Fireside dreams

This is my entry in the "Fire Fancies" art challenge.
[Click to enlarge the photo!]

The challenge was to look at this painting (below) of a young girl in front of a cozy fire and to imagine what she might be dreaming about. I think she would like travel and adventure with possible romantic involvement. I see her as a redhead, not just from the fire's glow, she will grow up to be a beauty. Maybe she is dreaming of dancing shoes, a horse to ride in the moonlight, a magnificent large home with rich furnishings and a long life to enjoy it all and share with those she loves.

Check with Julie (Vote here, Julie's blog!!!!)or Mary to see more entries. But please, VOTE for MINE!!!!

A moleskine page and more dreamy gratification

This "Instant Gratification" collage can be yours (instantly!) for $13.00 if you click on the "buy Now" button!

Permission Slip????

Our creative prompt for collage this week was "permission slip".

We were to make one for ourselves...complete with an envelope...

My work evolved differently.

The page on the left is "Slip away....follow your dreams...be present....open your heart." It has sequins, and lace from a dance dress I had in college.

The one on the right says, "Explore mystery...seek peace...splurge, spend your love and a quote from Carl Sandburg, "Nothing happens....but first a dream." Backgrounds (the first step I do) are done with watercolor crayons. Usually, I can write over them with a ultra fine Sharpie~

Instant Gratification

Moleskines

Art Journal pages

"Who Does She Think She Is?" [Click here for a great movie trailer]






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Loving turquoise, mermaids, Mamma Mia .... Party girls from life and from the movie!

[Blogger is the one having fun and being wild with my post!!!]

Altered book pages for Lizzzy

You can click on each image if you wish to see them larger.
Unfortunately, glitter, rhinestones and sequins don't scan perfectly!

Little Swimmer

This little mermaid is stuck in her inner tube until she grows her tail!

Now she can get in the swim. Making the other mermaid/paperdoll with a foldable tail enables her to rest in the lower corner pocket made from light blue rice paper. Mermaids have to learn to rest sometimes too!

Landlocked or Swimming free?

[Infuenced by the "Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids" by Margot Datz....click on the art work to enlarge.]

Tea Dreams-- Altered book page

This is a page from my "Daughter of Time" altered book. Just red, pink with touches of yellow and blue. The card with the old photograph comes out of the lace pocket and has an antique postcard (sticker) on the back. Behind it is some artwork by Flavia...whimsical hearts and tulips. I always like Flavia's use of line (charcoal?) in her illustrations.

Altered book round robin

Pages in a book for a mermaid....I don't think she is always "landlocked"!

Finding Courage

This painting was just not "doing" it ....many parts were wonderful but I decided it was time to divide and conquer....or at least free up some energy.

The bottom half, the tulip with the teapot silhouette is now a collage of magazine images (the beautiful cup and ceramic birds are from Tracy Porter's catalog).......

Then the collage was given a sticker (above the cup) of a sparkly nature, some cotton quilt batting and backing fabric were chosen. It was free-motion quilted with varigated thread..... Voila!

It is trasformed into a paper collage quilt....soon to be for sale on ETSY!

Altered book page and Early morning wet hair sketch

My altered book, "The daughter of time", this page is called "I am powerful and protected". I used fabric scraps and magazine clippings as well as clip art.

The words of the book's text left showing are "...eyes glowing with pleasure".."alive and well and prosperous" and "fun and games". It always amazes me what can be found in the words on the page!

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Week 2 of my "self-portrait every week".....done just now with towel-dried hair and no contact lenses in yet....now to get some collage "work" (play) done for the day...will post it here later. ("Later": that's it above!)

Domestic Goddess

Two more double pages to use an an altered book....

Both of these focus on the magic of ordinary life with dreams of travel and broader horizons.

Pages

It's not quite finished, but it is coming together now....

Loving birds of all kinds, I think the paisley above the glitter bird on the left could be the perfect wing...a silk tea bag now holds a captured butterfly. The tag of the tea bag says "Paris". Everything in soft colors, mostly robin's egg and soft cocoa.

Moleskine early summer page

This is a collage and journaling page combined.

Stream of thought writing across from a fabric scrap and a magazine clipping. My brother's 50th birthday this weekend. Live in the moment and enjoy!

[the page with the black writing has become like the calendar grid for June or like the grid of a patchwork quilt...the dotted lines could even be quilting stitches. the red dot in every other block brings some of the vibrance of the fabric scrap across the page! I had started to use the other side of the little torn scrap which featured lime green and black. It fell down this way....and I saw a connection to the softer colors of the butterfly wing along with the Zen feeling of the print...which goes with living in the moment!]

Daughter of Time (an altered book)

These are three double pages scanned from the altered book I am working on now...


this one, above is the month of May....with curtains of rain, sparkly pink sticker flowers, books to read, birds nesting and singing. A beautiful time...glorious outdoors or cozy indoors!

This one reminds me of fairy tales with swans and dancing princesses....wearing out their slippers! I added a sheer sequined embroidered overlay.


Here the focus is on a life which permits the making of this kind of art....to see, collect, remember and assemble images...."She had been shut away from the world" the text says. I added "While away the hours in your ivory towers"...perfect for the "daughter of time"! [from "The Games People Play" by Joe South]

Roses

Two scans from the altered book page I did today. The book had the word "Rose", so of course, I couldn't resist!
The word "garden" is also in the text.








I made a machine stitched pink tagboard envelope, then attached it with a ribbon between the pages to hold a bouquet of roses for the book's owner.

This is a scan of the double page without the hanging envelope. It is all about gardens and roses with a chair and some birds and china in there too! I am just so literal sometimes....the green filigree background is a rubber stamp.

Swashbuckling Soiree

A gathering of the most adventurous spirits on the high seas!!!! Hosted by Donna OBrien of The Ribboned Crown .





Our ruthless cut and paste queen has created these collages to celebrate the soiree!

The first uses the glitter of pirates' treasure to lure you aboard....even to the ruby in the skull on the invitation. Blood red roses and dripping pomegranates with jewel-like seeds are there to seduce your senses!







Opening the invitation reveals a swashbuckling Captain Hook, a parrot and the Sweet Potato Queen(in a glass of red wine) who is saying, "You were expecting, maybe, Johnny Depp?"




Note the instructions to "Lift" the wine glass...

Doing so reveals more pirates and parrots and our beloved Jack Sparrow who is ordering "drinks all 'round!"

With company and crew like this, the soiree will be unforgettable! (Don't you dare wear a glum expression or the scissor-wielding artiste will cut out your liver faster than Tinkerbell can escape from the bottle!)

Life is good....collaged page in altered book...(I am taking those wrinkles out of the chair!)





Flights of Fancy....



Feast your senses....rest....dream and it will come true.

An altered book page....it started with the large "O" in the text. I cut out the center and decided to do a page themed around "orange". First, I put and orange rose in the center of the "O". Then cirled special words from the text (like "chocolate candy", "rest", "smell of success", "succulent","juicy") to preserve them and painted the pages orange. Clipped art was then collaged onto the pages, along with a glittery butterfly sticker.