small from the heart

I am honored to be a part of the "Small art for the heart " exhibit this August in Michigan. This is an exhibit and sale of art trading cards for the benefit of children who have suffered child abuse. The money raised will help these innocent victims. Here is the link if you want to learn more about it.

Wow Paper clay for mixed media artists

I have discovered paper clay and molds for my mixed media work. Martha Stewart just came out with some started kits that have everything you need to make paper clay embellishments. I love polymer clay but it is so heavy, has to have a dedicated oven, and the set up and clean up takes me lots of time. The good things about the paper clay is that the items are really light weight and can be affixed to a substrate like paper. They can be painted, dusted with perfect pearls, have glitter added to it and .... they cure over night in the air. Needless to say, I got out my clay molds , my paints and my imagination and went to work at my craft desk. Here is a sample of some of the easy embellishments that I made. There are also 2 examples of how I used the flowers in an art journal that I am making. I will start to experiment with more challenging designs next. I will take photos and post how I am making these in my next blog. Fun, fun, fun

playing with smash books and journaling

I have been having fun doing a smash book and I made these envelops and tags to have on hand to just add to my book or journal when I need them. You can purchase similar kits at my etsy store for only $5,

Went butterfly hunting with my camera and look what happened

I found some really lovely butterflies welcoming the Spring. And you can purchase metallic prints of all of them in my etsy store.

New mixed media collage journals

I have been working with watercolors, glue and salt to make new backgrounds for my mixed media collage journal covers. These 2 new journal covers were made with a large watercolor that I just made. I love the look that the salt makes as it absorbs the paint on the paper.

swimming with sting rays oh my!

We just returned from a wonderful Caribbean cruise. On the Grand Cayman island we got to swim and interact with wild stingrays that were tame in the ocean. I thought that we would be in a water park with sting rays minus their stings but no....after an hour boat ride we were at a reef in the ocean where you could stand in the water that only came up to your chest. And there were lots of sting rays waiting for us to get into the water. That is because we had squid for them to eat. It was really exciting to put your face under the water and to see these beautiful creatures swimming up to you to take food out of your hand. They would fan our legs with their wings. If you get a chance do it because I think it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Mr. Blue eyes Siamese kitten

I took photographs of this 8 week old kitten. I love the blue eyes. These photos are available as an art card or 5x7 at my etsy store or my art fire studio.

Another Titanic art journal

I seem to be fascinated with the Titanic anniversary this year. It has been 100 years since that ship sank. Now with the Costa Concordia it seems we have not learned the lessons of the past.

This mixed media collage for the cover has feathers, vintage photos from the ship, vintage buttons, Swarovski crystals. The back cover has some photos of some of the people who died in the tragedy.

Titanic is taking me over

All my recent art work features the Titanic theme. I am not sure why. Perhaps because I like to cruise so much and the thought of that tragic cruise captures my imagination. It is 100 years this year since it sank. Those poor passengers.

Almost the end of the year Time flies

I do not know about you but time seems to fly faster and faster as I age. Perhaps it becomes more precious to me as I realize that there is less time in my life left. I find myself being selfish about what I spend my time on. I want to spend it creating art and being with people I love. Here is an art card that I made that reflects how I feel