My 2' x 2' canvas from Dyan Revealey Super Bowl Sunday class at The Queen's Ink

Another class at The Queen's Ink with Dyan Revealey - Some of her art pictured here

What a Super Sunday it was on Super Bowl Sunday! And a super Super Bowl, too. Sunday morning I took a mixed media painting class at The Queen's Ink in Savage Mill with Dyan Revealey, a Ranger senior Signature Educator from the U.K. I had taken two classes with her last summer and enjoyed her style, techniques and total attitude.
This time we made a two-foot by two-foot canvas which I will show in my next post. Great fun in a 4.5 hour class. But, did I ever get messy! Found a miracle product for ink and paint on the hands though, the Craft Scrubbie, by Inksentials. I have no idea how, with only a little soap and water, it gets all that staining stuff off, like black liquid ink all around my cuticles. But, it did. Needless to say, I bought one of the little $5 buggers.
Also, Dyan's brand-new Dylusions rubber stamps, stencils, ink mists and more, just announced Jan. 24, were available at The Queen's Ink and a few supplies found their way into my shopping basket. Over concern for the popularity of the new supplies which were in limited quantity this weekend, shop owner Patti Euler made auction-style "bidding paddles" with numbers, which we could flip up and wave whenever we saw a product demonstrated that we "had" to have.
Dyan's Zetti-like style as shown here is so exciting, lively, fun, inspiring. Looking at it displayed around the classroom was very much like working in a candy shop!

Doodling Traci Bautista Style

I just received a copy of Traci Bautista's second book Doodles Unleashed, and immediately tried to unleash a doodle in my sketchbook. It's patterned after one of her girly doodles, page 99 to be exact. I love her style, and I loved her first book, Creativity Unleashed, which she autographed for me at CHA in 2008. I later had the chance to take a class from her at Art & Soul, and that was wonderful also. You can find out much more about treiC designs all over the web.
Here's some earlier art I made from Traci's collage sheets, and here's some of my doodles from her class.

I used simple and cheap markers from Office Depot for my doodles, but I am excited that I have a little batch of Copic markers coming from Ebay. Soon I will know why everyone raves about those markers. And honestly, I've had a couple before but they were very similar colors, so it was hard to appreciate the Copic range. And I've never used a blender with them. So it will be fun, and if I don't have the knack, I can always take a Copic class at The Queen's Ink in Savage Mill, where they are taught regularly.
Meanwhile, back to doodling...

I'm so excited! I finally 'did' some art.

I woke up just itching to paint...which is fantastic, since I've barely touched a brush in probably 10 months or more. Just haven't been motivated. But today I knew I would paint. Something big. And big-eyed.

At first, I thought I might paint a picture of a Blythe doll and started out with a face and eyes of that ilk. Then I remembered my Suzi Blu class and all the wonderful mermaids on her Web site. I had painted two 16 x 20 canvasses already from a class I took last winter: Marie Antoinette and also Rodeo Girl. And I had one empty spot next to them anyway. So I looked at some of the mermies in Suzi's group for inspiration and also a gorgeous Mermaid ATC I had received from Shonna Bucaroff of Twisted Figures. And then I was off!

I sketched; I mixed colors. I painted; I glittered. I smashed sea shells to attach along with a net-like piece of ribbon and little bottle (message in a) I had just gotten in a swap with my Zettilicious friend Jade Adams. I dug through cigar boxes for treasures and found a couple of gold 'things' for earrings and a hair ornament. I smudged with charcoal and graphite pencils. I sponged with punchinella and paint. I made bright circles for bubbles.

And then I made myself physically leave my property so I would quit touching it! Cannot wait to hang it up; I am happy. Happy to be making art again. And ideas are exploding in my head. Zentangles! Felt matroyshka ornies! Journal pages! A stitched journal cover! A china doll head with art canvas body! I am so ready.

Alice in Wonderland swap sent

For the recent Alice in Wonderland swap hosted by Maggi of Just Add Glitter, I was partnered with Adina Medina of Mommy Is Scrapping. She's a gal after my own heart, teaching Honors English to high schoolers.

Above is the gift box I made for her, complete with knob, key, watch face and vintage Alice images all around and on the bottom. Inside I tucked an Alice charm bracelet and pin made by me as well as lots of Alice-related goodies. I also sent along a couple different versions of the classic book, with unique illustrations instead of the usual -- although great and famous -- John Tenniel drawings.

Adina is a scrapper and card-maker so I hope she will like what I sent. The box took six straight hours. The vintage images are hand-cut and then matched to line up on the box and lid. I also embellished them with gel pens and glitter. The inside is covered, too.

A quick post from Tinsel Wonderland

These photos are all related, although it might be a little hard to understand old dollies, a grinning dog, a tree topper and giant cheese puffs. They are all connected by the sweet and talented person in the bottom photo, my dear friend, the delightful Lisa Kettell. I was lucky enough to spend last weekend with Lisa, her family, friends, six inches of snow and DJ the wonderdog (seen above just after getting a treat and sliding it off the counter stealthily).

Lisa conducted a class in making the clay-headed, paper cone-bodied angel tree toppers in Lafayette, NJ at a workshop she called Tinsel Wonderland on Dec. 5. It was a snowy wonderland, thanks to mother nature, and an extra-pleasant time, thanks to Lisa's mother Joan. The other lovely attendees, like Terri Ventura and Pam Huntington made it extra-special, too.

This is a short post, but check out Lisa's many pictures on Facebook, Flickr and her blog. And mark your calendar for April 7-10, 2010 for Art Opera in Red Bank, NJ.

Self-Explanatory: Flickr Zettiology Group New Badge from Artchicapoo Jade

Alice in Wonderland or Me in Aliceland

Marie who? Seems my Marie Antoinette kick may have taken a back seat for the moment to Miss Alice herself and her wacky friends, like M. Hatter, Esq., pictured here popping out of the house I made for him. Doormouse, Cheshire Cat, Duck, Dodo, Lory and Eaglet are in the back window (not seen here) along with Alice. So many strange characters in that book! Isn't that where one finds Toad the Wet Sprocket? I think someone besides the Caterpillar may have been smoking the hookah when writing. Of course, that was Lewis Carroll back in 1865.

Meanwhile, I was inspired to create a Baby Alice art doll (Linda and Opie O'Brien Who's Your DADA?-style), Alice as a Young Girl art doll/canvas assemblage (inspired by Lisa Kaus) and a Zettiology-style (inspired by Teesha Moore) Alice skinny book page. Small doll head from Kris Hubick of Retro Cafe Art. The black framed pieced is a 3D collage under glass with vintage silhouettes. I think that may actually be inspired just by me. Maybe that's the author explaining his book idea to a comrade. March Hare/White Rabbit (who is whom?) winks knowingly on the front of the piece.

My Beach-y Memoir-Published!

Is this not the coolest magazine cover ever? It makes me think of all things summer. It also makes me want to run and jump and do flip-flops like the gent on the cover. Why? Because my beach-theme shadowbox was chosen as one of the featured pieces of art in the "Life's A Beach" challenge as referenced on the cover of this July-August 2009 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, by Quilting Arts and Interweave Press. Nearly 300 pieces of art were entered in the challenge and 14 were published. I feel truly fortunate.

My beach-y piece has few words but is truly a memoir as I created it while on vacation in North Myrtle Beach, SC, using some of the things I found there, like driftwood and shells. It's been traveling around awhile, so it will be good to get it home so I can hang it up and "dream."

You'll have to buy the issue to get a better look at mine and the other 13 entries. Check the September-October issue for results of the reader challenge charm swap!

All in A Day's Work

It's called "The Care of the Mind." Not sure if it is done. 11 x 14 gallery-wrapped canvas. Acrylics, collage, charcoal, watercolor crayons. Still studying Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts and Journal Bliss by Violette, and very impressed with Twisted Figures art by Shonna Bucaroff.

Oh, and so much for Facebook DIY, my little sketch pad. Last night I decided to get with the program and join the real Facebook. How fun it has been to connect with art friends and reconnect with old school friends. Good way to care for the mind. They're old; I'm not. Come find me there here.

Home Sweet Home

So who receives adorable and great swap artwork from friends and sticks it in a drawer for a year? Okay, guilty. But rarely do I not find a way to display my swap treasures. In this case I had high hopes of finding tiny hinges to attach this row of an artist's dozen of matboard houses I received in Jeri Aaron's Row House Swap last spring. I would look at them wistfully, actually not in a drawer, but in my art supply cupboard slash armoire slash entertainment center slash holding spot.

Finally, I gave up on hinges and used that master of all adhesives: duct tape. The top two photos show the 11 houses I received plus one of my own, now on display in my studio. The bottom two photos show some of the houses I made and sent for this fun swap- one of my favorites ever.

I almost didn't join the swap because I don't have a good cutting tool for matboard and had visions of the very crooked B- mats I had cut in my art class in college back in the day. But like a hostess with the mostess, Jeri offered to cut out the house shapes for me in exchange for a trade of western US ephemera (old postcards and such) which I sent to her. So it was a win-win.

Jeri hosts wonderful art retreats in Texas and other areas, including the Smokey Mountains this fall. Check out her Artful Gathering blog for more info and lots of great art!

Seeing Stars at ZNE

I am sort of ho-hum impressed by 'famous' people (read: celebrities), but show me a published artist or author, and I go ga-ga. So the ZNE book signings at Convenzione 2008 http://znecon.com were quite a thrill. I purchased the book Crowns and Tiaras so I could have Pam Garrison http://pamelagarrison.typepad.com sign it for me, which she did, top right, with Lisa Kaus http://www.lisakaus.com, top left, who was also signing her feature in Lynne Perella's new book, along with JoAnnA Pierroti or 'Mossy' of Moss Hill Studios http://www.mosshillblogs.com. Although I didn't take my hardcover copy of that because I was flying, I was lucky enough to get to know Lisa a little bit and have her sign her "Birdy" canvas I bought. She's just as sweet as she looks, and so is Pam. I also got my 1000 Artists' Journals signed by editor Dawn DeVries Sokol and Pretty Little Things, signed by author Sally Jean Alexander.

Sweetness, or maybe cuteness is the proper term, certainly is evident in the second photo, with the Traveling Princess of Scrapbook Royalty, Elena Etcheverry, http://www.elena.travelingprincess.com, left, and the inimitable Miss Vicky Breslin http://www.cut-it-up.com, right. Elena is just so cute one could eat her up, what with her adorable outfits, tiaras and equally adorable aprons. I kept waiting for Elena and Diva Danielle of Diva Craft Lounge http://www.divacraftlounge.com to get into a tiara tussle, but apparently there is plenty of fabulousness to go around. Everyone really likes each other. Miss Vicky, a scrapping veteran, still retains her excitement about crafting and is so generous and nurturing of all artists in her midst.

And finally, just a teeny tiny bit of fame for moi. In the bottom photo you can see my framed mixed media collage "Let Them Eat Crow" being shown in the Worthington Gallery West in Pleasanton, CA, where it will be part of a month-long ZNE mixed media installation, which opened Aug. 22, 2008. So, I'm "gallery hung!" Off to update the resume!

A Happy Blog Anniversary To Me! And Thanks to Some Great Swappers, Bloggers and Readers!

It seems like whenever I am a little behind in posting, my latest post invariably becomes a hodge podge as is this one. I don't know how anyone could miss their own one-year Blog Anniversary, but I did! August 2nd was the date, and 288 posts later, here I am. So, leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw some names out of a hat (let's say 3) for some very special art and goody gifts. Deadline is 6 pm EST Sunday, August 17, 2008.

Before I explain the photos above, I just have to say blogging, more than anything else art-related, has really turned my world around in the past year. Or, I guess since my world was already spinning on its axis, blogging was like the little kid saying, "faster, faster!"

So many exciting things have happened since starting this blog: I have met some truly wonderful, wonderful human beings, both on-line and in person. I've exchanged a lot of art, and emails and Moo cards and more. I've joined some terrific on-line communities. I've actually taken over responsibilities for a couple of them. I've started writing for three other Web sites. I've been encouraged to submit art and writing for publication. My photography might have gotten a wee bit better. I've met famous and published art peeps! I've learned a lot more computer lingo. I filled a void in my life. I even started a second blog http://bly-me.blogspot.com/ for Blythe collecting in December 2007 and have 74 posts there. I'm just so thankful for this supportive, creative, communicative community. Thank you all.

Even more thanks go out to Mary Ann of mainer_at_heart on Flickr.com and http://firstborn.wordpress.com/. Not only did I receive the fabulous Marie Antoinette doll above from her in a 1:1 swap, but we have become art/blog/phone and more friends, and I have contributed to her upcoming zine. I also have the privilege of knowing her talented sister http://labouroflovex3.blogspot.com/, too. Together, they feed my interest in all things Marie as well as in fat books. In fact, I forgot to photograph the "itty bitty" fat book I received Saturday from Mary Ann's group, so more to come on that. And sister Jo is hosting a Marie itty bitty-so tres fab!

The pin cushion in a tea cup is from Jillian Haupt http://www.jillianhaupt.com/ in a 1:1 swap in Vivian's pinkeep swap. See more pinkeeps at http://vivs-whimsy.blogspot.com/. I sent Jillian a pink velvet baby shoe in exchange. You can see its 'partner' in my etsy shop at http://www.hpsgsmith.etsy.com/ or in the shop preview at right.

The dolly box in red, white and blue bandana style is one I recently made after another 1:1 swap with Mica of http://garboodles.blogspot.com/ and etsy and ZNE. I went nuts over one of her 'frozen Charlotte' doll figures and dolly boxes. She agreed to a swap, so I sent her one I posted earlier. The good news is I still have one coming from her-can't wait! Not sure where this little gal is headed, maybe etsy, maybe a gift, who knows? maybe a blog anniversary prize! She has such a sweet face and is only about one inch big. I'm not the happiest with the paper clay body I made and painted, but I guess she's so cute otherwise, it will do.

Finally, on a completely unrelated note, hence the 'hodge podge,' this book: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, came free inside my copy of Marie Claire, British edition. (I also highly recommend the Marie Claire Ideas, French edition). Anyway, while trying to pass some time and practice the very foreign-to-me concept of "patience," I decided to try this book. It was a bit of a slow start, because I couldn't figure out where we were headed. But the pace suddenly started careening around corners without braking. It is a genius book in my opinion. The language and age barriers of the subjects are hysterical, and the underlying subject matters-while poignant, are treated equally hysterically. But, it just seems so right. I highly recommend this book, even if you can't get it for free. Hmmm, maybe a blog prize....

Thanks for a wonderful first year!

Cha Cha Cha! Lucky Me, Attending CHA

How lucky I was to attend the International Craft and Hobby Association's summer trade show Saturday in Rosemont, IL! I represented Hannah Grey Curiosities and Dry Goods as a member of their design team. The show had 400 vendors in four exhibition halls with over 5,000 attendees expected. This is the trade show for manufacturers and distributors to unveil their latest products to buyers for large and small scrapbook and craft stores.
While buyers for Michael's and Archiver's attend, so did the owner of my own local stamp store, Jan Biehl of Stamp-N-Toys in the tiny town of North Webster, IN. I even managed to run into Lisa Dawson, a fellow ZNE  Art member and owner of Your ATC Store.
The show was both overwhelming and frustrating- everything is for show only; nothing is for sale. Samples were few and far between, but I did come home with a few paper samples, including two packs designed by my friend Angela Hoffman of Gemini Angel's Art for Dream Street Papers. There were some amazing new products, a million and one paper patterns and rubber stamps, and I thoroughly enjoyed the F+W Media booth where some of the latest and greatest altered art books were on display. I got to see the lovely yet-to-be-released book from Kellie Rae Roberts called Taking Flight as well as blog friend Jean Yates' new book, Links.
I also was lucky enough to get to the F+W booth just in time for the free book/book signing by Traci Bautista of Collage Unleashed, which I had already studied with the ZNE Book Club earlier this year. I brought Traci greetings from Shoshannah, Mike and Heather, owners of Hannah Grey, and from another fellow Californian, the ubiquitous Miss Vicky. I later sat down with Traci at the Duncan booth to make a collage with her new papers and decoupage medium, which is already being sold at Jo Ann Fabric's (look for Traci's picture on the bottle). I'll be taking a class from Traci this October at Art and Soul, Portland, when I attend with blog bud Michelle Geller of  Hold Dear. So excited for all that!
While I was sitting at Duncan, trying to give my feet and arms a break (from schlepping my heavy bags of catalogs), I was chattering away with Jennifer before I even realized it was Jennifer Perkins of DIY TV fame and of the upcoming book The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry.
I also got to meet Danielle Forsgren of Diva Craft Lounge at the Unity Stamp Booth. Danielle will be interviewing me July 30 on Blog Talk Radio at 3:05 pm EST, so it was great to meet her in person! She's a new Blythe collector as well.
My last burst of rubbing elbows with the famous and published- outside of staring at Tim Holtz up close- was chatting with Claudine Hellmuth, she of many books and a Martha Stewart show appearance, at the Ranger booth. Claudine has an exciting new line of products coming out, including 12 x 12 adhesive canvas paper, her own line of paints and a multi-purpose mixed medium, which she was demo-ing.
All-in-all, it was a day of mixed media and altered art heaven!