Merry Christmas

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
(with my my favorite Christmas card that I sent to a dear friend this year.)

Let me introduce you to....Steampunk

So what is Steampunk you ask? "In three short words, steampunk is Victorian science fiction.  Historically, this period saw the development of many key aspects of the modern world (mechanized manufacturing, extensive urbanization, telecommunications, office life and mass-transit), and steampunk uses this existing technology and structure to imagine an even more advanced 19th century, often complete with Victorian-inspired wonders like steam-powered aircraft and mechanical computers." by Tor.com.

Here are  6 ATC(Artist Trading Cards) that I put together for  Artchixs Steampunk ATC Swap.  The background is from a 1940s vintage book titled  Boiler Feeding and Flue-Gas Analysis and no, I don't know what that means. I scanned it and then it printed up in funky vintage colors because my printer was running out of ink, so I kept it and just worked with it. The other images  used are from  Artchix Studio. I also added German scrap and old watch parts and gears.These vintage hues also make it possible to submit it for a Vintage Hue challenge from Gingersnaps Creation (GC#80). So it looks like I have a "two for one" with this weeks creation. LOL.



Steampunk Vintage Hues Story Board




A Young Man's Fancy,a very unusual experience.

 





The words fell from her mouth like modern works of art.



I made another plan with great success.









You were born to make your fortune.







   No one but your memory thrill me.







Take some time, it is always the way.

 












A Glittery Snowman Surprise

I love snow and especially snowmen decorations this time of year. A Gingersnaps Creation challenge  titled "Snowpeople" #GC81 is running, so I tried something different and made a tiny snowman box. I'll use it  for Christmas to put a little treat in for my darling daughter. I covered the shaped box with mounds of white glitter and filled it with sparkly yarn. I stamped then painted and embellished a snowman image on acetate, so you could see all the snow white glitter underneath.
Can't tell you what will be inside this special little box till after Christmas.

View of box closed.

View of box open.




 



Our dining room table covered with snowmen.



Christmas Card Bonanza

Thought I'd sneak in this little post because Hooray! I just finished 65 handmade Christmas Holiday cards. Each one is unique and in all kinds of colors and themes, with lots of glitter and bling. When it comes to Christmas I must have MSD (Multiple Style Disorder) LOL! Here's a few of my favorites. If Santa is good to you, you might get one of my favorites this year.

London Had Always Loved Her.

This is a large collage(12 X12) I created for a Stitching challenge (GC#79) for Gingersnaps Creation. It contains individual tags tied with lace and two pairs of shoes all placed on scrapbook paper. I stitched around the page with a sewing machine but then, hand drew in all the little stitches for the flowers, leaves and shoes. I know I was crazy to do but, it really didn't take much time and I now love the way it looks.The tags are recycled garment tags and the London images are cut from tea boxes!  Hope  you enjoy your trip to London. Cheerio!

London had always loved her.

We're so alike

The Gingersnap Creations challenge#78 this week was to use sewing notions as your inspiration. Had some great vintage images from Artchix and Stampington Co on this theme so I combined them.  I added some buttons, bling, ribbon, words and german scrap to complete the collage. The story reads "We're so alike...trying to remember delightful things." (An update to last weeks "Haute Couture" collage, Woo Hoo...I received another Gingersnaps badge!)
Till next time, lets all try to remember the delightful things in our lives.



"We're so alike...trying to remember delightful things." 



La Mode Parisienne

Here's a collage for Gingersnaps Creation  challenge#77, which was to be inspired by the term
"Haute Couture". Well, this stately women just spoke to me of Paris, pearls and pailletes. I used my Paris themed rubber stamps including; the corsetted mannequin which I really love. The black cutwork in the background is actually a recycled garment tag. LOL.
Till next time, artfully yours.

"La Mode Parisienne"

Home For The Holidays

Our daughter was home from college for the Thanksgiving holiday and it was delightful. We spent time with family and friends; we laughed, ate too much and shopped together. Can't believe how grown up she is. In her honor, I made this scrapbook page using Tattered Angels products surrounding a picture of her as a little baby. Oh, how quickly they grow up....



"Our lovely daughter."



Like shooting stars in a hot night

Woo hoo! Last weeks blue collage "When into thine eyes I gaze" for Gingersnap creations won me a Ginger Gem badge that I will be able to post on a blog.(Once I figure out how to do it!) Of all the entries they pick a number that they like and give those people the honor of the badge. It was also the first picture of the Ginger Gems for that Arch challenge.

So based on last weeks success, I decided to enter this weeks challenge which is to use Avocado,Eggplant and Pumpkin( gingersnapcreations GC76). The wild woman below spoke to me of hot Exotic nights. (I know I'm kinda crazy.) Assembling the collage I used watercolors again for the background and flowers. I am really loving the versatility of that medium. Adding some German scrap and bling and I was all set.
Enjoy this weeks post, Artfully yours...


"Her dreams of him whisper like shooting stars in a hot night."



Gazing Eyes

Here is a  vintage inspired collage I made  for first Gingersnap Creations challenge(GC75)  its on the use of  Arches.  Been taking watercolor and drawing classes over the past so many months and wanted to incorporate that medium. (Think I will be doing this more often.) I've included my usual elements too like, German Scrap, old music sheets, transparencies and my favorite "tiny silver bling". Till next week....
Artfully yours, Gerri

Bermuda Tag Memories



It's getting chilly here in the wilds of New Jersey,  so I'm thinking of a warmer time at the beach. I created these memory tags  thinking about those sweet times using photos from our family Bermuda trip. Adding Bermuda stamps, German scrap (http://www.artchixstudio.com/), chipboard ocean images, paint/ink, ribbons and netting  completed these sea tags. I can feel the warm sea touching my toes...Ahhh.

Till next week.... Be calm and carryon.

 

Three views of Bermuda



Explore the ocean view



 

Bermuda Lighthouse







Adventure under the sea



Victorian Charm

Been feeling very Victorian these days. I've had these images for close to 20 years and needed to come up with a new use for them, you may even see more in the future. When I spied the gold paper doilies it hit me...so here are two hanging decorations, that could also be used for ornaments. A little bit of lace, ribbon and some glitter and I was all set. Hope I've brought a bit of sparkle to you in this weeks post. Till next time....Artfully yours.

Oh if I a birdie I might be!

Child of my dreams so contended and cute.

Last Days in the Garden

The last pale pink rose of our garden has just bloomed and faded . It's pretty pink color and our passing garden were the  inspiration for my tiny bird houses. These little treasures are only 1 1/2 inches high and are painted in pastel colors with Artchix images applied to the back and sides. The front has small cut out words and there's a  precious charm for hanging too. These are part of a gift swap  held at Artchix Studio, a  picture of my gift packaging for this swap is below. I believe a gift's wrapping can be creative as the actual gift, in fact it's like getting two gifts at once. Till next week, craft on.



Three tiny bird houses with portable backgrounds.



 



The wrapping.



It's Very Scary


It's my favorite time of the year, that being autumn. I love the crisp fall air, the changing colors of the leaves, wearing sweaters and of course Halloween . Today's post shows some Halloween signs or cards I have been working on. Ok I'll admit, been going  a little bit crazy with a spin art machine that belonged to my daughter when she was younger. Spin art is so much fun, the colors blend together so randomly and you never know what will appear. Whatever the spin art creates is so very boo-tiful.


 

Altered Victorian Clothespins

For  my Artchix group, we are doing a swap of little gifts for the holidays. Here are my altered Victorian clothespins that I created for this project. The images are Victorian at least, because the clothespins are definitely not. With these embellished clothespins you can clip them to anything, like a lampshade, a bulletin board or even a cubicle wall. They could also  hold together all your secret  love letters. LOL.

Inspired Paper Shrines

There is an ARTchix challenge right now for shrines, so today's post contains my two submissions. The first is:  "The Shrine to Love", it was inspired by a wonderful movie I just saw called " The Red Violin "  (1998 with Samuel Jackson), a marvelous story spanning 3 centuries. The shrine was originally only to be black and white but after seeing this movie, I had to add red. The second is: "The Shrine of the Little Seamstress" having recently finished the book "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress "  by Dai Sijie. I couldn't resist using the thought of a little seamstress for this project's inspiration, even if she isn't Chinese.
Hope you enjoy this art filled post.


The Shrine to Love




The Shrine to the Little Seamstress



A Little Birdie told me

A little birdie told me to show you these two bracelets I created this week They are little collages of royal birds complete with crowns  that  have a bead and bird charm attached. The pink one says "Love, it suits me well." The blue one says: "Embrace the  earth and sky". Hmmm, maybe the pink and blue had a subliminal meaning of male and female, never thought about that till now!



"Love, it suits me well."



"Embrace the earth and sky"



Seeing Red

Well I'm really not seeing red,  I just used it because my two projects on today's blog center around the color "red". In fact, I am in a happy mood because my popsicle flower collages from last weeks blog  won me $40 from Artchix Studio. WooHoo!
For this week, the first picture is a red bracelet with charms that I made with little paper inserts that have words to live by: Happiness, love, art, and trust. I showed it to my art group last Wednesday. The second picture is a simple red tag collage called "Sealed with a Kiss", that I framed and is now in my guest room.


Words to live by





Red Tag Collage:Sealed with a Kiss



Till next week....remember to create art and share happiness.

My very first post..

Well here it is, my very first post on my blog of  art and adventures. I love creating all kinds of all art from mix media, to painting, to photography and even gardening. Art and creativity are  an important part of our family life too and I hope to share it's treasure.

Here are my submissions to an Artchix blog challenge using popsicle sticks. Artchix really liked them and gave me some wonderful compliments too.
Hope you enjoy them....


"A word to the wise: wish with a tender heart."



"A Fairy Story: lovingly dedicated to the little crannies of my heart."

"The love that bloomed at dawn radiant with hope."