Published Again!

I was published in the latest edition of Art Trader Magazine.
The orange chunky page on page 7 and the green chunky page on page 23. Both of these were done for the monochromatic swap on ATC's4All. I'm very excited to be included in such a great online magazine. Go check it out, there are lots of eye candy bits and pieces.

A Bug of a Chunky 4x4

I had to do a little post stalking on my latest and last partner for the Craftster chunky 'Creative Life' 4x4 swap and I found out (at one point anyway) that she liked bugs, sooooo, these little buggars came to visit for a bit.

I wanted to try out this new wing 'recipe' I found on someone else's blog. Please forgive me as I can't remember whose wonderful blog it was and would seriously like to credit them for this process.

Edited to add: Here's the wonderful blog/artist that posted the wonderful tutorial for the transluscent wings. Many thanks again for sharing this!

These are tissue wrapped wire wings and I love the transparent way they came out. After finding lots of small (very small) pieces of copper wire on the construction site I felt I really needed to find something creative to use them for and this was perfect.

I really must do more of the wire wrapped copper flowers as well. Maybe a little too chunky for this but would probably work well for something else along the way, eh, who knows.

The little bugs on the back remind me of something you would see on "The Farside" by Gary Larsen. Father's Day is just around the corner and my Father loves the Farside so that is probably why I thought of that, hehe.

Chunky Pages go Monochromatic

It was like a lightbulb went off over my head...I think I finally 'get' collage. It was amazing and better yet, I actually enjoyed it. Once I got rolling on these pages they just flowed out.

I was up way later all week than I should have been causing me to groggily get up every morning and drag myself to work but I swear it was worth it!I am really enjoying the small piece of 'punchinella that I've got and am stenciling little dots everywhere. It's one of the similiar things on all 5 of these pages. Just had to do it!


I'm also finding inchies are a great way to add that "little" extra. *snicker*

I wasn't sure about keeping the ribbon on this one at such a long sharp point but it seems as if everyone really likes it like that...go figure.

It did however make this picture slightly smaller and longer though.

This one was my initial favorite one which surprised me as I'm not a huge fan of orange but after this page I really must reconsider. More of those "little" inchies. *another snicker*
Rust.

One of my favorite things. No actual rust was harmed in the making of this page...I swear.

I used some modeling paste to build up a bit of texture around the circle which was a really cool piece of ephemera I received from Colorfuldayz.

I'm sure she won't recognize it as I barely do but I certainly wanted to give her credit for it!

*side note, I "think" I finally figured out the whole clickable link thingy...yay for me*

*cough* Where was I? Oh yeah, my rust is all acrylic-ed. Just thought I would share, hehe.

I was a little leary about throwing yet another big eyed bird in the pot but I thought that by changing him up a bit I could 'get away' with it. Needless to say this one is my favorite. I had a real hard time sending him away but I feel he will be loved in his new home.

I really love this shade of yellow and it was the bit of text that decided what color I would go with. I also really like the way the little ribbon loops look on the edge of the page.

These have all been mailed out to the hostess of the swap and I'm excited to see what comes back to me. I'm secretly hoping for a couple of specific ones. *crosses fingers*

Important News and Another Chunky Page

I can't believe it's been so long since I last blogged about...something.
Where have I been, have I been doing anything? Hmmm, good questions all.

I have been busy playing catch up on my remaining swaps because I've made a promise to myself to actually start getting some items together to put in my currently empty etsy shop.
Wait, did I hear a pin drop? Far far away.....
*chuckle*

I'm serious!
'Course it would be great if anyone out there was actually interested in what I thought I should be selling. I guess time will tell.

Shoot, now that I've actually put this "out there" I guess I've truly committed myself *gasp*


On another note I finished another 4x4 Creative Chunky page for the swap on Craftster.org.

My partner really liked the last one I did in this style so I created this page for her.

I love these adorable little kids.Wish I could remember where I found them though.

I used a piece of corrugated cardboard that my neighbor was throwing away after it sat in her garage for years. I HAD to have it, hehe.

I used acylics on the cardboard along with a piece of some wallcovering backing paper I had then collaged the letters and the kids on.

I'm still all about using this pretty piece of scrapbook paper I have even though I only have one small section left. It's so pretty. More of the mesh stuff and letters I cut from an old 1950's paper that I found in an old dresser someplace.

Creative Life 4x4 Chunky pages

Another bird page you say! Someone somewhere is really tiring of the big eyed bird I'm sure but he sure is an easy staple to go to when he's needed and for the most part not many people are as familiar with him at ATC's 4 All which is where these pages are being swapped. I really do hope the recipients like him as much as I do.
I really do need to stretch my wings so to speak and see what else I have up my sleeves. Surely there is something besides birds up there...

I also neglected to take care to keep that 1/4" space at the left clear of "stuff". Eh, dress me up but can't take me anywhere *tsk tsk*
I had fun with my fibers on this one for his feathers and all the other elements save his legs are all paper except the one odd watch part.I enjoyed playing with all the colors and did manage, this time, to make one extra to keep. He is blue as well.

I would have liked to keep the yellow guy but the one I'm keeping had diificulties with that 1/4" edge more than the others so it will be the one that stays here.

I do like how the random words showed up for me and seem to fit the scheme of things. It was very much not planned.

Another Chunky 4x4 Page

This page I made early on and decided I couldn't part with it so have been holding on to it. I finally decided I needed to release him out into the world but I couldn't have picked a better home for him than the one he went to.

I made him with more construction site finds. Copper wire bits for his legs/feet, wood laminate pieces for his wings, a metal "thing" I was told later that is used in the installation of A/C ducts and is just a punch-out and a plastic gear from the inside of a mechanical white-out machine thingie (hehe) that I just could not resist!

Wow! This is my scan of the page and below is the picture that my partner took. I may have to re-think how wonderful I assumed that my scanner was, hmmm...This is the back side and is an old photo from my beat up old 1954 LIFE magazine. I've used the heck out of that magazine but it's still got lots of "LIFE" left, badda da!
I can hear the collective groan from here so I'll stop, hehe.
I finally carved me a "babbetto" stamp so now I can just stamp my name around on stuff. Granted it looks like I hurriedly carved it as I did but I rather like it si it will do for now.

This is the wonderful page my partner sent to me and I LOVE it! How freaking cool is this?!

Oliva is apparently a brand of cigars that her husband doesn't like much but she sacrificed the band for this wonderful crown and I just adore her taggie necklace and wand and especially the way she attached the tab on the side with brads and using a ticket stub.

Huh, and I thought I was being clever cutting mine out. Funny how we both had the same idea and approached it from completely opposite directions.

The back of the page is as wondeful as the front especially as she used a rat as a familiar for my muse. I just love everything about this.

I'm thinking it must be rather apparent how much I like this piece as it's the first art piece I've put on this blog that wasn't something that I had done. I'm also thinking that provided no one I trade with has a problem with it I might would like to start adding the wonderful artwork I get in return on a swap. Yeah, I'm liking that idea!

One more Chunky 4x4 Page

And seeing as how I had the same partner with this swap as the tip-in with a twist swap I figured she must need another bird so here he is. More found items form the construction site. The wire I used for his legs and the material I used for his body. Can you guess what it is?



I'll wait...





Got it yet?





It's those chewing gum bubbles that you push on one side to pop out the gum. It made it a little more difficult to scan because of its dimension but I loved the way it came out.

The words inside the bubbles says, "The early bird chooses his guests" Hehe...

The words around his wing are simply Fly fly Fly in the ransom letters she said she liked so much.

The backside with some more of that pretty scrap book store paper. I love this pattern.

I also carved a stamp for myself with my user name so I can use it on these pages. It also fits the size of an ATC...yay!

Another Creative 4x4 Page

I'm finding it harder and harder to be "creative" for the Creative chunky page swap. The tip-in with a twist swap has seemingly sapped all my creative juices. That being said I still really like the direction this one took. I found alot of really neat stuff at the construction site to use on this one.
First is the corrugated paper. I love the way this stuff paints up, especially with torn edges. I found the tiniest piece of gold leaf from a project and applied it to the upper left corner and the insides of the tires are, I believe, plastic pieces from some board game whose name escapes me.

I love the little girl with her bike and I placed her on a section of map as she's going to be traveling places on her bike.
The back is the same scrapbook paper that I used in the bee page. What can I say, I worked on the two pages at the same time, hehe. I also used some of the same papers here that I used on the front with a really cool old time picture that my eyes just can't quite make out. I also added a few of my favorite circles and a hand drawn word.

I really like the added chunk that the tab gives it.
I may have to make more of those.

Another Chunky 4x4 Page

I had a blast with this one as well. Lots of "stuff" I've picked up at ye old construction site.
I used a piece of corrugated paper and the grid on the back is drywall mesh tape. I've been using that stuff in alot of pieces. I love the way it comes out.

The letters that spell out 'Art' are all hand drawn and cut out. I did cheat and use a ruler but I did freehand them. Brings me back to the days of my sign painting. I miss those days...

A couple more of those industrious little inchies rounds it all out.

Chunky 4x4 Page

I'm sure that by now my partner has received her page although she hasn't let me know yet, I think I'll go ahead and post it anyway.

The theme of this swap is Create and can be whatever interpretation you want. A 4x4 Chunky Tip-In. For this partner at least I'm going with 'Life is Art'. I may carry this theme out with all my pages but you just never know. We get partners every two weeks and I may be in a completely different place at a later date. I had visions of being able to sit down and get a number of pages done at one time but I'm not sure who I thought I was kidding, hehe.

My little bird is done with my mainstay acrylics on a washed and mottled background. His feet and the leaves are cut out and glued on and I collaged some of the letters. I did have some copper wire laying around and I've been wanting to see if I could form it into words and I thought this would be the perfect application for it. I really like the way it turned out. That may be my running theme in this swap *grin*

The blue grid in the background was from something I picked up off the construction site to save for later. I've been finding lots of cool and interesting things to use. The word 'Art' is hand drawn and I was excited that it came out the way that I wanted...yay me!