Going Digital

One of the things on my list of "must learn" is PSE. I owned version 3 and tinkered with it but ended up frustrated and went crawling back to a program I've used for about 15 years. It's safe there and I know all the ins and outs since I've upgraded over the years. Several weeks ago I upgraded to PSE7. With a new resolve to learn the program, I figured I needed the newer version. When JessicaSprague.com celebrated their birthday a few weeks back, they offered a free class using PSE with scrapbooking. FREE! The above is the result of my first free lesson . I know it's not complex, but I finally feel like I'm on my way. The photo is Clarissa at about age two.

The Three Muses - Surreal Challenge

This was one serious challenge and not really my style but I guess that's part of the challenge! This is my entry for this week's theme of "Surreal" at The Three Muses. Fun!

Sunday Postcard Challenge - Nests

"Nests" is the challenge at Sunday Postcard Art this week. When we're young, most of us daydream of the day we'll be old enough to be on our own and I imagined this young girl might be having those very thoughts. My sixteen year old is already dreaming of her first apartment and she shares her excitement for the future with me so I suppose that's why 'nests' took me in this direction. I'm not quite as excited as she is! The base of the house as well as the sentiment is from "The Bird's Nest" plate from Oxford Impressions.

Theme Thursday - Red and Black

This is my entry for this week's Theme Thursday challenge. This one is all digital and was fun to create.

Up, Up and Away

The challenge today at The Three Muses is 'Up, Up, and Away'. I pulled this page that I did for a book swap quite some time ago. It's a fun piece celebrating National Pig Day...who knew? The clouds didn't scan well but they were made using a stencil. The stamp is unmounted; I can't recall the company name and the banner is carved from an eraser. Alphabet stamps are from MaVinci. Check out the other artist's entries at The Three Muses.

Brown-Eyed Girl and Lonely Heart

These are the final Rock Candy projects that I made for the month of June. "Brown-eyed Girl" features girl #31 from the Girly Girl image cd. Buttons by the shot, a rusty french key and rayon ribbon are all Rock Candy products.

This image from Rock Candy's Manly Man CD looks like the loneliest fellow in the world. The base of "Lonely Heart" is a canvas panel collaged with tissue and acrylic paint. Rock Candy products include: Image CD, silver foil tape, metallic rub-ons, angel wings, and metal corner protectors. I ran the metal tape through a Cuttlebug folder and applied gesso to the tape. After the gesso dried, I used metallic rub-ons to emphasize the design. Rub-ons were also used around the edges of the piece.

Check Rock Candy's gallery in the weeks ahead as another design team member will be featured during July.

Sunday Postcard Art

This week's theme at Sunday Postcard Art is "4th of July". My postcard features patterned paper and stamped images from Artistic Outpost's 'Hero' plate. Foil trim is from Rock Candy.

The photo is of my late father-in-law around 1944.

"Friends" Pendant

Rock Candy's "Girlfriend" image from their Girly Girl Image CD is a perfect photo for this silver circle pendant. There are several ways to get the perfect circle. I have a circle punch that happened to be the correct size for the opening of the pendant. I coated the back of the punched image with gesso. Be sure to seal images with a spray sealant before applying glaze. This will prevent the ink on the image from running or discoloring. Notice the ring of color around the image...this is what can happen if you forget to seal! I have to say that in this case the bit of green border worked out but it could have been a disaster. The image is a laser copy but an inkjet would definitely be a mess. The word "friends" was cut from a magazine and glued to the image. Two coats of Diamond Glaze were applied to complete the image area. I added my own handmade paper beads along with metal beads and a heart charm from my stash. Rock Candy Studios products used: Pendant, Grande, Silver circle, Diamond Glaze, Girly Girl CD, "Girlfriends" image. These pendants are so easy to use and the possibilities are endless. Besides the circle shape, they are available in other designs as well.

"My Father" for Rock Candy Studios

With Father's Day in mind, I created this piece for Rock Candy Studios. I covered the base with scrapbooking paper and then added paint using an old credit card. The photo is from RC's Manly Man (image #15) image CD. The border trim was made using several of Rock Candy's products: aluminum metal roll, and design border (love this and they come in sets of 3) and the texture tool. Once the border design was finished, I sprayed flat black paint onto the aluminum and allowed it to dry. Metallic Rub-ons were applied to allow the design to pop. Rock Candy's leaf and flower border in antique gold was used on each side of the design border. Rock Candy also has a gallery for ideas using their products.

Happy Father's Day -Thanks For Showing Up!

Today's challenge at Sunday Postcard Art is "Fathers". For my entry I used a photo of my dad and my daughter after Grandparent's Day at her school. I know that this event is not my dad's favorite thing...the seats aren't very comfortable, the program is long...but he still shows up and makes his granddaughter feel special because she has someone there. Thanks daddy for showing up for her just like you've always shown up for me. Happy Father's Day.

"Luck and Love" Paper Heart

To create this hand-stitched paper heart for Rock Candy Studios, I painted gesso onto the fronts and backs of two sheets of computer paper. After the gesso had dried, I printed Girl #70 from the Girly Girl Image CD onto one of the sheets. (Note: I lightly sanded the dry gesso before running through the printer. This helped remove any uneven areas that might affect the printing area. Also, a laser printer was used.) A clear heart-shaped pattern was used to cut out the hearts which made it easier to center the image. A paper doily and shades of lavender and purple acrylic paint were used to stencil a pattern onto the heart. Rock Candy's White Baroque border (RC0239W) was added to the heart. I then stitched around the stenciled pattern on the front and back and buttons were added to the front. Quilt batting was placed between the two layers and ribbon for hanging was also placed inside the heart. The edges were closed using a blanket stitch. Golden glazes and Metallic Rub-ons were used to accent the stitching. Check out my side bar or use these links to check out Rock Candy's store as well as their gallery.

Door Challenge - The Three Muses

Today's challenge theme at The Three Muses is "doors". Here's my entry which features a door photographed while on vacation and a photo of my daddy. Often I use vintage photos and wonder about the lives of the people in the pictures. I especially enjoyed this piece because I know the answer to the question. He did open the door of opportunity and became someone I'm very proud to call my dad.