Gelli Plate Printed Translucent Envelope

After taking Julie Balzer's Getting Started with Deli Paper class,  I couldn't wait to make some Gelli prints on the translucent paper.

So I made...oh... about a zillion. 

Which turned out to be wicked handy when I needed a last minute way to pretty-up a gift card.

I love how the printed deli paper looks a lot like vellum. It gives the envelope a little something special.

And even better, I impressed the heck out of my small-fries. In a house full of teenagers, it's not as easy as it used to be.

This is my entry for the "Color" challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show

Renovations

Sorry my posts have been somewhat infrequent.

We've been doing this:

Because we were moving.  

I gave away half our stuff and packed up everything else into boxes.

THEN WE DIDN'T MOVE! 

So, we looked at all the missing furniture/stuff and decided it was a really good time to fix up the place.

We needed to repair things

because our builder was an ass and did a very crap job of just about everything. 

There was  A LOT to fix. 

Specifically vast, extensive, (expensive) drywall issues.

 And the ceiling. 

And the niche was sinking, backwards. 

Like it was trying to slink away. Bastard.

*SIGH*

And it was time to replace the floor...

New floor = Pretty

New floors require  new base boards.

And Plinth Blocks. I love Plinth blocks. Saying "plinth" is fun!

Try it :-)

And now the painting has begun.

Look at our boatload of paint! 

Like... a metric boatload which is much, much worse than an imperial one.

I keep hearing rumors about how nice it's going to be once it's all complete. 

I don't believe them.

An Ounce of Performance: Collage

Hey Everyone, I just realized I haven't shared this lovely lady. 

She's one of my Modern Girl Skinnies. I just love the proportions of a piece this size.

I hope you can tell how much fun I had with the background here. 

And as usual, she's another sassy redhead. Funny how often red hair pops up in my work ;-)

Available on Etsy

Mermaid Up-cycled Art

click to see it bigger

This project came about because I was bummed that I couldn't/didn't sign up for Jane Davenport and Teesha Moore's new class Mermaid Circus. So I decided to make myself a consolation mermaid but wasn't sure what medium to use - an art doll? A canvas? A card? 

Then we bought a new coffee table from Ikea and it had this awesome piece of cardboard inside the box. I immediately saw the potential 'canvas' and got to work.

 

First I used brown paper packing tape to seal the open edges.

Then I covered it with a thick - and I mean THICK - layer of gesso. Cardboard is really pours and absorbent so I wanted to make sure it saved me from having all my paint sucked up into the fibers

Then I took stacks of torn paper in shades of blues and greens and squished them into the gesso, kind of like wiggling tiles into grout. 

Once they were all placed I laid my craft mat over the top and pressed it down to make sure everything was nicely stuck down.

From here I rubbed gelatoes, pan pastels and paint into the "grout" to make up the background.

Then it was dark, and I failed to take pictures *hangs head in shame*... so... Ta-Da!

I tried to make her a lot more sketchy and expressive/figurative as opposed to realistic or crafty. It's really scary sharing work that's different from what I normally do.

And the happy ending to this story is that my sweetie bought me the class so she's no longer a consolation mermaid. She's just a fun new favorite.

12.25x16.5

This is my entry for the April 'Take the Challenge' with Mou Design Memory Craft prompt,

Today's challenge is about making something new from something used or old. 

 April is Earth month and I feel that upcycling something creatively might show a little bit of our love for our beautiful planet.

Also, I got the idea to make the tiled paper background from Donna Downey's CPS Art Lesson - only $1.99 . But I went way off track to the point that I didn't follow along at all really. I should definitely go back and take another crack at it.

Let whatever you do today be enough: Collage

Can you tell I just LOVE this saying. I think I've collaged it four times now and no signs of tiring of it.

I love this girls outfit. Her swingy top, patterned skirt and cool boots make me smile. To be honest, I could go for a pair of those boots myself :-)

Available on Etsy

I'm Just Striving: Modern Girl Skinnies

Sorry I've been MIA. 

We are in the midst of a rather sudden house remodel and for awhile there I didn't even have my appliances. While it's happy chaos, it's chaos all the same. 

My poor hands haven't got painty in over three weeks - I think that's a record for me.

Here's a project I hadn't shared yet. I love this girl, it feels like she and I could be good friends.

$20.00

Available on Etsy

This is my entry to the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes Challenge: Happy 4th Birthday to one of my favorite sites.