I was just playing around this morning with paint and canvas and this was the result. I really like these colours-paper bag, barn red and buttermilk. This is just a very small 4 x 4 size. I picked it up quite some time ago and forgot I had it until I started reorganizing my art supplies.

My first shot at this was not working for me so I painted over the entire thing and started again. I like this version better than the last.

The buttons were rescued from a friend's garbage can. She was throwing out a bunch of dirty vintage buttons and I thought "Hey! I like those!" She told me to help myself. You know that saying "One man's garbage is another man's treasure." It works for artists too! As I keep telling my students, my mantra is "There is no garbage!" LOL! From trash to treasure!

October 31, 2005

Happy birthday to my beloved Gramps whom I miss terribly. He would have been 85 today.

We are preparing for all the kids that will come tonight. Decorations have gone up and pumpkins are being carved. I hope everyone has a great day! Happy Hallowe'en!! I hope you have more treats than tricks! :)

Updates Galore

Hi Gang! Well I have been at it again, adding artwork to the galleries, new blogs links, sharing more of my design work and adding classes to my workshops list. You will have to poke around and see what's new-remember to refresh your browser!

Also, if you are interested in keeping up to date on where and when I will be offering classes, please join my low volume email list, Tattered Edge. I will have to approve your membership, but rest assured you will be approved-I just want to keep the spammers OUT!

I hope you are having a creative week. Yesterday I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary. We just had a quiet dinner at home, but over the weekend, we plan to go out. Did you know the traditional 15th anniversary gift is the Weller 100 soldering iron with a 3/4 inch chisel tip? *hee!* Nothing says love like power tools!

Announcement!!

At the request of my students, I have created a low volume email list to help keep everyone up to date on when and where I will be teaching. If you are interested in being "in the know" please feel free to join. You can do so by clicking here. You will also find the "join" button on my Workshops page and a listing of the group on my Favourite Links page under Yahoo Groups. (For future reference.)

Oh and just to let you know, I have set it up so that I have to approve membership. You WILL be approved-I just want to make it so that I keep evil spammers OUT!

Thank you to everyone who asked for this group-it's a great idea!

Beeswax collage

I decided to play around with some beeswax I had this morning. I made this little collage on canvass with it, using some dressmaker's tissue, some vintage buttons, a fragment of doilie and measuring tape and this wonderful photo (circa 1930's) of a sewing class.

I liked how the elements "glued" on quickly and easily, but I wasn't crazy about how sticky the piece feels when it's done. I am worried it will stick to the surface it's sitting on if it got too hot in the house. I am going to do some research to see if there's any way to help it set. I did have it in the freezer for a bit. (I can only imagine what my guys would say if they happened to find ART in the freezer! I think I would be one step away from them having me committed!)

Anyway, it was an experiment and you can't learn anything if you don't play once in awhile! If nothing else, it smells good! (I love the smell of bees wax.)

New Baby!

Welcome to Leah Jordan who arrived express delivery last night, October 24th at 10:15 p.m.

I was supposed to be at the hospital to help coach her mum during labour, but this little one decided to make an entrance! She appreared just 15 minutes after her mum arrived at the hospital and even her mum's doctor didn't make it in time!

Luckily she arrived safe and sound and is beautiful and healthy and looks just like her big sister.

Happy Birthday Leah!!

Updates!

I just updated Gallery 1 with three new collages that are hot off the presses! I was making postcard collages for samples for a class I am teaching on Wednesday night and that inspired a whole new series! Funny how that happens.

Anyway, it seems like I am in a good creative groove of late and it feels really good to wake up with ideas brimming in my head. I love that!

Enjoy!

Solstice

A group of my friends is doing a monthly ATC swap. There were a bunch of themes brought foreword and we voted for 12 of our favourites. This month's theme was Solstice. Well I didn't know too much about it, but in doing research I discovered that the celebration of Solstice goes way back in time (think Stonehenge!) and spans a number of religions and peoples. It's kind of interesting really.

Anyway, I decided to make the focus of my ATC the moon. Winter Solstice takes place on or around December 22nd and marks the shortest day of the year and the longest night. I think there must be a Faerie for this event, since 22 is my personal magical /lucky number and the moon too is magical. I also love winter, having grown up in the home of winter, Winnipeg. No one knows winter like a Canadian Prairie girl! LOL! Did you know the dead silence in winter actually has a sound? I do!

So here is my winter solstice ATC for our swap-it's a fold out. I am ahead of the game too-these aren't due till November 15th-imagine that!!

Hope you are having a creative weekend!

Collections

So my friend Deb Trotter was asking what kinds of things you have in your home that are "you". I thought that was a great question, so I wandered the house and took some pics. Above are a few of my collections. I was collecting vintage/folky bees stuff. (Not cutesy!) I have alot of bee related things from the 1920' & 30's, as well as folky stuff like you can see in the picture. I have stopped collecting this stuff unless I see something really cool.

I have a thing for Kewpie dolls. All of mine are naked (They came that way!) and are standing there with their hands up saying "I dunno!" They just make me laugh. If I spot on somewhere, I buy it. I hope to add to this collection.

Then there are my quilts. This is only a partial showing of my collection. I have the autumn ones hanging in my hallway-it's always Autumn-I never take them down. (There are more, but I am in the process of restoring them after the disaster this summer.) Also, my 9/11 quilt hangs in my entryway and always will. That is my way of remembering every day.

Oh and the bear is just for Deb's amusement. I have several handmade mohair, fully jointed ones I made myself but this one my husband bought me and it's commercially made. I spotted her in a window and had to have her. He gave it to me for my birthday one year, along with concert tickets. She sits in my bedroom window.

The other collections I didn't show was vintage Raggedy Anne stuff. Raggedy Ann was big when I was a kid-that and Holly Hobby, which my friend Farrell collects. I also collect vintage buttons and sewing notions. I have jars of cool buttons. I just can't resist sewing stuff! You can never have too many buttons.

So there you have it-the stuff that surrounds me. What do you have?!?

On My Bedside Table

I first started reading Sue Monk Kidd's books last fall when a friend loaned me "The Secret Life of Bees". It was a wonderful story. About two weeks ago, I discovered Sue had come out with another book, "The Mermaid Chair" so I got online right away and reserved it from my local library. Well imagine my delight when I discovered that the main character is an assemblage artist! How cool! The story is really interesting and I am about 1/3 of the way through, loving it just as much as the first.

Serendipity-Doo!

Artfest!!

I FINALLY received my confirmation package for Artfest!! WOOHOO!! I managed to get my first choices for my classes. On the Thursday, I will be taking Tintastic: The Whole 9 Yards with Linda & Opie O'Brien and on Friday and Saturday I am taking a 2 day workshop with Keith Lo Bue, Precious Little. I am *SO* excited!!

Also Teesha was really sweet and managed to fix it so that the myself and the other three friends I am travelling with can all be in the same house together. This is going to be a wild girls road trip!!

*Doing the happy dance*

October 19, 2005

Today is my husband's birthday and I am just thinking of all the reasons I love him, the best of which is how he walked into my life and just made it so much better than anything I could have imagined. He is kind, sweet, gentle, funny and an amazing father. He shows his heart every day in everything he does and I adore him.

Happy Birthday Honey, I love you!!

I Got Tagged

Okay so I am supposed to post 5 random and/or little known facts about myself, thanks to Deb Trotter. Here goes nothing:

1. I am a human juke box. I remember music and lyrics really easily and I love singing in my car. When I am really stressed out, I go for a drive and just crank the radio up. I can remember songs I learned in grade school. I remember which albums songs were from and often the year they were released. My husband likes to test me on this all the time, especially since he is older than me. Usually I pass the test, since I have a very eclectic taste in music.

2. I have a very warped sense of humour and like nothing better than a good laugh. Many is the time I have been working with my pal Lisa and the two of us our howling so loud her husband comes into the office to see what's going on. I have laughed until it hurts and tears are streaming down my face. That is a golden moment of friendship.

3. I cannot sleep in a bed where the quilt is upside down. I know this sounds like an odd quirk, but if you put a handmade quilt or a duvet on a bed, there is a right and wrong way to position it. If you have it the wrong way, it's too short and you end up fighting for covers all night. With a handmade quilt, when you stand at the foot, you should be able to see the design properly. If the quilt is on the wrong way, I will make my husband turn the light on and I will get out and fix it. He thinks I'm nuts. 15 years of marriage and he still doesn't get it. *sigh*

4. I am one hell of a good cook. (I know this because I have been told!) I cook most things from scratch, can my own fruits, jams, salsa, BBQ sauce, etc. (I have blue ribbons from canning!) I also grow my own organic veggies. You will never have a bad meal at my house. I love to cook but I HATE baking.

5. I have a very soft heart. I cannot abide suffering. If I see something wrong, I feel the undeniable need to move to do something. I think this comes from my Prairie upbringing. Prairie people look out for one another. They are imbued with a very strong sense of community. There is a sense of responsibility for others. Just ask my husband-I cry when I see something sad or unjust on the news. I do that alot. I also am fiercely protective of the people I love.

Okay so there you have it! My turn to tag someone.....Deryn Mentock I tag you! You're it!!

Free Learning

I don't know how many of you know about Heartsart, but it's an online radio program that focuses on altered art. They have a wonderful archive of past programs and you can listen to them through your computer. I like to tune in while I am working on art. I get to listen and learn while I am creating. It's a good way to multi task!

If you are listening to interviews while they are actually on for the very first time, you can call in tool free in North America and ask your favourite artist questions. Who do they interview? Well people like Sally Jean Alexander, Claudine Hellmuth, Lynn Whipple, Linda & Opie O'Brien, Leslie Reily, LK Ludwig and so on! So much great information all in one place and it's FREE!

You can visit Heartsart by clicking here. Don't forget to sign up for their newsletter which will let you know about upcoming shows! Enjoy!

The new Artplay calendar is out for 2006. Do you recognize whose work is on the cover? Tracy Roos'! Congratulations Tracy! This is *very* cool!

I received a copy of last year's calendar from my friend Penn and I have it hanging where it will inspire me. I really like the idea of working on pages specifically for a calendar like this. I would much rather look at altered artwork than just about anything else you could think to use for a calendar theme. I can remember when Sarah Lugg first came out with her own. I wanted a copy so badly, but no one had one in stock. (This was predawn of my internet days.) I would have given my eyeteeth to have gotten my hands on a copy, but no such luck!

In addition to Tracy, these are some of the other artist whose work is being featured in the Artplay calendar:

Lisa Cook
Sarah Fishburn
Jill Hadaway
Claudine Hellmuth
Denise Lombardozzi
Lunaea Weatherstone
Karenanne Young

If you are interested in this little gem, you can order a copy for yourself here. It's going on my wishlist for sure!

Tech Girl Strikes Again!

If you visit my website regularly, you will notice some changes took place today. I have two new navigation buttons! Yes, that's right-more things to look at! One is about workshops I teach and the other is a new home for the photography I want to share. I also added a couple new images. There is a new piece of design work in Gallery 5 and a brand new ATC in Gallery 3.

Whew! It was a fair amount of work, but I am pleased with the results. There were a few times today when I wondered if it was going to work, but I was patient and when something didn't quite work, I just kept fiddling till I got it. Nothing like dogged determination!

Anyway, enjoy!

Updates!

I did some updating to my Links page late yesterday. I tried to reorganize it a bit, just for clarity's sake. There are a couple of new links added as well and I have added two more blogs to my list on the Friends page. I think blog reading is becoming addictive, but it's a good way to see what's new with artist friends! :)

SCORE!!

I made an unplanned trip to the store to get a bag of mixed nuts to munch while I watch The Amazing Race tonight and while I was there, I wandered through the magazine and book aisle. I just happened to notice Dan Brown's prequel to The Da Vinci Code-Angel's & Demons, in the illustrated edition! It was $30, which I know from experience will be far cheaper than anywhere else I find it and out of stock PDQ! Last time I saw The Da Vinci Code illustrated edition, I told my husband it was on my Xmas list. It sold out before he could get a copy and I insisted he NOT pay $50 for it. Anyway, having had the benefit of that experience, I grabbed this one off the shelf and marched straight to the checkout. I now own a copy of everything Dan Brown has published. YAY!!

Also, I saw that Sue Monk Kidd who wrote "The Secret Life of Bees" (a delightful story of Southern women) has a new book out-"The Mermaid's Chair". I got online as soon as I got home to reserve it in my library's hold system. YAY!! New books! Aside from art, books are my greatest daily pleasure! Someday I dream of having a study, lined with all the books I love. Books are dear and constant friends.

Where the Cool Kids Play

Something nice happened over the last few days. My friend Deb Trotter emailed a friend of hers, Debbie Overton and asked her to invite me to join a new online artist's group called Mixed Media Collage Artists. This is a group of experienced artists, not a yahoo group, but a private one. It was just nice to be considered good enough to be invited. I guess it harkens back to schoolyard days of wanting to play with the big kids but being way too shy to approach them. (Yeah, okay anyone who knows me is probably now spurting milk out their nose reading the word shy, but it's true!) It's nice to be noticed and even nicer to be "picked". Maybe I am dense or something, because my dear friend Lisa always tells me I don't know my worth. I think I am just amazed more than anything that someone else validates it. I keep telling her I'm just ME and that's all I am. It's pretty silly.

Anyway, I am looking foreward to getting to know the others in the group and pleased to be a part of it! It was really sweet of Deb T to think of me and very nice of Debbie O to issue the invite. Thanks ladies!

P.S. Isn't the icon cool?!

ATC!

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I went to the ATC exhibit in Pt. Moody. One of the cards I swapped for was this one and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was destined to go in a frame. I was at the dollar store this morning picking up some odds n' ends and saw this frame et voila! It's not the best picture I am showing you, but you get the idea. I like the idea of having some special ATCs sprinkled around the house in little frames. You don't have to be rich to enjoy art!

*Can't remember the name of the artist who made this ATC and unfortunately I can't read her signature, but it was a friend of a friend who lives up in Kelowna. She does the most delightful little ATCs and mini oragami purses with beaded handles.

Circle of Friends

Thursday night I went to a Show & Tell and potluck dinner with 8 friends who started out as students in my 6 week altered book clss. They are such a great group of ladies and after the class they decided to stay in touch. The show & tell happened becuase some of us went to Artwerx in August and thought it would be fun to get together and show our projects off. Of course it didn't hurt that we also decided to have dinner together-all of the ladies are great cooks. It's immensely satisfying to come together with people who enjoy the same type of art you do. As I have said many times before, the best part of altered art for me is actually the wonderful people I meet as a result.

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada so it will be busy with cooking big bird (the turkey) and celebrating. Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. I hope you all have plenty to be thankful for- I know I do!

I have been working on a special booklace the last few days. It's something I wanted to do ever since I saw my friend Janice W's at Artwerx. She was kind enough to loan me hers so I could see up close how it goes together. It's almost finished!

Oh and for those of you who are Papier Valise fans, there are a bunch of new and exciting provisions that have just been added to the mix. Pop on over and check them out-all kids of things to inspire! I especially love the silk ribbon Autumn trio, the Black Foil Pumpkin Men and the purple rhinestones. Those are all on my wish list!

I am still waiting on confirmation of my registration for Artfest, which takes place next March. I am *SO* excited. The joke is that I am more excited about meeting some dear friends I know online more than I am about taking classes. The classes are sort of an extra, really. Isn't that just silly? I am nothing, if not a social butterfly. I love people! So far I heave heard from my friends: Deb Trotter, Celine Navarro, Cynjon Noah and Carla Naron. If I have fogotten anyone, sorry! Being ill for two weeks has turned my brain to mush. If you are going to Artfest, drop me an email and let me know!!

Mail Call!!

A big manilla envelope arrived in the mail this morning and it was squishy! This is what I found inside-a handmade gift from Cynjon. I don't think there is anything more special than handmade gifts from friends, especially those that arrive by mail. This has totally made my day and I will tuck this bit of artsy goodness with all my other special things near my computer.

Thanks friend! :)

Latest Updates

Hello! It's been a productive last few days. I have been bitten but good by a creative bug. New artwork now appearing in Galleries 1 & 2. I am working with some new (to me!) colour combinations-red, purple and orange. Never thought I would like this trio together, but I DO! It's definately outside the box for me, but since it has an element of folky to it, it works.

Still wiating on confirmation for Artfest, but hopefully it will arrive before this weekend. It's Thanksgiving this weekend in Canada so that means 3 days with no mail. Torture!! C'mon carrier pidgeon!

Red Letter Day

I got a call this morning from my dear friend Lisa. She was calling to tell me she has passed her boards and her OP (big scary medical type exams!) and is now officially a Registered Massage Therapist!! WOOHOO!! I am *SO* proud of her and incredibly excited for her. She starts a shiney new job on Friday. She deserves every success-she has worked incredibly hard. Brava my dear friend, brava!!