Deli Paper Tutorial

There is a really wonderful tutorial on making background papers by Marilyn Rock that you can find here (part 1) and here (part 2). It's done on deli paper and I absolutely love the finished product. The paper is light weight and adheres to EVERYTHING just beautifully. The paper below will be cut up and the swirls that I drew on it will be used for borders.

This paper will be used strictly as background paper to projects. I always make three of each color combination, so I will keep one the original size and maybe journal on it.
Go check out the tutorial and let me know what you think. Better yet, email me when you make something!

The #8 Fish

This is for an -a-thon (yes, a-thon) entry. The theme was Sea. Anything, any kind...

I've had a busy art (& laundry) day!

The weather went from many days of sun and warm temps the past week to cold and rainy this weekend. Since I decided it was a good day for laundry, what better way to pass the time as each load tumbles and rolls? Down to my nice warm studio I went. The Zetti bookmark is for a swap...

and so are these lovely sirens! They are for a "Sea Life" post card swap. This is a 4 x 6 inch postcard. I sure wish my 'girls' were that perky!

A new blog header...

Out with the old and in with the new. I got bored with the other one, Let me know what you think. I'm totally incompetent when it comes to digital art, so please keep that in mind!

Have a glorious day!

Zany Zetti Postcard...

I love vacation. There is nothing better than having no commitments~LOL!!! Oh, how I wish THAT was true! Target, Costco, Joann's, Michael's, post office, bill paying, TAXES, and the list goes on and on. Then I go back to work on Monday and my two younger sons (ages 14 and 18) have vacation. If left to their own devices, they would eat me out of house and home, along with their friends who would come here because I'M THE MOM AT WORK! So off to the grandparents for Tues., Wed., and Thurs. I'm no fool!

With the small amount of free time I had today, I made this postcard for a Zany Zetti Postcard swap. I'm still not nearly as proficient as I would like to be when it comes to Zetti anything. That's why I love this group I'm in. They have the patience to put up with all of us Zetti apprentices. I love learning from the master Zetti Jedi's.

Zetti House Fridge Magnets

I'm in a Zetti Houses Fridge Magnet swap and the whole idea is to make a 'neighborhood street'. I got smart this time...eh, eh, eh...I made an extra for myself. I want to live in my neighborhood, too! I'll swap 5 out and get 5 in return. I'm going to keep Mona because she's in my favorite colors.

Another Twinchie and a gift for you

Oh dear...I just could not get enough of these magnets. I realized that the first 2 I made I was going to give away. It feels like I NEVER make anything for myself. So, down to the studio I went. I made this twinchie for myself and when the other two sets come from the swap, I'm sure I'll have a grand ole time moving them around and making new "girls".

I also was on the lookout for striped Zetti legs. I had made myself a collage set of them a computer ago, and somehow, when I moved everything over on my memory stick, the other legs never made it. These legs are from tights adverts online. There weren't any 'copyright' so feel free to copy them and have fun making Zetti art!

Twinchie Magnet Swap

Let's talk about addiction. It is defined as: the condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something. That was me today...making these 2 x 2 inch pieces for a Zetti Twinchie swap. I'll send these to the hostess and she'll send back six 2 x 2's, all from different people. I have to tell you, this is going to be one heckuva sweet swap!

Angel Bookmark

I love this group that I belong to. It's called Amusing Muses and the people are very active and VERY eclectic in their art media preferences. This bookmark was for a WINGS themed swap, preferably an angel.

Monter ATCs

I've actually had some of these done a while back. But with the school year winding down, I haven't had the time to upload anything. These are for an ATC sized chunky book swap. I had A LOT of fun making these!!!

Monster ATC

I'm participating in an ATC sized Monster Chunky Book. A lot of the participants are hand drawing these absolutely ADORABLE monsters, however, being completely feeble in the drawing department, I have to put mine together by hand. I sure hope this will do. I need to make 7 more!

Mushroom Magnet

I am loving this group that I'm a part of. They have very cute monthly challenges and swaps. This month's nature challenge was MUSHROOMS and it had to be made into a 3x3 inch magnet. Ya gotta love something like that. Here's mine!

Quick post...

"Birdies with Pointy Hats" tags for a swap!

What a day!

What a fun day I had today!!! I decided to try something new for a change. Remember the House tags that I made for a swap? Well, the participants are also required to make a book for them to be "housed" in (heh, heh...a little humor there...)

I decided to try a deli paper technique that can be found on Marilyn Rock's blog. This is so easy and the results are so much fun to play with. After the paper dried, I cut it into pieces and glued them onto a 12" x 12" piece of card stock (front and back). This was to become my tag book and you can find the directions here on Paper Craft Planet

Making the book was a bit of a challenge because the paper was a little too thick. I did it anyway, learning from my "experimentation" along the way. I'm happy with the way it came out, however, I'll have to make something else with the deli paper next time.

Front cover...

and inside pages. I'm not finished embellishing them yet

I'll also add fibers to the book. I'm just mullinng it around in my head as to how I want to do this...

More House Tags

You just gotta love snow days! It is coming down, and I mean, coming down! My school closed so off I went, into the studio. I love being able to take advantage of these "free" days. It seems like we've had a lot lately!

I needed to finish my HOUSE tags for a swap I'm in. They'll get mailed off as soon as I can get up the driveway!

"House" tags for a swap

I'm participating in a house shaped tag swap. These tags are 2.5 x 4.5 inches. Today was the perfect day to make these because

I HAD A SNOW DAY

and my kids didn't!!! Not like I felt badly for them or anything!

I need to make 4 more and will do that as soon as I have more free time. (Like maybe tomorrow if it doesn't stop snowing????)

I won! I won! I won!!!

I won this absolutely adorable heart from Jo James. If you haven't see her site, you really need to visit. Her work is absolutely amazing and I visit it frequently because it just makes me feel good. I think I was comment #172ish. I never, ever thought I would win. What a wonderful surprise!

Mona's got a whole new gig!

Here's that Mona Lisa smile!

The Final Page

I love my Mixed Media Madams group. However, this journal swap has come to an end. The theme of my book was houses. I love houses...anything to do with them. I also love birds, eggs and vintage images. This is my addition to my book. I never did my own pages!!! This is front to back. The pages will be put together accordion style. The backs are as lovely as the fronts. I'll be able to switch it around whenever I feel the need and see both sides of the lovely artwork! I'll take a photo when I'm finished with it.

I'm a Scrapaholic!!!

When I cleaned up yesterday, I put all my scraps and unused art thingies in a bin. I love scraps (or hoarding, as my DH sees it!). I can't throw away the smallest piece of ANYTHING because I think I may need it at some point. Believe it or not, I really do find uses for these bits and baubles. This whole piece is made from scraps and rejects. And see that little piece of silver tulle on the bottom left? That is what was left over from a 12 x 12 inch piece that I got from my friend Jen about 2 years ago. Mind you, this art piece is only 3.75 x 4 inches! See, I used that teeny tiny piece!



I made this piece in honor of my friend martha. She loves to sew and is so darn wonderful at it. She has always encouraged me to "just do it!" and I try when I have the time (or pieces of scrap!) Sew martha, I did it!

Eeeeeewwwwwwww! My studio was gross!

Well, today was the day. I had to do something about that space downstairs. I couldn't find anything anymore, and was stepping over all sorts of unidentifiables. There were dog toys as well. So, I bit the bullet and cleaned it up. Took me damn near three hours!

And I even had time for a little art when I was finished!

This is my "Book of Why" that I found buried underneath all my crap. I had completely forgotten about it!

Ravens for Marion

I FINALLY finished Marion's Raven pages for my Mixed Media Madams group. I hope it was worth the wait.

They call this a snowday?

For this they closed school? We're supposed to have a N'oreaster. What we're getting is bubkiss! It's not over yet, so maybe we'll actually get 5".

So, what do you do when you have lots of time on your hands? You take a picture of your true love and post it.

This is Petee. Isn't he a cutie?

I was in a Valentine Ornament Swap with some very lovely artists. I've known many of these women for a long time so it was a pleasure doing this with them. Being of the Jewish persuasion, I do not own a Christmas tree to display these, so I chose the next best thing...A NECKLACE HANGER!!!

Notice the fire in the background...cozy, cozy, cozy...








This was an absolute pleasure to do. And a HUGE thanks to our great leader, Barb, for taking the time to organize this for us. Can't wait to do it again!

Happy Valentine's Day!

OK...so I'm a little early for Valentine's Day. I'm in an ornament swap with 13 other ladies and I needed to get these done. I'm so far behind on my other art obligations, I feel negligent. One more piece and I'll be free!

These hearts are made from hand made paper material. I covered muslin with watered down glue and then covered it with tissue paper. I found that the colored tissue worked very well. Lots and lots and lots of glue later, they were dry and ready to be cut into 4 x 4 inch squares. They have been glued again with vintage words, then sewn on the machine and embellished with ribbon and tulle. Lots of fun to make and very relaxing.

Ya think it'll take me another 2 months to post something?!?

I am absolutely stunned that I haven't posted ANYTHING in 3 and a half months. I have been so overwhelmed with my new teaching job, that I haven't had a chance to BREATHE!!!!! I have fallen behind in my commitments to my friends and that is really bothering me. Especially since I'm the one that ALWAYS complains about late work. Shoot me!

These pages are for Martha. Her book theme is Vintage Xmas and she LOVES the color pink. I sure hope she enjoys these.