bonniebluedenim is donna cook

African Elephant Portrait

2012-01-15T22:50:00.002-06:00

African Elephant Portrait

AP-219-L

The elephant is stamped on a scrap of decorative paper bag I received at a local scrapbooking store, I couldn't throw it away. Layer on to orchid cardstock. Use a piece of sequin waste and sponge dark ink around the edges of the card. Cut out the word "explore" from magazines and brochures. Scan or take a photo and add some paint brush effects with photo editing software.

http://thirdcoastcreativecoterie.blogspot.com/

Photoshop Elements Brushes by Obsidian Dawn

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:47:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

My big brother, Jim, and me at Southtown Famous Barr, 1957.

Greetings of the Season, to you!

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

Greetings of the Season to everyone! Whatever holiday you celebrate, stay happy, healthy and safe.

I stamped the Nutcracker from "Reflections" on to a scrap of "very vanilla" cardstock. I picked up this very cool set at Michael's, just yesterday. ( $9.99 set for only $2.99, I had to buy it!) Joann's had Christmas/Holiday goodies for 70% off. So much for shopping restraint.

I colored the Nutcracker with prismacolor pencils. Crimson red, copenhagen blue, bronze.....

I'm enjoying layering the stamped image on designer paper, and taking photos and manipulating the image. This one was taken on a Holiday sack recylced from last season. ( I think my niece gave it to me!) It doesn't have a manufacturers label, but I think she may have gotten it from a school fund raiser.

Of course I took the photo with the iPhone and processed it through Picfx, Impression, and Lens Flare.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog during the 12 Days of Halloween! Be sure to check out the other fabulous artists participating as Jolly Bloggers, you'll find their links on the blog roll on the right.

Check out the assorted winter festivals celebrated throughout the world! I love a party! I'll be celebrating Christmas, and hope you enjoy your special festival!

PS This is my 300th blog post!
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The rest of the week is all down hill!

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-06:00

Ah, the Sledding Bunny is on the down hill side of the 12 days of Christmas! You can find "Sleding Bunny" (VB-231-I) at ThirdCoast Rubber Stamps. The moon is also from Third Coast ( Cloudy Moon On Horizon CH-155-C)

This little guy was fun to color in with prismacolor pencils to match the designer sky paper. Stamp both the bunny and moon on scrap of white cardstock and cut out.Punch some circles from scraps of sky paper. Design a snow covered slope from the inside of a business envelope. Print text from your computer word processing program, cut and layer on scrap of black paper.

Be sure to check out the fabulous Jolly Bloggers in the blog roll on the right! Friday is the last day of our hop! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Merry & Bright - Part 2

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

I used this stamp before for the 12 Days of Christmas. I found another card element in my stash. I had stamped the image on velum and colored with water color crayons. I layered the velum over "pretty in pink" card stock and added brads to the corners.

Winter's not here yet, and I'm already missing the light. The days do start getting longer after the 21st, so maybe I can hold out. But it does make photography tough. The best light in the house right now in in the basement stair well, on top of the handrail post. There is a bright light in the stair way. I balance the project on the post and hope for the best.

I wanted to add some color to the card, so I layered it on my scraf, it wasn't balancing so well, so I used a flat rate priority mailing box and then the scarf and card element. ( Isn't that silly?)

The photo above before rotating and editing.

Be sure to check out the other 12 Day bloggers at the links on the right!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Star of Wonder

2011-12-17T00:01:00.000-06:00

Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beaming light ....

I enjoy using this "Artifacts " star from Stampin'UP! It is reminiscent of the support rod ends in the old brick homes in St.Louis.

I've been struggling to pull projects together for the 12 Days , and have been determined to get something posted.

This stated out as a leftover card element from a swap several years ago. It's been shoved around in my scrap paper bin waiting for a project. I picked it up and found it went well with some printed Christmas tissue paper. I took its picture and edited it through several iPhone apps. Picture Show, Picfx, and Impression ( it adds the text).

This photo shows editing in progress after Picture Show App.

I love using the iPhone as a creative tool and in my head I pretend the monthly fee is part of what I would spend on art supplies during that month.

Funny thought!

Here's the original "capture ".

Check out the other 12 Day Bloggers, they're the best!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

12 Days Of Christmas

2011-12-15T10:20:00.001-06:00

I'm almost late!

I made this a while back! One of my puppies! I stamped the dog with the tree hat and used water color crayons ( I think!!) added some brads for ornies, some fiber bows, scraps of designer paper! IPhone photo edited with doodle buddy for paws, birds, holly, and ransom letters app for "woof" !

Running out the door now! See you later, gators!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Angels Paint With Music

2011-12-13T09:46:00.000-06:00

Mixed media collage with assorted papers, Dover clip art, stamped letters, scraps of music and Christmas Carol words from a vintage Hymnal.

It's the 12 Days of Christmas at Smeared Ink. check out the other Jolly Bloggers on the links at the right!

Come back December 15!

2011-12-11T14:57:00.001-06:00

Christmas Envelope with vintage Christmas Seals! Red Lead and Cat's Life Press rubber stamps

The image above altered with assorted iPhone apps!

Christmas magic my blog is back!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Celebrate Your Favorite Holiday

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-06:00

I enjoy celebrating Christmas, and honor those who celebrate other days! I believe in all paths to God. This fun card is made with Third Coast Rubber Stamps CO-097-H Circle Package. Stamp the image on scrap paper, cut out, I cut off the "ends" of the package ribbons for a neater look. Color in the packages and layer onto circle paper of your choice. Cut letters from magazines and brochures. ( My favorite mixed media technique.) Photograph with the iPhone and play with assorted apps.

Check out the other fabulous bloggers on the 12 Days of Christmas on the links on the sidebar. Enjoy!

Above is the orignial and another variation. Thanks for stopping by.

It's not over til the fat man eats your cookies!

2011-12-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

Santa ATC

I love this Daisy D paper Santa, I cut out a Santa image and layered it on a scrap of holly paper, add a scrap of red card stock stamped with " it's not over...." by Mrs. O'Leary's Rubber Stamps. Add a metal element from Stampin'Up , tie with a ribbon to pass as a faux belt buckle. Stamp "Santa" with your favorite alphabet set, emboss with copper. Add a couple of copper brads!

I've not been happy with any of my photos, no sunshine ! Sorry :( Thanks for your patience. ): I usually don't have this problem, I don't know if it's the color, or light or combination of the two. Sigh...

Check out all the Smeared Ink bloggers on the links to the right!

Thanks for stopping by!

Star Santa-12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

It's Day Three of the Smeared Ink 12 Days of Christmas! I'm just stamping and coloring today, (and of course shooting photos with the iPhone and editing with assorted apps.

Star Santa is by Stampin'Up! It's one of my favorite Santa images. I colored it with prismacolor pencils. The original ( more or less) is below.

Be sure to check out the other awesome bloggers via the blog roll on the right!
-

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Miracle Santa from Third Coast Rubber Stamps

2011-12-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

Third Coast Rubber Stamps "Miracle Santa" CM-113-O, stamped and colored with prismacolor pencils. Martha Stewart snowflake punch and Magic from some scrapbooking paper. Photographed with the iPhone and edited with Cinema FX.

The 12 Days of Christmas with Smeared and Smudged. Be sure to check out the other fabulous artist/bloggers in the blog roll on the right! Enjoy!

Next Smeared and Smudged post will be Monday, December 5.

12 Days of Christmas - Day #1 Merry & Bright

2011-12-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

I love this stamp from Red Lead Paperworks ( a St.Louis area paper and crafts store). I've added the faux bottle cap to my ATC from some designer paper as well as other scraps and a swirly paper clip.

Of course I took the photo with my iPhone and edited it with the Picture Show App.

Be sure to check out all the bloggers on the 12 Days of Christmas blog roll !!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

God Meets Us In Unexpected Places

2011-11-28T22:25:00.001-06:00

"God meets us in unexpected places at unexpected times. God of noise and of silence, surprise us." ( the Unfolding Journey)

Today we were suppose to put our Mary & Joseph in the quietest place in our house, and sit there for a few minutes in prayerful silence, what do we hear?

Mary and Joseph are sitting on a stack of puzzles at www.brostl.org, we started our toy distribution today. We will be giving out toys to over 4,000 children. It was quiet when M&J were here.

I confess I didn't sit silently in prayer, I was the only one and it was quiet, not sure what I heard, but I did feel anticipation about the day. How would it go. We received a phone call that a couple of major players for the day wouldn't be in due to illness. Yikes ! How would this play out! But God appeared in the form of a group of retired teachers and other volunteers who pulled together and took care of what was needed, and we had a delightful day.

God was there in that simple day of toy packing in the basement of the Presbytery and the 400 children we served today will have a brighter and more hopeful holiday.

"He said," Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."
1Kings 19:11-13.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Advent Journey

2011-11-27T18:32:00.001-06:00

Presbyterian Today has published a wonderful Advent Calendar for 2011

"The Unfolding Journey" by Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman and John Blair Hartmann III
First Week: Wonder & Wander

Readers are invited to use their Mary and;Joseph from their family Nativity set to "wonder and wander" with Mary and Jospeh and prepare and pray as we discover the ways we are called to live out Christ's message in our lives.

We place Mary and Joseph on our porch or in our yard and think about how they might feel as they start their journey.

Mary and Joseph are in a flower pot in my yard, in the rain, in the dark. It's cold. I think about frightening times on the highway in unfamiliar locations, in the pouring rain, at night, wondering where the next exit might be. What if the car breaks down, what if, what if. I try to remember God is with me and

God will help show me the way.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Psalm 25: 4-5

Celebrate In Style

2011-11-22T00:11:00.000-06:00

A simple card for any holiday or event. Featuring Third Coast Rubber Stamps. I love scottie dogs and here is Sir Didemus ( CO-116-H) in his top hat ready for a party!

I hope you will celebrate all of the upcoming holidays in style!

The Art of God

2011-11-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

Stamp the Third Coast image in your art journal, of course you should prep your page with some acrylic paint.

Add text from a collection of cut out letters.

Take a few photos with your iPhone camera and process through several photo apps.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 31 - I Believe in ALL paths to God.

2011-10-31T00:01:00.006-05:00

No matter what religion you are, whether you're a Catholic, whether you're Voo Doo, or whether you're a

Presbyterian, or so and and so on....

We All Pray!

I believe in all paths to God.

The top two photos have had Photoshop Elements Brushes added here and there.

The bottom photos are unedited from the original photo.

A journal page, expressing my belief about religion. I believe in all paths to God. Your path may be different than mine, but it is how we relate to God, and who are we to tell the other they are wrong? We all pray.

I've enjoyed the 31 days of Halloween, it's been all about honoring each other and our gifts. Thank you for viewing and commenting on my posts. Be sure to check out the other Wicked Bloggers they are ALL awesome! May peace be with you.

Day 30 - 'Tis now the very witching time of night.....

2011-10-30T00:01:00.003-05:00

'Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out

Contagion to this world.

~William Shakespeare

Inkadinkado and fun Halloween paper.
I took this photo on my front porch and the sun was flickering through the leaves, I like the effect!
Check out the other Wicked Bloggers to the right!

Remember my prize pack, way back at the beginning of the month! I had every intention of featuring my rat friends in some more of my photos! HA! I was lucky to get projects done, photographed and edited and posted. You all had some great name ideas. But a name came to me, thanks so much for your input.

Kit & Kaboodle
"Kit and Kaboodle," meaning "everything and all of everything," down to the last kitten. ( and rat?)

And the winner (in a relatively scientific selection process) is...

ldfdesigns

Be sure to send me your address via Smeared and Smudged messages! Or on the 31 days message board.

Day 29 - What fate now holds for YOU?

2011-10-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright

Of soft and golden hue

Pierce through the future’s veil and show

What fate now holds for you.

~Author Unknown

Mrs. O'Leary Rubber Stamps, designer paper, stampin' up - pumpkin pie, black embossing powder.

Check out the other Wicked Bloggers and thanks for stopping by!

Day 28 - Monsters

2011-10-28T00:01:00.039-05:00

I can see every monster as they come in.

Truman Capote

The artist must bow to the monster of his/her own imagination.

Richard Wright

Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you - and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory; but it has you!
John Irving

Smeared Ink Grumpie edited via iPhone apps.

We're almost there!

Check out the other wicked bloggers.

Day 27 - If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive. ~American Quaker Saying

2011-10-27T00:01:00.006-05:00

If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive. ~American Quaker Saying

Tags stamped with Inkadinkado minis from JoAnn's also Stampin' UP splatter stamp.

Edited with Cinema FX on iPhone 4

And some star flashes with paint brushes from Photo Shop elements.

The tag below is my favorite.

Be sure to check out the other Wicked Bloggers and thanks so much for the kind comments. Also, I am still working to give away my prize package. Thanks, so much for stopping by!

Day 26 - Anxiety

2011-10-26T00:01:00.006-05:00

I'm experiencing anxiety as we approach the end of the 31 days! (LOL)

Well, sort of.

Will I get everything completed in time?

What about the other creative projects

and not so creative projects

coming down the path?

And what about those spiders and things that go bump in the night?

Anxiety is the essential condition

of intellectual and artistic creation.

This was a journal page that I made with the 365 Journal Class at Creative Workshops with Pam Carriker. One of the suggestions she makes in the workshop and her book Art At The Speed of Life, is to take your own art work, copy/ scan or reproduce and use it in other projects.

Which is what I did here. It's so easy to scan and print, or scan, save to flash drive and take to Office Max and have them print. ( Not happy with my printer.....but that's another story....Office Max is close and on the way to everywhere.)

You'll notice the Martha Stewart stamps used, the spider web under Anxiety, bats in the upper right, and spiders in the lower left. I have used assorted scrapbooking papers and elements that you may recognize.

Be sure to check out all the Wicked Bloggers in the links on the right and come back tomorrow for more art!

Day 25 -Wicked!

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

October 31, 2005 Urban Word of the Day

New England slang that adds emphasis. Synonymous with really, very and hella.

To describe how great something is: "This car is wicked cool!"

To show aggravation: "This ##### guy is a wicked #######!"

To show frustration: "That guy is wicked slow!"

To show amazement: "Wow, that game is wicked awesome!"

To describe a person: "She's a wicked ####!"

To describe the weather: "Man, it's wicked hot out here!"

To emphasize feelings: "That story made me wicked sad!"

To exaggerate your point: "That took a wicked long time!"

"That wicked cool car is wicked fast is owned by that wicked old guy, who drives it wicked slow when it's wicked hot out, which makes me wicked sad cause I'm wicked broke and I got to walk a wicked long way."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wicked

Dover clip art, layered on a stamped tag, scanned images, cropped and added PSE elements.

Day 24 I Never Met A Pumpkin I Didn't Like

2011-10-24T00:01:00.007-05:00

I never met a pumpkin I didn't like.

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/fun/pquote.htm

Dover clip art, a small religious sticker, stamped leaves from Stampin' UP! Background is a piece of recycled calendar page. Ransom letters cut from magazines and star stickers.

Day 23 - Scary Pixie

2011-10-23T00:01:00.015-05:00

Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,

All are on their rounds tonight;

In the wan moon's silver ray,

Thrives their helter-skelter play.

~Joel Benton

Don't be frightened by the image above. It's me, circa 1955. I had several of these images left from another fun project. Trying to use stuff from the stash. Butterfly clip art. A little spooky stamp from Michael's, and scraps of colorful paper and a smidgen of orange gingham ribbon.

Check out the other Wicked Blogs!

Day 22 Clothes Make A Statement, Costumes Tell A Story

2011-10-22T00:01:00.017-05:00

I had this vintage Can-Can girls postcard that needed to be in a project. Lo and behold I found this scrapbook embellishment.

Clothes Make A Statement

Costumes Tell A Story

Mason Cooley

I couldn't resist putting the two together.

I used the Inkadinkado spiders and some alpha stamps

and of course some fun Halloween scrapping paper

So....

Are you wearing clothes?

Or a costume?

Check out the other Wicked Blogs in the links on the right!

Thanks for looking!

Day 21 What Are You Looking At

2011-10-21T00:01:00.005-05:00

It's Smeared and Smudged Day on The 31 Days of Halloween

Cute little creature hiding out in a pumpkin. No doubt waiting for someone to scare!

Copic markers and assorted designer paper and some orange seam binding. ( Yes, orange!)

Day 20 - Witchcraft is a spiritual path....

2011-10-20T00:01:00.003-05:00

Witchcraft ... is a spiritual path. You walk it for nourishment of the soul, to commune with the life force of the universe, and to thereby better know your own life.

CHRISTOPHER PENCZAK, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft

Witchcraft, like any science or philosophical system, must be approached from a liberal point of view. When looked at objectively, we see that Witchcraft is just another theoretical body of knowledge. It is a process, not a person. Therefore it is neutral, incapable of being either good or evil. Like all belief systems, Witchcraft is only as good or evil as the people using it.

LADY SABRINA, Secrets of Modern Witchcraft Revealed

Love for life in all its forms is the basic ethic of Witchcraft.

STARHAWK, Spiral Dance

The bottom image is the orignial, I colored the image with copic markers. I can't find my stamp to tell you where she is from. But I got it at this cute shop while traveling in September. The other images were altered with assorted apps on my iPhone.

http://ascrapbookst.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html

http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/witchcraft_quotes.html

Be sure to check out the other Wicked Bloggers on the links to the right!

See you tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by

Witchcraft/Aircraft

2011-10-19T00:01:00.019-05:00

My first attempt at scenic stamping for Third Coast. I am serving on Third Coast's current Design Team and am having a great time! I'm not totally sure these "go" together. It's whimsical, sometimes I want the "scene" to make sense. And I'm not sure what that means., "make sense". It's stamping "for Pete's sake".
Well anyway, I colored with the prismacolor pencils, and I am pretty pleased with the results. It's kind of fun.

Hills of Whimsy AP-045-I

Halloween Airplane AP-481-K

Pumpkin Patch Set-11 Stamps PR-034-V

Day 18 - Brother And Sister Together As Friends...

2011-10-18T00:01:00.027-05:00

"Brother and sister, together as friends,

ready to face whatever life sends.

Joy and laughter or tears and strife,

holding hands tightly

as we dance through life."

Author: Suzie Huitt

My big brother and me on Halloween 1956

I rubber stamped the Happy Halloween

Be sure to check out the other wicked blog in the links to the right!

If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you best teach it to dance.

2011-10-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

“If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet,

you'd best teach it to dance.”

George Bernard Shaw

Day 16 She Drank Good Ale, Good Punch and Wine

2011-10-16T00:01:00.002-05:00

Rebecca Freeland
1741

She drank good ale,

good punch and wine

And lived to the age of 99

http://www.innocentenglish.com/funny-dumb-quotes-questions-sayings/funny-epitaphs.html

An ATC, which wouldn't photograph well. Stamp Happy Halloween ( Inkadinkado) on a scrap of designer paper

using embossing ink, emboss with copper embossing powder.

Layer onto white cardstock just a bit larger than your scrap above. Stamp the tombstone row (Inkadinkado) at the bottom.

Tie on a scrap of organdy ribbon. Gently heat up the ribbon

with your heat tool, until it starts to shrivel up. ( Not too long)

Be sure to check out the other Wicked Blogs

See you tomorrow.

Thanks!

Day 15 "The Lightning Flashes Through My Skull"

2011-10-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

The lightning flashes through my skull; mine eyeballs ache and ache; my whole beaten brain seems as beheaded, and rolling on some stunning ground.

Herman Melville

Moby Dick

You've seen the paper mache skulls on another Wicked Blog

Here is the Dollar Tree Plastic version.

Begin by sanding the surface of the skull, just a bit, it will help the paint stick.

Apply a coating of gesso. Wait while it dries, and apply another coat or two.

After it dries draw a design on your skull with pencil.

I wasn't sure just what to do next. So I painted the flowers

with some basic craft acrylic, I really don't like this paint, but I had it.

It's also very cheap and one should just go ahead and use the stuff in your stash!

I was in a rush to finish, wanting immediate gratification and wanting to post for Day 15

so I outlined the images using my black copic marker. I was pleased with the way this worked

not sure of the effect on my marker, but you can change out those tips!

I colored in some of the other flowers with other copic markers. Pretty pleased. But I wouldn't do the

\entire skull with the copics.

So....what about a rubber stamp? I took my tiny spider web from my Michael's stash

and stamped it as centers on the flowers and in some of the spaces.

Ideally I should have painted the entire skull, and applied a coat of modge podge or some other

similar finish, you could use a glossy or matte finish.

Check out the other wicked blogs and we'll see you tomorrow!

Day 14 - "Said the spider to the fly"

2011-10-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's Smeared Ink Day on the 31 Days of Halloween. I ordered a 'grab bag collection' and I'm loving all the new stamps. I hope you enjoy them, too. I made a "mask" of this character with the little dancing spider on his head, and a mask of the web. Cut them out, of course. Then stamp in your journal. Use the masks as needed to cover the character and/or web, to get some images in the background. I love using masks. I colored in the character with Crimson Red prismacolor pencil and black fine point copic markers, the same with the webs.I took a photo and embellished with PSE paint brushes. It's fun.

Be sure to check out all the fabulous work on the Wicked Blogs listed to the right, you won't be sorry!

Come back tomorrow for Day 15

Day 13 The Infamous Ancestor

2011-10-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

Families are like fudge... mostly sweet with a few nuts.

~Author Unknown

I love making art with old family photos. Sometimes I come across a photo of a person that's not family, so I adopt them and call them infamous.

I worked on this project while on vacation and took a photo with my iPhone and edited it through several apps. I love my iPhone, I know you're not suppose to love stuff, but I have the best time with it. Money well spent for me. The photos above are the edited versions. Below is the original.

Obviously a collage with some fun background paper, Martha Stewart spider, bats and web, fun faux glasses ( there are some in my prize pack, that I haven 't forgotten, honest. A Finch Playing Card, Purgatory stamp is from Long Island Limited Edition.

Relax and Have Some Candy Corn

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Journaling with candy corn is fun, I loved cutting out the candy corn images and glueing them to the skeletons. The angel image is a photo I took on vacation in one of the many US Civil War era cemeteries that my husband and I haunt while on the road.

Halloween is almost here

Goblins, Ghosts, Oh the fear!

Pumpkins, black cats and witches brew

and bobbing for apples, too.

So jump for joy and sound the horn

Relax and have some Candy Corn
(Author unknown)

Share All The Chocolate!

2011-10-11T00:01:00.008-05:00

A simple collage card using a copy of a vintage photo, Trick or Treat from Cat's Life Press, Background from Stampin' UP! and Happy Halloween from Hero Arts. There's also one of those little swirly paper clips on her hat ( which is a scrap of decorator paper) copper brads, and copper embossing powder. I love copper.

My background props are from a Kohl's After Christmas Sale a few years ago. Photo Shop Elements brush action on the quilted fabric background.

I know, everybody does the witch's hat on the head of a person in a vintage photo, I like it. A lot. You may see more.

Be sure to check out Cat's Life Press, they have the coolest circle stamps! ( And other stamps.) So many stamp companies, so little money, LOL!
'
Don;t forget to come back tomorrow and check out the other Wicked Bloggers!

Trick or Treat

2011-10-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

Simple card today, with a Dollar store prop! ( A little photoshop elements brush action, too!) The stamps are all the mini Inkadinkadoo Stamps. Itty Bitty Backgrounds splatter stamp from Stampin'UP! is also included. I think I use that on every card I make. Of course some ribon and a moon charm. ( Moon charm is causing the ribbon to sag, oh well.) Oh yes, the stmaped images at the top portion of the card are silver embossed . They almost look white with the editing.

Be sure to check out the other Wicked Bloggers on the blog roll to the right. Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you tomorow!

Death by Candy Corn II - Mini tutorial

2011-10-09T00:01:00.012-05:00

Death by Candy Corn II.
A tag, the swirls are See D's Rubber Stamps, Candy Corn is from the little mini two packs from Michaels. The Dancing Skeleton is from either Mrs. O'Leary's or Stamp Camp.

The rest of the post is a mini tutorial on what "brushes" are on PhotoShop Elements. ( Very BASIC!)

Open an image in your Photoshop Elements program. Add a new layer. ( You'll find "layer" on the tool bar at the top of the page. Click on it and a menu drops down, select NEW.) You don't have to do this, but adding the layer makes it easier to edit.
I took these with my iPhone, just wanted to get some images up so you could see what it's all about.

On the tool bar to your left you will see a picture of a paint brush, click on it.

Select the brush tool on the left

After selection brush tool, select the type of "brushes" you want to use, then select the specific brush. Your program comes with basic brushes, you can find free brushes online and pay a small fee for licensing.

Mark or brush hovering over the image. When you click the mouse it adds the color.

You can see the brush tool over to the right and the colored image it will leave when you click on the mouse.

another tool brush on the top tool bar allows you to change the angle and orientation of the tool brush, you can also change the size and color of your tool brush, as well as opacity.

You can find great "paint brushes" at http://www.obsidiandawn.com/ .
I took a couple of classes here http://www.shabbycottagestudio.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=1420
Gail's classes are great! This one gives you the bascis of layers and shows you how to use a lot of different tools. It's a great jump start if you are trying to muddle through Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. I took another one of her digital classes as well. Worth the time and money.

Thanks for visiting. See you tomorrow!

Too Cute To Spook

2011-10-08T00:24:00.001-05:00

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss

Remember the photo booths from the 60s. Here I am with my best friend Monica. 1963? We were 10. ( And friends forever!)I made this collage with some quilt wrapping paper scraps, and other paper scraps, layered onto a piece of a game board.

The stars were from a purchased wreath that had seen better days. The photo had been scanned and printed onto copy paper, I think I would have had better results printing onto cardstock, but I was trying to use up "stuff" from the "stash". Notice the stamped spiders, from one of the Mini Inkadinkado sets. There are some punch out diecuts from "Authentique". I finished the collage with a layer of bees wax. Always and adventure.

Still studying the rat names.......will announce my prize winner soon! ( If you are like me you are desperately trying to keep posting, and commenting, crafting, creating and still carry on your real life! LOL and having fun, of course!)

Thanks for looking and be sure to check out the other 31 Days of Halloween Wicked Bloggers on the links listed on the right!

Smeared & Smudged

2011-10-07T00:01:00.005-05:00

It's the 31 Days of Halloween at Smeared and Smudged and it's Smeared Ink day. It's optional to use a Smeared Ink rubber stamp in your project today. You can find the funky collection here http://www.smearedink.com/

I just got a stash of stamps from them this week! Time to play. So I doodled in my journal with some of the images and took a photo with my iPhone, uploaded to my computer and added some photoshop elements brush embellishments.

the top Photo is before the addition of the photoshop elements embellishments.

Usually I add background material to a page before working, but I wanted to get busy with the stamps to post in time for Friday. While the top page is ok, the white space is sometimes unappealing, and the addition of the 'brush' elements just adds interest to an otherwise ordinary page. I'm all about trying to make ordinary interesting.

Last but not least, a close up of the Smeared Ink image

Pretty much fun if you ask me! Check out the other Wicked Bloggers in the blog roll on the right!

And my rat friends are still accepting name suggestions! They'd love to share this prize with you!

"Hold on Man! We don't go anywhere with 'scary', 'spooky', 'haunted', or 'forbiddin' in the title.

2011-10-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

Probably the wrong quote for Smeared & Smudged 31 Days of Halloween, 'cause everywhere you turn, it's "Scary", "Spooky", "Haunted" and "Forbidden". But that doesn't stop the Wicked Bloggers. Be sure you check out the other links in the blog roll to the right.

Scooby Doo's quote was perfect for this journal page. I painted this page with the acrylic green, and "collage pauged" ( Traci Bautista's gluing medium)the ghostly image. I use whatever I happen to find on sale or have a coupon or I am inspired to try. No real product loyalty here. ( However the Claudine Hellmuth Mixed Medium is especially nice, but pricey for the size.) Mod Pauge works nice, too as well as the assorted brands of gel mediums.

The image came from a vintage text from the books below, we had these when I was at home as a mere child. My folks bought them when my brother was little, in the late 40s. I came along in the early 50s. I ran across a set of these and had to pick up a couple of volumnes.

I used some more of those Inkadinkado Mini stamps I picked up at Joann's and my local scrapbook store. Don't you love that little row of tombstones. Add some shading with a graphite pencil and some highlights with a white gel pen. You're set.

Here's a few detail photos. I think the 3 and the 1 may be from Stampin'Up collage alphabet / numbers.

Now, the prize pack from my rat friends. They need a name, we had several suggestions yesterday, which were pretty good. The rats are androgynous, so they really don't care if it's a boy's name or a girl's name.

The prize pack includes 3 Men's Clothing Alteration Tags, 3 vintage and naturally aged Bingo cards, 3 tags, 3 special labels, and 3 pairs of Pince-Nez, never before worn by any human. The rats and blood splatter will stay here. Isn't this exciting!

So think of some names, and you can enter more than once.

I found
yesterday's cloaked kitty at http://www.stamplandchicago.com/ #3318-18

Every dog has his day - but nights are reserved for the cats.

2011-10-05T00:01:00.005-05:00

I'm a dog person, I just like dogs. I never had a cat. I always feel guilty when I stamp with a cat. So this one is wearing a disguise. Don't tell my dogs! Maybe they won't notice the cat, or the rats for that matter.

This is embarrassing all around. I don't know the source of the cat stamp. I want to say it's Third Coast, it looks like her style. But I'm sure I got it at a stamp convention awhile back, and I don't think Third Coast has been out to any of them that I have been to locally.Have you been to one of those? A million and one stamp vendors. I lose track of what I buy where. When I was buying I don't think I had started blogging or submitting cards for publication, so I just bought and stamped. My friend has made a spread sheet of her stamps. (She's one of those logical/sequential people.) I just try to keep them in a box, and that takes a great deal of effort.

The rat kept sticking his/her nose into the photos. They need names. Any suggestions? A prize might be in order. I'll post a picture of the prize tomorrow. So post some name suggestions and we'll see what happens!

Oh....yeah the card. I stamped the kitty on a piece of scrap printer paper. Cut it out for a mask. Do the same with the Ghost ( $1 Michael's stamp). Stamp the kitty image on white cardstock, use your kitty and ghost mask as needed to stamp a gaggle of ghosts on your card. Stamp the word "friends" ( Stampin' UP!) and color in with black marker. Color the background with orange. ( Copic, I think, but any orange will do.) Add a little flourish of multi-color fiber.

It's day 5 - The 31 Days of Halloween. Check out the blogroll to the right for the next Wicked Blogger! Check back tomorrow for more Halloween fun.

Death By Candy Corn Part - 1

2011-10-04T00:01:00.004-05:00

I started early making my 31 Days of Halloween projects. Mostly that meant I did a lot of shopping. I had plans for making a display with my "candy corn" pieces. I kept eating the props. (At least the candy corn and chocolate eyeballs.) I had every intention of using "stuff" I had at home. It worked for about 5 minutes. I hit the road and headed to the local Dollar Tree. Don't buy your candy corn there. It's "generic", and while many things generic aren't different, diet colas and candy corn seem to fall into that category where you need to buy name brand. Disappointing I know.

My skeleton prop came from Dollar Tree, as well as the martini glass.The candy corn, Brach's, came from the local grocer! Now I have all these bags of candy corn. ( Well, at least as I write this I do.) I found this recipe for Candy Corn Cordials from the food network. You'll find other Candy Corn recipes there as well!

I used some decorative paper for a background and an ATC sized black scrap. Stamp the candy corn images on scraps of white paper, color with your Copic markers, then stamp with the cute pumpkin face cut out from Third Coast Rubber Stamps. I found the cute candy corn stamp in the Michael's $1 bin. ( It's been lurking in my stash for awhile and is happy to be out and about!)

Check out the other 31 Days of Halloween bloggers in the blog roll on the right! Thanks for stopping by and come back again tomorrow!

Vampires!

2011-10-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

Vampires, Bats and Ghosts OH MY!
I try to avoid vampire movies, like .....welll....like Vampires! I confess I enjoyed the Twlight Series ( Books and movies, anything to turn kids on to reading!)

I didn't find good vampire quotes, but I found some movies. Oh good :(

FW Murnau's German silent classic is the original and some say scariest Dracula adaptation. You can catch some of it here on you tube.
Nosferatu 1922 I am properly scared just by the trailers.

Or you can catch this version from 1996 From Dusk Till Dawn, with George Clooney. (How can you pass up anything with George Clooney) Dusk Till Dawn 1996

This card was kind of fun, I used some Basic Grey background paper. The cute vampire movie poster clip came from some fun scrapbooking paper I picked up at a local scrapbook store in St. Louis For Keeps Sake. The paper is from Karen Foster Designs. eek and the bats are Inkadinkado clear mini stamps. Both JoANN's and For Keeps Sake had a fun selection. ( However, they were $1 at JoAnn's and For Keep Sakes had them for $2.25, however, FKS had a larger selection....and I ended up buying from both. ( So I try to hit both the big box and local shops)

I embossed the "eek" with some of Tim Holtz Distress embossing powder. I had gotten some at my favorite craft recycling shop ( she had bought out a local shop that was going out of business,) UpCycle Exchange. I had never used it, and had sort of expected it to work like regular embossing powder, but it works more like embossing powder that doesn't work right. You just need to be aware of it's effects before you stamp, you could be disappointed. Just be sure to use the right image and it will be great. I'm still glad I didn't pay the $4.99 that was marked on the container. At Upcycle, you pay what you want, and also trade. ( I have been weeding my fabric collection and have been getting some great deals!)

Of course, be sure to add a favorite smiggen of fiber to your piece, and be sure you check out the other 31 Days of Halloween participants listed in the sidebar!

See you tomorrow!

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.

2011-10-02T00:01:00.014-05:00

I have the honor of serving on the Third Coast Rubber Stamps Design Team. Each month we received a stash of "Challenge Stamps". The three nude women in the journal page above is one I recently received. I like it! But I was trying to figure out a way to use in for my 31 Days of Halloween entry and my Third Coast Blog day.

One of my many favorite things to do on the internet is search for quotes. I had searched for Halloween quotes when I first signed up for 31 Days. I remembered seeing "I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween". The perfect quote! I like journaling with quotes and words and using ransome note lettering. I have a stash of letters that I keep in two embroidery floss organizers.

I pick up travel brochures when we travel, studying the brochures carefully for the perfect fonts. I know I prefer the fonts with "serifs" but pick up others that have cool color combos or are the perfect size. I try to keep a stash, so that I can sort through each letter looking for the perfect one that will be appealing with the other letters in the quote and with other art on the page.

Stamp the image on some scraps of designer paper and embossed with fine black embossing power. Apply a wash to your journal page using acrylic paint. Adhere your stamped images and add lettering, and assorted other quotes. I found some other interesting quotes about naked and or nude people from the internet.

"Clothes make the man (or woman). Naked people have little or no influence on society." Mark Twain

Check out all of the art stamps on Third Coast, at the links to the right. Three Nudes is # FA - 201-I .

Thanks for visiting Day 2 of The 31 Days of Halloween! Be sure to click on the next link in the blog roll at the right.

Day 1 - The 31 Days of Halloween

2011-10-01T00:01:00.003-05:00

Welcome to The 31 Days of Halloween! Also World Card Making Day! Check out the links in the side bar to all the Wicked Bloggers participating in The 31 Days of Halloween.

Don't you love those little stamps they sell at Michael's for only a $1. A couple of years ago I picked these up in their $1 section. Even better, they were in a two pack, 50 cents each!

I used some designer paper scraps I picked up at my local craft recycling shop The Upcycle Exchange in Saint Louis. Layer the paper onto your card. Next make an ATC sized card with a faux postage stamp template from SplitCoast Stampers

Print the template onto card stock, cut out the shape you would like to use, make a mask to help keep your image contained in the shape! I love doing this and love all the templates you can find on SplitCoast Stamers.

Of course you have to add some organdy ribbon or some sort of fiber!

The photo at the top has been embellished with Photoshop Element Brushes from http://www.obsidiandawn.com/ You can use the brushes for free or purchase a license for commercial use. I love them. This one was postage related brushes! Very Fun!

Check back daily for more of The 31 Days of Halloween!

Ever grateful

2011-09-29T13:02:00.001-05:00

World Card Making Day is October 1, and The 31 Days of Halloween will begin as well! Come back and check it out!

-Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

On the road

2011-09-25T08:32:00.001-05:00

Spent the week in Vero Beach, Florida. Had a great time, glad we were there!

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

How Do Monsters Tell Their Fortune?

2011-09-14T09:51:00.001-05:00

Are you getting ready for the 31 days of Halloween, starting in just 17 days? I'm participating in a blog hop as a Wicked Blogger. At this point I have 15 pieces ready for the blog hop! It's all I can do to keep from posting them. The rules state, however, that the items are to be new pieces and never "shown" to the public. (Funny!) Check back here and you'll see a different post with Halloween and Day of the Dead Art and Art from the Dark Side. I've been stocking up on Halloween goodies from the Dollar Tree and digging through my stash of stuff to put together Halloween vignettes! Sounds like fun, hope you can join me. You'll also find this particular "art" piece on the Third Coast Design Team blog tomorrow. Check out the work of the other design team member while you are there.

In addition I used "paint brushes" from Obsidian Dawn to digitally enhance this piece for blog publication.

Witchcraft!

2011-08-02T23:33:00.002-05:00

“With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.”

Henri Matisse

This cute witch in her airplane is coming soon to Third Coast Rubber Stamps!

Cancel the Social Studies MAP, the children have been taught lies. A message to the Missiouri Congressional Delegation

2011-07-26T11:08:00.001-05:00

A message to the Missouri Congressional Delegation:

Thank you for serving the people of Missouri, no easy task these days.

I taught American History, Government and Economics in Missouri schools for 25 years. I believed everything I taught. American was imperfect, yet perfect. We could work together to solve our problems. For heaven’s sake, we could put a “man” on the moon! We can do anything. Our two party system could compromise and solve most any problem. I could go on and on. I tried to make my class a place where Civics came alive and would inspire young people to aspire to a life of service to the American people in one way or another, but at the very least, but most important, vote in every election.

On May 31, 1988 before the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a tiny article on the last page of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The Secondary School History exams in the Soviet Union would be cancelled until the history books could be rewritten. (They had been taught lies.) I’ll never forget reading that.

As of late, that article keeps popping into my mind. I’m trying to reconcile the American Government I believed in and taught about while teaching , with what is happening in Washington, DC today.

I listened last night to the President and the Speaker of the House. I am frightened and depressed and am feeling hopeless. The Speaker spent his time discussing the importance of business and protecting business. The President spoke about the people. I tried to listen with an open mind.

I do not see how continued tax breaks for the wealthiest will help. I do not see how cutting services to our neediest and most vulnerable citizens will help. Defaulting on the debt will not help.

I’m disturbed by comments that public school teachers and other public employees have created this economic crisis and that we should all sacrifice to protect the nation’s “job creators” ( new term for wealthy in our nation).

The rhetoric and attacks on public employees is astounding. When did the public school teacher become the enemy? Please, please, please, do not say to me that we throw too much money at education and see no result. It is an insult. You may have thrown a handful of pocket change, but all of you have seriously missed the mark.

It’s difficult to even discuss, impossible to get past the name calling, and accusations. I know that our American government can come to a compromise that will not cause any group to take on more than their fair share of the burden in this time of crisis.

Compromise is the key. Compromise means both sides give up a little to reach an agreement. Otherwise we need to cancel the Social Studies MAP tests, the children have been taught lies.

Along The Morganford

2011-07-14T14:46:00.001-05:00

Defying the elements of our current weather, I decided to get out for a walk before it hit 90 degrees !

I came across a trail counter ! very interesting! Did you know the trail group will have over 600 miles of trails along the riverways, west of the Mississippi ?

A few other photos from the trail today!

Have a great day!

Keep cool !
http://morgansfordchronicle.blogspot.com/ check it out !
Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Where do you find your self

2011-07-12T21:14:00.003-05:00

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

“for whatever we lose (like a you or a me) / it's always ourselves we find in the sea”

2011-07-11T15:41:00.001-05:00

The Third Coast Design Team has been hard at work with the July stamps. This is FUN! I'm sharing my first set of completed cards, with more to follow. These two cards are made using FA-214- L The Swimmers. You can find this stamp of course on the Third Coast Rubber Stamp website. Along with all the other fabulous stamps that are offered there!

The top card also features a vintage world map from Wax Nostalgia. In addition I used a splatter stamp from Stampin' UP, and colored both images with prismacolor pencils and copic markers.

Sequin waste was used to help sponge the dots on to the card below, and I added some orange paint splatter to compliment the Australia postage stamp. My usual modus oporandi is to add cut out letters to everything, and you'll find that on my bottom card.

I'm currently working on a journal page with this stamp featuring an e.e. cummings quote. I'll post it soon!

“for whatever we lose (like a you or a me) / it's always ourselves we find in the sea”
e.e. cummings

the daisy follows soft the sun

2011-07-11T15:15:00.003-05:00

The daisy follows soft the sun,And when his golden walk is done,
Sits shyly at his feet.
He, waking, finds the flower near.
"Wherefore, marauder, art thou here?"
"Because, sir, love is sweet!"

We are the flower, Thou the sun!
Forgive us, if as days decline,
We nearer steal to Thee, —Enamoured of the parting west,
The peace, the flight, the amethyst,
Night's possibility!

Emily Dickinson

One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower !

2011-07-03T18:55:00.001-05:00

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, " one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

- Hans Christian Anderson

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

A Father's Love

2011-06-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

Don't blow out the light!

2011-06-14T23:22:00.001-05:00

An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?

Rene Descartes

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Friday Night

2011-06-07T09:59:00.004-05:00

Friday Night, I spent the evening with 45,000 of my closest friends. Well really, just six, friends from www.oakhillpcusa.org . We worked as " fund raisers" at the concession stand. Our church is adding showers in the old house attached to our church. We 're planning on mission groups coming and staying and doing urban mission in our community!

Check out our church blog for details!
http://oakhillpcusa.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.html

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Meet the Third Coast Design Team

2011-06-05T15:57:00.006-05:00

Here's the list! The following are the creative blogs of the Third Coast Design Team, hereafter to be called Third Coast Creative Coterie.

You may be asking, just what is that? ( I had to look, too.)

co·te·rie /ˈkoʊtəri/ [koh-tuh-ree] –noun
1. a group of people who associate closely.
2. an exclusive group; clique.
3. a group of prairie dogs occupying a communal burrow.

http://publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com/2006/01/black-tailed-prairie-dog-cynomys.html

Origin: 1730–40; < French, Middle French: an association of tenant farmers < Medieval Latin coter ( ius ) cotter2 + -ie -y3 —Synonyms 1. See circle.

coterie in a sentence
A tightly-knit coterie of executive powerbrokers made all the real decisions in the company.

I'll be adding more links to the list as they become available.

In the meantime, check out this group and decide are they prairie dogs, executive powerbrokers,Medieval tenant farmers, or a group of unique individuals who share a love of the paper arts through
Third Coast Art Rubber Stamps.

You decide!

http://thirdcoastrubber.blogspot.com/
http://kathstales.blogspot.com
http://evermorecardcreations.com/blog/
http://ineedtostamp.blogspot.com
http://akstamping.blogspot.com/
http://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/
http://valeriewilson.blogspot.com/
http://www.stempelientje.blogspot.com/
http://www.skippereva.blogspot.com/
http://dreamingncreating.blogspot.com
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?si=Auntie+Susan+&x=24&y=19

thank heaven someone is crazy enough to pick me for their design team

2011-06-03T11:29:00.002-05:00

"thank heavens someone is crazy enough to give me a daisy"...... e.e. cummings

The cat image to the left is the rubber stamp that turned me on to "Third Coast Art Rubber Stamps". I saw it featured in an article from one of the Rubber stamping/craft magazines. I love the little guy peeking out of the paper. I have since submitted this piece to Stamper's Sampler in response to a "Tempting Template" that they posted awhile back.

I get Third Coast's newsletter updates, and am "Friends" with them on facebook. In April they put out a call for Design Team Members. I decided to throw my hat in the ring! They were looking for designers to create a vast variety of works, not at all limited to any one style, theme, medium or genre using their rubber stamps. Since I never met a rubber stamp I didn't like, I'm available on-line, and I like an artistic challenge and refuse to be intimidated; I sent in my virtual portfolio.

Now I'm shouting from the mountain tops! "Mom! They picked me!" I am honored to be selected, and wanted to tell the world.

Consider yourself told.

Thanks for listening.

Isaiah 58 Art Auction

2011-05-08T22:52:00.004-05:00

It's the 2nd Annual Wine Tasting and Art Auction to benefit Isaiah 58 Ministries . You'll find the people, art and wine at Sasha's Wine Bar 4069 Shaw Ave. in Saint Louis, Tuesday, May 10, 7:00 PM - 10:00PM.

I'm offering up this basket of cards.

One dozen, handmade cards. Cards are made from purchased scrapbooking supplies and embellished with rubber stamps,. ink and graphite pencil. There are 5 Birthday cards, 2 Father's Day cards, 1 Graduation card, and more. Vintage red, white and blue theme suitable for men and women. Arranged in a basket, tied with vintage seam binding and twill tape.

Remembering Brad

2011-04-28T22:46:00.001-05:00

(Left to right : Donna, Mary Ann, Jim, Brad, Joe....)
Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. - Author Unknown

Crazed with the love of the light

2011-04-24T21:53:00.003-05:00

Fuel or fodder for your art journaling, that's what your photos are for. Especially the random shots taken on walks with your iPhone. Those are the best.

Just start with a giant sunflower head, peeking over a fence. Snap a few images, edit with your assorted apps, and you're ready to go. I upload to flickr these days, my phone won't let me download to my computer. Some glitch, I guess. But you can by-pass that problem.

Download/upload, whatever the jargon, to flickr. Download to your computer. Edit some more with your Photoshop Elements or photo editing software. Size to your liking and put multiple sizes on an 8 1/2 by 11 sized layout. Save to a flash drive. Drive to your local Office Max. Get some prints on 12 point paper.

Seems like a lot of steps, but in the long run it saves me the frustration of printing multiple, less than satisfactory, prints on my home printer.

In the meantime, search the Internet for a quote or two that seems to fit the topic of your photo. I decided to search for sunflower and yellow. I was working on this page in Pam Carriker's Journal 365 class. This particular assignment suggested printing or stamping the word of a color repeatedly on your background and then limit your palette to that color ( and it's complement, or analogous colors, and etc.)

But back to our Internet, quote search. One of my favorite things to do. Sometimes, they work, sometimes they don't, sometimes you love 'em but can't use 'em.

And sometimes I don't know what they mean, oh well.

I found these and liked them...and used some of them.

There is no blue without yellow and without orange. Vincent Van Gogh
We've been in a war and a recession. That's why acccent colors with yellow and purple are popular. They're optimistic and flirty and happy colors. David Bromstad
What ye have been ye still shall be, When we are dust the dust among, O yellow flowers! Austin Dobson
“Sometimes silence is not golden -- just yellow.”
“Bring me then the plant that points to those bright Lucidites swirling up from the earth, And life itself exhaling that central breath! Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light”
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do. - Helen Keller, Cancer

After I had selected my color, Yellow Ochre (not okra), I searched for papers from magazines. Just ripped them right out! Fun, but be sure to you use your own copy and not a neighbor's and especially not the library copy.

I applied some of my base color, thinned with water, to my journal page and let it dry. Then I stamped the word yellow ochre, all over, using a large sized alphabet set and paint instead of ink.

Somewhere in the midst of this process, you paw through your stash of ephemera and other paper goodies and look for "stuff" that fits your color mood. I added the magazine and ad scraps, as well as some quilt design wrapping paper.

I love to add cut out letters to my pages and art work, and if you should get a ransom letter in the mail, it isn't from me, honest! I periodically cut up magazines and put the letters in two of those embroidery floss holders, one letter in each slot. It's great then you can browse through your alphabet stash and find fonts, sizes and colors to enhance your art page. Be careful it doesn't spill on the floor!

By now you may be crazed by the whole process, but it's all such a fun way to use your photos and languishing art stash! Don't forget to doodle to your heart's content with your white gel marker and some prisma color pencils!

Remembering My Dad

2011-04-23T20:49:00.002-05:00

I remember my dad (and my mom) everyday.

I have found journaling the way to remember my family and friends; and as a way to "ponder" quotes, songs, and scriptures." This page was published in the Winter Edition of Stampington's Art Journaling.

I began the page by applying a wash of Golden Acrylic Payne’s grey . In addition I added some Napthol Red in one of the corners. The Payne’s grey reminds me of the denim jeans, shirts and jackets my dad always wore. The red reminds me of the bandannas that dad always used as a handkerchief. The swirls are reminiscent of the bandana’s designs. I added some blueprint images from a vintage students blueprint study workbook.

A scanned, vintage photo of my father was added and I attempted to paint over it, but the rendering was less than satisfactory. I made another image and applied it over the painted image, and found that it to be much more compatible with the rest of the elements on the page.(Plus it actually looked like my dad) I found an image of an old metal lunch box on the Internet and painted over it with acrylics..

Limiting the color palette helps to tie the page elements together, as well as repeating images such as the stenciled swirls from Paper Pizazz, the Boilermaker image from Stamp Francisco and the poppies from Hero Arts.

The stamped images were stamped on scraps of paper and adhered with the mixed-medium. The poppy images were colored with copic markers. A white gel pen was used for journaling and highlights. My father’s name was stamped with an alphabet set from fancy pants designs.

Flight

2011-03-15T23:08:00.005-05:00

I pick the prettiest part of the sky and I melt into the wing and then into the air, till I'm just soul on a sunbeam.
~Richard Bach

check out The Echo Challenge

Who will you be today?

2011-01-15T11:50:00.002-06:00

Who Will You Be Today?

From October - December I become heavily immersed in activities at www.brostl.org . We pull together the last of the toys and gifts for the 4,000 children we serve each Christmas. Everything else takes a back seat. Or at least doesn't get it's fair share of time.

Part of that problem is caused by lack of organization in my home and wanting to do it all.

The Journaling prompt for Lesson 7 in Pam Carriker's class on Creative Workshops addresses the issue of masks. You know, putting on the happy mask,when really you are everything but that. I know we all do that.

I find that when I'm busy doing one thing I'm yearning to do something else. I'm not sure that it means I'm not enjoying that particular moment or activity, but that I am failing to find balance, failing to prioritize, failing to be organized.

But whatever we decide or who we decide to be I will try to remember this paraphrased quote from John Jakes.

Be yourself. Above all, let who you are and what you believe, shine through in everything you do.

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Puplo Picasso and Squeen for the Day

2011-01-15T01:01:00.000-06:00

It's Puplo Picasso! I'm taking an online drawing class. For fun! Art of Silliness - 3. There is still time to join in the fun.

I have been awarded the honor of being "Squeen for the Day". These awards are so few and far between, you want to savor every moment.

Check out Carla Sonheim's website for more information, and some fun!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T22:27:00.001-06:00

Enjoying time at home today, Monday I'll hit the ground running, just like people with real jobs.

I've been busy today organizing art supplies and rearranging "stuff " to get ready for some decorating in the bedrooms.

Of course, in-between the rearranging, I had to play on my iPhone with the instagram app. It's a must have for photo artists and buffs.

Happy New Year to everyone in the blogosphere! I'm looking forward to art, photos , friends , family and long walks along the Greenway.Honk if you see a woman in an ArtmArt hoodie taking snaps with an iPhone!

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Canada Geese Grazing

2010-12-30T18:37:00.001-06:00

It was a gloomy day along the River Des Peres....

The Canada Geese were grazing...

The iPhone Camera Apps cam always add a bit of sunshine!

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

2010-12-12T23:18:00.001-06:00

Spring

All religions are branches of the same tree.....

2010-12-01T15:28:00.000-06:00

“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.”

- Albert Einstein

These photos are from my iPhone photo archive. Be sure to check out "Echo" in the box in the side bar, and see what Chrysti and Susan and the rest of the group are up to. This week's prompt is "branches".

Toys for the Holidays

2010-11-30T12:15:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we started our official toy distribution at http://bro-st.louis.blogspot.com . We anticipate distributing toys to approximately 4000 children.

Yesterday we distributed toys to clients from St.Louis Transistional Hope House, HDC Family Division Support, and Grace Hill. Total of 238 children.

Today we are providing toys for over 400 children served by Children's Division of Family Services, and HDC Northeast.

Keep us in your prayers and we continue to serve families in need this holiday season.

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

The True Meaning of Life

2010-11-24T14:58:00.001-06:00

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. - Nelson Henderson

Using several photo apps in the iPhone I was able to alter the photo below into the photo above. Along with a few variations along the way.

Very fun! This was on Juniata St. near Morgan Ford Rd.

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Autumn : its tone is more mellow.

2010-11-08T22:56:00.001-06:00

I like spring, but it is too young.

I like summer, but it is too proud.

So I like autumn best of all, because its tone is more mellow, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow

Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellow and kindly wisdom of approaching age.

It knows the limitations of life and it is content.

Lin Yutang

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Bittersweet October

2010-10-18T20:30:00.001-05:00

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.
- Carol Bishop Hipps

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Step Into The Future

2010-10-17T23:31:00.000-05:00

"I like stepping into the future. Therefore, I look for doorknobs."

— Mark Rosen

When stepping into the future I always have my iPhone with me. I am amazed by the photos I can take with the built in camera and assorted photo applications.I just enjoy the whole process. I may not understand how/why the technology works, but it sure is fun, and I love the results. Today at church I became facinated by the vintage door knobs. I took several photos, but it just begins to brush the surface of the fun close ups that can be taken throughout the building.

I think all of us are "called" to certain apps and they may dominate your work, not much different than an artist who uses fluid acrylics, or pastels, or charcoal.

Trees of the Wood have the greatest dignity

2010-10-13T15:29:00.004-05:00

Of the infinite variety of fruits which spring from the bosom of the earth, the trees of the wood are the greatest in dignity.

Susan Fenimore Cooper

Technically, these aren't trees if the wood, but "volunteers" along a Greenway in a very urban setting.

My walking continues and am anxious to see how the light will change, as well as the flora and fauna, along my regular route. Just to the left is my original photo and throughout are my various edits. Photoshop Express, Infinicam , instagram, photo studio, pic grunger and camera bag....among others.

I snap pictures with my iPhone and still try to maintain a 20 minute walking mile. My husband has seen me along the way as he is driving by from his parents and asks questions like", What were you doing, peeking around in that guy 's shrubbery?".

Well, I was trying to get a shot of the Cardinal. I missed it, he was shy.

I don't recommend walking and editing photos, but I confess I do. Remember to be aware if your surroundings, ( people lurking in the shrubbery?Hopefully not!) Look both ways when crossing streets, and watch for uneven sidewalks.

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Imagination (and Photo apps) Electrify Your Art Photos

2010-10-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. - L. Frank Baum

We were on the road to my great nieces birthday party, Rick was driving, and I was bemoaning missing the sunset on my usual walking route. I took a few shots out the window, and waited patiently for the opportunity to do a little editing . ( It's tacky to do that during a party ! )

The above shot had a tiny fragment that I wanted to explore. Using Photoshop Express I cropped and straightened the image.

Using Pic Grunger I added some texture. And Infinicam adds exciting elements to your images.

So use your imagination and photo apps and electrify your art photos.

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Stained Glass reflection

2010-10-10T22:11:00.001-05:00

Today is 10-10-10. Church was busy with a a baptism. I make banners for the kids (or adults) and try to capture a few shots during the service.

I caught a bit of a glare with this one, but on closer inspection saw that I had captured a reflection of the stained glass window in the tiny iPhone lens.

Using Photoshop Express I was able to zoom in on the image.

I then played around with that image in Photo Studio>image correction>brighter image and color explosion.

Cinema FX adds a little more interest, and I can never decide which result is my favorite.

Ransom Letters adds today's date.

Then we need to add Pic Grunger, more fun choices

Infinicam and Instagram add the finishing touches!

This is ART.
10 / 10 / 10

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Autumn in St. Louis

2010-10-09T20:48:00.001-05:00

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
- George Eliot

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Location:Along the Morgan Ford

I can't believe God put us on this earth to be ordinary

2010-10-01T22:36:00.001-05:00

It's really a railing on a little bridge , along the River Des Peres Greenway. I walk along this urban/suburban trail almost daily; for exercise and inspiration.

I love photographing the ocean, mountains, National Park sites , and beautiful cities, but this is where I live, just an ordinary neighborhood in an ordinary city. I get to visit those extraordinary places, but I want to shoot photos daily.

And that's the challenge, finding a unique shot or taking an ordinary photo and altering it with photo aps to my heart's content .

Photoshop Express, Camera Bag, Photo Studio, Best Camera, Photo Wizard.

I can't believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary. Lou Holtz

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Location:Where the sidewalk ends South St.Louis City/County

St. Augustine Lighthouse

2010-09-24T21:37:00.001-05:00

Road trip to the Museum of Southern History in Jacksonville, Florida. A nice collection of artifacts from "the War Between the States". Great conversation with the staff and volunteers. A great place for research if you are in the area.

Photo ops in St.Augustine and a drive back to New Smyrna Beach along the coastal highway.

More photo metamorphosis!
Photo HD, PhotoStudio, CameraBag.

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Location:Florida Ave,New Smyrna Beach,United States

New Smyrna Beach

2010-09-22T17:00:00.002-05:00

My iPhone has become my art journal. At least one of my art journals. It's fascinating to me to see what I can do with an ordinary photo shot with my iPhone, then processed through various photo apps.

The finished product above "morophed" from these images below.

Begin by adding vivid color and brighter images in "image correction" with PhotoStudio. Perform cropping and saturation adjusting with PhotoShop Express.

Save each edition of your photo as you shift between photo apps.

Using CinemaFX select the color comic option and use the slide bar and strike circle to make adjustments .

Take a final spin through Photo Shop Express to sharpen your image and one more turn through PhotoStudio, selecting "art" "burnt colors".

The finishing touch is to add text using Ransom Letters.

Post from your phone using Blogpress or BlogpressLite.

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Location:Flagler Ave,New Smyrna Beach,United States

Portals - Echo

2010-09-21T22:29:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open. - Alexander Graham Bell

St. Louis, Missouri - Oak Hill PCUSA

Payton and her summer art project.

door near Atlanta, Georgia

Washington, DC area, Iwo Jima/Rosslyn
Check out the Echo project , click on the link on the sidebar.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Gospel

2010-09-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

"God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees and in the flowers and clouds and stars."

Martin Luther

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Location:Florida Ave,New Smyrna Beach,United States

Pink Tractor

2010-09-18T20:39:00.001-05:00

Heading southeast to the Florida coast. We spent most of the day on the road, no time for photos.

But lurking right behind the Best Western, here in northern Georgia, a pink tractor. Of course I edited it through several photo apps , but it started out pink, well almost pink. Pink enough...it looked pink, honest!

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Location:Rocky Face Cir,Dalton,United States

Remember

2010-09-11T21:34:00.002-05:00

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Touch Understanding

2010-09-06T22:00:00.002-05:00

"Between our birth and death we may touch understanding, as a moth brushes a window with its wing."

Photo edited with Camera Bag, Lo-Mo, PhotoStudio.

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Just When I Thought I Had Tried Everyhing

2010-09-05T21:18:00.001-05:00

Just when I thought I had tried everything...well most everything, Pam Carriker introduced hand carved stamps into the art mix in her 365 Journal class!

Using images and photos from previous journal pages , I traced cone flowers and lettering and combined them with some doodling to create this stamp. Transfer the image to the linoleum block and carve...

Of course we have to take photos of everything, and then in turn I have to edited photos with assorted iPhone apps.

We start with your basic stamped image and then apply PhotoStudio.....

And no photo editing is complete without a trip through CinemaFX

Back to the drawing board!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Celebrating 57

2010-08-16T22:51:00.002-05:00

Playing with photos and iPhone apps, a great way to finish a great day.

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Neon along the Morgan Ford

2010-08-12T22:24:00.001-05:00

It's addictive, iPhone photography...I can't just take a photo.

I can't just crop it or adjust the contrast.

So many photo apps.... And only 7 gigs of space remaining.

Time to weed the collection.

Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Artful Blogging - that's my photo!

2010-08-05T16:04:00.004-05:00

A confession: as I write there are 3,562 photos on my 16 gig iPhone. Yes, I've saved them to my computer, but I can't bear to delete them from the phone.

This photo was taken in Washington D.C. During the great blizzard of 2010. It was taken outside of The Natural History Museum. It had just started snowing.

I love the iPhone Camera and all the photo apps. I think I have 27. Most every photo I take is processed through at least two apps , and usually more. Which explains the enormous number of photos on my phone.

This photo was posted to Chrysti's and Susan 's Echo challenge. A biweekly photo prompt. My photo represents "dim". You can see more Echo photos by clicking on the Echo link in the sidebar.

I am honored to have it included in Chrysti's article in the Autumn 2010 Artful Blogger Magazine. My copy arrived today. I have been stalking the mail carrier since August 1.

I have a wonderful Digital SLR Canon EOS 30, that I enjoy using. I also enjoy editing with Photoshop Elements, but there is something about the immediate gratification received while shooting and editing and blogging with my phone that I am unable to resist.

Warning to family and friends, I'll just happen to have my copy of the magazine in my possession for the next several weeks. Bear with me. Thanks!
Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Fun iPhone editing

2010-08-04T09:01:00.002-05:00

More iPhone editing fun from the OHP mission trip to Georgia. Posted from my phone, later I'll edit from the computer and make the photos larger!

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Gabby & Malena

2010-07-26T22:31:00.002-05:00

Oak Hill Presbyterian Church has an incredible youth group. They've teamed up with the older folks and headed out to Griffin, GA to help with home repairs for families in need.

So far we've painted a bathroom and have been replacing a front porch. I use the term "we" loosely. I did dig a hole under the porch! But my best work is posting photos on facebook that I have edited at length with my iPhone apps. I really like this one of Gabby and Malena with the cat. They were taking a break from bathroom painting a posed for this shot, I edited it with Camera Bag - Magazine.

Blogging with the iPhone is great but I can't make the pictures shout from the page, I really want them bigger, so I may do some editing when I get back to St. Louis.
- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.

Project 365 Photo Journal

2010-07-25T06:53:00.001-05:00

One photo each day with your iPhone. I love it. How many photo apps do you have? Can you have too many? Some people collect shoes.....others iPhone apps, they're cheaper and take up less space.

- Posted using my iPhone and Blogpress.