Daring circles

Oh, just talking about Daring Cardmakers' newest challenge Circle (of friends). Contemplated doing something cute, something carefree, but nope, got finally sidetracked enough so that the circle on my card is a vicious circle: shoes, the cost of them, dreaming of them. Shoes are clearly her friends. And, oh, this lady does have a round earring. Not quite what the challengers might have had in mind...

Circle dangly earring (Thinking in circles)
traded

Alpha Challenge + DCM

I recently run into Alpha Challenge, and of course had to try it out! I was itching to use frame in it, since DCM's this week's prompt is Frames. Which I did take part in already, but didn't really dare to use a full-size frame... Long story short: here is a frame and the letter N:

Resume of Helene Neville

DCM / frames - and more Moos!

A frame! I have hard time fitting frames onto my atc's. I always admire everyone who can do it. How come they look so good, what is the magic? So, anyway, now that DCM is calling for frames in their latest challenge, I seriously wanted to put a frame on my atc. Started with a slide frame - nope, too massive. Proceeded to an even 8mm frame - it looked silly. Finally went with a super thin black line around the picture - now that's still a frame, isn't it!

Fill me with Dreams
tech: on a scan of an original design by moi I stamped a poem. The blings above and below the photo are cut from an embellishment that came off a blingy shirt from the early 90's. In real life they shine like poured silver!
(traded)

And just because...
I love Moos! Here are three more.

7261 - 4874 - remember

It was my day off, and I had perfect time. First: long breakfast. Then four hours of cleaning up my studios (yes, it is a plural) which had become dangerously cluttered in the last hectic weeks. After that I had a languid lunch, did an hour of art, after which I raked some leaves and dug up the rhubarb for replanting. After dinner I did some more art. Sometimes life flows very nicely! I am all rested and can face the weekend (=work).

DCM midweek challenge

I felt like doing something for it, all the more since TMTA is really tough this week - it seems like nothing makes me smile these days (work is hectic, weather is dark). Maybe little silly things would, but then my atc might look like a funny ad. (Hmm, now there is a thought...)

Anyways, here is my take on DCM's transportation- themed midweek challenge. But would you know it, even here I could think of nothing positive!

Everywhere, 1938 Chevrolet Sedan (Alt Orsova, Belgrad, Uzice)

Can you tell I'm in a dark mood? I'll put it up anyway, maybe someone likes some gloom. Hey, isn't Halloween fast approaching?!

Also, I'd finally like to start working on my link list. There are loads of blogs I visit on a weekly basis and plenty of people visit me. I'd be thrilled to exchange links with my frequent visitors. Please drop a note, I'll be starting doing the links on the weekend!

Fish and Paris

Down with the Fish
Traded

Wednesday Stamper's theme this week, Fish, elicited a more or less surrealistic piece out of me. I can't think of anything friendly when thinking of fish - wonder why is that?
The Fish will be entered for DCM's Charity theme as well. The base of this collage is a magazine ad for Polycolor hair dyed from a 60's magazine, acquired recently at my local thrift store.

Friday 4x4 threw "France" in the air. A fun thought, but I had to go with an atc. A 4x4 just seemed too unmanageable. (Means I'll have to train it!)

Paris, eh?
Traded
A short word to technique: I spread a big glob of (blue) Pebeo Gloss on the (treated) background paper, then stamped on this thick smear of color. This resulted in a negative stamp - background color stayed put, the stamped image was sucked empty of color. I'm thrilled, this opens up a lot of possibilities!

Clickety click- click both for big!

DCM / two of the same

Rhapsody (traded)

DCM midweek challenge prompts to use two of the same, but in different sizes. Here is my take on it!
Small egg, large egg, on top (or inside) each other.

purple holes and mulberry papers

DCM has a fun challenge: tearing purple holes for Christmas. Very cryptic, it means your card should have a hole, the color purple, torn paper and a Christmas motive. Add to this Wednesday Stamper's prompt us to use mulberry or hand made papers - you know, those pretty ones that we keep in the stash pile! Well, I knew I just had to make a holiday tag card.
Mulberry papers, all of it torn, some silver and red stamping, dried fir, silver paper, yarns - a merry hodgepodge for a Merry card! This was fun!

DCM - use your own

DCM have a challenge this week where you are supposed to use your die cuts or punches. I quote:

If you don't have access to die cuts in any shape or from, you can still play along. You can then use punches. And if you don't have punches then you can do hand cutting. See how nice I am?
BUT no cheating now! No reaching for the scissors if you have a machine to hand - or even some old die cuts you bought ages ago (that would be me then!) You CAN use punches and scissors etc as well as die cuts though.

And here are mine.!I confess I read the instructions badly, I understood just to use your punches. Not that I have many more die cuts than the tiny butterfly I used yesterday in one of the puzzle pieces, and a small white daisy shape I used in the large circles beginning the week. See, already have used them!

Now then, I own two punches, a tulip and a heart. (How conventional.) OTOH, I have never used them so far - so why not give it a try!

card #1

A heartbeat agoas in: A heartbeat ago I discovered I love you? A heartbeat ago we had a quarrel and now I'd like to apologize? A heartbeat ago you had a baby? A heartbeat ago... you fill in your sentiment!
I like this one!
Watercolor wash and gesso on a book page, baby blue napkin, b/w photocopy of an old manuscript, dabbed and wiped with gel paint, pearlescent paint around the edges of the die cut hearts (punched out of the non-gessoed but yes-watercolored book page), sentiment from a magazine.

card #2

Tenderas in: Tender wishes? Tender embrace? I love you tender? A tender care for your home is finally here! I will do the dishes every day from now on?
This one uses both my punches.
Commercial background papers, heart die cut negatives from above, tulips punched out from a color copy of the mail art (below), sentiment (found word).
Don't like this as much, although making it was fun and frankly, quite challenging.
Never thought simple punched shaped would get me sweating and dreading, but they do!

And what do we have here?
I was getting off the bus when I noticed strewn pieces of a cardboard puzzle getting wet by the roadside. They are beautiful shades of blue and brown, I imagine some serene water views... I stopped minding the rain and started picking them up. Now they are spread out for drying on my stairs.
Ah, serendipidity!

goodies, frills and techniques

A few weeks ago I won some blog candy at Michelle's blog. OMG, I had no idea I would receive a package full of goodies. I was totally blown away, I just sat there on the floor and peeled the gift like an onion, layer by layer - take a look, too!

Papers - in elegant grey and white - Chinese paper money, slide folders, and Somerset Studios issue Artful Blogging. Now I know what the buzz is all about! This is such an eye-candy, plus really great reading. What you probably can't see, is a a rubber stamp alphabet from Green Pepper Press (Prague, nonetheless). And do you see the gorgeous card Michelle has made, all swirly and delicious! I never knew spray painting can look so beautiful. This is a lovely, generous gift. Thank you Michelle!

I met Michelle at ArtsyMama's tea party. After the party I have been hopping over and reading ArtsyMama's blog going backwards. I stumbled upon a hidden treasure that I am going to link here. (It is too bad she doesn't arrange her posts by month, you have to jump to the end of the list, where you get a new list, again to the end. This might make no sense until you do it.)

She has this great prompt how to challenge yourself out of your comfort zone and make a collage in the process. For those who don't wish to jump back and forth, I'll explain in brief.

You list all the different mediums and ways of working, then cut up the sheet of paper and put the pieces into a bowl. (A full list including some unusual techniques is on her blog.) Draw one piece. Do the technique prompted and draw the next. All in all she recommends ten.
Of course her collage looks just wonderful, and even better on the pages of the Somerset Studio magazine! Mine - not so much...
I had great time, though. This definitely pushed me out of my usual comfort zone. I would never ever have scraped, sanded, used charcoal or 3D if it hadn't been for those prompts.

This one is for DCM's Frilly bits challenge. I am not very frilly, and this is definitely the most frill there's going to be...

She looked on moodily. Not feeling like herself.
(traded)

Second card got a lot of chalking, charcoal, ink and scrape commands. I am not sure I like it, it is somewhat dark and moody.


This one pushed me even more than the first. Left on my own I would never have done 10plus layers. (I kept hoping for stamp to come up, now that I own beautiful stamps, but it didn't.)

Not until the very last did I read this piece of instruction: have your color palette ready. Yes, that would have helped!


A delicious recollection
(traded)

(everything clicks for big)

photo finish

Little Car in The Big Woods
traded

My contribution to Daring Card Makers' challenge on photo finish.
Car - a vintage Opel Kapitän - via Rein, so this one is taking part in her Monday Morning Share challenge as well!

clicks for big!

technicalities:
Background was first gessoed in with a spatula on a shiny 4-color postcard. After it had dried, it was painted over with blue water color, which let the gesso lines show through as texture. Left corner was further rubbed in with dark brown gel paint, then painted twice over with water colors, one time with purple, then with Prussian blue. All elements are glued on - a vintage Austro-Hungarian map, a fir branch from an oldish abc book, a bird, Rein's car. The letters are rub-ons (my first! yay).