Inchie Challenge (6/13)

This is my first time entry in the weekly inchie challenge on Small World of Inchies. The theme was black and white with a touch of red. The site owner lists a new challenge each Saturday. It is interesting trying to leave a comment because the instructions are in German. Not sure what I am to do with all these inchies. Maybe I will work them into a collage at some point. For now, it is challenging trying to fit a design in a 1" square.

http://smallworldofinchies.blogspot.com

June ATC Swap for 3rd Grade

Welcome to our first swap of the summer! The theme for swap one is: STARS AND STRIPES. You can interpret this any way you like and use whatever colors you like. In my examples, I was thinking patriotic. I used a rubber stamp for the stars and a paint marker and gel pen for the stripes and details. The cards will be due to me by JUNE 30. Remember to include a first class postage stamp for the cards I will be mailing back to you.




Now to recap our materials. You need a firm paper like Bristol or card stock (white or colors). You can get Bristol paper in pad form at Michaels, AC Moore and Wal Mart (craft section) for under $5. You will get over 100 cards from a pad. You can even recycle food boxes and glue computer paper on it. As for mediums, crayons, markers, colored pencils, watercolor, poster paint, acrylics, oil pastels. You can use rubber stamps, images from magazines, photos, hand drawn, scrapbook papers. You guys are all creative, so I know you will come up with some great cards. ATCs must be 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" so measure carefully!

Remember you can invite your brothers and sisters, (younger and older), cousins, friends, moms and dads and other relatives to play. The more players the better! The cool thing about ATCs is there is no age barriers! To sign up, I added an email link to my profile page to contact me or if your parents have a blogger account, you can leave your first name in the comment section under this posting saying you want to play. I look forward to seeing everyones cards!

Zentangles

I didn't know complex doodling had a name, but it does. Zentangles. I have been doing a version of this for years in notebooks, on napkins, on my church bulletin (during the message)... Now I can show it off as an art form. Here are three ATCs for an upcoming swap. All were done in super fine PITT markers. Grab a pen and try one, it is addictive!

Inchies

I decided to try some inchies - 1" x 1" mini works of art. I was actually very put off with working in such a small space. I stared these tiny pieces of paper for weeks before I made a mark. Once I started, I relaxed. I like the two circles with zentangle backgrounds. The three squares were quick, hand drawn pictures. The sea turtle and fish are mounted on a background of painted aluminum foil. I found a blog that offers an inchie challenge every Saturday. I may give it a try for a few weeks.

Art Dolls

Here are three art dolls for a swap. They were to be in a fairy theme with a flower on them. I found a template on line to start with then added yarn hair, papers from a phone book, newspaper, stamps, hand painted.... Cute.

Art Journaling

I have been playing around with art journaling. Currently I am involved in an art journal round robin. Six artists, six journals, six months, ten pages of art work/journaling each. My journal was sent off several weeks ago and I am working on one of the other participants.

I started a separate journal for me to play around with. I have been reading/looking at different blogs and have found some great technique videos on You Tube to get ideas for pages that I can then adapt to my style. The photo is one of my pages. I have rediscovered the joy of drawing in charcoal. I love how it flows across the page and smudges for shading. The background is blended oil pastel, gesso wash, liquid acrylic, and pages from a book.

Meet Mu Shu

Introducing the newest member of our family - Mu Shu. He is the foster kitten that stayed! We have had him since he was four weeks old (I bottle fed him). His brothers went to their new homes on Saturday, but he is staying with us. He is very strange looking - black/white on top and grey on his back with tabby stripes. I hope his color stays!

Our family has been fostering kittens for Philadelphia Animal Control/PSPCA for the past year. Formally know as PAWS, it has been their goal to pull the adoptable animals from the Animal Control, foster and adopt them out. Up until 2005, only 20% of the animals got out. Now it is about 60%. We are helping to raise that number!!!!!

Remember, there are plenty of good pets waiting for you at your local shelter. Check them out before you goto a breeder or pet store. Help make shelters no kill!!!!!!

Charm Swap

June is the charm swap. Make ten charms, 1" in size, and send them in to be swapped out. Here is a sampling of what I made. The other six are versions of the ones pictured. I have two in a bottle cap, the heart is Model Magic, tissue paper, and wire. The square (hard to see) is made out of a plastic Kohls card that I didn't use (darn I could have saved 20%). I covered it with gesso, a piece of map and the saying "Leave a Trail". The little beads where added for a bit of interest.

Heart Pin

Here is a cute heart pin I made for a swap. The only requirements is that it had to be a heart. I made paper mache pulp in the blender (newspaper and lots of water), squeezed out the water, added white glue and shaped it. It took about a day to dry nice and hard. I covered it with gesso then painted and topped it off with gel medium. Then I wrapped 26 gauge wire and beads around it and added a key. I like it!

Altered Tins & Barbie

Here are some photos of altered Altoid tins and Barbie for some swaps I am in. The fish tin was for "By the Sea". I styled it after artist Laurel Burch. There is a fish charm hanging and lots of beads, shells and beach glass along the bottom of the mermaid. The fairy garden has real twigs forming the door. Inside are textured background papers, silk flowers, charms, yarn and tiny stones. Barbie is for an upcoming swap. She was gessoed, candy wrappers (from Easter) were applied all over with gel medium, her hands, feet and face were painted, her hair streaked with sharpie and a two Mary Jane wrappers make up her skirt.