A slow start...

Oh, I've been so unproductive lately. Feeling kind of blah and looking out at the pouring rain was no inspiration. However, Sunday (today) proved to be very, very productive and I am just bursting with ideas!

First, I did have a semi-productive Saturday, even though I ended the day with one heck of a headache. I was out early to get my haircut and stopped by one of my favorite charity consignment shops ( a place that supports a local hospice) on my way home. And what to my wondering eyes did I spy? A table full of 25 cent frames! That's right...antique, vintage and solid wood frames all for a mere 25 cents! I ended up with 12 that were either beautiful as is or would look fantastic with a coat of paint. They will frame my collages that I had so much fun making today. The one above features a cutout from one of my very favorite books, The Velveteen Rabbit. Of course, I didn't cut our copy of the book, but an older version that I found at a flea market. You can't see it on the photo, but I dusted the flower with a glittery, metallic powder to make it look magical. I plan on framing it in an antique frame. The other collage is a rework of one that I already had framed, but every time I looked at it, it seemed as if something was missing. I added the flower silhouette and metal tag and glued it to a new background.

On the furniture side, I am working on two bookcases for a friend's beach house and finally finished my darling little pale pink table. I'm now working on a vanity, too (pale pink, of course). Just to let you know, painting furniture lets me live a girl's life vicariously. There is not one thing PINK decor item in my house...it would probably end up tossed out (along with me)...boys!

College and Collage Crazy

I did it! I survived having my son's college lacrosse team at my house for dinner...those boys (or should I say, men) can eat! I went through 138 pierogies, two pans of lasagna, and 45 bratwurst sandwiches! Two other mom's were gracious enough to offer up an assortment of fruits, veggies and a salad, a delicious coffee punch, and of course, an array of desserts! By the end of the night, I was exhausted, but they were all so nice and polite...it was great fun. The best part of the day was being able to watch my son play in goal against Goucher College, right in his home state.

From college to collage...I'm going a little crazy on collages lately. Above is one I made for our entrance way. I really wanted one with our family name so I went to work on a dollar store find...a little sign that said "Boat House." Since we don't own a boat, or a boat house for that matter, I just decoupaged over the words, slapped some wall paint around the edges and went to work. I had to strategically place the tree to cover a seam in the paper, and then I had to improvise after I placed the letters...I love how it turned out.

Another collage I made was inspired by this little poem I found in an antique book..."Mornings on the Beach." I tried to capture the colors of the morning sun just by layering papers over one another. The last collage I made was for my friend's fundraiser (on the right). It's called "Believe" and I believe it works! I painted the canvas background with acrylics and then went to work, antiquing the music sheets, cutting, and pasting. More on the way....

Winter on the Beach

I love winter on the beach. No crowds, no bugs and plenty of treasures to find. Yesterday, Kellen (my youngest) and I went on an adventure to the Eastern shore. We took a long walk along the Chesapeake Bay looking for treasures. We found beauty in the brown of winter ... the blue sky, pieces of sea glass, perfectly shaped skipping stones and even a rock that looked like a car (above).
I brought my camera and looked around as if I were a child again - observing everything, just looking for an artistic shot - guess what? They were everywhere! I found so many beautiful things that Kellen had to keep reminding me that we needed to move on (I'm usually the one coaxing him along). It was a picture perfect day as was today.

Fun on the Beach!

Sometimes Life Just Gets in the Way...

Yep, sometimes life gets in the way of art. All I really want to do all day is create fun art, but then there's the work that pays (not the work that might pay), there's volunteering at both schools, and then the dreaded "cleaning of the house." Next Tuesday, my son's entire college lacrosse team is coming to dinner, plus the coaches and some parents. He told them all that I make great home-made pierogies and now they want them! I've been cleaning, making pierogies, doing some touch up painting (and you know how that goes -- one touch-up leads to another and another...). As I sit here writing this, because I promised two posts a week, I'm still not showered; I have paint in my hair; and I'm starving (I haven't eaten today) and have to make it to the elementary school in 30 minutes. 

Creating Hope

Hope. This was a theme challenge given to me by my friend Beth for her JDRF silent auction. I so enjoyed working with a theme in mind. (Those who know me well, know that I love themes!) I really stretched my creativity this time and decided to do some mixed media on canvas (above). It was great fun as I first covered the canvas in alcohol inks, then added layers of paper and fabric. I love how it turned out. The other piece I did is more in line with what  usually do...a distressed ink look in amber and black. I did add a bit of shimmer to the flowers (a shimmer of hope) but you can't tell from the photos.

I'm thinking of selling some of my collages on Etsy, a great sight for artists to share and sell their creative works. My sister has a shop on Etsy where she sells her jewelry at www.staciejewelry.esty.com. There are some really great artists on the site. One of my favorites is Danny Phillips, who creates mixed media on reclaimed wood. His shop is www.etsy.com/shop/dannyphillipsart

Giving for a Cause

I've been finding some time to work on my mixed media art and I'm having a blast just creating anything that comes to mind. My sister taught me how to make collage paper out of fabric and alcohol ink and as you can see, I've been experimenting like crazy. I enjoy the art, but I also enjoy sharing it. For the past three years, I've been donating a piece of furniture art to the Severna Park Mom's Group, an organization that raises money for various charities and causes. This year, my friend Beth is heading up the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Annual Gala in Pittsburgh. She asked for a contribution and I'm working on it. Originally, she liked the two pieces that I show here, but then asked me if I could create something with the theme of "Hope." Of course my wheels started turning, and I'm working on it right now! It's fun to give back -- it's not only good for business, it's good for the soul.

NOTE: THE APPLE MOBILE ME NETWORK IS HAVING SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES AND MY WEBSITE MAY OR MAY NOT APPEAR IN ITS ENTIRETY WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO THE RIGHT. APPLE SAYS THAT THEY WILL TRY TO RESOLVE THIS IN TWO WEEKS (UGH)! In the meantime, if you click on it a few times, you will eventually see parts of my website.

Do-overs and Done!

UGH! Once again, after sanding, priming, painstakingly painting and adding a protective coating to a project (a bookcase this time), I returned to the warehouse to find out that the polywhey coating I used has yellowed the surface. So, instead of baby-blue and white bookcases, I have a dirty white and barely blue bookcase. I had this problem before with my dragonfly mirror and I wrote the company, Vermont Natural Coatings. The company was very concerned, helpful and understanding. They even sent me a new batch (along with a complimentary bottle of Vermont syrup) and assured me that it wouldn't happen again. So, I coated my beachy chairs with the new stuff and they looked fantastic. After that, I didn't hesitate to coat the bookshelves. It looked fine until it dried. The only thing I can think of is that the color of the paint must have something to do with it...everything that I coat that has a light color turns yellow. I'm so frustrated and feel bad because I can't reccomend this product for light-colored, hand-painted objects even though they are environmentally friendly and were very customer-friendly. I can, however, recommend it for coating plain wood and dark painted objects. So, I've been busy re-sanding and re-sanding. If anyone has any suggestions as to what type of protective coating to use, please send them along!!!

On a good note, I finished this whimsical mirror (above) that I think it would be at home in a country style foyer or a little girl's room. It was relatively easy to complete. After sanding and priming, I painted the frame and hand-painted some wood cutouts from the craft store.  Then I glued them on with something called "Liquid Fusion." The wood glue that I was using worked well, however it dried an ugly dark yellow (what's with this yellowing stuff?) and if it seeped out, it took away from the finished piece.