PAINTED EGGS

Well, I put my nail bed to good use this week painting egg owls to give as Valentine presents.  Not egg-exactly the Valentine present that you would expect but the recipients were thrilled none the less... and with Easter around the corner, I bet they put them to good use.

For the past two weeks my art friends and I have been painting and decoupaging eggs.  I wish that I thought to take pictures of the other members eggs because they are just stunning!!!  (Maybe a future post.)  Anyway, I thought that I would show you the eggs that I painted.

My inspiration for the eggs came from rocks painted by Olga Sugden, Goldeneggstudio.  Olga is an unbelievably talented artist whose work I first noticed on greeting cards and have since discovered her beautifully painted rocks. My love for owls and whimsical faces made these a natural choice to paint and hang on my wire tree (and to give as presents).

A BED OF NAILS

This is just too good not to share.  A friend of mine gave me a box of supplies to make Pysanky eggs.  You know, the Ukrainian eggs with intricate designs that are applied with melted wax and dyes.   I don't plan to make the dyed eggs but being a mixed media artist and one who loves to repurpose, I couldn't turn down this treasure.  I still don't know how I am going to use the dyes (I need to research this because the dyes are labeled toxic) but I'll soon figure it out.

Anyway to the point!  In the box was a gadget made from a cardboard box lid with nails sticking up from it which I gathered was made to sit the egg on to dry. What a wonderful idea!!!!  And....since I am currently in the process of painting paper mache eggs for my Easter Egg Tree, this couldn't have come at a better time. Quite honestly, I couldn't figure out to paint the entire egg in one sitting and I dreaded painting half the egg and waiting for it to dry in order to paint the other half.  I am a very impatient person about some things.

The gadget that I found in the box would only hold one egg so I decided that I would make one that could hold several eggs at one time.

This is how I made the egg holder:

I used a small 4" X 4" jewelry box and flat head nails.  I think roofing nails or upholstery tacks would be perfect but I couldn't locate either in my stash.  (Being the impatient person that I am, I couldn't wait until I made a trip to the hardware store.)

I used a pencil to make a grid to locate where I was going to position the nails. Then from the top of the lid, with the lid still on the box, I pushed the nails through to the inside of the box.  And there you have it...you are done.  It's as simple as that!  Easy Peasy!!!

I know that I will use this box for drying items besides eggs and the nice thing about it is when not in use, the pointed side of the nails are inside the box where nobody can get hurt!!!

Until next time......

Hugs!

Ginny

MORE GELLI PRINTING PLATE PRINTS

I had some great play time with the Gelli Printing Plate and my Thursday Art Group.  I am always talking about it and thought that I would demonstrate it's use.  I think that the ladies were impressed...not by my skills but by the versatility of the process....and the gorgeous textures!!!

And....You have to love the unexpected surprises.  It never turns out as planned and I have to say... even the worst prints can be cut up and used in other art pieces.  So far, all of my prints have been used as journal pages.  I just add a little doodling and lettering and called it a day!!!

This is how I made these prints:

I used two colors for this print.  First I brayered yellow paint all over the plate, stamped with bubble wrap, used a texture comb and pulled a print.  Next, I brayered blue paint all over the plate, stamped with a tile stamp, circle stencil and bubble wrap; placed three mermaid masks on the plate and pulled a print. I planned to add a third color but decided that I would lose some of the delicate pattern so I quit while I was ahead!!

These are the tools that I used to make the mermaid print.  Notice that I don't wash my stencils or masks!  (grin)

For this next print, I used three colors.  The first color used was yellow and textured with a texture comb.  Next, a magenta color was brayered only in select areas and textured by using a stencil and bubble wrap.  For the last layer, I brayered blue paint all over the plate, textured it with a texture comb and then positioned the bird masks prior to pulling a print.

I love the texture of the birds especially the one on the right and think that I might make prints of birds to cut up and use as tags or ornaments.

This next print is a mess....and unfortunately, I have no idea how it was made.  lol! I started with the yellow background, then added the magenta...didn't like it and kept adding colors and layers.  I finally had to stop before it turned to mud!  This is one print that I will probably cut up and use in my art journal.

This print is a ghost print of the previous print.  A print was taken after I removed the bird masks. (This picked up the blue paint left over from the previous print.) Then I brayered yellow paint all over the plate, textured it with a tile stamp and pulled a print.  Next, I brayered green paint in select areas, used a leaf mask and pulled a print.  Lastly, magenta paint was used in select areas, textured with bubble wrap and pulled a print.  The nice surprise on this print is how the bubble wrap made little round star flowers. That's what I love about the Gelli Printing Plate...you never know what you are going to get!!!

I hope that you enjoyed seeing these prints made from the Gelli Printing Plate and I hope that you are inspired to try some of your own.

If you have a Gelli Printing Plate and would like to share your experiences or tips, I would love to hear from you!

Until next time,
Hugs,
Ginny

FEBRUARY CALENDAR PAGE

Running a little behind...I have so much to do and keep adding more to my plate. My goal for today is to catch up with my calendar journal by finishing the January journal entries so that I can move on to February.  I'm almost there!!!  At least I have the February page completed and ready for the journaling to be added.

This is how I made the February page:

I used Dylusions sprays for the background and date squares and Tombow markers for the basket of hearts and the background behind the heart basket.  I was pleasantly surprised how the yellow Tombow marker matched the yellow color of the Dylusions and how well they blended together.

The basket of flowers is a on a fold-out page.  When closed, you can see the quote that was part of the January page.  I planned the February page first so that the shape or cut-out would follow the shape of the hearts....then I made the quote page fit the shape.

The basket is made by using a Zentangle pattern.  It looks hard but is easy peasy. A little time consuming but easy just the same!  Here is how you do it:

Next up...MARCH!  Hmmmm....I'm thinking March flowers!  March is the month to plant flowers and vegetables in Florida.  Maybe I will fill the page with lots of flower doodles.

Until next time!
Hugs!!!!
Ginny

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOANNE SHARPE!!!

Today is Joanne Sharpe's Birthday (30 again...right Joanne?) 

and today is also the debut of her sixth on-line class, Letter Love 201!  

By now, Joanne has amassed a huge following of art enthusiasts 

who desire to learn all they can from this gifted artist...and 

we will all be there for Letter Love 201 in wild anticipation to learn 

MORE!!!!!!  

Won't you join the fun?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOANNE!!!

I used Tombow Markers, Neocolor II, and Peerless Watercolors with a little glitter glue for sparkle.

Hope to see you in Letter Love 201!!!

Until next time, 

Hugs!!!

Ginny

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

I decided that the world needs a little cheering up lately.  I belong to a group of seniors who meet every Tuesday to discuss the current events of the world.   Sometimes the world news seems pretty bleak and depressing.  But on a more personal level...I have friends who are out of work and can't find jobs.  They wonder if their money is going to hold out until they can find employment or if they are going to be kicked to the curb.  Three of my friends are battling a major medical crisis.  Whew!  Like I said...the world needs a little cheering up lately.

Anyway, I asked myself what could I do to add a little sunshine to someone else's life.  Maybe even change the course of events by my actions.  Then I though of "random acts of kindness" or "gorilla art."  The act of randomly and anonymously gifting a stranger with something that would put a smile on their face.

I had just finished listening to Oprah's Life's Class with Joel Osteen and Iyanla as guests and thought how beautiful and inspirational their words were. They made me feel happy...I felt validated...purpose driven and I wanted to pass that feeling along to someone who could really use some perking up.  So I grabbed my collection of inspirational quotes and started typing away at my keyboard...I could use my art to make someone else happy!!!!

Did any of you participate in the inspirational card exchange a few months ago? If you did you will know exactly where I am going with this.  Let's make the inspirational cards but instead use them for the "random act of kindness" project. Here's what you do:  find or buy a deck of playing cards, decorate them with paint, collage or whatever you would like, include an inspirational quote and then leave them in a place for a stranger to find.  Make their day!

This is how I made my cards:

Materials used:

Deck of playing cards
Gesso, white
Mod Podge
Scrapbook paper, envelope liners from old bills, old book pages.
Used postage stamps, clip art, ephemera
Black fine or extra fine point marker like Pitt, Micron, Sharpie or Copic.
Printed quotes.
Hole punch
Ribbon, string or yarn

STEP 1:   If your cards are used, clean them with a swipe of rubbing alcohol (both sides) to remove any grease from fingers.  Then lightly paint a thin coat of gesso over the face of the card.  I barely painted it so the card's value would show through and add to the final design.

Tip:  Use an old telephone directory or magazine for painting and gluing. Once the page is used, don't use the same section of the page again.  This way you can keep the back of the piece that you are gluing or painting clean.  Once the page is used, fold it over and use the next page.

STEP 2:  Tear strips and pieces of paper and glue them to the face of the card using Mod Podge.  Once dry, trim the paper from around the edges.

STEP 3:  Glue clip art, postage stamp or ephemera as a focal piece.  Then glue the quote in place.

Tip: I was careful not to paint Mod Podge on top of the pictures or quotes printed with my ink jet printer as the ink would smear.  It would have been better to have them printed from a laser printer at my local office supply store.  Next time!

STEP 4: When the card is completely dry, add black ink outlines around the quote and picture embellishments.

STEP 5:  Glue the label to the back of the card and once dry, trim the overlapping paper from the edges of the card.

Tip:  Coat the back of the card with the Mod Podge, place the label on the card and then hold it up to a light in order to see if it is centered.  If not centered, slide it into place.

STEP 6:  Punch a hole in the top of the card and tie a ribbon or multiple strings as decoration.

There you go....your cards are finished so start leaving them around town for people to find!!!!

A few words of advice....Be careful that you are not seen leaving them and don't hide them so well that no one can find them.  Also think about who will find them. If you leave them on a table in a restaurant...is a busboy going to throw them away with the trash?  In addition, if you use water reactive paint, do not leave them where they will be exposed to moisture.  You don't want them ruining the merchandise!!!

Here are some places that you might leave them:

In a dressing room
Tuck it in a magazine in a waiting room.
On the seat of a bus or train
On a library bookshelf or tucked in a popular book or magazine.
On the shelf of a grocery store.
Tucked in a car window
In a shopping cart after you put it back.
In a church hymnal.
Leave it with your tip in a restaurant.
(Be careful not to leave it it a store where it would appear that the person finding card is stealing the merchandise.  We don't want anyone getting arrested!!!)

Be creative...Use your imagination!!!

Feel free to download and print the labels for the back of the cards.  I cut lightly patterned scrapbook paper and ran it through my ink jet printer.

You may also download and print the quotes:  (For more downloads, check out the Downloads tab above. I will be adding more from time to time!)

I hope that you join me in this worthwhile project.  We can make a difference by spreading a little happiness to one person at a time!!!

I would love to hear from you if you have ever done "gorilla art" or "Random Acts" with you art.  Tell us your experiences.  What kind of art did you make and where were some of the places that you left it to be found and were you ever caught in the act?

Hugs!
Ginny

JUST ONE LITTLE WORD

I recently joined a challenge suggested by one of my on-line classmates, Ann Kristen Krier, to pick one word to summarize my intentions for the year.  This word would be used to remind me of things that I need to resolve or work on in my life.  It is like making a News Years Resolution but only expressing it in one little word.  We were to paint our word using the techniques that we learned in Joanne Sharpe's "Letter Love 101" class.

My one little word to focus on for the year 2013 is "BE."  I can't take complete credit for this as I originally had another word picked but when Joanne Sharpe posted her word for the challenge, "BE"....it hit me right between the EYES!!!  This word says everything that I wanted to say...Be tolerant, Be generous, Be grateful, Be happy, Be kind...I could go on and on!  Plus, this is a word that can change meaning throughout the year when I need to add or subtract things that I need to "BE."

I used Tombow and Alcohol markers to paint my word onto Strathmore 300 series, 140 lb watercolor paper.  This paper takes the Tombow markers and water beautifully!!  I then glued this to a canvas painted with Luminart Silks paint.

There you go...my one little word for 2013...to hang on the wall of my studio and to remind me to be more centered throughout the year 2013!!

Won't you join me and paint YOUR one little word as a reminder to resolve what matters most to you?

Until next time!
Ginny