Altered Art

What does Altered Art mean? It is the art of transforming an everyday item into something different. I have just finished an Altered Art piece, would you like to have a look?

It was very frustrating and also a lot of fun. There are so many things that you can alter that I had trouble choosing what to do. In the end I chose something that was sitting on my desk. It went from being very practical to unusable but oh so pretty.

Card Swap

Since Christmas I really have not done much creatively, really did not want to. But last month I put my name down for a card swap. We had to create 5 birthday cards - 3 girls and 2 boys.

Pink card has been embossed and then
the balloons and stars have been stuck on

Stars and wording were cut on the silhouette cameo

Picked Raspberry is the ink that was used on the doily  

Dinosaur and rocks are stickers and the words are rubons 

The flowers were made with a punch 

Hope that you have  enjoyed looking at my cards

Frosted Designs

Frosted Designs is a blog were papercraft ideas, challenges and inspirations are shared.

A few weeks ago, they asked for applications for the Design Team. Now this team is from all around the world and with a little encouragement, ok a lot I put in my application.

The announcement has been made and I am a member of the Design Team for Frosted Designs.

This is an amazing opportunity for me that I am going to take with both hands and run with it. I am really looking forward to working with all of the girls and being inspired by them. 

Please follow the link below to the official announcement and maybe while you are there you will find a blog that you would like to follow

http://frosteddesigns.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/design-team-announcement.html

First Time

In an earlier post I mentioned that I belong to a facebook group called Scrap It With Attitude, what I did not tell you was that in September 2012  the Admins asked members to submit their work to be considered for the Design Team. I thought about it but decide against it, I was happy with this decision. Then I thought about it some more and decided why not, what is the worst that could happen? The worst that could happen was that I would not get accepted for the Design Team and what is the best thing that could happen? I could become a Design Team member and that is what I became.

My first project was for November and my second project was just last week. We were give a sketch and had to design a layout, card or an Off The Page project. Against my better judgement I decided to try my hand at a layout. Not sure this was the best time to do it, but that is what I did, and if I have my chance again to decided what to produce it will not be a layout. I can honestly say that it was a struggle choosing the photos, deciding on what paper to use and finally what embellishments to attach.

I think it is okay for the first time.

Very Addictive

February last year I discovered a very addictive form of art. Artist Trading Cards or ATCs. They are small works of art that are about the same size as the old swap cards. They measure 2 and a half inches by 3 and a half inches in size. The reason the are called trading cards is because you trade them. They cannot be brought or sold.

Normally how it works is that you join a group and the host selects a theme and then the artist interprets the theme as they see it. 

Over the last year I have participated in many swaps, I wont show you all of them, below is a select few that I would like to share.

Love

Purple and Bling

Brown, Gold and Distressed

Birds

Black and White

Boys

Free for All

Black and Blue

Love was my very first ATC and my addiction began there after. My favourite would have to be Black and Blue.

Music

It is surprising how often just a word sparks your creative thought process.

I was reading a blog called Frosted Design  http://frosteddesigns.blogspot.com.au/ and they have weekly challenges. While I was there a challenge was posted and it was Music. Straight away my mind began ticking over. I had no doubt of where I wanted to go.

And this is it

Originally I painted the ballet shoes red, loved the colour but then started looking for colours to go with it, I had none but that will soon be rectified by a visit to the craft shop. To change the colour of the ballet slippers i used pink glitter.

The canvas is covered with Tim Holtz's tissue wrap - Malenge, to protect the surface of the paper a light brushing of matte medium is applied.

The blue and pale lilac paint is applied with my dymocks card and a scrunched up plastic bag. Some of it was removed with a baby wipe and cloth. Getting messy is what it is all about and I certainly did that to get the background to how I wanted it.

Once the paint was dried, with the help of my heat gun (must have tool, would be lost with out it) I then applied the harlequin pattern with a template and texture paste.

The rose in the bottom right had corner is a kaiser rub on from the Devonshire collection. Again I applied matte medium over the surface.

Dare to Dream, the ballet slippers and the ballet dancer silhouettes were all cut on my digital cutting machine.

And that is how the word music sparked my creative thought process.

School Days

A major event happened in the life of Miss C she started Primary School on Thursday.  Was she ready for it? Yes I do believe so. Was I as a parent ready for it......No.

Miss C loves to have books read to her especially at bed time. Before laying down to sleep we always read one of her books. She is always asking how to spell words and pointing to words and asking what does that say, she knows her letter and can recognise them.

Once we have finished reading her story Miss C lays down and gets comfortable in her bed but before I can give her kisses and hugs and leave she has to count to 100. She has been able to count to 20 for ages now, but about 3 months ago she decided that 100 was the number to get too.

Just after the new year we brought Miss C's uniform and shoes and I think she has wore the shoes almost everyday so when school started they did not look new any more until I gave them a coat of polish although you could still see the scrapped toes. Getting her out of her uniform the last two nights has not been easy but in the end we have managed. Tonight she wanted to leave it on until tomorrow but I did talk her out of it, I gently suggested that her pjs would be more comfortable to sleep in than her school dress.

For that last two day she has been at school and loved it, I picked her up this afternoon and Miss C could not wait to go back tomorrow. I then had to inform her that she did not have to go to school on Saturday or Sunday, she was a little disappointed but sparked right back up when I said Monday she could go back.

Her bag is nearly bigger than she is, she gets lost under her hat, her dress is nearly down to her ankles all in all she is one cute little...oops sorry big school girl.

Where has the last 5 years gone well there is more to our story which I will tell it at another time.