Shoes

Boy, I'll tell ya, if ideas were like money, I'd be RICH! Unfortunately, some of my ideas and visions cost too much, are too involved or just plain don't work. Now this one would work but I need a certain 'Man of the House' to help with the very end and hardest part. So far he refuses, so these shoes sit here and will probably end up in the flower garden or maybe given away as a gift. I haven't decided because I really want them to go where I wanted them to go! Not like I'm stubborn or anything! ((giggle)).
You've seen Shoe trees and Arrow trees out in the country or along a road somewhere? They intrigue me. I decided that in a small Industrial park right near us, where there's a little holding pond (when there's any rain) and surrounded by trees and a few dead snags that it would be perfect to do some sort of art and hang it from a tree.......at night when no one was around, just throw it up and let hang down, then see if anyone even notices. Watch to see if it stays there, gets taken down or maybe someone else will add more to another branch. I don't want it to be tacky, I want it to be a point of  wonder and fun! With my luck the City will figure out it was me and give me a ticket for littering or something. That's my luck.
I need help with the throwing part, these would be tied together and then thrown so it loops over a branch and hangs down. I can't throw or aim worth a toot!
Anyway, I did collage stuff on a pair of leather boys shoes. They're completely covered and the soles have glow-in-the-dark paint on them. I didn't paint the inside because I was thinking maybe a bird would build a nest in them or something. They could just sit on the deck steps or on the garden rocks planted with flowers, also.
So here's the shoes:

this isn't the greatest picture. I tried with the camera but they didn't turn out at all so I scanned instead. I had good pictures and lost them in the computer switch-a-roo. I can't take pics outside because it's cold and snowing. This shoe is covered with Paper Illusions wall paper, some paint, some swirls, jewels, a boy, mushroom and wand from Lisa's Art again, alcohol ink on the sides, metallic paint here and there and water color pencil for shadow. The swirls I cut from scrap, the butterfly is a print and there's also some swirls stamped on as well.

The glow paint isn't on this sole yet.

This one is covered with torn strips of holographic gift wrap, glued and covered with Mod Podge. It also has all sorts of images and definitions, assorted paints, and the bottom sole is covered with glow paint. It has layers of Mod Podge & varnish for protection.

That's it for today. It's time to start supper and get ready to watch Packer football tonight! We have friends driving to Green Bay for the game. I can tell you right now it's going to be COLD, windy and snowing on Lambeau Field. I'll be in front of the TV with food and wrapped in a blanket! You couldn't pay me to sit outside tonight; well, maybe for a million or so, I might get stuffed into a snowmobile suit, don the swampers and set a Klondike cap on my head over the face mask! Couldn't drink anything though because going to the bathroom could be a nightmare! Gonna be football, Wisconsin style tonight!! Go PACK!!

Rocks

Last Spring I got the idea to do some collage art on rocks and lay them outside in the flower beds as a little unexpected surprise when folks are strolling through on a garden tour. I was all excited and it was too much fun doing this art on the rocks. But, the idea I had for the method I used wasn't such a keen idea. Turns out, unless sheltered, the rocks didn't like the hot sun beating on them or days of rain and temperature variables from hot to cold in a single day. Now if I were painting them, it wouldn't matter and they would hold up. But I didn't want to take forever to do these little wonders, I wanted to do a lot of them and have fun, too, not be all tedious. So I did little collages using the same things as other collages, napkins, ink jet prints, stencils, paint, rub ons and so forth. The first few I used outdoor Mod Podge to seal them, gave them several coats or until I felt they were well covered and sealed. On others I used some triple thick glaze and now I forget what else I used. Most of the gluing was with mod podge I think and some have layers of glitter mod podge or other glitter stuff. I wanted them to sparkle in the light and catch someones eye. So, as it turns out, they'll make cute paper weights, sit on tables or desks as a little pretty or go out on a covered or protected porch or deck, maybe peeking out from a potted plant, but not in the weather and hot sun. I think using ink jet prints wasn't good, they fade in the sun even under layers of glaze, a couple turned cloudy and stayed that way, others clouded in the cool dampness and cleared in the sun, a couple that were more hid by the flowers or shaded did pretty good. None the less, I got irked with myself and quit working on them. I was hoping it would be something to sell cheap and not cost a lot to make nor take a lot of time. Just fancy free and fun! I may end up doing more but doubt they'll be going outside in the flower garden with the fairies and totems! If anyone has a suggestion for weather proofing, I'd love to hear them. I'm sure maybe using ink jet prints isn't a good idea.  Here's a few pictures of what I still have. These were outside and they weathered fairly well but I rescued them before they got too bad. The little fairy babies did pucker and start to crack, so it looks like crackle! Maybe I didn't glue them down well enough. Tomorrow I'll show and tell about another "bright" idea I had.
                                                         

I used a magazine print for the background and the little fairy is from Lisa's Altered Art collage sheets. Remember to click on the picture a better large view.

For this one I used a napkin for the background, using gel medium and a print of the gargoyle, I don't recall where I found the quote. It's touched up with water color pencil. This is my favorite; I'll use him more in other things.

These little fairies are also from Lisa's Altered Art collage sheets, I'm not sure about the nest or quote. I added some glitter to the wings and their dresses. This one tried to lift and pucker and you can see the crackle effect that is unintentional!

Oh, these images are all shadowed with either watercolor pencil or marker.

This one is just a simple print with watercolor pencil and glitter. I cannot remember where I found the print.  Even though I sized the print  wrong, I used it anyway and this simple little rock got lots of comments! Go figure.

This is a painted background, a print from the internet and again I forget where the quote came from. Just a touch of pencil added. I have several sheets of words and quotes from different places, some bought, some free.

art/computer table?

Just going to show one more photo for today. This is where I migrated to the dining room area and set up a table for art and the computer; thinking I would do collage stuff out here. It didn't work, so when there's a clear spot I do smaller things here . I will be trying to clear this off so I can use this area to work along with classes and video's from the computer. I had an idea to use the lap top in the art room but I'm not sure how that will work; we'll see. I'm not good on the laptop at all, not even close.
And BTW, yes, that is snow you can see out any window views. Just having flurries today but it is COLD and going to get COLDER and stay that way for a while. I dislike Hate Winter!

Art Room?

I'm gonna do it! I'm really going to show pictures of my room. There's one way to make myself get in there, not get side-tracked and truly finish changing it around and cleaning it up so I have room to do any art in there; that's to embarrass myself in front of the whole world. Keep in mind when I show these that the room was in disarray as it was, then I changed it around but it didn't work ( I know, measure twice, move once!) so it had to be put back the way it was with some minor changes. So now it's really a mess and believe it or not I have toted 3 trash bags out from amid that mess. Some of the piles are to be gone through and put away yet, others are to be listed on eBay at some point. A lot of the containers hold pictures to be used in collage, some cut and trimmed, some not.  Most of the stools showing aren't to sit on, they're waiting to be painted along with other things shoved in there. I have no where to keep them so they get shoved around. Well, no more excuses; here is where I attempt to do what I do.

Looking straight in from the entrance; it's a deceiving picture!

Where I sit, do some art, watch TV

on the right side

continuing around to the right, another table and book shelves

 The right of the shelves and drawing table in the center, closet behind

continue around to the right and the entrance

shelves of things waiting to be used and back to the beginning.

Don't even think that's all of it! I didn't show all the containers and piles below those tables and I still have a table art/computer area I use in the dining room, too. I'll show that next time. Right now I'm going to hide and work on that mess! Really!

Did it Again

I went days without posting at all. I think maybe this will take some getting used to or maybe I just need to think I have something interesting to say. I found some pictures I can show of things I had done already but still need to take new photos of others I have here and lost the pictures. I started to take pictures and of course the batteries died in the camera and so I just bought more today.
We spent part of the afternoon at the Credit Union re-financing the Explorer. Such fun! On the Saturday of father's day week end, Rocket was going to lower WI to bury his Mom's ashes and 1/2 way down the Jimmy decided to quit. On a Saturday! He called home and we decided he'd look over the car lot where he was and see about a new (new used) vehicle because he couldn't stay down there until Monday. His son met him there and helped to make sure he picked something nice and got a good deal. I got on the phone with the salesman and swore I'd do bodily harm if I found out we didn't get a deal. YUP, I'm tough!  Not really, but I can pretend sometimes when I need to. We did get a good deal but had to take financing where ever we could get it that day. We've paid on that since June and decided now was the time to do a local re-fi and save some much needed money.
 Funny how a trip to the local small Business Supply store to get ART SUPPLIES on Monday made me realize even more how tight our money was. I haven't gone on-line to check Blicks price but it has to be better than the $9.89 I had to pay for a small bottle of Masking Fluid! Then I noticed a small...I say SMALL glass bottle of Matte medium that I needed.....that was $6.75! Most of the time I forget where my mouth is and stay quiet but I managed to give the owner a little monologue on what art supplies to stock along with what size and even mentioned brands other than Windsor & Newton! How I wish we had a Blicks or Michael's or anything with art supplies near here. We don't. It's either on-line or drive almost 100 miles one way. Of course, a gal could learn to happy with what she has in that art room where she can barely move as it is! But you know, just one more medium, one more color of paint, new brushes and the must have patterns or How-to books and magazines. I can never choose a project where I have everything I need. Hard to believe when you look in my room but it's sadly true. Actually I haven't touched the paint in so long that some of it has dried up. That's so bad!!!!
So here's a few pictures of things I have here that I did a while back. I haven't done another page in the altered book yet so nothing new there; not even in the altered pages book.

This was my first (only) attempt at a beeswax collage. I made it into a magnet for the fridge.

This is a button fairy also made into a magnet

Another Button fairy as a magnet

Another Button Fairy

and one more Button fairy.

I don't have pictures of more because they're given as gifts and I lost the pictures.

That's all for tonight. I have batteries now so maybe pictures of the art room tomorrow, IF I don't chicken out on showing that!

Why?

I missed posting anything for several days again, well, a week or so even. It's not that I've been terribly busy; I think just busy at not being busy! I'm very good at it!
I did have several days alone again while Rocket (DH) went back up to camp with the boys, but even then I found myself getting irritated with disruptions to my ALONE time and just never made it into the art room at all. I did have time to catch up on blogs and find many more that made me gasp with delight!
Yes, the art room is still waiting for me to get in there and seriously get it into shape. I had to undo what changes I made which in turn made a bigger mess; as I try to get it back together I am managing to pick through and empty several containers and piles of paper, books and ephemera. It doesn't look as if I've purged anything but truly I have! Maybe today I'll remember to take a few photos of my glorious inspirational space. HA!
Last evening I did go in there and do a little purging but I made the mistake of sitting down at the painting table and started to tear off the paper cover as I watched TV. To clear the paper, of course I had to pick up and move paper scraps into a pile for later inspiration BUT it inevitably led to playing around. As I watched a show, I started to play with a scrap of paper and as I played with the pencils and neo colors I started to like this little scrap of trim and decided I'd keep it for "whatever" came along. BUT, then I did what I ALWAYS do, I ruined it! Why I always manage to do something silly or overwork something is beyond me. It never ever fails that I make a blotch, smear, tear, make something crooked or noticeably out of whack! I mean, those little imperfections have their time and place but just never where I want them! And it just irks me and can ruin my mood for days.
I'll show a picture of this little scrap of a trim where the gold leaf pen finally did the unthinkable and made a big splotch of paint instead of a nice dot. That pen had been working so perfectly and I was so proud of it! Then because I'm always impatient, I never give things the proper time to dry and so to make matters worse, I then smeared 2 of the perfect dots! Such a tiny piece of scrap and I was destroying the cute little thing with the after-thought of gold dots. I'm going to make myself use it on something along the way; it'll be a further lesson in not being so anal about being mostly imperfect at everything; not just art. I suppose it may not show on here but here's the little scrappy mood changer:

I still have to go on Rocket's computer and find some of my picture folders seeing I managed to lose mine in the computer transition. Luckily he'll have the pictures I need to show some pictures of 'this and that' artsy stuff I've done.

A new page

I finished another page in the Fantasy Folded Book last night. I'm supposed to be in the art room, changing it around and de-cluttering. I changed it so well on the first try that I had to squeeze in and out the door; so that meant moving everything back into the original places and contemplating a different move! So I'm on the 2nd change and still it's not right! What I need is just a little more room.....like moving the long outer wall out about 1.5 to 2 feet. I mean, really, it would just make a world of difference on what I could do! It's not going to happen, so I have a too narrow, too short room for a too short, too fat gal with way too much "must have" art supplies. I am finding things to actually toss and some that will go to eBay and more that will go to others in need of more "stuff", but still it doesn't open the right space I need. Most of the reason, beyond just having too much because I want to do everything, is that when you don't have the moola to buy the right storage containers, shelving and tables, then you use whatever you can steal from other rooms or buy cheap and then.....they don't work right and the room isn't right!!
On the other hand, I do recall getting a lot more art done, in the years that I worked, had a growing family and only used the kitchen table that had to be cleared every day for meals! How did I do that?
Well, anyway, I'll continue to ponder that darn room and get it workable, soon. I tried not to get side-tracked BUT I can't move in there without seeing THE BOOK or The Other Book and each time I dare to move a container of images or a pile of magazines or heaven forbid, a painting pattern book, they call out to me and before I even realize it, I'm sitting down and playing. It's the devil and he tugs hard!!! Part of de-cluttering is putting the painting pattern books and other 'how-to' books back where they belong and so I have to look at them!! I'm out of space for those, also and haven't yet got up the courage to tell someone else here that I sure need another book shelf unit built for me! I mean, really, you can NEVER have too many, right? I do get rid of some but I usually replace them at least 3 to 1! I won't even discuss regular reading books, yet!
So here's another page in the Fantasy Folded Altered book. This sort of got off the Fantasy theme but I just had to do it, anyway. This was from a page of advertising in one of those vintage magazines I was given. It just tickled me....the words are funny and the name of the cigs is just ridiculous! SPUDS! They make them sound so good! Here it is:

This is 2, 1/3 fold pages that I used as 1 page. You can see some of the previous pages showing in the corners. I used paper from a card/envelope from my step-son (the black/white pattern), a piece of wall paper, a flower image cut from something, a gal from a clothes pattern cover, the advertising from a 1932 magazine, a poppy that I drew on paper covering the art table and decided to use on here and then the usual markers & watercolor pencils. I hope you can read the words in the advertising. They are so funny! Click on the picture for a larger view.