Project 7 of 365Illustration Friday: Faded

Bye Breezy

Bye Breezy - detail

LETTER

Great. It’s about time. It’s weird how over the past

two weeks life’s gotten much more exciting. I’m

still trying to figure out why John was kissing

my hand. Anyway it’s been raining here and I’m

getting mad because I want to sun bleach

my hair. After all, I am a Californian. So when are 

you coming back? To California of course. Well

I gotta run. Since it’s been so long you’ll have

to fill me in on your adventures. It’s been live.

Bye, Breezy

 Today, I used Project 6: Just Relaxing as my inspiration; the second part of Cloth Paper Scissors' (Jan/Feb 2012, page 80) art prompt number 23. "Create a doodle on a piece of paper and then use it to create a piece of art."

After reading about Breezy's adventures with hand kissing and hair coloring, her thoughts faded into the night.

Project 6 of 365

Just Resting

Just a quick sketch and some brainstorming while I watched a movie tonight. To get inspired, I reviewed the art prompts mentioned in the Cloth Paper Scissors magazine (Jan/Feb 2012, page 80). I was inspired by number 23, "Create a doodle on a piece of paper and then use it to create a piece of art."

The Scowling Mermaid

"It meant so much."
Traditional Collage

I'm taking a break from digital work for a bit while I explore my traditional collage roots. I love getting my hands dirty and seeing actual textures, patterns, and layers working together. I was inspired by the artist Cindy Wunsch, who was featured in the latest Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. She uses memorabilia in her artwork and I have boxes of it that would love to see the light of day.

My current project is using letters that my grandmother wrote to me. I read them, I wept, I remembered her. It was an emotional process but a well of inspiration all the same. Seeing her script in the background will keep her memory close to my heart. Miss you, Myrtle!

Recycled: toner copied worksheet from high school memorabilia, magazine paper, greeting card text, and canvas covered cardboard from hard bound book.

Craft Published in Cloth Paper Scissors!

Cloth Paper Scissors Cover
November/December 2011 Issue

I received a nice surprise in my mailbox today...a magazine sporting my work! Not just any old magazine, but Cloth Paper Scissors, a resource for collage, mixed media, and artistic discovery. This is the second time my art work has been selected as a finalist and printed in the Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.

I wasn't quite sure that my work would be chosen. When I initially checked the roster to see if my name was selected as a finalist for the "Home Sweet Home" challenge, it was not. Later, right before the due date to mail in the work, I received an email saying there had been a glitch and several names had not appeared on the list, mine being one of them.

I had entered two houses and it wasn't clear if they wanted both or just one. So I emailed the editor and she wrote back, "The yellow one." There wasn't a yellow one. There was one white house and one green house...so I mailed them both, thinking that there must be a mix up and they had emailed the wrong person all together.

But, a nice surprise for me today, to find the green house in print for the November/December 2011 issue.

"Home Sweet Home" Reader Challenge

Finalist!
Second row down, Column 4
Green House with Brown Roof

My first entry printed was my Deux Pois Bakery confections, a winner for the "All Buttoned Up" challenge back in March/April 2011.

"A Little Me"

Dream House
Paper Collage

Cloth Paper Scissors's challenge, "A Little Me", is to create a self portrait on a 6x6 canvas using multimedia. I opted to work on this while the paint was drying on another project.

Not having a clear idea of where I was headed with this piece, I let it evolve on it's own. When I do that, it takes A LOT longer...but I usually get a unique story. I was trying to make a house into a crown on top of her head, but it just wouldn't go there! So, final product, she's snuggling with a baby house on a quilt of grass.

It's a self portrait in that I have a love affair with little houses. It also represents my creative self. The colorful houses are my ideas. These houses are my homes, filled with family, love, nostalgia, and personal things...vessels of creative energy.

It also fits Illustration Friday's theme of "Imperfect". The little house may be imperfect, but it is still loved ;) Of course, one person's imperfect is another one's perfect...so...there's that.

Finalist for "Home Sweet Home" Challenge

I recently found out that one or both (it wasn't clarified) of my houses are finalists for the "Home Sweet Home" challenge by Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.

I added wheels to my travel house and mailed them both off today. Hopefully, they will be published in the next issue.

The Big Send Off

I was trying to work on another set of houses for the Cloth Paper Scissors contest...but procrastinated too long and wasn't able to get to it today. I was going to add wheels and have them be "mobile" homes...they would have been so much cuter than the ones below...if only...

But, since these are done, I'm sending them off to the "Home Sweet Home" contest.

A Scrappers Weekend

Space!
Yvonne, Ginger, and Sheryl

What happens after you get rid of the wicker furniture set that was taking up space in your basement? Well, if you're the crafty sort, it's another excuse to throw a scrapbooking party! Four of us got together again for a Second Annual Basement Scrapbooking Party to socialize and get caught up on projects before the Western WA Scrapbooking Retreat this November.

I worked on another Cloth Paper Scissors magazine contest called "Home Sweet Home." I don't like my final work, so I'm unsure if I will start again or not. We'll see what this week brings. Below are the two houses I finished during our creative weekend.

Journey Home

Music Home

Craft Published in Cloth Paper Scissors!

Cloth Paper Scissors Cover
March/April 2011 Issue

My Deux Pois Bakery confections were a contest finalist for a reader challenge hosted by Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. The challenge was called "All Buttoned Up" and needed to showcase the obvious, buttons!

It was a great surprise to receive my copy of the magazine in the mail before it even hit the news stand! I didn't know they were going to gift me a free copy. And I got a double feature...the contents page and the feature article. How sweet is that?

Cloth Paper Scissors
Contents Page 3

Cloth Paper Scissors
Feature Page 79

I'm a Finalist!

Deux Pois Bakery Confections
"All Buttoned Up" Contest entry

While perusing the Cloth Paper Scissors website, I came across the list of 24 finalists for the "All Buttoned Up" contest...and my name is on it! I should have gotten an email letting me know, but never did. Truly, a Black Friday surprise!

Scrapbooking Party

What happens after you get rid of the pool table that was taking up space in your basement? Well, if you're the crafty sort, you throw a party! I invited a couple of my scrapbooking friends over for a mini retreat as a warm up for the Western WA Scrapbooking Retreat this November.

Basement Setup
Yvonne, Ginger, and Sheryl

I'm not a scrapbooker, but I love paper, glue, and all those doo-dads that go with the biz. I opted to work on a project for the Cloth Paper Scissors contest called, "All Buttoned Up."

I had sewn some fabric confections, sprinkled with buttons and lace, as a gift for my toddlers back in February. I thought this would make a great contest entry for the use of buttons...and decided to polish up the project by working on the container.

Confections with Buttons
...and the bakery box

I used matte gel medium to adhere strips of paper, sponged on a coat of brown acrylic paint, adhered the "Deux Pois Bakery" logo with dye cut circles and gold paint dots. I repeated the pattern inside the box, by lining it with brown, pink, and cream polka dotted paper.

An Array of Treats

Singled Out