ATC Asian Swap

I made my first ever artist trading cards! I saw a swap with an Asian theme and knew this was a great thing for me with my asian interest and my many asian related materials I collect. Here are the results. I made 11 cards that are almost identical - a few variations here and there. I'll send them out this next week and get new ones from other artists. I like the way these turned out.

• Background - Asian themed napkin (bamboo)
• Origami paper - Red and green
• Mesh like "paper" from Loose Ends
• Leaves that fell from neighbor's tree
• Off white Korean writing - from Korean tea bag - "Korean traditional tea"
• Seed Beads ( inherited from husband's grandmother)
  

Phone Photo

Picking up the kids at daycare today, this is what I saw on the door in front of where I parked. Too bad I only had a camera phone to capture the image. I believe it is beautiful.

Long Time Coming

Finally stealing a moment to update my blog. Wish I spent more time on it, documenting the important moments. Maybe now that I have a new job and seemingly a bit more "free" time. Hard to believe a new full time job will allow me to have some me time, but that is exactly how it sounds it will be. Back to my artwork... need to get the inspiration flowing. This photo is our boy on our summer vacation in a park by a lake in a small town. Loved the tree, J loved the freedom of bike riding like a madman!

Altered Box - Books Read 2007

I decided to create a box to house index cards I alter to document all the books I read in 2007. Here are some of the cards showing the first few books I read. I've been doing a lot of reading, but haven't been very diligent in creating cards.

Collage with Natural Objects

Collage created with matte medium and outdoor natural objects found during our vacation in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It's been a couple of years now, and it has held up very well.

Paper Beads

I tried out a "new" craft - paper beads. I read about them in Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine I now get in addition to Somerset Studio, as well as saw a tutorial online at Go Make Something. Here is my first run - using a decorated paper of a neutral pattern and color. I added some glitter glue, stamp pad ink and some wire. I added a few extras as well.

Take a look at the bluish bead near the top center that is wrapped with turquoise wire. Look at the blue bits of things that are embedded in the UTEE. These are fragments of a robin's egg that my kids and me found in our yard. I'll have to use this bead on a bird themed piece of my artwork.

Here is what the beads looked like before I used UTEE on them to make them "bead-like." Very easy to do this stage - and fun. I'm not as excited about adding the UTEE, because I was trying too hard to be perfect, and this medium does not allow it when you add many layers of the goopy stuff. Overall, a fun project and one I think I may use often to add a personal embellishment to my work.

Documenting My Art

I am beginning today to post my artwork, separate from my other blog that includes personal information. This blog will be a site to share with others interested in my professional work sans my private life. This is a photograph of the shadow of a bike that was laying in the rain before it was picked up.