Making art papers.....

Here's a great recipe for success!!

Join Joey at Keeton's Office and Art Supply here in Bradenton for an exhilarating morning of turning ordinary paper bags into ART!!!!  As always, click on each photo if you want a closer look.......

The ingredients.....

Some tools........

There were 10 of us in the workshop, and these photos represent just a few of the wonderful diversity of papers we created using brown paper grocery bags, acrylic paints, an assortment of foam stamps, and the best - spray webbing from Krylon in white, black, or silver (think it comes in gold, too)!!  I can't wait to set up my own play table at home and get started on more colorful creations!!!

Some of the photos are my papers, some are the WOW! inspirations of the other participants.

Raspberry soda anyone?

When the deep purple falls over shady garden walls.....

Hot, hot, HOT!!

Polka-dot Paradise

Luscious Lime Squeeze...

Metallic Mambo ;-)

Misty dreams....

These papers are quite sturdy and could be used for gift wrap, or for covering books or a small box, as backgrounds for collages or ATC's, or ..... Just about anything your inner artist can dream up!

Sunny Day Jaunt

Though it is a bit on the cool side (for Florida, anyway) the sun is shining brightly so took a little trip to Bradenton Beach and to Cortez, Florida  So sorry I can't make a workable link to the Google map.  It's just a short hop for me but always a thrill with sights to see each time I visit..  Walked on the beach a bit to clear my sinuses.... and then came home across the bridge.  A large yacht was going through the drawbridge so had to wait.

Looking north and west to Anna maria Island vacation condos

Here's the beauty that opened the bridge......


I stopped at the charter boat place to see if any pelicans were hanging out and they were....!!  Even a White Pelican (different and MUCH larger than our more familiar Brown Pelicans.

"Ixorus" Challenge

Please click to enlarge

The Diva's weekly challenge # 6 is Ixorus.  Drew mine before looking at all the other postings and was interested to see that they seem to fall into two categories - open and airy, or very detailed and mixed with other tangles.  I'm absolutely loving seeing all these fabulous tiles every week!!

Please click to enlarge

I also featured these in an earlier post, but they seemed to get lost in amongst the other photos - hope this doesn't confuse either Laura or anyone else!

Confessions of a [busy] lazy blogger.....

Got to wondering if I'd ever post again - the days fly by with creating art of various sorts, reading your posts, and taking  photos for my blip.  And when I'm not doing all this, I just want to flop on the sofa and read!!

Little Blue Heron (blipfoto)

Lampwork Glass Bauble (blipfoto)

Am also still working away on my entry for the Hoffman Challenge (can't show you that, of course ;-D)  

But trust me, there is a lot of beading to keep my fingers occupied.......!!!

The whole Zentangle© thing has me very excited.  Here are my two for this week's
Diva challenge # 6 - "Ixorus"

Please click to enlarge

Please click to enlarge

I have also continued to make some vintage pieces just for fun... though for me, I'm discovering that working in a vintage collage format is not my fave!  Oh well - we live and learn.

Pretty ladies images courtesy of Mary Green - see Green Paper Collage Club on the sidebar.

We've had some wonderful beach combing weather (sorry to sound like I'm gloating, but it is what it is.......

DeSoto National Memorial, Bradenton

Bradenton Beach

Sandpipers scurrying

Weekly Zentangle Challenge # 5

The theme for this week's challenge is "Orbs."  I Am the Diva has a lovely and inspiring tale to tell about why she chose this theme.  Here are a couple of photos of my "Orbs."

Please click for larger image

Please click for larger image

Jane's fabric vase....

Although it wasn't especially chilly today, the rain came down in torrents most of the day.  It was a good time to stay inside and dry!  Have been wanting to make Jane LaFazio's  fabric vase (see her wonderful tutorial here), so got out the scraps from a small quilted strippy tablecloth I had made several months ago.

After I'd finished, I emailed Jane to show her what I'd done and asked her permission to post these photos and to link to her blog post with the tutorial.  If you haven't been following this talented artist, you'll be happy I sent you..... ;-)

Following Jane's directions and her photos, I was able to create a reasonable facsimile.

Please click to enlarge

It's a fun project - not exactly super-simple, but not very difficult, either, and heaven knows we all have scraps we can use!  I enjoyed rearranging the pieces of fabric until they suddenly looked 'right' to my eye.  Ironing them down to the Peltex is a snap, and then the stamping and stitching can begin.  Except for the fabric used, mine is pretty much a copy of Jane's (brights with B&W) but have other tablecloths.   Will make another vase using scraps from  my collection of blue batiks, which will match other placemats and runners I use on the dining table.  I think these vases would also be great holders for breadsticks!

Please click to enlarge

Jane didn't say how she got the shape for the vase sides - I folded a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper in half the long way so both edges would be even, and then drew a template.  Cut out the template, unfolded the paper and voila!  I started with a piece of Peltex about 18 x 20, so had plenty of room to lay out the sides of the vase to include some of the special free motion stitching I'd done.

Please click to enlarge

Definitely a fun way to while away the hours of a rainy day, and the end product is something different, useful and would make a terrific gift.

Shifting gears......

..... or going back to horse-and-buggy days perhaps I should say,  I've also been participating in Mary's Green Paper Collage Club and created this small piece using her wonderful downloaded images.

Please click to enlarge

In doing all these art activities, I'm discovering where my interests do and don't follow.  What is a truly inspiring challenge and what is a form of drudgery just to get through.

Maybe someday I'l discover my own personal 'style' but for now, it's just exciting to explore!