Transformations of Many Kinds

Transformations, now besides being a odd word so many things happen with it.  To mind I think of the beautiful transformation of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.  So pretty they are and just flutter around and so delicate.  I have a saying somewhere that says the butterfly counts not months but moments and it has time time enough. 

Now  the transformers, a different story.  You know the ones that are a cute little car and then transform into a mechanical robot.   Certainly different  than the beautiful butterfly. 

Taking the RAIL class with Zinnia on Roses on My Table and the new class is transforming paper sacks into journal books.  Yep that is what I said you didn't read wrong.   I won't waste words here just photos are enough for the wonderful project.

Sari ribbon, look at the beautiful colors.  Scraps of silk, who would have thought ? 

The front of the book, I didn't know better I would sweat it is leather the way it feel after putting all the gobblie goop that I have on this paper sack.  It looks inviting doens't it?  Kind of old world. 

First set of pages with a couple of peek a boo pages. 

Here are the little pages opened with surprises and written secrets.

Second set of pages, bling and lace seemed like it called for this effect here.  Remember this is a paper bag book. 

Here is the butterfly I wrote about, couse the saying goes for all the little fluttering pretties. 

Even the butterfly page has a little secret message.

Birds called this page theirs but their is a secrect pocket and I wonder what it holds for them ?

A kitty,  oh oh watch out birdies.  

The back of the book.  Lots of texture and oh what fun to make.  I see more of these and different themes in the future. 

There you go, I know it was a lot of photos but just had to share with you.   So that is what is happening in my world for today.   I did fix it so you don't have to write out the secret words so you can comment.  Thanks Colleen.   See y'all next time.

Instead of No Joke it is No Sewing

Spring is here, well almost, and you get to thinking about what you are going to do in the yard and set some plans into motion.  I am a list maker, so I make a list and of course usually misplace it.  BUT when I find it we have usually accomplished everything I have written down on the list.   It feels so good to mark it off like~hey something is accomplished.   Now don't laugh to hard at this but when we go to the grocery store I do have a list, if not we get so carried away and things just jump into our basket by themselves or some little mischievous fairy just pops maybe ice cream  (yum) that we don't need or something like that into our basket.   If we buy something not on the list my pen gets busy and writes it down on the list.  No really, I do that and then can mark it off.  Have to get my kicks somewhere out of buying groceries. 

Now talking about kicks----
I use to sew, for our daughters, for clients and even made wedding gowns and designed them.  Loved it and thought I am a dyed in the wool seamstress and would never glue anything.  Remember now~never say never-  Well,  I am a member of the Gilded Stash Society and we get goodies once a month, they are so pretty and I hate to use them. ( now these are purchased)  Do you ever do that?  I bet never. 

Usually once a month they give an instruction of using some of the pretty things and for the month of February they gave us the class from Christy Tomlinson about valentines.  Well,  to make a long story short, I don't want to wear your eyes out here, one part of the instructions was gluing a pillow.  I thought, no way Jose would I ever do that.  After three, yes three pillows made now I am so totally hooked on it.   Of course I used several of their pretties here.

Here is the glued pillow, yep not a sewing needle one has touched this.  I made the rose out of silk and the pin is a ring I found at a store and just cut it apart .  One of the crochet pieces is from a friend and the rest I had.  

I have a link for the Gilded Stash Society, they have beautiful pretties. 

http://whathappensnext.typepad.com/what_happens_next/2012/01/join-us-the-gilded-girls-stash-society.html

Thanks for popping into my world today and will have more later.  XO

Quinacridone ?

I feel like we must always try something new.   I guess it keeps us from being boring ?   It could be new food that we have never eaten before.  I have tried some different foods and thought OK been there done that.  New recipes I have some control over, well after I redo them to our taste, but sometimes you just have to jump out there and try new things.   We did the race car adventure and that was awesome but there is so much out there to try.  I rode an Ultralight little thingy once in Mexico.   Like a go kart with wings.  That was a blast, our daughter said did you see that idiot out there over the water in that thing?  I said smiling, I was that idiot.  It felt like you were flying and I figured the driver of it didn't want to die either and if he did guess it was my time to go. 

Oh I could go on but you get the message, we just have to do it and not be boring.  Whatever it is at the time.   I think even just enjoying that outside and the noises that Spring brings to us, well besides the howling wind and the sand blasting our faces.  That my friends is NOT new for us. 

Zinnia on Roses on my Table is teaching a wonderful class on her RAIL classroom, as I call it.  Trying new things, so this is my first photo of what we are making.  We are doing so many techniques and here is what I did so far. 

Lots of textures but the new thing is the color of Golden Acrylics-Quinacridone/Nickle Azo Gold.  That is a mouthful to say but the color is awesome. It is so rich and warm.   The blues are just blues and greens.

These go in a journal we are making, can't wait for you to see what it is morphing into.   Just something new that I have never tried. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

Mary Green March Challenge

Wow twice in one day, maybe I am trying to catch up?  Nope just behind on my art and as hubby says I only make myself behind.  Mary Green  has a monthly challenge  so here is my rendition of the images she gve us to play with.  She is such a generous lady to supply these images for us. 

this is the after.  I'll find the befores for you. 

Here are the images Mary provided for us.  Hope this is ok Mary.  Please let me know if not.  I will take these puppies off in a New York second.   I did take liberties with the girl though.  She is pretty but had to put my stamp on her. 

There you go, what is happening at this moment in my world. xoxo

Sometimes Our Eyes Play Tricks On Us

I  have been tardy, MIA, gone or whatever life has brought on to us at times.  I feel like I have totally neglected yall.   So welcome March, where did your friend of February go so quickly and you even had an extra day to play ?  There is a saying about March ~ in like a lamb out like a lion.  Guess we will see how it goes out this year.  Although for us I can almost 100 % say the wind will blow.  : )

I  think I have mentioned before about cloud watching and looking at the shapes that so quickly appear and disappear almost as fast as it developed.  Still love doing it though, seeing the animals, ships and different clowns in the clouds.   I am still taking the class of Book of Life from Tammy and all her artist friends, it will go all year and so I probably will be sharing more to you all along.   Mystele was last weeks teacher.  I have only gotten to watch the video but again, Miss doubting Thomas here thinking WHAT ?     I will never doubt again~promise.   Well, almost never anyway.  

In the class we are suppose to paint to our little hearts content with nothing in mind and see what crops up and then go from there to develop our painting.  Well I didn't have time last week to do that but did get some butcher paper and alchol inks and played.  Just a few drips and drabs here and there.  Of course I didn't have the special secret mixture you are suppose to blend the inks with but I thought OK, alchol with alchol ink should work. So I spread some around on the paper then dropped ink.  After it dried I was so totally amazed at what I saw.   Now mind you I did nothing but drop ink around on the paper. 

This is what I saw:  Lips, a panda bear or koala bear, a dog, prehistoric hieroglyphics ( horses or buffalo whatever I guess when you lived back then you painted) and two perfect eyes one for the dog and one for the bear. 

You will have to turn your page or head over to see the upside down oldie but goodie animals,  which ever is the easiest for you.   And what is funny is I didn't see the panda/koala until I photographed it.    So what do you see in this page?   It is a tad wrinkled it traveled a bit and will now find a restful place in my special box I have for Tammy's class.  Now this has to be pretty special art to have it's own box and not a plain one either.  The box has flowers on it like Irises and butterflies. 

There you go I just had to share this with you, not that I discovered America or anything but Mystele certainly did know what she was talking about.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today. xoxox

Cassi's Give Away

This pretty little banner is to Cassi's Giveaway.  A generous lady indeed.  Her site is An Artful Adventure with lots of tuts and pretties to look at. 

I know I sound like an advertisement but that is OK, at least it is not a guy marrying  a piece of bacon.  I know that sounds strange but there is an ad on TV right now and they guy marries a piece of bacon.  Sorry just had to sound off about this one.   

I promise you will  not be disappointed going here.

Here's the link,

  http://anartfuladventure.typepad.com/an_artful_adventure/

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today. xo

Lace and Paper

You know my word for the year is EXPLORE.  Now that as you know can mean many things but right now it is exploring in the art world.  Right now it is kind of like seeking it all and having fun doing it.  

Now bookbinding is certainly a trip I do believe.  I did not realize there were so many forms of it and so many ideas about them.   I did a little mini book in Zinnia's Artful Gathering last year and will hunt the photos of it, and I have just made some squash books.  No not the little yellow vegetable you eat, fun though that is what I thought when I first saw the word.   Those are both little treasures, pics a coming.   I file them on the computer and it is almost as bad a a shoebox we use to use to store pictures.  They are on the computer and it is truly a hide and seek game looking for them.  Oh but I won't tell you about that.

This one is a sewn book with signatures, not the kind you write but sew in.  I didn't have any chipboard for the front and back so I just cut up the watercolor backing of that pad. There are no backs anymore on any paper pads in our house.  They are now recycled pretties and they weren't even finished with the job they were doing.  I guess they were jumping ahead of their time weren't they? 

The only bad thing about this journal it is one  I am working out of now and I am afraid I will mess the front and back up so it now proudly wears a little coat of plastic to protect it.   I do hope it isn't the same as the plastic covered furniture people use to do when they didn't want anyone to mess their living room furniture up.  

Here is the front of my first type of journal like this.   Just kind of glued and played to my little hearts content. 

This is the spine of the journal with ribbon and some pearls and crystals.  I do have to admit they are not real though, the pearls and crystals.  This was certainly a learning experience and I though hey I can do this and was fun.   That is the most important thing  I think. 

Well that is my exploring today.  Thanks for  stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.  xox