Tim Holtz meets Paint Party Friday , Just for Fun!

It's Friday again, so that means - welcome to Paint Party Friday, hosted by Kristin and Eva.
Today I have 2 pieces to show, a mask and another mail art envelope, made for dear lady I know, which means braving the Dragon AKA Mrs Grumpy Drawers at the post office to send it off ths morning, filled with some nice surprises.
So, first the envelope:

The centre piece has been painted with tempera colours, and then I have added some collaged strips round about to make it bigger. I have used rub-ons and stamping to add more motives, and the adress label has been printed from a *Graphics Fairy* freebie. I like the overall effect of this mixed media piece very much, it just remains to see how it will be welcomed at our little post office....
And now to the mask:

For this piece I used tempera colours again, just in completely different colours this time. I think I must have been feeling like this some days this week after not sleeping though several nights again- But last night I fell asleep straight away andd didn't even turn over, so I got over 8 hours sleep, which is unbelievable, and for which I am very thankful! But back to my mask! I really enjoy painting these things at the moment, and I don't know why, and I certainly don't know what moved me to use this combination of colours, but I like to paint without planning, just following my feelings, and that's what came out!

And now to something different, that I have made for 2 challenges today. Over at Just For Fun, they want to see *All things Tim*, and on *Studio L3* they want to see Tim Hotz's distress ink, and I've used plenty of that!
I have made another tryptich out of corrugated card, which has been partly peeled, gessoed, and then distressed with faded jeans, stormy skies, wild honey, Vctoriam Velvet and Forest Moss. Then I rubbed some clear embossing ink over it, and sprinkled it with some mixed remains of embossing powder, which gave a shine of silver or bronze here and there. After that I treated it to some gold perfect pearls, which I also heated. I stamped some flourishes on the background using forest moss, you can't see much of them, but I like to know there are *hidden* elements in each tag. Fot the decorations I made a tree of life, cut so that the cardboard *ribs* run diagonally to the background for more texture. For the middle part I have stamped a Tim saying onto some card and decoupaged it, and added a game spinner to help move the point of view around. The jigsaw pieces are a symbol for life, you have to move everything around till it fits. I have also used part of the packaging from a TH clock stencil under the two boys with their bike (image from CI), to show that our time is limited. On the right part I have added the three words which we can't do without in life, hope, dream and love, together witha stamped film strip under the plastic one. Can we influence our film? And lastly 2 cogs. No real reaosn, I just love them and try to sneak them into lots of things because of it. Sorry for the rather long sermon, sometimes i get carried away....Now for the pics!

I am also entering this as my second take into GC 10& Packaging materials over at Gingersnap Creations.

Well, I have think I have warbled on long enough for day, so here's wishing you a great day, take care, and thanks for visiting!

More Tags, Challenges and a lot of fun....

Good morning, just managed to drag myself out of bed and stagger to the coffee machine, I know if I manage that then the rest will be easy. Now I am sitting here with a large cup of frothy coffee with chocolate sprinkles on top and beginning to wake up.
Looks like it will be another hot day here, the cool air from yesterday has disappeared, and the birds seem to be having a who-can-sing-the -loudest competition.
I had a another crafty day yesterday, doing some tags for challenges,
First I made something like I like, so it's made of cardboard and grungy, and it's going to be ny entry into Simon Says Stamp and Show a tag and Dragon's Dream TIO where the dragon wants to see things with wings, so here is it:

I made 3 cardboard tags and some wings which I painted with gesso and then distressed with TH inks. The heads have been stamped onto speciality card from LaBlanche using forest moss, and then cut out and fixed to the tags. I have kept the embellishments minimal, as I want the beautiful faces to be in focus. Just added a few small flowers, and two leopards, who are strolling through all three tags. I joined the tags with twine to make them into a tryptich, and added the wings. I very much enjoyed making it, and like it the way it is.

And then I made another card for *Less is More* where it's still monochrome week. Here my new try:

I like this card better than I did the other 2 I made at the beginning of the week. The sheep have been stamped with archval ink in black, and then the middle one has been watercoloured black, and the grass and sentiment have been added with black ink.

And I'm still not finished....I made a tag for the Three muses challenge, where the theme this week is exotic birds.
I used a cardboard tag again, painted it with gesso in white and a splodge of gold left over from something else, bubble dried it, distressed it and used one of my birds cut from my own painted and stamped papers. Added a few flowers, and it was finished, too.

I'm not really sure that I like this one, so perhaps I will alter it later.














And then our grumpy parcel postman came yesterday, and brought me a packet that Tee (Creations by Tee) had sent off to me in April....They had been examining it at the customs and have such a lot of work to do, that they needed almost 2 months to check out that my present from Tee was not a lethal weapon or stuffed with contraband....Tee, thank you soooooooooo much for my lovely present!

Tee had packed the torso into a pretty envelope decorated with butterflies, and sent me a beautiful pink tag with it. The second picture shows the torso getting some fresh air on my balcony after beein locked up in an envelope and handled by customs officials for nearly 2 months! I wonder what they thought it was???


Anyway, now she has landed at my place and will have a good home, and I am looking forward to getting her dolled up - any ideas?
So, here's wishing you all a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for visiting!

Tags and an album

Good morning you all. We had a stormy night here, with thunder and lightning and loads of rain - hope the farmers will now be happy -and even the birds seem to be tired this morning!
I had a crafty day here yesterday, couldn't seem to stop, but can't show you everything as some things have to stay hidden for a few days for one reason or other. But I can show you some tags, so here they are!
The first 2 have been made just for fun.

Both tags have been made from recycled manila paper, and distressed with TH inks in stormy skies, Victorian velvet and forest moss. The backgrounds have been stamped with script and flourishes in green. Then I added some floral rub-ons, vintage scrap images and some little embellishments.
The next tag has been made for the challenge at *Blog Challenge Garden*, where the theme this week is *make it masculine* in honour of Fathers' Day in the USA. I have made a cardboard tag, as I cut up another empty box yesterday and made 15 large tags from it, which I *peeled* while watching Horatio Cane triumphing over the criminals of Miami....
The tag has been painted with white gesso, which I heat dried to speed it up. It smelled like burnt toast, but it bubbled nicely. I am now wondering what they put in the toast - cardboard and gesso? But I digress again. It has been distressed with Th inks in faded jeans, wild honey and forest green. The image used is from Crafty Individuals, the mini tag has been stamped with an artemio stamp, cut out by hand and distressed before being given the message. Then I added the masculine decorations, and that was it, quick and simple, but fun! I am also entering this into the Gingersnaps GC 106 *Use packaging materials*

And I can give you a sneak peek at the little album I finished yesterday, don't want to show it all as it would spoil the surprise for my swap partner.It's a small album with a travel / Paris theme.

Okay, that was it for today. The parcel post just came and brought me something, so I'm off to open it....Thanks for visiting, take care, and have a great day.

A walk in the woods and some cards....

Good morning everyone. Hope you all slept well and feel fit! It's a bit cooler here today after the storms of yesterday evening, so the air feels nice and fresh. Yesterday I went for a walk with my four footed friend Emily. It was hot, so she spent most of the time sniffing little trails on the ground, going as slowly as possible, and then trying to cunningly go in a half circle to take us back in the direction we had come....But I did manage to find some interesting trees again. In *The lion, the witch and the wardrobe* from C.S. Lewis, which was made into the film *Narnia* there are trees in the woods which are tree nymphs, and which watch you and listen to you. Recently I showed you a photo of one with an eye, but yesterday I discovered that there are lots more of *those* trees around.
Like this very nasty looking eye....

Or these faces....

And this one looks like it's showing its butt....I think we will go walkies someplace else next week!

By the time I got home and had done a spot of shopping, I was too tired to do much crafting, but managed a couple of cards, a tag, half a painting and half a mini book. The halves will be shown when they are finished!
I made an anniversary card - rather traditional, not quite what I like,but it is for an old couple I know who are celebrating their golden anniversary. I am entering this into the Rubber Cafe Challenge where the theme is weddings or anniversaries.

The next 2 cards are CAS one layer monochrome cards for *Less is more*.

And I made the tag because I had one already cut out of cardboard which needed to be used....and perhaps because it is not CAS!

So, that was all for today, have a great day and take care. Thanks for visiting!

A Mixed Bag for Monday....

Good morning evereybody. Today the sun is shining again, and I am happy to say I slept well, which helps enormously. Had another crafty day yesterday, while listeneing to the thunder rumbling, as it was a hot and sultry day, and the rain did cool things off a bit.
I made a mini book, 4x3", with covered chipboard covers, and it ended up completely different than I expected. I don't plan things through, just sort of take it as it flows, and yesterday it flowed in a different direction, but I think I like the results. Here it is, as a slide show, so that this post does not grow too long.


Then I have three tags that i made last week, but never got round to showing.
The first is made of cardboard, painted with acrylics, *bubbled* and then decorated with a beaded bird and some matching roses.

The second one has been made for *The cheerful Stamp pad*, where the challenge is a *Special occasion*, and this one has been made to attach to the present for a newly born baby girl, Lillith Devorah. I have once again used cardboard - one old box makes a lot of tags - covered with some backing paper from Dezina World, distressed, and then embellished with a vintage scrap picture, some prima fabric leaves, and some other bits and bobs.

And as it's Monday, another little joke to finish:

Teacher Arrested

NEW YORK -- A public school teacher was arrested
today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted
to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor,
a set square, a slide rule and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, the Attorney General said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with
carrying weapons of math instruction. 'Al-gebra is a problem for
us', the Attorney General said. 'They desire solutions by means
and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of
absolute values.'

They use secret code names like 'X' and
'Y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have
determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis
of medieval with coordinates in every country.

As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to
every triangle'.

When asked to comment on the arrest,
The President said, 'If God had wanted us to have better
weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers
and toes.'

White House aides told reporters they could
not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by a politician.

Have a nice day you all, take care, and thanks for visiting!

Some Freebies and Blue Chair Diary Sketch Sunday

Good morning èverybody. It's nearly 10 a.m. here, and I just rolled out of bed - what is the world coming to! I slep well two night running, that is a wonder. That must be thanks to those who wished me another good night's sleep, thank you!
Today it is Blue Chair Diary Sketch day so later I will be showing you my sketch. But first I have 4 vintage pics for you to Download. They are all taken from *Der Häuslicher Rathgeber* von 1899, magazines with stories, fashions, adverts and tips just like now, but a bit different.
So here are your pics, hope you can use them:

You are very welcome to download and use them in your projects!.



Now to my pictures for *Sophia's Blue Chair Diary, where it is sketch sunday today. I drew a self portrait and then coloured it with water colour pictures while I was feeling very down, and have called it *depression*. It's not a nice picture, but I think we sometimes have to record things as they are. These pictures are not for downloading, not that anybody would want to, just saying after the freebies! The first one is after drawing, the second one with some colour added

And just so that you don't all feel too sad now, here's another little joke from my friend Narda:

Women over 50 don't have babies because they would put them down and forget where they left them.

One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5lbs.

My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.

I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knickers.

Every 7 minutes of everyday, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.

Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks 2 sizes!

Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like..."You know, sometimes I forget to eat!" ......Now, I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys. But I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills...she has 14 kids but doesn't really care.

My body is not all that communicative but I heard from it the other day after I said "Body, how would you like to go to the six o'clock class of vigorous toning?" Clear as a bell my body said "Listen bitch.....do it and die."

The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him.

I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are - eating too much; impulse buying and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!

So, here's wishing you a perfect day, take care, and thanks for visiting!

A painting, an altered canvas and something to laugh over....

Yesterday I had another restless day, which means I just keep busy, working on my projects, painting, which calms me down, tidying drawes and boxes, which gives me some structure to hold on to. And I slept for the first time this week, right though the night, 8 hours in one stretch, and that is something I am very thankful for. I think I must have dreamt about my sister Cynthia, who died 11 years ago, because I was thinking of her, and a dress she once gave me, as I woke up. But it must have been a pleasant dream, as there was just this nice memory .
So Good morning you all! It's another hot and sunny day here, I think it will be a balcony day....
Yesterday I was busy painting, and made a picture similar to the one from yesterday, and a canvas. First the picture, which has been painted in tempera colours again, a mixed media piece, and I even like it myself.

I think I like the colours better than yesterday, they have more warmth. It really does me good just to sit and paint, I think there is nothing more calming that I know.

And I made another canvas, as i discovered a whole pile in different shapes and sizes in the Bottomless Pit, AKA Hall Closet.
I have one again used a page from one of the old magazines, lots of mod-podge and gesso, and then some images and rub ons. The picture of HÄnsel and Grethel was in another book that is slowly decaying. I have a lot of books from the late 19th, early 2oth century, and as the paper was very acidy, the pages turn brown, and brittle, and then crumble, so I am using what I can in art projects to try o conserve at least parts of them.

And to close, some more funnies sent by my dear friend Narda, who lives in Percy, Illinois, and always send me things to get me laughing;

Gentle Thoughts for Today -

Birds of a feather flock together . . . .and then "POOP" on your car.

A penny saved is a government oversight.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

He who hesitates is probably right.

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble..

Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells 'Theirs...'

Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to your youth, think of Algebra.

You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young. Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth .

AMEN!

So here's wishing you a happy day, take care, and thanks for visiting. And come back tomorrow, I will have some nice vintage pics for your to download! (No, I didn't mean my photo - who asked that silly question?!)