DIANE'S MIXED ART

Hello 2012

2012-01-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

My goodness, I haven't posted for so very long! You just seem to hit these little bumps in the road now & then....all caught up in Facebook & Pinterest! Here I am today posting some Photoshop creations.
It's the one thing I ALWAYS go back to. I hope you all had a lovely holiday season & I wish you all the best in 2012!

New Ballerina done with Photoshop Elements

2011-12-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It's a lovely morning in my neck of the woods. The sun is shining bright & there is NO wind blowing right now! The wind has really done a lot of damage in the past couple of days...particularly in Los Angeles & San Bernardino counties. I believe it is on it's way out of here today.
I have a ballerina for you this morning done with PSE. She was a free image done with another free textured background. I have combined the two & came up with this creation. Can you tell I LOVE color??
Wishing you all a great weekend!

New PSE pieces

2011-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Wednesday is here & Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I am so looking forward to a short visit from my sister, Gail. We will be having Thanksgiving dinner together this year. I am cooking a small butterball turkey with the trimmings. Friday night...we have a Chris Isaak concert that we are both very excited for! Saturday my baby turns 46! OMG! We are heading to the LA Zoo & wherever else he would like to go. Sunday is art day!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family & friends!
Today's post.....new Photoshop Elements pieces.

Some Older Artwork Today

2011-11-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! What I have this morning is some older artwork. The top pics are two pieces my sister, Gail & I did at ArtFest in 2008. Our friend Minnie took a class with Anahata. That night around 11:00 P.M. we all sat down to do Anahata pictures. Mine is the one on the left & Gail's is on the right. We did them on the back side of a heavy cardboard shipping envelope that measures 13x19"......NOT your perfect frame size! FINALLY...I broke down & framed them after 3 1/2 years! I love both of them! The 2nd group of pics are some mosaic frames I made about 3 or 4 years ago too. The yellow nape amazon parrot is Ozzybird. He passed away 9-3-01 after having him for 17 years. My beautiful Dexter is on the bottom left who also passed on 7-4-11. Cooper at the top left (my little coopie) is 2 1/2 years old & he's wonderful!
Wishing you all a wonderful week....after all.....it's only SEVEN WEEKS til Christmas! Who wants to hit me???

Ready for the Little Ghosts & Goblins

2011-10-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! We are all set for the little ones tomorrow evening. I am looking forward to seeing all of their wonderful costumes. We still have to carve our pumpkin & we will set up the fog machine tomorrow evening too.
I have a huge bag of candy all set to go also. I didn't dare buy it too early cuz you know what happens then....I dig into that bag & then I have to go buy another. Happy Halloween to all of you!

Journal pages & Paintover

2011-10-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Wednesday! The sun is shining bright this morning after a couple of days of very dreary weather. It will push into the upper 70's today.
I am posting some journal pages today with the first involving a paintover that I did of myself when I was around 4 or 5 years old. I thought it was so cute until I attached it to the journal page & ended up with a WRINKLE in the paper. Oh well....such is life sometimes. This top one was done using paint texture magic & rub ons. The bottom two are primarily image transfers (with Sheer Heaven) rubber stamping & a wee bit of paint. The bottom two were done a while back but don't think I ever got around to posting them. I hope you all have a great Wednesday!

Differnt Layers with Photoshop Elements

2011-10-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Good morning! What a dreary looking Wednesday morning! Guess we won't be seeing the sun until this afternoon. I have a few errands today so that's ok.
Today's post is the same image & background that I adjusted layers on in PSE. You can see the very different variations you can get with one photo. I really do LOVE Photoshop! I have still been working on my visual journal with a few paint-overs also. I will post more of that down the road.
I hope you're all having a productive & enjoyable week. Happy hump day!

New PSE Creations... Pretty & Pretty Scary

2011-10-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

Good Sunday morning! The sun is shining this morning but there's definitely that touch of Fall in the air. I love it! It's suppose to be a perfect 77 degrees today.
I have been playing with Photoshop Elements some more & have created this lovely vintage photo over a free flowered background from another blogger. The hue, saturation & opacity have been tweaked. The 2nd is a free halloween image on one of my background pieces. I just love all the creepy halloween images out there. We will be decorating the yard next week to get ready for the big candy day. I love seeing all the little cuties that come trick or treating.
Enjoy your Sunday & GO STEELERS!

Halloween Scariness

2011-10-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! Halloween is quickly approaching & it is time for some scary PSE creations. This one was created with some free images & adjusting the hue, saturation & opacity on PSE. I am not a big fan of Halloween but I love playing with the Halloween images. Hope you're all having a good week...Summer is returning to So. California today as we are leaping into the 90's!

Missing Dexter on his 5TH birthday

2011-10-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Today I am posting some journal pages of my sweet Dexter who passed away on July 4th this year. Today would have been his 5th birthday & I can't begin to tell you what a hole this has left in our hearts. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him terribly. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning & I managed to grab a shot of that too. We love & miss you Dexter...you very special boy!

New Paintover on Visual Journal Page

2011-09-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Hope everyone's week is going well. Fall has really rolled in....lots of early morning...what some people would call "gloom." I personally love the cool air in the A.M. I'm quite sure the sun will be out in a few hours. We don't have very many days that the sun doesn't pop out to greet us.
I am posting a new paintover today of my Grandmother. I believe it is from the early 30's. She passed away in 1999 at 90 years old. I did the pic in a 5x7 size & attached to a new journal I am working on. At this point it is strictly a visual journal that is full of things that I love. I am having a blast with something called Texture Magic made by Delta. It is 3 dimensional paint & that is what makes my texture pop...LOVE this stuff at only $4 something a tube!
Have a great Wednesday!

Time for some Photoshop creations

2011-09-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend. I did a bit of artwork & watched a little football. I wasn't too thrilled with the football results but...it's early!
I am posting some PSE creations I did a while back. The images came from morguefile.com. I tweaked the hue, saturation & opacity on each of them. The 2nd one reminds me of Lady Gaga but I believe the image was a mannequin. Lady Gaga does have somewhat of a mannequin look about her too though.
I hope you all have a wonderful week full of creative possibilities!

More Paintovers

2011-08-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. I hope you're all having a good week so far & keeping cool. I guess the kids are all back in school now so that gives you moms a break!

I have 4 painovers this morning. I did run into a problem but I am hoping to overcome that on my next batch. The top shows all of trhem together which is the best shot because it's not too close...not close enough to see all the flaws!

When I went to attach the pic to the canvas I got some white spots on the photo from the canvas. I was using a matte photo paper which I will NOT continue to use. I will either go with cheap copy paper or a laser print from here on. The only pic that didn't come out with the spots was the 1st individual one of my sister Gail & my niece Alexis. Alex is now 27. I used cheap copy paper on that one. The next photo is my mom, the next is my mom & grandmother & the last is my baby, Tim. Tim is now 45! He hates the fact that I put red socks on him in the pic. He wanted me to paint a flesh tone over those. If you look close you will see the little flaws.....I guess it's just practice practice! I have to thank Lisa Bebi once again as I immediately emailed her with my problem & she was right back to me with suggestions to correct it. Thanks so much, Lisa!

Paintover Class with Lisa Bebi

2011-08-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I attended a great class with Lisa Bebi this weekend at Minnie Helvey's home. We were so thrilled to have Lisa come to us for this class & so grateful for all the valuable information we took away from this class. I did not have my camera with me but I took some phone pics of the other girl's work. We had some fabulous images to work with which made it even better. I believe I am headed into a paintover frenzy here this week. I can't wait to do more!! My picture is posted first (of course) & it is my Mother at the age of 5 or so. They are all 8x10. I hope you all have a creative week.

First Plumeria bloom & the Ventura County Fair

2011-08-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

Good morning to everyone! I finally have my very first Plumeria bloom I have posted this morning. The plant was started two years ago so it took a while. It is the most wonderful smelling flower...I just love it!

We made a trip to the County Fair on Thursday & I picked up a couple more exotic plants. They're all planted now & the wait is on. Hopefully it won't take two years for these to bloom. I just hope I don't kill them!

I also posted some other pics from the fair...mostly flowers. I did manage to get some Speed Racer in there as well as Howdy Doody. My son loves Speed Racer & I date back to Howdy Doody...UGH:>)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am looking forward to next weekend when I have a paintover class with none other than......Lisa Bebi!

I CAN'T wait!

Back to Photoshop Elements

2011-08-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning everyone! What a gorgeous morning...so nice & cool!

I love that marine layer! Hope you are all having a good week so far.

I have a couple of PSE creations from a while back that I am posting today.

The technique is what I've learned thus far in my Down & Dirty the Digital Way class. I never actually finished that class so it is my intent to get that done this week, I hope. The top photo was a freebie of a bicycle in Prague. The 2nd is a dahlia from the dahlia festival last year in Canby Oregon.

I want to thank you all for your very kind thoughts regarding my loss of Dexter. I LOVE my blogging friends!!!

Getting back into blog posting

2011-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Good Friday morning to all! It's been a while since my last post & I won't lie by saying I am so ready to jump back in.....I am forcing myself to take a plunge! Have to get back to some sort of normalcy!

I am starting with a beautiful picture of Dexter that I took a few months ago. A friend of ours, John Miller, who is a fabulous photographer, took my pic & printed it on a 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas. It is drop dead gorgeous & I absolutely LOVE it! I can see my boy's beautiful face all the time now as he hangs on the wall in my den. Miss my angel terribly!

The next photos are a male carousel lion that was carved by one of my hubby's school friends (with my hubby's help.) We've had the male & female lion for some 20 years or so. I sold the male earlier this year & the gentleman that bought it had it painted. I am showing the before & after pics as we were simply amazed at the beautiful work done by a local artist. Fortunately the man that purchased it lives only about 20 minutes from me & he was nice enough to call me when it was completed. Check this baby out!!!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

Rest in peace my sweet Dexter

2011-07-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well...I am a bit behind on posting because I have just lacked motivation. My sweet Bengal boy, Dexter crossed over the rainbow bridge on July 4th & our hearts are trying to heal. He got very sick very fast. He spent 4days in the emergency hospital on oxygen but it was all too much for my little angel to overcome. He was not even 5 years old yet & I can't even begin to tell you how much we miss him! He had heart disease as well as severe anemia. They also believe he had lymphoma or leukemia once they did a spleen aspiration. I want to share some of my favorite pics of my sweet boy....he was indeed the most beautiful boy I have ever had. I should have named him REGAL because that's what he was.

2ND Piece for Washington Art Show & Sale

2011-06-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Boy, did this week fly by!At least I got a lot accomplished so I guess that's why it went so fast. This morning I have my 2ND piece that's going to Washington next week for the art show & sale I mentioned in my last post. This is a 10x10 canvas that is done with layers & layers of paper, gel medium, glaze, & a little rubber stamping. The image in the center was done with a sheer heaven transfer to tissue paper. I was very pleased with this one, particularly the colors. I didn't shoot pics of the sides of the canvas (unfortunately) but it is a wide gallery wrapped canvas & the sides turned out very nice too. Next week I will mail both of these off.
Wishing you all a wonderful & creative weekend!

New Fabric Collage for Upcoming Art Show & Sale

2011-06-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first piece of two that I did for an upcoming Art show & sale in Everett. Wa. This is being hosted by the 3231 Creatives Gallery. The show runs between July 15th & August 17th. All pieces are done in a 10x10 format. If any of you are in the Everett area, the address is: 3231 Broadway Ave. Everett, Wa. The Facebook link is: http://www.facebook.com/blackdoorstudio#!/event.php?eid=152986018105121.

Wishing you all a very happy summer!

Mixed Media Collage

2011-06-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I am featuring a mixed media collage this morning done on a 12x12 canvas. It is done with multiple layers of paper, gel medium & a bit of rubber stamping.
The image is a transfer to tissue paper using Sheer Heaven.
I am currently working on a couple of pieces for an upcoming show in Everett, Wa. next month. I'll share those pieces soon.
I did visit the automotive museum on the weekend & it was AMAZING! I have included a link to my Facebook pics in the event you'd like to take a peek.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2128617131887.2127748.1139713603
Happy hump day!

Some PSE boat variations & flowers

2011-06-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

Good Saturday morning everyone. I hope you all have a great weekend planned. I am off to the Mullin Automotive Museum http://www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com/ this morning & I can't wait!
This morning I have a boat picture that I found at http://morguefile.com/ that I did a couple of PSE variations on. I do like the top one the best. The 3rd photo is a flower in my yard & the rose is also from http://morguefile.com/. The backgrounds & masks are from http://shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com/. Now....I would walk through my process with you but I go so many places with these pics that sometimes I forget how I even got there. I just keep playing & adding more layers, adjusting the hue, saturation & opacity. For some reason I tend to be drawn to boats in spite of the fact that I really have no desire to be on one nor in the water!
Happy Saturday to you all!

Do you ever stumble across belongings you forgot??

2011-06-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Another damp day on tap, I see. I am loving it as it is damp but still very comfortable temperatures! I have been digging through years of items recently to determine what I can part with & what I can't. It's pretty bad when you have soooo much stuff that you forget some of the stuff you have.......like this LOVELY soap box I stumbled upon that I totally forgot we even had! It's been tucked away in a corner for probably the last 35 years. It dates back to 1897 or 1898 & it's in really nice condition for the age. It measures around 17" x16" x8". I cleaned it all up & that is where I will store my Grandmother's old crocheted pieces. I think they look so nice in there.
I also found a 1905 water heater tucked in a corner of my garage which was another thrill. I forgot we even had it! Once I get around to photographing that I will share that one with you too. I can't even find another one of those. I have only found brochures for them on sale on Ebay. I have more researching in my future!
Happy Monday to you all!

Compilation of Statues & Photoshop Elements

2011-06-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! June is upon us & not without a little gloom this morning. The good news is...the gloom has vanished & the sun is out now.
I've been very busy preparing for a garage sale this weekend & still haven't quite made it through my Photoshop class. Knowing that I can work on it at my leisure is simply wonderful! I am going to wrap it up shortly. The problem is I am so excited about what I have already learned that I just keep experimenting. This morning I have some more statues (LOVE THEM!) that I have altered with various layers. My problem is...I go through so many steps that I forget exactly how I got there sometimes. I do know that my layers were set on "overlay" for both of these creations. The images are from my favorite site for free images http://morguefile.com/ & the backgrounds I use are from
http://shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com/ & http://www.flickr.com/groups/734017@N25/pool/
Happy Wednesday!

New Photoshop Creations

2011-05-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you're all ready for a great Memorial Day weekend.
It's been a very busy week between getting things done & still finding time to
work on my Photoshop Class with Gail Schmidt. It is a fabulous class & I am
learning a lot of new things. I am posting two new creations & also the original photos.
The originals came from http://morguefile.com/ & the masks/backgrounds came from http://shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com/. I will probably finish up the class next week. I already warned Gail that she will probably see me in ALL her PS classes to come!
Gail is a part of the http://creativeworkshops.ning.com/. Drop by & check it out.

Two new photos & a new Photoshop class

2011-05-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Looks like a lovely morning in Ventura County but....they say there's a bit more rain this weekend. It's really kind of nice that we're still getting rain here...it keeps everything green & beautiful.
I have a couple of PSE compilations this morning. The boat image was overlayed on another picture of a gorgeous body of water. I always adjust the hue & saturation as well as the opacity. The 2ND photo is a striking "plain Jane" that turned out quite nice. Her photo was overlayed on a slate background. Again...I have adjusted the hue, saturation & opacity. She has such a serene look.
Now, I just enrolled in another Photoshop class with Gail Schmidt called
Down & Dirty the Digital Way through Creative workshops. I am loving it already because she does videos. You are not trying to follow directions from a piece of paper.
You can see exactly what she's doing. Also....the workshop doesn't close it's door on you after a certain amount of time. The videos are available for an unlimited amount of time. Now that's a workshop!
Happy Friday!

Stormy morning & Angel in the garden

2011-05-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning everyone! I woke up to rain this morning & it's suppose to continue through most of the day. Probably our last soaking for a while!
This morning I am sharing a digital piece I put together with PSE. I used a cloud formation as the background (tweaking the colors on that) & I used the angel image over the top of that. I adjusted the color, contrast & opacity on the two together & there you have....Angel in the garden! I am quite happy with her.
Hope you all have a creative day!

Lady with the lovely hat

2011-05-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday is here already...Where did the week go?? I hope you're all ready for a grand weekend! I am posting a digital picture this morning done through PSE. I really love working on the digital things as there is no mess! I love collaging, paper & gel medium but that does add up to a mess at the end. I do art like I cook.......I make a big mess when doing it. The weather is looking gloomy today so I think I may find some little art project to work on. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Flowers & Paso Robles

2011-05-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Good Saturday morning everyone! I have found myself in a bit of a funk lately. I haven't done any artwork! Just too many other things going on sometimes & it's hard to find some spare time. First off, I want to wish all my friends a very happy mother's day! I hope you all have a wonderful day with your families.
I am posting a few flowers this morning from my yard at home. The fourth pic down is from our property in Paso Robles. The trees along the driveway were totally bare this winter but they came back so nicely. I just love this drive to the top of the property.
The last photo is from a neighboring ranch. Lots of horses, cows & goats in the area....and let's not forget rattle snakes too!

Bubble Girls & Dolores Del Rio

2011-04-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday is here! I spent the last two days on jury duty but I am free today. I always find jury duty to be such an interesting experience. Seems like everytime I am called I make it up to a court room. What I really got so tired of was hearing people's BS about what a hardship jury duty would be for them. People will say anything to get out of their civic duty! Just amazing!
I am posting the bubble girls this morning which is a PSE conconction.... as we hit up around 90 yesterday in the valleys. It was a beach day! The 2nd pic is another PSE creation from a mural in Hollywood. The mural was done in 1990 by Alfredo de Batuc. Dolores Del Rio was a latina film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Wishing you all a great Thursday!

The Tulips in Mt. Vernon, Washington

2011-04-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Good Saturday morning everyone! I am finally getting around to posting again! I returned from a short trip to Washington State last week & it was a great time! We managed to get over to see the tulips this time in Mt. Vernon. It was VERY cold that day! Fortunately, we didn't have to walk through the muddy tulips as we were fortunate enough to catch a ride. It was so nice seeing all the gorgeous colors & some very cool kites too! I hope you enjoy the pictures & that you all have a great weekend!

Eating grapes & serious sisters

2011-04-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Friday really crept up quick & the weekend is upon us. I hope you all have some fun plans for this weekend. My sister-in-law is visiting from Washington state so we are gathering for a BBQ tomorrow. That should be a lot of fun.
This morning I have a couple of PSE creations done with some free images from some generous bloggers.
I have tweaked & re-tweaked these images..particularly the top one. I combined 2 pics together & then overlayed that on another. The sisters are a bit boring but I guess every piece can't be bright & popping with color. The background on the sisters was a free Flickr background.
Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Another New Paintover

2011-04-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning! As you can see, I am enjoying the paintovers that I learned through Lisa Bebi & the book
titled, Art at the speed of life. If you don't have this book by Pam Carriker, do yourself a favor & pick one up. It is fabulous! This is my 3rd paintover & I do believe I am improving a bit each time. I also included the original pic in this post. I have no idea who this lovely little girl is but she has one heavenly little face!
The process again is a black & white photocopied picture...I print on cardstock as it's heavier.
You are simply painting over that picture. It's really a fairly easy process. I use ALL Golden products.
The book referenced above goes step by step & there's only 5 or 6 steps.
Happy Saturday!

New Easter Card

2011-03-31T05:39:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Yesterday I mentioned the Easter card my friend & I were making & here it is!
This is Shadow & we put together a card with him, a bunny & a few easter eggs on a free Easter background. This will be the card she mails out this year. I was quite pleased with the results as everything came together pretty nicely. Shadow is a beautiful boy!
Hope you all have a terrific day. We're pushing 90 today but just today.

New ATC's

2011-03-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well the sun is shining very bright this morning. Today's temperature..... 81 degrees!
I have a couple of ATC's for you this morning that I made last week. I have a friend coming by today
& I am going to help her make some Easter cards. Tomorrow my son & I are heading to the Merle Norman Museum over in Sylmar. Can't wait to go there. I believe they have 130 vintage cars on display as well as tons of other wonderful stuff. Their website is http://www.nethercuttcollection.org/ if you are interested in checking it out. Have a great Wednesday!

A New Paintover

2011-03-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Back to Monday & another busy week ahead. It is a lovely morning with the sun coming through very early. Should be topping out around 80 by Thursday & that sounds very nice!
I have another paintover to share this morning. I hesitated to do this particular picture as the quality of the photos was poor. The paintover does not give you a clear crisp look so I thought I would just give it a shot.
Her face came out even less clear than before but I just let it fly. Chalk it up to practice & experience. I am hoping to get my hands on some better photos to start with next time. This is my mother in 1933 in Venice, Ca. & she was 5 years old & an adorable child.
Hope you all have a creative week!

PSE Baby & California Shot

2011-03-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I have been really slacking on my blog posts! When I have other bloggers stopping by to see what's new & I have NOTHING....it's time to get my butt in gear! I really have been doing art....believe me. I am deep into ATC's right now. I just LOVE making those little things. The problem is none of them are photographed.
This morning I have this sweet little baby that was altered via Photoshop Elements & a shot that my son took driving up the coast to Paso Robles. I also tweaked that in Photoshop a bit.
I hope you all have a great weekend!

Learning Lisa Bebi's Paintover Process

2011-03-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Good Morning world! One of my favorite new books is Art at the Speed of Life by Pam Carriker. This book is so full of inspiration I can hardly put it down. The work from several artists are depicted in this book along with their technique. Lisa Bebi is one of those artists. My friend took Lisa's paintover class at ArtFEST 3 years ago & we all loved her creations. Basically, Lisa takes a black & white photograph & paint over that picture...a VERY cool little process. This is a pic of my mother from 1930 when she was about 3 years old. I also included the original photo. I was pretty happy with the results except her lips came out a bit more pink than I wanted. I will have to keep practicing! Definitely check out Pam's book..only $13.00 on Amazon & that is a steal! Happy Thursday & please keep those, less fortunate than us, in your thoughts.

Choo Choo & Brighten up that face!

2011-03-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I am going to have to post a little more often...I had a hard time uploading pics this morning for some reason. Blogger can be a bit of a challenge at times! This morning I have a train & a lovely face both altered in Photoshop Elements.
I am going to shoot for some ATCs this weekend. I am getting the little itch to make these again & I believe I will start another collage on a bit larger canvas.
I hope you all have a great weekend!

New Collage

2011-03-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

Good Friday morning! Hope you are all having a great week with a lot of fun on tap for the weekend.
I am posting an 8x8 mixed media collage I completed a few days ago. I have missed having my hands in gel medium! I don't know what it is about running the brush over a piece of tisse that's covered with gel medium. I simply LOVE it! I have always loved tearing paper & decoupaging. Paper was one of my first loves when I entered the crafting world. This piece is many layers of paper...tissue & otherwise but mostly tissue. There is also several color washes & some gesso in between. The main image is an image transfer on to tissue paper. The image transfer was done using Sheer Heaven. I was pleased with the look & the texture.
I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!

New collage & PSE picture

2011-02-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I hope you all had a great week & some fun plans for the weekend! I am looking forward to the Independent Spirit awards tonight & the Oscars tomorrow.
My first pic this morning is from my faux encaustic class with Jodi Ohl. I did 4 canvases with 3 of them finished now. It is 8x8 & has MANY layers of paper & colorwashes. I was really liking the whole process til we got to the end.....then came tar gel! UGH!! Did NOT like the way that looked at all! Mixed tar gel with a bit of titan buff paint &spread across the top at the end. Well...I am posting this pic prior to the tar gel application. I believe I may have put too much on. I really liked this class a lot but I veered off path somewhat. Jodi does a lot of doodling & drawing...Diane doesn't! I chose not to draw what I call "stick flowers" on my canvas. Instead I used more text & did some image transferring instead. The female shown was an image transfer to tissue paper using Sheer Heaven. I am starting a new canvas today so we'll see where that leads.
The 2nd PSE image was done using one of my canvas backgrounds with a free vintage picture overlayed.
I was quite pleased with that one. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Dog Day Monday

2011-02-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I have wrapped up all my OWOH obligations & my gifts went out last Friday. I was actually fortunate enough to win two items also. I will show those off once I receive them.
This morning I have a PSE pic on top & for the life of me....I can't remember who the artist was...UGH!
I used one of my backgrounds which is a tye dyed balloon. I overlayed the image & adjusted the opacity.
I like the colors. The 2nd picture is a 12x12 image transfer done with Sheer Heaven (my FAVORITE) transfer material. This is Patches & this was done for a birthday gift for my sister's best friend, Kathy. Is this sweet guy drop dead gorgeous or what?? Hope you all have a great week!

Dexter helps select the OWOH winners! .

2011-02-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Good morning! My Bengal boy, Dexter, is helping me announce the winners this morning....& we can't thank you all enough for joining in this year. I ended up with 195 comments & 10 new followers. I had quite a bowl of little papers to draw from this morning. Actually the bowl was too small & I had to dump them all in a box. Now....the winners are:

Sharon at http://wildflowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Siziqu at http://suziqusthreadworks.blogspot.com/
Doreen at http://doreeng.blogspot.com/
Saskia at http://deliciousdoodlesblog.blogspot.com/
Nancy at http://butterflyatwork.blogspot.com/

A big CONGRATULATIONS to all of you!

PSE pics & last week for OWOH

2011-02-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning! This is the last week to enter the OWOH drawing. The winners will be drawn Thursday, February 17th. I've had approximatly 165 comments & picked up 9 new followers at this point so I am pretty happy with that response. I am only sad that this is the last year.
Two pics today were free images combined with some free texture backgrounds. I am quite pleased with the ballet couple....just something about the ballet that grabs me every time!
Have a wonderful, creative week everyone!

Latest PSE photo & one week left for OWOH

2011-02-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! Wow...it's been over a week since my last post. We still have one week left on the One World One Heart giveaway. Just leave your comment under that post (directly below) for a chance to win! The event ends on February 17th. You also still have a few days left to jump in & participate. I am posting a PSE pic this morning & preparing for a couple of classes. One is Fun with Faux Encaustics - Jodi Ohl at http://creativeworkshops.ning.com/group/funwithfauxencausticsjodiohl?xg_source=msg_invite_group & the other is mini digital collage workshop with Kathyanne White at http://www.insidekathyanneart.blogspot.com/. Hopefully I will create some lovely pieces as a result of these classes. Happy Wednesday!

One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

I am participating once again.

Good morning world & welcome to my blog! My name is Diane & I reside in So. California. I love so many different forms of art but some favorites are image transfers, mixed media collage & digital art. Grab a cup of coffee & browse through my blog for a bit. I hope you enjoy what you see! This HUGE giveaway titled.........One World One Heart is handled by Lisa Swifka at http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/. This is my fourth year to participate in this wonderful event. This is such a wonderful way to meet new people & discover more amazing artwork. Last year I think we had around 1000 participants. All you need is a blog to join in. Here are the rules: Please leave your comment on this post with contact info. and the winner will be drawn on Feb. 17th.

Now...the giveaways....I am posting 5 items for this event. I couldn't do just one! Each is an image that I have altered in Photoshop Elements & then transferred it to a canvas. They are all 5x7 in size. Wishing you all the very best of luck!

Today's Ocean Photos..California Coastline

2011-01-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

Good Thursday morning! Time to visit our beautiful ocean! These pics were shot between Pismo Beach, Ca. & Ventura, Ca. The water was just shimmering so beautifully.......reminds me of why I LOVE home. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

The Beautiful Hills Of California

2011-01-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! This morning I am posting some pics from our trip to Paso Robles last week. Everything is pretty green right now as we've had a bit more rain than usual. Paso Robles is about 3 hours from our main residence in Newbury Park. It is straight up Hwy 101 & it is quite a beautiful ride. If you notice....my top picture notes Santa Barbara just 13 miles away....SO....next group of pics will be the beautiful ocean. Have a great week!

Different Modes of Transportation

2011-01-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Good morning! WOW, it's been one week since my last post...not like me! We just returned from a trip to Paso Robles & we're glad to be back. It was a very nice drive seeing all the greenery & I will post pics of that soon.
I don't know what it is about the different modes of transpoortation, I am really enjoying the boats & airplanes. This one was a cloud picture to start with & I blended the airplane pic over that. I also always tweak the color, opacity & contrast in PSE 6. The airplane photo came from morguefile.com.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Beautiful weekend weather & football playoffs

2011-01-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous Southern California weather today! What a day to watch some football games.....Go Steelers!!
This morning a I have a lovely airplane photo that I overlayed on a free fractal background & a young ballerina. I think her lovely little legs got a bit lost in this photo but I still like it. There is just something about a ballerina that I love! The ballerina was an overlay on to a textured background which came from Flickr.
Happy Saturday everyone!

Bottles on the window sill & a Ruthenian woman

2011-01-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

Good morning! We've already reached hump day! Looks like the weather is going to warm up a bit here.
Since we are spoiled by the sun... we have a difficult time with the cold!
My pics today consist of a window sill with bottles manipulated in PSE. The background is the view of the side of a building. The two pictures blended quite nicely. The 2nd is a free image from morguefile.com of a Ruthenian woman. The background was a free texture from a flickr group. I thought this woman had a beautiful face.......so pure looking. I pick up so many images along the way that it is difficult to remember where they all came from.
Hope you all have wonderful Wednesday!

My New Bracelet

2011-01-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning to you all! The weekend is here & I hope you all have a good one spending time with family & friends.
This morning I have a beautiful new bracelet I purchased last week from Lori Anderson at http://www.lorianderson.net/. This is Lori's website & you can also find her blog at http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/. Lori has been a blogging friend for at least a couple of years but this was my first purchase from her. Check this bracelet out! I was blown away when I pulled the lid off the beautifully packaged box she sent this in. There was even a little "thank you" charm tied to the ribbon...just gorgeous!
Is this stunning or what?? I can't wait to purchase another piece of Lori's jewelry....not only are the glass beads beautiful....her craftsmanship is amazing! Stop by & check out her beautiful jewelry. Thank you, Lori!

Another Photoshop Boat

2011-01-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

Thursday is upon us & it arrived rather fast. Hope the new year is starting out well for everyone.
Today's art is actually another boat done with PSE. Funny, that I find the boats to be a lot of fun to work with yet I am certainly NOT a lover of the water & have no desire to board a boat. I do love the way this combination turned out. Photoshop Elements is so addicting, I could just sit there for hours upon hours experimenting with new things. If you have it.....I would encourage you try it out
Happy Thursday to you all!

New Photoshop Class & New PSE Image

2011-01-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

Good Tuesday morning! It is chilly in So. California! We've had some crazy weather this week already...like snow at Magic Mountain?? That is crazy! I am signed up for a new on-line class starting this month. It is with Cynthia Powell at http://artistworkshopretreat.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-year-new-adventure-mark-your.html. I am pretty excited about this & have high hopes for learning some new things. I have taken 2 other on-line classes...one was wonderful & one WASN'T! I am keeping my fingers crossed that I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. This morning's picture is a balloon background with the boat picture overlay. The images are from http://morguefile.com/. I really love the combination of the two.
Happy Creative Tuesday!

Shout Out Sunday...... Kelly Berkey Designs

2011-01-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I wanted to start the new year with a shout out for a fellow blogger that I purchased earrings from recently. I have been remiss in not doing this before now. Not only have I purchased three pairs for myself but ordered one for a friend also. Kelly has done a couple of peace sign designs & the ones I pictured today are her latest (I think.) Check out her blog at http://kellyberkeydesigns.blogspot.com/ & her etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/kellyberkeydesigns. She makes wonderful jewelry & as if that isn't enough talent....she paints too. Stop by & say hello to her. She is delightful!

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T06:45:00.000-08:00

Good morning to all on this last day of 2010. Are you all ready to move forward? It's time to reflect on all our blessings in 2010 & look forward to all the new things we will encounter in 2011. I thank you all for your friendship & never-ending encouragement. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I will leave you this morning with this newest PSE project & a short quote:

James Levin: Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.

Rainy Day PSE Photograph & Dexter the Bengal Boy

2010-12-29T06:09:00.000-08:00

Good morning! The rain is coming down again this morning but not too heavy at this point. I thought I would post this Rainy Day composition done with Photoshop Elements. The two images are from Morguefile.com.
at http://www.morguefile.com/. This turned out to be one of my favorites. The intense rain is fascinating to me if you're not out there in it!
The 2nd photo is of my sweet Dexter in all his glory! He is one stunning bengal boy!
Happy Wednesday to you all!

More Image Transfers for Christmas

2010-12-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today's pics are more 12x12 image transfers done with Sheer Heaven. The top pic is Roxy Ann LaRue who belongs to my brother & sister-in-law. I loved the verse used under her pic. The 2nd one is a childhood friend of my sons who passed away some 25 years ago now. He was a Hemophiliac that received tainted blood which ultimately led to his death. We still miss his sweet face & wonderful personality to this day!
His parents were extremely pleased with this. Have a Happy Tuesday!

Christmas Projects

2010-12-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a delightful holiday & hopefully Santa brought you lots of goodies. Tim & I had a great day & wonderful turkey dinner prepared by my sister-in-law. It's really kind of nice not to cook for a change.
I am posting 2 image transfers I did for Christmas gifts. The top dog is Marvelous Maxie....a beautiful white lab (she's as sweet as she is beautiful) & the bottom one is Mr Shadow...one of the largest & sweetest german sheperds I have seen. They are both 12x12 image transfers done with Sheer Heaven paper.
1) I apply art paper to the canvas (12x12 sheets for these.)
2)I print my image on the Sheer Heaven paper
3) Spray the printed image with 70% alcohol
4) Lay face down on the art paper & run your hand over it a few times
5) Lift off the Sheer Heaven paper & you will see your image.
I also transferred some text on these & a bit of rubber stamping on Shadow's.
Anyone that has followed my blog for a while knows I was the image transfer queen for a while. I LOVE SHEER HEAVEN! If any of you are interested in trying it.... here is the link http://www.dotcalmvillage.net/sheerheavenart.html
Have a terrific week!

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good Christmas Eve morning to you all! I hope you are all set for the big holiday. Today should be a fairly easy day with most everything done now. Heading to dinner tonight with family & again tomorrow for Christmas dinner. No cooking this year...other than about 300 peanut butter cups. Those went to everyone.
I have a little clip art pic of Santa this morning that was overlayed on a mosaic type background & altered a bit in PSE. The background was from a Flickr texture group. I hope you all have a beautiful holiday with family & friends.

Blue Eyes Shining & Birds Singing

2010-12-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

Drip, drip, drip! Going into our 5th day of rain today. Tonight is suppose to be the BIG storm. I hope all those living in hillside areas make it through with as little damage as possible. Our hills are totally saturated!
The post this morning is a couple of pieces I did over the past month or so. The background on the bird pic was a freebie from a Flickr texture group & the image was a simple clip art freebie from one of my blogging friends. The background is actually different layers of nylon that I tweaked in Photoshop Elements & then did an overlay with the birds. The top picture was a digital background freebie (loved that light shining through)
& the image was another old photo freebie from a fellow blogger. Once again, I tweaked both a bit in PSE & then overlayed the image on the digital background. I love the way the light made her eyes pop.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

One Week Left Until Christmas

2010-12-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! It is going to be a wet weekend here in So. California. Rain is predicted for the next 5 days or so. We can use it...time to restore all that beautiful greenery!
I've been working on a few projects for Christmas but won't be posting them until after the holiday. I have been crafting my little heart out & loving every minute of it.
This morning I am leaving you with a couple of PSE projects from the past few weeks. I still LOVE doing these but somehow it is different when you can actually hold the piece of art n your hands when you're done with it. It's just a different feeling for me. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

One World One Heart Coming Soon

2010-12-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! I saw yesterday that One World One Heart is starting again next month for the 5TH & final year. You can find the details for this HUGE event over at Lisa Swifka's Whimsical Bohemian Blog.
http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/2010/12/annoucning-the-fifth-and-final-one-world-one-heart-event-.html
This is a world wide giveaway & I believe Lisa had around 1000 participants last year.
It has to be an enormous amount of work for her. I can see why she's stopping after 5.
Thank you so much Lisa for carrying this on over the past years!
HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!

Some Christmas Pictures Today

2010-12-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

Good Friday morning! The sun is shining bright & our weekend is suppose to push right in to 80 degrees. It's going to be gorgeous & I hope you all have a wonderful & creative weekend.
The pics I am posting this morning were a couple of free backgrounds & free Christmas images from another blogger. I believe it was the Graphics Fairy at http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ . Her entire blog is devoted to freebies. Fellow bloggers are so wonderful about sharing their images & I am so grateful to all of them.

Back to Photoshop Elements

2010-12-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

Good Friday morning! Another cool morning but not quite as cold as it has been. We're expecting a little rain this weekend. I am shooting for staying inside & doing art all day for at least one of those days.
I am posting some more PSE projects this morning (the top 2 pics) & a sunset pic out my back door the other night. I am crazy for sunrises & sunsets. It is not unusual to see me out in my PJs at the crack of dawn shooting pictures of the sky! I just love them! The other two are freebie images & freebie backgrounds. The top little girl is so cute but that look on her face is a bit questionable to me.
Have a delightful weekend, everyone!

New Dog Tag Project

2010-12-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! Brrrr....32 degrees on the patio this morning. My heater is running now!
When Gail came to town a copuple of weeks ago she brought some supplies for yet another new project. She took a class with Julia Jae in Everett at http://blackdoorstudio.ning.com/ to learn this process.
These are done by printing your desired image & placing it on your desired background. Brush Polymer medium over the image giving it a good coat. Lay your little plexiglass cover over & apply pressure. Let dry.
Once dried, trim the edges & add whatever little charms you like. I am placing them on 30" ball chains.
I used double sided paper on some & simply glazed over the back side. You can also add the metal dog tag piece on the back. Sorry I don't know all the correct terminolgy for this stuff.
In the pics....the beautiful white lab is Marvelous Maxie, the drop dead gorgeous cat is my Cooper, the drop dead gorgeous child is also mine & the gorgeous german shepherd belongs to a very good friend. She is getting this as part of a birthday present. Hope you all have a wonderful day

New Bird Bath

2010-11-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family & friends.
When my sister visited a couple of weeks ago, she brought a new idea with her. It is a bird bath made from various pieces of glass which we gathered from everywhere but mostly thrift shops. Gail already made a couple of these & I absolutely fell in love with them. They look beautiful with the sun hitting them as well as the rain. They are quite beautiful in the yard. It is only in the house now as I had to attach the little duck. It is going back outside today. I am ready to whip out some more.
Have a wonderful weekend!!

New Photoshop Elements Creations

2010-11-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! It's a soggy morning here in Southern California. It is suppose to rain all weekend.
Thank goodness my roof is done & I have just a few finishing touches on my bedroom. Chris, who's been doing my roof, along with a million other things around here, has been such a treasure! He is a friend of my son's & I feel so very lucky that this great guy has helped us so very much. We are so lucky! We love Chris & his partner, Lisa & their wonderful lab, Maxie. Maxie is "the icing on the cake" as I get to kiss & play with her all day while her Dad is working. Now that the roof is done....we will really miss her sweet face.
Hope you all have a grand weekend!

Carousel Animals & Sunrises Today

2010-11-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! I have a bit of a mix today for you. When I started remodeling my bedroom I mentioned some carousel animals one of my husband's friends carved with a bit of help from my husband. My father-in-law was a woodshop teacher for many years & my husband did some woodworking over the years. His friend, carved these animals for a living. They are generally painted after they are carved but we opted to leave ours with the natural wood. I believe they were made with bass wood. There is the Lion & the Lioness & they are LARGE! The other two photos are gorgeous sunrises I have been capturing right outside my front door. Happy Thursday Everyone!

Today is all about Transportation

2010-11-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I managed to play a little bit yesterday & made some new PSE photos. Somewhere I found a new image website called http://www.fontplay.com/freephotos/index.htm. These images came from that site as well as some backgrounds also. I thought I would try something connected to transportation. Soooooo......here you have it! A BIG airplane & what looks to be a Buick from the 50's era.
Happy Monday everyone & may you all have a wonderful week! My bedroom should be finished later this week, I hope.

Work, Work & more Work

2010-11-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! This has been one heck of a busy week. My roof is being replaced along with the remodel of my bedroom. Today is FINALLY the day the paint goes on plus my new bed will be delivered. Sister & I even made time for some art yesterday. I have a surprise down the road....a new creation my sister came up with & we are pretty excited.

I am posting a couple more pics this morning that were done with Photoshop Elements. The images were freebies & the backgrounds are my own creations. Hope you all have a wonderful & creative weekend!

More PSE & Blogger Problems

2010-11-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! Having problems with Blogger again. When they make changes that always results in new bugs to work out. Bedroom is coming along & we are going to shoot for a litttle art time today.
I will leave you with a couple of PSE projects I did a few weeks ago. Happy Wednesday everyone!

100 Followers & Breakfast with the Hummingbirds

2010-11-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I am so excited today that I have reached 100 followers on my blog. I am beside myself with joy & appreciation. I just can't thank you all enough for coming along with me! I have a mixed bag this morning for you.
We have experienced some phenomenal sunrises lately. I am posting a couple of pics of that as well as our little hummingbird family. We just can't keep their feeder filled fast enough. Little pigs...they are. In the beginning they didn't really come around if we were outside by the feeder. Now...they will whiz right by your head! They are feeling quite comfortable here now. They are amazing little things & we, of course, love them! HAPPY THURSDAY!!

Voting Day & Hollywood Girls

2010-11-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. Today, November 2nd is voting day & I hope you will ALL get out there & vote. It will be quite an interestng day & evening.
I am posting a couple of Hollywood hotties today. The bottom one is an image of Marilyn Monroe placed over a scene of downtown Hollywood. The top is an image of Gloria Swanson placed over one of my tye dye backgrounds. They were done using Photoshop Elements & I also change the color & opacity.
Happy Tuesday everyone....We are looking at temperatures very close to 90 degrees today. Doesn't feel like Fall!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning to all! I woke up around 1:00 A.M. to the pouring rain. Rain always sounds much better when you're in your pajamas & inside the house! It's suppose to be gone this morning so all the kids will have a dry Halloween.
I'm posting the last of the Halloween images this morning. The web is from a free texture group in Flickr & the doll image is mine. The 2nd image background came from Gaby at: http://gaby-cajubrasil.blogspot.com/ and the image was a freebie I found on Google. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Unusual & More Halloween

2010-10-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I took some beautiful pictures of the sunrise a couple of days ago which led me to this top photo. The pilot looking out the window came from pdphoto.org & I placed him over one of my sunrise pictures. Kind of a mysterious looking photo of him up in the clouds. The 2nd is a freebie halloween background & I placed a photo of some halloween masks over that. All done with PSE & tweaking color & opacity.
We are pushing ahead on the bedroom today. We were able to remove a carousel lion
from there yesterday. Yes....I had a carousel lion in my bedroom & he is FULL carousel size! Who would've guessed??? His girlfriend is in my den!
My husband went to school with an amazing wood carver & they did these two pieces several years ago. I will post pics of these sometime. HAPPY THURSDAY!

Another Big Project

2010-10-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

Good morning. Today I am going to start preparation to rip my existing bedroom apart & have the popcorn ceiling removed, apply new paint, new floor & window coverings..etc. It will be a BIG job but my sister Gail is coming to town to help me once again! The work will actually be done after Halloween. Now, I have to shop for colors. You would think that would be exciting but I don't really think of it like that. It's more of a chore trying to figure out what I like best. Once I get rolling then the enthusiasm rises. I just have to get through the messy part first!
Meanwhile....I have yet another Halloween creepy & a Halloween beauty for you this morning. That is my Dexter inside the pumpkin! The other two were freebies. Both were overlayed in Photoshop Elements with color & opacity tweaked. Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!

Last week of Halloween Images

2010-10-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning! How can we be almost into November?? Next week is Halloween!
Todays photo is one taken by my husband a long time ago. I really have no clue where he shot it but I do love it! I imposed his photo over the top of a freebie graveyard shot. Of course, I always tweak the color & opacity too.
I am NOT really a Halloween person but I had a ball making all my Halloween pictures.
One last thing...a big congratulations to The Texas Rangers & San Francisco Giants....they are going to the world series!!!!
Have a beautiful Sunday everyone AND.......GO STEELERS!

More Mosaic

2010-10-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I completed yet another mosaic ball a couple of days ago. My basket is officially FULL! I even have an extra ball that didn't fit in the basket.
Again, these were the result of a mosaic class in Everett Wa. with Julia Jae at The Black Door Studio. As you can see, I've had a lot of fun with these. They all start with a piece of styrofoam which is then covered with tile adhesive, which is applied like butter but a bit thicker. Next, you place your stones wherever you like them. Dry overnight & grout with a sanded grout the next day. You may choose not to grout also. The one ball in the mddle front is done without grout. If you are doing one without grout you will just need to put your pieces fairly close together.
Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

From Creepy to Pretty

2010-10-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I am getting a bit burned out on Halloween so I am going with pretty today instead of creepy. The image of the horses came from Pdphoto.org & the background is one of my own. It was from a picture of tye dyed balloons. The 2nd image background is from thepublicdomain.net & the image was a freebie from another blogger. I hope you all have a great week!

A Little Rain & More Creepiness Booooooo

2010-10-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I saw wet streets when I pulled the curtain open this morning (even though it's still dark out!)Why on earth am I up this early? Because I LOVE the early morning, that's why! Halloween is fast approaching us & I do have more creepiness coming your way. I have been enthralled with this Photoshop stuff. Today's image is a freebie background found through Google & the image is an actual mask that I shot a picture of. That face is pretty creepy, I must say! Halloween is showing off my dark side, at least one of them anyway:>)! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Make something....beautiful or creepy!

Decoupaged Ukelele

2010-10-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! When we visited the diRosa Preserve in Napa last year a ukelele on their wall caught my eye. My recollection of this piece was that it was decoupaged but as I look back at some pictures now I think it was done with mosaic rather than paper.
Well.......that means I do a 2nd ukelele! The next one will be done in mosaics.
Nonetheless, I am quite happy with this little creation. It's very colorful, as I like things to be & I hope you all enjoy it.
I do have to mention how heart warming it was watching all the Chilean miners being rescued yesterday. One of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed.
Happy Thursday to you all!

Halloween Creepiness

2010-10-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning! What a lovely weekend it was. Back to 80's & 90's for a few more days.
I had time to work on a decoupage project this weekend which I have planned to do for over a year now. I saw a similar item when I visited the DiRosa preserve in Napa last year. It's coming along very nicely & I will probably post it later in the week.
Dexter sends a big "thank you" to everyone for all of his sweet birthday wishes. He had a wonderful day with catnip toys & lots of loving.
Today is Halloween creepiness with free halloween images found through Google & manipulated in Photoshop Elements.
Hope you all have a wonderful & creative week!

Happy Birthday Dexter

2010-10-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. Today is my Bengal Boy's 4th birthday. Dexter was born in Washington State 10-9-06 & moved to California in January 2007. We picked him up at the Burbank Airport about 6:30 in the evening. I will never forget it. Tim & I bustling through the airport looking for the little room where they were holding Dexter. He was a perfect little kitten. He rode home in the car with us & never let out a peep. We were all in heaven for sure! He's gone from that adorable little kitten to somewhat of a HUGE boy now. Dexter, we love you so very much, sweet boy!
Dexter does share a birthday with John Lennon & we think that makes him even more special!

Give Litter Charity to Help Los Angeles Animal Shelters

2010-10-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

I ran across this link yesterday to join in for this cat litter giveaway for some Los Angeles animal shelters. Each day you can click the little box on the right of my blog to give away cat litter (just like the little boxes you clicked to give away animal food, mammograms etc.) It is so easy to give. Please conside putting a badge on your blog too. See the full story below.

World's Best Cat Litter™ Invites "Feline-thropists" Everywhere to Join its GiveLitter™ Charity to Help Los Angeles Animal Shelters
Alley Cat Allies with Baldwin Park Animal Shelter, Cat House on the Kings, and Kitten Rescue To Benefit

Muscatine, IA - September 8, 2010 -- World's Best Cat Litter™ launches its GiveLitter™ charity in Los Angeles, CA, online at Facebook: www.facebook.com/worldsbestcatlitter and at www.givelitter.com. From September 8-November 8, "feline-thropists" everywhere can vote once a day at either online location and donate pounds of World's Best Cat Litter™ to three Los Angeles animal shelters: Alley Cat Allies with Baldwin Park Animal Shelter, Cat House on the Kings, and Kitten Rescue. Each vote is worth 1/10th-apound of litter. After donating 5,255 pounds of World's Best Cat Litter™ to its first city, Washington, DC, in August, World's Best Cat Litter™ is now focusing for the next 60 days on Los Angeles shelters. The total pounds of World's Best Cat Litter™ raised per shelter and the delivery date for the truckloads of litter will be announced in late November.

"We invite animal lovers everywhere to become part of the GiveLitter™ charity and help these Los Angeles animal shelters as they work tirelessly to address community needs,” said Paul Zobel, Senior Director of Marketing, World's Best Cat Litter™. "As a result of all the people who voted online, our GiveLitter™ program recently donated over 5000 lbs. of World's Best Cat Litter™ to Washington, DC. Now we welcome fans to vote again so we can help these great Los Angeles shelters."

About GiveLitter™:
World's Best Cat Litter™ was founded on more than sound science. It was founded on a love for cats—indeed all pets—a respect for our communities and a responsibility to our planet. That is why we're committed to giving to programs that further and enhance human-pet relationships, community viability and earth-friendly sustainable practices. Web site: www.givelitter.com

About World's Best Cat Litter™:
World's Best Cat Litter™ is a pet-, people- and planet-safe cat litter made with whole-kernel corn and other natural ingredients using a patented scientific process that delivers advanced odor control and clumping. Using no synthetic chemicals, clays or perfumes, World's Best Cat Litter™ is biodegradable, flushable, septic-safe and all natural. World's Best Cat Litter™ is available in pet specialty stores (PetsSMART and PETCO), independent pet stores and select grocery stores. World's Best Cat Litter™ is produced by GPC Pet Products, which is headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa. Media Contact: Jeanie Ryan at 603-235-5266 or Jeanie@MicroArts.com. Web site: www.worldsbestcatlitter.com

About Alley Cat Allies:
Alley Cat Allies is dedicated to promoting and expanding humane methods of care and to ending the killing of cats. Through education, advocacy, and action, Alley Cat Allies serves as the leader of the movement to protect and improve the lives of cats nationwide and around the world. Media Contact: Elizabeth Parowski at 240-482-1984 or EParowski@alleycat.org. Web site: www.alleycat.org

About Baldwin Park Animal Shelter:
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control is one of the largest and more progressive animal control agencies in the U.S. The six shelters, including Baldwin Park, cover more than 3,200 square miles of cities, deserts, beaches and mountains, providing animal control and rescue services 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the service area. Built in 1956, the Baldwin Park Shelter is currently upgrading the get-acquainted yards, feline housing building, kennels' misting system, murals and a spay-and-neuter clinic through donations. Media Contact: Lance Hunter at 626-962-3577 or LHunter@animalcare.lacounty.gov Web site: http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/Los_Angeles_County_Animal_Care__Control_-_Baldwin_Park_Shelter_rId536_rS_pC.html

About Cat House On The Kings:
The Cat House on the Kings is a one-of-a-kind sanctuary, rescue and adoption center, situation along the banks of the Kings River in central California. The Cat House has rescued over 18,000 cats and 6,000 dogs since its founding by Lynea Lattanzio in 1992. Spread over 12 bucolic acres, this haven for rescued animals is a unique no-cage environment where over 700 cats roam freely inside and outside, many awaiting a forever home, while others will spend their lives there. Media Contact: Rochelle Noblett at 559-673-5951.To find out more, please watch this short video: www.cathouseonthekings.com/facility.php

About Kitten Rescue:
Kitten Rescue was formed in 1997 by a volunteer who intercepted unweaned kittens as they were being brought to city shelters where they faced certain euthanasia. From these humble beginnings, the organization has grown to become Los Angeles's largest no-kill cat rescue group, rescuing and placing over 1,000 cats and kittens every year. Now, over 200 active volunteers help save homeless and abandoned cats and kittens from shelters, off the street and from owners who are no longer able to care for their pets. Kitten Rescue pays for the medical care of all of its rescues until they are adopted, and all of our cats and kittens are spayed/neutered, tested for leukemia and FIV, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped and treated for fleas prior to adoption. In addition to having a large network of foster homes, Kitten Rescue owns its own private shelter facility, the Kitten Rescue Sanctuary, which houses approximately 150 adult cats in a cage-free environment. Kitten Rescue is a volunteer-run organization, and its directors, officers and foster parents do not receive any salary or benefits, which allows the organization's resources to be put directly into the animals under its care. Media Contact: Ben Lehrer at Ben_Lehrer@yahoo.com Web site: www.kittenrescue.org

Switching Gears

2010-10-06T05:49:00.001-07:00

Good morning everyone! I can hear the rain coming down this morning as I am writing my post & it does sound so GOOD!
I am switching gears this morning too & posting, I think it's my 5th fabric collage. I am a huge fan of KC WIllis & her Lipstick Ranch! I took this wonderful class from her earlier this year & just loved it! This collage is of my mother back in about 1933 or 1934. She looks quite cute sitting atop her big horse. I really miss her in my life...she was a wonderful woman!
Happy Wednesday!

Fellow Blogger Needs HELP!

2010-10-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I am going to attempt to help a fellow blogger this morning.
Her name is Shannon & she is at http://livingwithapug.blogspot.com/. Shannon has 2 pugs & a frenchie, Stella, Gunther & Betty. Shannon works tirelessly helping other furry friends through the French Bulldog Rescue Network. She has a new frenchie named Large Marge!
Marge has several health problems & I have posted her story below. PLEASE, if you can, stop by & chip in to help with Marge's vet bills. So sorry I can't provide a clickable link for you but I've had problems with that for quite some time & can't seem to get it fixed. The only place it won't work is on my blog...UGH!!
THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Marge's story from: http://frenchbulldogrescue.org/htdocs/foster/marge.html

Let's all give a big shout out to FBRN's newest member of the family, Marge! This lovely 6 year old girl was surrendered by her family because they wanted her to have more care and attention than they could provide.

Marge is already receiving lots of attention and love from her new foster family and foster fur siblings, which is helping her to come out of her shell. Despite being deaf and partially blind in one eye, Marge is a goofball who loves to play and wrestle with her foster family.

Marge has some medical issues that required prompt medical attention upon arrival. Our volunteers involved in transporting her, observed she had severely inflamed and painful ears. She was immediately whisked to the vet where she was diagnosed with untreated, chronic ear infections which caused a build- up of scar tissue and infection in her ear canals. She's currently being treated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and ear drops to try to open up her ear canals to give her some relief. Marge is also one of loudest breathers to join the FBRN brood. She has a hard team eating and drinking without needing to take a breath in between each bite. Upon examination, the vet said Marge needs to have soft palate resection surgery so she can live a more normal life. While she's under anesthesia, the vet will also scope her ears and see if there's any hope of restoring her hearing. And last but not least, Ms. Marge will be spayed. No more puppies for this retired mom!

If you have a soft spot in your heart for this deserving gal, please click on Marge's picture to make a donation to get her on the road to recovery.

And now....meet Large Marge!

BOOOOO!!!! HALLOWEEN IS COMING!

2010-10-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I have been working on some Halloween pictures over the past couple of weeks & I am posting a couple this morning. I am going to attempt to post Halloween pictures each week throughout the month of October. I gathered some free google images & backgrounds. The doll's head I posted (some may think she's a bit spooky looking) I actually found her head in a bag in my garage. Apparently my husband bought her some time ago & stuck it away in the garage. Not sure what his plan was but I was thrilled to find her! I think he would love this picture I did with her.
Happy Sunday everyone. A pleasant day of art & football. GO PITTSBURG STEELERS!

Out with September & in with October

2010-10-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Here we are...just over two months til Christmas! Oh, good grief...what a thought! Two new pics this morning using some various free images & backgrounds. Both done with PSE. Today, I am going to try & finish up my fabric collage I started two months ago! Wish me luck! Happy Friday!

Dexter found Tweedles' Bubbles

2010-09-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Good morning world! Oh dear, is it HOT!!!Had a tough time sleeping with this weather. I am so glad it will be gone by the weekend. This morning I am posting an eyeball for your enjoyment as well as my little Dexter surrounded by bubbles. I just thought the eyeball might be fun & a little different. I believe my little Tweedles sent her special bubbles down to Dexter. The 3rd image of the young woman is from the Graphics Fairy. They were all done with Photoshop Elements.
Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone!

1ST Fall Weekend is a Scorcher

2010-09-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

Glad to say I am heading for the coast today. The weather here will be around 100...so...there's no better time than this to escape!
The pictures this morning were done on PSE using images from morguefile.com & pdphoto.org. Have a wonderful weekend!

More Mosaic

2010-09-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I completed a couple more mosaic pieces yesterday & now my basket is almost full. I did one of the balls with broken glass this time & the other with the half marbles. I really like the look of both but I think my favorite is still the 1st one I did on the far right. I used no grout on that one & it looks more lively to me than the others. What's amazing is that they all started with a piece of styrofoam! I think I need to try one with some terra cotta colored grout next! Hope you're all having a creative week!

Fall is Rolling In

2010-09-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! It looks like Fall is rolling in even though they are predicting a huge jump in temps by the weekend. I think it will be our last little heat spell.
I am posting a PSE pic this morning (what a surprise.) I don't think I will ever get tired of doing these. The background is from a Flickr texture group & the image was from The Graphics Fairy. Today I will be working on grouting a couple more mosaic balls. Happy Tuesday everyone!

300th post & new mosaic pieces

2010-09-17T06:48:00.001-07:00

Good Friday morning everyone! I am amazed at the fact that today is my 300TH post on my blog since February 2008. I do love my blogging friends & thank you all so much for dropping by.
Today is mosaic day! When I was visiting my sister & brother a couple of weeks ago we slipped in a little mosaic class with Julia Jae at the Black Door Studio in Everett Wa. I am making a point, from now on, to attend one of Julia's classes on each trip. She is positively wonderful & so very generous with herself & all her supplies. I completed three pieces. These all started with styrofoam. We spread the tile adhesive over each piece & applied the glass/marbles etc. I did 2 with grout & 1without grout. They were quite fun to do. Thank you so much, Julia!!

Please Help the Dogs

2010-09-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

How often have you had a chance to have a 20 pound bag of dog food donated to a shelter simply for writing a blog post? It’s really that easy. Pedigree has upped the ante big time. And please spread this message: The food drive is not limited to pet blogs. Imagine if we could spread this message beyond our circles and see how far it goes? The numbers could be substantial. Here is the full scoop:

Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.
This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a “Fan” or “Likes” The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1 million bowls have been donated.

Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

It is so easy to make a big difference. Please set aside a few moments to write a post. Include the bullet points above. Copy the pics if you’d like. Add whatever you’d like in addition to help get the message out. Because this is not limited to pet bloggers, there is tremendous potential. Know bloggers in other categories that might be interested? Please share this post with them, write one of your own, and go to their site at http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2010/09/write-a-post-help-a-dog/ on Thursday to leave a link to your post. Let’s make this huge. It would just feel great.
Please....don't miss the chance to be a part of this!

New PSE photos

2010-09-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Yes.....I am so hooked on Photoshop Elements it is ridiculous! I feel like it's one of the only things I care to do right now (aside from a little yard art that I will post soon.)
The bottom photo is from pdphoto.org & the background is from a free flickr texture group. The middle one is some type of plant background that came from pdphoto also & the image came from The Graphics Fairy. On the top pic, I believe both of these images came from morguefile.com.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Home from the Northwest

2010-09-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I am home from Washington State & getting back in the swing again.
I had a wonderful trip. My family (plus the dogs) drove down to Oregon for the Dahlia Festival in Canby. We also met one of our fellow bloggers there....MS. TWEEDLES & her moms. We had a fabulous day...enjoying the dahlias, going out to Tweedles big forest for a visit & then a wonderful dinner with our dear friends.
Thank you, Georgie, Paulette & Tweedles for joining us!
Today's posting is all about the dahlias....hope you enjoy all the pics. I also have more on my flickr link. Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

Happy Labor Day!

2010-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I am still in the Northwest enjoying time with my family. I am posting a couple more photos done last week. The backgrounds & images are from
pdphoto.org & morguefile.com. They have wonderful free images.
Enjoy the end of a beautiful long weekend!

New Pic of Tweedles & a Psychedelic Look

2010-08-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you all! I've been playing around with some animal images & came up with a new one of my dear little friend, Tweedles! Her moms haven't seen it yet so this will be a surprise for them to see their sweet girl up here this morning. Both of these images were done on the same background. It's pretty amazing how the look differs with a little color alteration. It was a free Google background. The other image was a freebie from morguefile.com.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

New Blog Design & More PSE

2010-08-27T06:28:00.001-07:00

Good morning! Friday has arrived & it appears to be a bit cooler today.
I did a blog makeover yesterday. I like to change it up every few months or so. I never thought the day would come that I would actually use a piece of my own art for my blog header. I've come a long way baby!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!