Inspired by some challenges

First challenge: to make a birthday card for a friend who turned 50 this year, special year=special card!

I was inspired by this tutorial by Chelle at Inspiration Emporium here using tape to block out part of the design. She used tissue tape, I had painter's tape nearby.

Second challenge: Inspiration Emporium Summer Fun!

So, what do you think of when you think summer? I think of the beach and the many family vacations we have taken there over the years....sand, sunburn, waves, fun! So, I thought a beachy card would be perfect. Stamp up some images from Tim Holtz (love these blueprint stamps) on water color paper, use distress inks to make the background, and water colors to do the images.

Cut my images out and arrange them...fleck with white paint spots...

Doodle the background a bit, add glitter pens...and I have a special birthday card ready for tonight.

Can't forget the message inside, so using some inspiration from my lettering classes with Joanne Sharpe, I added this.

 

Third Challenge: Simon Says Spots and Dots - why not? A splatter of spots outside and dots inside...

Happy Friday everyone!

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Simon Says-About a Face challenge

My friend Lori taught us how to make these delightful little snowmen at Stamp Camp last night, and I am going to enter mine into Simon Says here, because snowmen have faces too!

Snowmen in July? Well... Christmas in July, or it has to be snowing somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere!

It all started with a salt shaker, filled with vintage pearls and other goodies. Made his head of clay, used hardware for the eyes, nose, mouth, and even used the shaker top to make the hat.

Decorated outside too with some Washi tape, words, ribbon, snowflakes...

Hung an old rusty bell from the ribbon...

Added some snow,and my little snowman is done and ready to play.

Here are some of the other snow people created by my friends.

Great class Lori, thanks!!Pin It Now!

From Scratch...details

It all started with this great class on composition and layering with Julie Fei Fan Balzer at the Create retreat...(oh, yes-Sheila found me on Julie's Instagram stream :)

We started out by choosing a magazine ad we liked, and then deconstructed it and discussed elements of composition.

The ad I chose, along with my notes of what attracted me to this particular one, and then a quick sketch. What really drew my eye were all the wonderful colors first, and then the textures second, along with other elements I observed.

I took my sketch and made my base for the collage...looks pretty different, doesn't it?

Next layer, painted in some blocks of color, one of my main focal points with acrylic paints.

Like where I am at this point, so...

Whitewash the layout, flick some white paint drops onto it...and then I will admit, I kind of got stuck trying to figure out how to pull this all together. Once inspiration struck after looking through the few embellishments/collage papers I had with me, I really got into it and forgot to take pics. Stamped and stenciled some designs into it, collaged a napkin of the Eiffel Tower, added writing, the girl...

One of the things I love to do is to add some details with white pen to make it pop. Hope you have enjoyed my journey through the creation of my collage, as I promised in yesterday's post.

Celebrate the Gypsy Life!



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Simon Says, Start From Scratch!

Just got back from New Jersey/NYC area, and need to get this posted before midnight, so I can get it into Simon Says here, before the deadline! Talk about last minute! So, tonight I am putting up the collage I created from scratch, and I promise to add some details tomorrow...need sleep!

Check out my "Gypsy Life" collage, and I will see you again tomorrow to tell you about it. Good night.

 

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Steampunk Challenge: Inventions and inventors

I am modifying this post as requested, and with my sincere apologies to the artist Erin Keck.

Lucky me! I am at the Create art retreat in New Jersey this week, and my first class today was with Erin Keck making an awesome steampunk clock, which I am going to enter in SanDee and Amelie's challenge here.

I love how a class of nine students using basically the same materials makes nine totally unique clocks! Hers's mine!

Added all kinds of cool things that you can see in the close up of my clock-you name it, it's likely to be here,

Side view to give you an idea of the dimension.

"Live in the moment"

Eventually I reached a point where I had to tell myself, enough is enough, because you could just keep adding more cool "junk" to this.

And, it's a working clock and keeps the time, so invention? Well yes!

 

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Camp Scrap Challenge Week 1: take a risk!

This has definitely turned into a "risky" week! First of all, I just retired from 30+ years of teaching science...I mean, it's been great so far, don't get me wrong! But it is a huge change, and you do question yourself if you did it at the right time, how will it work out... Then the weather here this week has been wild- lots of lightning, a tornado, flooding...you name it!

So, on the creative end, what was my big risk this week? I would say it was doing a painting from beginning to end on a large canvas...and here it is, my sunflower. You are given verbal directions and a demo of how to do it, but then it. Is up to your imagination.

Went with a great group...and you can see how everyone has a unique painting.

My friend Lynda- I like how natural hers looks...

Michelle and I sharing ours, leaning to the sun...

Nancy on the left-we were celebrating her birthday, and her daughter Kayla (thanks for organizing this!)

So, in about 2 hours, we painted our canvas. Challenge? Done!!

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Simon Says "W is for White"

W is also for "way out of my comfort zone" as May Flaum challenged us this week in Camp Scrap. As you know, I am a color kind of gal, so white?? How the heck do I make something mostly white for the Simon Monday Challenge? Well, you will see that I could not resist a bit of color.

It all started with a nice thick coat of Delta Magnolia White.

Next, a little texture play by laying some punchinella in the paint.

Whitewash with some titanium white and water, a stamped design I had on hand to make a card with, and since we are headed to a Paint and Sip tonight to celebrate a friend's birthday, a card is certainly in order. Sprinkle with some distress glitter...

Play with the layout to see where things should go...

Got it! Now, to add some pearls and white rub-ons...

Some detail of the rub-ons, white on white...

Then, I just had to add in some color, so spritzed in some peacock feather distress marker.

This photo shows it a bit more true to color, so you can see all those variations of white. So, I guess W is for white, and I am happy I tried something different for me!

 

 

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