Everyone should get in on this month's ARTastic Challenge!  The inspiration comes from Amarys by Robert Hagan.  The criteria is mother & child.  Here's the beautiful inspiration:

 

And here are a few recent creations that I did for the wonderful National Scrapbook Day challenges at Scraps of Darkness. 

 

 

And stay tuned for my first ever tutorial coming up soon!

 



If you have not gotten in on this month's ARTastic Challenge, there is still plenty of time to do it!  This month's challenge is based on Charles Blackman's The Chess Game.  Here it is:

 

Criteria is anything goes, BUT your photo has to depict some type of silly, crazy, zany antics!  For my page, I decided to do a photo from my son's first birthday.  What's sillier than a tot covered in cake, right?  And here it is:

 

 

Hope you will create a layout and participate in the fun!!!!

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to share some details on how I created my piece for this month's ARTastic Challenge!  As a reminder, here is the inspiration piece.  And there is still time if you want to get involved.  Just follow this link!  http://artasticchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

And here is the piece that I came up with:

 

 

This month, I wanted to play around some more with this great hot glue technique I learned from the ever amazing Vivian Keh, aka Contadina K.  You should check out her amazing and inspirational work here:  https://contadinak.wordpress.com/tag/vivian-keh/

 

Here is a close up of the hot glue.  First, I added some stencil work with modeling paste colored with acrylic paint.  Then, I applied the hot glue.  Generally, the idea is to pool the inks and let them run, but this paper was a big like a sponge and was soaking the ink up in ways I didn't love.  Instead of letting it run, I sucked some ink up with an eyedropper and actually controlled where I put it.  After it dried, I painted the glue with some Inka Gold in Platinum.

 

 

I loved the birds in the inspiration piece.  To get some birds in there, I took tissue, rolled it between my fingers, cut it, and bent it into the shape of birds. 

 

 

I colored the chippies with some Lindy's ink.  And added some birds to this tree branch to finish it up.

 

 

 

 

 

 





Scrap Room Before and After!

So I have been trying to wait until everything is organized and I have EVERYTHING I want in my room before I share.  But I've come to the conclusion that it will be a work in progress for probably the next year or so.  That said, I've decided to just take some snapshots as is.  So here goes.

 

This is the original space that I was working in, down in the corner of the basement.  This is also the same space where my dad and brother did the room build.

 

And here is the new room!

 

 

This is literally the same corner where my stuff initially sat.  As you can see, still much work to do.  Eventually, I will have a set of 12X12 shadow boxes going across that high shelf to display my favorite work.  Also planning to install a wire curtain rod under the shelf, running the length of it so I have more space to hang chippies and embellishments.

 

This is my little sitting area.  Someday, I will either refinish this little table, or make a black and white striped tablecloth.

 

 

That blank wall that runs from the door to the end of the room will eventually be filled with various canvases with quotations about art and creativity.  I have just started working on them.  There will be about 20 of them, all different sizes and styles of transferring the quotes.  But all will be the same color scheme.

 

 

 

This is the area for doing portrait photography.  The wall to the right will eventually have a rack for my backdrops.  Also, the backdrop stand will eventually be gone.  I have a hoist thing I will install so the backdrops will be hung directly from the ceiling, to save space.  To give you an idea of size, that piece of roll-up fake wood floor is 8ft.x8ft.

 

 

 

Finally, here are some of the little DIY projects that I did, aside from the staining of the craft table.  Some little storage containers that I added coordinating ribbon to.  I burned myself with that darned glue gun so many times!

 

 

This is a magnetic board that I made.  It's 24X36 piece of galvanized sheet metal from the hardware store.  I used spray adhesive on the back and pulled a piece of fabric taut, gluing to the back.  I bought a cheap poster frame and removed the plexiglass, inserted the sheet of metal and BAM!  Magnetic message board! 



 

And finally, stools that I recovered.  These were originally black on top.

 

And if you made it through all of that, thanks SO much for looking!  I'm having so much fun organizing the space and am glad to share with people who won't say "oh, that's nice honey."  Guys just don't understand...LOL.

 

 

 

Hey everyone!  This month's ARTastic Challenge is a beautiful piece by Lyn Butchart.  I can't WAIT to show you what I am doing with this.  The criteria is texture.  And I'm dying to see what people do with this!!!  Come visit us at http://artasticchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

 

 



January ARTastic Challenge Inspiration

This is my first month as a member of the team over at the ARTastic Challenge blog!  http://artasticchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

This is the piece that inspired us this month, some street art by Vexta. 

 

 

Here is what I came up with, using the criteria of including triangles or diamonds:

 

 

The real point of this was the triangle cut outs that I used as part of the sunburst's rays.  In order to keep the lines straight, I used the negative portion of the sunburst cut-out as a guide, fitting everything together like a puzzle.  For the cut-out rays, I drew the lines on the back and cut them apart one piece at a time.  It is hard to see here, but they are all popped using foam squares.

 

There is still time to join in the challenge!  Hit the link for details!

 

Hey everyone!  It has been a while since I blogged.  I think the scrap retreat resulted in a scrap hangover!  So, here is this month's inspiration at ARTastic Challenge!  I hope we can get many folks involved!  I will be revealing my own take on the inspiration mid-month, so be sure to check back!
January ARTastic Challenge!

Here is the art!  A really awesome street art piece by Vexta.  You must include some diamonds or triangles in your own composition.  Have fun!