WHATS ON YOUR WALLS????

Come and play with me! I'm doing a "whats in your wallet" type challenge, but Altering it to "What's on Your Walls? Share with Blog Land what Art , Photographs, Porn (what? is that just my house??? teehee) Anything At All, that is hanging on your walls. Comment me that you are playing and I will post your offerings from your blog with a link. The first Room in The House We are Posting "What's on Your Walls" about is YOUR BEDROOM. Here are My Offerings: The first painting is "Isle of Capri". The artist is Karl somebody. I can't see the last name. Can you believe it? Hold on another chin hair sprouted.....Okay it's gone.


The next one is called "Betrothed". What you don't know is that underneath this print is my wedding portrait. Yup, didn't have the heart to get rid of it. So I picked this print out just because I liked it. As the framer and I were discussing options, which included a suede matt and antiglare glass, swoon, she told me the painting was called "Betrothed". The subject is staring at her engagement ring. Isn't it bizarre that I picked this? I thought it was meant to be at the time, so I went with it. The frame is the original from my sitting.

And Here is what is underneath:

Yup, that's me, 100 years and almost as many pounds ago. That was my real hair color. Chin hairs, bifocals, grey hair or extra pounds would not dare to approach that girl back then. The saddest part? I thought I was fat. Can you believe it??? What a waste of time. I should have been Kicking Ass and Taking Names. And now that I have the sense to Kick Ass and Take Names I can't raise my leg up high enough to kick anything and I can't remember my own name half the time. Wait, I'm getting a hot flash.......what was I saying??? xoSusan

P.S. NEVER mention THE HAT to ME. EVER.

Beeswax Virgin No More

This is my first attempt with beeswax, and it SUCKED. Why, you ask?? Because I used a cheap potpourri pot that did not get hot enough and the wax was lumpy and then the little tiny iron thing I bought was stupid and tres awkward to use and the hot air gun blew the wax and embossing powders all over the place. OK I'm done now. Anyhoo, this one needs a lot more work. I have this canvas, the red turq one I sneak peeked a couple posts ago and the altered cabinet card in the works. Plus, you should see the laundry pile. It is not pretty.

To be completely honest, I dabbled in beeswax during a nighttime ATC class at Art and Soul. It was my Least Favorite Class ever. Thats all I'm gonna say. I love the look of beeswax and I must conquer it or keep whining about it. Does anyone have any waxy hints, remedial reading materials or medication suggestions at this point????
xoSusan

Stand A Little Less Between Me And The Sun

Lone ATC just finished. Paper courtesy of my blog friend, Sherry. Gold embossing powder, gemstone stickers, chalk pencils and an Artchix transparency.Too lazy to look for origin of quote. I'll get back to you on that. What??? It's like Really Hot!! 90 degrees or something. Different style for me, I just really got inspired by the weathered look of the paper and the circles. And well, maybe The Heat.
xoSusan

Easter Card From Across The Pond

I received a beautifully rendered card from England yesterday. Anne Hopley is the artist and she is one exacting and inspiring stamper. Anne does not have a blog or web site as of yet. I am sure she will not mind if I include a link to some of her work : http://www.stampmagick.com.

Her work is amazingly precise. I am an artist that tends to be sloppy with my glues, powders and paints. I like to think that it's all part of my charm!!! Deluded Am I. ohhh sounds like an excellent title for an ATC.......Anyhoo, I am fortunate to have met yet another talented artist via blogging. And Anne, I'm still waiting for you to tell me what ATC you'd like to receive in exchange for this lovely card. I'll try and keep the glue blobs to a minimum. teehee xoSusan

Fred B. Mullett Haul

Here is my Haul from Fred B. Mullett. I had the hardest darn time narrowing down which stamps to purchase. I wanted to make sure I had some of my favorites to take with me for his June Workshop. Fred is one classy dude, note the positive/negative fern stamp he included free of charge. What a guy!! Can't wait for the class. Contact The Queens Ink for workshop info. Here is a closeup of the lace stamp used on an altered cabinet card. Not quite done with it yet so just showing a corner. We all know I am addicted to ATC's, paper, rubber stamps and now cabinet cards. Oh and chocolate. And men with facial hair that are incapable of loving me. Oh, did I type that out loud???
My next step for this card is covering it with beeswax which is not quite an addiction yet but the possibility is there. I'm thinking that the oil pastels will melt and move around though?? I'm a little nervous about that. I really like this one so far, don't want to mess him up. Any advice about the wax and oil interacting?? Thanks in Advance, xoSusan

Beauty and Calamity

Finished two more ATC's. Really into them since my daughter and I went to an ATC show at a local gallery. I will post about that this weekend or as soon as my lazy teenager downloads the pix from her camera. Oh, did I type that out loud??? teehee.


The first ATC quote is from W. Shakespeare, "Her Beauty and Her Brains Go Not Together". Say what you will about WS, he was one witty dude. Her image is from Blackberry Designs. She is yet another offering from my Elmer's Glue Debacle. If you look real close you can see where I pimped her up with some sparkly Stickles glue.

The next ATC is "Invites Calamity". No origin. Background paper from Sherry, again. Thanks Sherre! Gold Embossing, chalks, and Heidi Swapp index thingy.
I can't remember where I got the image of the woman. It's Rossetti's right?

xoSusan

More Shell Seekers ATC's

Having fun with the Shell Seekers. This first one I love for 2 reasons. Love the quote which is from "The Dark Bride" by Laura Restrepo. A book of magical realism. You will love, love, love it. How could you resist this saying??? How many of us are guilty of this, metaphorically speaking of course! The second reason I love this ATC is the background which came courtesy of my blogging buddy, Sherry. Isn't it lovely?
Next is "Profoundly Lonely" and I can't remember the origin of the phrase. Blame Menopause. Or just Men. teehee. On top of those collaged papers is dry wall tape! I guess it's called that, I found it in the garage. It is tacky, and the embossing powder stuck right too it! My current affair with embossing powders continues.....

Wow, subliminally or obviously, you pick, the combined message is: If you confuse shit with face cream you will end up profoundly lonely!!!! teehee. xoSusan

Woefully Ill Read ATC

This ATC starts with a page from "Wuthering Height's" left over from the "All Things Books Swap" I posted about previously. The phrase is from Zoe Heller's "Notes On A Scandal". And you thought I was this witty all by myself!! Nope, my inspiration comes from the written word and from Awesome Blues Lyrics. For example, how about "I'd rather be sloppy drunk than anything else I know". How funny is that, I can't make up this stuff. So here it is:

Notice he's reading a book titled "Love 101". yeah. I went there. teehee. xoSusan

Shell Seekers ATC's

Been pondering what to call this series of ATC's. I decided on "Shell Seekers". The female subjects in my work are usually seeking something, whether it be love, truth, wisdom, kindness or self knowledge. And the transfers are shells so, well, there you have it. The first one is "Harbors Quiet Desperation". The phrase is from "The Soul Thief" by Charles Baxter, a magnificent book.

Do you ever rediscover a tool or product in your studio? This week I fell in love with embossing powders again. I mix them like a mad scientist. I forgot about them for awhile. Shame on me! I layered this ATC using my home made paste paper. The next one is "Beauty always comes with Dark Thoughts."
I lost the origin of this quote. I will research and post later. My Bad. Again had fun with embossing powders and my favorite chalk pencils are evident in both ATC's.

xoSusan

Elmer's Glue Debacle ATC's

Remember my post a while ago where I told the story of overflowing the sink at work? The one in which I tried to make glue skins with Elmer's because I was trying to save money and not use Golden's Gel medium. And how by accident I got some cool water logged images out of it?? Ok nobody cares anyway, so I'll just get on with it. teehee. The first ATC I made using one of the resulting images from said debacle has a woman's fading beauty as the subject. Personally I am fascinated with this subject. Becoming middle aged for me has been really difficult. My head seriously still thinks I am young, cool and thin. I pass a window and go, who is that old broad and why is she wearing "comfortable" shoes??? Then I recognize my hair and think, Oh shit, why did I ever give up drugs and alcohol??? Just kidding. I haven't given them up. Just kidding again. So, I'll just end this diatribe with one more OVERSHARE: if I were on one of those Survivor type shows, the ONE thing I would HAVE to take? TWEEZERS. Nuff said. You know exactly what I mean, don't even try to deny it.
The fabric flower is courtesy of Robin, awesome blogger babe. Thanks for the inspiration! My last creation of the weekend uses a thought paraphrased from Jennifer Egan's book " Look At Me". It reads in total: " Mercifully, my flask was still full of tequila. I shoved it in my purse and gulped a little in the elevator, distressed to find that Despair had followed me there and was planning to chaperon me through the evening-or perhaps the rest of my life". Now how awesome is that?

Enjoy. xoSusan

Forgotten Etiquette

These are playing cards from my daughters childhood. They measure 5 x 3 ish. I gesso'd them and covered both sides with napkins featuring silverware. The napkins say Art in Motion on them. They are very cool. Oh yeah, I collect napkins, too. They count as paper, right? These quotes I made up in my head, not from a book. The spoons aren't attached yet. Haven't decided whether to use E6000 or a wire wrap thing. Ideas? I think I may add the word "sorry" to bowl of this spoon.
This series is called "Forgotten Etiquette". There will be more, oh yes, there will be more. On this one I used wax and then put some embossing powder on top. Very cool effect. Ohhhhhh, I love to burn things.

What do you think? Can't you just think up all kinds of crazy "Forgotten Etiquette"? um, or is that just me? uh oh........xoSusan

IRREVERENT ATC'S

Merriam Webster Definition:
irreverent
Main Entry:
ir·rev·er·ent
Pronunciation:
\-rənt; -vərnt\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin irreverent-, irreverens, from in- + reverent-, reverens reverent
Date:
15th century
: lacking proper respect or seriousness ; also : satiric
— ir·rev·er·ent·ly adverb
BEWARE
The following ATC's are irreverent. They are not politically correct. They poke fun. They will cause some to be insulted and some to laugh so hard they blow coffee through their nose. I apologize for nothing, except the coffee thing. That hurts. The first one is inspired by a bumper sticker I saw years and years ago:
This second one is a paraphrased quote from the book "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" by Ayelet Waldman. Here is the complete quote: "I was the atom bomb of desire, and they were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I could not spare time for mercy. I had a war to win." If that doesn't make you want to read her book, check your pulse.
Words inspire a lot of my work. I collect them along with paper and rubber stamps.
xoSusan

More Mask ATC's

I love these mask ATC's. I have never seen anything like them elsewhere, these are strictly my invention. As much as any book or art can be pure invention anymore, that is. I mean who knows if 20 years ago I saw something like this and it hitched a ride in my subconscious all these years only to resurface when I could recognize it and claim it as my own! This first one uses adhesive paper lace on the border. I colored it with portfolio oil pastels. The full quote is from Carol Shield's book "Unless" and goes like this: "Women have been hampered by their biology. Read Carol's work. That's an order. You will be enriched, very enriched.
I can't remember the origin of the quote from the next ATC. This is not the first time I have used it. It always sticks with me for some reason.

Check out that Gold Glass Glitter, courtesy of my blog buddy, Robin. Thanks again, girl, I am unbelievably attracted to sparkly things!!

xoSusan

Sneak Peak 2

Yup, thats all you get. hehehehehe
xoSusan

Robin's Gift

My lovely and talented blog friend Robin and I traded ATC's. Robin received one of my Fred B. Mullett Sea Urchin ATC's and I received "Nautilus" from Robin. She used a Wax Paper Batik technique combined with stamping and embossing along with charms and gemstones. Skillfully crafted, amazing attention to detail. Here it is:



The back is even wonderful, you can get a fuller view of her batik technique. Visit Robin's blog for details.

Check out this cool creation! I am so stealing this idea to make as gifts for Christmas. It's OK, Robin knows I'm gonna steal it, wait, if she knows, is it stealing???....Anyhoo, she painted coasters and attached post it notes that she stamped individually using a variety of stamps. Very clever. I found coasters at Micheal's for $1. Yeah I'm on my way to grand theft art.....

As if the goodies so far weren't awesome enough, she sent more!!!! Stamped fabric petals, glass glitter (that I've been dying to get my hands on) and lots of unmounted rubber!! The coolest designs, too. I'm really looking forward working with the clock and especially the chess pieces. Robin you Rock. Wasn't that a song? But I digress. Here's a pic of the goodies:


Thank you, Robin, lets trade again real soon!!!

xoSusan
PS Just so you know, I sent Robin some goodies too. I just can't remember what I sent!!

Art Techniques: Fred B. Mullett Finale

Behold the final swap with my ArttechniquesATC's yahoo group. Really lovely cards. I am kinda addicted to Fred's stamps now. I just placed an order on his web site and signed up for 3 classes with him at The Queen's Ink. I sent Mr. Mullett an email warning him that I was gonna vie for the position of teacher's pet and received a charming email in reply. So without further ado let me introduce you to the ATC's. The first one is by Rozsi Moser from MA. The scanner does not pick up the beauty of the embossing and the sparkly background. The second one is by group owner and contributing author in "Exploring The Latest Trends in Mixed Media Arts", Sherre Hulbert who hails from California. Again the metallicy paints are neglected by the scanner. Gorgeous color combinations.

And "Chrysanthemum" by Julie Bowman. Beautiful layering and embossing.

If you look a few posts back you can see my offerings. Very different from these. Mine were very pastel and beachy. So there you have it. An excellent and varied final swap from an excellent and varied group of artists. I was privileged to learn from each and every one.
xoSusan