Altered Puzzle Challenge Starts Monday

Even though I'm still finishing up our altered playing cards, I'm excited about the new challenge from Claudine Criner.  We're going to alter a 24 piece puzzle!  Details are at Claudine's Art Corner. In addition to the blog, there is a companion FaceBook page.

Our first week is all about preparing our puzzle pieces.  My puzzle is a fifty cent find from the thrift store.

I worked at the kitchen table, forgetting to bring along the box cover.  So my first exercise was a mental one to put the puzzle together without a photo of it.  If my three-year-old granddaughter can do it, so can I!!!!

I flipped it over and marked the pieces on the back, to help with assembly when we're done.  Perhaps here is where I note that my puzzle has 25 pieces!!!! And that when flipped over, the numbers actually are in reverse, so another mental exercise to remember that when the time comes.....

Then I went outside on the deck and sanded with what I had on hand.  This was my second exercise of the day--this one physical.   I wiped up the dust with a baby wipe and was suprised to see how much color was on the wipe!

After applying 2 layers of gesso, I'm ready for Monday and anxious to see what Claudine has in store for altering our first two pieces.

Birthday Scrappy Page

I finally decided on a scrapbook layout size.  I went from 6x6 to 8x8 and settled on 6x8.  This size gives me some page protectors with pockets for journal cards and 4x6 photos.  Whew!  I can easily alter the two pages I've already done for the new size.

Here is a new 6x8 page which I made for some challenges.  It is totally digital.  I will digitally add the photo of my grandson when I get it and then print the page out to place in the book.  He had a baseball themed birthday party.

Digital Credits:

Imagine That! Digis by Kris:  Baseball Papers, Baseball Boys collection: basaeball and boy--both pre-colored for easy use!!!

Kris Breach participates in Pixel Scrapper where I've been introduced to many fine digital artists who share their work.

The following items I found at Pixel Scrapper:
Janet Scott: Baseball word (top left)
Sheila Reid: Brick background--this will be replaced when the actual photo is inserted (but how awesome is this paper?)
Brooke Gazarek: MVP card

I cropped and layered 3 of Kris' baseball papers for the background.  I layered the boy on top of the baseball and added shadowing for dimension.  Then I added the MVP card and baseball word and layered behind the brick paper.  I added my own computer generated text.

Challenges:

Aud Sentiments Fifth Birthday Celebration: Challenge # 129 Happy Birthday sentiment or number 5 due April 21 I'm #96 x
Come and Get It Challenge (new to me) Things that Start with B due April 25. I'm #43 x
Crafty Boots (new to me) Red, White and Blue due April 26.  I'm #14
Imagine That!  Use Any IT image--winner drawn every 10 entries.  I'm #14

Get Well Card

A get well card:

Materials:
black card
ivory card stock
scrap of  Rusty Pickle School Daze patterned collage paper for the background
STAMPlorations number stamp
STAMPlorations Blossom Overture stamp set:  label and sentiment
Memento ink pads: Tuxedo Black and Lady Bug
baker's twine
Stampabilities Nestabilities label dies
black paper clip

Entering These Challenges:

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenge #89 Use a Diecut due April 30

STAMPlorations Sketch Challenge # 31 due April 17


STAMPlorations April challenge:  STAMPS AND NUMBERS

STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge

Spring Flowers Card

A card I made for some challenges:

Materials:
Stampin' Up Mixed Bunch flowers stamps and matching punch
Rubber Dance Art Stamps sentiment
Ancient Page amethyst ink pad
Stampin' Up Purely Pomegranate ink pad
Heidi Grace cardstock pad
Color Blok lilac cardstock (card base)
EK Success one inch circle punch

Entering These Challenges

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge  Three of something--  3 flowers My tip: to add dimension and focal point, layer flowers, adding a different color flower for contrast;  put a flower center on a foam dimensional, curl up the focus flower.  #62 closes April 27

Shopping Our Stash Challenge: 197 Lost and Found
I totally forgot about a pad of Colorbok cardstock until I rummaged around looking for some lilac paper.  I had used all the pink in the pad 2 years ago for a scrapbook for my granddaughter. #25 closes April 20

Curtain Call: Inspiration Challenge April 15 Bouquet #18 closes April 25

Think Spring

Springtime Colors is the latest challenge up at My Artistic Adventures challenge blog.  After this challenge, we'll be taking a break for the summer.

I'm posting a quick and easy tag using MAA pink shabby chic tags and vintage pink baby girl collage sheets found in Heather Hudson's Etsy Shop HERE.

Other products used:
Ranger Distress Inks pads and markers:  tattered rose, spun sugar, vintage photo, tumbled glass
Scallop and circle punch

Be sure to visit the MAA Challenge Blog for details, inspiration from the design team, and the link up for your own creation.

Superman Digital Layout

I've made another digital scrapbook page.  I decided to go with 8x8 instead of 6x6.  I can easily adjust and alter the two pages I already made.  

I bought my grandson a Superman tee-shirt with cape.  I'm awaiting a photo of him wearing it.  In the meantime, I got the page all ready for it.  I used Super Boys Cliplart and Papers from Digital Bake Shop sold at My Graphico. 

I layered everything in Photoshop Elements and then added some shadowing for dimension.  Once I add the photo, I'll print it out and put it in my 8x8 binder.  

Challenge I'm Entering

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #305  theme photo inspiration  This was the perfect challenge made even better because My Graphico was having a sale!

Passing Through art journal page

I've done two previous journal pages.  Time to get serious about this art craft.

I ventured into Connie's website, Dirty Footprints Studio, where she shared her journals.  I watched her crash course video.  I picked up on an idea she mentioned in one of her videos--earth, wind, fire, water.  The theme went well with the concept I had for my first page.

I paired the elements with Dina Wakley's idea at the beginning of her book, Art Journal Freedom. I will have symmetry with a grid composition, using 4 rectangles--each one representing an element.

Next I did some research about the 4 elements and took a positive and negative feature of each.  I will unify the composition with a person, representing me, placed in the middle, with these words around my body.

My theme:  Passing Through

Here is an Australian Aboriginal Proverb,  I may put this on the facing page which is the inside cover.
We are all visitors to this time, this place.
We are just passing through.
Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love...
and then we return home.

Note:  I upgraded my i-phone and the camera seems to make the image wonky in the middle.  The lines and script are straight.

For my background, I decided to go with purple, adding on top a layer of white gesso.  This represents the purple haze of the universe.  Then I looked up Jimi Hendrix's song lyrics and realized they fit perfectly--ahh the recesses of the mind pour forth art.  
Purple Haze all in my brain, lately things don't seem the same.  Actin' funny but I don't know why,
do I end with the next line 'scuse me while I kiss the sky or the last line is it tomorrow or just the end of time?  Perhaps the last line since I'm working with a theme about the universe and its elements....

This is me art journaling, right?  Not ready to fearlessly paint away.  (Although I did take Connie's advice and paint like a 5 year old while making the water and earth rectangles.) Nice, safe, confined rectangles; structured composition--thought out to the inth degree.  Yup, that's me.

Materials:
Ranger Dylusions Creative Journal
USArtQuest Perfect Pigment Acrylic Paint: Purple Mist
white Gesso
Stampendous TH doily stencil
Ranger TH Distress ink pad: dusty concord
American Crafts Precision Pen
Busy Kids Kids Camp Foam Stickers Dotty Alphabet

Canson 90 lb watercolor paper cut into 4 rectangles
Yasumota watercolor paints on wind and fire rectangles and as a base on water rectangle

Fire
Ranger TH Distress Paint: Squeezed Lemonade and Abandoned Coral acrylic paint dabbers
overstamped with Color Box Chalk inkpad: Peach Pastel
Stampendous Tim Holtz rays stencil

Air
American Crafts Studio Calico mistables fabric sticker shapes
Copic Markers: pale lavender and cool grey
white Gesso

Water
Ranger TH Distress Paint: Mermaid Lagoon acrylic paint dabber
Punchinella
Creative Imaginations Viva Pearl Pen: Ice
Ranger TH Distress Inks:  pumice stone and weathered wood
Ranger TH Distress Markers: broken china.  and bundled sage
Water pen

Earth
Ranger TH Distress Inks: evergreen bough, iced spruce, pine needles, shabby shutters
Ranger TH Walnut Stain dabber
Stampin' Up early expresso ink pad
Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC sand background rubber stamp from Beach Babes stamp plate
Ranger TH Distress crackle paint: tarnished brass
Brilliance Ink pad: Galaxy Gold
Just For Fun background rubber stamp
Flower Soft: Summer, Nut Brown, Shamrock Green


I'm entering this in the Anything But a Card challenge #46:  Fool's GOLD.  on my earth card, I added veins of gold and gold nuggets underground. Some would say plenty of people were/are looking for that gold while here on earth.

Gelli Giveaways

April is Gelli Prints and Monoprints at Unruly PaperArts blogozine.

We may not have a sponsor this month but we do have 2 exciting Giveaways to share with you. 

This month in line with our Gelli Plate and Monoprints Theme one lucky person will win a copy of Joanna Grant's Gelli Jam Art Journal Workshop DVD.  Along with a copy of the Gelli Jam DVD, Joanna will include a package of some original gelli printed bits and pieces, along with six color prints of her original gelli prints.  Learn more by heading HERE.


April's Reader Art Quest can be found HERE.



This month we do not have a Sponsor joining us so our lucky winner (by random draw) will receive a 5" x 7" Gelli Plate from Gelli Arts, compliments of Unruly PaperArts.