Monday, September 21, 2015

Sadly, no more swaps...

Sad to say, Kimberly's "Linen and Lace" ATC swap will be her last.  She's no longer going to continue her blog, nor host her wonderful little swaps.  I support her decisions, but it's still a little sad.

So, here are my last contributions to the artJOYstuff swaps:

"LINEN AND LACE"





I embellished an extra card for Kim, to thank her for her generous hosting:
This was a lovely theme to end on.  I can't wait to see the treasures I get in the swap return (I've really enjoyed the handiwork of Kim's regular participants, so I'm sure this month's ATCs are all beauties)!


On another note...
My turquoise-haired daughter (see previous post) now has short fuchsia and cobalt blue tresses!



Never a dull moment....wonder what color is next!
 

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Dress Up

This month's prompt was 
"DRESS UP"
for Kimberly's ATC swap.
(about a 180-degree turn from last month's "grunge" theme!)


I went with a frilly little dress interpretation...wonder if some will choose 'dress up' to mean 'costume' or 'make believe'.  Hmmm, we shall see.

I found this line art image (here) of an old paper doll set:

 I lightened it up a bit and printed to some old blue paper, folded it and added washi tape to the side edges to form a nifty little pouch for each card:


A paper clip shaped like a tiny wire hanger seemed apropos for the theme--
(amazing--and a little ridiculous-- what I can find in my endless stash of crap laying around clever crafting supplies!

And guess what....my daughter now has blue hair!
She kind of matches my little ATC's!

It started out more teal-green (like Ariel, the Little Mermaid!):
This was right after it was dyed...very intense!  It has softened up considerably in the weeks since.

This next photo was taken last week when we went to the Street of Dreams home show.  I was in love with that little turquoise bench.  Her topknot totally blends into the painting.......great camouflage!

After 2 years at University of Kansas, she's back home now, and will be attending Portland State University starting next month. She's happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest, at least for a while.

We're gradually getting used to the hair.


Sunday, July 19, 2015

Grunge Style

So Kimberly's ATC challenge this month was
 "Grunge (Tim Holtz Style)".  
Here are my cards for trading:


I smashed some bottle caps and thought they'd make a nice grungy surface for stamping.


Ancient metal buttons with worn-off paint were added, 
along with a few sticker embellishments 
from the Tim Holtz product line.


Paint, rubber stamping, pencils, and stencils added to the grunge factor.
(Kathy, thanks once again for that sequin scrim you shared with me!
Love it for adding the dot texture!!)


I paid a bit of homage to Tim Holtz for the back of my card, below,
in this little splattered and grungy composition I made in Photoshop:


I've loved that guy ever since I first saw him 
make guest crafting appearances on the old Carol Duvall Show, 
YEARS ago, long before he was licensing his trademark style.
Anyone remember back that far??!!

The finished cards got bundled up in old pattern tissue and TH button stickers--



This was one of my favorite swaps to date.  
Not surprising...
all things old and chippy, rusty and grungy, tattered and textured,
really appeal to me!
Tim, you're a guy after my own heart.


Friday, July 10, 2015

Where Bloggers Create....2015

Another year, another studio tour!  
WELCOME...
It's nice to have both old and new friends drop by!
 
 
I'm pleased to be participating again in Karen Valentine's 7th Annual Where Bloggers Create Tour (Click on the link to visit lots of other artists' inspiring studios)
I had to miss last year, but am happy to be back and part of the fun. 

I had good intentions of having fresh paint on the walls (a very soft muted robin's egg blue) by the date of this blog party. but it hasn't happened yet (someday!... ). 

My space hasn't changed that much since I had my last tour
 ....except at the moment, it is extremely messy, with lots of projects in progress.  
This year, I decided to include some of the previous, tidied-up photos, 
along with current pics 
showing the REAL DEAL!

Come on in and let me show you around...


This studio is where I do all sorts of creative projects, 
which include both the work I do professionally (illustration, graphic design, textile design),
 and the crafting I do 'just for fun' (jewelry, mixed media, collage). 

 I am a hoarder collector of SO MUCH stuff, this room is pretty packed full. And, like most of you, I love to be surrounded by all my treasures!
Can you tell I like little houses?  I store treasures and supplies inside my vintage doll house.

Old game pieces, my stash of pearls, and other trinkets crowd the shelves.

A tiny guardian angel perched on top, watching over the stash
 Beneath the big house are a couple of smaller wooden houses.  One of them has hooks inside and is just perfect for my etsy jewelry inventory:


The bird hooks below hold samples for the soldering classes I teach.

My Etsy inventory is low right now (understatement!)...but I'm busy making new items! Check back soon.

I store jewelry-making bits and baubles inside these metal boxes.


I've dedicated one shallow shelf to my collection of cute face cups.  I'm always on the lookout for more:

 
Baskets on the shelves hold stamping supplies, soldering equipment, and more.  

I hope by the time the next tour rolls around in 2016, I'll have my walls painted that light aqua, and will use these new aqua storage pieces throughout my space:

Cute little baskets and tins, just waiting for me to get my act together!

Continuing along the wall, I have closed cupboards plus my photocopier, printer, and computer. 

Next to my computer monitor, I've hung some of my mixed-media angel paintings.  I scan the originals and from them make wood-mounted prints and cards.  I usually have a few of these paintings in the works.


Here is what is currently on my monitor: a collage I'm working on for a tote bag company. This design is called "Retro Beach", and I'm having lots of fun arranging all the images.  Notice that I usually have a bunch of Sudoku puzzles handy for when I need to take a break, ha ha!

 This is what the tote bag 'end product' will look like:

A few days ago, I found this bag (one of my designs) in my local Kroger store (Fred Meyer, here in Portland). I've now done several in a series of this 'retro collage' look.


But I digress.  Back to my studio...


The french doors lead out to a small balcony, ao even here in rainy Oregon I get lots of natural light.  The pennant banner above the doors is also part of my blog header, and welcomes crafters who come to my studio to attend my collage and soldering workshops.  Nice and neat and clean, right??...

...and here is what it currently looks like!

Yikes!  what a mess! Paper crafting and jewelry making, all in a jumble. I have a new printer, too, now making a home at the end of the table.

Lots of collage supplies fill these shelves: old books, sheet music, maps, wallpaper, etc.

...except at the moment, I can't shut these drawers because the paper is crammed in too tightly.          Time to purge!      

      



The baskets hold textiles, trims and laces.  Then there are my tins full of old postage stamps, and cute wooden boxes filled with old buttons sit below the little window. 

Currently, I have a stash of linens and laces out, trying to come up with some new sewn things for a holiday bazaar my friend and I host every year.  Not sure what I'll make with these...maybe some little zippered pouches? Pillows, maybe?...

 

Here's what the cute little boxes look like.... 

...IF I could see them!  If you look hard enough, you can see a glimpse of their lids in the far back corner....I need to find a home for all of this stuff!!


My drafting table is the hardest thing to keep organized.  As I work, I am just MESSY, and end up doing my work on any tiny clean surface I can find.  The built in light box is invaluable, and its glass top is great for xacto-cutting.


And now......Keepin' it real:
It looks like this right now!  I had a big illustration project due this week, and chaos ensued!

 I do fashion illustrations for Simplicity Pattern Company, and when a job comes my way, I drop everything to get it done...

This is the fleece poncho art I was working on, here in its ink-line stage of the process
Think I have enough markers?? This is just a portion of them.  I color the inked sketch with either these watercolor markers, or I'll use concentrated inks or regular watercolor paint.

I got the illustrations done by the deadline...whew!! Here's how the girls' version turned out:

This is a little grainy, since it's a scan of a photocopy, not the original...but it gives you an idea of what I do at my little work table.  This art will be in the Simplicity pattern catalog in about 6 months.


The desk when it is "clean"....as you can see, I never really have a completely cleaned-off surface.  There's always STUFF!



Next to the desk is a storage closet.  More hoarding lurks behind the door, in a semi-organized state--bins full of this and that:


The inside of the door holds a a few old illustrations done for Simplicity. I spent years as art director of Daisy Kingdom, Inc., a fabric, craft, and publishing company based here in Portland, until it was bought out by Springs Industries, and they did a great deal of licensing with Simplicity.  I still do freelance illustration and design for them and other clients.

Well, that's the end of my tour. Thanks so much for visiting and seeing where I work and play.  I'm looking forward to peeking inside your creative spaces!  So many kindred spirits out there--and a special thank you to Karen Valentine for hosting this wonderful event where we can all hobnob with each other!  
Again, I'm so glad you stopped by, and 
I'm hoping you'll leave me a comment and let me know you dropped in!  
And I'd love for you to become a follower...a girl can never have too many friends!

 And now, I'm off to go snooping inside your studios!

My Desert Cottage