Another WOYWW is Here

So another week has passed and I've had some time in the Fun Room. And thanks to Julia, I'm showing you What's On My Work Desk since it's Wednesday somewhere in the world. One of the things I've been doing lately is Lifebook 2014. This week's lesson is what is on my desk this week. 

It's been so much fun - especially since we had Monday off and I had a few hours to work on it. 

This is the first layer....believe or not. Water, ink, fluidity. Very fun. 

This is the current state - in progress....unlike anything most things I've done before. 

I also did some of the old stuff...making colorful papers. 

This is one of the papers I made. I needed to do it for my Documented Life Project; this week's prompt is a tip-in. I was fortunate enough to receive HAPPY MAIL!!! and I used a heart I received as my tip-in. So not only was I blessed with a beautiful gift, it was also inspiring! Thank you Anne Ryan!

It makes me happy just to look at it! And then I made several ATC's for my own version of happy mail!

And for those inquiring minds, the cassoulet turned out beautifully. How, how, how did you all know this???

Hope you have a wonderful week ahead...

2013 Favorites

As I'm not sleeping I began to think back on 2013 from an artistic point of view. My word for the year was Artist - as in this was the year I would become one. Sometimes I own that, sometimes it still seems  far away, but there is no doubt I grew....as an artist. So here's my top ten of the year.

Tim Holtz issued a tattered flower challenge in March. This tops my favorites list because I really played with colors, mediums, and textures. I had never done anything on a a piece of metal either.

I used grunge board, cheese cloth, plastic, paper, and screening, with paints, stains, metallics, glue (to stiffen the cheese cloth), texture fades and some favorite buttons. The finished piece is hanging in the Fun Room. Original post.

















The next piece was a birthday gift for a dear friend who has been nothing but encouraging about my art work. Not only was it a gas to make - she loved it! Original post.

From canvas to ATC, the next project was for an ATC challenge of underwater. I had been playing around with some Twinkling H2O's and salt a couple of days before and this kind of fell together.  Original post.

I participated - somewhat - in Lifebook 2013. It's a great, year long course, but it takes a lot of time - something I rarely have. This lesson was entitled Quirky Birds. Indeed. Original post.

The tag is another Tim Holtz inspired project. He's what got me into this after all. As I recall this was either the second or third attempt at the colors and layout, but I just love how it came out. It's incredible vibrant...and hangs within my field of vision at the office. Original post.

My daughter turned 21 this year. One of the things I started doing for the kids when they came into my life was silly birthday riddles - I'm made some very unusual rhymes over the years. This year I was informed she would like a BIG card. So I made her a canvas, and turned it into a card. Based on Christy Tomlinson's style...another find from Lifebook. Original post.

Another Lifebook project by a great teacher, Kelly Hoerning. I learned a BUNCH about eyes...even managed to draw a couple. Great techniques as well. Original post.

These little notebooks were Christmas presents I made for sisters and friends. What makes me laugh about them is I started to make them with scrapbook paper and then realized, duh, I make paper....I got good and inky with these! Original post.

These are a recent project as well. Affirmation Cards for the Brave Girls Club. They make the list not because they are such great works of art, but for how consumed I was in making them. I stayed up until 1:30 am and was back at my desk at 7:30 am. Quite unlike me for a Sunday morning! Original post.

And finally this rounds out the list...because it was another first. Really the first time I played with canvas....there's going to be more of that in the new year. Plus the colors are Yummy. Original post.

Thanks for taking this little journey with me....both this post and the whole creative ride. I really can't imagine doing what I do, learning what I have, getting a fraction of the inspiration I have, without all you folks in blogland. I am thankful girl!!

Hot Time Summer in the City - WOYWW 211

There is an old tune by the Little Rascals that goes something like

Hot time, summer in the city
  Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty

Which has been playing in my head for the last week. Although I am certainly not in a city or particularly gritty it has been a hot time...yesterday was 88...in Alaska. Not too much indoor time - lots of outdoor time tho...so. much. fun.

This was taken at Rocky Lake last night about 9:45. Earlier last night my friend and I sat in these chairs for a couple of hours after work and it was pure bliss. Which is why my desk looks like this

  

You can see the big blue squirt bottle in the upper right corner - I call it my Big Girl Squirt Bottle. I had been using a tiny mister...this is OH SO MUCH BETTER. It actually gets things wet the first time, not the 10th. What a concept. I'm getting close to finishing one of my art journals so I have put down the background for the cover. I used some silk acrylic glazes and you can see the sparkle. I love them!

  

Since I have been busy enjoying our short summer and I still have to work for a living (so limiting!) I missed last week at WOYWW or What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday hosted by Julia Dunnit each week. She explains everything over on her blog, Stamping Ground. It's tons of fun!!  Three weeks ago we celebrated four years of WOYWWing by trading ATC's. Here are some of the amazing min-works of art I received.

I received four - yes four! - ATC's, a beautiful card, AND a CD full of her designs for acetate from Gill (and my package is really on finally on the way Gill!). Marit, Nan, and Bella sent me fabulous creations and I was lucky enough to get Andrea's first ever ATC. I absolutely love WOYWW....such amazing people. Thank you!!

AHH, A Color Break

I did something I never thought was possible. I overloaded on color! I think it was when I filled the  journal page aside the doodling project in the last post with twinkling H2O's. So I decided to take a break this morning and make some ATC's for the ladies I will be seeing shortly in my monthly class at the Stamp Cache.

The one below was the first of the series and set the theme of "time". The other part of the challenge I set for myself was to use stuff that was either hanging around my desk or in the embellishment bin...some of which have been there for a very, very, long time. 

I had just gotten the new smaller size of the London and Paris stamps; they were lots of fun to play with!

Below are the Working Smaller class samples, loaded with lots of wooden goodies from Helga at Artchix Studio.

I might be ready to work larger for a while!! Enjoy.