Glitz-Oh Girl

I’m visiting family and friends for a day or two and loving Seattle … taught my grand daughters the lovely pass time of creating zentangles…as if one needs to have lesson in ‘doodling’. :^)…when I get home  I’ll share some pictures…back to Oregon on Wednesday. Ciao!

Thank you for all you have done to help me update my blog and website.  I love, LOVE it!!!!!

It will be fun to learn more and work with it…YOU are a gem, and a very dear friend.  Art saves lives, builds friendships, soothes the soul and savage beast alike, and narrows the vast distances between kindred spirits.  xxoo!

The Burden

and

Go Fly A Kite

I only used my fine point Pitt artist pen for these pages.

I am participating in a Round Robin with other Ten Two Studio Design Team folks.

These pages are in Lisa's book, which focuses on occupations which are no longer around, or endangered. I had trouble finding the right representation for what I wanted on the exterior of this fold-out spread.  Then my muse kicked me you-know-where.  I grabbed some of my digital background paper, and cut out a copy of my Zentangled girl! Along with an ad warning, and some wires from our old phone system, this is what I concocted.  My Zen Femme is going to appear in more of my art, I think. I like her- she can be a spokesperson for a variety of causes.  Right now, she warns us what might happen when our electric grid goes…

My second spread is about hand made ethnic costumes – and how they are disappearing.

I used tatted lace trim (ah tatting – one skill I didn't learn – …), dyed wool roving, and a bit of hand-sewn beads on ribbon for accent here. All the photo images are originals cut from 1921 and 1922 National Geographic magazines which my dad had for years…

Click in the images to enlarge. Lisa's book is very cleverly constructed!- here is the link to her construction of this book.

My muse often runs amok of my good intentions…case in point:

Hard to explain this… aside from using sharpie pens. My muse thinks she will start with a 'fashion' drawing…then a view of muscles under the skin forms in her mind…then 'exposed' comes to mind, which leads to deception , which eventually leads to 'things that go bump in the night', and 'oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive'. There's sometimes no accounting for my muse's wanderings…

Last night, as I crawled into bed at midnight, who was curled up at my husband's feet? Buster…our 9-yr.-old 'tuxedo' cat. When he's all curled up, only a bit of his white 'vest' shows, plus one of his white boots.  I couldn't resist drawing him. After the outline was finished, I kind of went into my own dreamland, tangling away a fantasy cloud/pillow for our VERY spoiled kitty.  This morning I finished the other clouds and blue sky.

(drawn with black, blue Sharpie pens, and Pitt artist pen.)

(Buster's collar is actually black with rhinestones….I told you he was spoiled! )

Possessed! That's what I am….with more doodling….did this one today in my Moleskine journal. The colors are simply Sharpie pens (except for the fruit- see description below).

I had drawn the outlines for the apple and pear first.  When I was 'done' (am I ever done??), I used a napkin image of a pear and some mulberry paper, cut them to fit, and glued them to the fruit shapes.  I can't believe my initials are in plain sight..I didn't even know they were there until I was completely finished with these pages….do you see them?

This zen 'doodle' pass time is sooo relaxing- and for my brain, fun.. I couldn't leave my girl with her arm partially extended, so encroached upon the following page of the journal to create this:

Thanks to all the zen tanglers out there; your relaxation has become mine too. I now wish I'd saved all of my doodles from my youth…I'd love to journal with them.

I can't leave things alone…I love the tangle technique- doodling was one of my fave pass times in school ;^)) However, black on white usually seems to need color for me to feel complete…so I added fabric, painted baby wipe frags., napkin frags., and oddments of papers- first to the background of the image, then on the backside of the page, I covered the image, and 'tangled' the background.  I made a laser print of the original design on white paper, cut it out, and stuck it over the original image after adding the color…I like the stark contrast.

I've decided this journal needs to be just for tangles….

I've long admired the folks creating 'zentangles' – especially CC on the Altered Books Group.  Last night I created my first one ever…she's in one of my Moleskine journals.

I wasn't content with a geometric border…

(the journal is 8"L x 5"W)  The main outlines were done with a black Sharpie; all the rest with my Faber-Castell (M point) Pitt artist pen.

I created this 3-D canvas to hang over our piano. I must confess..it was created for shape, texture, and 'complement' to our family room colors. To call it 'art' is a matter of interpretation…. :^) (not mine).

This piece consists of two wrapped canvases screwed together by their wood frames. The larger one is 12"H  x 24"W and the smaller is 8"H x 24"W.  I glued some decorative art paper to both canvases with PPA (Perfect Paper Adhesive).  I then added some napkin art (the pears), followed by the red mulberry paper circles on the pears.

The colors and shapes complement our rug….. The wall has been empty since we remodeled, and I finally decided to 'fill' it with this 'stopgap' piece, until some interesting art presents itself, either by me, or someone else.

Here's another Valentine card I made from these wonderful leathery-soft red folders (4" X 6"). I used images from Ten Two Studios Pink Things Collection, stick-on letters, and Valentine words. 
The collaged background papers for the images are some that I made on a recent trip to visit family.

This image below is the back of the card (folder).

Want to alter something fun?  Try the 2 or 4-slide microscope slide mailers from Ten Two Studios!

I purchased some quite awhile ago, and have found they are perfect for gift cards and surfaces for collage!  With this one, I did a simple collage, inside and out, first using a great chili pepper napkin I received as a gift in a swap….enough to cover front, back and interior. I also used some stick-on letters that were also a swap giftie. I strengthened the fold of the mailer with some book binding tape, which I had stamped with the black boxes.  The images I used were from here , here, plus bingo card imagery.  New Valentine 'words' came out yesterday – a digital printout – I immediately purchased them and printed them out on my laser color printer.  (Yes, I'm a design team member, but I prefer to support my artist friends and acquaintances by purchasing their art – my choice – who wants big chain stores wiping out indy. artists???)

I now have three handmade valentines for gifts! (see below this post for the first two)

Another of my Ten Two Studios creations…

Images can be found here, here,  and here.  The red folders are about 4 X 6 – they are here.

I love working with all of the product line of Ten Two Studios! The Valentine items are no exception! (This one is for my sweetheart ).

If YOU want to make a card like this, head on over to these links. Red folder.

Images here , here , and here .   I used a white gel pen to write my own script.

I created this card for a dear friend. The base is Canson 100lb watercolor paper. I covered the exterior with a piece of my own digitally designed "background" paper. The edges are painted with watercolor, and overstamped with "you are special to me" all the way around.  The fold of the card has faux hinges, made from tickets.

The interior is a collage of napkin, portion of a paint-soaked baby wipe, ribbon ends, acrylic inks and paint, watercolors, black marker and pen, and a lovely lady with roses, image from Ten Two Studios.

The card measures, when opened, 9"H x 11.5"W.

YOU CAN FIND THESE IN MY ETSY STORE.

This is my second spread in the red-themed altered book, part of a round robin in which I'm participating.I used another of my favorite art papers for the background- the bold black/red parasols delight me! The images are from Ten Two Studios, here, and here.

I added a folded "Hellnote" for the fan in the center, and used a vintage Coats & Clark "Red Heart" cardboard fiber spindle for the bases for the 2 fans on the diagonal of the pages. I left the cards unadorned on the reverse sides of the spindle so the words 'Red' and 'art' would show.

A Tazo tea bag holder, joss papers, part of a Chinese/American newspaper, and a glitzy film piece are the added elements, as well as a few of my fabric beads dangling from red yarn. (out of view).  (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

Another altered book spread….images from here, here, and here at Ten Two Studios.

The background is from a parent sheet of cool art paper I have in my 'stash'.

"Millie fished for compliments; Babs did not rise to the bait."