tagged again - but wait, no groaning here!

I was kindly tagged by kawaii crafter of http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/. I won't post the 7 random facts here again since i did it once already and i don't want to bore anyone, but you can drop over to her blog which is really nice. she mentioned me and gave my blog a nice compliment; which is really appreciated. thanks again! if you read her comment section where she tagged me, i did leave some random facts for her to read!

2nd altered doll in round robin

here's the 2nd altered doll from the Warehouseartchix i received. the first picture (above) shows how the doll looked as she arrived. here is what i did to her: i added some glittered leaves on which i glued vintage words on. then i applied them to look like wings. i made her a top out of really cute polka dot material. then i gave her a pearl necklace with a charm that says "be yourself". i glued a gold bird into her hat and then made her a pearl bracelet. i also sewed a wire hanger on the back of her in case the owner would like to hang her up. i also painted her arms green with polka dots.

steps to a mosaic mirror

I made this mirror for my friend, Jan, as a surprise for Artnsoul. it says "Because nice matters", which is her favorite saying. i showed the steps to creating a mirror. i started by gluing the scrabble letters down first. you want to get an idea of where to center the words. then i started nipping my pieces and gluing them down. after letting all the pieces dry, i then grouted it. (my least favorite part!). then viola, clean it up and it's ready to go.

charms that i made for my teachers at artnsoul

i made 6 of these (2 have the same image) - for my teacher's at artnsoul. i wanted to give them to them after class as a way to say thank you. i realize they are getting paid; but it is a lot of work to do these retreats and teach and i wanted to appreciate that!
I just took a plastic fake leaf and after painting it with glue, dipped it in silver german glitter glass (love this stuff). then added the charm to the leaf. the charm itself was a gross pink color that i used alcohol inks on to change the color. then i added a tiny image to the center and then some resin. From some "wish "tickets, i cut out the word and distress with distressing ink (tim holtz). i then added it to a large tag that i add covered in paper. they can use it as an ornament or whatever they like!

yay, i got a blog award today!

I was just checking my email and found a comment under my last post, from Susan of http://redbessbonney-akasusan.blogspot.com/. She has passed on the "Power of Schmooze Award" to me and another gal. here is what she wrote on her blog:


Laura at Katydiddys recently bestowed upon me this award! "The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.." Thank you, Laura! I will now pass this along to Kecia of Lemoncholy's Flight of Fancy and Sue of SignatureSterling

what a nice award! this really made my day! thanks so much for thinking of me Susan!

My totally mod, glam bag came today!

I promised this would be the last post about my birthday and it will! When i took that class from Terri Ventura (of Dime Store Daze) at Tinsel Trading Company last month, she was carrying a bag like this that she had made. i just loved it! so different and original - so i asked her to make me one and informed my husband that it was one of my birthday gifts! It came in the mail today. i asked her for glam/fashion vintage images and i think she chose very well! The bag is made of laminated pieces that she collaged and then pieced together with rivets or whatever they are called!

You must check out some of the cool things that Terri makes. I believe she sells most of them at her etsy store which you can access from her blog - http://www.dimestoedaze.typepad.com/. Terri is a jack of all trades; she makes cool jewlery and bags, she teaches at Tinsel Trading Company, she helps her husband out at his plumbing store and she sells antiques. she's always got something cool going on.

I am hoping to talk Terri into teaching a private class on making these bags. I've got some friends (Warehouseartchix - well hopefully!) that might come visit in the spring and maybe Kim and Julie will come too - since we were discussing having a small art retreat while they were here! she doesn't know this yet, so i'll have to email her with my idea and see what she thinks.

so take a look at her blog and then find her etsy store to see some her more charming creations!

More birthday goodies came in the mail today

Okay, i swear i am almost done talking about my birthday! one more post after this one and that's it! My husband bought this for me. It was done by my friend, Lindsay Brackeen of http://www.lindsaybrackeen.blogspot.com/. She sells on etsy and ebay, both sites can be found by going to her blog. Lindsay is extremely talented and she's only been painting for 2 years. she has 2 girls and paints in her spare time. i think she told me she keeps all her supplies in a suitcase and then drags it into the kitchen when she gets a moment to paint. i find such beauty in her work and she's done so many that i wish i had gotten! she has sold more than 400 paintings, which is quite an accomplishment! Lindsay and i are going to be rooming together at Artfest. I am so excited to finally meet her - I am so glad she is going!

a necklace that my friend, Kim, from Ohio made me

When i was in Ohio, my dear friend, Kim, gave me this necklace that she made for my birthday. how cool is it? i wore it out to dinner that night. i really received some wonderful gifts this year - all handmade, which i love. She picked up the beads at Ally beads and the charm she found at this cute little boutique next to where she works. She got me the westie charm since i have 2 darling (but trouble makers), westies! the cool fabric beads that you see woven in the necklace is something she learned from Nina Bagley, which Nina calls the cocoon bead. they really are cool and totally make the piece. i just love them. go visit her blog at http://www.artdogslife.blogspot.com/. she also had an etsy store (clickable from her blog) and right now she has a pair of cocoon bead earrings that she just finished for sale.

my goodies from the warehouseartchix in Texas!

this is what i got on friday from the warehouseartchix (http://warehouseartchix.typepad.com/warehouseartchix/2007/09/index.html) . I am in a round robin with them and we are making altered dolls! if you go to their blog today you can see some of the dolls in progress. they are pretty cool. Sandra and i met on etsy when she purchased one of my 12" blank papermache manikin's from me. somehow we just started chatting alot and then became friends! her and her girlfriends are very nice and how sweet was it of them to send me a goodie box?it was so fun opening it. a paper cone was made to hold all the goodies. they made a darling tag and attached beautiful green ribbon hanging off the tag and to hang up the cone with. This funky really cool crinkly gold stuff (what is that Sandra) is hanging off the tag and hanger. they added the letter "K" which had been glittered under the tag.

inside my goodie cone was 6 glorious tubes of glitter - MY FAVORITE! the colors are so enticing, blues, pinks, greens and an irridescent one. there was a fabulous frilly pink beaded pen, a domino, a buckle, a metal rectangle with a vintage girl image on it, some cool rub on phrases for "birthday", some theater tickets that say "wish" (very cute!) and then 5 little silver tins full of fun goodness - button brads that resemble vintage fabrics, 2 darling face beads (which my friend, Kim, bought the same ones in Ohio while i was there, so that is kind of funny), some more of that glorious green ribbon, some 3-d round tags with cake picutures on them and then some really interesting paper flower brads. everything was so thoughtful and packaged so nicely. i just wanted to give a big thanks so much for the girls for thinking of me!

another silly game - but no tagging others, i promise!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)~ Pebbles Durango
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)~ Jamoca Almond Fudge/Oreo
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)~ Kdev
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Green Llama
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, a city where you lived as a child)~ Jo Ventura
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)~ Devke
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)~ The Aquamarine Midori Margerita
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)~ Sam Murray
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)~ Eau des Vanilliers Bit-o-Honey
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )~ Jo Gene
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) ~ Mitten Montgomery
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)~ Spring Tiger Lily
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)~ Banana Pantie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you had for breakfast, your favorite tree)~ Coffee Cherry Blossom
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) ~ The Altered Arts Blizzard Tour

we bought a travel trailer!

Jeff has been wanting to get one of these for about 2 years now. he's been online searching different types of trailers, etc. So we decided to go take a look a some just to get an idea of what some of the options are. Well, after looking at a few models and seeing one that we really liked - we ended up buying one. the price was too good to pass up. We really got a good deal. We are very excited. we are going to park this in the backyard and use it as a getaway or a place for guests to stay. it is a 30 foot trailer, with a back room that has 2 full beds, a computer desk and lots of storage. Next to the back room is the bathroom.

there is a living area with a table, a couch, stove, fridge, microwave, sink. the table turns into a bed and so does the couch. then there is a master bedroom with a queen bed, storage, 2 side tables and a spot to put a tv.

We've got it parked in the back and spent the day yesterday organizing it, putting linens on the beds, putting in the tv, putting chairs out front, pulling down the cute little canopy in the front. my husband spent the day out there watching football and enjoying his little get a way pad.

more bracelet photos

close up pictures from the bracelet that my friend, Jan of Polkadotbarn, made for me. (see post below!) Next up - beaded necklace made for me by my friend, Kim and a goodie box that arrived from the Warehouseartchix!

birthday box from my friend, Jan, of Polkadotbarn

Jan's box arrived on Monday the 17th, but i was a good girl and put it away until my birthday on wednesday. (i have willpower!). wednesday was busy, so i didn't really get to sit down and open my gifts til later. (i like to open my non- family chick gifts in private, so i can really look at and admire them in peace!) so i got out Jan's box and the box from my mom. Jan had decorated the outside of the box to make it look so enticing. i could just tell that marvelous treasures were waiting for me inside.

the first thing i pulled out was this darling "happy birthday banner" - which is already hanging in my studio and will stay up all the time. i just love the colors and the font!very cute and looks fab in my studio. it is hanging right above my head so i can see it when i look up. everything was wrapped in darling polka dot tissue paper. again, who can resist such charm?

the next thing i opened was this "to die" for charm bracelet that she handmade for me. she had just taken a class to learn how to do it and she put her knew knowledge to good use. no wondering she kept saying she was busy! this looks like it took a long time to make. it has all kinds of fabulous goodies/charms on it. my favorite charm is an old clip-on earring of a music note that she turned into a charm. she added an old rusty key, some handmade beads that she wrapped and wired herself. i'm going to post some close up pics in the next post. The other thing i thought was cool is that i have a tiny wrist - child size almost- so bracelets never fit. This bracelet is a perfect fit! i wonder how she did that?

then i opened up an awesome altered wall hanging that she hung on a small/mini french hanger that has a vintage look to it. (4th photo from the top). everything about this piece had thought put into it. she knows i love birds (self proclaimed "bird nerd"). she started the piece on a piece of polka dotted cardstock and then built up layers. there are eggs that she sewed transparency paper on top of and then added the saying "Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle". she thought that was an appropriate quote for me because even though i have a tough/sad/ situation with Tucker, i always believe that someone out there has it worse than me. I am not one to wallow in self pity or feel sorry for myself, but i do only myself to feel sad when it creeps up. but i have seen other families with situations much worse than mine and i grab onto that and realizes that my situation could be worse. the best part of the hanging though, is the old sterling spoon she found. the top of the childs spoon is a darling bird! i love it. it totally makes the piece! i don't know if it is a childs spoon or not though, because engraved in the spoon it says, "Australia 1944 and then Ruby + Joe". on the bottom are some quaint black pompoms. on the back of the piece she hid a little envelope in which she enclosed a sweet little card that has a bird on the front (of course) and then is inscribed "Happy birthday, my dear friend! The particular quote on this piece reminded me of you, darlin'. Happy Day, Jan '07.

So how nice was all that? how did i get so lucky to find someone like Jan for a friend? Jan also has a cute little bog ( http://www.polkadotbarn.blogspot.com/) and her cool art work can be found on her etsy site at (www.jthom03.etsy.com). go stop by and say hello!