Summertime Artvenures Begin!

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! I'm about to....what's the next line in that song? Oh yeah, I'm about to loose control and I think I like it..... Anyway, imagine hearing the beat of that song (if you remember that Pointer Sisters tune) and that sums up my feelings about summertime summertime sum sum summertime sumertiiiiime...whew...so many fun songs about summer. I should create a playlist. I think I will. Add that to my summer "to do" list.

I seldom make "to do" lists but since I'm planning on having a carefree summer I thought it would be fun to put one together. I'm keeping it easy so that I can follow through. Yes, nothing but "HOT FUN in the summertime....." Stop me with the summer songs already!

This is an ATC from the ABC ATC around the world swap I'm in. This represents the letter "E" and it's titled, "Empress of Eclectic Elephants." Would you look at that guy standing next to her. He seems to be saying "Hot fun summer in the city, back of my neck gettin' dirty and gritty..." I can't help myself with these summer songs! It goes to show I'm ready to "roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer...." Did I even get those adjectives in the correct order? OK, I'll stop.

These are some ATCs I've received from fellow swappers. I really admire the works of these women because they're actual watercolor paintings and on such a small surface. The elephant and mandala came from Marianne in The Netherlands. You can visit her blog at http://mandarianne.blogspot.com to see some of her cool mandalas. The bottom ATC came from Mim at http://ammdh.blogspot.com and it's her interpretation of "dust." If my dust looked this arsty, there would be a lot more around!

These cards are from Gina at http://bt-thecraftygardener.blogspot.com and they came all the way from Ireland. She has a great garden filled with lots of wonderful sights. This swap will definitely be keeping me busy over the summer.

Where have the past 9 months gone? I have no idea where they went but I do know one thing. Before the next 2 months are over, I want to have accomplished my "to do" summer list. I've always wanted to solder and there's no excuse for me not to know how. My husband the tool man has the proper materials for me to get started. I have the glass slides and images. Helloooo, why has this taken me so long?! Well, like they say, better late than never, right?

You can take a peak at my summer list by clicking on it. If you think there's something fun and easy I should add to it, drop me a comment. But please, keep it simple. LOL! I want to make sure I complete what I start. Remember that last post?!

Challenging Artventures

This is my Prayer Plant and it carries a couple challenges. One, it only gives me one bloom a year and two, Momma Cat loves to nibble on new leaves. I've decided to place an open book around the base of the pot to prevent future nibbles.

A major challenge for me has been to work on a small book that will hold a collection of inchies. The person who is receiving this book has expressed her disdain for working on a 1 x 1 area, let alone cutting out the squares. This is her challenge and I'm hoping she will make an effort to fill the blank pages full of inchies.

Finding words of advise came easy. What is it they say? Easier said than done? Yeah, I know.

I'll have to send some blank inchies and tiny images to make this an easier artventure for her. Hopefully it'll help.

In the end it doesn't matter what kind of art you create on your inchie space. Some like to put words and art on their blanks (like me) while others prefer a single image. It's all based on personal taste and it's all good.

In my last blog post I wrote about how I procrastinate when it comes to finishing projects. It finally occurred to me why that is as I made myself sit down to complete one over the weekend. I can't half-ass anything. There, that's it. If I can't make something that satisfies me, I put it aside. That explains why I have so many unfinished projects! It's not because my life is so busy that I can't find the time or that I have so many things going on (such as swaps) at one time, it's because I CAN'T HALF-ASS stuff. I spend too much time on how "it" looks. And a lot of times it looks good but there I go adding more. Oh man. I hope that doesn't make me a perfectionist. I detest perfection. Those types give me hot flashes and hives. Wait. No, I'm NOT a perfectionist. Phew. I just glanced at my living space. LOL!

ABC ATC Artventures

"A" is for Asia

"B" is for Bird

"C" is for Cheerful Children

"D" is for Dangerously Delightful Diva

How long does it take you to finish a project from beginning to end? I read this question today on another blog, can't remember whose, but I'm guilty of starting something and taking waaaay too long to finish it. Unless there's a deadline, I drag my sweet time getting to the end. So maybe it's a good thing that this ATC swap I joined last month has deadlines. Deadlines keep me grounded and as much as I don't like them, I'm grateful for them. Now, If only I could something about those unfinished projects. In the meantime if you view my profile, you can gain access to the ABC ATC blog I'm a part of.There you'll see the works of several artists who are very good about starting and finishing their projects. But I wonder if that's because there are deadlines to meet. Hmm...

More Natural Artventures

Even Momma Cat loves to go on "Natural Artventures" from time to time.  She's been enjoying sitting near and under the vase of flowers.  Oh look, her mouth is open as if to say "ahh, flowers."  LOL!

This beautiful bloom is my white agapanthus or Lily of the Nile.  A neighbor was kind enough to give me several divisions when he was thinning them down a few years ago.  They've multiplied like crazy over the years and I'm lucky enough to have them in blue and white. 

This is my Whisky Rose.  What a funny name.  The blooms have a wonderful old fashion scent.

When this Calla Lily blooms, it will bloom a yellow flower.  Another bargain found in the dollar aisle after Easter, two years ago.

My Iceberg Rose continues to bloom throughout the summer until winter. 

This is my Polynesian Sunset Rose.  Very large heads bloom and the thorns on this bush are huge and thick.  Ouch!

As you can see the sky was the prettiest blue.  Those palm trees drop massive amounts of unedible orange dates.  Big messes cover the ground but the crows love them!

Basketball can be an artventure if you appreciate the colors purple and gold.  LOL!  Colors of the beloved Los Angeles Lakers who are in the finals and 2 games ahead!

GO LAKERS!!!

I spent my day working on unfinished art projects which I will share with you in a day or two.  In between projects  I was drawn to venture outside with my camera.  The sun was out, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue and the wind was mild.  A great day for not only finishing art projects but also for enjoying the natural beauty that nature's art  provides. 

Natural Artventures

Look at that palm tree trying to reach the clouds.

My purple Lily of the Niles are all beginning to bloom. I transplanted a few to the backyard and it's taken them almost three years to flower. I love the spots of color they bring.

Have I shown this one to you before? It's my geranium and it blooms year round. I love the way white peaks in the center of the magenta petals.

My pink Calla Lily is continuously blooming and there are more leaves pushing from the ground where there will be even more! This lily was found in a drug store after Easter two years ago in the dollar aisle! It was drooping but I new the bulbs were still alive. I'm so happy I gave it a home!

This ground cover is spreading outwards. I love the tricolors of purples and pinks. I place some chunks of concrete and big rocks in between to give them a little personality.

We're having unusually wet weather these days. One minute the sun it out and then it gets windy. Next thing you know we have numerous dark clouds and it's raining! Which may be good because we have new water rationing laws that must be strictly followed in Los Angeles. We can only water on Mondays and Tuesdays. So much for weekend gardening. AND, when we water we have to do it before 9:00 AM or after 4:00 PM so I suppose I should be embracing the rain for giving my lawn and flowers extra water this week.

In between rain (and it was heavy) I went outside when the sun peaked out and took some pics of what's blooming. I call it "natural artventures" because after all, with all that color and texture, well, nature is natural art.

Artventurous Magic Bags!

Meet my "magical bags." Magical cause you never know what you'll find inside!

Sometimes I'll find interesting photos or words from a magazine that will give an instant boost to a journal spread.

Other times I'll find scraps of paper to use as a background in addition to very cleaver magazine imagery.

Just today I found a great piece of left-over scrapbook paper that I thought would look great in an old picture frame. It worked. Instant art. You never know what you'll find in my magic bags.

When it comes to scraps of paper, interesting pictures or phrases from a magazine, they will undoubtedly go into one of my huge clear "magical bags." I never really thought about calling them magical until right now as I was typing this post. That's a good word to describe them because sometimes I find something that I forgot all about and I have this "moment." LOL! It's like hearing from a long lost friend and sometimes it even feels like eating a scoop of my favorite ice cream on a hot day. Yeah, that good.

My "magic" bags, as I'm now going to start calling them, have been with me through thick and thin. I dive into them when I need a catchy phrase for a journal entry or if I need some scraps to spruce up a background. If I need it, it's there.

I think it's safe to say that all of us who are drawn to making art in one form or another have a magic bag, box, drawer, or something where we keep our treasures. Where do you keep yours?

Journal Tags

I always give my tag art women names. I look for something in their "make-up" when I play with ideas on what to name them. The art tag on the left is "Seamstress For The Band" and the one on the right is, simply, "Pinky." Sometimes it takes me half a day to compose one tag. I take a lot into consideration when I create these. Color is the main factor. I always use up to 3, sometimes 4, colors. Embellishments, which stamps to use, even selecting fibers to run through the top hole, take time. I want to make sure it "fits" the art woman. It all has to work together.

Here's the flip side of the arted up tags. This is what makes them journal tags. "Seamstress For The Band" made me think about my first sewing experiences and how scary it was for me because I was so young and getting graded for it. That's a picture of me that was in the school yearbook that year. LOL! I was a nervous wreck. I don't remember how many times I ripped the seams to that dress. I just remember breathing easy once the damn class was finished. LOL! Click on the picture to read on.

During the late 60s and early 70s I admired hippies. I never saw them as dirty creatures but more as fun-loving peace promoters. LOL! After I designed the tag on the left, I named it "Flower Child." The tag on the right was named "Party Girl" and on the back I wrote about my carefree summers and parties.

Sometimes we need a little nudge on what to journal about. Thankfully, I found a sheet of journal prompts and used one behind my "Flower Child" tag. I wrote about, what else, the 60s! Click on the pic to read and learn more about "moi!"

I knew the minute I saw those huge blank 8 x 4 tags hanging at the stamp store that I'd be using them to journal on. Of course I'd have to add a little art on one side but what? It wasn't long before I began experimenting with painting techniques and embellishing the finished painted tag with an art doll. I've been doing this for two years now and I see no end in sight! I just need more time to create a new batch. And a date to lead another workshop!