Love

Happy Friday everyone! leslierahye here sharing an anniversary altered trading card. Today my husband and I celebrate 22 years. Over the past couple of years I have  made him Altered Trading Cards to commemorate the occasion and this year was no different. I printed off a recent photo of us and some dictionary paper to cover the ATC base. I distressed the edges and heat embossed on the edges and on the lower third of the ATC. I adhered love words from the definition to the textured surface of the emboss powder and then enhanced the edges and surface with doodles and hearts (there are 22). Bling on a roll and embroidery floss finished off the ATC. This will now become a part of his love collection!

 I hope you enjoyed my ATC! Thank you for stopping by!

Altered Magazine Bird Collage

When it's time to choose an image as a focal point for a collage, I often decide to put a bird on it! I love to work with vintage papers, but magazines can provide a wealth of text and imagery for collage art. When I first started using magazines for collage, I was a little concerned that the glossy finish of the pages wouldn't meld with the aged papers I like to use. I soon discovered that a bit of paint and ink can completely transform a magazine image and make it blend right in with the other collage elements.

I found the image for my most recent collage in the pages of Birds & Blooms magazine. As the title indicates, it's filled with colorful pictures of birds, flowers, and other nature-inspired images and text. I often find back issues of this magazine at library sales, so it can be an inexpensive and bountiful source for collage material.

Some of the other fun elements I included in this particular collage were vintage wallpaper from an antique shop, and some Chinese calligraphy paper I found at a wonderful store in Portland, OR called CARGO. I used a white Uniball Signo pen and a gold Uniball gel pen for the lettering and the pen work that added the finishing touches to this collage. If you have a favorite subject for your artwork, don't hesitate to hunt for magazines on the topic. You'll be sure to find lots of great images that you can easily alter and use for your collage and mixed-media projects.
Have fun cutting and pasting!
Kimberly

LEFTOVERS

When you are finished with a project, what do you do with your leftovers?  Left over paints and inks and papers and.....?

I always use every single bit!  I keep the papers and I wipe off my paint brushes on them.  Or I glue left over pieces of paper and ephemera to a new piece of paper and then wipe off my brushes on it or use up excess paint.  Then, when I make a new project, I have tons of beautiful backgrounds to choose from!

The first one is from the back of my spraying box. I then added one of my celery stalk roses to it and doodling.  The second is leftover Gelli Plate Printing, with a left over piece of a previous project.

I hope you put your leftovers to good use!

xxDaniella

does your muse ever go missing?

Mine does, that little vixen, she goes a sneaking off to who-knows-where.  But I've found the best way to call her back is to let loose with paints and papers and inks, and simple create background papers.  This week, it was by making monotype backgrounds:

 For this round, I used a stencil, a doily, lots of paints, and some spritzy inks . . .

 I REALLY like how the doily prints turned out, especially this next one:

 Yummy colors!

So the next time YOUR naughty muse takes an unexplained leave of absence, just relax, gather some supplies, and make backgrounds.  It may be just the thing to entice her home.

P.S.  If you'd like to print off one or two of these background papers, I have some larger images to share with you on my blog:  easily amused, hard to offend.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

:)trisha 

Quick and Easy Altered Coaster Gift

 Happy Friday everyone! leslierahye here sharing with you a quick and easy gift idea that is perfect for everyone!! This is a post-it note pad holder. You can decorate them any way you desire, I will share with you the basics today for constructing them. You will need : cardboard coaster [or a 4×4" square piece of chipboard], book paper/music paper or your choice, a binder clip, inks and embellishments [for this I used Ranger Distress Ink and paper ribbon and buttons], an Emory board or sanding block, Plaid Mod Podge or other clear drying adhesive.

Begin by tearing paper and adhering it to the cardboard coaster. You could also just cut a 4×4" square to fit if you prefer. Once paper is adhered, run sanding block or file along edges to smooth them. Ink over the paper for a further aged look. Cut a piece of paper to fit your binder clip and adhere it to the clip...coat the top of the paper as well to seal the paper--this is the part of the project that will be handled a lot and you want to to have some protection.

Find the normal size post-it pads and place on your mini clipboard. Finish off the holder with your favorite embellishments--here I tied some paper string around the clip handle and added some buttons to dangle. Ribbon, string/twine, or bling would also be fun! The sky's the limit! Add a pencil or pen to your project and you have an easy gift to share with everyone!

A Bird Knows Mini Book

I'm nearly 2,000 miles from home visiting dear friends in California! My family and I began our journey in Portland, OR and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, and then headed 4 hours east to our friend's home. The journey was filled with spectacular views of the silver Pacific Ocean, majestic redwoods, mist-shrouded mountains, and beautiful architecture in San Francisco. I'm not homesick, but thoughts of home are always in the back of my mind. I'll miss the beauty of the west coast and the company of our friends, but like a bird, I'm always happy to return to my nest and the familiar comforts of home.

I brought a few essential art supplies with me, and along the way I've been gathering pretty paper and shiny bits and baubles. I found this charming package at Monticello Antiques while we were visiting the beautiful city of Portland, OR. I used the contents along with some stickers to make a little mini book expressing my sentiments about home. I wish I could stay longer in this lovely area, but home is calling and I must fly back soon and feather my nest with my newfound treasures.

Posted with Blogsy

A DOODLE....

I made this paper napkin background for the Fall 2013 Altered Arts Magazine.  I've been hoarding it since then, just waiting for the perfect "something" to add to it!

Today, I am sharing a Doodle I made using Yasutomo Mineral Paper (which I am obsessed with) and Gel Xtreme markers.  The markers glide over the mineral paper so smoothly!  It is a wonderful combo to work with!!

 

If you LOVE to doodle like I do, you have to try it with roller ball pens/markers and mineral paper!  You will LOVE it even more!!

xxDaniella

Springtime in Paris

It's the first of June, and while spring is still (barely!) here, I'd like to share with you a favorite spring themed book I created a while ago.  (Please bear in mind my French is very limited, so if you notice any crazy phrasing, we can thank Google Translate . . . ;)

Prima Marketing Inc. flowers

Altered Pages images

vintage sheet music and text pages

die cut pages from Glitz

Bazzill cardstock

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!
:)trisha