Painted Cream and Sugar Set

You know when you try something new and you feel like:

That's kind of how I was with the cream and sugar set. 

We've had the old things for at least 15 years. Bought them at Starbucks, never used them much. I host bi-weekly coffee and crafts at my place so I do finally have a chance to use them now and my sweetie bought me a gorgeous new set (with tray) at an art sale; they're made by an incredibly talented local potter.  Not needing two cream and sugar sets, I put the plain old ones in the giveaway box.

Then everyone started doing cool things with Pebeo Porcelaine markers and I wanted to play too. So I picked up a red and black marker (fine tip for the black, medium for the red) and rifled through the house for something to draw on. Sure enough the cream and sugar came to mind and the risk was very low as I'd already said goodbye to them so to speak.

But drawing is NOT my thing at all. Seriously, not. And it stresses me out something fierce. I also got very performance-anxiety-y and put it all away for about three weeks. 

My plan was to approach the task methodically:

1. Research designs

2. Practice on paper

3. Perfect the image and increase confidence.

4. Use tracing paper to transfer image to vessels

5. On a quiet, well lit, calm day paint the images.

Then one day I got all, "the hell with it" and in the near dark (5:00 PM in winter in OR is not well lit) with a terrific headache, I drew the first mushroom of my life onto a weird shaped substrate with an unknown media. 

Turns out mushrooms are a lot like wonky houses. And since I like wonky, the stress level was really low. 

And I thought they were marvelous. And I show them to everyone who comes over. 

I'm such a craft nerd. LOL

Now my cool cream and sugars (with tray!) are languishing on a display shelf and these are seeing all the action. Because... life :)

Altered Calendar Challenge

My friend Darcy has an altered calendar challenge going. It's so great!

You start with a cheap calendar and then you go to town altering it as you see fit, including the monthly challenge. 

I really don't get excited about Monet (so not my taste) so I chose one of his calendars to paint over. 

The poor man is probably rolling in his grave.

His pretty painting of sailboats:

My take on it :)

I'm including this photo to show that the wings are crackle painted as per the January challenge. The clear crackle really didn't add much to the composition at all aside from shine and a little texture. I'll be sure to use a colored crackle if I try it again. Also, I used my french book script stamp to add book text to the image in a very subtle way. My goal was to keep the original art as 'intact' as possible while altering it radically.

And I think it's safe to say that collaborating with a 15 year old boy who is drawn to horror themes has really rubbed off on me. LOL

Stained Glass: In Progress

Moving generates a whole lot of cardboard so I decided to reframe that thought as moving supplies a whole lot of substrates for art. 

We'll call this my 'recycling period' so it sounds artsy, K?

My husband has a open 'window' above his office door that sounds just moseys through like you would not believe. And his video chat meetings do not need to hear our history lessons... or worse. 

So I'm making him a 'stained glass' cardboard window filler. I'll post proper pictures when it's done. 

heART Journal Magazine

Remember my recycled playing cards I made a few months back? 

Soon after posting I was contacted by the lovely and talented Carla Devine about including my tutorial in the new digital magazine heART, available on the Apple, click the box below and it will take you there :-)

And she made me a cover girl - be still my beating heart! 

The magazine is stuffed to the brim with eye candy, great tutorials and oodles of inspiration.

If you'd like to check it out, I have a subscriber code for two months free access to share with all of you:

heART Journal Magazine – 2 Month Reader Bonus Access

Get 2 months free access to heART Journal Magazine. Simply download the app 

and then on your iPad or iPhone follow these directions  subscriber code : heART

·   Install the App on your iPad

·   Launch the Magazine

·   On the Home Page, click on the Yellow subscribe button

·   Tap on the Current Subscribers button

·   Enter this: heART

You will now get 2 months free access to the magazine. Just like with real magazines, when you subscribe, the latest issue is downloaded and you will get any future issues included in your subscription plan. If you want to access previous issue, they can be purchased or if they are free can be downloaded.

Remember, the code is case sensitive. If you need any support with the Magazine please ensure you contact: colorhealsme@gmail.com

If you want to check out my other posts about how I used my altered playing cards, here they are:

 Recycled playing cards (with download)

Recycled Playing Cards Postcards

Pantone Set Two

And a little housekeeping, Judy Malys, I still need your address to send you the card you won. PLease contact me at nicole maki at me dot com. Thanks!

Altered Spoons

Way back on November 29, 2011 the kids and I decided to kick off the year's Christmas crafts with altering some spoons. 

(I can't get over how little Brayden was! Twelve is a lot younger than nearly fifteen!)

So we made all these beauties

We got a good start on it and then I set them aside. 

Then we got distracted making spool garland and forgot about the spoons.

I put them away with our Christmas ornaments and the next year pulled them out, intending to make use of them but we'd just lost Chris's Dad and Christmas wasn't very crafty.

Come New Year, instead of putting them away, I decided they weren't really Christmas specific and I mixed them in with my craft supplies. And ignored them. Then, late this summer I moved them onto my desk so they'd be in the way and I'd work on them.

Well folks, work on them I did. 

Altered spoons are almost as fun as altered playing cards. You can use up all your bits and pieces and make something marvelous! I think I have a new obsession.

This one has wings made with a Gelli printed Manilla tag.

For this spoon I used a hand made paper bead rolled from one of my collage prints. The wings are Gelli printed card stock.

Thanks for visiting.

And the Winners Are

And the Winners are:

Judy Malys (I need your mailing address):

TeriB:

Carmen (Whoopidoo...ings):

(Robin (noteverstill/noteversewing) 

Donnalee:

Tina (I need your address):

Corrie Herriman:

Gill:

janelydialoves:

Susan King (I need your address):

VivJM (I need your address):

Thanks so much for playing, everyone.

Altered Playing Card Pantone Postcards: Set Two

Click to see the pictures full-sized

Here is another set of altered playing cards that I made over the weekend.

It's fun pulling them together and doubly-fun mailing them off to people I think would enjoy a little art in their mail box.

This is one of my favorite quotes and an idea I try to live by.

Truth. 

I think we all need to keep this in mind.

Love this!

I saw this quote on Pinterest and had to use it. I thought it went well with orange - such a non-conformist color :-)

For this one I was aiming to echo the colors and mood of the card with the quote.

Let's not. 

I'd love to mail a few of these off to my gorgeous blog readers so leave a comment on this batch letting me know which one speaks to you most and I'll pick a couple names and drop send them your way.

Also, the giveaway is still open on this earlier post. I'll draw names tomorrow. 

Recycled Playing Card Postcards - Give Away

click all the pictures in this post to see them larger

Thanks so much for the warm response to my altered playing card tutorial. It's so nice to hear from so many of you who are excited about this project.

I decided to tackle another batch of cards this afternoon, this time focusing on the etched hearts. First I typed up some of my favorite quotes from Pinterest using my all time best and most used font you see on every single project I do (just about). It's naughtily named, "Fucked Olympia" which completely confused me. Was the first word in that phrase "I" or "He" or "Nobody"? Turns out soon after I downloaded it, I was looking at vintage typewriters and the brand was Olympia. *lightbulb moment* So it's the olympia font, just a little bit messed up. 

Okay, now where was I? Right, made another batch...

After printing the quotes out on our laser printer (ink jet runs when you use Mod Podge) I mixed and matched quotes and hearts, let them dry and then added in details with a black pen. The etched gesso is a perfect gutter to guide your pen lines. Easy peasy.

Since last year I've had a set of Pantone Postcards lying around my craft room. I'd bought them with the lofty goal of making cool collages on them and mailing them to friendlies far and near. Yeah, that didn't happen. I kept saving them for the perfect project - which, of course, never came along.

Today they were called into duty. 

And now for the giveaway, leave a comment telling me which card is your favorite and I'll choose someone to send one to. Make sure there is some way I can contact you :-)

Thanks for stopping by.

Warmly,

~~~~Nicole