So excited... our very own Fairy Door !

Quoted from: http://www.squidoo.com/fairydoor
"Fairy Doors are magical items and when placed into your home or garden you can be sure that fairy folk from all around will follow.
By "inviting" the little magical creatures in they bring good luck. Fairy Doors let the "little people" into your house & garden. You can place them anywhere, on a wall , or baseboard, against a stone, a stump, a tree, literally anywhere you want them.
Of course only "they" can open them."

Now as many of you know I'm an avid lover of all things Celtic... Fairy-lore is a given.
I've been lusting after our very own Fairy Door for quite some time and was pondering making one but hadn't quite gotten around to it... then we saw one at a local store and Greg indulged my Fairy-Fancy by getting it for me.
I LOVE it!
The boyz have reported a flash something peeping out of the windows, seeing a crack of light under the door and the random rustling of leaves in the nearby plants...
hmm... it seems we just *may* have a fairy or two in residence.
I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open!

Collage Obsession #17: Siblings

My Postcard for Collage Obsession #17: Siblings...
This picture just needed a liiiittle tweak. lol
The truly timeless 'bunny ears' that siblings do to each other at photo time.
She aaalmost got her hand up there in time...
Caught in the act!

ScrapFIT #20 & For the Luv of Art Challenge...

I combined 2 challenges for this page:

ScrapFIT: Workout #20
CARDSTOCK ONLY!!!
&
For the Luv of ART Week #1
Create a Layout using the site's banner as your inspiration!

This the Banner:

and... this is my page:

I started with a pale yellow CardStock... I stamped it with polka dots in white, heat embossed with pale yellow. I then rubbed white chalk over large portions of the page and grey in stripes You can see the background of the LogoBanner better on-site...
BIGGER is better! lol
I then stamped on a french script stamp lightly with a pale, pale grey, here & there.
I smudged in white paint under the spot for the photo and around the edges of the page.

I copied the mixed-letter title from the Banner... GREAT use for leftover rub-ons.
Some of the title is Rub-Ons and some are embossed stamped letters.
My journaling is in the same blue as the banner.
The Flags are also stamped with the white ink, heat embossed with the pale yellow, hung on a black hemp 'rope'.
Finishing off the page base by rubbing a darker yellow chalk over sections.
MESSY HANDS!!!

4X4 Friday... Time Flies!

ahhh... another excuse to play with watches & cogs... for the topic "Wing"???! YES!!!
'cause we all know time flies! ;O)
This is my 4X4 Friday entry for Wings.
The watch is one of my favorites from The Graphics Fairy.
Wings from my clip-art hoard, background is a piece of my screen saver. :O)
Everything was Glimmer Misted
(Background: Browns & Greens, Wings: Blues, Watches: Yellows)

Collage Obsession #16: Door

Postcard for Collage Obsession #16: Door prompt...
The background is a tiny piece of the side of a Chinese Temple, it and both the door and window were all in my clip-art hoard (unsure of original source).

Three Muses Week 52: Card

Made this Postcard for the Three Muses Week 52: Card Challenge...
AND
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish the fine Ladies a very... very...
HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!
Keep it coming... we Lurve it!
~Sarah~

Art Creation Friday: Challenge 76 2-fer!!!

The image this time for Art Creation Friday Challenge 76 reminded me of the older pictures of Christopher Robin from Winnie-the-Pooh... so that's what I went with.

I couldn't make up my mind between 2 images he 'fit' in so I did them both!
I liberally sprayed the printed off pencil sketches with 4 different brown Glimmer Mists, and a spritz of the lightest shade on the Christophers before I cut them out. Inked the edges of the Postcards for a more aged look... Wanna go on an Explore?

Dirty Scraps #10: Serenity

This is my 12 X 12 page for Dirty Scraps Challenge #10:

Serenity
We all have a safe place we go back to time and time again, whether it be a person, an animal, a walk on the beach, your big comfy bed, that special chair.
That one thing in life that grounds you and gives you complete serenity.
Your safe haven, your inner peace, your world completed.
Give homage to that special place.

For me that special place, for at least a few months of the year, is our re-designed backyard. Last year we took a weekend to 'lay down stone' in the yard... We created a flagstone style patio by laying down busted up patio stones, upside down. Then we planted roses, added a fountain and lots & lots & lots of potted plants. It's my oasis... my escape place... I love it.
My Secret Garden...

Booted outta my Studio... boo!

My fiance is finally working on cleaning out his section of the studio...
which I'm very happy about... don't get me wrong.
Buuuuuut...
I've been booted outta my 'space' for the past few days.
I managed to sneak in and print off this poem;
I'd been saving for an emergency so I got at least 1 Art Journal page done.
I had to snarf the kids crayons, but that was kinda the point of the poem.
Enjoy!

Macabre Monday HDH040 - Beautifully Beastly Butterflies

I finished up my piece for Haunted Design House's Macabre Monday Challenge.
This one took a bit of thinking... I decided to go with an actual creepy Butterfly. I printed off one with a shape I liked then glued it to the back of a Bloody Skull background (off my 'puter not sure where from originally) then I cut it out and coated it in 3D Crystal Lacquer and a wee spritz of Red Glimmer Mist
Here a picture while it was still drying:

I then mounted it on another awesome background from here.
I inked a body cut from card-stock and added wire & bead antenna, used pop-dots (lots & lots) to help attach the wings bent. I took like a million & six pictures but with my damaged eye none of them are 100% poi-fect.
My apologies. :O(

Art Journaling...

Eye Update:
It doesn't hurt *as much* to blink now and indoor light is ok, Sunlight is still owie-owie so I'm hiding inside, again. For once I'm thrilled it's an overcast day so I can approach the windows, lol.
My vision is very, very blurry... feels like I'm wearing the wrong glasses prescription on that eye.
BUT...
I feel a LOT better!
I still can't craft anything too detailed, so I decided to work on some more of my Art Journal Pages... Consider this my 'Injured Eye' period in Art....
It's messier than usual and I hope when I can see right again it all still looks OK. ;O)

This Page is for A Year in the Life of an Art Journal : Tangled
This prompt could not have come at a better time. My EX-husbands parent both died this past week, 4 days away from each other... so there was the issue of taking the boyz to the wake/funeral. For those that don't know the details quick Cole's Notes: Married for almost 11 years, last 6 were abusive, after separation he threatened to kill me and several other people all in connection with me (7 counts). He was arrested, we're awaiting sentencing in July... meanwhile he's out but there is a restraining order in affect.
Because of the restraining order we had to think long & hard about what to do.
We ended up going for the 1st 15 minutes of the wake Thursday so the boyz could say good-bye to their Grandparents and slipped out quietly when we could. It still rattled me a lot seeing him again after almost a year...
So I made this page. The shredded ribbon suggestion was great... I got to use a bunch of the Vintage Calico I had, it shreds so well.


The next 3 were all for Your Life Spelled Out:
Beautiful Dreamer
I used a collage of Greeting Cards for this. I sponged a background 1st, then overlapped the card images, added doilies and the title. I glimmer misted a bit, more paint and stapled a ribbon scrap on. Also added a Walt Whitman quote as well as my journaling.


Left Out
I started with a HUGE blow-up of my Right Eye (pre-damage) and went from there... Paint smeared around the edges, added the title and white washed the whole page. I did the journaling around the outside... about feeling Left Out not being able to do the things I normally do and listening to everyone else just going along while I can't right now.


Survivor
Started with a Poster for Domestic Violence, sponged green and blue around the edges and added a cut out of a Phoenix (print off of one of my own Art Projects) and the title. Washed the whole page with more watered down paint.

Can't do it... (warning gorry details)

I'm supposed to be resting the damaged eye but I needed to get something creative done.
I'm going crazee sitting or lying around with my eyes closed.
The injury looks like this according to my fiance who saw it highlighted with the dye they put in to see the injury. It's 3/4 on my Iris and 1/4 on the white. With the yellow dye it looked like I was hit with the flat edge of a wedge high-lighter marker.
The Dr said if it was on the pupil at all I would have needed surgery.
Stupid accident... I was getting up at 2AM to go to the bathroom and tripped on a dog... I fell face 1st on a pile of flattened cardboard boxes we have there to pack the rest of the winter clothes away. I got a corner of a flattened box square in my Right Eye. It's both incredible and exquisite pain at the same time. The muscles around & behind my eye are 'bruised' and the abrasion in the surface of my eye feels like a hot needle in my eye. If I blink my eyelid runs over the wound and it 'moves' the needle and that's not fun. I can't look down or to the right, same problem with it hitting the rim of my eye.
All that said it's MUCH better than it was yesterday morning when it happened. The Dr said it is healing quickly, though my vision in that eye may not be 100% for 6 months to a year. I'm resting the eye as much as 'I' can...

Just one easy project that I had the kids help me cut out.
For 4X4 Friday: Make Art!
I took the challenge literally...
3 4X4 Squares: Musical Art, Visual Art & Dramatic Art.
The letters are coated in 3D Crystal Lacquer.
I strung them up with Black Eyelets and Silver Ribbon,
it'll be going up on the wall in my newly re-done Studio.

Musical Art
Instrument Background & Sheet Music Letter.


Visual Art
Supplies Background & Graffiti Letter.


Dramatic Art
Drama Mask Background & Red Curtain Letter.

Quick Update

(moniter light still painful)

Prayer works.

Eye is healing quicker than he expected.

Still no light, continue meds... back to dr on Monday.

Pain!!!

I tripped last night and got the corner of a flattened cardboard box in the iris of my right eye.
I can barely see and the pain is excruciating... I will be off line for a few days at least. The computer moniter feel like a laser in my eye.
Orders are:
-no contacts for a month
-no light for 48 hours
-lots of meds
-back to see the dr in 24hrs.
-easy on the eye... avoid reading, detail work etc...
So no crafting either. :O(
If your a pray-er, please pray.
Thanks,
Sarah

Art Creations Friday #75

I made this SteamPunk Postcard for Art Creations Friday Challenge #75
Background is from here.
I took the supplied image and trimmed a fair bit off, made her a *new* dress and hat with thick Green Mulberry Paper.
Edged the dress in trimmings of a paper Lace Doily and a mini-cameo.
Ribbon 'belt' with key and lock.
Hat trimmed with brass and watch bits monocle and gave her a mechanical Hand.
Tea & Biscuits anyone?

Heart the Art... X3.

Now that my Design Team sh-tuff for June is all done & sent I can catch up on some my 'just for moi' things... like my Art Journals!
I got 3 pages done for Heart the Art... which (I believe) catches me up there. :O)

#18: From the Heart
I used a greeting card I had saved as the base for both the front and back. The paper has a grainy, hand-made texture to it... lovely. The back I sponged in 3 shades of blue, then glued a paper doily and the paper heart on. Then coated in several shades of Glimmer Mist and glued on the big heart (broken pin).


#19: Basics of an Idea/Concept
I started with 2 Security Envelopes, 'wallpapering' both sides. Then I added printouts from Brene Brown, she has some great ideas... you should check it out. ;O)
I highlighted a few key words/phrases and outlined them in 2 reds & re-tinted the flying hearts.



#20 Hold Back
I used up a whack of chipboard snippets I had sitting around. They went perfect with this paper... I'm very pleased with this one. Needless to say it's quite personal. :O)

Three Muses: Relationships

Artist Postcard for the Three Muses: Relationships prompt.
I re-used an image from a greeting card.
First I Glimmer Misted it in Old Lace, then I colored the hat and rose a bit (already tinted but I buffed it up a bit after the Mist was dry). Sanded it a faaaaair bit to wear the edges down and rough up the image, then finally added the Phrase.

Art on the Darkside #59: Ghost Whisperer

ahhh... this was toughie. I have never watched the show so I'm not 100% sure if my project suits... I sure hope so though! :O)
Art on the Darkside #59: Ghost Whisperer... The suggestion was also to make a 'shrine' which is also a newbie to me, other than a matchbox one which wasn't what I had in mind when I started working.
What I did do was use the iPod case I've been hiding away... it seemed to suit.
I printed off a still from a creepy Halloween screen-saver, reinforced it with black card-stock, quick spritz of Glimmer Mist in a parchment brown and then using the original label as a template... cut it to fit inside the back of the case.
Then I used a scrap from the back ground as 'ground' for my Ghost Whisperer to stand on in the foreground. I sprayed the plastic with a dark blue/black Glimmer Mist and let it dry. My GW is an image snipped from a magazine (gardening), also mounted on card-stock for stability.
Once everything was 100% dry I just popped the case together and sealed it.
You might want to click on the pictures to get a better look without my Blog Background making lines, sorry for the glare... I took about 40 shots and different angles but the iPod box is so curvy it kept picking more & more glare up.

Gutter Girlz #37

That Time again... time for Gutter Girlz!
Prompt #37

THE PROMPT:
Not It!!
THE SONG:
Not the Doctor by Alanis Morissette
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE:
Stitches

oh... this was a good one to do at this er, ah... time of the month. ;O)
I had never heard the song prompt before but man... it spoke to me on sooo many levels.
This was a 'Beg, Borrow & Steal' LO.
Had to Beg my oldest son for a couple of pages out of the Babysitter's Handbook he has.
Borrowed a sewing machine from my Mum, I've hand-sewn several projects recently and uh-uh... not again! (owwwie!!!) I need my own machine.
Had to Steal a sheet of scrapbook paper from my son's stash. ssshhhh!!! Don't tell! He's got so much (like mummy) I'm sure he won't notice.
I wanted really child-like paper for this, cartoon & crayons... I added red Brad 'apples' to match the red stitching around the page and photo.
How's that for Gutter?

Art Journal Catch-Up...

ACK! The time keeps slipping away...
I have so many 'Art-sy' things I want to get done, plus our neglected yard, the basement is set for a de-gunging and setting up (Yahooo!!!!) a play/rec room for the kids. The thought of NO MORE kid detritus all over the main floor makes Mummy very, very, very happy... no GIDDY!
Ah well... I need more of me. :O)

I did manage to get some of my over-due Art Journal Pages done today.

This one for A Year in the Life of an Art Journal, Prompt: Tears
Several layers of sponged paint and a re-purposed Greeting Card.


And a Couple of Pages for Your Life Spelled Out.
Prompt: My Hiding Place
I used lots & lots of Modge Podge and pages from several old books.
Layered over with Glimmer Mist and paint. Then Sharpie Journaling.


Prompt: Done!
lol... THIS was interesting. I started by Modge Podging 3 wrappers from Maxi Pads. yup! That's right... Maxi Pad wrappers. They are a soft, tissue-y, textured material that just loved soaking up the paint. I layered several shades of yellow paint and then a touch of bronze...
Then I pressed the SuperGirl cut-out in while the paint was still sticky. Journaling in Sharpie.
I recently acquired a stack of older, well loved comics so expect some cartoon-y goodness in future projects. :O)

Fiendish Florence Nightingale...

I created this for Haunted Design House Challenge #39 (DHD039)

Devious Doctors & Fiendish Florence Nightingales
I decided to do a little internet trolling 'cause other than Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital not much came to mind. I started looking at some Nurse pictures... then Doctors then *smacking head* I realized I was going the wrong way. FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE!!! duh.
I found a public record photograph and a free clip-art background (scary, blood faces...), legs from another painting and a cool 'Jason' style machete that I collaged into an Artist Postcard.
I added red Glimmer Mist 'blood' splatters and drips with a brush and topped with the 3D Crystal Lacquer.
We have a Nurse but I think it's a little to late for the Doctor... bwwaaaahhaaahhaaaa!!!

Morning Workout...

I got 2 of my 'workouts' done for ScrapFIT
This is for ScrapFIT: Workout #19
Recycling Made Fun
Use Ur Stash... nothing new allowed!
I went digging through and decided to FINALLY use up some of this Kit I'd been given at least 3 years ago as a birthday gift...
You know them, the $29.99 (contains a million & six pieces) kits from Wal-Mart.
Paper, letter stickers, stickers, tags, tags and more tags... frames and other kibble & bits.
All pre-coordinated.
I used these 2 hilarious pictures of Thomas messing around with the BIG Tea Ball I got for some of our SteamPunk ventures. He was glad to pose for the pictures at the time... lol, once the girlfriends see he may change his mind. ;O)
I'm an Evil Scrapbooking Mom!
The letters are Thickers, sanded down a bit... and the screw head brads and Cogs are all part of my regular stash, the rest ALL came from the kit.
...and being me, I inked the ever luvin' heck out of all of it. ;O)

Then there was a Mini Challenge!
Use up some of the scraps to make a card.
So I used of the rest of the main pattern paper from the LO background and lots & lots of the extra frames, tags & titles that came with the kit. Even the brads were part of the original kit.
I like this card so much I might not part with it! ;O)

Moonshadow & Flowers...

For 4X4 Friday: Moonshadow
Printed image, Tim Holtz Masks oversprayed with Fall Breeze & Frost Glimmer Mist.

Art Creation Friday: ACF74th Artist Postcard:
I color tinted the provided image with SU! Markers, plus black & silver Sharpies, then added the silk flowers and greenery.

Dirty Scraps #9: Facts of Life...

The topic this round over at Dirty Scraps for #9: The Facts of Life...
Scrap a "fact" about your life.
This is my 12X12 take: