Field Journal 3x3 Book

The 3x3 books are so much fun to create. I decided to make one with a bird theme. The clear tags I used are Tim Holtz. There are so many sizes and shapes to choose from! I adhered neat bird prints and used sheet music as the backing. The tassel I made is messy like the bird nests themselves.

This sweet little bird is German scrap and carries the message of "fly". I used an antique button as an embellishment with a the letter "B" glued on top.
The cardboard letter I chose was "H", not only for "home" but also for my last name. I used rubberstamps from Character Constructions to spell out the word home.
The silhouette rubberstamp was used on an old shorthand text paper. I enjoy using vintage papers in this manner.
The completed page was not what I envisioned but I learned a lot in the process. I stamped on a transparency, then used Twinkling H2O's for coloring. I sprayed a fix adhesive and applied to the Josh paper. Then I felt the bird needed "grounding" so I restamped and glued the leg portions on top of the transparency. This was just the beginning of what I needed to do to balance this page. Whew....I was happy when I was able to move on......I spent so much time on it that I could not give myself permission to scrap it and start over!


The small feather rubberstamp is from Character Constructions and the bird is a reprint.
Joys are our wings! Isn't that the truth! The bird came from ArtChix Studio and I used a punch for the crown. The black rhinestones are from Bead Ranch in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Colorado Springs bus token is my special embellishment.
I love these new designs from Character Constructions - "The Bird & Bee Paperie". This is grandmother bird. The background paper had a perfect oval to use and it was off-center...and that became a design element. The little bird house was swiped with gesso to give it more dimension.
More new stamps from Character Constructions. I stamped the bird separately, cut it out and did the same with the bird bath. The quote is also Character Construction but I stamped it to fit the page area.
The butterfly ribbon was purchased from Stamp Asylum. They have so many very cool trims!
I bought green and chocolate dingle ball trim from a scrap booking store in Dallas.....trims were on sale at a 50% discount. Who could resist!
The cute little bird is from a collage sheet sold at ArtChix Studio. I love the gold crown and added a bit of blue trim....Ah, create joy!
I also used stickers. I trimmed with the brown stripe ribbon to complete this page.
The quote is from Catherine Moore's Character Construction line and the bird is from an ArtChix Studio collage sheet.
Diamond Glaze was used to give dimension to the eggs in the nest. Diamond Glaze is a very cool product!
I have to tell you that I have a great collection of feathers of all colors. My daughter buys "feather toys" for her cat and when the toy is destroyed from active playing.....I get the feathers!
Don't you love these stickers from Cavallini?!

Again I used a clear tile from the Tim Holtz collection on top of the "Inches".

This was another one of those pages that was a bit of a struggle. When the vellum didn't work out, I placed a sticker on top. When I used a product at the top corner that also didn't work out...I added the tiny beads to cover. I could have thrown it out but when I thought it is already past saving, it freed to me try something else. In the end it was okay.

I especially like using the egg rubberstamp. The bird silhouette is adorable.

The bird cage was stamped onto tissue paper and an olive green felt ribbon was added for the embellishment. I wanted to find a bird print that I could reduce for the cage...but I didn't really have anything suitable.

This print/text was sent to me by my art friend in England. I saved the originals and made copies for my artwork. I have several and they are the perfect size.
Ah, the final page...the back cover where I used a rub-on. I hope you enjoyed this....I already have two more themes that I can hardly wait to make!

Happy Valentine!

This is the first of the four ATC Valentine's that I traded with my friends. This one has vellum added as I thought it gave the kiss a feeling of being special. Cupid is a rubber stamp from B-Line Designs. The dimensional red German scrap is from ArtChix Studio.



I really like dividing the background on this ATC which showcased the couple as separate players. I added the rose German scrap at the bottom as an embellishment for the two lovers.
The images I used were purchased from ArtChix Studio. They really have a great selection. The ribbon at the bottom is velvet. I thought it would enrich the mood of the card. The heart at the top was from a package of assorted heart sizes from Michael's.


For this ATC, I added a transparency as the last layer....but it did not photograph well because of the glare. The German scrap was my final embellishment.

Calligraphy Retreat

I'll be away this weekend for a calligraphy retreat with Lisa Engelbrecht! We're making a "Book of Intentions". Will post later......

Peace

This adorable necklace was made by a terrific artist and calligrapher that I recently met. She was generous in allowing me to photograph her necklace. It is a scrabble tile that she painted, collaged, and lettered. Such beautiful lettering, too!

My digital camera photo doesn't do justice for this artful piece. (I teased her that her chest might be uploaded to utube!)

Fun Camera Display

I recently made a trip to Dallas and took time to visit one of my favorite rubber stamp stores, Stamp Asylum. I love shopping there as Melodie is so very helpful and the owner, Monica creates awesome eye candy with art displays and product displays. The camera is a very clever idea for holding brushes!

Sunday Breakfast

My sister gave me four huge crystal cups for my birthday a few years ago. They are for making special coffees. I have not used them too frequently as I don't take the time to make the beverages. But now we are making the yogurt/granola parfaits and I use the cups all the time! Yummy!

Best Girlfriend

This is my best girl friend....I met her through a beginning calligraphy class and we became best friends. Philbrook Museum is hosting a calligraphy exhibit where she has two amazing pieces of art that are presently displayed. I did photograph her two pieces with my digital camera but with the lighting....they just didn't show well for my blog....but her waving hands teasing me did....

She is on her way to becoming a published children's book author and illustrator. She has so much talent!

Fun Book 3x3 Book

What a fun project!! A dear art friend of mine, Sharon, showed me her 3x3 book that she made for a swap. Wow...how cool! Since then, I have also read where they are referred to as "swing" books….probably because the binding is a simple ring. I also used the tiny metal tags for stamping partial images. I was amazed at how many "tiny" images you can use from a rubber stamp when you are only using a small portion.


This is my cover. I purchased the embellishment at a scrapbooking convention last summer. (I surprised myself at how much stuff I bought even though I am a rubber stamper and not a scrapbooker!) All the pages were made using double-sided cardstock.

The paper in the inside cover came from a package wrapping when I was in Beijing a few years ago. I also used their currency as an embellishment.


The postage stamps I used were given to me by my art friend, Minori who lives in Japan.


I really like using the wax seals. The impression says "Sara". I had purchased a few blank chops when I was in China and had them carved with words and names. I wish I had bought more!


I can not resist saving those fortunes from the Chinese restaurants! I have gobs and they always find their way into my art.

Josh paper is inexpensive and gives a lot of punch! I used Staz-On ink so that the Buddha image would not smudge.


I added a felt flower and a small pearl bead as her earring. I love using this stamped image a lot.


The little girl is stamped on gold vellumn paper. The dragon was made using a punch.

Tim Holtz has a product called "Fragments" that are clear tiles in all sizes. I really love using these!



I bought a box of photo paper from an office supply store. It is perfect for the rubber stamp images that you want to look like photos and a lot less expensive than the glossy paper that is sold "by the sheet". You will find that you can only stamp on the one side and I have marked my box so I don't have to try to remember.


I used Twinkling H2O's. I used pretty much full strength as I wanted it to be vibrant!

Dada Poetry

I first read about Dada Poetry in an old issue of the Oprah magazine. I was intrigued as to how it worked. I encourage you to try it as I have. I think you will be amazed with what you will write! Tip: All the text needs to come from the same source. I was inspired to make these three cards after a women’s retreat. (a previous post)

These three ATC’s that feature the Goddess were all gleaned from the same article…..had nothing to do with the Goddess. This is what happened when I separated the words and re-arranged them. Cool huh?


My sister-in-law, Pat gave me one earring that I recycled into an embellishment. Pat is always saving me great stuff for me to use in my art!! Thanks Pat!!!


I was then inspired to make Dada Poetry using some of my favorite photos. This one shows Charlotte Shockley and her mother in 1945. I rescued the photo from a landfill.


This is a family photo of a homestead with one of my great great aunts. I think it is my favorite one thus far.

January's ATC

I have been in an ATC trade for a couple of years.....and I enjoy the challenge of making art the same size as a baseball card. That is not always easy for me as I like to work big....very big. This year I am going to make more art that will fall into the "inches" category and other small sizes to make me stretch.

Pin Cushion

This is an adorable pin cushion that I purchased from a local art fair last fall. It has been on my drafting table getting quite a workout.

It is made from recycled parts of a sweater. I wish I had taken the business card of the clever lady who made this so I could pass her information to you!