Miss Halloween 2009

This month's theme on the Art Raffle is 'Black and Orange' (although it doesn't necessarily have to be Halloween related).

As my creative brain doesn't stretch very far I decided to make ... yes, another paper doll!  She turned out to be something of an exhibitionist with her tight bright orange bodice, pumpkin button bra and black lacy tutu with matching cloak.

Her hair and bodice are Plastraw (like raffia but stronger), her crown is a glittered up plastic embellishment and her stripey socks are coloured in with Marvy LePlume markers.

She looks like a winner to me - so I've crowned her 'Miss Halloween 2009' ........ what's that you say .... 'Smashing Pumpkins' ?   No, I've never been into their music ..... sorry, I couldn't resist adding that!

UK Art Raffle - 'Summer' entry

The UK Art Raffle is back up and running and the current theme is 'Summer'. You just need to sign up, send in an item of art and then you're in the draw. The winner gets all the items sent in!

For my entry, I altered a jigsaw piece (it measures approx 3" x 3"). I used a vintage picture of three young ladies in their bathing costumes and collaged it onto a background of the L S Lowry's painting 'At The Seaside' a strange mixture and the ladies are not of the same era, but I thought the muted tones of the Lowry picture went well with the image. I painted a wash of cream acrylic over the background and edged and highlighted it with some crayons. A string hanger and some shells completed it.

I used the same image to make an ATC. This time on a background of tissue paper coloured with Brusho paints. Again edged with crayon and some Anita's 3-D clear gloss finish at the bottom to look like water - although it hasn't come out too well in the photo.

All the raffle entries need to be in by 23rd August - can't wait to see if I'm the lucky one, and also to see all the other entries, which I believe, will be posted on the above mentioned website after the draw has been made.

UK Art Raffle - Feb 09

This month's theme for the UK Art Raffle is 'Trees'. If you don't know about the raffle, have a look at the site and if you enter an item of your artwork, you'll be in with a chance of winning every participants entry for the month!

With a theme of 'trees' I didn't immediately know what to do as I don't have any suitable tree rubber stamps, so I had a look around the internet (as you do!) and came across a lovely poem called 'Plant A Tree' which was written in the 1800s by an American lady called Lucy Larcom You can read the poem here.

I used the poem to make a little book. There are five pages - one verse on each. I kept an organic feel to the book making the covers from corrugated cardboard (coloured with distress inks and glimmer mists on the outside and decorated with scrapbook paper on the inside) The tag on the front cover has been aged with distressed inks and the words 'Plant A Tree' rubber stamped onto some handmade paper.

Onto each of the inside pages I attached a small piece of handmade paper (stitched on with a small button) and wrote on it a pertinent word which appears on the second line of each verse.

I must confess to one thing - I used shop bought 'toppers' for the back of each of the inside pages. I bought these years ago having never known what to do with them, but as I was making the book I remembered them and thought they'd go perfectly - with the colours and the theme.

(The inside pages are not quite as orange as they appear in the photos.)

Just need to keep my fingers crossed now for the raffle, as I'd really like to keep this book now - doh!

UK Art Raffle - January 09

This month's theme for the UK Art Raffle is 'Shiny' and Sarah who runs this raffle said this theme is 'inspired by everything new and glossy and sparkly, in honour of the brand new year'. She also said that we can interpret the theme in any way so although it's about everything new, I've actually gone back in time and used an image of a vintage poster for shoe polish! What could be more shiny than freshly polished shoes? With the image I've made a little wall hanging measuring approx 4" wide by 6 1/2" long. To make it shine I've used some clear UTEE. It's funny how this technique is often called 'triple embossing' whereas in reality we use more like eight layers of embossing - so what would that be called 'octagonal embossing' - lol! Anyway, it gives a wonderful glass like shine. To finish the little hanging I've attached a couple of shoe charms at the bottom and used a co-ordinating ribbon with the little girl's dress in the poster.

.... and don't forget, you've got to be in it, to win it!

.... and now I can't get Take That's song 'Let It Shine' out of my mind - lol!!!

What a load of ..... Christmas Baubles!

Christmas is coming, the turkey's getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat! Not long now, I've started buying some presents but haven't even thought about making any cards yet! I have been doing other things Christmassy though - like a six way jigsaw jam (and another six way jigsaw jam too) I've been putting all the photos in my Flickr photostream (link is below to the left)but I will post a picture of the complete jigsaw puzzles once they're finished.

The other thing I've been doing is making some Christmas baubles. This is all Margaret's fault as she has started a group called 'Christmas Bauble Decoration Swap' on Flickr whereby you make a bauble (based on the template she has posted) and she will randomly select someone for you to swap with at the end of the month.

The two I've made for that swap (one gold and one red) are both cut from acetate and decorated with gallery glass paint plus a whole lot of glitter and other sparkly stuff.

While I was making them I decided to make a couple to enter in this month's UK Art Raffle . This month's theme is 'Circles' so I made one bauble (based on Margaret's template, only a bit larger) with lots of circles within it, and another smaller bauble roughly in the shape of a circle with more cirles inside it. Again, these were both cut from acetate and decorated with gallery glass and more glitter and sparkle.

Last month's UK Art Raffle was won by my dear cyber friend Trudy who doesn't have a blog, but you can find her on Flickr or see some of her wonderful creations in her Photobucket. I was so pleased that Trudy won as she is a really lovely person and I couldn't think of a nicer person to win ..... well, apart from me of course - lol!!

UK Art Raffle - 'Dark'

This is my entry for the above raffle. This month's theme is 'Dark'.

It is a canvas 5"x7" which I've called 'Adore'. This is the first completed canvas I've done and it was a bit scary at first, but once I started it was fine! It's another beeswax collage which I started by scribbling some oil pastels in black and blue over the canvas then melted some beeswax over the top and blended it altogether.
I then put a bingo card on with more beeswax and blended that into the background. I then overlaid some white tissue to soften the overall effect. A piece of wide dark blue ribbon was then laid on and some more fibre at the bottom. The image was next - again adhered with more beeswax. Finally a ticket saying 'adore' was distressed and put at the bottom right hand corner and a flower at the top. This was quite a messy job and I ended up with pastels everywhere - so I sealed the whole thing with some porcelain gloss spray. It didn't take completely but it adds to the whole distress finish (yeah, right!!)

I am pleased with how this has turned out and it's given me the confidence to try to some more.

I hope whoever 'wins' it in the raffle likes it - if not, they could always send it back to me as I'm sure I'll find somewhere to hang it!