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So we got home late last night from our little mini-adventure to Portland, Maine

Portland is only a little over an hour away so its not like we traveled all that far.

BUT

We saw some good hockey. We screamed  and cheered a lot. We met up with my husband's sister and her husband. We also met up with one of my college roommates and her husband (who we also knew in college). We go years between seeing each other so that was really fun.

 We ate some yummy food, managed to squeeze in a beach walk and even got silly and posed with our school mascot. I have a project for this in mind...

All in all it was a whole lot of fun, and the best part, I have tomorrow off for the long Columbus Day weekend. Its like I have another weekend starting today!

So I have another architecture page for you today. I am linking this to Art Journal Journey. Thanks to  Sheila for hosting this month.

So this page began as a clean off paper for some black paint on my paintbrush. I painted over that with light blue to give this nice evening sky effect. Then I stamped the city buildings 3 times (Hero Arts), colored and then cut them out before attaching them to the page. Then I doodled the bottom border, wrote the little saying, stamped the stars and added this cloth cut out moon.

I admit Portland, Maine is not that big of a city but since I did spend some time among a bit taller buildings, this page fits my hockey weekend post just perfect!

Guess it is time to get moving. I've managed to do nothing all morning except diddle around on the computer and there are dogs just waiting to go for a walk. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Journaling

Glad Friday has arrived! Even better because some of us in the US get a long Columbus Day  weekend coming up. And wishing those of you to north in Canada a Happy Thanksgiving.

And since it is Friday, it is time for Paint Party Friday. Thanks to Kristen and Eva for hosting. Be sure to stop by and check out all the great art posted there.

I have a couple of new pieces to show you today. First of all it's this Halloween style post above from my Halloween art journal. I used a TH found relative card as the main centerpiece of my painted and doodled background. Personally this guy gives me the creeps, but I know it is more the type of photograph and the style of his times that make him so creepy. 

Here's the full spread which includes the haunted house I showed you last week.

And I also have a page that I am linking to Art Journal Journey. This month's theme is architecture, and it is guest hosted by Sheila. Be sure to stop by AJJ also and check out all the great journal pages.

I used this quote because I love imagining the stories of houses-what happens inside, what kind of people live or have lived in a building, what those peoples stories are, the history of the house and the area, etc. etc.

So this page started with a painted background and some stamping (of the same image-Stampa Rosa) over and over). Then I used these 2 art photos from an old  book, as well as the text and that page, to create my little house. I then added the details with markers, paint and white pencil. The rest of the page is made with markers and paint also. 

So its nice this morning to be able to leave a tiny bit  later-I am off to workshop as the kids have the day off. Lucky them!

 I am also off to a hockey tournament these next 2 nights and a little scenery change which I am quite excited about. A little break from the regular routine is always a good thing for the spirit I think. Hope our team ( UMaine Black Bears) looks good. We'll be playing some of the heavy weight teams from the mid-west and after the last couple of bad seasons, it would be great to see a team that plays well together.
We shall see.
That's it for me. Off to learn more about working in PLC groups- UGH!!!!! If only administrators would just let us do our jobs in our classrooms and not feel they have to justify their jobs through us, this job would be fun!
Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting!

Industrial Art

Last Sunday we brought the ocean boat home. It spends the summer parked in a field at a marina. When we go out, we put it into the water and then we pull it out again at the end of the day's boating adventure.. But now summer is over the boat comes home for a good cleaning and then it goes sits in my mother-in-laws driveway (where there is more room) until next spring. 

Sad we've reached the point where the boat is coming home again.

When we went to get it, I walked around the field and took  bunch of artsy photos of boats and boat snippets. Lots of sailboats have already been pulled out of the water and are parked for the winter. (We could leave ours too but there's a big winter storage fee so instead we bring it home since then we get to to park it for free!)

Finding art and color where you least expect it. Distressed and bright and full of stripes, twists, drips, patterns and other textures.

That's it for me today. Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Patriotic

So I used another TH found relative for this page. I started by adding a Gelli printed deli wrap onto some white paper, and then I painted the border red and orange. I added the stars because they are part of the flag- the big ones on the page are actually metal embellishments from my stash-they are ancient- and I painted them and sanded them before I added them to the page. It is hard to tell that in this photograph though. I also added a bit of book page to the background, some sticker phrases and I stamped the number 1 on the card twice, as though it was a playing card. 

The busy colors and images of this background make me happy. 

Hump day. This week is flying by, but that is good because I am so ready for this long weekend. You would think only being back at school  6 weeks wouldn't leave me so exhausted, but it just seems this first  leg of the year is always so intense and too busy. I don't need a vacation yet but I do need a break from the routine. 

Plus it is getting closer to some weekend fun I have planned. 

So how about a few autumn photos from last weekend?

Photos are along the Merrymeeting River in my town.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blueprints

 I know architects don't make blueprints any more. Now they use CAD and computers. But my Dad was an architect,and I remember  the big rolls of blueprints we had in our house.

That inspired me to make this page. I used blue paint to make the background and then used a Judikins background architecture stamp to add those drawing details.

I added the stamped building  (Stamp in the Hand) and the stamped pencil.

Then I added the sticker letters. Building reflect society at the time they were built, so that's where I came up with those words. 

I am linking this to Art Journal Journey. This month the hostess is Sheila at Orange Esmeralda and the theme is Architecture.

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by my blog.

Ghosties and Ghoulies and Things That Go Bump in the Night

  Monday again! It was a chilly fall weather the past few days, but  I love a weekend that is relaxing, fun and productive.

Of course I didn't even touch the stack of tests I should have graded! 

The kids won't be happy, but they'll get over it. It won't kill them to wait until Tuesday!
I just won't tell them I was out to breakfast with a friend I haven't seen since July,  finally cleaning my basement closet along with a few other fun weekend activities.
Saturday night I went to see this movie (The Martian with Matt Damon-not a good title), and I really liked it. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at first, and I was hoping it wasn't just one of those catastrophe movies, but it wasn't that. It was a nice mix of tension, adventure, science and humor. I really recommend it. if you're looking for a film to watch.

So today I have another spread from my Halloween journal.

This spread had a water and sky photo on it. You can still see it along the edges of the page. I added some tissue paper that I found in a shoe box (the shoes must have been wrapped in it) that broke up the photo. Then I recycled the spider web that I had drawn and cut for making my solar cloth paintings awhile back, I also used one of my solar printed papers too.

The little guy caught in the web is Stampotique image with the arms and legs removed.

I die cut the spider from some orange glitter paper.  I love him- he's so big and sparkly!

How gruesome is that!

I actually used back side of this solar paper. Was a little more worn and faded looking.

I also added this Rubbermoon stamped guy down at the bottom of this page. 

So guess it is time to start my week for real. Luckily next weekend is not only a long weekend but it is also the start of the college hockey season. I am off with the hubby to a tournament in Portland, Maine for an overnight little min-road trip that I am already quite excited about. I suppose that will make this a long week.

Hope your week is starting off in a good way! Thanks for stopping by for a visit. 

Is a Page Without Words Naked?

Happy Friday everyone!  Another busy week is winding down. Friday means it is once again time for Paint Party Friday! Thanks again to Kristen and Eva for hosting.

I've started playing with Halloween themed pages. I've made a journal using an old book. 

Ignore how this photo of the cover is really crooked. The light isn't so great either, but we've had clouds and rain and by the time I get into the studio the shadow have fallen. The cover has a bit of a shine to it in real life, which isn't helping me photograph it either.
Oh the dilemmas.
I think (my) poorly photographed piece looks so amateurish and take away from the piece.
(Tell me it isn't so, Tell me I am being too self-critical right now. )

Bare with me please.
The cover is painted and stenciled and has a Gelli print added to it, along with some die cuts and this cool metal door plate that  is newly out from Prima. I thought it would work perfect for this cover as it looks old and a bit worn.  Like my cover. You can add wrinkled to the list of traits about this cover, but  I love that about it. Like some old big well used book.

And over at Art Journal Journey the new theme for October is Architecture.  This month's guest hostess is Sheila.  So here's my first link up over there, with my Halloween book twist...

The haunted house!

After I took this top photo I added a few little cut out stars as you can see in this close up.

And if a line isn't straight or there's a little dab of paint outside of a window, oh well. It is a haunted house and meant for fun.

Not sure if I want to add any words to this page. A page without words always looks a bit naked to me.
What do you think?
Part of me also thinks I needs something in a window or two.  I want it to be unique and not any more typical Halloween than it already is.  But then I say it looks pretty standard Halloween already so just go for it and put in something. Oh the dilemmas! Ha-ha!
It is my first page in the journal, and I am trying to establish my ideas and get a direction of what I actually want to do with it. Do I want a specific theme? Do I just want to make pages? I have this idea in my head of a theme-My Nightmares. Although right now I have only decided that I want to play with things in my stash and have some fun.
Probably best to stick with that!
And I am joining Elizabeth and Bluebeard's second on the second.

Keeping with the Halloween theme I have going today. here's a page from an older altered book.
Not much on my weekend agenda, at least right now. How about you?
Be sure to stop by and check out some great artwork at both Art Journal Journey and Paint Party Friday. Hope its been a good week, and that you have a good weekend ahead too.

October is Here

Wow-October! Things around here are really starting to look like fall.

 I don't know what these wild turkeys have to do with fall but they crossed my path on the way home. Maybe they get me thinking about Thanksgiving.

 Some people are putting out their Halloween decorations early. I guess it is like people who barely finish Thanksgiving dinner and start putting up Christmas decorations.

I think the demonish creature hanging from the tree is pretty spooky.

 And even more mushrooms.

The seasonal change is pretty exciting. Like the spring change is too.  

Today's journal page is another one of my kids dream series. I was making a lot of them a few weeks ago. Now I've moved onto to some other projects like my Halloween book. Should have some photos to show you soon.

So if you can't read my journaling it says:

"She-she's family expected her to be a debutante and marry well in her own station. But She-she dreamed of the circus and riding a bare back elephant."
I had this pack of TH found relative cards on my work table (always makes me use them when they are staring at me) and I've used up the children's photos on several pages. This little girl looks so dressed up and probably a little bit spoiled with that fur neckline, that I gave her a kind of silly name and had her dream of something not too fancy but more fun. Plus the dog on that card is too cute. I finally used this elephant die and stamp I have had forever in my stash. I almost put it on eBay this summer (when I started to de-stash and clean-of course I  haven't finished--- yet!) but then didn't list it because I might need it, someday. Sure enough I did need it. It also came with this little elephant word stamp which made a great upper and lower page border too.
Now I probably won't use anything to do with elephants for another 5 years, right?
That's all for me today. Thanks for stopping by!