Monday, November 30, 2009

Smile!

The word for the October ATC Word Swap was "Smile", and here are some cheerful ATC's the mailman delivered to me recently:

Smile2

Smile1

Smile3

Just the thing for a dreary, rainy day, and we're certainly getting a lot of those.  But the sun is shining today!  So smile! 

Here is my entry:

Smile2

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Mosaic

Years ago, when my husband was "helping" me shop in a stamp store, he found a sheet of stencils that he thought would be useful to me.  I wasn't sure quite what to do with them, but he's a smart guy, so I added them to my basket.

Turn the clock forward a few years, and the standard 1/2 sheet of card stock card was getting old.  So I was enjoying adding square cards to my repertoire.  Now for me, the difficult (and sometimes impossible) part about making cards is coming up with a design/sketch/ layout for the card.  It can, unfortunately, result in a complete block.

So when I found this stencil tucked away in a drawer - Eureka!  I traced the components onto scraps I found in my "green" baggy, and the following card was born:

Yesterday is History mosaic

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Peel-Off's and Gel Pens

I must admit that I rarely think to use Peel-Off's, those lovely, unique stickers made by Magenta.  But last summer, at Stamp Out Breast Cancer, sponsored by I'm Impressed Paper Arts Ltd., I did a fun "make and take", at the Cherish the Thought booth.

I finally had a chance to try this fun and easy technique again. After applying Peel-Off's to watercolor paper,  I watercolored with gel pens.

Thinking of You3

Saturday, November 21, 2009

A Taste of Something Different

After some encouragement from my sister, Dianne, I thought I'd share with you a page from my Art Journal.  This is where I experiment with different techniques and don't worry at all about perfection.

File0849

Friday, November 20, 2009

It Must be an Age Thing

These days, it seems I need more "Get Well Soon" and "Sympathy" cards than I used to.  About the same time that I realized this, I was inspired by the talented Alison Manning over at New England Stamper, and her blog entry 5 Ways to Use Patterned Paper.  I love patterned paper and haven't used any in awhile.

Here are a couple of "Get Well Soon" cards I made to have on hand ready for sending:

Get Well Soon

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Vintage ATC's

I recently received my October Vintage Collage Artist Trading Card swap.  Here are a few of the beautiful ATC's I received:

October Vintage02 October Vintage October Vintage03

And here is my contribution:

Happy Halloween

Monday, November 16, 2009

Mistakes Happen

Let's face it, when you are painting, mistakes happen.  Sometimes you can fix the mistake, and sometimes you can't.  My sister, Dianne, throws these in the "poubelle".  (She lives in Montreal, and that's what they call the "garbage can" there).
Now, I must confess that I am a pack rat.  (You would think that I was raised in the Great Depression, but I'm not quite that old.)  So when I make a mistake that I can't fix, I can't always bear to launch it into the poubelle.  It goes into an envelope and into a drawer until I run out of space in my craft room/office, at which time I throw it all away in a rage of de-cluttering.
It's going to be even harder to throw away the mistakes now that I've discovered you can make them into inchies!
200906

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Inchies

Inspired by a Magenta stamp used in my August 26 posting, I decided to try some inchies in the same format.  I love inchies! (These are small pieces, an inch square).
I had a couple of false starts, and learned that for me it is much easier to cut inchies from a large image rather than to create inchies using small stamps.
I had some poinsettia images that I'm not all that fond of, so I painted them with watercolors and punched them using my inch punch.
200905

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Joy to the World!

Now that I am back from vacation I have started to work on my Christmas cards a little more seriously.  (That means there is a bit of a feeling of "must do" about them, but the process usually turns into fun once I get started.)

200904

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hope

Here is an Artist Trading Card I made for a swap recently.  The theme was "Hope".

Hope

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Some Vintage Lovelies

While I was away, the mailman delivered my August Vintage ATC swap.  Here are two of the beauties included, which illustrate how different from each other these all are:

August Vintage1

August Vintage2

Here is the ATC I submitted:

Groovy

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Painted Paper

Inspired by a book by Alisa Golden, I recently painted large sheets of watercolour paper with acrylic inks.  My sister, Dianne, encouraged me to use colours for Christmas cards, and this is how the large sheets ended up:
Although not very awe inspiring as they are, they start to look better when they are cut into small pieces:
File0801
File0799 File0802
Working on the middle piece, I cut it up into "inchies", stamped on it, and made this Christmas card:
200903

For Now, Another Blog

It might be the beginning of a book, or it might just be therapy.

I recently wrote a post pondering how to help others who are coping with the care of an Alzheimer patient.  There are so many issues and so many opportunities that I'm still pondering.  For now, though, I've started another another blog, where I can begin quickly to share what I've learned and investigate some of these issues.

If you know someone in this position, they might want to follow me at When the Doctor Says "Dementia".

Saturday, September 5, 2009

One Lucky Girl

Yes, that's me - one lucky girl!

My husband and I are off to China on Wednesday for three weeks.  In addition, he has just finished our kitchen renovations, and I love my new "home".  I guess I do spend quite a bit of time there. 

Here are some before and after shots.  Try the slide show.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Wondering How To Help

As I look back over the last five or more years and my journey with my mother's Alzheimer Disease, I am still struck by the stress I suffered and the toll that it has taken on my health and well being.  But now, as I begin a new chapter in that journey and as I learn about the disease, I realize how much of that stress originated in my ignorance about so many things.  And because I faced so much of it alone and in ignorance, I wonder how I might help others going through this experience.  Oh, how wonderful it would be to spare one person that suffering!

My husband says that I should write a book about all that I have learned.  I have so much still to learn about the disease, and much of what I learned over the last five years is about dealing with the local health professionals and system where my mother lived.  A book is a long-term project and mine might be too localized to be of broad assistance to anyone.  But I haven't ruled out the option.

I have learned that there are volunteer opportunities with my local Alzheimer Society, and there are also advocacy opportunities:  to help raise awareness, to educate decision-makers and influence public policy.

I continue to learn about the disease and the statistics about the affect of this on our society as we baby boomers age are frightening.  I'm also learning about the support programs offered by the Canadian and BC Alzheimer Societies.  One of these is a message board, and through that I'm learning about the challenges of caring for an Alzheimer patient in your home.

And while I do this learning, I'll continue to ponder how I might help in an effective way.

Any suggestions?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Another Christmas Card

200902

This is a simple card with the image and words embossed in silver, and the image coloured with gel pens.  The image has been mounted on green card stock before adding it to the card.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Christmas in August

Not really, but some of us who make our own Christmas cards get started early!  I'm not usually one of those people, but I had a few designs to try out and lots of new Christmas stamps from last year's Hawaiian vacation, so here's my first card for 2009!

200901

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Another Photoshop Trick

This colour photo has been turned into black and white and then selectively recoloured for emphasis.

Granville Island Public Market

Friday, August 21, 2009

Friends

In this ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap, the word "friend" had to appear on the card somewhere.  Here is a selection of the beautiful art I received in the swap:

File0792 File0794  File0793

And here is the card I made for trade:

Love is Friends

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

tropical fish

It is very easy to put text onto a photo using Adobe Photoshop Elements!

Maui_2008_003_B copy

My husband, in Maui, November, 2009

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Bitten by the "CAS" Bug

There is a new(ish) movement in the rubber stamping community know as "CAS" - Clean and Simple.  I'm not absolutely sure it was started by Susan Raihala over at Simplicity, but she's certainly someone whose work I admire.  Here's my latest attempt:

Get Well Soon

Thanks, Susan, for the grid layout.  I love anything with grids - inchies, stamps outlined with squares, etc.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Summer Fruit

I love the variety of fruit available during the summer, and I love going to the Granville Island Market to look at it!

What do you enjoy about summer?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

More Great Mail

I love getting mail from Dianne, my sister; she always sends fun and interesting stuff.  Recently she sent me a card and these two bright and jolly Artist Trading Cards:

File0774

File0773

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Textures

This photo has had textures added to it.  Another Photoshop technique learned over at JessicaSprague.com.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

My Extended Family

Here is a selection of "Family" ATC's I received in the June word swap:

Family ATC's

Friday, July 17, 2009

Vintage Book Covers

Here are some of the lovely ATC's I received in the June Vintage Collage swap, (theme, vintage book covers).   

June Vintage

Thursday, July 16, 2009

What Fun!

I love the colours and images on this card - another great piece of art courtesy of my sister, Dianne!

File0763

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Letting Go

My mom is now living in a Residential Care home, after several stressful weeks of assessments and months of increasing dementia. The caregivers there are very kind, and although it has only been a few days, she seems to be settling in. She was beginning to "wander", and knowing she is safe is a huge relief for me.

The challenge for me now is letting go. A manager by nature and profession, I find myself continuing to micro-manage doctor, hair dressing and dentist appointments, just as I used to. And when I'm not micro-managing, well, I'm just plain thinking about her.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Family

Our June theme for our monthly Word ATC Swap is "family".  Here is how I interpreted this:

Family2

Saturday, July 11, 2009

June Vintage ATC's

In June, our gracious Vintage Collage ATC swap hostess asked us to use vintage book covers on our ATC's. Here is my creation:

Grammar School Geography

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Sassy

I'm taking an on-line course on Photo Editing:  Frame-Ups and Special Effects over at JessicaSprague.com.  Here's a photo of my two gorgeous nieces and what I learned on Day 1:

Oct 25 05 019 copy

Cheerful

DSCN1342

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Miss You

I made this card for my sister, Dianne, who lives too far away!
Dianne Miss U
And thanks once again to Julie at Amuse for this great layout!