Kissing Tiny Flowers

Finding my way Back

2011-08-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

Finding my way back to my creative spot has been a long time coming. So after visiting my friends at Collage Obsessions I had to get back to it. I thought this would be a good time to start finishing up my Led Zeppelin Book I've been working on.

The challenge is "Complimentary Colors"

I used alcohol inks on acetate that was ran through the printer for the image of the guys.

Using crackle paint and distressed inks I got that shabby look for my background.

I finished it off with assorted embellishments and paper flower. The pull out tag features the lyrics to "That's the Way". Below is a link to that gorgeous song. Take care till next time--Shawn

Sometimes Inspiration Comes From the Stars

2010-12-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Since recovering from my illness I have had time to sit back and just be inspired by people places and many things around me.
I feel refreshed and new and I'm ready for the new year to begin. I thought I'd share this beautiful piece from YouTube. It features images taken from the Hubble telescope of what we all have above us. The music is of course Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky" performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I hope you take the time to sit back turn up the volume and enjoy. Hugs to you all--Shawn

Thankful for the gifts you rain on people!!!

2010-11-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

November is here and I've been away much too long. Having medical and financial issues have kept me from my blogging, but thanks be to God I can find a way to be thankful in all things. This little boy brought me pure joy this morning and I wanted to share him with you all. The emotion on his face while playing "While my Guitar Gently Weeps" is magical!

"Going To California" CCC #!5

2010-09-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, I'm glad to be back in the studio again and working on my Zeppelin book.
I'm still trying to incorporate as many of the CCC challenge techniques in it as possible.
This week we are being challenged to use the "Agate Grunge" technique,
found on page 53 of Tim's book "A Compendium of Curiosities".

This page is the inside of the front cover of my book. I choose the song Going to California for the inspiration. There's a line in it that says I'm going to California with an aching in my heart.
I love that lyric. Being a native to California, this has always been a favorite of mine.

To get that agate look you must go directly to your nearest scrap book store and get Tim's book.

I used a grunge board heart from Tim's Swirl grunge board pack. The colors I used were Cranberry, Raspberry, Shell Pink, Pearl and Metallic Gold Alcohol Inks on the heart. After it dried I covered the heart with Rock Candy Distressed Stickles for some added sparkle.

There is also some pieces of acetate that I inked with Lettuce and Metallic Gold AI.

I love Alcohol Inks! I use them on so many things. They last a really long time too.
Tim's book really reminded me of how versatile his products are. I encourage anybody who has not yet joined this challenge to jump right in and go to Lindas blog at Studio L3. There is so much inspiration I'm gleaning from all these wonderful folks. Thanks to you all--you know who you are. Have a great week and God Bless ----Shawn--( If you have a minute take a listen to this beautiful live version of the song)

Diane's "Hippy Girl"

2010-09-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today I want to show you an amazing piece of art created by my blogging friend Diane.

I have been following her blog for a while and she always gives me fresh inspiration with her original art pieces. She's a mixed media artist who loves vintage and whimsy.

She is having a fantastic give- a -way this week. Anyone who would like to have this beautiful "Hippy Girl" piece, done on a 6x6 canvas, all you have to do is hop on over to her blog and follow the directions she has posted there. If you haven't seen her work yet stop on over there. You will not be disappointed. Hugs to you all----Shawn

Black Birds Singing in the Dead of Night! CCC #13

2010-09-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately. Life is going so fast and I can't seem to slow it down,
but I was able to make this flowery cupcake just in time for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge this week. Grunge Paper Flowers is the challenge this week.
You can find the technique in Tim's book on page 65.

I love grunge paper, especially the smell of it, --I know I'm a little weird.--anyway -It is so versatile! You can ink it, paint it, punch it, stamp it. die cut it, glitter it all up. It can take a lot of abuse!
All of the flowers on my cupcake were made with grunge paper except the little black ones.

I had the best time decorating my faux cupcake.
I used the new Graphic 45 Paper " Hallowe'en in Wonderland" and flying all around the cupcake are Studio Garage Band's "Glitzy Black Birds"-both can be found @ Studio Garage Band Etsy store.

Thanks to Linda @ StudioL3 for another great Challenge. If you love grunge paper or other Tim Holtz products check out the "ALL THINGS TIM" group. You might find some kindred spirits there. Take care and enjoy your weekend---Shawn

"Friends"- Chipped Enamel-CCC #12

2010-09-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

This week I got to learn how to make chipped enamel metal pieces. Linda at L3- Compendium of Curiosities challenge, says we are already on #12, which is amazing since I just jumped in a few of weeks ago.

This is another couple of pages I made towards my book.

I wanted to give them that collage look, kind of like the Zeppelin III album cover.

I love that album and as a little girl would spend hours spinning the little wheel around to see the surprise pictures that would pop up in the circles.

I wanted to use some of the actual images from the album cover, so I scanned and printed a copy of it then cut out some of the images to add on my book pages.

The back ground is layers of vintage book pages and Creative Imaginations paper. I texture faded some pieces to add a little Holtz flare, then Distressed both pages with Black Soot, Shabby Shudders and Crushed C0ncord distress ink. Rock Candy Distressed stickles dabble here and there too.

The chipped enamel look is really fun. I will be using it again. You can find the instructions for the chipped enamel on page 44 of Tim's book. The book is full of wonderful lessons in grunging things up.

Below I included the link of the song "Friends" in which these pages are inspired. Enjoy and Thanks for stopping by. --Shawn

CCC #11 Blended Batik

2010-08-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I must say I LOVE this technique that I found on page 36 of Tim's book
"A Compendium of Curiosities".
He calls it Blended Batik and it took me back to when I was in high school art class doing the original type of batik with wax. I loved it then and I love it now.

On this page, with the Rain Song for the title, I used the Blended Batik technique for the chandelier. The page featuring John Paul Jones I used the Shabby Chic technique on page 49 of his book, for the black chandelier.

I want to thank Linda at L3 for another inspirational Tim challenge this week.

I must be off for now--God bless to all.

The Rain Song

2010-08-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am including this YouTube link of the song that inspirered this weeks challenge over at L3's "Conpendium of Curiosities" (Blended Batik).

This song has meant so much to me throughout the years. It even played while I walked down the aisle on my wedding day nineteen years ago. I hope you take the time to listen and enjoy it---Thanks for visiting

All that Glitters turns to Gold-- CCC #10

2010-08-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well I'm jumping into the "Compendium of Curiosities" weekly challenge. Linda over at the Studio L3 blog has been running this challenge and is now on #10.
I've actually been following along, but never seem to get my entries done in time to post.
The challenge this week is using Tim's Holtz's Distress Stickles and she asks us to name our favorite color. So this week it would be Milled Lavender. This is the color I used on my tag.
The technique can be found on page 46 of his book "A Compendium of Curiosities". The book is full of techniques and ideas using all his products . If you use his products as much as I do you will not be disappointed in this book.
I've decided to keep all my CCC entries all together in this book I'm making.

This tag will be added as part of my altered bingo card book . It slides into an invisible pocket on the back side of this page. The caption on the tag is part of the song Stairway to Heaven. The book will include some lyrics of my favorite songs by Led Zeppelin.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out all the wonderful artists who are involved with this challenge. Time to get back to some distressing.

Tim's Victorian Girl

2010-08-07T19:00:00.001-07:00

This weeks challenge over at The Burtonesque Dolls site is-
"Burtonesque Girls-Victorian Style"
.
The first girl that came to mind was Helena, so here she is on acetate. I used the lid of a hand made box for a shadow box , spray painted with flat black , (one of my essential tools in my arsenal), then Glimmer-misted in"Marshmallow" over a piece of Bohemian Paper.

I Added some "Say it in Crystals" by Prima and a paper chandelier from my own stash.
Finished it off with a "Black Magic Woman Spider" and an Ode to Joy Bloom in "Moonlight Sonata", which can be found on the Studio Garage Band blog or their Etsy shop.

This shiny black spider really got me in the mood for some fun Halloween crafting so, I'm off to the studio to see what else I can do with these gems. Thanks for the visit-Shawn

TIO #50 "On A Musical Note"

2010-08-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

This week on Dragon's Dream Tag it On blog the TIO challenge is "On a Musical Note."
I really couldn't turn this one down so I found this winged chip board book I bought during last years Shop Hop and took one of the pages out to use as my tag.

The images on the wing are of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Love- Love- Love this band so I just popped on "The Song Remains the Same" and got messy!
The entire wing was embossed with P.K.Glitz Twilight embossing Glitter, then I used a couple of the techniques taught in the "Compendium of Curiosities" that involved Tim's Concerto Mask and a couple of his Fragments. The Mask and some other Tim Holtz and Ranger goods are sold over @Studio Garage Band.

I am really glad I decided to do challenges. It makes me go in directions I never even considered. I have also met some really wonderful people because of them.
Thanks to Dragon's Dream Tag it On for a wonderful theme this week and I wish you all a Happy Weekend ......Shawn

"Le Guillotine"

2010-07-28T23:00:00.001-07:00

This weeks theme at the Gothic Arch Challenge blog is "Marie Antoinette".

All I could think of was how unfortunate she was to live during the French Revolution. Her end was not what you would have imagined for a lady of such Austrian and French nobility.
In my arch I wanted to show the irony of that time in history.
The opulence of French aristocity and the incredible "Terror" of what happened there.

I'm so glad Gothic Arch is back and I am looking forward to next weeks challenge!

Until next time--Au Revoir

Lullaby Buds

2010-07-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Three Muses have come up with another great theme for their weekly challenge "Mail Art".
I decided to make a vintage style post card for the challenge.
I used some of my favorite Graphic 45 paper and mounted it on some corrugated cardboard. I distressed the edges and inked them for that worn look. I added my postage stamping on the corner, and edged the bottom with some beaded trim.
To finish it off I embellished my post card with Studio Garage Band's new Lullaby Buds in "Clair de Lune".

The stick pin Lullaby Buds come in two gorgeous colors. "Brahms" is a two toned soft pink.

"Clair de Lune" is the blue that I used on my piece.

You can find them in Studio Garage Band's Etsy Shop.

Thanks for stopping by.----Shawn

Diamonds and "Rust"

2010-07-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've been dabbling with aging and rusting some found objects in my studio lately and to my surprise The Three Muses challenge this week was "Rust".

It made me think of the song Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez. I've always loved the song and so I made this piece in memory of her long time friendship/romance with Bob Dylan.

I rusted this little chair and it became the symbol that represents the emptiness she seemed to have had after he was out of her life (so to speak).
The meaning of the heart is obvious and rusted wings--well- I just love wings, so here they are.

I covered a piece of handmade cardboard with gesso, Glimmer Mist and some gel medium.
I added Vintage Photo Distressed Ink to it and the photo images of Joan and Bob.
An old piece of broken jewelry was added to the heart. wings, and chair.
I also added a little bit of sparkly netting around the whole piece. I attached and old guitar string around the piece to frame it.

The lyrics to the song pretty much show Joan with her whole heart exposed for us to see so I included the last stanza to the song on my piece.

If you have time to watch this YouTube link please do. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by.

Ed Wood -Burtonesque Dolls Challenge #10

2010-07-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

Crazy as it may seem, Ed Wood is by far one of my favorite "Burton Dudes". He was a real life eccentric. This film had to grow on me, but after learning a little bit about the real life Ed Wood, I found the film hysterically funny and tragic at the same time.
The Burtonesque Dolls has given me the inspiration for my fluffy Ed Wood canvas card.
Ed just makes me think "Pink" so I went with it and painted the canvas card white and sprayed it with some Tea Rose Glimmer Mist.
I used some of my "Studio Garage Band" Film Strip for a background for my words. Added my cardboard stars and a screene shot from the film, then finished it off with some fluffy pink feather boa.

Ed Wood was a little crazy but he could teach us all a lesson about believing in our art....

Take care and remember--You can Never Have too Many Angora Sweaters!

Dark Shadows Reboot

2010-07-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it that Tim Burton is doing his version of the 1960's soap opera "Dark Shadows". Since this week's theme for The Burtonesque Dolls challenge blog is to make a poster board advertising Tim's vampire flick,--

I decided to make one about Dark Shadows since it does have the infamous Barnabas Collins as one of the main characters. Yes-- I watched it as a little girl and it would scare me to death. I have seen episodes lately and laugh with amazement but it has a pretty large cult following now.

I'm sure Tim's version will be drenched in his beautiful art style so I'm sure I'll be waiting in line to see what he has done. This was a lot of fun and I really look forward to next weeks challenge. Until then --- Have a save and fun 4th of July to my U.S. blogging friends-

Sometimes you just have to sit back in Awe!

2010-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

It's time for a music break and this is well worth taking a listen to. This is the amazing Wladyslaw Szpilman. After all he had been through during WWII he still had his gift and here he is sharing it with all of us. Thank you Wladyslaw. Listen and enjoy!

Beetle Juice! Beetle Juice! Beetle Juice!

2010-06-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today I'm posting my first entry for a challenge blog I recently came upon.
It's called The Burtonesque Dolls. Their challenges are all inspired by Tim Burton films.
Being a long time fan of Tim Burton's films, (especially the older ones), I had to get involved. This week the inspiration comes from the film "Beetle Juice".
I really got to get my hands dirty on this one. I used an acetate tombstone and stamped around the out side of it. I then used my Mud Puddles texture sand to give it that stone look. When it was dry I sprayed the Mud Puddles part of it with Cranberry Alcohol Ink.

I embellished my tombstone with cross bones and skull from Zinnias and vintage film strip and Victorian shaped crystals from Studio Garage Band.

I couldn't leave out some of Tim's signature stripes either. This looks like it will be a challenge I will definitely revisit . Thanks ladies for your inspiration this week. Thanks for the visit-Shawn

Take a Song any Song

2010-06-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

I used a second hand frame for this weeks Three Muses Challenge. I painted it silver and then dry brushed it with a little black acrylic paint. I put the glass away for a future project and added some vintage book pages that I had sprayed with Glimmer mist. A little tulle and some musical tissue paper finished off my background. I made a transparency copy of a photo of my daughter's eyes and attached it to the top part of the frame. I used my husbands broken cell phone to be my main focal point, adding alcohol inks and my big heart pendent to it . I wraped it with wire and added an acrylic chandelier crystal sold by Studio Garage Band.

I also used Rumba Flowers and a Silver Disco Flower by Studio Garage Band.

I sprinkled some mica flakes on the photo and edged in Alcohol Inks. A few extra pieces of chain and charms and I was finished.

I loved this weeks challenge theme on the Three Muses Challenge Blog but choosing a song to inspire me --no problem. The problem would be which song? After all music has always played a big part in my art, but after sorting through my photo box I came upon this picture of my husband and daughter together. It reminded me of Peter Gabriel's song " In Your Eyes", that song really speaks to me and is pretty much how I feel about them. I will be giving this to my husband for Father's Day this Sunday and I hope he likes it and is reminded of how much I love him. Sara Bareiles does a beautiful version of this song if you haven't heard it here's the link. " In your eyes -the light the heat

In your eyes-I am complete

In your eyes- I see the doorways

of a thousand churches"........

Thanks for stopping by---Shawn

Steampunk Fever

2010-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I got a little funky this week with the Dragons Dream Tag it On challenge. The Challenge theme is Steampunk influence. I love all the Steampunk stuff but I really was in the mood to work with some bright colors. So this is what I ended up with. I used a piece of acetate for my tag. Spray painted black over an old plastic doily for a masking effect for the back ground. It still needed a little more texture so I scrapped on some Mud Puddles "Black Diamond" over the whole tag. I used Alcohol inks over the parts of the acetate that had no Mud Puddles on it then used the Oxford Impressions Steampunk stamp collection for my stamped images.

I finished it off with a couple of Christmas tree lights, gears, and seed beads.

I have really enjoyed viewing all the different artists entries---so many really creative people out there! Thanks for stopping by and good night.

Titania

2010-06-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

The folks over at "Something Completely Different" have been using Twinchies on each one of their weekly challenges this month. Each week is a different theme and I was a bit reluctant to try this one. The eyes are not what they used to be. but I thought I'd give it a go. I gave my little canvas a coat of gesso and then inked and added clear crackle paint to it. Then a few drops of Alcohol ink was added.

Since the theme this week is "Crowns" I thought I would make my "2x2" Twinchie about the Fairy Queen, "Titania".

I love Faerie lore so this was a real fun challenge for me.

I am glad I got in on the tail end of this months challenge it was really rewarding to see my tiny piece of art come together. Thank you to all the amazingly talented artist over at SCD. I was so inspired by all the beautiful samples there. I highly recommend stopping by their blog you wont be disappointed. Off to bed now for me and my tired eyes.

Elvis

2010-05-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

My friends over at Three Muses Challenge are celebrating their 52 anniversary this week. This weeks theme is "Card" so I decided to dip into my playing card collection for this one.
I started with a small canvas board that was a gift from my artsy friend Sandra.
I covered it with white gesso then inked it up with distressed ink and alcohol inks. then did some stamping and covered it all up with heavy gel medium. I added a little texture to the gel by dragging a comb through it . I added a few do dads and some bits of a playing card napkin then embellished. I really had fun with experimenting on the background.

Here's to another year of great challenges over at the Three Muses Challenge Blog. Thanks for stopping by and to my neighbors in the States I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day. God Bless.

Home is Where the Heart is

2010-05-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

The Gothic Arch Challenge this week is "Home".
It may sound cliche, but home really is where the heart is. My husband and I started our life together in a bedroom in my parents home. We were there for the first few years of my daughters life and began our adventure there. It was small and cramped, but it was home. I will never forget those early years together. We grew, learned and flourished together. We even added a hamster and cat to the mix. Our surroundings have gotten a lot more roomy, but the memories of the early years together in our "Home" are precious to me.

I used Fall Breeze, Aspen Yellow and Rose Tea Glimmer Mist on the Arch and Szzix die cut. Everything is detailed with my 18 kt. Gold leafing pen by Krylon. Fork Spoon and heart are from Zinnia in Pasadena and the crystal dangles and wings are from my own treasure box . Thanks for the visit.

Bollywood!

2010-05-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

I loved the theme this week. It was really fun to use some bright colors.

I started with a canvas board and painted with white gesso and Glimmer Mist. I then stamped and added my little metal twisties. On my arch I stamped and embossed using PK Glitz Embossing Glitter ( my favorite!) Thank you Gothic Arch Challenge and Toni, for a wonderful theme that definitely challenged my creativity this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Music!

2010-05-09T07:09:00.001-07:00

I am honored to host the Gothic Arch Challenge this week. For this weeks theme I choose Music. Growing up I spent many of my Saturdays at stranger's weddings. My father, a drummer of a band, I got to see many people start their new lives together in wedded bliss .
Music has always been a constant in my life. I play a little guitar, but mostly I am a true lover of this amazing gift God has given us --- Music.

For my arch I started with a canvas and used the back of it for a frame. Inking and masking it off with my Tim Holtz masks. The background paper is from Webster's Pages. I added some personal things that mean a lot to me. My husbands bass string , my brothers guitar pick and some hair decorations of my mothers. The quote comes from Tchaikovsky and I think it says it all for me.

I truly loved making this arch and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the visit.

La Gioconda

2010-05-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme at Gothic Arch Challenge is the Mona Lisa. I sometimes wonder what Leonardo da Vinci would think of his painting becoming so very famous after all these years.

It's too bad he could't be here to see her shine.

Happy Mother's Day, MOM

2010-05-05T20:12:00.001-07:00

Growing up, my sister. brother,and myself had our own personal Renaissance Woman as a mother. Born Patsy Frances Christie in 1935, she was always experimenting and exploring and into mischief as a child. She has never lost the spirit and gumption of that little girl growing. up in rural Pico- California.

From hair weaving to sculpting, cake decorating, and plumbing to being an avid landscape artist. She lives by the motto "Never say you can"t do something." She has always loved a challenge and takes them on with a heart full a determination. She's been my business partner and best friend.

Yes, it's been amazing and so encouraging knowing this is the stock I come from .---So on this Mother's Day I just wanted to give a shout out to my Mother. Mom, thanks and I love you!

While my Guitar Gently Weeps

2010-05-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the Three Muses Challenge this week. The theme is Music.

I used a canvas then painted and inked it. The picture of my husband was printed on a regular ink-jet paper then distressed using a Sizzix embossing plate. I sanded it and it got treated with clear crackle paint. I stamped on one of his extra guitar pics and used it for that extra touch.

George Harrison's beautiful song and my wonderful husband were my inspirations for my challenge this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Collage Obsession "Flowers"

2010-04-30T12:24:00.001-07:00

Collage Obsessions is a blog that hosts a collage challenge every Monday.
This weeks challenge theme is "Flowers". I have been wanted to take part in thier challenge for some time now and I thought this was a good place to start. The people over there are some of the most talented artists around and the hosts of the site are amazing digital artist as well. My own blog design was created by Itkupili.

I used a Prima Paintable paper for my layout-then gave it a Glimmer Mist spray and painted in the design with H2O water color paints. I added some Judi Kins Diamond Glaze to some of the flowers and butterflies and added some of my Sculpty leaves, they too got a generous dose of Glimmer Mist.

If your looking for inspiration be sure to stop by at Collage Obsession you won't be disappointed.

Hats and Crowns and Wings and Things

2010-04-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for this weeks Three Muses challenge. The picture is of my daughter when she was one year old.
I got to delve into my many hat photos of her and this one seemed to be the right one. Three Muses always have great themes for their challenges and this weeks was really fun. Thanks for visiting.

Gothic Arch Challenge " Mini Arch on Tag"

2010-04-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

This week our challenge was to put our arch on a tag.
I used an acrylic tag then applied Pearl and Lettuce Alcohol ink with blending solution to give it a swirly effect.

Not being much of a tag person this weeks challenge took me out of my comfort zone a little. Thanks for stopping by.

Everythings coming up Bloomers!

2010-04-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

These gorgeous Blooms are one of Webster's Pages new additions to the Garden Gala line.

They come by the yard and can be separated or used as trim. They have that tattered edged look and I love the colors, there is even a Cocoa colored one. You can see the rest of them at there Store here.

The Secret of Magical Gardening

2010-03-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

A bit late to the party but, this is my altered text book I made for the Project 52 challenge on the Bad Girls website.
It's an ode to my nature-lovin daughter. The book started off as a dark dreary green. I painted it white, sprayed it with Patina Glimmer Mist, added some H2O water colors, then covered it all with glittered Mod Podge.
I loved the title plate so I left it as is except for the word Chemical, so I just put an X over that and replaced it with a much more fitting one. I added some Dew Drops and some metal flowers of my own. I used a small version of my daughter's watercolor painting of the Cheshire Cat as the focal point. Then I used a silver pen to highlight some of the areas of interest.

On the first two pages I used some more of her drawings surrounded with bits and pieces of Websters vellum paper and magnetic toys she used to play with in our yard.

Throughout the book I used pieces of many of her baby hair barrettes for em-bellies.

On this page I included one of her microscope slides.

More Websters Vellum and H2Os ( one of my favorite paints)

On these pages I used decorative napkins layered

and Glimmer Misted behind the copy of my daughter.
I got to experiment with some different types of papers. On the below pages I used some paper towels painted over them with gel medium and glimmered them up.

I loved working on this book. It brought back some wonderful memories. My daughter taught me to appreciate nature and I really did learn to stop and smell the flowers after I became her mom. Thank you Bad Girls for always giving me inspiration and helping me to challenge myself.

Happy Love Day!

2010-02-14T09:37:00.001-08:00

This wall art was made for my own little cupid. I added a little bit of Tim Burton's roses from an add for his new Alice in Wonderland. I hope he doesn't mind. My daughter has been a long time Burton fan so I thought the roses would be a nice addition. I used a piece of cardboard and covered it with fun striped gift wrap.

I had to get into my Prima stash and use some Flirty Little Secrets paper. The Grunge Paper rose was Glimmer Misted with Patina and Marshmallow and then stamped. Feathers and bling finished it off. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day and take the time to snuggle up with a loved one!

Gothic Arch Challenge "Correspondence"

2010-02-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

This week the Gothic Arch challenge really did "challenge" me.. I decided to design it around the song Space Oddity by David Bowie. I just kept thinking about poor Major Tom and him being way out there in space all alone and the only thing he had to tie him to his home on earth was his short and fading communication with Ground Control.

I have some wonderful pictures of the Eagle Nebula ( New born stars ) and I thought this one worked well for my Arch this week. I also used some of my glass glitter and distress inks. Thanks for stopping by.

A Sunday Night Surprise!

2010-01-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

After visiting T!ms blog tonight I got a big treat. He has pictures of the new cutting machine by Sizzix. It is quite a bit different then the other machines they have out right now and it has a Tim Holtz spin to it, it is in the form of a old suitcase! He says it's not to be gracing the sale shelves until July. Check out more pictures and details about it on his blog. He also show some more of his new ideaology line! Does he ever run out of ideas?-----

Shabby Chic

2010-01-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

So who can resist a challenge involving Shabby Chic style, not me. This is my entry for the Gothic Arch Challenge Blog this week. It's featuring one of my favorite pictures of my daughter Taylor and niece Brittany at ages five and eight.. They were the inspiration for my arch.

I used plenty of Glimmer mist (Pink Taffy) ,tissue paper and cardboard.. everything is covered with White Picket Fence crackle paint, then sprayed again. It was really hard to stop once I got going..but I'm happy with the end result. Drop by their blog if you have time it is really one of the more interesting challenges I have seen.

Gothic Arches Challenge... "Birthstones"

2010-01-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

I have a long time fascination with Gothic architecture, so when I came upon the

Gothic Arches Challenge website I couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate. I look for things that inspire me to create. Art can't be forced, sometimes it just happens, and you have to go with it.

I love this website, if you haven't seen it I highly suggest that you take some time to check it out. There are some amazingly gifted artist who participate in the challenges.

My first challenge is birthstones, my birthstone is amethyst. Being a veteran "home educator" has it's perks, one of which is having amazing treasures in our home. Things that once played key rolls in feeding my daughter's never ending appetite for learning. One of these things is this beautiful chunk of amethyst. I didn't want to damage it in any way so my arch was designed with a nook that I could slip my amethyst into.

I really enjoyed this challenge, I used some things that I hadn't used in quite a while. Dimentional glaze, one of my favorite Marah Johnson designed papers (from her Love Struck line), and some old pieces of my jewelry making stash.

People are Strange

2010-01-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

This is a layout of myself and others, (some of whom I knew, and some I knew not)...On the set of the Doors movie, filmed in the eighties in Los Angeles. It was quite a fun experience to get to be a part of something like that. Meeting so many different types of people from different backgrounds and walks of life, gave me the title of the layout as "People are Strange". I used Alcohol inks and blending fluid to drip on the photos, as well as Distress inks and filmstrip ribbon. Black cheese cloth also became part of the layout.

Those Tattered Angels are up to it again!

2010-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

The possibilities *the projects *the colors *the fun and the messy fingers! I can't wait to see what these babies are like. Check out the Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze demo on YouTube to see how Liz and the girls are using them. It sound like this is just the beginning of a lot more new products ....... so Keep it coming ladies!

Shawn!-- Stop Hoarding the Prima!

2009-12-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

I must stop hoarding my favorite Prima papers. It's like saving my favorite nightgowns. I just need to use them. It was painful but I managed to sacrifice this fantastic piece of flocked paper to display something much more valuable than it. My family. This picture is one of my favorites of my husband and daughter..It really shows what a fun guy he is and how wonderfully he took to fatherhood. The more time that passes the more precious my pictures become. I must remember to never make things more of a priority than people.

Gears- Gears- and more Gears

2009-12-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

O.K. T!m has done it again! He is bringing us some more amazing products. I'm talking about the new Sizzix Alteration dies designed by T!m Holtz himself. Boy have I been waiting for something like this. I do have a Big Shot , but a new machine is coming out, along with the new dies (Not the Eclipse). I love Steam-punk and these dies will accommodate that craving. I own a Pazzles which I LOVE.. But from time to time I need to cut through really chunky stuff..that's where the Sizzix comes in.. only problem is the type of dies that are offered by Sizzix are much too babyish for me. So these dies will be on my wish list, as well as the machine.. and no, I haven't forgotten the elephant in the room..The machine will allow me to use tons of stuff I have at home-- card stock, felt, fabric, foam, magnet, leather, cardboard, bubble wrap, old Christmas boxes, craft aluminum, thin cork board and then some.

On that note I will wish you all a Happy and safe New Year! On to 2010-------

Don't Ignore the Elephant in the Room

2009-12-29T23:40:00.000-08:00

The elephant that I will not ignore this new year is the one that reminds me that I don't need all the perfect "stuff " to express myself through art. Some of the most profound things come from a very meager amount of supplies. So I vow to pull on my ingenuity this year and let the struggles help develop my skills and fuel my passion for creating... The life sized elephant here was on display at Pasadena Art Center of Design. It's made entirely of only plastic wrap!!

Cherished Christmas Greetings

2009-12-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

With all the kind greeting cards I get for Christmas I wanted to find a special way to keep them from getting tossed away with all the paper and and bows that are discarded after Christmas so I found this box I had that originally held some school curriculum of my daughters. I made a paper doll out of a paper note pad I had and used a Graphic 45 frame as a window for her to look out of . German glass glitter, Glimmer mist, and Tattered angels chip board, were some of the things I used on it along with some of my daughter's pencil drawings for the inside. Now I have somewhere special to keep my cards.

I hope you are all having a safe and joyous Christmas. I'm looking forward to a really productive New Year. Thanks for dropping by my blog!....xxooxxx

Film Love

2009-12-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

So my one and only daughter, Taylor was asking for some special DVDs for Christmas this year. So I decided to alter up an old bill box I had and change it into a gift box for her DVDs. It fits about eight to ten DVDs. I used one of my favorite papers by Basic Grey called Mellow to cover the outside of the box, then added some Glimmer mist (Fall Breeze) and embellished. Websters Gold netting was gathered and made into a ruffle edging around the box. The inside is covered with Graphic 45 paper and Prima packaging (also sprayed with Glimmer mist). It's all topped off with my Mica flakes from Zinnia. They make everything look magical! I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it...

The PC is up and running just in time for the Christmas festivities!

2009-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yes the old hard drive had a melt down, but it looks like I'm back in business---Yippy!!!! No computer for almost two weeks opened up more time for me to get my hands busy with projects I have put off for a while....I also had a little extra time to hit the stores and find more treasures,...I got to crop with friends, and I even got out to Knott's Berry Farm with mom. One of the "treasures" I found was mica flakes(yes I already have some) but these were in a HUGE jar and were only $5.00 at Zinnia in Pasadena. Here's my sis Toni (a.k.a. partner in crime) with the goods!

"A Christmas Carol"

2009-12-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

I Recently went to see the newest version of "A Christmas Carol" and I was very pleasantly surprised at how close it followed the original book by Charles Dickens. Robert Zemeckis has captured the essence of the original story with great use of modern film making technology. It is shone in 3-D and is a feast for the eyes . Gary Oldman is amazing in it, as usual, and Jim Carey stays close to the script. If you have time this Christmas season I highly recommend it. It's sure to put you in the Holiday mood.

It's Beginning to Sound a lot Like Christmas!

2009-12-01T11:21:00.001-08:00

As I trim the tree and deck the halls I can't neglect the sweet sounds of the season. I need a sound track with everything I do, even house cleaning is a little less tedious with music. If you'd like to here some Christmas music with a creative edge check out my brother Tracy G's new Christmas CD "A Frosty G Christmas" . It's full of great traditional songs done in a very unique way. Here is a link to his website-http://www.tracyg.com/you can find all of his CDs there, including this great Christmas one. Just an added plug...... my daughter Taylor did the artwork on the CD!

Thank You......

2009-11-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

"Hands" done by one of my favorite Renaissance/Reformation artists, Albrecht Durer, is an amazing reminder to me that none of us get through the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of this life alone-- If you have the time and don't know about the story behind this incredible picture of Albrecht's brother' hands please click the link below and have a great Thanksgiving weekend.------ Shawn http://www.moytura.com/reflections/prayinghands.htm

Scrapping on the go----

2009-11-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

Who says you need an elaborate work space to create. I spend so much time in my car that I've learned to always have a bag of supplies with me. My latest cropping area of note worthy mention is Chick-fil-A. I usually find a nice quiet corner booth and unpack some of my favorite scrapping goodies(I always leave my alcohol inks in the car!-messy- messy). The people who work there always seem to be accommodating and very polite. Some are even a little curious about what I'm doing with all of that "stuff". It gives me a chance to share my love and passion for scrapping. I highly recommend trying it sometime, by the way, the music is very peaceful and uplifting.

This is a wall hanging from a class that I took with Marah Johnson . I had started it quite a while ago but never had time to complete it. It's a masking technique using spray paints over an old children's book cover. I love her classes she is so down to earth and full of helpful tips. I hope to take more of here classes in the future. Thank You Marah!

Finally Feeling Better

2009-11-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

After two weeks of sickness in my house we're all finally feeling a lot better.

The weather in Southern Cal is perfect right now and hopefully we will stay well to enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday. Pepper was just about the only one not affected by the flu bug. He takes really good precautions. Stay well and enjoy November everyone!

Back to Basics

2009-11-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Yes I'm back to basics, finger painting, that is. I found this Pearlescent Embossing Paste by Dreamweaver and it has such a gorgeous pearlized effect to it I just had to get it in my hands. This is one of the layouts I've used it on. I just smeared it around with my fingers over just about everything on the page. It gave it a soft dream-like look to everything. It's my new favorite product of the week. Glimmer mist works great with it . I mixed it in to the paste to give it a little extra color and it worked fine. It took a little extra time for drying but not much. I hope you can get your hands of some of it.

Scrapping the Music Challenge #109 OUR HOUSE

2009-10-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

The first line of the song of Our House says "father wears his Sunday best", so who else came to mind but my crazy dad! Crazy in a good way. It was fun doing this layout because I had time to remember how much I love him and am thankful for him. To him the glass is always half full. I call him one of my cheerleaders! I always feel beautiful and loved when I'm with my dad. So here's to you pops.......

October 31st

2009-10-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mina and I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween/Reformation Day!
(she stays in the house tonight!)

Let the Music take you....

2009-10-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

If you love music like I do than you'll love Scrapping the Music. Each week the smart ladies over there present us with a song to inspire us to get scrapping. Music has been the catalyst for many of my layouts and so I was so excited when I found this website. Perfect for me and so much fun. Check it out if your looking for a new challenge.

This layout is of my daughter who was having a particularly tough time a while back. The song that inspired this layout is called Beautiful Dawn. I chose the line "show me how to love in the darkest dark"

It's never too late to learn something new!

2009-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

One thing that I've come to believe is that it's never too late to learn something new. Life is an adventure with ups, downs, curves, and big - big drops! My mother told me years ago that I should never be afraid to ask questions. I grew up and grew into really understanding what that meant. As I get older I realize how much I don't know. But I don't mind. I just keep learning. Every day is a day of learning and growing for me. So when recently asked to participate in a scavenger hunt at my local scrap book store ," Scrapping Lounge", I based my layout on a saying I heard once,"Ask questions, read and have no fear of what your going to find".

We were given a list of items we needed to find and make something out of them. Some of the things I had to include in the layout were pieces of broken jewelry, paper clip, key, aluminum foil, and cardboard. I used alcohol inks, embossing powder, distressed inks, mod podge, wrapping tissue, corrugated cardboard, rub-on letters and chipboard letters. Our layouts were judged by store customers and low and behold, I won second place and I learned that aluminum foil makes sweet flames for dragons!

Never Forget Where you came from

2009-10-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Going through some old pictures a while back had me reminiscing about my childhood. I think we can get so caught up with the here and now and the things we have at hand , that we need to sit back once in a while and a song. Those were the days. remember where we came from. My layout is a picture of my brother and I ,back in the day. He was always so patient with me no matter how long it took me to learn

All You Need Is Love!

2009-10-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

I found this broken scanner in my garage recently. Being an avid Beatles fan and growing up with the art of Peter Max, I was inspired to turn it into a shadow box featuring a couple of things that mean a great deal to me, Music and of course Love. My husband's Yellow Submarine action figure, "The Blue Glove",was the focal point. I used various spray paints, Sculpty polymer clay, loads of glitter, Grunge board, a broken record, some happy Sassafras paper, chipboard, card board, and even the innards of the scanner itself. Looking at it reminds me of my favorite line from the song. "There's nowhere you can be that isn't meant for you to be...It's easy."

2009-10-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Time to get cozy, throw a log in the fire, and get out your favorite autumn do-dads. I like to stock up on skeletons, spiders, webs, and leaves this time of year. They're pretty easy to find. The dollar stores are a good place to start and have loads of seasonal stuff. Happy Hunting!