Altered By Me

  Doesn't it feel good when you feel like you've accomplished something? I've been busy this past week finishing up some art projects that I committed myself to. One project is way over due in my mind. There was no time limit set for this project but I've been feeling like I've had something hanging over my head just knowing that I promised two pieces of art. So hopefully they will be going postal next week.   On another note I can't believe my six months is up with the Paper Imagery Designs DT team. These six months have just flown by. Technically my six months aren't up until the end of this month. So I still have some work to do.   I've decided to apply again. Lori and Melissa are two of the best people I've ever worked with. Their image sheets are top quality and I'd be proud if they decide to have me again.   If your interested in apply for the new designs team go check out the blog . Lori is taking applications until the end o...

You may have read a previous post where I talk about wanting to start an art journal. Well I had the journal with a few pages gessoed and ready to go for over a month. Every time I picked it up to try and do something in it I thought to myself. "why did you buy such a big book?" The pages are HUGE...........8 x 11. I of course had a case of big blank page syndrome when I realized something. I like working on big backgrounds! Alot of my work is done on 5 x 7 canvas board. Art that I make just to make art. You know what I mean...Most of the online challenges and swaps are for atc, 4 x 4, 2 x 2, 1 x 1 and now 3 x 3's but when I reach for a background to work on I almost always grab one of my 5 x 7 canvas boards that I keep already gessoed. Or I cut a piece of watercolor paper to that size. Now that is still smaller then the blank pages I have been facing but that little light bulb that went off. and once it did it freed me up and allowed me to get over the stage fright of s...

This past week I have been in a funk, artistically. Why does this happen I wonder? There has been talk of this very subject on a couple of my groups this past week. Has that talk weaved it's way into my subconsciousness and affected my mind set? I'm not sure if that chat is the culprit or not. But i do believe the negative or positive energy around you can affect you. One of the ways I tried to lift myself out of one of these funks is to work on some backgrounds. Sometimes I work on a full 140 lb 9 x 12 sheet of water color paper. That is what I use for most all of my backgrounds. As I work on this large piece I know when I cut it down into atc or 4 x 4 size I will be surprised where my random elements will end up in this smaller background size. Lately I have found myself working on individual atc backgrounds instead of the full sheet of wc paper. This is a fun way to create a background also. The above atc backgrounds were made yesterday. I picked up a new set of clear stam...

Remember the other day when I told you how much fun it was over on the new Paper Imagery Designs Yahoo group? Did you believe me and run over there an join? No? You didn't get a chance to join yet. Well now here is a chance for you and I to take part in another contest. Lori & Melissa are running a new membership drive contest. So run over there and when you join add my name Arlene in the comment section. Once you've joined your free to join the contest by getting your friends to join the group using your name. Here is the prize structure. Please read the complete rules in the group files ! First Prize: $50 gift certificate to our store.This gift certificate will be good on anything that we have in stock. Which will also include Maya Road Products.you will be limited to only one of each product if you desire any of them. No multiples of Maya Road. You can combine the sheets matte or transparency and the Maya Road, German Scrap and Stickers. Second and Third place pri...

Here are a couple more pages that I have finished. I am not real sure of the correct terminology, whether I am making an art book or an art journal. When I think of an art journal I think of pages that are collaged but also include some type of journaling. I don't do that. That is one of the reasons that I quickly lost interest in scrapbooking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I find it too hard to express myself in that way. Then I start trying too hard to work my page elements into something that goes along with the journaling. It ruins my creative feng shui. I know some of you will understand completely. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If as I am working on a piece I get a feeling or some meaning comes across then I will try to fit some kind of text into the piece. This works much better for me. Or my background will have a random piece of text that suddenly goes perfect with an image I have dug out of my stash. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is a perfect example of what...

I’ve been working on a little something lately for my own pleasure. I’m not signed up for any swaps and have plenty of arty time to work on something, just for my own pleasure. I came across an article in an issue of Somerset Studios from last year and I just fell in love with an art book by Celine Navarro. That’s one of the things I love about the magazines. I get to meet talented artists by way of their articles and then go check out their blogs .Celine’s blog is The Green Frog’s Studio . Check it out if you get a chance. I came up with my own way to bind my pages together very similar to the method she used. I’m not finished yet as this is a pretty big project for me. My book will contain 7 pages, decorated front and back making a total of 14, 5 x7 pages to collage. I’ve participated in bigger swaps but because each of my pages will be different it's taking me a bit longer to complete. Click on the picture for a closer view. I'm not sure if I am going to leave the victorian...

One of the things I have learned is that artists are some of the most generous people in the world. Inka of Inka's Stamps is not only a very talented artist but she is one of the most generous people out there in Blog Land. Each week on Sunday Inka posts a Blog Candy give away. And lucky me was the winner of one of her most lavish give aways yet. Thank you Inka! I can't wait to get some ink on those stamps. So if you get a chance stop by her blog InkaLand leave a comment and maybe you will be the next lucky winner. Once your done checking out her blog hop on over to her stamp store Inka's Stamps she's got some great stamps for sale along with the awesome collage sheets she carries. And if you have been looking for precut glass shapes to solder check out her catalog for those cute little house shapes you've been meaning to buy. That's just a few of the great things she's got. You'll have to go visit her site to see the rest.

Back in the November/December issue of Cloth Paper Scissors I saw a technique that I knew I had to try. The article was written by Katie Kendrick . Using plain old card board recycled from boxes and cheesecloth ( see previous post on my major score of cheese cloth ) she created a beautiful mixed media journal. The old world feel of her journal called out to me. Pictured above is my practice piece I made following her instructions in the article. I pretty much flew by the seat of my pants without any theme, making each page as I went with whatever I had on hand. Some of the pages I love and a few of them I could do without. Over all I am pleased with how it turned out. I've got a theme picked out for the next one and am busy collecting items to use. My practice journal is small, 5 1/2 inches by 2 3/4. The next one will be a 5 x 7 and I will have more room to create in. Here are a few of the pages. Have a Happy Easter!

I've had a great two days this week scoring supplies and just had to share with you. Thursday I ran into my local Joann's to see if I could find the latest issue of Somerset Studio. I had a 40% off coupon I wanted to use before it expired. For a couple of months I had a project in mind that required some cheesecloth. The last time I bought some to use for cooking it cost an unbelievable $4.99 for two little squares. So on a whim I go back to the fabric department and ask if they have any cheesecloth not really expecting them to have it. So the very nice lady working the cutting table says, sure it over here and I follow her to the area where thread and notions are sold. She points down to this huge box and says here it is. The box is about 38 inches long. Knowing how much I paid for that tiny little pack I bought a few years ago I just knew I couldn't afford it. I tell the lady thank you and pick up a box and open the lid to see what it's like. Well it's cheesec...

First let me tell you all that my oldest daughter Megan got married today. Congrats Megan & Scott. I hope you have a long and happy life together. If you'd like to send them a card email me and I'll send you their address. I know Megan would love to receive a congratulations card. Money's been tight around here so we won't be able to do anything for the newlyweds. It looks like blogger is up and running so I can post the background I mentioned in my last post. So here it is. I really love the way the colors look on this background and as I stated in the earlier post this is no where near my usual color scheme. I really didn't have any idea what I was going to do with this so I cut it into ATC's . My mother in-law has just started making ATC's and I usually supply her with the backgrounds. I'm sure she'll like a few of these. Tomorrow we are off to a local stamp store for an ATC swap. I don't usually make ATC's unless I am in a swap...

Gothic Arches are floating all over the internet these days. My arches were made for a weekly challenge on Belinda's Mixed Media Art yahoogroup. As I was searching the internet just to see what other artists had done with an arch template I came across a couple of blogs that were participating in a weekly Gothic Arch Challenge. Here is a blog where you can find the details http://gothicarches.wordpress.com/ I also came across Belinda Sneider's page on a gothic arch book she and some her friends made using a new set of stamps. Check it out to read the details. Here is a before and after shot of my gothic arch. I really love this image and if you participated in Belinda's 3 x 3 swap a few months ago you may have recieved one of my 3x3's with this image or a similar image. When I was done I was happy with my arch but felt it needed a little something else. So I used a graphite pencil to outline the images and smudged it up. I'm not sure which way I liked it better. ...

I have been busy working on my pages for the skinny book swap Belinda is hosting on the arttechniques yahoo group. The above picture is of my first set of pages. I made the mistake of signing up for two groups of pages. As I struggled to come up with something for my second set I realized that I should just stick to one set in whatever swaps I join because once I get the first set completed I have a hard time coming up with something for the second set. The deadline is approaching. I have started my second set and I am sure will finish in time to meet the November 1st deadline. It didn't help that last week I was in bed with a nasty sinus infection so now I am feeling rushed. I can't wait to get this swap finished. I don't think I will be joining any more swaps for awhile. I am not making any art for art sake because I am consumed with this swap. I have a hard time working on anything else while I am working on swaps. I am also biting at the bit to do some soldering and I f...

A few weeks ago Kelsey over at ko...ok? was having a fun give away on her blog. The winner would receive a piece of her artwork. I've been a regular reader of Kelseys blog for awhile now so I knew what awesome art she creates. I would love to win a piece of her artwork so I left my comment and waited..... I did not win the original piece she had offered in her drawing but because she is so generous and giving she drew some more names. I was one of those winners so I got to pick one of her atc's. The one I picked is above. I LOVE IT! There were so many beautiful atc's to pick from but when I saw this one I knew I had to have it. She not only sent me the ATC but she also included two of her word sticker sheets. And a Moo Card with all her info on it. This is the first Moo Card I have ever seen. They are so cute. Make sure you check out her blog. She puts some great tutorials up. So THANK YOU Kelsey for the lovely ATC. I have got to figure out a way to display it where ...

I've come to the conclusion that I love making backgrounds! Making the background is my favorite part of a project. All of the things I have been working on lately have been swaps that I have joined on my various Yahoo groups. The above picture is of my backgrounds for the 3 x 3 swap that Belinda is hosting on her CollageComposition group. I am happy with the backgrounds. I LOVE the backgrounds........... but now I don't know how to finish them off. It's after I have a background made that the problems set in for me when I am working on a swap. Am I having a " PROBLEM?" Or could it be FEAR ? I've noticed that I only have this PROBLEM when I am making something for a swap . Am I having PROBLEMS because my artwork will be judged by someone else when I am particatipating in a swap? Could it be because I know it will not be just one person that will be judging me? It could be a dozen or more people judging my artistic ability in each swap. ARTISTIC........... Ther...

Well this is a first for me. Two posts to my blog in one day......eer well night. I was visiting ArtsyMama's blog and saw her pictures of the cute little dress wall hangings she has made to sell in her Junk Bonaza booth and remembered this banner that I made for my little granddaughter Hailey's bedroom. I had meant to post a picture awhile back when I made it but I forgot. So here it is. The picture isn't very clear. The pink background of the wall did not get along very well with my flash. Hailey turned one year old yesterday! Happy Birthday Grammy's girl!

Today I finished putting together my charm bracelet with the charms I received in the Artysdoll charm swap I participated in a few months ago. A big thank you to Kelly Parker for hosting this great swap. I used seven of my favorite charms from the swap and then added bead dangles and a few of my own charms to finish off the bracelet. The chain I found at my local Joann's. I have plenty of charms left over and can probably make at least 4 more bracelets if that's what I use them for. If you go back to my blog post from May http://alteredbyme.blogspot.com/2007/05/artsydoll-charm-swap-whoo-hoo.html you can see the rest of the charms I received in the swap.

I entered the world of hand carved stamps very innocently. While shopping at my local Joann's for some gesso I notice a few items marked on clearance on the same isle. I found the Speedball Block Printing Starter Kit marked down to an unbelievable $5. The kit regularly retails for $17.99 at Joann's. Needless to say I snatched it up and also bought the last two linoleum blocks they had. This is my second attempt at carving linoleum blocks. For my first try I did a simple tree. The blocks are 4 x 5 inches so they make a large size stamp. I read a lot online about carving linoleum before I tried my first stamp. I really thought it would be more difficult then it actually was from all that I read online but I found the linoleum very easy to carve. For the above picture I used three different types of stamp ink. It is amazing the different looks you can get by using different color inks. I'm not sure what I'll use the stamp for. It's too big for an atc. I'll pr...

Triptych From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A triptych (pronounced "trip-tick," from the Greek tri- "three" + ptychē "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting ) which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together. The central panel is the most important one, and this is flanked on either side by two lesser but related paintings. The whole is intended to be greater than the sum of the parts. I've recently joined a mini triptych swap on one of my yahoo groups. Even though I knew what a triptych was I decided to look it up on Wikipedia just to see what I could find . I mostly needed to find the correct pronunciation. I grew up in Brentwood, New York with a family that was all born and raised in Brooklyn. Then as a teenager we moved to South Florida. Sometimes I have the hardest time pronouncing some of the simplest words. Out of no where the New York accent rears it's head and believe me it is not pr...

Updated 9/1/07 I've had a few people ask me if I allowed each of my layers to dry in between. I did use my heat gun to dry each layer before I moved on to the next one. Thanks for all the great comments! Over the weekend I tried out a background technique I saw in last months issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. I'm very happy with the way it turned out but this took hours to do and I'm not sure if I will do it again. I started out with a sheet of tissue paper that I placed on top of a sheet of freezer wrap on my kitchen counter. Taping the freezer wrap to the counter stopped the wrap from curling and it then laid flat on my counter. I did not cut down the first sheet of tissue paper so my large background piece was as big as a standard sheet of tissue paper. I then glued dictionary and book pages down onto the tissue paper with waterd down elmers glue as my first layer. I then added another layer of tissue paper torn into pieces over the book pages.Then I painted a layer of wa...

The Secret Society of Rusty Things is the name of a new yahoo group for all artists who admire the art work of Michael deMeng and are inspired in their own art by his style. Anyone and everyone who has ever looked into the world of assemblage art has heard of Michael de Meng. His new book is titled Secrets of Rusty Things. Here is the introduction for the group as found on the home page. “Welcome to The Secret Society of Rusty Things. The place for friendly discussion about art inspired by Micheal Demeng's new book Secrets Of Rusty Things. We welcome any and all mixed media, altered, and assemblage artists.” I'm a regular reader of his blog and if you'd like to take a peek at what he has been up to lately the best place is his blog Assemblog of Michael deMeng Thanks for stopping by!