Deco Article Posted To Art Swaps Site

Just finished posting an article on Decos on my All Info Abour Art Swaps site. Read it here:

http://artswaps.allinfoabout.com/decos.html

Art Get Together At Pam's

We had a great group today for Art Get Together at Pam's including Kristi, Elizabeth, Ava, Peg, and Kate. Pam and Vicki have a great house with a lovely screened in back porch and two balconies.

I worked on the remainder of my watercolor flower postcards for the Raw Art postcard swap. Just have to paint the background of 3 of them and they'll be done.

Will post the pictures when I get the laptop and scanner hooked up again.

Art Day at Kate's In Salado

Today I drove up to Salado to Kate's studio for a fun-filled afternoon of rubber stamping. Linda F. showed us how to make these gorgeous collages with Stazon ink pads and glossy paper. The colors just pop!

The second picture uses Distress Ink in Firebrick Red and Aged Paper.

Directions:

• stamp an assortment of images with black Stazon ink on glossy paper (high premium glossy photo paper works too) and let dry (you can use a heat gun to speed up the process)


• using a cut up cosmetic applicator sponge, apply other Stazon inks (for bold color) or Distress Ink (for vintage look)


• adhere to cardstock

Altered Juice Can Lid Christmas Ornaments

I just updated my All Info About Art Swaps site with an article on how to make Christmas Ornaments out of juice can lids. Check it out here.

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 6

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 5

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 4

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 3

The flowers, stems and leaves are Twinkling H20 Water color paint and the background is blue metallic acrylic paint. On 140lb water color paper.

Altered Juice Can Lid Swap

I've been working on swaps today. These are for an Altered Juice Can Lid Swap.

One Day This Will Be a Sweater!

This week is the fourth week of my knitting sweater class and I'm not even half way done yet. I did finish the back this weekend and start on the front. But I have little faith that I'll have all the pieces done by the last class.

This is one LOOOOOOOONG sweater! It is done in worsted weight yarn on size 8 (US) needles from a Rowan knitting pattern. Next time I'm doing a tank top with chunky yarn!!!!

Bio

The moderator of one of the Yahoo! groups I'm on asked me for a bio so that I could be featured as one of the Aritsts Of The Month (I'm honored!!!). Here is what I wrote:

I have found that the best way to describe myself is to say I am mixed-media, fiber, and paper artist. I say this because I'm into so many different types of art it is just easier. I love crotcheting, knitting (I just learned how in May), rubber stamping, beading, drawing, and painting among other things.

I have always enjoyed doing crafts every since I was a child and made hooked loom pot holders. My mother taught me how to crochet and cross-stich and I've been doing those crafts since I was teenager. I also learned how to do beadwork after I graduated from collage. I made and sold jewelry and glass beads for several years as a sideline hobby. I also learned how to sew several years ago and have made a quilt or two.

I have always wanted to be an artist, but my brother was the one who could draw and paint (or maybe he got the most attention for it so I didn't think I was one). So I stuck with more traditional crafts until about 2 years ago when an artist friend of mine taught me how to draw. Or reminded me that I already knew how to draw.

But that wasn't the biggest gift she gave me. While I was staying with her at her home outside of Houston and in the evening after my lessons, she would pull out her rubberstamps and stamp pads. At first, I was taken aback. Here was a true artist, playing with rubber stamps!?!?! But she showed me how to use them and how to emboss and I haven't been the same since!!!

I got online and found out about Altered Books and art swaps shortly after that. I've been participating in swaps ever since and even started my own Yahoo! list, Art Swaps at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/art_swaps. And I write for the All Info About network of sites on Art Swaps at http://artswaps.allinfoabout.com.

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 2

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 2

This one is water colors, Twinkling H20s, and sharpie marker. I'm still having trouble with the color moving around and drying darker in some areas then others. I'm wondering if it is this particular paint or all water colors. Will have to try some other types to find out.

I'm also thinking of using Golden's Fluid acrylic paint next. I want something translucent. That is why I like the water color paint vs. an opaque acrylic. But the Golden Fluid might give me that too.

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 1

Raw Art - Postcard Swap 1

I've joined a 15 day swap on Raw Art Yahoo! Group. Each day I'm to make a postcard using any art materials I like. However, we are supposed to use rubber stamps or photographs or other preprinted art.

This postcard was done with a black marker and Twinkling H20 watercolors. It is hard to see the mica shine these watercolor paints have. They are really fun to work with.

I'm learning to let each seperate watercolor dry before applying the next color or they run together. So right now I have two other postcards in the works each with some of the color painted in.