Watercolor and Cling and Scrunch

I started making this card a week or so ago, for a sketch challenge at SCS. It turned out nothing like the sketch. Actually, it didn't turn out at all like I expected. I made a piece of Cling and Scrunch (Technique Junkies newsletter) on watercolor paper using very watered down Twinkling H20s. I colored the hydrangea image stamp (SU!) with Tombow markers and spritzed water on the stamp. I then stamped onto the technique background. I colored the stamp again and stamped over the first image. The spritz of water made the first image blur a bit (it is a technique with a name, but I can't remember it), and the overstamping of the image without water adds emphasis. I used the giga scalloped circle punch from Marvy Uchida. The paper is all SU!, and these are the best guesses of the colors - Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, and Garden Green. The ribbon is SU!, the hardware is from SU!'s hardware kit, and the little flower charm is from Making Memories (I'm almost positive - you'd think I would pay more attention).

I have another card I've been working on, in between all the other things I've been doing. I made a Zentangle. Artists of the Roundtable had a class on this art form, and I thought I'd give it a try since it is unstructured but also is deliberate. Very cool. I'll get a picture tomorrow to post.

My baby is almost four years old, and he continues to amaze me with his sweet little face but wicked sense of humor. He saw a commercial for Chuck E. Cheese on television on Friday and has been bugging to go ever since. That place is a NIGHTMARE for me. I'm an introvert, and prefer not to hang out in crowds of people, especially in a setting where it's just a wild free-for-all. Thankfully the only one around here is far enough away that we don't drive past it, ever. I'm hoping he finds something else to obsess about soon. He has an exceptional memory, and I know I'm hoping for something that might never happen. His ability to hone in on a single thought and never let it go is very much like a dog with a bone - he doesn't let it go.

Anyway, lots of creating going on here, but just not a lot of stuff to take pictures of yet. I'm going to go finish the card I'm making for World Card Making Day, and maybe go to bed. Or maybe not.

Exciting news!

I got a new job!! I'm incredibly excited and nervous at the same time. I am currently an IT Manager (a job I got accidentally, because I just do things - not a lot of wishy-washy waiting to see if anyone else will step up - just do it already kinda gal). I have been doing management work for 3.5 years and I MISS the hands on technical work. I'm a pretty good manager. I can herd squirrels, and I seem to be a great peacemaker, but I really don't like hearing about a lot of the new technologies and feeling dumb because I don't know how they work. So I'm going back into the technical stuff, and it is something I really look forward to! It's been a very quick process. I just interviewed last week on Tuesday, thought I'd have a few weeks to think about it before my second interview. But no, they want to fill the job quickly. I start October 15th.

I made these thank you cards for the 5 people who met with me for the interview. If you've never had a fun interview, you really don't know what you're missing. These guys were FUNNY! I'm really looking forward to being part of their team, but I'm really going to miss the people I've been working with for almost six years. They are just amazing people.

These are very simple cards. I had to make five, and I had to make them fast. This is what I got. I used SU! stamps - Touch of Nature. The technique used for the flower was easy. I took chalk in, the cat's eye pads, and just pounced a bunch of fall colors onto glossy card stock. I waited 10 or 15 minutes and buffed off what was still wet. Beautiful background. You can't see it well in this picture, I don't think. The card stock is SU! The DP is from Memory Box. Very gorgeous paper, and sturdy. You might have to click on the picture to see the flower close up, and to get a good look at that paper.

I'm almost finished with the board book I'm working on. Almost ready to pass it off to the next person. It is so much fun to play with all this stuff. We had a thunderstorm tonight and electricity was out for a couple of hours. I sat at the table, by candlelight, and just smeared paint on watercolor paper. I had no idea what colors I was using, or how it would turn out. I am still waiting for it to dry, but I'll take a picture to show you. I told you I like making a mess.

Arch Cards

I did these arch cards for swap. I had to make three arch cards for one person, and I chose three major religions for my theme - Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. This was a stretch for me, but one I'm finding easier and easier as I play. I'm currently working on a board book round robin, and the book I'm working on has a theme of "Anatomy of an Artist", which is a wide open theme. I'm so excited about it, and I can't wait to finish so I can show you!
This card represent Christianity. I painted the chipboard with gesso, then with yellow acrylic paint, then did a color wash with antique brown over it. I added some paper from an old hymnal, and the image is iconic, not sure if it's only Catholic, because other Christian denominations use the Madonna and Child imagery. I also added crosses that I embossed in gold, as the streets of Heaven are paved in gold.



This card represents Buddhism, with an image of Buddha sitting on a lotus blossom. I did this in red, which is just a color that Buddhism brings to mind for me. I have no clue why that color is connected with Buddhism in my mind. I studied Buddhism in college, and it just always felt red to me.


And finally, a card to represent Hinduism. This is an image of Ganesh, or Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.

I added wired beads to these so they can be hung if the recipient so desires. I had fun making them, though they did take a whole lot of thought. I am learning, and they certainly aren't cards that one would make to give to a friend when she is sick, they are interesting exercises to stretch the imagination. The arch cards I received in return are so cool - a triptych done in silver. So gorgeous. I love this stuff, even if it isn't the most sophisticated - I'm such an amateur!