Altered Playing Cards 5 and 6

We're at Week 4 with Claudine Criner.  Her blog post is HERE    I'm finishing my cards just hours before Week 5 is posted.  I was hit with a virus but got well in time to have family visit this weekend.

This week Claudine is using acrylic paint on the cards.  Her prompts include houses, clouds, doodling with a black pen, and hand written words.  She used Gelli prints for her clouds and houses.  I don't have those so I improvised.

Card 5 Fairy Garden

The home theme became a fairy garden theme for me.  Interesting how art pulls you in a different direction.
I followed Claudine's prompts and techniques on a card which I had gesso'd in an interesting pattern:
1) torn printed printed tissue paper: I used Tim Holtz tissue tape
2) two shades of pink acrylic paint:  I used Apple Barrel Bubble Gum all over and then applied with the plastic card Delta Ceramcoat Touch of Pink

Card 6 Shopper

I followed Claudine's prompts and did use the same images:
1) sponge on two colors of paint:  I used a sea sponge to apply USArtQuest Perfect Pigment in Cobalt Turquoise Hue and Orange
2) Color with Copics.  I used the Vera Lane Studio Digi Stamp dress shop and city girl which can be found in Janet's Etsy shop HERE
3) Washi tape
4) doodles
5) sticker that serves as word label and cloud

A;tered Playing Cards 3 and 4

I've completed Week 3 which is to make cards 3 and 4.  If you'd like more details about Claudine Criner's Altered Playing Card challenge, a link to her blog is HERE.

I followed Claudine's prompts for the backgrounds.  One is done with alcohol inks and one with distress ink pads.  The alcohol inks are on top of crushed tissue paper.  The distress inks are on top of drywall mesh tape.  At the time I gesso'd up the 52 cards, I added some texture with these additional elements.

My alcohol inks were a tad dark so I opted not to try stamping.  Instead I used some digital images.  I was disappointed that my distress inks wouldn't stay vibrant, even after multiple applications.

Christmas Memories Playing Card

Because of the resulting alcohol ink background, I chose a holiday themed childhood memory of going to visit my Milwaukee relatives where my aunt always gave me a box of chocolates.

Playing card layered with crushed tissue paper covered in gesso
Ranger Alcohol Inks:  Bottle, Slate, and Currant
Lunagirl Moonbeams Christmas Photos
Moonlight Journey My Love Valentine Tags
felt snowflake and button from stash

I'm entering this card in the
Crafting by Designs challenge where Lunagirl Moonbeams is the sponsor this week.  The theme is Childhood Memories.



Autumn Season Playing Card

I went with Claudine's idea to creat a seasonal card.  I chose an owl for my bird and Tim Holtz' letters to spell "fall" rather than "fly".  I did "follow suit" (excuse the pun) to use a leaf made with distsress paper (which I sanded), and the same colors of distress inks.

Playing card layered with drywall mesh tape covered in gesso.
Ranger Tim HoltzDistress Ink Pads:  Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Paper, and Mustard Seed
Maya Road owl glued to Coredinations green distress card stock
Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations die Tattered Leaves
Coredinations brown distress card stock
Green dye ink
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Salvage Stickers

I'm entering this card in the
Lunagirl Moonbeams Challenge Blog for the creative theme Autumn
and
Eclectic Paperie September e-play challenge:  Fall
and
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge:  #212 Fall

Halloween Challenge at MAA

We're baaaaack...........

Summer is officially over.  That means Heather Hudson is starting up her My Artistic Adventures challenges.  It's time to play again with her amazing digital images.  

At her blog today you'll find the details about this HALLOWEEN challenge and lots of fabulous inspiration--not only from the team but also from a stellar group of guest designers.  Excited to learn more?  Then you need to go  HERE.

I made a Halloween treat bag for our first challenge:

I loved working with Heather's collection of Halloween tickets.  You can find this very versatile collage sheet in Heather's ETSY shop HERE.

I can't wait to see what you make for Heather's challenge!  Please post it HERE.

Mid-Month Media Monday

It's MEDIA MONDAY, so I'm thinking about one of my favorite Mamas and Papas songs, Monday, Monday.  "They" say, if you wore it the first time, you shouldn't be wearing it the second time around.  I gasped when I saw the skinny pants and boots.  I only remember bell bottom jeans and sandals!  If I had kept all that clothes, I'd have saved a pretty penny on my recent purchases!




Television Media
Is anyone else watching Ken Burns' The Roosevelts on PBS?  Every night this week! It's great compnay while I craft!

Magazine Media
I came across a most delightful magazine.  The best way I can describe it is "Pinterest meets blog in print form".  It's published 8 times a year and the issue I picked up says No.5 /2014.  It's a UK publication printed in Dutch, German and English.  Perhaps you've seen it?  It's entitled Daphne's Diary.  I found a website for it in case you'd like to learn more HERE

Cyber Challenge Recognition

I made the Top 3 for the August 2014 "word play" challenge at Country View and will have a guest design spot in the near future!  woo hoo!

I also was the random winner at Sentimental Sundays for Challenge 222, Back to School (my altered composition book entry).   I get 7 digi images from Bugaboo Stamps.  I can't wait to go shopping!!!





I was to be on holiday last week, but the hubby came down with a virus while at our first stop, resulting in our trip being cut short.  We returned home as soon as he was well enough to travel. While he rests, I'm hiding in my craft roon, far away from the germs.

This new-found time allowed me to play at Tag Tuesday with the theme Fairytales.  Better late than never, here is my tag, before the new theme gets posted.  Please catch up with all the inspiration from the other players HERE.

Since I was coming in on the (fairy) tale end, I dug out this lovely Gecko Galz digital image which I had printed out quite some time ago.  I added it to a Julie Nutting for Prima tag and an Alesa Baker Designs rubber stamp from Impression Obsession, Inc.  The glittery shoe is DCWV from a paper pack I've had for a few years.  Ribbons and flowers from my stash.

I'd like to add this tag to the following challenges:


As You Like It Challenge : Your Favourite Rubber Stamp and Why:  I have so many stamps that it's hard to choose just one as a favorite, but I love stamps that are a bit snarky or "tongue in cheek" such as this one.

A Creative Romance:  Anything Goes

All Sorts Challenge Week 276:  Sugar and Spice   That's right.  I always thought Cinderella was a bit too sugary.  But her sweet disposition did land her a prince and change of life's ciricumstances.

Frilly and Funky:  From the Heart:  ah that prince whose heart was stolen by Cinderella which sent him frantically searching for the young woman's foot that fit that sparkly shoe!

Hiding in My Craft Room:  Super Saturday--Use Up Those Scraps

Sugar Creek Hollow:  Word Play (must include a sentiment)

First Two Altered Playing Cards

I'm finishing up Week Two of the Altered Playing Cards Challenge hosted by Claudine Criner.  My playing cards were gesso'd up for a week (week one), and I've been anxious to start decorating.  

Last Monday Claudine's Art Corner offered up a fabulous two cards to get us started.  If you'd like to participate in this 26 week challenge, please see the button on my sidebar.

For these first two cards, I stuck to the script as closely as possible, adapting only to use products I had on hand.  Of course, as artists we can "alter" as we see fit, but I'm also trying to incorporate the specific techniques/style that Claudine is showing us.  To see Claudine's makes, go HERE

I started with the spray inks on Monday.  Then went on a short trip and just now got back to decorate the cards on Sunday.  You can see that I had added more texture with the gesso on the butterfly card.  

Spray ink.
Dylusions Fresh Lime
Maya Mist Hydrangea Blue
Lindys Stamp Gang Starburst Witch's Potion Purple

Die cut:
Memory Box Honeysuckle Vine
Stampin' Up die cut butterflies

Digital Stamps:

New whimsical girl with bird digi stamp

Since Claudine is using on some of the stamps on her sample cards, we were afforded the opportunity to acquire some of these images at a reduced cost for participating in the challenge.  Thank you Janet Klein!  To see Janet's stamps at her Vera Lane Studio Digi Stamps Etsy shop, go HERE.

Words:
Vera Lane Studio digi
Red Lead Paperworks (the Sky is the Limit stamp)
Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC (Relish Reading almanac stamp on butterflies)

Inks and Pens:
Archival Jet Black ink pad
Sharpie Black marker
various Copics to color girl
Inkssentials Opaque White pen

Papers:
a bit of black dresden metal scrap trim
Stampin' Up Primrose Petal card stock (butterflies)
Recollections Chalk Board Paper (vine die cut)
Printworks Matte Photo Paper--this paper works well for me in my ink jet printer, giving me true colors for digiral images.  A plus for this project is that the Copic markers go on well and don't bleed through the backside.  I would never have tried this had I not read that Claudine said Copics work well on digital images made with an ink jet printer.

The second two cards will be up on Claudine's blog tomorrow.  I can't wait to see what 's in store for us next.



I'm entering these challenges:

Pile It On:  Challenge #37 Flowers and/or Feathers

Crafting At the Weekend:  Challenge 5 Anything Goes

Order of the Opus Gluei Challenge #191 ATCs  (no prizes or badges, just plain fun creating)

Designs by Lisa:  Bloggers Challenge From Drab to Fab-Alter It

Inkspirational Challenge 65 Word Prompt:  Take Flight: entering the second butterfly card

Stamping Sensations:  September Challenge Things With Wings
(I'm not sure if a digi stamp counts--if not, I'm entering just the butterfly card.)  closes October 1.

Red Rubber Inspirationals:  137 Just Text Me
This is a new challenge site for me that I found at Paper Playful.  I'm entering the second card since it has text on it but no stamped images--just die cuts.  Even the stamp on the butterflies is text!

Sugar Skulls

I have never made anything related to the "day of the dead".  To be perfectly honest, it kinda creeps me out. But I decided this was the year to make a digital card using sugar skulls.

The quotation translated to English says "There is more time than life."

The base is black card with orange and yellow mats.

My digital design is as follows:
Gecko Galz Day of the Dead collage sheet
Gecko Galz Coven digital paper pack.

I cropped and converted to a ping file the sugar skull which I then placed 3 times on the digital paper and added shadowing for dimension.

The couple image has around it a 3-D shadow box and a fire frame.

I then added the phrase and put some shadowing and a colored dimensional frame around it.

Submitting this card to:

Crafting By Designs:  September Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts 4 Eternity  R#192 Digital
Hiding in My Craft Room Challenge #164 Think Fall
Sister Act Card Challenge # 73 Anything Goes

A Wicked Frame

As I stated in my last post, my favorite craft holiday is Halloween. There is just something about all those eerie images conjured up in the imagination when reading spooky literature.

I had great fun creating this Poe frame with the September Gecko Galz digital images as well as images from this month's cross promotion company, Rhonda's Originals.

List of Materials: 

Rhonda's Originals "The Paper Seamstress" digital images: woman, basket, rat with bottle, moon bird
Gecko Galz "Haunted Ephemera" digital collage sheet September 2014 release:  set of jars and witch's hat
Gecko Galz "Midnight Hour" digital stamp
frame
paint: Lindy's Stamp Gang:  Starburst Spray-Witch's Potion Purple
rubber stamps: Stampabilities, Studio G, Art Journey
popdots
trims such as flowers, feather and Doodlebug Doodle twine (Halloween assortment)
wood stars: Red Lead Paperworks

Process:

Print and fussy cut images.  Assemble woman with brads.  Place hat on woman.  Add feather and flower.
Paint frame; stamp images such as lace, gears and sentiment
Place images on frame with pop dots.
Print Poe digital stamp and place inside frame.


I'd like to offer this project to the following challenge sites:

As You Like It:  Favorite Season and Why

Eclectic Paperie:  Fall

September UPA

September brings us the Gotta Dash issue of Unruly PaperArts. Articles will be posted all month about clean and simple, quick and easy, or staying organized to make it easy.  Our guest artist this month is Dawn Barrett.

I'm very pleased to inform you that this term we've increased our family of columnists to bring you even more great art and ideas.  To meet these wonderful new additions to the Unruly team, please go HERE.

This month I opted to make a sample for our Reader Art Quest rather than write a column.  The Dark of Night prompt has put me in the mood for all things eerie.  I just love spooky, Halloween art projects.  How some of the Unrulies interpreted this theme, the challenge details, and where to link up your entry can all be found HERE.  This month's RAQ is sponsored by Eyelet Outlet and Brads.  I was given the owl brads to play with and thought they'd look great perched on a tree in the dark of night.

Here is the September prompt:

Here is my design team sample for inspiration:

Process and Materials:

5 x 7 canvas
covered with ProArt Gesso canvas primer
scene painted with Yasutomo Niji Pearlescent Watercolors

tree made with
Dreamweavers Matte Black Embossing Paste scraped through
The Crafters Workshop 251 Branches Reversed stencil

owls
Red Lead Paperworks rubber stamp
VersaMark watermark stamp pad
Tsukineko #07 black embossing powder
Inkssentials Cut-n-Dry paint nibs
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink-mowed lawn
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink-weathered wood
Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star pen
Eyelet Outlet and Brads--owl brads

I'd like to submit this canvas creation to the following challenges:

Artistc Inspiration: Anything Goes or Memories I have lots of memories of sitting around a campfire late at night at the lake and hearing the owls hooting in the trees.

Crafty Bloggers Network Challenge:  Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp MONDAY challenge:  Go Bold


BLOG CANDY ALERT
My friend Lynne is having a great giveaway at her blog.
Get the details HERE.  You have until Sept 12 to comment for a chance to win.  You know I love everything Alice!

September Start Up

I can't believe it's already September!  The year is flying by!  Up today is a back-to-school blog background which will be changed to a Halloween one tomorrow.  When I was little, I always enjoyed going to the store to buy school supplies.  The smell of Crayola crayons when opening a new box still makes me swoon.  

I'm making some changes to my blog.  It will be expanded to include some of my other artistic interests. I also will be cleaning up the sidebar and only posting the badges of challenge sites where I've won.  The sidebar is so overloaded that it no longer serves a useful purpose.  This may sound self-serving, but the sidebar is long right now and I doubt anyone scrolls through it.  So the badges don't really serve as a marketing tool for the challenge sites.  I will post the challenge badge and what I made and will update it so that it only covers the past few months.

THIS MONTH'S HOLIDAY

Happy Labor Day!  Here's one of my previous makes that celebrates the working woman and her important role during World War II.

MEDIA MONDAY

I've been dabbling in digital art so I found this book totally fascinating.  The dh found it at the local thrift store.    Bright and Early Thursday Evening: a tangled tale dreamed by Audrey Wood, imagined by Don Wood.  I found the story delightful in the Alice In Wonderland absurd kind of way.  But I was mesmerized by the beautiful digital paintings.

The local movie theater finally had something playing that I wanted to see.  The Giver with Jeff Bridges was excellent.  It conjoured up all sorts of ideas for journaling art work.

CYBER CHALLENGE

Here is a new art project that is starting today.  I've made ATCs using playing cards but never really altered an entire set of playing cards.  It sounds like an interesting project.  You can find all the details at Claudine Criner's blog HERE.  She says the project will last 26 weeks.

DESIGN TEAM WORK

GECKO GALZ

Please visit the Gecko Galz blog to participate in our September Customer Challenge which is School Days. The prize for one lucky winner is a $25 shopping spree at Gecko Galz and a prize pack from Rhonda's Originals (this month's cross promotion sponsor).  You will find all the challenge details, as well as more design team makes,  HERE.

Here is my design team make for inspiration.  My digital collage was printed and colored, then placed on an old-timey mini composition book.

The Gecko Galz September 2014 digital image releases used in this make are:
School Days digital stamps (school banner, girl holding blackboard)
Chalkboard Sentiments collage sheet
Other Gecko Galz digital products:
School Days collage sheet:  postmark
AlterMe collage sheet: Word Search digital paper

I cropped and made png files with the images.  I erased the skin on the girl so that when placed on the paper the pattern would show through.
Starting with the word search paper, I layered the banner, girl and postmark.  I placed on top of her chalk board the chalkboard sentiment.
After printing out the collage, I used watercolor pencils to add some color accents.  I then glued it onto the composition book cover, leaving the black binding exposed.
I printed a second word search paper to cover the back of the book.

I would like to enter this notebook altered cover in the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #229 Back to School

Creative Moments:  Challenge #50Anything Goes with Back to School twist (new challenge for me which I found at Paper Playful--list of challenges)

Just Us Girls: Challenge #256 Wild Card:   (new challenge for me which I found at Paper Playful--list of challenges)


Sentimental Sundays: Challenge #222  Back to School  The sentiment on the chalkboard says "whatever you are be, be a good one"

Shopping Our Stash SOS# ABC's  I used the mini composition book that has been in my stash for a couple of years and the Stampin' Up watercolor pencils that I've had forever and just starting using again this past week.  A=alphabet background paper, B= banner, C= chalkboard and composition book

The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #94  Anything Goes

Please come back tomorrow for more design team news!