ARTchix Pocket Fairy Swap

"BuTToN FaiRY iN a JaR, NiGHT CoMeS, TRaVeL FaR"

Here are my little button fairies for the ARTchix Pocket Fairy Swap. The fairy leaves her jar at night and travels around collecting buttons. . . which she uses to embellish her skirt. When she returns to her pocket at the end of her journey, it looks like the jar is full of buttons.

ARTchix - Rolodex Art Swap - My FIRST Swap!!

Okay, more photos from my vacation! Are you sick of them yet? I used these as backdrops for the ARTchix Rolodex Swap. There are 33 participants! Can't wait to see all the fun cards that I get in the mail from this swap, it's my very first one and Mija Marie is the host.

Collage Art - Garden

I just got my first order from ARTchix and had so much fun making this collage. I used 7 different products from them PLUS got some "free gift" images and used them too. The first layer of the collage is a gel transfer with over & under painting. Then I added the garden fairy, the butterflies, the kitty with locket, the winged cutie and the tile letters. I had a blast decorating their hats, aren't they festive?

Lottery Entry - Penny For Your Thoughts

This is my first entry in an ARTchix lottery. The theme is "Penny for your Thoughts" and the winner was Peggy Gatto. I hope she likes it!

I was so nervous to submit this entry but kept repeating to myself "Courage, Carol". I didn't see any other non-ATC entries but the FAQ section said that you could submit small collage art entries so I hope mine is okay. I went to bed last night thinking about the topic "Penny For Your Thoughts" and this is what I dreamt about...a goddess queen with fibers, metal and an asian coin. To me, the swirl symbolizes a spiritual journey and the asian coin symbolizes travel. The metal crown symbolizes strength and the fibers symbolize tenderness. AND "Courage" symbolizes my inner desire to have all of those things in my life.

My First Shrine

This is the front of a little baseball shrine that I made for a friend of mine who is a HUGE Chicago Cubs fan!

Here is the back of it...

...and here is the inside!

"A hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz."

My First Collage Art ATC's

My First Collage Art Bookmarks

My niece & nephew gave these to their teachers for "end of school" gifts.

I can still remember...

Here is my very first gel transfer project. I think it turned out really cool and I had a lot of FUN doing it!
:-)









Here is the original photo:

• I took the beginning photo of my friend, Nancy, when I was on vacation this summer. I digitally altered it using Paint Shop Pro and then printed it onto lightweight paper using a color inkjet printer.
• Next, I put two thick coats of gel medium on the photo copy; letting each coat dry between.
• While the transfer was drying (24 hours), I prepared the canvas by doing some underpainting and texture building in places where I wanted it to show through later.
• When I was ready for the transfer, I soaked the paper in warm water for about 5 minutes and using my fingers, began "rolling" the paper binding off the gel medium. When I was done, I put a medium-thick coat of gel medium on the canvas and placed the transfer on it. I used a brayer to roll it on really tight and also removed any little air pockets that occured.
• After that dried for a few hours, I began doing some overpainting. I added some shadows, some highlights, the scrollwork in the bottom right corner and the lettering under the marque, "I can still remember". I also used some walnut ink and distressed it in a few places.
• I painted the sides of the canvas a dark charcoal grey and trimmed it out in dark brown felt ribbon. Then I added 4 decorative antique brads on the sides. I just love finishing out the edges of the canvas. Much more creative than putting a frame on it! LOL

Overall, I learned a lot with this project and had so much fun. I have already started my next project using what I learned and can't wait to see how it turns out.