Houston, We Have A Problem!

It appears that the website, Scrappin Designs, where I purchased my blog's Design  has overloaded the server at Photobucket, where they store their created images.  Good for them that they are so successful, and sad for them because Photobucket doesn't have enough room on their server to house all of their templates, which, by the way are free to anyone who wants them.  I did make a contribution for the template that I used....which you can no longer see.  So, rather than my normal layour, you will see a "watermark" square that appears in the middle of the page you are reading...."This image has been removed....".  And, not being the expert in blogging, particularly creating templates, I am not sure how to get this off and choose one of the simple designs that are now available on Blogger.  In other words, when I clicked on one of the "simple designs" of Blogger, the Photobucket watermark was still there.  I will have to work on that.

Other than that, there is alot going on with the October Wedding Invitations that were in a previous post.  I just got the message from my Bride friend that the wedding will now be in August!!!  Thank goodness I have the paper and had begun cutting the main pieces. Unfortunately, the pretty turquoise bows will not be on the invitations because of the time frame.  The invite still looks elegant and pretty.

When I told her that the invites would be going out very late, she said that everyone who was invited already knew about the wedding.  That is a good thing. Thankfully, her Aunt has volunteered to address the invitations. Whew! I am nearly done with the project and hope to mail them this week. I cannot be mad at my Bride friend who is so ready to be married.  They just bought their first house.  :)  She is a sweetheart and doesn't realize the time it takes to create.

Here is a peek of the next posting.  I had a guest artist in my art shop a couple of weeks ago and we had so much fun making the projects that will appear in the next post.   Here is a snippet of what we created. 
The reveal will be in the next post!!

Happy Creating and God Bless You!

Wedding Invitations - The Number Keeps Getting Larger!!

A young friend of mine named Rode is getting married in October and she asked if I would make her invitations.  "Of course," I said, "It would be my pleasure. How many do you think we will need?"

"175", she said, as I gulped. But now that number is 225, and I think growing. Good thing my friend Laura likes to scrap and craft, because this project is big.  We both like playing with paper, canvas, etc so this will be fun.. 

I created a few examples for Rode to choose from.  This Tri-Fold was her first choice.  And, mine too.  I love using the Provo Craft Cuttlebug Embossing Folder of swirls.  It's so rich.

My friend Rode is Hispanic, and I was not aware of their customs when it comes to weddings and invitations. First, the wording is going to be in Spanish. Ooops, I don't know Spanish, even after two semesters in college...a long time ago. No problem, she can write it out exactly, then we print and email to her for her review. This will be a fun adventure.

After more phone calls from Rode, I am told that members of the family contribute by paying for portions of the wedding costs and their names are to be listed on the invitation.  Our little Tri-Fold card is looking a bit to small, even if we use
the backside.  Fortunately,the only paper that had been cut was for the sample.

Now I'm back to the drawing board and sketch pad.  I had to keep the Cuttlebug Embossing Folder swirl in the invitation as she is having her cake decorated to match.  Cute idea.

Here is the next invitation that I came up with; and, fortunately, she likes it equally as well.  With this portrait layout we now have plenty of space. I will have ample room to add the people who contribute to the wedding on the back side. The next thing I had to overcome was to emboss with the Cuttlebug Swirl folder.  Aha, by folding the top portion of this invitation, I was able to incorporate the  swirl embossing and the aqua ribbon.  Her colors are Aqua, White and Black.  A Fiskar border punch was used on the ends - top and bottom.  By adding a small black strip of paper behind the border, I was able to get all of her colors into the invitation.  Whew, so glad to be able to create another invitation that she would be happy with.

I am relatively new to this blogging thing, so I don't yet know how to keep the text in the right place, but with time and practice, I will get there.

My hope is that you were inspired to create something fun...and something that will bless you alot. 

Created In His Image!  

  

My Garden

"Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation,; seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.  And, it was so." Genesis 1:11

There is another form of creating that has evolved in my toolbox of art forms, and it is flower gardening.  We have been in our current home for five years. Little to no landscaping had been done, but we had the vision.  The large machine you see was there to build a pool and it gives you a picture of the back yard at that time. 

What you will see in the next few photos is advancing from the bulldozers in 6/2005, to today. 

I like to sit outside in the morning, drink coffee and read the bible.  This morning, I also brought my camera to take a few photographs.

I love getting my hands into the dirt.  Most of the plants are perennials:  Calas of various types, Day Lillies, Lambs Ears, Wood Fern, Elephant Ears, and other types of ferns and Cone Daisy's that return each year, so I am not having to plant and replant each year as I did for so many years until I got smart.  I was a little slow to figure this out, but when I did, Oh what a difference it made!

This is where I sit to have coffee...under the umbrella where I can see the birds feeding in the many bird feeders.  Cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, wrens, and others I don't know names of. :)

You can see a corner of my Art Shop where I spend another good part of my time creating.

The best news of all today was that I spent a good 2 hours this morning from about 6:45 to 8:45 a.m. trimming, cleaning the pool deck, and the pool, and cutting off dead buds and fertilizing.  I was hot and had a great work out and for the first time in what seems like forever, I did not have any Fibro pain in my back or legs.  Normally, I have to use a cane to stoop and get back up.  That was simply amazing.  For that I thank the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Centers.  I have been going since October 09 and have been a stellar patient, following the protocol to the letter; and, it is working!!!  God is Good!!

I hope you enjoyed this little slice of heaven that my husband and I get to enjoy each and every day and maybe it will inspire you to do a little gardening yourself. 

Happy Creating and God Bless!

Painting a Self Portrait in Acrylics

This was one of my first portrait paintings on canvas.  I have always drawn peoples faces, but had never attempted to paint one.  Not wanting to insult another person with an image that didn't please them, I chose to do a self-portrait.  Then, I could only be mad at myself if I hadn't conveyed the image correctly. 

Paintings have many "ugly" stages until you reach the "finished" piece and I thought I would share those different stages.  If you have never painted, you might find this interesting.

In the first stage, the image is roughly drawn on, using a very liquid Raw Umber and a paint brush.  I need the acrylic to stay wet while I'm doing this so with the use of a water mister and gel medium, the image can be roughed in and corrections made as I go along with the paint staying wet.  The picture below defines placement, values, composition... 

Now that the drawing is roughed in, the full palette of color is introduced.  In this next image all attention has been focused on the face.

Here I am moving around as details are given to the bible, chair, shirt, etc.

Looks like I'm having a bad hair day! :)

The hand, book and background are coming together. As with many artists, it is all too easy to overwork the image....but if you feel you are heading in that direction, it is wise to lay the painting aside for a week or so, then go back and critique yourself, asking the question, "Does this work?

Created in His Image.

Vacation, Geology, Trees and Lips

My husband and I spent a week in the Branson, Missouri area.  I've got to tell you that the Ozark Mountains are truly inspiring, beautiful, and nothing like Bedford, Texas.  Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a Texan, I just wish we had more trees and hills.  Back in college, I loved Geology, such that my professor said I should major in Geology.  Something about sediment, fossils, and what the layers of color, horizontal or vertical layout of the rocks in mountainous areas mean.  It was just one of those things that came naturally and I loved it.  But I couldn't see myself working in rubber boots out in the oil or gas fields.  Maybe I'm too delicate for that sort of thing.  But, that's why I liked Branson on this particular trip.

In the Fort Worth area we have a geological area called the Woodbine Foundation that runs through the Lake Worth area.  This type of foundation produces more trees and hills.  Take a look at it when you are on 820 crossing over the Lake Worth bridge.  Wish we had more of the Woodbine in the DFW area.  We may not be living over the Woodbine Foundation, but we do live in an older neighborhood where people planted trees back in the 80's, when this neighborhood was first developed.  Big beautiful trees!  Love it! The only downside is that we have, for years, sat out in our lawn chairs in the front yard and watched the 4th of July Fireworks at the Bedford Boys Ranch.  But, alas, the trees have grown taller over the years and we can only catch the very highest fireworks.  Sad about that, but still love the trees.

But, I digress (you will find that I do that alot - my husband calls them "rabbit trails" - I have many)!

Now that I'm back home, the creative mode is gearing up.  I did alot of drawing while in Missouri, which inspired me greatly.  I was able to use the drawing skill yesterday, I took a book class at Anthologies in Hurst with my friend, Laura, and the two fun ladies sitting with me were wanting a pair of lips for the wedding books they were creating.  I said, "what color?"  Their answer was "pink".  "OK, give me a minute," I said, then whipped out two sets of pink lips.  Something like this except that I used a pink pen for them. 

They were happy and I was happy!  I truly love doing things for other people.  Another way of reflecting the Light of Jesus to everyone I meet.  

By the way, we had a good time in Branson.  :)

Created in His Image.

Having Fun with Grandkids

Our daughter married a great guy that has two kids:  We became instant Grandparents of Meghan, who is now 13, and Danny, who is 9.  This past summer we enjoyed having them here 5 weeks. When they were at our house, we always ended up in my craft room. They wanted to make "art". We painted on canvas and we also used some of my paper crafts.  Sooo much fun!!


Here is a picture of what Meghan made with a little direction on my part. She discovered how much fun the Cuddle Bug is, especially when using metal..

We began with a simple "cardboard type" box from Hobby Lobby and 4 Ball Knob's that were 1-1/2" also from Hobby Lobby. Out of the choices of color for the box, Meghan wanted to use a gold paint. We used Valspar Signature Color's "Metal and Patina Glaze" that I had in my supplies. I purchased this glaze at Lowes or Home Depot. The color was Gold 99192.

Meghan wanted black feet for the foundation, so while the paint was drying on the box, we painted the feet black, using Delta Creative Ceramcoat in Black. Then while these were drying, we turned back to the box.

She went through my scraps of paper and metal and came up with a nice combination of both. This is when I showed her how to use the CuddleBug and the folders. The thrill of seeing her expression when the embossed metal pieces came out of the folders was kind of like how I felt the first time I used this great craft tool.

Now she was on her own as she designed her perfect little box. Before we glued the paper and metal to the box, I had her sand the metal embossed pieces to crank it up a notch. We used Therm O Web double-sided Super Tape for the metal - to hold it securely - and for the paper, we used the Xyron 5: Creative Station for the adhesive. Another fun craft tool.

Now that the feet were dry, we used "Amazing E-6000" glue to attach the freshly painted Ball Knobs to the bottom of the box.

The final touch was to add her initials to the top of the lid. I cut several different versions of letters using the Cricut and gave her the choice of which one she would glue to the top.

Here are a few other images of her perfect little box that she will use in her bedroom. I think it turned out nicely and besides being my most favorite granddaughter, we found our she is one very creative girl, which made me super happy.  I love art and crafting and it is something that I can do with them and have a great time too.
 

Meghan chose to go with the MH initials on her decorated box.  Then, we went back to painting acrylics on canvas.  It is nice to have diversity....to have several projects going so you don't get bored with one.

Created in His Image.

Revamping An Old Picture Frame Mat and Altering a Damaged Photograph

This is an ordinary photo frame, but the inner mat is dirty and scratched. Also, the 8X10 photo is marred and scruffed in the background. Using Corel MediaOne Computer Software, I adjusted the photo by lightening it up a bit, and then cropped the image to a 5"x7". I found that even after cropping the image to 5"x7", there were still some distracting scratches.  Again, using Corel Media One, I choose a frame for the photo that is painterly - cute and funky. 

Now that the photo is acceptable, my focus returns to the damaged beveled mat . Using a Zebra print paper, I traced the mat onto the back side of the paper, including the inner rectangle where the photo is displayed, made the cuts and it fit nicely. Once the paper was secured to the mat (using "This to That" permanent zip tape by American Crafts-my new favorite zip adhesive thanks to my friends at Anthologies),  I used a Color Box Fluid Chalk Inkpad (color-blackbird) around the edges on the inner rectangle.. Now the photo is ready to be taped behind the mat to ensure that it doesn't move. To give it a three-dimensional feel, I added 1/8" thick 3D-Dots by EK Success between the photo and mat.  For added embellishment, I used black ribbon and sewed zig-zag using red thread, as you will see below.

When I placed the altered mat and photo into the gold frame, the frame just didn't fit the personality of the altered image.  Using black Delta Creative Ceramcoat and a foam paint brush. I stroked the black paint over the gold, then took a paper towel and gently rubbed some of the black off, allowing the underlying gold to shimmer through. I am happy with the results and hope you enjoy this altered frame, mat and photo.

Created in His Image.