New Image Transfer with Sheer Heaven

Good morning! I completed an image transfer last week for a dear friend's husband. He was turning 50 so I wanted to do a special picture for him of his wife, Debbie & their dog, Shadow. This photograph was actually taken by one of them. I altered it a little at befunky.com
The transfer is 6x8 inches & I was very pleased with the results.
HAPPY TUESDAY!

Happy Earth Day! Do your bit for Mother Earth

Happy Earth Day Everyone! There are many things we can do to save Mother Earth but one thing we can do that is so easy is to simply plant a tree!
This is one of the best things you can do for your mother Earth. Plant a sapling or bury a few seeds in your garden soil and watch it grow. If you do not have a garden, buy a pot and fill it with soil. Bury the seeds down into the soil and moisten them daily to let them sprout seedlings in a few weeks. It is a small but significant way on your part to contribute more oxygen to the atmosphere.

This morning I am posting a GORGEOUS quilt that my best friend, Phyllis (from The Woodlands, TX.) made for me. This is only her 3rd or 4th quilt she's made. I think she is a genius at the sewing machine. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful friend make something so beautiful for me. Thank you so much, Phyllis. I truly love you!!!

2nd post....some pretty flowers for your enjoyment.

Beaming With Pride For Alexis

I am devoting my morning post to my dear niece, Alexis. She was chosen (by the faculty of the Humanities dept at San Francisco State) to be the Undergraduate Department honoree & as such to represent ALL the graduates in the department at the Undergraduate Honors.
They go on to say....the honoree is suppose to be meritorious for academic achievement (GPA) but also for achievements that can't simply be quantified by a grade. (Here's the great part) IN YOUR CASE, THAT EXTRA ACHIEVEMENT WAS OVERWHELMINGLY DETERMINED TO BE WHAT YOU BRING TO THE CLASSROOM AS A STUDENT-A VORACIOUS APPETITE FOR KNOWLEDGE & A JOYFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH INTELLECTUAL, SOCIAL & PHILOSOPHICAL DEBATE. IT IMPROVES THE INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCE OF YOUR CLASSMATES & MAKES YOUR TEACHERS FEEL THAT THEIR LABOR HAS BORNE FRUIT. THERE WAS STRONG COMPETITION BUT YOU WERE THE UNANIMOUS (YES, I SAID UNANIMOUS) FIRST CHOICE!!!
YOU ENRICH THE DEPARTMENT. Alex, I am so very proud of you!!!

Bingo Betty ATC & Gail's Pics from the Tulip Festival

The weekend is upon us already......says the retired individual! The weeks just seem to fly by. I am posting a couple of things today. First off is some pictures taken by my sister, Gail last weekend on her visit to the Tulip Festival in Skagit County, Washington. I included a pic of Gail in one of the pics. It was my favorite.
The next thing is an ATC card I call Bingo Betty. She does not appear to be at all pleased with her new Bingo hat.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

More Tweedles Today

I had to post another picture of Tweedles today. She sent me a little note last night along with another picture & her note said:
Dear Aunt Diane
I like this doggy living in our house.
Mommy keeps moving it everywhere -taking more and more pic. I just keep following her around.
love
tweedles
Needless to say....I MELTED when I received this. Is she not just the cutest little thing? Tweedles, I am so glad you & your moms are enjoying this so much!

New Picture Of Tweedles

Good morning! Through my blog surfing I have found some wonderful canine blogs. It just happens that I fell in love with a little Pug named Tweedles up in Oregon. Tweedles is the apple of her mom's eyes....she's lucky enough to have two moms that love her madly. I wanted to do a picture of Tweedles for her moms to surprise them.
I worked & worked because I wanted it to come out perfect. Well, it didn't come out perfect but after three tries it did turn out pretty cute. It is a 12x12 image transfer done with Sheer Heaven paper. I am posting the pic I took of it before I mailed it & a picture from Tweedles moms showing her reaction to the picture. I know she is wondering where that drop dead gorgeous pug in the picture came from. Thank you guys so much for sending the pics! Check out their blog at http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/. You probably won't be able to click the link as for some reason I can't seem to get clickable links anymore GRRRRRR!
Happy Tuesday!

Two More Trades

Here's a couple more trading cards I made last week. I am really enjoying these. What's extra nice too is that they are small & don't take up much room. I have so many image transfers from the past couple of years I believe I could fill a closet!
I think it's about time for another giveaway.
Have a wonderful creative weekend!

Two New Trading Cards

Tuesday, April 6TH is here! Where is the year going?? Here's a couple of new
trading cards I did yesterday. Just love making these little things but these are small enough for me! I really don't know how people do inchies...those are awfully small for my liking but find it amazing how creative people are with a 1 inch square area. I do want to add (& I keep forgetting) that the images I am using mostly come from Lisa's Altered Art, & some from Julia at Cemerony & Gaby Braun at Gaby Cajubrasil. I would list their links but I am having a problems with clickable links now. I can't seem to get them to work anymore.....so FRUSTRATING!
Wishing you all a happy Tuesday!

Some Fun ATCs

Good morning! I am still rolling along with the ATCs this morning. Had some fun creating some funky combinations. I have started my Complex Collage class which I will be working on this weekend also. The class is conducted by Julie Prichard & Chris Cozen. See Julie's website at http://julieprichard.squarespace.com/complex-collage
Stop by & check it out.
Wishing you all a creative weekend!

Another ATC

These atc's (I'm told, are addictive!) You were right! I am fighting with myself this morning to do the things I NEED to do & not the things I WANT to do. Once again, I am going to cram it all in this morning so I can play this afternoon.
It's pretty chilly outside so that's a good excuse to stay in. I have posted another ATC I made yesterday. This is (obviously) my catfish.

Teaching Myself to Make ATCs

I've been fascinated with all the creative little ATCs I run across in my blogging.
I decided I would sit down & try & make a few...notice I didn't say "make one." They're like potato chips....you can't stop with just one! I think I made 10 yesterday. Had a BLAST doing it...SO much better than cleaning house! I am posting a couple this morning. I promised myself today that I would do what NEEDS to be done prior to starting any other ATCs. I am going to run out & finish buying supplies for the Complex Collage class that starts today! Once I get everything else done I'm going to make a few more. Today, I am going to go goofy with my cards. My husband always encouraged me to mix up the pretty with some silly. That's what I'm going to do today. I have some cute little ideas in mind.
Happy Hump Day!

New beeswax photo

Good morning! Hope you're all having a nice Saturday. As I mentioned yesterday, I did find time to play around with some beeswax. I used an image of Gail (my sister) & I . She was probably two or so & I was around 6. The photo is 8x10 inches. I followed the You tube video by Suze Weinberg to refresh my memory. I did it all in an electric skillet with the temperature set to warm. I first dipped the image in wax & placed that in the center. The rest is various napkins dipped in the wax & positioned however you like. It's a bit messy but I do love the wax look. The you tube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P_4PzXr-38.
This weekend I will try & finish up my list of supplies for my complex collage class that starts next week. HAPPY SATURDAY!

New Earrings

Happy Friday! The weekend is upon us & a beautiful one it's suppose to be.
Last week I was looking at Silke's blog at http://silkepowers.blogspot.com/ & saw a pair of earring she had purchased. I fell in love with them as I have a fondness for peace signs & birds. I am posting my peace sign earrings this morning. I LOVE them!
They were made by Kelly at http://kellyberkeydesigns.blogspot.com/. How cute are these?
Thank you so much, Kelly.
Today, I am off to do a little playing in beeswax...we'll see what happens....or we
may not! Have a great weekend!

New bleached photos & complex collage class

Good morning! I am posting a couple more bleached photos this morning. As I've said in the past, this is a process I just love doing I have quite the collection.
I also signed up for my 2nd online class called Complex Collage with Julie Prichard & Chris Cozen. The website is: http://julieprichard.squarespace.com/complex-collage/
Class starts April 1st & I am excited. This looks a bit different than any collage I have ever done. Go by & check it out. Have a great day everyone!

And The Two Winners Are...............

Happy Monday morning everyone! My son pulled two winners from my bowl of entries last night. As you can see he selected the 3rd & 19th posts. The two winners are
Elsina of http://emsarts.blogspot.com/
& Tweedles of http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/
Congratulations to you both. I will have your winning in the mail tomorrow.Thank you to all that joined in.

New Fabric Collage

Good morning bloggers! I have completed another fabric collage that I am posting this morning. I finally did a family one. This is my son & I back around 1969 or so.
He was around 4-5 years old which made me about 20-21 years old. It measures 21x22 inches. The photo was taken by my husband. This is actually one of three collages I am working on right now. Hope you enjoy it & hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
I will be drawing two winners tomorrow for my giveaway.

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY!!!!

Good Monday morning everyone! I am starting this new week with some giveaways.
I have continued making picture after picture with my image transfers. I have an unbelievable collection right now. Selling on Etsy just does not appeal too me as it sounds too much like "work". My sister suggested I just start doing monthly or weekly giveaways. I think that was a great idea. Sometimes it's so hard to find time to do art but I love blogging & I am not letting go of that for ANYTHING!
Soooooo.....giveaways it is! I am offering 2 image transfers this week. The top one is a Mucha image & the bottom is from a vintage postcard, if I recall correctly. They are both 6x8 inches. I will draw two winners on Sunday, March 21st.
GOOD LUCK!!

Check out this gorgeous boy!

I am posting a picture of Cooper this morning that I had done by Rebecca at artdogblog.blogspot.com. This is their "painterly" style & I love it! Cooper is so gorgeous, you'd never know he was born in the back of an old rusty car. He is just as sweet as he is beautiful. Thank you so much Rebecca! Stop by & chec k out her work.

Bleached Photos with Instructions

I am posting some bleached photos this morning with instructions. I've had a few requests since OWOH to post these again. Here it goes..............
This method was covered in Karen Michel's book, Complete Guide to Altered Imagery (pictured.)Get this book! It's one of my favorites out of probably 100 art books. The process is really quite easy with the only draw back being you need to use 35mm photographs. You can't bleach an ink jet print (to my knowledge.)
You can add some additional things to the photo prior to the bleach dip. You can place texture plates or rubber stamps under the photo & press down firmly for a textured look in the background. You can also sand the photo a bit (kind of a grunge look) with fine sandpaper. That adds a nice look also. You place gel medium (I use Golden) over any area of the photograph that you want to resist the bleach. Sometimes I just dip the entire photo without using any gel medium.
I mix 2 bowls (not too deep) with water in one & a 50% bleach/water solution in the other. Dip your photo in the water 1st & then into the bleach solution for 6-10 seconds or so. You can experiment a bit with the time. When you remove it from the bleach, dip again in clear water & wash off the excess. Let dry.
I add water colors & use the Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Artists' Crayons to add additional color. Give it a try...it's so much fun! These photographs are all from my husband's collection. I do love the wall of clogs photo taken in Holland.

New Collage

Good Friday morning! I've had company this week & I've had a blast. My sister came back to California for a visit & we took some play time. We each made a collage & it was so much fun. The collage measures 15x17 inches. This one contains my first quote. Boy, was that shaky! All in all, they turned out very nice. I will post a pic of Gail's collage in a couple of days. Yesterday, we stopped to do some of the last painting in my kitchen. Got the ceiling done & wall behind the stove. It looks quite nice. Only thing left is the back splash & handles on the cupboard doors. FINALLY..I am reaching the end but not without Gail's help!
Have a very nice weekend everyone!

Good Wednesday Morning to All

My son & I just got back from a short trip up north to our 2ND property in Paso Robles. I told you about how green all that rain was going to make our hills. It was a wonderful drive up & back. The hills are absolutely GORGEOUS! The first pic is shot from the top of our property & looking to the left. This area is called Independence Ranch & there's 10 acre parcels in there. Yes, a lot of weed wacking & rototilling! Nonetheless.....it is a beautiful spot. The 2nd shot was taken on the road, through the central coast. The top photo I was so excited about. I could barely see that little bird in my lens but the pic came out great!
Now, I am off to prepare my OWOH giveaways for mailing. Have a FABULOUS day! We are looking at another 80 degree day here...don't hate me! Next week, it's suppose to dump on us again. That's okay though because the hills are going to be even more beautiful!

212 COMMENTS & 22 NEW FOLLOWERS LATER....WE HAVE 3 WINNERS!!

Good morning everyone! We have picked three winners for my OWOH giveaway but before I announce that I want to extend my gratitude to all that participated. I ended up with 212 comments & 22 new followers through this fabulous event. I am AMAZED! Thank you Soooooooooooo much to all of you that dropped by & left comments. I hope you all enjoy your winnings!

The third place winner for the 3x5 in canvas of mother & child is......
Susan at http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/

The 2ND place winner for the 9x12 inch pink canvas is.................
Debby from http://thegatheringnest.blogspot.com/

The 1ST place winner for the top 9x12 inch canvas is.....................
Wrightstuff at http://all-the-wright-stuff.blogspot.com/

A big congratulations to all of you! THe winnings will be mailed out on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.

Saucer Magnolia tree & OWOH winding down

Good morning! I had to take a shot of my Saucer Magnolia tree in bloom now. This tree is so beautiful (until the petals fall all over the front porch)that I had to get a shot of it. It's probably the only thing in my yard that looks nice this time of year. The tree is probably 15-20 years old.
I'm also posting another bleached picture as I can't seem to keep my hands out of that stuff. This time I sanded the pic a bit as well as pressing it on a rubber stamp for some background texture.
OWOH is now winding down. Looks like Lisa had a total of 1105 participants which breaks the previous record. This is the most AMAZING event. I can't wait to do it all over next year. A BIG thank you to Lisa Swifka at http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/one-world-one-heart.html

Kitten (CAT) Update

Good morning everyone! It's pouring here in Southern California this morning! Our hills are going to be so green....I can't wait to take some pictures.
I guess you all remember our kitten rescue last year. Mama cat had 5 babies at our 2ND property. These three pictured today are the three of the five that we kept. We still have the Mama too. I will get a picture of her next time. I had a little fun with Cooper. He's a very good little model! They are all wonderful cats & we love them dearly. I just wish my husband could see how beautiful they all turned out.
Her is:

COOPER
CHLOE
COSMO