GENUINELY HAPPY!!!

Remember this little piece of artwork?  I've posted it a couple of times and it's been on my sidebar.  I didn't have anything new to post but thought this was perfect for today.  It's something I made many months ago for my art album. (I have one page for each art group that I've joined. Each page is created in a style that I think represents the purpose of the group.) This page represents how much I like being a Gingersnapper.  Now it has new meaning for me, because.......

Today I get to announce that I'm on the Design Team for Gingersnap Creations!  I love their challenges and tutorials and am excited to be creating art for their site.  This is a wonderful opportunity for me to continue connecting with some amazing talent-- the Design Team Gingers as well as the Gingersnappers (group members).

I jumped in with both feet by participating in the Creative Connection.  Details are in my post directly below.  I also put it on my sidebar with a link to Gingersnap Creations.  If you haven't already, I hope you make something haunting to craft forward so that we can create a web of creativity.

I also want to thank all of the talented artists out there who are reading my blog and choosing to be a LOTSA SCRAP follower.  I appreciate your support and comments as I continue on my art journey.  And I love visiting you to see your latest projects.

Hope today you get to scrap a lot!
Helene

A Gingersnap Creative Connection: Let's Create a Haunted Blog Web

Gingersnap Creations is challenging you to take your art and craft it forward! I'm asking all of my blog followers to help create a blog web of wonderful art across cyberspace.

Use haunted as your inspiration and upload your art to your own blog with the following text:

I am participating in a GC Creative Connection. I heard about this month’s GCCC - Haunted - from Helene aka 2amscrapper of LOTSA SCRAP. Why not play along? Post a creation to your blog mentioning my post and the Creative Connection post on Gingersnap Creations. Let’s all craft it forward and see how far we can get this connection to go!

Don't forget to leave a comment on the GC blog post so everyone can see the gorgeous art that you have created for this connection.  More details about the creative connection are there as well:. Gingersnap Creations

Here's another haunted piece of art work for your  inspiration from Shar, entitled Poe-It-Tree (so clever!): Ill Tempered Ink.

Details about my Haunt piece:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 used to digitally alter a cropped photo from the early 1900's; rendered soft omni lighting effects which I then colored in with Copic Ciao Y11 to create a moon; distorted a diffuse glow on the upstairs window (woo-ooh--ooh); and canvas texture.
Printed on canvas water color paper; edges frayed;
Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante fussy cutting
Websters Pages Bloomers; Hero Arts flower; Prima flower
Tim Holtz Idea-ology gears
German scrap witch
Heidi Swapp ghost clock
silver skull charm from Red Lead Paperworks

Fall Birthday Tag

Last night I made this tag inspired by fall harvest colors which will be sent off as a birthday wish.
Supply List:
Inks:
Tim Holtz for Ranger Distress Inks: tea dye, spiced marmalade, mustard seed, dusty concord
Ranger Archival Inks: Sepia, Jet Black
ColorBox Fluid Chalk: warm violet, two shades of green
Ribbons:
Offray dancer moss
WFR Ribbon Corp: purple
United Cut Products: orange
Stamps:
Just For Fun (background)
Stampers Anonymous Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi:
     sentiment from Wendy's Art Inspiration stamp set
     2 flowers from Wendy's Dreams of Art stamp set
Misc.
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungepaper
Sizzex Vine
buttons
purple paper clip

Post Card From Paris

November 20, 1949:    Mitzi's only  souvenir from her recent trip to Paris is the strand of pearls around her neck.  Quite often I catch her gazing longingly into the distance while clutching that air mailed envelope to her breast.  When queried, she continues to be vague about the details of her holiday abroad. What really happened in France? And who gave her the pearls?
ok, ok, I'm no romance novelist.  But blame it on Jeanette, June, Hels, and Karen, would ya? They got my creative juices flowing--however, they aren't responsible for any of my flaws!
 
Let's start with Jeanette at So Artful Challenges who posted the I Love Paris challenge yesterday, which included the Cole Porter lyrics, and I chose the phrase: I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles.  For additional inspiration, she gave us a Paris postcard from the Graphics Fairy. So of course I went to Karen's Graphics Fairy site to retrieve the back of the postcard for the words Carte Postale. 
Now let's move along to Hels' The Sunday Stampers challenge Week 121 where she's taking us to the MOVIES. How fortunate for me that there also is a move title for my idea: Paris When It Sizzles starring William Holden and Audrey Hepburn!! And I have some of Tim's filmstrip ribbon and his ADAGE tickets.  (Sorry Hels, no popcorn--you made enough for both of us--teehee!)  For Hels' challenge, we also need to stamp, so I dug out my Stampabilities Paris Post Mark, (picked up in the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby with the notion that it would come in handy some day!)
All I need now is a leading lady.  I found her at Dezinaworld.  Thanks June!  She's perfect for the role!

So you won't find me any time soon in Hollywood as a script writer, but I'm hoping to get better at using Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.  So far I'm using it for my photos, placing my 2amscrapper watermark, and occasionally adding some text to a graphic.  Today I actually layered my leading lady on top of Karen's postcard, then cut, turned into a ping file, placed and moved back one layer the Carte Postale words.  WooHoo!  And finally, added the movie title text and got it to slant sideways. But I don't think any graphic art designers have to worry either! I will still be using these professional blog backgrounds and graphics.  It was all I could do today to create this postcard!

Christmas-----NOT!!!!

In my last post I mentioned dh and I went on a road trip. You'll be seeing lots of layouts with our vacay pics. Here are the ones from the Huber Winery in Starlight, Indiana. DH wanted his photo taken in front of the Huber tractor. I'm posing with the vintage truck. We purchased some Huber wine glasses at Huber's Winery and loved the fried chicken lunch at Joe Huber's Restaurant.  I entered this in the 3 challenges listed below.

I used the September 16 Pages in Time sketch:


and Simply Scrapping Crafts' Card Corner Group's September Card Challenge Week 3 color challenge to use at least four of these colors: gold, ivy, white, holly, snow blue, brown and a twist of vintage on a card, layout, or project;

and the Scrap Your Crap Challenge #57 Christmas With a Twist: we are challenging you to grab your Christmas supplies and create a project that is NOT christmassy in any way shape or form. Use the colours green, gold and red and see if you can get a project done that does not evoke the feeling of presents. Seems like a perfect fit for the green tractor and red truck!

Materials:
Creative Imaginations (tree background); Making Memories Fa La La Skinny Stripe
Jenni Bowlin's vintage holiday BINGO card

Time to Make Some Art!

Fall is in the air, and I'm ready for Halloween. I really don't celebrate it other than I love to make Halloween art and eat my share of candy treats. So, of course, I had to change my blog and Playlist in preparation for the coming weeks leading up to the big event.

DH and I took a little road trip this past week, so I have no new art to show you. Instead I'll post one of my creations from last fall to accompany my new blog look. This card was made with an image from the Graphics Fairy and a witch's hat stamp from Queen Kat Designs when I was designing cards for Queen Kat last year. 

And I'll give you some news. One of my Summer Beauty ATCs that I made for the Red Lead Swap Sisters was  chosen to be on their Yahoo Group home page. It's always a thrill to see something I've made showcased. This was one of my more interpretive creations, using my favorite Red Lead stamp, Pixie. I placed her under a giant summer beauty rose and near a tape measure, indicating her petite stature in the garden. Red Lead also has created a new blog where our swap art is being posted as well as links to the individual blogs of our swap sisters. Please check it out on my sidebar.

And so we have our transition from summer to fall.  Now that I'm back in the craft room, I have much art to create in the next few days which needs to get posted here and sent off. And I need to visit my blogger friends to keep up with what they've been creating. I've seen some amazing art!  Most of the blogs I follow are listed at the end of my posts, in case you'd like to scroll down and accompany me on my art journey into cyberspace.

Scraplings Art Exchange

Scrapling:  the leftover portion when you cut a blank greeting card down to size. 
Measurement:  1-1/2" wide by 4-1/4" long (folded at top--actual length 8-1/2" before folding)
The challenge:  Use a paint chip and some stamping (Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes)
The art exchange:  Gingersnap Creations

ATCs For My Red Lead Swap Sisters

Here are the 5 Summer Beauty ATCs I made for my Red Lead Swap Sisters.

(See what happens when you have everything neatly arranged and the wind comes along just when you snap the photo? But this is better than my hand in the way, holding everything down!) 

We were to make 5 ATCs that inspire the art and beauty of summer using one image from Red Lead's new Vintage Elements Summer Beauty Collage Sheets and any Red Lead Rubber Stamp.

 I chose Vintage Elements Collage sheets #12 and #14 and cut out the following elements: ATC #1: 2 postcards and butterfly; ATC #2: parrot and 3 stamps mounted on grungeboard for dimension; ATC #3: the Seed Packet which is the background; ATC #4: 3 butterflies behind the Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon; ATC #5: bird's head.

I used the Pixie stamp for ATC #1 and for the others, various stamps from the a little bird told me set.

Other Red Lead collage sheets used: ATC #1: yellow flower from Ancestors 27; green ruler from Bits and Pieces 3; ATC #3: couple (on foam dimensionals) from Valentine 2

Red Lead materials from previous goody bags:  vintage girl and background patterned paper pre-cut to ATC size on ATCs #1, #2, and #4. 

A few extras:  ATC #!: Rock Candy Stickles on yellow flower; Diamond Stickles on Pixie's wings and Copics to color dress; ATC #2: Cuttlebug Bird Call embossing folder for background paper; ATC #3: wet distressed edges of packet then edged with Distress Ink in Antique Linen; Copics to color bird stamp and Stickles on rose; ATC#5: My Mind's Eye Dreamy 2 collection: A Girl Is pink gingham paper; swipe and spritz technique with Distress Ink in Spun Sugar; Flower Soft in Nutty Brown, Kelly Green, and Summer (I gotta say, my 2 DDs gave me Flower Soft and this was my first try using it.).

After some quick photos of my ATCs,  I was off to St. Louis to deliver them and pick up the postcard tags for the next Red Lead Sisters Swap.  Links to the Sister Swap Yahoo Group and the Red Lead Store in my sidebar.

Here are the close-ups of each ATC: