Sunday This and That

Hi everyone. It's the weekend, day 2. I am writing this Sunday morning as I sip a mug of tea. I think Sunday morning while I lounge  is a good time to chit chat.

Let me start off with some art. Maybe you remember the Space/Night Sky journal I was working on last summer and fall. Well I put it aside when the holidays arrived and now I am getting back to finish it off.

Here's a mixed media collage page with some paper tape, some images I cut out of an old atlas, a little paint, some brads, some ink and some printed acetate sheets It's fun to get back to this journal.

And then let me move onto the weather. They are saying we might get another nor'easter snow storm this week. At least last night's weather report said this, but can we believe those weather people? I hope it goes out to sea because here's a photo I took on Friday morning of my backyard.

It doesn't look like spring around here. Yesterday the hubby and I decided the dogs needed a  walk so we took them down to York Beach in Maine for a beach walk. Although there was a cold wind, at least there wasn't snow on the beach.

The dogs were quite excited! 

I like to go to York Beach because back in my 20's, when I started my present job, I spent a couple of winter's there. I rented a condo by the beach in the off-season. The is a long and hard sand beach so it is a great place to walk.

But before we got to the beach we stopped at a rest area and we saw this big truck in the parking lot.

We knew immediately what it was, and you may wonder why there were so many people waiting around the back of the truck.

This truck is delivering dogs. 

Here in the northeast it is very hard to find dogs because we have such a high rate of neutering and spaying so there are very few available dogs. But in other parts of the country they have so many dogs that need homes and end up in kill shelters. So what has happened is that dog shelters here find homes for dogs from the south, and then the dogs get trucked north to their new families. We got our dog Maddie this way in this very same rest area.  She was put on the truck in Georgia and was transported here. Then they brought her out of the truck and we took her home. (I had spoken to the Humane Society where she was in Georgia to find out about her before they shipped her north so I knew a little bit about her.)

Even dogs who have yet to find families get brought up and will be fostered by people until families can be found for them.  That's how we got our other dog Pete. It is just amazing how many dogs make this journey.

We actually parked and watched people collect their new dogs for a little bit.  It was fun to see all the people meeting their new family members.

On our way home, after our beach walk, we stopped at the grocery store. The hubby went in to get us something for dinner, and I went next door to Hobby Lobby. I went in looking for a journal, and I came out with all these bargains.

It seemed like the whole paper arts/mixed media section was marked down.I have been having good luck  finding some pretty exciting deals at Hobby Lobby lately.

 You should have seen the look my husband gave me when I got back in the car with all this. :)

Today I plan on playing with some of these supplies.

And then when I got home I figured out how to clean my washing machine filter so the machine would run again, no help needed. I know it wasn't the most technical repair, but I'm feeling very empowered from that anyhow. It ended up being a banner day for sure!

I have more beach photos to share with you another day, but for now, I am going to say goodbye. We changed our clocks last night, so now it is after 8:30 rather than only being a little after 7:30. Tough in the morning but I love how it will stay light later into the evening.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Discovery

I used to embroider a lot. And I have a project I wanted my threads for, and so I went to dig them out from storage in a spare dresser. And look what I found when I went into that  bureau drawer.

This was like being a kid on Christmas.   I knew I had some of those googlely eye things someplace. And sequins...and other baubles I kind of forgot about. Glad I found them!

So yesterday we were having a pretty low key Sunday, and I decided hang out for a while in the studio. Working a bit on some canvases and journal pages and making a couple of cards to send off to my mom in the next few weeks.

 Putting some of those sequins to good use.

(stamps-Hero Arts background, Flourishes flowers and saying)

I also used this Little B die cut to make the background piece and surprised myself but turning the die 45 degrees so instead of the points being on the north/south.east/west axis, the little indents were at these point.

Wow. I do like this.

(stamp Inkadinkado, die cuts Spellbinders)

I used some Dylusions spray inks in water brushes to make the background- lots of scribbling-and then I rubbed some mango ink over that to tone down the brightness a bit. Lots of die cut images-this time sprayed with Dylusion's or colored with Copics, and then for the center background I die cut a piece out of an old phone book.

I think both of these cards pop a little bit with those newly discovered sequins.

I know I'll be using them on some other projects too since they are a lot of fun!

Have a great day and stop by again soon.

New Craft Supplies

 Its always exciting to have new supplies to play with. Seems like I have been breaking the bank buying some fun new things lately. Over break I made a quick stop at AC Moore in Nashua, New Hampshire. I don't get to AC Moore very often because there isn't any around me. I didn't realize they had a pretty decent artist paint department. Much better than Michaels from what I could see.

I tried some fun new colored paints as you can see above (40% off too). I love the bright colors.
I also bought some super marked down pads of paper as you can see below.

Like a need paper!

But I got all 4 pads for the price of 1. Can't beat that.

 Also over my vacation I visited my favorite craft store-Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, Massachusetts. (This is what happens when I am home and not traveling. I suppose its still cheaper than traveling and paying for a hotel and food, etc.) While browsing I saw this book. I have this fascination with pop up cards and books. One of these days I want to play and try my hand at making some assorted pop-ups. This book is particularly good, and I love that it isn't just about making cards. There are some really fun looking pop up pieces of art.

I give it a definitely check it out rating if pop-ups tickle your fancies.

And finally, eBay! One dangerous place for rubber stamps because you can find those no longer made images.

And I've been in luck  lately.  I love Postmodern Design rubber stamps. That company went out of business like 10 years ago.  Maybe even longer. Lately there's been a bunch up for sale and I've either won or bought a few.

OK, I've got to STOP adding more craft supplies to my already over-flowing stash. Before I know it I'm gonna need an addition on the house just to hold me toys.

(Maybe that isn't such a bad idea!)

Happy Wednesday.

Best Art Supplies for me in 2010 AND...

Another list day, maybe that's one of the fun OR obnoxious things about wrapping up a year. You get to make lists, which I LOVE to do, but it might just be boring to read if you're not me. But since I'm home in leisure mode this week, I have time to do this, and I LIKE doing thing. Anyhow...today I am listing my

 favorite art/craft items for 2010.

This list does not reflect the order I love using these items this past year, but more so just how they POP into my brain.

READY?

1- my kiln

2-my Martha Stewart and EK Success punches (especially the new chain punches that make a strip you can use anyplace on the page

3-my camera

4- getting those CHF stamps when the company was closing down (Boo-Hoo)

5- the Postmodern Design stamps I was able to get on eBay

6-discovering all the Daniel Torrente and Jill Penney stamps and the new Jo Capper-Sandon stamps by Stampotique

7-my new Big Kick I got for Christmas and the Tim Holtz rosette die-cut (along with all the other die cuts and texture fades waiting for me)

8- postal rubber stamps-LOVE THEM

9-the last few issues of Stamper's Sampler (it was just ok for awhile)

10- discovering Craft Stamper magazine from the UK

11-Paper Artsy Hot Picks rubber stamps

12-lots of the new Crafty Individuals stamps (got to get the martime ones that just came out...I LOVE the ocean)

13-rediscovering altered book making

14-American Crafts cardstock for making your own cards

15-grungy scrapbooking

16-rediscovering embossing after not doing any for quite some time, now I can't get enough of it

17-sparkley items like gemstones and Stickles

18-using 6x6 or 8x8 paper-like Basic Grey and October Afternon and 7Gypsies

19-Inka Gold metallic rub

20-those Stampendous scenery stamps from last spring and Impression Obsession backgrounders

21-Tattered Angels oversized clear stamps

22-Artistic Outposts Wizard of Oz stamps

23- Zentangle

24-Kim Hughes stamps which I discovered this year

25-my Histomatic app for my iPhone

26-Hot off the Press peel off stickers

27-oh yes, and all the Copic Markers I finally bought this year

28-Crafty Secrets stamps-especially the Artist set

29-PaperBag Studios latest unmounted sheet of stamps with all the houses

30- Martha Stewart Halloween and Christmas paper, stamps

31-Hero Arts-especially Artists Proofs and Designs in Wood stamps

32-Adirondack/Ranger demensional pearls and paints

33- Memories Ink

I think for now 33 items is enough...but I might add more. And I look forward to all the NEW things to discover in 2011. Oh Yes!
But wait!
There's more!
AND...
ROSETTES!!!!
As mentioned, I got a Sizzix for Christmas-and I LOVE the rosette cutter by im Holtz...so the other night while watching football I made some rosettes and then yesterday while cleaning the studio (its so much better but you'd look at it and say its still a mess-should have taken a photo to show you just how MESSY it was) and while working on my winter book...I finished these up. LOVE them!!! They're vintage and antiquey and kind of Valentine-ish for a few and springey for a few and Patriotic...

Mt 5 finished rosettes!

This one is made out of some vinyl kind of paper with a punched red vellum disc underneath and a punched plaid paper dic on top...a red buttom, a Prima blue flower and some Stickles dots.

Basic Grey paper, a faux metal button with the center dabbed with golden stickles. Simple!

Top left- is old newprint like vellum with a punched red vellum scalloped circle...a Jennie Bowlin button and some red Stickles dotted around. The Patriotic one is just made with blue paper...a plain white button embellished with a blue flower stamped on with Staz-on and then some red Copic dots, the button has a red Stickles dot in the middle and the button and rosette and trimmed with red stickles. Finally, the red polka dot rosette with a light yellow button in the middle (threaded first) and I used a Martha Stewart craft border punch to made the lace out of red vellum and them I attached it with red-line tape just kind of crinkling the trim as it went around but being sure to leave out the cut doiley lace part. I did punched some paper in a circle to attach to the bottom just to be sure the whole thing stayed together.

And VOILA, my cool rosettes. ready and waiting for a good craft project.

Happy Thursday (already!)