Woman ATC Swap

Here is my ATC for the woman swap on my ABC - Altered Book Club group -- I learned how to do the earring from craft tv weekly - I ran the wire through my paper crimper looped it and then clasped the ends in a bead and glued it to the woamn

4x4 map swap

Here is my 4x4 for the map swap on my ABC Altered Book Club

4x4 Napkin Swap

My ABC Altered Book Club yahoo group is having a napkin swap, but were not swapping napkins were doing 4x4 were the napkin is either the background or the focal point of the 4x4.

"A SNOWFLAKE IS WINTER'S BUTTERFLY"

Patriotic and quote stick-ins

A friend has a patriotic and quotes altered book - I made her a few pages her books.

The first one is for her patriotic, the background is The Pledge of Allegiance. Uncle Sam can be used in either her patriotic or quotes.

Betsy Ross for patriotic
These two are for her quotes book -- the Disney quote is "I DREAM I TEST MY DREAMS AGAINST MY BELIEFS, I DARE TO TAKE RISKS, AND I EXECUTE MY VISION TO MAKE THOSE DREAMS COME TRUE." ~Walt Disney~

The Music background quote is "DANCING IS LIKE DREAMING WITH YOUR FEET" unknown

Chocolate 4x4's

I'm working on a chocolate 4x4 fat book as a gift for someone wanted to share some of the pages I've made for it.

Postage Stamp 4x4's

I'm in a 4x4 postage stamp fat book swap - mine will be a Christmas gift - I will also be adding junk mail 4x4's in the book as well -- Haven't quite figured out what to title the book, but I suppose it will come to me:-)

The background for the Curious George 4x4's is a paint splatter, the Patriotic 4x4's are a napkin, the Statue of Liberty is the postage stamp blow up to the to be used on the 4x4, The Austrailan stamps background is a tissue box. Can't go to the store and just buy any box of tissues these days - it takes longer to choose a box of tissues now then it does to buy a new shirt:-) lol

Spoons

I made some spoons today for a swap - this was a new endevor for me - I got the idea from my friend Kathy Turnquist She got them from one of the altered arts magazine. These will actually be come a spoon book - you can go see Kathy's Blog to see what a spoon book is.

And The Winners Are???

Stepahnie Loomis and Carolyn Miller

I'll have your prizes in the mail on Monday

Congratulations Ladies

The Answer Was - 'Short Circuit' - With Steve Guttenberg and Alley Sheedy (1986)

5th Anniversary Circle Swap and CONTEST

My ABC Altered Book Club is celebrating its 5th anniversary - this year we decided to make CD books. I'm going to host a contest, everyone has been doing them so I thought I would to:-) lol

My first CD has the phrase "#5 Is Alive" -- Who can tell me what that phrase is from - I will give you a hint giving me this answer will date you:-) lol -- I will draw two names from both my groups (ABC and PAP - PLEASE when you leave your comment tell me which group your from allthough I know most I sometimes forget who is from which group) Everyone who leaves me their answer by leaving a comment will have their name in the drawing - I'll be making my comments private so everyone has a fair chance. Contest will close May 9th at Midnight

Have Fun

More Altered Puzzles

I did these two awhile back, but wanted to share them - I used kleenex boxes as my backgrounds, it is a sad day when we can't even go to the grocery store and simply buy a box of kleenex, with out standing in the aisle and debating what we can do with the designs on the box:-) lol

BLACK & WHITE

And with these two 4x4's I am done with all my colors

YELLOW

Color Swap

I'm hosting a Color 4x4 Fat Book Swap and thought I'd share what I've gotten done so far. Red, Green, Pink, Brown, Orange, Blue and Purple.

A Gift From A Friend

My dad came to visit me at the beginning of April and as a favor to me he stopped by my friend Elizabeth's house to pick up some things that E wanted to send this way so she could save on postage. Elizabeth decided that she wasnted to send me an early birthday gift. She made me a wall hanging using leftover scraps all in different shades of blue which is the color of my living room, I loved it so much that I had my husband hang it my livingroom not 5 minutes after my father brought it into the house -- My husband said "I hate it" - and his reason for hating it... "IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH" --rofl, as you can see by the large window where we hung it - he thought it would have looked even better had it been about 5 feet longer then it was. We had to remind him that it wouldn't have fit in my dads truck, Oh well short or long it looks wonderful in m living room and I LOVE IT!!!!

Altered Altoid Tin

I made this tin for a Spring swap awhile back - though not the first altoid tin I've altered it is the first tin I covered with polymer clay - I learned how to do this from my friend Debbie Sprake, who creates some of the most beautiful polymer clay art that I've seen. Debbie showed me how to use alcohol inks to color the polymer clay and then to stamp into the clay using ink pads instead of mica powder as a release agent.

Fashion - Altered Book

I got bored and started working on a book that will be a Round Robin in the future. This was a childs board book I stripped the pages (I have found that if you are careful you can actully peel the pages up instead of sanding or gessoing them) I covered the outside of the books as well as all the inside pages with dressmaking pattern I tore the patterns into strips and used gel medium to cover the pages. The binding of the book is aluminum I distress and then used brads to attatch it to the book (I got this idea from another artists book in a current Round Robin).

Scrabble Charm Bracelet

I really got hooked on making charms from Scrabble tiles, a long time back I bought 3 complete scrabble games so I have all these tiles that were just sitting there taunting me:-) lol I got the idea to use the tiles this way from a link on the internet I wish I could remember where so I could give credit to who gave me the idea but I can't so just know that this isn't my original idea.

Charms

I've been working on charms for a few different swaps I'm in and thought I'd share them with everyone. I really like how they turned out the 3 below with pictures on them are made using Scrabble tiles, I used my dremmel (my favoirte tool) to add the holes in the tiles printed the pictures from my computer and sprayed them with workable fixative after they dried I add Dimmensional Magic and the dangle beads - the puzzle pieces are real I painted them and covered them with Gel Medium for strength as well as the Dimensional Magic and then added the P these were made for a swap on my Puzzle Art Plus group - the holes are strengthened with eyelets. The dragonfly is a store bought charm with beads added to glitz it up a bit, the blue and red one is a handmade bead using polymer clay, it was used with leftover clay that gets caught in my past machine this way nothing is ever wasted:-)

Tye Dyed Paper Towel Backgrounds

I got the idea to do this from Belinda's Art Techniques - I will send you to that site for the how to's she explains it better the I can:-) Look for March Challenge - dyeing paper towels.

Elizabeth also did this technique if you'd like to see hers you can also see hers by going to her blog Altered Book Lover -- Thursday, March 06, 2008

Backgrounds made from Color Mists, Viva paper towels, and mica powders

Belinda and E both used color mists I used watered down acrylic paints, as I don't own in color mists yet, maybe one of these days:-) lol

Here are a few images of my favorite backgrounds out of the ones I did - I made 36 and still want to make more as I forgot to break out my mica powders (compliments of E) and would really like to add some umph to my backgrounds:-) lol

This first image is of all of them.

I like how mine turned out but think they would have looked better with some mica powder added - so will have to try again:-) lol

A week at Elizabeth's

I was going to post pictues of my week at Elizabeth's but decided that since both Elizabeth and Kathy both took and posted pictures on their blog's it seemed so much easier just to post their sites and you can go see and read all about my week at E's and our day on the town with Kathy and Dana - Dana lives in Wichita not far from E and Kathy drove in from Hutchison for a day of shopping and lunch or as my husband would say a day of spending his money:-) lol

So first go to Elizabeth's site Altered Book Lover and scroll down to Saturday January 12. 2008 A Week of Art: and start reading about our week and let me tell you Elizabeth should have been a writer because she has a way of making a a rather dull week sound like a wonderful novel, now don't get me wrong I had a GREAT week spending it with E, we had a great time creating art and just spending time together, but hey will everyone find our week as much fun as we did?? So anyway if that dosen't bore you - lol - then head on over to Kat's Kuriosities and see the pictures she has posted of Dana, Elizabeth and myslef and let me tell you the pictures of Elizabeth are rare ones she hates having her picture taken let me tell you - I thought I had trouble taking pics of my dd, E could give her lessons on avoiding the camera and she already does it really well:-) lol - While your at Kat's Kuriosities - don't forget to take a look at the pictures of her childs ironing board that she altered, the pictues don't do it justice but they do enough to make you drool she did such a wonderful job on it - we've tried talking her into sending it into a magazine, so who knows maybe someday you'll see this gracing the pages of an altered magazine and you can say Hey I know who did that:-) lol

Secret trip to Kansas

My dad retired from the post office at the beginning of the year and my sister and step-mom decided to have a party for him and not only was the party to be a surprise but so was I:-) lol

We held the party at the Spice Merchant in Wichita Kansas, Bob the owner was in surprise and helped us trick dad into being there on time by telling him that there was going to be a gentleman in town who collected Hot Wheels and wanted dad to meet him, being the retired person that he now is dad readily agreed to meet a fellower collector:-)

Dad was quite surprised to say the least and even more so when Veronica my sister stepped out from the back with two of her three daughters and then while he was busy talking to them I sneaked up behind him and stood there while Veronica got him to turn around and look at something behind him at which time he turned and looked right past me:-) lol

Sister Veronica with daughters Ashley and Kristen hiding in the backroom of the Spice Merchant, the mens sign in the background might be a giveaway - wonderful picture just needs a bit of photo shopping:-) lol

Barb had and awesome cake made for dads party. They did a wonderful job and I have to admit it looks a lot like my dad:-)

Dad with Grandaughter Ashley, looking at his cake

Dad had a really good time at his party lots of his fellow co-workers and just as many of the people from his route showed up to wish him good-bye. I wish I had pictures to show of day but I don't have any pictures yet - we had a friend taking pictures through the whole evening so look for some pictures in the future of the evening.

After the party was over we all packed up Veronica headed back to Kansas City and I headed home with Dad and Barb for the night and Dad took me to my friend Elizabeth's the next day.

On the Twelveth Day of Christmas...

Well the last day has arrived all the gifts have been opened dinner is baking and the kids are all playing in the boxes there gifts came in and not the presents in them:-) lol

Todays gift was given to all by... Oh hey me:-) lol

I made altered clipboards for everyone - they were really easy to make I bought everything to make them at the dollar store, then I tore stippled different colors on pages torn from a books I was altering tore the pages in strips and glued them on the clip board - I photo copied the the postage stamps. after everything was glued and dry I used gel gloss medium over the top of the clipboards then I used E6000 to glue the clips to the boards. Simple but cute:-)

I'm looking forward to hosting this swap again - Thank you to everyone who participated in this swap I had a fun time and I enjoyed all the gifts that were made! Have a Very Merry Rest of Christmas Day and Have a wonderful New Years Drive carefully if your on the roads!

Day 11 ABC Altered Book Club

Today is the Day 11 and the final day for ABC Altered Book Club - both of todays gifts are given to us by JJ McElroy - from group 1 she altered a spiral notebook I just loved the penguin, he is adorable!

For group 2 JJ made us a Christmas ornament using a matchbox - It is so cute JJ and what a wonderful idea I will have to remember this for next year:-) Thank you!! mine is on my tree.I had a really fun time hosting this swap ladies I do hope you will join in again next year! All the gifts so creative! I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Until next year!