You Make My Day Award

Moonwillow has graciously granted me the "You make my Day" award! Here is her post about the award:

"The rules for the “You Make My Day” award are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know through email or by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times, and if you do, consider yourself really, really loved. So to pass it on and keep the love going ~ here are 10 of the 100's of blogs that keep me inspired and bring a smile to my face. Check them out when you have a few minutes... perhaps there are some new friends to be made! "

Thank you, Moonwillow, I am humbled and honored! It is very difficult to pick 10 favorites but here goes:

Tejae's Art

Anahata Katkin

Izabella's Blue

Thrifty Collage Artist

Kelsey's Blog

Collage Clearinghouse

Scrapatorium

Pip Notes

Scrapperlicious

Glenda Bailey

Picking only 10 is really stressfull! These are my fav's in addition to the one's I already have linked on my site. When you visit, tell them Susan sent ya!

Broken and Mending

Introducing my new favorite possession! Hand-crafted for me by polymer clay artist, Tejae Floyde. Here is a link to her estsy site. Don't worry, Tejae has more hearts and charms available!

My 1" x 1" inch charm is much lovlier in person. My camera does not do it justice. Here is a closeup:

I heart the back, too!
Visit Tejae's blog for much beauty and inspiration. Her encased hearts are stunning. I am wearing my broken and mended heart on a ball chain. It falls right over my heart and has a comfortable weight to help me to remember: that what was once broken, can mend. Thank you, Tejae!

My new charm was just the beginning of a great day for me. To celebrate my daughters 14th birthday, we went to Mulberry Tea Room in Medford. We had the Queen's High Tea. Everyone received thier own pot of tea. I chose Rosy Earl Grey and it was very good. I tend to like black teas much more than flavored or citrus teas. Here is my girl with Aunt Robin:
Closing my day now with art. Finished gel mediuming all the hooks on to the fatbook pages and ATC's. Here they are drying:
Next up, 12" x 12" canvas, don't know where it's heading, but love the colors:
Broke out my Stewart Gill paints for this one. Broke the bank and bought a set of 16 at Art and Soul last year. Texture on canvas by Golden Molding Paste. I think I'll cut ATC's out of black matt board for more trades for Virginia. I got some cool shell shaped corners from Bonnies Best Art Tools that I'm dying to use and are in keeping with the A and S theme this year, "By the Sea".

Fat Book: Part Two

Fatbook and ATC trades for Art and Soul are moving forward! Here are the 42 ATC's that made the cut: (pun intended)

Pay no attention to my messy workspace!! Now it's time to embellish!
Stamped "ART" using my Divas D'este stamp onto HP Premium Photo Paper Glossy. Got some laminating sheets at Wal-mart. Laminated, cut out, carefully!, and punched tiny hole in top. Was able to fit about 90 on one sheet. Next step: Fashioning the fish hooks. Are you starting to get where I'm going with this????

Added some beads, crazy red fibers and twist, twist, twist. Back to the pages! Embellished edges with red ink (let dry) over ink edges with blue to add depth.

Heavy Gel mediumed those hooks on:
Gotta finish off the backs too! Added signatures:
And Labels:
Here is one "Art Bait" ATC and one Fatbook page front and back. They are all different, these are just a sampling! I have all the hooks made and only have gel mediuming left to do. The due date is April 1, but I self imposed a March 1 due date on myself, because, well, I know myself really well!!!!



This has been great fun! Now that this committment is almost complete, I'm looking forward to participating with my new group, Altered Arts Obsession, that I was graciously accepted to join! The group is working on altering egg shapes, which is really intimidating to me! I'm very new to assemblage art and am counting on my classes at Art and Soul to help me get my learn on!!

Art and Soul "All Original" Fatbook Sneak Peek

I'm participating in an "All Original" fatbook for Virgina 2008, Art and Soul Retreat. The hostess is Mary Barfield. The theme is "open" or can be tied in with Art and Soul's theme "By The Sea". I chose to let "By The Sea" set the tone for my page. There are 40 players in this book. I started with 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. I painted a couple thinned out layers of acrylics in blue on the front and back of each sheet.

Next step was the fun part! I used a pipette to drizzle thinned down white Lumiere paint here and there. Then I sprayed Tulip Color Sprays all around then sprayed 70 % rubbing alcohol on top the color spray. The alcohol spray caused really cool water spots. Blotted.

The effect looks like you're looking into a pool of water, or a clear caribbean ocean floor. Or, at least I like to think so!!

I was able get 6 4x4 pages and 6 ATC's out of each sheet. Backgrounds done!

Next step was to gather my one and only fish stamp, source unknown, sorry! Gathered up purple, silver, blue and red embossing powders and stamp.

Added red embossing powder first on the center of the fish. I'm in love with red right now! Then mixed the other colors up and heat embossed:

I have the backgrounds complete, ended up with 40 good pages, and about 50 or so ATC backgrounds that will be traded at Art and Soul. Now the embellishing fun begins.....Stay tuned!!

Discover, Travel, Journey

Spoiler Alert: Tracey Read No Further!!!


I'm making a piece for my bff Tracey. I started with glossy cardstock, and went wild with alcohol inks. Repeat. On the second piece of cardstock I overstamped the ink with a fish stamp, whose origins are unknown to me. Like a lot of my supplies! I tore pieces of paper that Tracey brought me from London and adhered bits here and there. Then I stamped the words on the bottom of each piece, cut them out and gel mediumed them on top the other piece:

I got the idea for the compostion from a Somerset Studio magazine. I think it was "Inspirations", but I'm not positive. If I come across it I will credit the artist for her technique. I have hundreds of Somerset Studio mags, so that may take a while! Next step: added a wrapped chenille stem, a technique from Sherrill Kahn's book Creative Embellishments. We are working out of this book in my arttechniquesATCs yahoo group.

I'm going to adhere it somewhere towards the top:

Next step: adding wire bead's to the chenille stem, another technique from Creative Embellishments.
Wrapped wire around knitting needle, add beads, consult book for more info! Next step: adding beads to wrapped chenille stems.

Placement will be something like this:

Next step is to cut black mat board and mount. Add a copper wire for hanging. I'll post a photo when Discover, Travel, Journey is complete. This is my homage to Tracey and Frank's marriage, truly happy and filled with travels, journey's and discoveries. We should all be so lucky!

Yael Naim

It's weird when an artist that you have loved for awhile becomes the new "thing". Yael Naim became known to me last year. I was visiting anne's blog, admiring her amazing canvases, and listening to her eclectic music selection. I fell in love with Yael's voice. Now, she is the new "thing". My favorite song is now advertising an apple product. I'm going to keep "New Soul" as my first musical selection on my blog. But I loved it long before apple bought it. Nuff said.