Little Birds make me happy!

Just added some new little bird ornaments to the shop, and thought I'd share...

Remember Blackbird 

Charmed Owl

Hawk Magic 

Starry Night Tree is a winner

Oh my goodness, I'm a winner!

The theme for July's monthly ATC contest on ATCsforALL.com was black and white. I submitted the following "Starry Night Tree.

It was created using a stencil and spraying Dylusions ink spray (White Linen) on heavy black card stock. I love it when things turn out the way you hoped they would. :)

The members vote on the entries for the month, and my card had the most votes! Cool, huh?

And even more, I get prizes! A set of 24 Derwent Inktense pencils, palette paper, paint brushes and ATC blanks.

Can't wait to get them to start playing around. Happy Friday! 

Instant Ancestors

At a recent estate sale, I found some lovely old photo portraits from the early late 1890s - 1900s, and thought I'd share a couple here.

These sisters, Hatty and Jennie, are dated 1902.

This guy looks a bit freaky... 

And this little one is just as cute as a bugs ear! 

I have a variety of instant ancestor photos in my vintage shop here, and am beginning to add digital downloads in my art shop here. 

Artist Appreciation - Tracie Lyn Huskamp

I recently read a blog post by Cathy Johnson at Artists' Journal Workshop, that August is Artist Appreciation Month. She challenged readers to share an artist who had inspired them. I LOVE that idea!

I rediscovered my artistic self around 2005, by a chance encounter at a photocopy shop with someone who invited me to a local art group that was just starting up. Now... I had been doing crafty things all along, but not what I'd call "art". I had just retired myself from a large insurance firm in Seattle (one can only take so much stress) and was working part time at a college and so had more time on my hands for ME. :)

It was through that newly formed art group that I found out about Artfest, put on by Teesha and Tracy Moore in Port Townsend, WA. There I discovered and took classes with Tracie Lyn Huskamp. I love her focus on nature and using vintage bits and pieces in her art. She's on a well deserved sabbatical this year, but you can find her blog here and her Pinterest here.

This is one of the pieces I created during an abstract landscape class I took from Tracie at Artfest.

And here's a couple of lovely pieces from Tracie!

Stay tuned for another artist appreciation soon! 

Little Birds

A couple of new little bird ornaments in the shop - these are such fun to create and they just make me happy! Made from recycled bits of vintage sheet music / vintage text and bird images, melded with beeswax.

Lofty Heights 

Believe 

Tiny Shrines

I really enjoy creating with recycled bits such as old sheet music and vintage postage stamps. I've created a series of art pieces / ornaments using mostly vintage recycled papers. 

This series are tiny Madonna shrines using vintage postage stamps on vintage sheet music, using bits of leftover mat board as the substrate. Various inks add the colors. 

Botticelli Madonna and Child 

Correggio Madonna and Child