Who me? Plain?

Found this at the Artful Mama's website.
Who woulda thought that I'D be labeled as PLAIN?

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Let's play the name game...

Calamity Kim has the name game on her blog, and I thought I'd play along....

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet,current car) Cola Titan (sounded better than Cola Econoline, LOL)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Rocky Road Chocolate Chip (huh?)

3. YOUR FLY GIRL NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) S-Dil

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Olive Kitty

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born), Silver Houston

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Dil-Su

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Purple Mocha Frappachino

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Guy Donald

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume, favorite candy) Coco Mint Melty

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Ann Joseph

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Franklin Fargo

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Winter Tulip

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Strawberry Nightie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Shredded Wheat Oaks

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Paper Art Blue Northern Tour

How fun is that?

Just a few images

These are pics of some of the items I submitted to Novel Approach for their design team competition. I guess for what ever reason, they were not what they were looking for.

This is the front of a journal I made, using a standard composition book. I wrapped it with paper (which, yes, I know is really tea cups) and then added some accents. The ribbon I bought by the yard at NA, and the clasp is from 7gypsies. The phrenology head is an unmounted I bought a long time ago. The letters are from Making Memories. Oh, and the "Journal" is from Stamper's Anonymous.

This is the back. The coffee cup is a Dawn Houser stamp, accented with some paper from Basic Grey.

This started out as three tags tied together, but then I needed to make a get well card, so I took them apart and mounted them on a card. The accent paper is from 7gypsies, the alphabet stamps from MaVinci, and the other stamps I don't remember.

And, no, my camera isn't fixed... I used my scanner on these!

Left something out...

How could I neglect my fave color? Green! But not just any color green... I love a good army (olive) green. Definitely a crush. I have so many articles of clothing (especially) that I may be obsessed! Second would be a nice royal purple. Ahhhhh.....

I've Gotta Crush on You

Michelle Ward's Green Pepper Press Street Team challenge this month is "Crushes". We are to reveal those things that we have a "crush" on... those things we feel we can't live without. Since my digital camera is broken, you will have to suffer through my writing about them, rather than showing them.

Crush #1: My God & His word - what else can I say? Can't get enough of Him.
Crush #2: My Family - I can be rather obsessive about spending time with my family.
Crush #3: Books - Wait. Can you actually have TOO MANY books? I think not. My friend says my house has foundation problems because of the weight of all the books in my house. Ha!
Crush #4: Art - this is a two-fold crush. I love creating art, and I love studying art. I could spend days in my studio and never get bored. Unfortunately, my schedule does not permit that. When I went back to college to get a Master's degree in art history, my friend's said "why? how will you use a degree in Art History?" Who cares!! I just love (LOVE) studying it, seeing it, learning about it, learning FROM it. Especially Renaissance art and Modern art. (did someone say Cornell, Pollock, or Duchamp?).
Crush #5: Music - Right now, I love listening to Nickelback, and to Third Day (yes, I know, two distinctively different genres of music, but who cares?)
Crush #6: Friends - I have a few that are very important to me, and I KNOW how blessed I have to have them. I love letting them know, too!
Crush #7: Shoes - specifically, Mary Jane's. I think I have seven or eight pairs... oh my!
Crush #8: Rubber Stamps, Paper, other art supplies - We have a couple of fabulous stores near here, and I could spend hours in each! I especially like fonts, swirls, and dragonflies. I LOVE Basic Grey papers, and 7 Gypsies papers and other things (love their mini envelope books). I started stamping in 1989, and 1000's of stamps later, I still find so many I want (or need).

That's enough for now, but I might add more (or change the list) when I get a new camera!

It's been a long time...

Yes, I know. I'm a neglectful blogger. Shame on me.
My summer was full. My oldest son is learning to drive (egads!), my second son was working and testing for his black belt in martial arts, and swim lessons for the younger ones. All for a very busy summer.
We are now back to school and moving on to other items.
I am trying to get back into making art. I am teaching an Art History class for our homeschool co-op. I also "auditioned" for the design team at our local scrap/stamp store, but alas, did not get accepted. It was kind of a bummer, actually, and I was quite crushed by it. As soon as dh gets me a new camera, I will post pics of what I did for the "audition"

I also plan to participate in Michelle Ward's Street Team challenge this month. You can read more about it on her blog.

Keep reading I'll post more later!

The Journaling Dilemma...

I want to start a journal, but just can't seem to do it. I look at all these LOVELY, artistic, inspired journals of other artists and just can't seem to put pen or pencil to paper and get it all out. Sigh. HELP!!

King Jerry

We live in a small town (eh, not so small, I suppose... 65,000 peeps), and our lovely mayor thinks he is King. So in honor of him I made an ATC.... What do you think?

(Yes, I am a bitter wife (Naw, just kidding...) My dh ran for mayor against this guy, and lost (and I'm glad! He had been on council six years and that was too long), BUT... I'm not the only one who thinks this way! We have a whole city blog devoted to discussing local politics and all who post agree we me... and it's the ONLY thing they agree with me on, LOL).

For my CCSwap friends!

Some examples of a few things I have done (that I still have!). I tend to create and then give away.
This is a paper mache box that is shaped like a book. I painted it gold and copper (with Lumiere paints). I added a picture that reflected the Shakespeare quote that I also collaged onto it. There is a stamp of an angel along with some mica chips for effect.

Here is a matching envelope and tag set stamped with Aggie (Texas A&M) stamps. I created these for a friend's birthday.
I love this tag, hence why I still have it! It is a large manilla shipping tag, sponged with sage chalk ink, then "textured" with a marbling cube (Stampendous, one of my favorite stamps!). The words "thank you" are then stamped on the bottom half. I then stamped the dragonflies, swirls and text onto some vellum, tore it and glued it onto half the tag. It's hard to see in the photo, but the colors and way it flows look lovely together.
This is another tag I created and really liked (again, why I still have it!). The first side is sponged with various chalk inks, then I stamped the rose vine (Stampington) on the left side. I collaged a Shakespeare quote with some crumpled gold paper. I then turned it over and did the other side (see next picture).
On the other side of the tag, I again did a background sponged with various inks. I then stamped several keys and a lock on it. I stamped a heart on another piece of paper, cut it out, and wrapped it with gold thread. I then applied it to the tag with some 3-D dots, to raise it off the tag. I randomly stamped some red hearts and the words "Key" and "Heart". I then put gold foil tape around the whole thing, adding some great fibers.

Mini Book...

This is a mini book I made for a gift for my Pastor and his wife this past Christmas.
This is the cover. The theme was the "Fruit of the Spirit". I took nine coin envelopes, painted them different colors, then stamped each one with a different "fruit"


I used think bookboard for the covers, and covered them with paper that had already been stained with ink to make it look older. I stamped the pears (from ASITH) by inking them with Marvy brush markers to give them a watercolor look. I then overstamped them with letters to spell "fruit".





Here is sample of an inside page:



This was the first inside page (corresponding to the first fruit "love"). You can see the inside of the cover has end papers (Basic Grey... love their papers!). the first envelope was painted (paint from Making Memories paper paints), then stamped with the word Love. I also stamped part of a heart on it, and added some interested paper to the flap as well as a brad.




The whole thing took me about four days to make, since I couldn't work continuously.

This is another inside page. You can see the scripture card I put inside each of the envelopes. Each scripture corresponded to that particular fruit.

This is a view of the whole book... you can see the pages fanned out. You can also see the beads and fibers I used to bind it together.

Here is another view. Each envelope was painted a different color, and each flap had coordinating paper on it.

I learned a lot making this... and there are several things I would change! But overall, I was pleased with how it turned out, and my pastor and his wife (who is also an artist!) were very happy to receive it!

Artful Musings...

I am just loving these ATC's! I am so getting into making them. And they don't have to take long. I have been using some different things to make backgrounds, including alcohol inks, Golden Acrylics, Pearl Ex, etc. It's so fun.

I bought a Bind-it-All Machine back in February, and I'm finally going to make something with it. I want to make a little art journal for my friend before she moves. I seem to live in an area where so many people are into scrapbooking, but no one is into stamping of any kind other than to embellish their scrapbooks. I'm not bashing scrapbooking, as a matter of fact, I love most of their stuff... I just use it in a different way. But I wish I had some like-minded friends when it came to the creative arts.

Messy Rooms?

I ended up rearranging my art area the other day. My wonderful dh (Bugman) hung a new light over the desk, so that I can work better in the evenings. And my Ott Light was on the wrong side anyway, so I had to move it. I am right handed, and so I needed the light on my left side, so my right hand isn't casting a shadow on my work.

Anyway, now it's a big mess again. But that's okay. I don't mind. I think I work better in chaos sometimes. I have a friend with a lovely, neat stamp area. Sometimes I get a little envious, but really, it just looks too perfect.

It's been awhile, I know. Things are crazy when you homeschool four boys. But I am making myself do more art. Here are some ATC's I made for a friend who is just getting into it.

This one is called "Chicken Soup will make you feel better". I love this chicken soup stamp from Claudia Rose! Soooo Cute. The spoon's a stamp too.

I call this one "Jesus Gets You through the Day". These are also my first attempts at scanning. It only took me five tries on the first one!! The second one did much better.

Where it all happens

Yes, this is copied from my other blog, but since it's art related, I posted it here too. This is my art area. You can get an idea of where I do my art thing.

This is my main stamping area. The green thing is a large cutting mat.

These little drawers hold fun things like embellishments, fibers, my acrylic stamping blocks, tags, etc.

These are my ink pads (most of them). I actually have more, but they are ones I don't use very much. This is a cassette tape holder I found about ten years ago at Big Lots. It was like $5 and well worth the money!! I label each pad with a sharpie, with it's color, so that I always know what color is what without pulling it out.

This is one of the two turnstiles I have from pampered chef. This one has my tools, like my crop-a-dile, scissors, paint brushes, etc.

These are some clear drawers and boxes I got from the office supply for organizing desks. Each item is sold separately so you can customize it. I have my markers, my templates, adhesives, tapes, and paint markers in here. You can also see my heat gun in it's holder there on the right, and my Ott Light.

This is on a table to the left of my art work space. There are some tilt bins with things like sponges, small stamp pads, stippling brushes, etc. The small drawers in the middle have some stamps, more little stamp pads, etc. The large drawers on the left have paper and stickers. You can barely see the edge of a drawer unit on the far right that have stamps in them.

These carts and drawers have stamps in them. You can see off to the left on the shelves there are all my crafting books, as well as binders with unmounted stamps, a box full of envelopes, and boxes with paints and glazes.

Another shot of the carts and shelves. You can see another two draw sets on the left, that have more stamps. All drawers are labeled, and all stamps categorized so I can find what I need. Most of the big carts are on wheels, so I can roll them around to make it easy to get stamps, as well as the fact that they are blocking a book shelf full of books used for homeschooling!!

Last picture! These are the built in shelves above my art work area. The bottom shelf has all my cardstock in magazine holders by color, and boxes of markers. The top shelf is all my craft magazines (The Rubber Stamper, Somerset Studio, Cloth-Paper-Scissors, Belle Armoire, etc.) The cabinets on top have old issue of mags, plus boxes of stamps I don't use much (like Christmas, etc.).

Now, to make it messy again!!

Welcome to my world

this is will be where I post pics of my art. I hope to do a lot more creating over this year.