekly challenge to keep us going. The current challenge is posted on the bulletin board outside the clubhouse. Our completed projects are posted on the same bulletin board on Sundays, where the next challenger posts the next week's challenge. We have been doing this for six weeks now. Each challenge this time around has been related to color.

I will share here what I have created for each challenge.

Week 1 (pink, green, brown)

Week 2 (turquoise, orange, yellow)

Week 3 (black, white, gray)

Week 4 (navy, green, gold

Week 5 (purple, pink, gold)

Week 6 (red, orange, pink)

Thanks again for stopping by today. I appreciate both your visit and your taking a moment to leave a comment. Both inspire me!

ART FROM THE ROAD: Sunday Postcard Art Challenge (04-28-19)

The Sunday Postcard Art challenger this week is Rosie and she has definitely put forth a challenge--NO FOCAL IMAGE! You can check out Rosie's blog here.

You know that I like using up bits and bobs and scraps in my art and today is no exception. I began by cutting a scrap of designer paper into the required 4x6" size. The background was mostly red and green and I just kept on layering on more color and also did some stamping. Funny, without a focal image, I had a hard time deciding which end is UP! In the end, I used a stencil and pounced on some red ink to commit!

I hope you will carve out some time this week and play along with this challenging challenge!! You can find the details here.

Cheers!

ART FROM THE ROAD: Sunday Postcard Art Challenge (04-21-19)

The Sunday Postcard Art challenge is hosted by Anne this week and she has chosen the theme of LACE. Anne's inspirational work can be found in her blog here.

I chose to keep the lace in the background for my postcard and again used two of the vintage paper dolls from the Tim Holtz collection. The relationship between the two women seems unclear  (sisters, friends, or maybe something more). But the quote (where I changed the "me" to "us") reflects challenges they might face whichever that relationship.

I hope you will find some time this week to be creative! If you would like to participate in this week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge, you will find the details here.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog today and taking a moment, too, to leave a comment. Both inspire me!

Cheers!

ART FROM THE ROAD: Sunday Postcard Art Challenge (04-14-19)

Amy is our host at the Sunday Postcard Art blog and has chosen FAMILY as the theme for this week. My husband and I are still traveling but are somewhat stationary in Yuma, Arizona, which has given me time to take out some art supplies and play along with Amy and the rest of the group.

Keeping it simple is a requirement when creating while on the road, and today's postcard is a perfect example of just that. My postcard was cut to 4x6" from a scrap of designer paper from a Tim Holtz idea-ology pad. I have used the back side as my background. The next step was to dive into my Tim Holtz vintage paper doll collection and to select a few dolls to create my "family." I chose some from both the small- and medium-size dolls. 

The family I created is somewhat representative of both my family and my husband's family. Both of us have been raised in "two-parent" homes. There were four children born to my parents and five to Russ's parents. Both Russ and I have two children from former marriages. Each of us has adopted a child. Both our families have become "blended" over the years. But, whether you are from a large or small family, whether or not your children are being raised by one or both parents, whether or not you or one of your children is adopted, whether or not your family has become racially blended, family is FAMILY--and don't mess with mine!

Thank you for visiting today and for taking a moment to leave a comment. Both inspire me.

Cheers!

ART FROM THE ROAD: Sunday Postcard Art Challenge (10-28-18)

I am pumped that Mandy Chilvers has again invited me to host the Sunday Postcard Art challenge. One of my favorite art topics is Edgar Allan Poe, so it is he who rules the challenge this week!

I began by resizing and printing an image from a digital stamp set called Poe Boy. Next, I stamped an image of Poe (from Carmen's Veranda) onto white cardstock and cut it out. Using my rotary trimmer, I cut the image in half and adhered it to my background. The text stamp,  from Invoke Arts, was printed on white cardstock and matted with black cardstock, then adhered to my postcard. A rather simple project but definitely an edgy tale of the macabre. 

Thank you for stopping by today and for taking a moment to leave a comment. Both are important to me and inspire me! I hope you will take some time this week to play along with my Edgar Allan Poe challenge on the Sunday Postcard Art site. You can find the details for participating here.

Cheers!

ART FROM THE ROAD

I made a thank-you card recently that I would like to share. It is for a friend who seems always to have my back whether I am in town or out of town! I enclosed a gift card for a restaurant we often visit together!

I chose a scrap of designer paper, cut it to size, then matted it with a solid color and adhered it to my card blank. I then used my Side Kick to die cut a single flower from a Tim Holtz Thinlits Collection. I used another die to cut a stitched border for my sentiment. I stamped that on white cardstock, edged with with a coordinating ink, adhered it to my card, and done! A very simple and quick card yet one, I think, with a lot of interest.

And a bit of detail:

Thanks for stopping by today and for taking a moment to leave a comment. Both are important to me!

Cheers!

ART FROM THE ROAD: Sunday Postcard Art (08-12-18)

This week's challenge at the Sunday Postcard Art site is hosted by Hazel who asks us to be thinking of NURSERY RHYMES as we create our postcards. One of my favorites was "Little Miss Muffet!" Since I love vintage anything and I still had crackle paint on my craft table, I was drawn to this artwork by The Whimsical Peacock when I saw it while conducting a search for nursery rhymes. I give her full credit for the artwork as all I did was give it a crackle finish to further age it.

Little Miss Muffet

BY MOTHER GOOSE

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Thank you for visiting today and for taking a few moments to leave a comment. Both serve as inspiration!

Cheers!

ART FROM THE ROAD: Sunday Postcard Art (08-05-18)

The challenge this week at Sunday Postcard Art had me dusting off more art supplies! The owner of this site, Mandy Chilvers, is also hosting and has asked us to use some form of "crackling" in our artwork.

The result of crackling always makes me think of things vintage so I decided to use something from my Tim Holtz' paper doll collection. I found a scrap of designer paper in shades of brown and I trimmed it to the size of a standard postcard (4" x 6"). I adhered the designer paper to an index card to give it some stability and then added some color around the edges using a blending tool and Ranger's Distress Ink in "Gathered Twigs."

Next, I applied a medium coat of "Rock Candy," the clear Distress Crackle Paint from Ranger. After drying several hours (allowing the paint on the surface to "crackle"), I added more "Gathered Twigs" ink over the top to try to get some color between the cracks. I adhered some washi tape across the bottom to ground my two vintage friends, then stickers from my Tim Holtz' "Chitchat" collection.

A couple of close-ups to better show the crackle finish:

What a fun challenge! Please take some time this week to be creative. It's great therapy! If you would like to participate in the Sunday Postcard Art challenge, you will find the details here.

Thank you for visiting today and for taking a few moments to leave a comment. Both are appreciated!

Cheers!