Tim Holtz Style Tag Book

Last night was another sleepless night. I'm exhausted today, but at least I got some art done. I worked on a Tim Holtz Style Tag Book, following instructions out of his Distressables book. It was a lot of fun. I don't have a lot of embellishments at this point, so the book is kind of bare, but other than that, I'm pretty proud of it. It was a lot of fun to make; that's the important thing.

One More Time ...

Okay, I'm trying this weathered metal technique again. Apparently, I had the wrong kind of metal foil tape. Who knew there was more than one kind? There seems to be at least three kinds! I say three, because John and I stopped at our local Home Depot today looking for metal foil tape by Nashua. A helpful soul directed us to plumbing, where we found a sidekick of tapes, several by Nashua. One says "Foil Tape" across it in respectable sized letters. That must be it, right? So, we shelled out the $15.xx for Nashua "Foil Tape" that Home Depot asked of us, came home and I started to art. This is obviously the wrong stuff! As you can see in the pictures at Creative Collage, this tape is thin and transparent, almost like cellophane. Well, what we bought today is heavier than the first tape I bought! Oh no! And, it has writing on it. Now, I could see the writing when I bought it, but the tape comes on a layer that you have to peel off; in my defense, I assumed that the writing was on that layer. But, I proceeded through all the steps as though I had the perfect tape. I've asked on the yahoo group what department everyone got their metal foil tape in, because I obviously looked in the wrong department. It doesn't seem that that the tape in the plumbing department is the correct metal foil tape.

I'll post the results when I'm finished with my piece. Right now, I'm letting it dry "thoroughly" -- however long that is.

Tomorrow, I'll search out the correct tape and try AGAIN!

Again!

I tried this weathered metal technique again, using Adirondack's alcohol inks this time. I like the result much better. I was so excited to be using my inks for the first time that I forgot my initial sanding, but I don't think that mattered any. I think the point of the sanding is to give the metal some tooth for the paint/ink to stick to and the Adirondack inks are made for non-porous surfaces, so that wasn't a problem. I wish I'd forgone the final sanding too. I wonder if I'm using the wrong kind of metal foil tape? The brand is right, but mine has a crinkly texture whereas some of the others in the technique folder seem to be smooth. Maybe that's the problem ... I don't know; I'm having fun and learning a bit, so that's the important thing!

I Almost Forgot!

Here's my final background of the art technique I was playing with last night. I'm happy enough with it, I guess. But on the final sanding, it was supposed to sand through the layers of paint, not take them off and show down to the bare tape. I used the finest grit sandpaper I could find (320); maybe it was too fine? Someone else on the discussion group had this same problem.

Flat Sally's Art Smock

I was getting ready to do some art and thought I'd have Flat Sally work with me. I have old clothes to change into, but what about her? I decided to make her an art smock! I didn't have the energy to deal with my sewing machine for just a few seams, so I made her a smock out of rose colored cardstock, paperdoll fashion. Over the next few weeks, we'll decorate it a bit, if we find bobbles that seem to belong on it.

Finally! Some Rain!

Today has been a wonderful day; we finally have gotten some rain here in sunny Southern California. It wasn't a drencher, but a slow, steady rain all day. I had to be out in it almost all day long as I had several errands to run, so I wasn't loving it from that standpoint. It was so badly needed that I was thrilled anyway. It's still a bit cloudy, so maybe it will rain more tomorrow.

This evening I've been playing with art. I found a background technique on the the alteredbooks yahoo group that looked fun and easy. When I was at Wal-Mart this afternoon, I picked up the supplies and have been playing ever since. My piece isn't done, or I'd share, For now, check out the technique on an old Creative Collage entry if your interested. The background technique is intended for scrapbookers and I don't scrapbook much, but I think I can use the technique in collaging, too.

On the Flat Sally front, I've gotten the correct film for my camera, so she's ready to have adventures again! She and I are both very excited. When I was at Wal-Mart, I checked on her pictures, but they are not ready yet; I'm supposed to check back on Sunday. I told a friend, Sandy, all about her and even introduced them. Sandy was so excited that she may make a Flat Sally and Flat Stanley to send to her grandchildren. I thought that was pretty cool!

A Little Bit Of Art

I'm not feeling well today -- nothing serious, just some asthma related something, I think -- so I haven't felt like doing much. I've got an email out in the ethers that I'm waiting to hear back on and I'm waiting for a return phone call. All that waiting can make the time go by slowly, especially when one's not feeling up to par, so I decided to work on my art a little bit. I'm really inspired by these people who do an art a day. I'd love to be one of them, but I just don't have the discipline. Today, I worked on ATCs, or Artist Trading Cards. I did the backgrounds last night and finished them up today. I love ATCs because they can be quick to produce. Thanks to Lisa Vollrath's tutorial on Go Make Something, I've found a way to keep from junking them up too badly. One of my big problems with collage art is knowing when to stop! I'd provide a link to the tutorial, but you have to be a registered user to access the articles. Registration is free and the information you get is worth the trouble!

A Quiet Few Days

We've been having fun with Flat Sally, but things have been quiet for a few days. First, I ran out of film -- which means there are pictures at the developer! yay! -- and then I bought the wrong kind of film for my camera. So, Flat Sally has been resting for a couple of days. She can't have any real adventures, after all, without a camera to document them! I pick up the pictures on Friday and will get proper film then. In the meantime, I've written to my sister (who hosted a Flat Stanley a few years ago) to get some more ideas about what we can do with our little treasure. We want to show her a good time, of course!

Flat Sally

We are sooo excited! We are the proud, temporary guardians of Flat Sally. She is part of a school project of our cousin, Caroline Pierron in Ohio. We have Flat Sally -- based on the children's book character Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown -- for a little more than a month. In this time, we are supposed to show her around to our world, take her places, and photograph her. When the time is up, we send Flat Sally, her pictures and her souvenirs back to Caroline where she will finish up her project. We just got her Saturday evening, so we don't know where all we will take her, but we are looking forward to showing her around Redlands.

Great Temporary Site For Collagers and Altered Art Fiends!

Lisa hosts a "countdown" during most of the major holidays, offering a different downloadable image each day of a holiday season. Easter is no different! Drop by the Easter Countdown page and see what goodies she has to offer. But hurry, because these images won't last long.