Experimenting Done – For the Time Being

I took this past Saturday & did my little experiment using patching plaster and craft metal.  Want to see what I came up with?

First, let me say this…….I had a blast.  It’s been so long since I just let myself go, tried something new, and not given a rat’s rear-end what it looked like when I finished.  That is extremely freeing!

First pic here is the original.  I took the craft metal from which I had punched several flowers and used that as a stencil.  After taping it down to a piece of Bristol board, I went to town with the plaster (note to self….use removable adhesive the next time).

Okay……the plaster flowers are kind of bright & they look plopped down with a halo effect thingy going on.  The one element I liked was the plaster at the top.  I gave it several washes of paint in different colors, wiping each wash off after a few seconds of drying time.

Next, I asked for and received some input from the Gauche Alchemy Design Team.  Two suggestions were to tone down the flowers and blend the terra cotta color (almost-dried up bronze paint) more.  Thanks Jo!  So, I reworked it.

Notice how the colors are more blended, there aren’t jarring changes in the color, and the brightness of the flowers doesn’t blind you anymore?  I was told it brings to mind Mexican tiles (thank you Jennifer!).

Of course, me being an embellisher, I just couldn’t resist adding the little piece of broken necklace in the top right corner.  Next time, I’ll punch a hole and thread it through there & leave it hanging loose instead of gluing it down.

Okay, so, I’ll never be a great artist.  BUT, I had fun, got to finger paint (I LOVE finger-painting) and for once just let ‘er rip.  I think I’m ready for another go around. 

Finger-painting and plaster anyone?

Gauche Alchemy is at it Again with MORE WASHI TAPE!

Yes, the response has been so tremendous that Gauche Alchemy is now taking pre-orders on the next shipment of Washi goodness that's headed your way!
Check these out….they rock! - Gauche Alchemy Washi Tapes
Here are just a few of the NEW sets:
 Quilting Bee Set
Rosebud Set (coming soon)
 Love Letters Set
 Diagonal Stripe Set
So, RUN don’t walk, over to Gauche Alchemy’s Washi Tape Section and get some of that Washi goodness before it’s too late.  And yeppers, I’ve got my eye on a couple of sets…..never can have too much Washi.
Until the next time………………………….

Washi Tape Goodness

Do you like Washi tape?  I LOVE Washi Tape!  So, it’s with unrepentant joy (accompanied by dancing) that I shout to the rooftops : Gauche Alchemy now carries Washi Tape!  They have 20, yes 20 different 3-roll kits for $10 which INCLUDES shipping and handling to the US & Canada; International order pay on $2.50 for shipping.

Wait a minute!  WHAT!  Did you say $10 for a set of 3????? Yep, sure did!  THREE rolls for $10.  We are talking dirt cheap here.

Want some washi!?  Here’s the link:  Washi Tape Kits

Like Mail Art – They have it:

Number Washi Tape – Yeah, have that too:

Metallic Washi:  You Bet!

This is just a SMALL sample of all the Washi goodness Gauche Alchemy has too offer.

Go ahead, check it out.  It’s literally flying out of the store so you better hurry!

Let The Experimenting BEGIN!

I have patching plaster, aluminum tape, metal sheets, embossing folders, embossing machine, and a mission!

My mission, should I decide to accept it, is to try out as many cool ways to emboss metal as I possibly can this weekend! (I ACCEPT, I ACCEPT!)

Thanks to the wonderful group of ladies at Gauche Alchemy, I have LOTS of ideas to play around with.  Can I tell you, I'm gonna have FUN FUN FUN!  Two days of nothing buy playing with metal and plaster.  WOO HOO!

Outta my way Igor, this is MY studio lab.

It’s Official! I’m Writing for Gauche Alchemy!

I’m doing the Happy Dance today - let’s see, is it the Tango, Twist, Watusi?  Nah, it’s the Cha Cha.  Cha cha cha cha cha CHA!  Cha cha cha cha cha CHA!  I’m officially a member of the Gauche Alchemy design team!

I was one of the lucky two to be chosen as a blog writer.  Yep, little ol’ me.  The girl that couldn’t say two words to anyone through 12 years of school and 6 years of college is now writing for an AWESOME blog.

Want to see some of their cool products?  Check out the Gauche Alchemy Store.  Like to read about some cool projects & meet the rest of the team?  Check out the Gauche Alchemy Blog.

Now, back to the grind.  After all, it is a typical Monday!

Spring Has Sprung ATCs + A Valentine

Me again!  Isn’t springtime wonderful?  Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, the grass is turning green…………….and my allergies are going haywire!  ACHOO!

Really though, I do like the Spring.  Even though I do suffer from allergies to pollen, dirt, dust, Cyprus Trees (yeah, heck of a note where I live), mold, and other maladies, I find the mild temperatures and sunny days more than make up for them.

So, with Spring on your mind, here are two Spring ATCs I made for the Milliande Spring Has Sprung ATC Swap I hosted. 

I really had a blast making these.  The purple’s my fave….gotta love purple! 

On another note, I still had one more Valentine ATC card to Angel for and I finally finished it up.  So, for your viewing pleasure, here it is:

Do you notice a theme here?  Yeah, for some reason, I’ve been on a flower kick lately.  Go figure.  Me + flowers = nada on a normal day.  All the blooming going on must have gotten my flower mojo going.  I’ve been sticking flowers on EVERYTHING.

Signing off for now~

To Buy or Not To Buy

Okay folks.  BIG dilemma here.  Miniatures.com (aka Hobby Builders Supply) and Greenleaf Dollhouses are BOTH having their annual contests to see who can create the best dollhouse with their specific products.

Miniatures.com has this as their base piece for their “Creatin’ Contest”:

Price, $29.99 plus shipping. 

Greenleaf Dollhouses has this as their base piece for their “Spring Fling 2012” contest:

Price, $18.95 INCLUDING shipping.

So the dilemma.  I already have multiple UFOs around my house, including some past Creatin’ Contest kits from Miniature.com still in their boxes.

BUT, both of these new kits are SCREAMING my name.  “Buy me, oh please buy me, you’ll never regret it”.  And the prices are soooooo right.  The kid side of me is saying “What’s a little money huh?  Can’t take it with you…….Hmmmm, maybe if I put it here until I can get to it, hubby will never know……..Oh, I’ll definitely do it during (insert month)……..Oh, heck, who cares, just buy it!”

Then, there’s the responsible side of me saying, “You said NO MORE KITS until you finish all the ones you have.  Don’t forget, you have three stashed in the corner of the dining room, several in the attic not to mention two in the spare bedroom and one in your studio.  Oh, and don’t forget the one in the spare closet!”

Then, I have several other items also begging for my attention (items for Alpha Stamps The Romance of Perfume Fan Swap comes to mind as does Prima flowers, and items from Fancifuls, Inc) that I need for the arty side of me.  I feel like playing tug of war and I’m the rope!  Buy ME, no buy ME, hey how about ME!

Sooooo, do I or don’t I?  And if so, which one?  Or both? 

WAAAAAHHHHHHH, why can’t I just be independently wealthy and buy it all??????????  Sniffle~

Gone Fishing!

Oh yes, that was posted on the outside of my studio on Sunday afternoon.  Not one iota of creativeness was even attempted.  Nope, I spent time with the family, doing a little fishing.  My husband decided we needed to do a little pond management in order to keep the bream from over-populating (they breed like rabbits!).  It has been several years since we kept any fish we caught and it really was time to manage the herd (that’s what hubby calls them).

We are incredibly lucky to have out own pond in our backyard.  I could stand on my back porch, cast, and have my bait land in the pond; it’s that close.  So, I grabbed a pole, found a chair, and sat down to reek mayhem on the local bream population.

Here’s what you do:  Take one of these:

Yes people, crickets do bite.  I can attest to this fact since one bit me!  Nasty little critters.

Then take your basic telescoping fishing pole:

Hook the cricket, cast your pole, and wait. Watch that cork!

Speaking of corks, is mine moving?  Hmmmmm, think it might be.  Oh YEAH!  It just went under!!!! YIPPEE!

Here’s what I caught:

Yes people, that’s the cork, and that’s the fish.  BAIT THIEF!

We used barb-less hooks since we were only keeping certain ones.  Removing the barbs does make bream harder to catch, but it greatly reduces the harm a hook can cause.  However, one of the fish took exception to being caught for supper and finned me.

The keepers went into an ice chest.

Enough were caught to fry.  Me, I ate catfish.  YUCK! to bream. 

I have to admit, getting out in the sunshine and fresh air did me a world of good, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my family.  My son and I fished beside each and spent a lot of the time ducking the other’s pole, line, and flying fish!  And yes, laughing the entire time.

Altered Boxes

As some of you know, I host a now-monthly blog swap over on the Altered Pages Artsociates blog.  I want to share with you some of the boxes I received for the swap. 

Please don’t shoot the photographer – I’m about ready to enlist my hubby to take the pictures……he’s a LOT better at it than me.

First, this one is from Tristan Blakeman.  His blog, Enchanted Revelries is one you MUST check out.  He’s an awesome artist.  Wait until you see what’s he’s doing for the Wild West Tag Book swap!

Don’t you just love his take on the “Housewives” theme?  I know I do.

Next is Rosa Munoz’s.  Her use of color is just fabulous.  I’m the lucky swapper who received this box!

All those peachy tones  & all that lace are just wonderful.

And finally, last but (hopefully) not least, is MY box.

I used Graphic 45 paper and tags from Altered Pages as the basis of my box.  Then, I dug around, found a little vintage peach-colored lace, some miniature food, some mounting pads (thank you Dollar Tree), and VOILA! an Altered Box was born.  Those little sewing doo-hickies (don’t you love my terminology?) on the outside are actually vintage ones I had laying around. 

Yes, thankfully I’m also a miniaturist and therefore had the bread, dough on a sheet, table, and potted plant is my stash.  It’s amazing what you can come up with when you think outside the box (groan) and use items from other areas.  Here, I was able to merge my love of art and my love of miniatures.

Until later…..happy crafting everyone!