A winged steam chest to hold your heart's desire

This mini wood chest was first colored with black distress stain that was dry to the touch before bright red acrylic paint was applied.
However the red paint rewetted the black distress stain, mixed and melted, and became a gorgeous finish that mimics mahogany or, when observing from a few inches away, dark oiled leather.

Neat, huh?

Another cool thing that is fun to point out: The key is embedded in a hole I custom cut. So, the key is the drawer pull.

And believe it or not, cutting that perfectly-shaped and sized hole took less time than getting the embossed aluminum wings to stay attached.

As always, tell me what you think of this piece and thank you for dropping by for a visit!

A pretty little Français chest

Ouu! Do you like my vintage French inspired chest? Me too!

Especially the extra neat pink pom pom embellishment on the lid! You can find this wonderful pom pom fringe at Alpha Stamps.

This chest is roughly three inches square, painted white, wrapped with sewing pattern tissue, coated in Mod Podge and adorned with an ornate plate, three paper flowers (unknown maker), a cast stainless knob and an idea-ology adornment crown.

Thanks for dropping by, and for offering your input my friends ... I'm off to build and adorn another wood cabinet!




 

A cabinet of favorites ready for the caravan

Throughout my life I've loved in nearly equal measure the toys of creativity, crayons, construction paper, paint and scissors, and the things that house them, crates, bins, boxes, chests and cabinets.

My art reveal for the day is a combination of these interests: A lovely Gypsy Sideshow Performer Treasure Cabinet!

The cabinet and drawer are made from ten wood ATCs, one wood drawer pull, four wood hole plugs (feet) and a handful of copper weatherstripping nails.

Add a few layers of paint, crackly stuff, ink and distressing along with about a foot of chain, twelve charms and one drawer pull and we're finished!

Best of all is that we have a piece of art that also serves a practical purpose -- my favorite form of art!

Let me know what you think!

Before paining, crackling, distressing, embellishing ...

A steamy little ATC

Only as I'm writing this does it cross my mind that I could have used paper or cardboard just as effectively for today's project, but it seems I can't stop using my wood ATCs!

Anyway this looks cool as a thick piece.

Alright, so today we're looking at a wood ATC wrapped in Nashua Premium Foil Tape (seven bucks at Home Depot!). Details here were added with an embossing tool (to create the "rivets") that were then rubbed with black paint. Using a dry towel I wiped off most of the paint while it was still partially wet.

The two cogs are cut from chip board using Movers & Shapers dies. I sprayed the cogs with Krylon glitter blast, and managed to add an aged look by dipping them in a pool of tea dye distress stain that I dried with a heat gun.

Our top hatted man is from a Wendy Vecchi set and is heat embossed in copper.

Finally, and whew am I glad we're at the last step because I've begun to despise describing the details that go into these projects, I wound 24 gauge wire around a pencil to create a steampunky coil. The coil ends are pushed into holes made with a Dremel tool and secured on the back with a sticky-back magnet.

So, yeah, as with so many of my wood ATCs this also is a magnet.

Thanks for dropping by and telling me what you think of this project!

Paper mache boxes and handmade earrings

Last year I made four sets of simple, beaded earrings for my amazing and fun coworkers.

Rather than wrapping each set or hunting for teeny, tiny gift bags I opted for four paper mache boxes.

Each of these I painted with white distress stain before using distress ink to color the edges and corners. I stamped a sentiment on the sides and a related image on the top of each of the boxes.

Then I punched two holes in the sides of the box lids and wound twine/ribbon through the holes so that each box had a bow, but could be "unwrapped" by just removing the box top.

Finally, a custom cut insert held the earrings for pretty presentation.

Best of all, because I'm like most of you and have on hand oodles of supplies and art stuff, I only needed to purchase a package of bead caps: This entire project cost less than $5!

My muse is on fire!

Today I had three brilliant ideas! THREE!

Here they are ...

You get it? Three bright ideas? Three bulbs?

Have I mentioned that after examining how often I've bellied up to the bar lately ... decided to take a breather for a few weeks.

Now yours truly is on the wagon until Saint Patrick's Day.

My art won't suffer. But my humor is definitely less ... humorous.

Betcha can't wait for Saint Patrick's Day now!

Final round of wood ATCs

If you're already fed up with what seems to be an endless string of wood ATCs from me ... welcome to a post with a couple more!


The first piece features a main element that is a domed 'jar' with a vintage pen nib and a clear sticker that I carefully stamped so that the bottle appears to have a weeny ink label.


Wondering at the reason this creation also has "why" stamped on it in big red letters? Me too! I have no idea. I guess it seemed like the right thing to do. Now it seems like the stupid thing to do. But once the deed is done, as they say ...


I think this "writing on the wall" piece is such crap that I wouldn't usually show it to you ... but I adore the pen nib in the bottle with the tiny ink label! And, the Dresden edging. And the background. I guess I like all of the individual elements, just not the way I've put them together!


On to the blue piece. Here we've got a lovely tissue wrap background, inked in blues and stamped with a tree. My favorite bit on this ATC is the fence.



Do you remember the gothic arch charm I posted? Believe it or not I used one of the throw-away bits from that charm to stamp/emboss and attach as fence posts!


Honestly I think that fence is freaking brilliant!


Finally, my last wood ATC ... until I have time to create another handful ... is a departure from my usual grungy stuff.


Marilyn Monroe, one of the greatest beauties of all time, is looking damn near haggard in this photo. Of course that means it needed the snarky "hot like Marilyn" text!


I mean, if Marilyn still seems desirable while she's holding a lit cigarette between two fingers, swiping a third finger across a colored lip, dazedly glaring at the camera from her uncomfortably reclined position ... the rest of us can't look too bad when we're really, genuinely working what Mother Nature gave us. Right?


Totally ... we've *got* it girls!


I'm also hoping that I haven't used that Marilyn image illegally. I spend two hours last night scouring the internet trying to figure out where I first found it, the name of the photographer, the publisher ... anything that would reveal if this is a copyrighted or public domain image.


All I could find was a Web site run by someone who seemed to think they are "outing" Marilyn as a smoker. Congratulations Sherlock. You broke the case!

CC2C Final challenge: Your favorite for Tim's birthday

In this, Linda's final Compendium of Curiosities volume II Challenge, we've been asked to use our favorite technique from either of Tim's compendiums to create a card for The Master whose birthday is tomorrow (Janaury 7).

I've been focused lately on wood ATCs, so instead of a card I made a wooden, ATC-sized, Tim-specific magnet!

My favorite technique is Rusted enamel from page 41 of Tim's first Compendium. I use this technique so often that I've several times run out of clear embossing powder (one of the technique's main "ingredients").

As usual when talking about a technique from one of Tim's books, we don't give too many specifics, but please note that I used distress stain in place of distress ink for step five (because I'm working with wood rather than paper).

Alright, now that I've finished sharing the important challenge-related details I can get back to my normal silly, snarky self ... with the following story.

I've never been a joiner or follower or ever had interest in team-related activities, so around our house I am teased because of how often My Guy has to endure me talking about Tim or Tim's technique or Tim's new die or Tim's some such yadda yadda.

I should have a Tim fish on my car, rather than the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Anyhow, when I finished this piece and demanded (I'm pushy) that My Guy give his usual critique he commented on the interesting color layers resulting from the technique and the stamped navigation sign, but said nothing about the name "Tim."

Just as I was about to ask My Guy why he hadn't given me his normal smarty-pants, falsetto exclamation of "Oh Tim!", he said "I'm surprised you didn't make a locket so you could keep Tim close your heart."

Why can't I ever learn to simply walk away before there's time for mocking?

Another collection of wood ATCs

We've got three more of the wood ATCs to show today, two for tomorrow Monday and because it's me ... we miss checking out about a half dozen that were shipped before photographing.

Oops.

On to the art and a wish that you're enjoying a relaxed, art-filled first weekend of 2013:

genuine ideas

Find your wings

Home

Vacation projects and my latest obsession

Lately I can't seem to stop thinking about my wooden artist trading cards. Painted, stained, decoupaged ... adding nails, drilling anchor holes, adhering frilly stuff ... there's no end to the fun I can have with these!

Today I'm showing off four of the magnet-backed projects I completed during my holiday vacation: I'll post a few more tomorrow and Sunday.

I hope you love the results!

Don't tell

Our friendship is priceless

Primitive birdhouse

Soft and snarky

May the new year be the best yet

May every joy of the past year go with you into the new year, while all the sorrows stay behind.

May the words love, hope, art, share and friend be the words you use most in 2012.

May you know nothing but laughter after this moment.

May you live a life of freedom and selflessness in 2013.

And may you visit here whenever these wishes don't come true ... together we'll pretend they did!

The Cat's away at Alpha Stamps

The good folks at Alpha Stamps are celebrating the last week of 2012 with the fifth annual installment of "While The Cat's Away."

They've got plenty of ideas for projects, and even more sale surprises so that you can pick up some of the coolest items they stock!

Why am I telling you about this? First, because I love the stuff at Alpha Stamps (in fact, Santa left a very nice package for me that had been filled at Alpha Stamps).

Second, because prizes are involved ... go check it out ... RIGHT HERE!

Gothic arches become primitive art charms

I'm continually surprised by what we create because it so often begins as one thing and ends up being something entirely different.

Today's project, using a fancy gothic window from AlphaStamps, careened away from my original intention of a modern styling and ended up in this primitive style with a somewhat voyeuristic theme.

I can't remember what caused this change except to point you to nearly all of my previous posts ... in which my typical inability to Stick With A Subject is apparent.

Anyhow, I love the Dresden border and the crackled pink finish and the adorable couple who are just about to kiss.

In the full picture our lovers are on the way to sharing a cocktail provided by cupid. That makes so much more sense than cupid with a backpack full of arrows, don't you agree?

Now I need to get back to creating since I have eleven more fancy gothic windows sitting on my craft desk!

A moon who is happy, but not giddy

This piece is for a friend whose father passed away several years ago during a full moon.

Understandably, she has an ever-deepening attachment to full moons and related imagery.

The moon you see today is a vintage image from the Graphics Fairy. He's a favorite of mine and one I've used previously because he seems content and happy, but not giddy.

I'm not a fan of giddy-looking celestial beings ... those and very, unbelievably happy clowns Freak Me Out.

Because happiness of that level only comes from insanity or pharmaceuticals or sex. Not that I have a problem with blissful sex, it's the intersecting thoughts of s-e-x and clowns ... that ... ewww.

Hopefully I'm not offending anyone out there with a perfectly normal clown fetish.

And now I suppose it's time to wrap up this post since I've again worked myself far away from the original topic.

Aren't you impressed that I can so thoroughly lose track of a subject?

Enjoy your day my friends ... if you can stop thinking about crazy-happy clowns and whatever it is that made them that way.

Hark. 'Tis a 10-second blog post

One black card base.

Pearl white background.

Gold tinsel embossed work "hark."

Two Octopode Stars and Lily Chilvers' Octopode "Whimsical Christmas Angel".

Stars, eyes and halo popped with Glossy Accents.

TADA!

Simple. Clean. Adorable.

A holiday card fit for a unique and wonderful friend!

Sabbatical complete: Projects from the journey No. 4

Delving further into art styles and mediums that I enjoy working with has led me to create Artist Trading Cards using balsa and pine.

Sometimes I keep these simple, with only a coat of distress stain over a mask and a few letters or a wood die cut for statement.

But when I'm feeling like going crazy with hours of layering and inking and embellishing we begin with one of these wonderful Masonite window panes from AlphaStamps, and end up with a window through time.

I'm also fond of vintage images, usually incorporating something from the Graphics Fairy or from Twisted Papers' risque collection.

Another common element are aluminum or multiple-paper-layer letters cut from the Alterations Carnivale strip die. As you've read here before I've discovered in myself a fascination with creepy circus imagery and the Carnivale font fits in perfectly (even when I'm not trying to go all crazy clown cabinet).

Depending on who I'm planning to give the piece to I might also add a hand-cut and -folded stand, a bit of magnet or just nicely finish the back: After all, a wooden ATC with a frame is thick enough to stand on its own.

The only negative thing I've found about these little pieces of portable art is that they are so fun and easy and quick to make that I often put one together, wrap it up and ship it off before taking a photo or only remembering at the last moment to click a pic. Which means many of these photos are even more wonky and out-of-focus than my usual half-assed photographs!

Post a comment or drop a line if you're interested in a more specific explanation of any of these projects, and add a link if you've got your own version of a wood ATC to show off!

Shelter for eight-leggers closed for holiday

Spider webs strung throughout the pot of aloe.

We don't squish spiders at our house. And unless they appear to be especially, freakishly, shockingly large or dangerous or creepy ... we don't even hustle them out to the back yard.

Since we live in The Country you're more likely around our house to run into something with a multitude of legs than you are a human being.

As often as we remember to do so we give a warning to our house guests who might have a spider phobia. After all, we have cobwebs in every corner of every room. Along the door frames and strung from leaf and stem and vase.

Usually I don't remove those, either. Perhaps it's awful for our family and friends. Perhaps everyone we know thinks I'm a terrible housekeeper. Perhaps a trip to our house strikes terror into the hearts of our visitors.

One would think I'd be ashamed of this since I am not, in fact, a terrible housekeeper. As it is I'm an inconsistent house keeper since I'm also an artist and have a job, but generally the house is reasonably well kept.

Still the webs, spiders and related dustiness remain because I don't see the point in killing them. They don't hurt anything. They're often very interesting to look at and on a sunny morning the cobwebs are quite beautiful.

Nothing though is designed to remain forever and on Thanksgiving we always host an open house. For this event I do a deep clean: Scrub the walls, wipe the window sills, shine the windows and remove the cob webs.

So, goodbye spiders, for a few weeks.

I'm sure your lovely homes strung hither and yon will be in place again before the next solstice.

Sabbatical complete: Projects from the journey No. 3

Through the past few months I've become intrigued and inspired by the art of Nichola Battilana at Pixie Hill.

Her works should be pictured in the dictionary, as they say, alongside the words whimsical, eclectic and breathtaking.

Try as I might, the visual fullness and decadence she provides in her art eludes me, but I've managed to at least complete a handful of pieces that incorporate some of the techniques and objects she uses.

There's the cabinet I posted last week HERE. And now, today's reveal: My Moon Rise Mountain solar box.

These creations are obviously much different from Battilana's works, which is fantastic because I'm not attempting to copy her art.

However, I'll be happier when I more closely mimic her full, too-much-to-ever-see-it-all design and when my finished pieces suggest an organic and natural origin, as if Rhea and the Oreades personally lent a hand in the creation.

Ah, well. I'll get there eventually. In the meantime I'll continue this joyful sharing with you and hope that if you haven't bounced over already ... you'll now visit Nichola at Pixie Hill because her work is truly amazing.

Sabbatical complete: Projects from the journey No. 2

I hope all of you have been enjoying the season of the witch, werewolf and horrible sexy kitten costumes for children (yup, actually saw a sexy kitten costume for a child -- I really hope karma is on the way to that company).

Anyhow, it's such a pleasure to see all of the art you've been showing: Skeletons, crows and graveyards abound everywhere!

My own reach into the beautiful, strange darkness that is Halloween made use of a Haunted Door Shrine Kit from Alpha Stamps.

So, you can pretty much stop reading here and check out the photos, or keep reading to learn how I put together the various shrine elements! Thank you for coming this far, and if you're one of the steadfast souls in the path of Sandy, may you find safety and calm to ride out the storm!

This project, roughly the size of a chunky ATC, is covered in acrylic paints that I crackled, aged and inked for a vintage finish.

The shrine interior is lined with designer paper, inked and edged with black paint for aging effect. Our circus clown, and performing dog, are Antikamnia images.

Text, Cirque Mortel (which hopefully means, more or less, Deadly Circus), was cut multiple times from black stock on Tim Holtz's Carnivale Sizzix strip. Each letter cut was stacked and combined until each letter is roughly 1/8 inch thick.

These were carefully dipped in gold Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. The "Cirque" text was attached to blue-dyed copper wire on the top and the "Mortel" text was attached with a twine that tucks inside of the shrine when closed.

Hey! You're still here! Thank you again! Have a great Halloween week!

p.s. sorry about the wonky ass layout here ... I don't know what the hell Blogger is doing ... maybe it's a Halloween TRICK or treat!