My Friend with the magical digital hands......

I have to give a HUGE thank you to my friend, Michelle at Digital Collage Sheets once again. She is a master artist at altering photos and has the most beautiful (and affordable) vintage collage sheets I've seen so far. Not only is she amazing in these ways, but she agreed to let me hand out brochures for her site to the students in my class. When she said yes, I was super ecstatic......now, imagine my get up and click-your-heels GLEE when she sent me the brochure that is complete with all of her site's info and FREE COLLAGE ELEMENTS that my students can use right off of the brochure.

Amazing gal, I'm tellin ya.........

oh, and sorry for all the yelling, lol.

Digi Collage

This is something I played around with tonight. For some reason, I felt like doing a digi collage. I used my ephemera and different pics I've picked up to create it. I'm a big fan of "ghostly" and misty-type collages, so I almost always end up with something soft and a little out of focus. Seems more romantic and luring, I guess, lol. Anyhoo, I think it might be time to hit the hay......my eyes are starting to burn, which can't be a good sign, rofl.

Designing Clothing

Today, I was asked to design a line of clothing geared towards the teenage girls market. I'm super excited about the opportunity, but also very nervous, lol. The company is a new one, just trademarked and is looking for a junior's line to add to their workout line. They have a wonderful concept in mind and are pretty much leaving it up to me.......come up with some prototypes and see where we go from there. I'm thinking I want to create some clothing that has alot of sloppy stitching. I know that the 80's style has come back in (Lord, help us, lol) and I think I can accomplish some great things with free rein, but I'm still nervous!!! I wonder what colors would be best to go with these days for a hip and styling teenager??? Food for thought.

I am now in the process of setting up my class page at my website..........I love the little house pic I found. Wouldn't it be so lovely to curl up in this house with a few wonderful women and do nothing but laugh, create and drink coffee (or tea, lol) all day long??? I'm missing female comraderie....I need a little bit more of it in my life, which is one of the reasons I'm so excited about the mixed media classes I've introduced to this Micheal's.

If all goes well, I will be planning a workshop retreat and one of the places I think would be absolutley fab for it is Trout Lodge. The facility is just amazing and I love the emphasis they put on single parenting. It's run by the YMCA and at special times, they offer super-low discount rates for single parents and their families. They offer scrapbooking retreats and such and do really good on them, the scrapbooking class is already sold out!! So, I will be calling later today or tomorrow to see about reserving a special "Mixed Medium Divas" retreat workshop! It will be one of my dreams come true!

Altered Art Canvas Class

This is my example piece for a new class I have coming up at Micheal's. I used a ton of different techniques and mediums and was quite sure Michelle, my event coordinator, would flip a gasket once she saw my material list, lol. But, she didn't.......in fact, out of all the classes I had lined up for the month, this was her favorite. My canvas is 18x24, but the students will do a 16x20. I have really high hopes about this class. I think it will spur a whole "mixed media" brigade within the class-goers. It's something they've never done before in this area, a class where.....there are no rules. Can't get much better than that, lol!

Christmas Trees........

Getting a Christmas tree has always been a tradition. The weekend after Thnaksgiving, we all head out to the same Christmas Tree Farm and engage in the search for the "ultimate" tree. Hiking through the trees, my son is yelling..."see, I knew we would have to walk miles out here!".....which made me have a flashback of the Griswold's driving to the middle of nowhere and dragging their children through the forest in Nat'l Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Luckily, my son didn't end up suffering for too long, lol. We found a tree fairly quickly, too quickly in my opinion, since the scnery was so lovely I wanted to hang out all day!

Updates......

I was recently asked to be an advisory board member at a new site called JaMuse. It's a creative community that allows artists (of all types..photographers, digital, illustration, even dancers) to upload their portfolios and then, through their MuseWorx system, they can share files with clients and collaborate. It seems like a wonderful new site and another avenue for artists to get their names out there and get noticed.

They launch in a month or so and are internationally recognized, so if you're an artist of any type, go check it out!

The start of a mixed media piece that I think will be the catalyst for some new classes for the crafty kids at Micheal's. Really, I can't think o fmore fun than to sit in a room with a bunch of kids and tell them the only rule here is to make a mess......lol. My event cooridinator wanted something different and fresh and I have to say that a mixed media class for kids is the best way to go (at least here). In this area, they've classed ornaments and little "cutesy" projects to death....I think it might be time to introduce the "darker" side of scrapbooking, lol. This is not to say that I don't love the "cutesy" projects, but I was asked to do something different and I think this will be just the ticket........wooohoooooo. LOL

This is a commissioned piece I did for a friend of mine's daughter. Her daughter is very much like me. Her mom worries when she shuts herself off in her room and "hibernates" as she reads and draws. I try to tell her that that is who she is.....and that I can relate to it so very well. That's why when she has a problem (the daughter), she mostly comes to me. When I gave her this piece, she preceded to ask me about what she should do if she had a crush on someone. Keep in mind, she is a freshman in high school. This boy is a junior and she talks to him "sometimes". So, I told her what I wish I would've known at that age.........make sur eyou know him before you idolize him. Talk to him, be yourself, be as bold and brass as I know she is...and she'll find that either the boy is worth idolizing, or that crush will (for lack of a better word) be crushed.

It's amazing how you can worship someone from afar and then get to know them and wonder what the hell you were thinking, lol. Ah, teenage years....I wouldn't live them again for all the money in the world.

Greeting Card Universe

Great news! My art is now available as greeting cards at Greeting Card Universe! I'm still adding lots more art I have and should have LOTS of Christmas stuff here in the next few days. This place is really neat! The cards are cheaper than what they would be in the store....and get this....they send them to your recipient for you! No writing, stamping and putting it in the mail! I think it's awesome! Hope you do too!

So Much Fun!

At my new friend's site, I found a great Visual DNA link. I've seen this before, but now, for the holiday season, they have a fun little visual test you take, then it pulls up a description of you and a holiday gift list. I have to say that it was right on where I was concerned, check out what my description says! I had lots of fun taking it too, there were some really pretty pics! Find all kinds of cool visual DNA fun at Imagini.net!

New Work

New Collage Work

I completed these the day before yesterday. I love the Queen layout. I think it might be the colors or how perfectly an old vintage letter written on blue paper fit in to it. The pics for these layouts came courtesy of Digital Collage Sheets. The rest is from my personal collection of ephemera. I wanted to leave the pink layout a little sparse (this is a little different for me, I tend to cram something in every nook and cranny, lol). Hope you like them!

I plan on selling these collages as prints. I haven't decided whether I'll sell the originals or not?? Hmmm.......

I Will Never Give Up

This piece is one I had lots of fun making. I had no real design or destination to it all besides the fact that the woman's body is from Stampington's Tempting Template. I did it as sort of an homage to the struggle of achieving dreams and that in order to get there...to that long awaited destination....there will be struggle and heartbreak to overcome.

I'm not quite done with it yet, I still have the back to do and some other little trinkets to add. I'm thinking this might be something for a submission somewhere......

And let me share a little something special about the piece that really spurred the whole thing.....do you see underneath the woman....can you read the words? If you can't....they say, "FREE SOUL". I was watching Saving Grace the other night and the said something on the episode that really struck a chord with me. If any of you watch the show, you know Grace has some serious issues.....not all of them I can relate to, but some I can......like being unorgamized, ignoring family phone calls....etc.

Anyhoo, most everyone who knows Grace (particularly her family) thinks she needs to grow up or be more of an "adult" I guess you could say...or maybe "get her shit togther"....whichever you prefer.......be that as it may.......during the episode she asks her "G-pa" why he never tried to change her that way everyone else did, why he never got on her about the things she did and didn't do....and this is what he said......."Because you're a free soul and you're going to do what you want no matter who yells at you."

Well said.....and how wonderfully put.

Great Find!!!

I was browsing through Etsy and came across this lovely shop called the Lady's Closet....then I followed the link to their website..... Digital Collage Sheets. They offer two sheets of free vintage images and after printing, I'm in love with this company! I've never seen such beautifully enhanced images! Take a peek, I'm telling you...it's well worth it!

"Hated"

These are some pics of the second piece for the V-day show at darklight. I'm pleased with how this one turned out and, as funny as it is.....everything turned out pretty good. Yippeeee!

And can I just mention how much I HATE my camera???

Yes, it could be user error....but, c'mon!!! aarrgghhh

Photography

This slideshow is a sample of some of my photography....told ya I had a thing for sepia tones, lol!

Fall Fun.....

These are a few of the pics I've taken so far this fall. All of my photography is in sepia tones....I love the feel it gives to the pictures.

Vintage Images are ready for purchase!

I am SO excited! I have gotten through only some of my vintage collection and have three sets now available for purchase! Take a look at my ETSY store or email me for purchasing information!

"Mated"

This is one half of my entry for the Valentine show at darklight Art Gallery. Each artist is invited to submit two pieces, one for the more rosy side of love and one for the other side (the dark side, lol). This is my "hapy" piece which I named "Mated". I tried to convey that the crows in the trees were two souls that were finally coming together.

My second piece will be named "Hated" and will be dark and probably very gothic. I've started on it and have decided to make it a mixed media collage piece. I can do so much more that way than with just mere paint and this piece is one I want to really put some work into. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the second piece!

Studio in Progress

Here is the brand new studio space in progress. It's in the basement, and I know I won't particularly care for the "dungeon" atmosphere, but at least it's space and it will be my own. Before, I had everything stacked and crammed into my bedroom. Getting clothes every morning was a chore since there were about 10 rubbermaid containers full of my stuff blocking the way. I think my back will be thankful it doesn't have to move and then move again those heavy containers. The wine glass looking container thing in the middle is my favorite aspect. My fiance gave it to me (can't remember what for) and it was full of flowers. It was pretty neat looking. But, I've decided it will be my glistening catch-all for little trinkets and pretty supplies that I like to look at and keep in the open.

My fiance jokes that he knows no other person that looks at everything as either a new project or something to store stuff in for other new projects. I told him that was because I was the only artist he knew, lol. I'm excited about this new space, though overwhelmed with finally having my own "domain". I've always sat on my bed, lol. So, this should be a new adventure for me. When I get the goodies all set up, next will come my radio and TV. Gots to have some noise most of the time!!!!

Serenity

What do you think about the box? I love the whimsy of it. I'm thinking I might include it in a goodie package that I'm planning on sending a new friend of mine. I'm having a hard time getting my pics any better. I think I might have to break donw and buy a great camera one of thses days, instead of the cheapy Kmart camera I have now, lol. Hey, you know what they say about starving artists!!!

Enchanted Kingdom

I was in the Christmas spirit last night and as I laughed at Chevy Chase in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, I made this little dandy. I'm having too much fun with these collages. I will be posting them for sale on Etsy in a bit. I'm lagging behind because I'm in the middle of moving my studio to a bigger (and quieter) part of the house. Is "quieter" even a word? LOL.....anyhoo, I will share some pics of the new space as soon as I get all of my precious junk moved!

Unique Nature

This is a collage I did yesterday as I sat around the house. I have to say, my favorite thing about collages is I can mess it all up! I don't have to be perfect, and in fact, it's only better the sloppier I get with them.

Home Painting