Verdigris

Here are 4 ATCs I made for a swap at Swap-Bot. The theme was that the base had to be a map and I used bits and pieces of a map of Europe. I antiqued it with different acrylic colors and glued on dried flowers, stickers and bits and pieces of flourishes from my "magic book". (More on that later!)

Here in the Philippines, imported art materials like card stock, stickers,rubber stamps, distress inks., etc are so expensive. I don't use a lot of it and usually make do with things I cut out or make myself. So when I recently found "blog candy" on the web where all you have to do to join a raffle for lovely craft materials (stamps, cardstock, inks, etc.) is make a comment and put a link, I was ecstatic. Here are my recent finds while I've been blog hopping:
Hege-Annie's Hobby Blog (she's from Norway!) and Creating from the Heart by Melissa who is giving away a treasure trove of valentine stuff.

New Year Artivity

For the holidays, my family went to the beach. Apart from the usual things you do on the beach like swimming, sailing, kayaking, walking in the sand and taking pictures- we had another family art activity. We made 5 1/2" square cards using paint, wall putty (instead of gesso), paper, glue, scissors, pens, etc. My sister and my mom used sand on their work! It turned out interesting to say the least!








We shouldn't be afraid to try something different or new. You'll never know where it leads. Like when I started my creative faith journal and it led to a workshop. Or when my sister asked if I wanted to make a piece for an exhibit on a Chapter of the Gospel of John. I had never worked on a big canvas before but I said, "Yes!"- I learned a lot from making that collage, I also learned what not to do! Now our family is embarking on a new family project- a book! We'll see how that comes out. I guess that's how we grow- setting out in our little boat across uncharted waters.

Gifts

Here's a collage I did for my niece's Christmas present. I cut her picture out, glued it on a painted background, coated it with gesso and painted over it. I then used my stash of painted paper to make a frame.

I remember my niece when she was this age- so lovable, and so loved. She called me her valentine! Such a funny little girl- when my husband-to-be came visiting, she would say, "Auntie Patsy, you can go to sleep. I will entertain him." Or she would sit between us while we talked.

I can't believe she is 18 years old already! Still very precious and still very funny! I enjoyed making this frame for her. Here, she is wearing a "filipiniana", our national costume in the Philippines. My sister made it for her, and she looked really cute in it. Time spent in making things for others is always time well spent.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The greatest gift is a portion of thyself." Wish I had more time and more discipline to make my gifts to family last Christmas.

Speaking of gifts, through the course of my blog-hopping with the One World, One Heart Gypsy Caravan (my prize for this is a few posts down), I chanced upon blog candy on these sites:
Crafty Makes, Marlene's, and Siggi Shop. Who can resist craft supplies, paper, brads, flowers, etc? You can join their raffle which ends on Jan.31 and maybe, just maybe, get a nice gift for yourself!

Nothing is Impossible with God

This is a mixed media collage I did for an art auction to benefit patients suffering from kidney disease.

This has been years in the making- sometimes you don't like what you're doing and you leave it. That's what happened to this canvas. I sewed on some dark green cloth for hair and I didn't like the face. So I left it languishing and dusty on a shelf.
But this year I came back to it, covered up the face, pasted different colored paper around to frame it, and attached my favorite flourishes on the hair or the bandeau.

With art, you're not supposed to give up! God doesn't give up on us! Even if all we can see is the ugliness of sin, God sees what we can become! Truly nothing is impossible with God!

Psalm 139

I like using scraps, materials you would usually throw away. I try to find substitutes for expensive craft supplies. I make do with what I have. That's what my mother trained us to do ever since we were young- Reuse, Reduce, Recycle! is something we grew up with. Felt scraps would transform into "food" for our play kitchen, toilet paper rolls would become dolls with paper mache, bottles would turn into banks.
The downside is I seldom throw things away- I keep pistachio nut shells, corks, plastic bottles, candy wrappers,etc! All in the hopes that one day I'll use them for something fantastic!
One thing I've been doing lately is painting book pages. Some books I never want to read again and I can't think of anybody to give it to. So I tear the pages and paint the pages. Solid colors, stripes, checks, etc. So much fun! Then I cut them up to use for collages. I'm not expecting this to last forever as I usually use this for my journals and gifts to friends.
Here's something I did during one of my morning meditations. I used pages of a 2007 daily devotional.

Vegetable Vendor

Another favorite way of making art for me is Crayon and Pastel Etching. I did this on a 5 1/2" square of watercolor paper. First I made a sketch, then colored the sketch with ordinary crayon. After, I covered up the crayon with black pastel part by part (ie. all the flesh color, or all the greens). The final step is scratching out the black pastel and leaving bold outlines in between colors. It's quite easy to do but the results are quite rewarding. The original work was exhibited in the Ayala Museum for a while! That was exhilirating!

Miracles

Miracles come to those who wait! I had such fun making this collage! This was one of my first pieces and I didn't know much about making interesting backgrounds with lots of layers and textures- I just put together all the pieces and not thinking much about what was going to come out. But it all came together and I liked it! Isn't that the important thing? In the Bible, God says, "It is very good!" after He creates the water and earth, the animals, etc. When we create, we're like our Father, we're imitating Him. "Like Father, like daughter!" I think God found such satisfaction when He came up with the interesting animals, the beautiful flowers, the glorious sunset, etc, that He wanted us to share in His great gift of creativity. I am just filled with gratitude when I think of this wonderful gift He gave us in His generosity!

Journal page

Here's a page from my journal. For years my diaries were all words, words, words. I never went back to it. They were all just dumped in cardboard boxes. A couple of years ago I decided to make them more user-friendly--- bible verses and quotes from books I wanted to remember would be illustrated, embellished, emphasized. My prayer time is much more fruitful. Now, I regularly look through my notebook and am refreshed, fed and inspired anew.

One World One Heart Raffle Giveaway

****Feb. 13 addendum- I had so much fun this year with OWOH! It's so sad that's it's over :^( This raffle give away is now closed and I picked the winner using the random number generator. The winner is Shelley Cyr of Maine. Congratulations! :^)

I had so much fun yesterday visiting all the blogs with the raffle give- aways , I decided to have one of my own. Here's my raffle prize:

It's a set of one papemelroti writing pad, planner, and bookmark (with my designs on it!) PLUS tadah! an ATC with your face on it! (You have to send me your picture of course or your pet or something!)
All you have to do to get a chance to win it is leave a comment on this post. Winner will be chosen on Feb. 12. Be sure to visit all the interesting blogs listed on the One World One Heart site!

Did you Admire Me for my Impertinence?

This is an ATC I did for an ATC swap- I did it for a lady who liked Pride and Prejudice. I used gesso for the background, then used several layers of acrylic paint. After cutting out a black and white picture of Giselle Bundchen (is that the right spelling?), I cut out and glued lace and fabric flowers from an old dress to make an old fashioned bodice.

What I like doing is cutting out flourishes (top right of ATC)- I use a lot of these not only for ATCs but also for my creative journal, scrapbooks, and other art works. It's a quick way of embellishing. I usually bring paper, a pen and a pair of scissors when I know I have to time (at the bank, at the doctor's, any waiting time) and I start snipping away happily and time goes by so fast! I put a lot of flourishes in my "magic book". More on that later!

Birthday Artivity!

I brought out my art stuff and asked my family to make ATCs for my birthday-
ATCs or Artist trading cards are collectibles. The dimensions of these cards are 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". Had a lot of fun!

If you'd like to have an activity like this, provide:
cardboard cut to size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2")
scissors
glue
magazine clippings
acrylic or watercolor paints
gesso or wall putty (use this on the cardboard to create texture)
different colored gel pens
colored paper to cut up
rubber stamps and pads (or you can use your paint)
needle and dif. colored threads or yarn

I also provided what my sister called a "magic book"- with lots of pre cut paper and interesting pictures. More on how to make your own magic book coming up!

But first a note about my dad- he didn't make an ATC, but in the picture he's holding up a newspaper picture of Manny Pacquiao! That's how funny he is!