WOYWW #611

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! It's Wednesday indeed and time to hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground and share with the rest of my beautiful arty friends what is going on, on their crafty desk. Let's see what I can share today.

First off, like so many of us, I am just heart-stricken over the loss of sweet Shaz. I did not know her as most of you wonderful over-the-seas ladies, and so my sympathies and blessings go out to you lovely ones who knew her as a close friend. Doug and their family have also been on my heart and prayers. Life is no small thing. A life, makes an impact in this world (whether they knew it or not), and on so many different levels. I think as humans, we truly forget how much we impact others without even knowing it. It's inevitable really. Some more than others, but we DO make a difference in this world. And so each life is meant to be celebrated! So today I celebrate Shaz, whom I only knew online, but whose crafty talent did make an impact on me all the way across the sea. She will be missed in our community and in so many hearts!

So what's happening over on my desk? Well right now as I am writing this and looking over to that said desk, a MESS!! I still have several projects going on and simply not enough room to house all those projects on my desk at once. It gets exhausting rotating those projects out for one to dry, while I work on another, or if the old light bulb comes on in my head about another and I swap out before I forget! Why you ask......BECAUSE I HAVE NO MORE ROOM ON THE FLOOR!!!! LOL As I have mentioned before, my craft desk is in my bedroom and there is simply only so much space in there!! So I have piles surrounding my desk on the floor like land mines!! I just keep moving them around and rotating them out and stepping over and around them! With all that bending over, picking up and stepping around, you'd think I'd be in shape, but sadly, that is not the truth! LOL

Poppy addition to the altered journal

So first share is my finished poppy in my altered book journal! I liked how it turned out and really enjoyed the process as I went through painting it. I'm still working on paint to water ratios with my watercolor painting. It's so hard to gauge and it's very frustrating to me sometimes. I know it will sort itself out over time as I get more familiar with the process. Unfortunately, I am very impatient, so let's all hope that sorting goings quickly! LOLOL

February ATC Swaps

The next share is the finished ATC's that I showed you last week! I think they turned out pretty good. February, luckily is an easy subject month with it being Valentines, so "love" was the theme for me with this swap group. This is my first swap with this group, so I hope that they received well and enjoyed. I ejoyed doing these because I pulled out some techniques that I had not used in a while. It made me think about all the tags I used to do and my mixed media journaling that I haven't done in quite some time. May have to pull some of that out again soon. Lord, what am I saying.....where in the world will I find the time to do that???? LOL

So yesterday I had an Oncologist appointment. I think I have mentioned before that my doctor is about an hour away in a town that has one of my favorite big box craft stores. So, of course, I hit that place just about every time I have an appointment. I truly did need to go this time however because I have run out of substrates for my dotting projects. My sister is still cutting out some for me and I needed some things to work on until she gets those to me. Plus, I needed some substrates other than what she is getting me. 

Goodies Haul

So you will see this happy mess of goodies in this picture. The feature pile in the middle are three sizes of canvases. The only store in my small town that does carry canvases for some reason only has sizes that aren't even? It's so odd to me...no pun intended!  So yesterday I got two each of 12x12, 6x6 and 3x3. They are so much easier to work on when you are considering mandalas. Odd-sized canvases can work, but it's so much easier when they are even. The Woodpile packs to the right are rounds that I can work on and then I also got small crosses (sitting on top of the canvases). To the left is a big roll of magnet tape. So the plan is to work on the small rounds and the crosses and make magets out of them for gifts. We shall see how that goes. The other small round packs, towards the bottom, are already magnetic. They are canvas on the front. So I can do the same with those. I also got some more medium that I am about out of and them some pouring medium for those thick paints that need to be thinned out for my projects. I also needed some fine liners, so this little fillable bottles in from of the medium to the left will come in handy for those jobs. At the very right, you get a little sneak peek of a current project!

Leaning tower of....PAINTS!!!

So this last picture I just had to share. I found this three-tiered basket stand yesterday at the same store. It was 50% off, so that was a no-brainer! LOL Anywho, I got it because I have paint all over the place in my craft area and mostly in drawers. That's fine for the most part, except that I can't see what colors I have unless I go into the drawers. Lazy and frustrating all at the same time! Oh the woes of us crafters! LOL So I thought if they were out where I could see them, it would make my dotting projects easier to plan. I had originally thought about using something that would hang on the wall, but I couldn't find anything like that. I'm sure I have seen folks do something similar with their paints before, but it is cute, easy and ON SALE...duhhhhhhh, as my daughter would say!! LOL  I wish I could say that this is ALLLLL of my paints.....nope.....paint glutton that I am!! LOLOL  What do you think?

Well, that's all I can share today friends! Here's hoping that you all remain safe and healthy! Happy Wednesday to you and many blessings!

WOYWW #610

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! It's time to jump on the Julia train over on Stamping Ground and share what's what at your craft station!! Last week I didn't get round to a lot of your stations because I was so busy at work, but maybe today I can put on the brakes a little bit and visit!!

So this week is a bit like last week in that I have several projects going on and not one of them finished! LOL The good news is that....I have SEVERAL projects going on! I don't want to jinx anything, but I can remember in the not too far away past, where I was in an art slump and the old noggin was void of creativity. I know we all go through that from time to time, but what's so hard about that phenomena is that I LOVE art and LOVE to create and so when I'm in a slump it makes me really sad because I love sharing with others and bringing a smile to someone's heart that may need it at that moment! So.......for now, the wheels are turning and turning and I'm loving it! LOL

ATC Swaps!

So these are the second set of ATC's that I have up for February! I was honored when someone hit me up on Instagram and asked me if I wanted to be a part of another swap. I was stoked that someone gave a nod to my creativity and wanted me to join in their fun! The first swap group that I am in is every other month, however, this one is monthly, so I hope I honor them back and keep up! LOL It's all good fun and as Valentines Day is this month, it wasn't hard to find a subject! Lately, I have been doing a lot of watercolor projects, but for these cards, I pulled out my Golden High Flow Acrylics. I love, love using them! The colors are so rich and yummy and just a joy to create with. I wish I could afford more of those guys, but the teeny tiny bottles is all this working girl's budget could afford! LOL I also pulled out my heavy gesso and stencils, which I haven't done for some time. It was great fun and will share the fnished cards next week.

Coming up poppies!

The next thing I'll share is my newest page in my altered book journal. As I previously noted, it's not finished, but I at least finished sketching with my dip pen and ink. I LOVE poppies and wanted to add one to my journal. One of my favorite scenes in a movie is when Dorothy, Toto, and her pals are running through the poppy fields to get to Oz!! I always thought that would just have to be the bee's knees to do that! Of course minus the old witchy curmudgeon chanting.....poppies, poppies! LOL  Let's switch the gears and maybe think about running through the poppy fields in Italy to get to a beautiful winery where I will be met with a gorgeous glass of red and bread and cheese board!!!! Sounds soooooo much better doesn't it Auntie Em? LOL

Well the race is still on to find art products! It's gotten to be a joke really, but it does make one say a few not so nice things under their breath! LOL  I did finally go straight to the paint company itself, instead of distributors, to get some paint, and even then, THEY were out of a lot as well! But I was able to get quite a few bottles of paint to restore the bad paint I had on hand. I'm not finished, however...you can NEVER have too much paint! LOL  

Where are all the art products!!!!!!!!!!??????

A couple of you last week and I think a post before asked how I was doing the crosses - was it paint or the diamond art so many are doing. My crosses are paint dotting and so much fun. Hence the mad search for every color under the sun! LOL But I also do canvases and I have other projects in the wings using paint dot art that I also want to do. Again though, supplies have been hard to come by. If anyone has a good retail distributor in mind that carries craft blanks for projects, please do share! It's a burr in my saddle right now that I am having a hard time finding one, save Etsy and they simply love their supplies TOO much because I won't pay the prices they want for their goodies!

My sister is almost through cutting my wood pieces for my upcoming dotting projects and I'm getting excited to start on those and get ahead on Christmas 2021! Here's hoping I get everything done that I want to!! But 2021 sees me up for the challenge!

That's really it for me today crafty friends. Hopefully, more finished projects to show next week! Can't wait to get around to you all today! Cheers for a lovely Wednesday and rest of your week! 

Blessings

WOYWW #609

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends!!!! Is it February ALREADY??????? My mind simply cannot wrap my head around that!!! I was just wrapping Christmas gifts!!! I truly believe I live in some kind of time warp that has many stops, twists, and turns, but ultimately just keeps blazing me forward with a "no brake" option!!! LOL When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was "grow up" and it seemed like I NEVER would!! Now I am ALL GROWN UP and the merry go round won't stop turning! Aren't we fickle creatures!! LOL It's a good thing God is not shocked by my idiocy and provides a light at the end of that time warp, to where, I believe, I will understand all this craziness in the snap of a finger! Thank you Lord for care and protection as I bumble along time warp through life! LOL

Well speaking of time warp, it's time to warp on over to the lovely Julia's blog and share what's on all our desks this week! Her special place is one of those stops on the warp where we can share creativity, make friends and glean from others' amazing talents!! Thanks Julia being our gracious host! 

My desk is a hot mess that can't fit another thing on it, therefore I will only be showing close-ups of my projects! LOL It's killing the OCD side of my and she don't like it! LOLOL This past week was a flurry to get a gift done for my beautiful sister-in-law who just happens to be my "bestie!" We have walked many a mile together she and I. Most of those miles have been great times together and some were hard times, but through it all she has been my constant source of bestie advice, even if it hurt a little, and amazing friendship and love!! They say if you have at least one of those in a lifetime, you are blessed. And so I AM!!

My ex-husband is her husband's brother, so naturally, we did a lot together! Not only were we besties, but we were camping buddies. When I was married, we had a camper and so does she and her hubby and we went on trips everywhere! Camping is one of my greatest joys next to arting. I miss it terribly and all the good times we had!! I am a hiker, and we all had some great hiking times as well! I no longer have my beloved camper, but this Christmas my boss got me a ten-man tent, so guess who can't wait to get back out to my lovely adventures with my bestie!!!! My girls and their boyfriends are also ready to get back in the saddle with their fun Aunt Ang, as they call her!! I have been gathering camping items for about a year (hubby got the camper when we split, so I had to start over), so a trip is in the plans! Yayyyy! Happy trails once again!

Anywho, before I got sidetracked, LOL, here is her gift that I worked on
last week. She recently lost her precious, precious mother to COVID, so I made this for her Birthday in memory of her mother. Would I could, I'd give her the moon, she deserves all that and more!! Her favorite line to me is "I love you more than a hog loves slop," and so I love her completely right back......oink oink! LOL 

Memory Cross

I will also now show you my February ATC's for my a3atcswap over on Amy's Art Alchemy on Instagram. I don't like showing them until I know she has gotten them and has had time to look at them first hand. Weird, I know, but there you go.  This month I obviously did the theme of love, although she doesn't put themes on them, you just do what you want, but "love" is an easy one to do because who doesn't love LOVE!!! LOL I had lot's of fun doing them. 

February Swap Fun!

These were "true" mixed media this month as I used acrylics, watercolor, dip pen and ink, ephemera, fibers, stamping and embossing. I just pulled out all the goodies this month! LOL It really was fun and I'm already planning my April cards!!

Well, that's it for me this week crafty friends! I am amidst a deadline at work, so I will try to get to as many of your desks as I can!! Many blessings to you ALL and as always, stay safe and healthy!!

Happy WOYWW!!!