Mail Art

I couldn't show these pictures of mail art before now for a real silly reason. I really didn't know how to erase the addresses from the photo. Somehow every time I tried cropping or cutting, I'd take out the wrong part of the photo. I don't always get along with a computer too well. But today, after a friend even offered to have me send her the photos and she'd "fix them" for me, I gave it one final try and I DID IT! I have no idea why it never worked before this, I don't see that I did anything different. Such a simple task that gave me such a headache! We own a small computer business and some days I feel real SMART when I can help a customer with some simple task on the computer or show them how to do something easy. This task was not one of them, until today! Mostly I leave all the computer things to Rocket and I stay away. I'm much happier reading a thriller or trying to do some art.
So here are some of my sent cards with mail art. I always try to do something that's meaningful to the person getting the card, using a photo or other images but I don't always come up with an idea or a photo I can use.

This was made for sweet friend in PA for her birthday. The bottom picture is using photo's she took while on a cruise recently with some added ephemera befitting her. Unfortunately this is the one card that did not reach it's destination and it's probably mangled and in some P.O. trash bin. It's my fault as on the front (the top photo) I added a small metal piece. I thought it was flat enough not to do harm, even added extra postage for hand cancelling but still it never made it for some reason. I couldn't do it again because as you know, you can never get it the same twice and I used up the napkins I used for the flourish border! The top photo was using napkins, a boy from Lisa's art again and other ephemera. I really did like the way this turned out and hate that she had to settle for a picture instead of the real envelope and card; not to mention that the card had additional art to match!

This was done for my baby brother, an avid hunter and fisherman. I was in a hurry and really didn't do too well on the fishing painting (see that big pole...it comes from grabbing the wrong brush and not paying attention until the stroke was finished!). I figure he's deep sea fishing on a small lake! This was just fast simple painting with silhouettes.

This is front and back of a card sent to my middle brother. He's the only brother who "gets" my art and likes it so I can do anything for him! He is a PRINCE of a brother! The top was using a napkin background with added ephemera and again a boy from Lisa's art. The bottom (back) was done in mostly different images and some paint.

This one was made for my Daughter. The front (bottom) was using a napkin only.

The back (top) was using photo's of my Grandmother (center), my Mother (top left), myself (right) and center fairy on the bottom, and my daughter on the bottom on either side of me. I used the same napkin for background and added in some other elements.

That's it for now. I might come back later and show some more.

Blizzard!

This is part of my yard in June and July....

Below is part of my yard early this morning! The wind is still blowing and the snow continues to fall this afternoon.

Looking out the patio doors

I don't know how much snow there is so far. It's hard to measure because the wind is sustaining at 20 to 30 mph, so it's blowing drifting. I would guess about 8 to 10 inches. The school kids have their first Snow Day of the season pretty early!

I'm just going to hibernate until late April!

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!