Paper Whimsy Challenge #4...and bitch fest...

It was ME time yesterday. I took a couple of hours after dinner to work on the PW Quote Challenge. I needed to do this because the news is just dismal when it comes to employment. I just applied for 2 Special Ed. teaching positions in NY (remember, I live in CT). They keep getting further and further away. One is 30 miles, the other is 35. I know it's not a huge distance, but I always worked 5 miles from home. Teachers are losing there jobs left and right. I read in the paper today that 29,000 teachers in CA got their pink slips. Oh, to be in a profession that's so valued...I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Thanks goodness Gary still has his job.

Anyway, on a much more positive note, here are my uploads. I LOVED the colors in this collage challenge (Gale provides us with the collage sheet). We were to include: a moon, a rose, something silver, a 3-D embellishment, something with wings and a PW image. I realized AFTER I made the collages that I left out a fish, which was also suppose to be in there.
So...I revised the right hand page...
I'm happy with it!

Paper Whimsy Quote Challenge #3

It seems like I have so little time to be in my studio. I have no idea why; I work VERY part time! I wanted to finish my PW Quote Challenge before the next one got posted. I decided to change the format to side by side instead of front to back. That means doing the first 2 over again. When I participate in the challenges it's guaranteed art time for me. I think that's why I love doing them.

Zetti's Egg-cellent Swap

My wonderful friend, Tamara, is hosting a Zetti Egg Swap in the Zetti Zoo yahoo group. These are my sweet things!!!

ATCs for ARTchix

I haven't been active or made anything for ARTchix for over a year. I can't for the life of me figure out why! It was one of the first Yahoo groups I ever joined and I learned so much from that group. Helga is having an "I Love ARTchix" sticker contest, so I decided to enter it. I had so much fun making these this morning.

Purple, Yellow & Green!

Helga Strauss from Artchix has a challenge once a week on her blog. I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to breathe until today. So, since I love challenges and Helga both, I decided to participate in this week's challenge.

Book wisdom for Heather

What a challenge!!! Heather, in my Mixed Media Madams group, has a theme of Book Wisdom. Why is it that anything that has to do with literature gives me such a hard time? I'm a school teacher; this should come easily to me!!!

I chose to provide wisdom from Anne Frank. I read The Diary of Anne Frank many times as a tween and teen. No other book has made such a lasting impression on me as that book. To think that from the ugliest, darkest corner of world history, a sweet sprite had the clarity of mind to write about her dreams and ambitions. Anne Frank is my hero.

Enjoy your pages, Heather!

Paper Whimsy Challenge #2

Gale at Paper Whimsy is providing us with challenges throughout the year. The name of this challenge is Moss, and we had to use a bird, a flower, a shoe, an ornamental element, and a Whimsy image of our choice. Gale provides us with a collage sheet to use, or we can use other elements that we own, as long as all the components are covered. I like to use what she provides because I think the real challenge for me lies with that. Anyway, here's my piece.

You just gotta love snow days!

It was wonderful having a blizzard here today. I had no responsibilities because I couldn't go to work. In fact, no one could go to work!!! So I just moseyed on down to my studio, put the heat on full blast and made my LAST TWO pages for my Alphabetica Yahoo group. It was kind of sad, because I really enjoyed doing the Tip-in with these artists. I guess all good things must come to an end.

Anyway, these pages are for Heather. I had to make pages for the letters Y and Z. Her theme was Life Defined. You pick a word and make art around it. Y was pretty easy, but Z??? I sure hope she likes them.

All the images except for the big yellow bird are from Lisa's Altered Art.

Finally time for art!

The boys are home from school this week, so my days are being spent schlepping them to friends' houses and appointments. It's so much easier when they're in school!!! Anywho, the Paper Whimsy group is having a challenge using poems from Hilda Conkling and certain picture elements provided by the owner, Gale. In this challenge we needed to use a key, a flower, a fish, a door, words from a poem and a PW image. It was indeed a challenge! Here is my interpretation...

I am the happiest girl!

I won THREE OWOH giveaways. I would have been thrilled with just one, but three!!!

This canvas is from Linda Vincent...

This collage is from Mieke at Mykos Bloggos...
and these earrings are from Mary at MJB Designs.
Someone pinch me; this can't be real. Ladies, you absolutely made my day!!!

One World One Heart~Winner!!!!!

Well, if this wasn't the most Blog fun I've had in a long time!!! Because there were so many comments, I used a number generator. I think that was the easiest and most fair way for me to pick the winner. Drumroll please:

Kris Tuey AKA Contessa Kris!!!


Congrats sweet girl! So happy my doll will have a great home!!!

First Wire Wrapping Necklace

I had this awful virus the past week. Runny STUFFED nose, sneezing, coughing...but the worst part was the headache. It just wouldn't go away! So now that I'm feeling somewhat human, I decided to try my hand at wire wrapping jewelry. I had a 5 minute lesson on how to do it about 3 months ago...can't say I did much with it after that. But I have so many beads for my art dolls and fabric pages that I just had to do SOMETHING!!!

So, here it is!!!

Not bad for a first timer.

4 down and 117 to go!!!

I'm in an Art Techniques Yahoo group and we are putting together a book of techniques only. We have to use something that is recycled and I chose to use paper from my 1948 Funk and Wagnalls dictionary. I covered the pages with my cheapie metallic acrylic paint; you know, the craft paints that cost 89 cents at Michael's! I like the sheen to that paint when it dries; makes for a nice smooth surface to work on. I then used sequin waste and Staz-on inks to make the circles.

I use this technique A LOT for my collage backgrounds. Give it a shot...it's real easy.

BTW...there are 120 people in this swap!!! I've made 4 so far. So that makes 116 (and 1 extra just in case something happens) to go!

Some Tip-In pages for Elizabeth...

In my Mixed Media Madams group, I have Elizabeth as my partner this month. Ironically, we both have houses as our page shape and we both love doors, birds, nests, eggs, etc. She made my pages first, so I tried to make these pages as different as possible from what she made. Of course, since I love these images, it was a joy making these for her.

Soul Journal~Power Images

This is for Prompt 17 of my Soul Journal group. We had to use our power images~"images that speak to us". These images are the ones we use all the time. I find myself using birds, eggs and nests ALL THE TIME!!! There has got to be a subliminal message in them for me. I can only guess...taking flight (bird)? New life/ The cycle of life(egg)?

I guess you can call these images my warm fuzzy images.

Let me get back to the prompt. Here is a partial message from Kathryn:
Basically with this page there are a couple of ideas to consider:

1. Painting with paper rather than paints, or pencils.
2. Creating a landscape. (Oops! I didn't do that...)
3. Starting from a place of gratitude and in this case thinking back
on the things you were grateful for in 2008.
4. Create a place for your power image(s) that will inspire you
towards reaching your vision in 2009.

What I did do, instead of covering my words with my art, was make a flip page. If you lift the bird, you can read my text and also view some more thoughts and art. Again, a very relaxing journey.

I really do encourage all of you to art journal. It is very cathartic. Now, can it help me lose weight?

Jen's Journal Prompt~Zendala

The prompt on Jen's blog this week is Zendala, or Zentangles. Here's mine! I have to tell you that this can be addicting!

One World One Heart

Today is the day!!! We get to post our giveaway for this wonderful event started by Lisa Swifka in 2007. Here is a quote from her post: "I wanted to talk about something else to do with OWOH and that is the connections. The whole idea behind doing this and trying to get as many as possible to join in, was and is to meet new and wonderful people."

There you have it. It really is as simple as that.

In order to win my entry, all you need to do is leave a comment on THIS post. I will not be able to move comments from one post to another...sorry. This giveaway is open to everyone who leaves a comment, however, my comments are moderated and will not show up right away. SO DON'T DESPAIR!!!!! Your comment will not be lost! Also, I need to be able to track you down, so I'm asking that you please leave your email address on the post so I can contact you if you are the winner. This event will end February 12th and the winner will be announced on that day. BTW, I'm an equal opportunity kind of gal, so I'll be using the random number generator to pick the lucky person.

So now here she is.....
She is a sweet little doll who stands at about 6 inches tall. I used a combination of fabrics on the front; heart fabric on the back. She needs a good home! So leave a comment and good luck!
Click the logo if they want to know more about this event.

Journaling Zetti Style

I have been journaling every day. Some entries are just too personal to upload. This one, however, provides a little insight into what I've been dealing with with my 17 year old son. We've gone through so much with him already; it just seems never ending. I shared this entry with him and he smiled. He just loved my "mind's eye" and was so happy I was willing to share it with him!

My little Zetti Valentine...

My friend Beth, whose Zettiabilities are out of this world, is hosting a Zetti Hanging Valentine swap over in the ZettiZoo Yahoo group. Now, my Zettiability is, shall I say, just beginning to merge. I always give it my best shot; I'm hoping one day to be able to compete in the "big Zetti-league".~LOL

12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women

Okay...this is NOT my favorite journal page in reference to the art, but I do love the message. I was just playing around with some techniques I found at Art Journal Gypsy and combining it with the first prompt from 12 Secrets...Women (yeah, I really am all over the board, aren't I!) which was to Acknowledge Your Creative Self. Too much on the gel pen, I'm afraid. But it's the journaling...the release of my feelings that have been bottled up for a while. More of what's been going on here at the homestead at a later date. However, do check out the journal sites. I swear, you won't be disappointed!