February already ! Vintage and artsy writings.

Goodness time has flown yet again. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas-holiday ? It was nice and quiet here.

So I've been busier with my Etsy vintage shop , finally getting a move on and making a serious effort to list at least twice a week. It's very enjoyable going through my parents treasures ( the non-sentimental ones of course ) and then searching online for extra information such as years made, how they were made, value, etc...
Lately I've been listing their Booths Real Old Willow pieces. This is a pattern that, although it is lovely, it has never been a 'wow' pattern to me. I lean more towards Clarice Cliff- art decoish patterns and/or rich chintz with bright flowers and gold, or Japanese lustreware or designs like Blossom Time from Royal Albert. So I have no problem listing the Old Willow pieces and they're usually priced lower than what other sites ask --- just because, I'm like that :)

Here are some upcoming items:

First photo is a large figurine marked 'Unter Weiss Bach' Made in the German Democratic Republic.
My father gave this to mom one Christmas, she fell in love with it ( and I remember making a face when it came out of the box, thankfully my parents didn't see me lol ! ). This is not an item I would ever display, it's too gaudy and dust-collectory for my taste but I know there are many others who would LOVE to have it. So I've been researching and found a few similar pieces. My piece does have lace breakage though, in the front. See those two large flowers on her dress ? They were once earrings. My mom decided to remove the backings and glue them onto the broken lace. They kinda work don't you think ? Alas, a bit more lace broke off, to the left of the earrings. It's still a lovely piece and once I've found the right box, figured the correct shipping, took the right photos & picked a good price, it too will be in the vintage shop.
The second photo is of two vintage candle holders. I've not yet searched online, there are no maker's marks either. Right now I'm not sure about them. It depends on their value & demand and shipping cost too. If it's going to cost $10 to ship but they're only worth about $5, then I rethink the item and sometimes put it in the thrift shop pile. Maybe that's not the 'professional' way to think ? Oh well.
My mom discovered the thrill of thrift shopping when she retired and became a volunteer at one of our popular thrift stores back in the mid-80's, often bringing home 'stuff'...dust collecting trinkets, etc...I developed the thrill when I realised how many things could be transformed into art creations. I also enjoyed watching people when they found something for next to nothing, the joy in their eyes. That is another reason why I've donated some possible Etsy items to the thrift shop instead. I realise too the people who work there might take them home and resell them, if they can then good on them. It's all meant to be fun. Making money is a very nice bonus too and, yes, I do realise that if I was competitive then there'd be more in the bank but that's just the way I am. When I do make a sale, there's always a quiet word of thanks to my parents --I'm sure their spirits pop in every now and again to lend me a helping hand, especially with decision making.

Okay, now to my art shop . Ahhh my art, a permanent desire, a need to always create, a quiet insanity to find my niche ! Urgh !
So after looking around Etsy, again, I realise that what I need to do is find cohesion with my shop. My art is everywhere and I'm not feeling the love. What I am feeling is the strong desire to settle on the things I most enjoy making and to stick with.
I am doing a much better job of listening to the 'ol gut feeling and this gut tells me to stick with making art pendants. They are small enough to not cost a lot in shipping and I can still pretty much do whatever I want with them without having to upheave my entire art room just to find the right pieces for them, unlike the large altered art creations.
Did I just jinx myself ? Oh I bloody well hope not. It seems every time I find something to stick with....a few weeks later I'm dreaming about creating something totally different and, again, get into an art kerfuffle.
My aim is to create art pendants in a small variety of styles so I don't get bored. So far I've been using wood game tiles and Rummy tiles. Recently I purchased a few flat back glass cabochons and some lace edge bezel settings on which I plan to install paper collages. I want to keep the pendants simple without having to resort to buying bails or making fancy necklaces to go with them --as much as I do like those altered art necklaces and could make my own, they would, for me, create anxiety because I would be spending my time on every small detail, making sure it was perfect, etc...and I just don't need that anymore. That didn't sound right. What I mean is, I'm already creating a pendant which I'll be picky with. The thought of adding some fancy necklace to it will mean even more time being picky and that is mentally tiring. When you get mentally tired you usually end up wanting to move away from the thing that is tiring you. I've done that too many times and I'm tired of it ! No artsy fartsy necklaces but maybe some shiny ballchains, 24" long so they can be thrown over the head.
So, although I have great 'urges' to paint, to make aceo cards, to turn makeup compacts into miniature worlds ( and just as I wrote this I felt the urge again ), etc... I will have to push them aside, at least for awhile and concentrate on my pendants. When I fill my shop with necklaces, keep the backgrounds simple, make it look tidy, then maybe people will actually want to buy them instead of just liking them. Now that would be fantastic :) --but it won't happen while I'm here, so off I go.
Here's a pic. of the glass cabs I just got today from Delish Beads. Free shipping worldwide too, woohoo !!

Have a great day/week/month everyone. I'll do my best to keep you posted -- though, as some of you know, it may be awhile.

Oh, how could I forget: here's another reason why I haven't blogged much....Pinterest ! Oh my is that an addictive site indeed. Really, go check it out and pop on over to my boards too -- Tracy B.
♥♥♥

A fab new site for us artsy fartsy types !

Popping in quick to drop off the link to a great site for artists:

http://handmadeartistsforum.com/  ( I stuck their badge here on my blog, to the right and near the bottom )

I've yet to really look at it but so far I've seen areas to post photos of creations, various forums, selling help and so much more ! Can't wait to grab some quiet time, a hot cup of something and just peruse to my hearts content :)

What I'm Working on Right Now....

Hi everyone ! Always amazes me how time flies by. We've been busy with finishing up the gardening, the Halloween thing, family life, etc... and now here we are in that pre-Christmas, pre-holiday mode, with hot chocolate weather over here, and I'm looking forward to decorating woohoo ! --though I won't start until the beginning of December. I've a decorating project waiting to start, a tabletop thrift shop Christmas tree will be spray painted white, then I'll add some white mini lights and festoon it with lots of bright ball decorations. I got the idea from a recent magazine which showed off some unique trees, their large white tree with the bright ball decorations took my breath away ! Of course it was sitting in a much fancier hallway to add to the breathtaking effect ;) I just liked the look of the tree and will display it in our entryway, I'll take a before and after pic. for you.

So I have a few art projects on the go. For awhile I decided to stop making large altered art items, due to the higher shipping costs. After some time I decided to heck with what the shipping costs and just make what I love, what comes naturally to me. I'm a funny bunny, getting all concerned over shipping instead of thinking that someone might say "oooooh I really like what she's done and really want it ". If other's can list their large art pieces then so can I, so there !

Okay, here are a few shots of upcoming items. The first photos are of a pink plastic heart shaped music box I found in a thrift shop a few years back ( the lid was plain pink, I've since decoupaged the gold & floral paper ) with a cheap light pink felt lining which I've recovered with a real piece of velvet in fuschia.
Since Monday the box has been surrounded in red glitter, pink sequins, pink gel glue, glittered nest with a bird which I handpainted pink ( was orange ), pink blossoms on plastic green stems which I've flocked brown, vintage faux pearls, stars, glitter and more. I'll post the finished box in the next couple of days. It's gloriously gaudy !

The next project is much simpler, using a pretty pink mother of pearl-style cameo pendant around which I've attached pink rhinestones. I'm not yet sure what else I want to add, maybe a lush layer of lace ? We'll see :)

So now I'm off to make a nice cuppa tea. It's a blustery rainy day here, perfect for a big pot of hot vanilla chocolate, popcorn, a cuddly blanket and fun Christmas movies...maybe on the weekend. Until then I need to get these art projects done and find some vintage treasures to list in my vintage shop.

Take care all. I'll be back with shots of the finished projects ~♥~

New Art Pendant Listings

 My latest wearable art creations now incorporate both sides of the children's vintage game tiles I've been using for my last art pendants ( which have just one side painted while the back is left 'as is' ).
With these latest pendants you get twice the art, one side has a hand drawn or hand painted image, the other shows off a collage using vintage paper bits.

It's good to get back into my art again, the Summer was rather distracting --not that I minded of course ! So my goal is to create something every other day. Goodness, I will try my best ! It seems every few months I go off somewhere and let my art and Etsy shop slide. How will people get to see what I do if I don't stick it out & keep creating & listing grrrrr ! So onward I go with a smile in my heart and a dance in my step :)

Here's the reversible pendants, two so far. I hope you like them:

Left is 'Train Spotting', hand drawn steam train image using pencils and marker. Right is 'Lush', hand drawn flowers using pencils, markers and shiny black 3d paint.

'Train Spotting' collage uses a train image from a 1943 National Geographic magazine, numbers from a 1960's math workbook, 'train' from a 70's dictionary, backed with tissue & underneath that is a criss cross pattern from magazine. The 'Lush' collage shows a vintage greeting card rose, 'flower' is also from vintage dictionary, backed with pink handmade paper, fan image from vintage Victoria magazine and a slice of glittered paper.

Pendants arrive with attached large jump ring and slip knot black ribbon so you can wear it right away.
Original art, not prints. I've several of these 2x2 wood tiles left, can't wait to see what my brain conjures up next :)

Bored Monkey is excited ! --and my new banner :)

Good day all. Well I finally listed my first diorama necklace, woohoo ! It's called Bored Monkey, quite whimsical, a conversation piece.

 It took me much longer than hoped, but I had to make sure it was created properly. Instead of attaching a bail on to the back of this diorama ( because the backing is just magazine paper & sheet of plastic ), I drilled two holes and inserted some blue anodised aluminum wire to make a 'jump ring hanger'. It occurred to me a day later that the holes needed to be sealed ! Visions of a rain drop finding it's way inside the diorama & possibly causing havoc, oh no ! So I used my fav. awesome adhesive & then added 2 coats of more indoor/outdoor varnish. That should do the trick ! But I recommend this piece still be kept away from water --just to be on the safe side. He's in my Etsy shop with hopes of seeing more of the world & feeling less bored ;D

And here is my fresh new banner for my shop. Yes, it is kinda odd, but that's what I create so why not go all out ;) As much as I like to dream of a perfect neat and tidy shop, selling all the same items, well, ha-ha, I know that will never happen !

This is my banner from before:

Banners are quite easy to make, you just need a good picture editor and patience. Etsy asks your banner to be 760 pixels wide & 100 pixels high.

I use Microsoft Picture It ! Premium 10, it came with the Fuji Finepix camera I purchased over 5 yrs. ago. No it is not Photoshop but it does the trick for me. I'm not sure if Paint would work, you could try.

When I go into my Picture It program I first click on 'New' and then key in the size of what I want. Once that is done i can then go and find the pictures I want to play around with. I don't click the insert pic. button because it inserts the huge version of your pic. and can be a pain with resizing to fit a small area. Simply opening sep. pictures is better because then you can go and crop/change colour/resize/ etc... and then drag it onto your blank page ( or banner ). I tend to play going by the 'trial and error' method and, so far, it seems to work.

Making a banner for my Etsy shop is really fun ! I hope this new one represents my shop whimsiness and 'bazaar' feel.

That's it for today. I'm finishing off more tags, a pair of circus themed tags woohoo !

Look at what I got !! --and making a wrist cuff....

Isn't this gorgeous !? I just could not resist purchasing this beautiful Cottage Garden bracelet from here: www.kimmsmith.etsy.com Kim is the friendly creator of this & many other stunning bracelets. It even came with a free gift of matching earrings, how thoughtful :)

Just look at the colours of that bracelet, right up my alley ! And the flowers are so joyful, they'll definately keep me warm as the weather gets colder ( they're also a reminder of what I hope a part of our new backyard garden plot will look like next Summer ).

Please run over to Kim's shop, you'll love the lush variety of bracelets offered, won't be disappointed and her prices are spot on too.

Thanks again Kim for creating this stunning shot of sunshine :) ♥

Okay, so over the last 2 days I've been working on a wrist cuff. It seems they are rather trendy so I thought I might try to throw a few into my shop. But first I had to make a 'test' cuff to make sure it was going to fit correctly and close correctly.

The first cuff closure I used was a small lobster claw which would be attached to whatever jump ring necessary for comfort ( cuff goes from 6-8" ). I did not like the result. You pretty well need nails to open a lobster claw catch. Also, it was too small and I thought of those people who might have sore fingers, it would be a right off for them !

So the next closure you can see below, a large keychain ring where all you have to do is press the ring inward and attach to the other side. It could have worked had the keychain ring not been so stiff to open. But then I also noticed that if a person had a small wrist and used the keychain ring on the very first jump ring, the keychain ring would have to turn sideways which would bend the cuff awkwardly. So off it came.

Finally I chose what most other cuff makers use -- a button and elastic band closure. Off to the drugstore for a package of elastic fabric covered hairbands and then find my box of vintage buttons.

Well, it took me a wee while to sew it all on so it felt secure and the back was fully covered with a

layer of pink felt to hide all the stitching and provide a layer of comfort. Oh dear, I've gained a bit of weight and the band had to stretch just a tiny bit further than 8", but it worked, was a little snug ( a gentle reminder that I really do need to lose that 20lbs finally ! ) and definately wasn't going anywhere.

I could have used velcro but I find that after awhile it looks rather grody, besides, the vintage button makes it look prettier with a touch of 'old-fashioned' charm.

I've still to finish off the fabric flower edges to stop them from fraying ( maybe add a rim of golden paint ) and will cover the card flowers with a special glasslike gloss.

The materials used for this cuff: the base is a type of moire peachy-pink fabric ( fake I think or does it matter, will have to research a bit ), handsewn are card flowers from a greeting card, fabric leaves, beadwork, lingerie lace and a recycled glass rose pendant from one of my old bracelets.

Do leave a comment letting me know what you think of this cuff. My personal opinion: I like it but am not too keen on the wonky blanket stitching, maybe just use plain stitches instead. I need to figure out a way to attach the elastic band before doing the artwork ( did it the opposite way for this cuff, had to make sure the stitches didn't show ). Also, I'm not fond of peach, which is why this is a test cuff :)

New bRooChes for EtSy !

Woohoo ! Here are my newest fabric & felt brooch creations for Etsy: Bubble Tea, Cotton Candy Oddity, Ice, My Heart's a Flower and Blossom Blob ~~~

-My Heart's a Flower ( upper right ) was made using a slice of beautiful Japanese fabric my birthsister Angela gave to me, with addition of 3d bloom & a bubble encased single flower cut from same fabric.
-Bubble Tea ( bottom left ) consists of felt, acrylic paint & a gloss covered mix of beads
-Ice ( middle ) was made after observing the dreamlike interior of icecubes. Bits of rhinestone necklace, a chunk of local beach glass, vintage plastic beads, czech beads, sequins, glitter and real pink quartz spears.
-Cotton Candy Oddity ( bottom right ) has czech beads, pink fluff thread and a recycled piece of blue anodized aluminum
-Blossom Blob (upper left ) was made with some gorgeous cherry blossom fabric & embellished with felt blossoms, fuzzy balls & a plastic pink flower.

All with blanket stitching, all handsewn, lots of love and, as always, that wonky touch of whimsy :)

I'll be making a lot more, but I'm also thinking about trying my hand at painting ! Nothing huge, maybe 5x7 size. Images of things with flowers, maybe some collaging....let's wait and see what the gods of whimsiness place in my heart ♥

A BeauTiful ThaNk-You & CooKies with TeA !

Awhile back I found a lady online who makes beautiful altered art wonders. Her name is Kecia Deveney and she has a natural talent for creating things out of found objects, turning them into delicious shabby fun elegant ( and even Steampunk ) treasures, from necklaces to paintings to dollies with whimsical dressings !

You must, must, must check out her links - 2 fab. shops and 2 blogs:

-Etsy shop
'Lemoncholy's'
-Lovely blog
Lemoncholy's Flight of Fancy ( she's also posted her Facebook link )
-Her fab. shop of gorgeous eye candy for the body and soul
Lemoncholy's Studio
-Her other blog where you can find out about upcoming flea markets and other fun flea market delights:
Flea Market Junkture ( Kecia LOVES flea markets ! )

Kecia also teaches classes. If I were anywhere near her I would be one of the first to sign up !

We are friends on Facebook and I'm always looking forward to reading up on her latest finds and makings.
She had posted a picture of some found beach glass and so I decided to send her some of the beach glass my birth-grandmother had collected over 30 years ! Of course the parcel ended up getting stuffed with other wee fun finds too, couldn't help myself it was so much fun :)

As a thank-you to me, Kecia created a necklace using one of the pieces of beach glass I sent her. When it arrived I was so excited and thrilled at how lovely it was --and how much it means to me to be wearing something my birth-grandmother found with her hands ( she passed last year. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to meet her, if only twice and for a few short hours ).

The necklace came 'packaged' inside a most unique piece of art. It is so much like a mini quilt with wonderful stitching, lace, various fabrics and a sweet image of a child. I just love it and will proudly hang it in my art room, on the wall by my tv, so every time I look up it will always be in my line of sight :)

Thank-you Kecia for your beautiful treasures and for bringing joy to so many.

Isn't this necklace beautifully elegant ?
The child is part of a pocket sewn onto the 'quilt' piece, inside which was the necklace. Love the thoughtful details, such a delight
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After receiving Kecia's treasures I then popped onto Facebook to see any new updates. Another of my FB friends had spent the day baking a load of mouthwatering goodies.

Since it was raining today I too decided to bake something, something in which I could sprinkle some tea leaves !

I have well over 50 varieties of tea, in fact, I have my very own tea cupboard in the kitchen. It's stocked with boxes and bags of tea and all my tea accoutrements.

So, I decided to make whipped shortbread...an easy dough with few ingredients (butter,flour,icing sugar). I then divided the dough and in one portion I mixed the loose tea from 2 bags of Stash's Double Spice Chai & added a wee bit of cinnamon. In the other batch I added 2 bags of Stash's Earl Grey Green tea, some Formosa Jasmine and a handful of leftover milk chocolate chips. Yeh, I was feeling kindof adventurous lol ! Too impatient to let them sit in the fridge, I chose to make them drop cookies instead....

After approx. 13 minutes in the oven, they came out like this:

And after several bites, we decided the Earl Grey Formosa ones were the better tasting. The chai cookies were okay too but they left a wee bit of a bitter aftertaste. Maybe next time I'll bake some with freshly brewed tea leaves ?

That's it for today. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lovely new treasure to hang on my art room wall ( I'm wearing the necklace, had to put it on asap ! )...and then I'm grabbing a plate of cookies, some tea and my book for a few good minutes of quiet time.

Tracy ♥

My Heart Collective Charm Swap....

It was another hot day here today and is still very warm tonight. It was the kind of day where even walking in my barefeet...my feet were still sweaty, ick :P ( now there's a pretty picture to envision lol ! )

A short while ago I friended a wonderful artist, Julee Hermann, on Facebook. She was having a charm swap on her Heart Collective FB page. June 6 is the mailing deadline and I only had 2 charms to make.

Here you can see the 3 charms I created last year, using computer & jewelry bits, foil, glitter & a few vintage images/words. They were made using vintage wooden game piece tiles, there's 2 I put out to show you.
I first remove the shiny coating with sandpaper and then glue on the homeade bales. Sometimes I'll even glue a round mini mirror on the back --which I've done for these 5. The charms will each be different in designs but have the same base ( game piece ), mirror and bales ( even though 2 of the 5 bales will be blue instead of silver wire ).


Tonight I thought I'd show you how I made the last 2 charms --but I realised the pic. of the 5th. charm showed I hadn't finished the edges, so that one I will show you tomorrow :)

This charm I'm calling 'Starshine'. The silver glittery star was a perfect backdrop for the silvertoned rose earring bit. Game piece was painted black. A vintage Kodachrome slide is a nice neat addition.

I then created my version of a starfield by dabbing drops of white paint and then spattering with a wet paintbrush on both tile and slide. Once dry I brushed on a thin layer of satin varnish and then sprinkled on a touch of holographic glitter

Slide edges were painted black and then all was glued in place and more dabs of white paint, spatter and glitter added. Although mostly concealed, you can just make out the ever so slight 3d effect from the 'stars' on the game piece shining through the slide.

Gloss varnish finishes it off, not quite dry in this pic.

Check back tomorrow to see the 5th. charm, my most favorite one :)

Our Gear for Video Games Live tonight @ 8pm, woohoo !!

I am sooo excited !

Tonight I'm taking our son Christian and myself to see Video Games Live !! It's a worldwide show where symphonies ( here it's our wonderful Victoria symphony ) perform music from the more popular video games of today and yesterday. Scenes from games play in the background, there are laser shows and sometimes even live performances from actors reenacting game scenes.

This is the kind of show where dressing up as your fav. video game character is 'the norm', but we won't be dressing as any characters. Instead, Christian made a computer collage of two of his fav. Resident Evil teams, which he then ironed onto a fresh black shirt, along with another Res. Evil image on the back. Looks really sharp !


I made myself a shirt too :) Instead of a scene from a game I just printed and ironed a wonderful raven and then placed 'Mechanical' above it ( actually I was going to put 'mechanical chicken' found from a 1950's Popular Mechanix magazine ( it was an egg vending machine they were talking about ), but then I wondered if people might mistake it for me being a chicken of mechanics, so just mechanical it was.
On the back is the wonderful 'rock,paper,scissors,lizard,Spock' diagram created from The Big Bang Theory --my most fav. show of all ! I am a big fan of Sheldon :)
It might be a bit of an odd shirt, but I like odd !


Here is my Resident Evil 2 necklace, just finished today. It's a shrinky dink pendant with red glass beading to look like blood droplets. Really loved making this, might make more for my shop.

Finally, Halo earrings !! Such a fun game. The real swarovski crystal drops give them a wee bit of elegance.

Well gotta go and get ready. We're heading to town around 6 so we can find a parking close to the theatre, don't want to be walking around town at night. Might grab a bubble tea and snack, there will probably be some fun stuff to do outside the theatre.

Woohoo !!

Finally Listed These 2 New Brooches :)

These felt brooches have been a hoot to make ! The first one is called Popeye the Pink Bunny, a whimsical and shabby wee pink felt bunny dude. His eyes and nose are vintage, glitter on his mouth and he sports a tiny red heart brad ( which can easily be removed if you want ). I named him Popeye because of the way I attached his eyes. Instead of poking the floss through to the back of the brooch, I decided to attach them in a shabby fashion, wrapping the thread around the base a couple of times so the eyes would stand (pop) out.

The 2nd. brooch, called Bliss, is a crazy mix of colors and beads and all started when I noticed the Bliss sticker in a package of K&Company stickers I'd purchased from Michaels.
To attach the sticker to the felt, I just stuck it on and then hand sewed the edging with beads and sequins. A vintage earring ( bottom right ) was glued to the corner and attached with more handsewn beads, including a vintage shimmery pink swarovski rivoli. There are other vintage attachments, edging was painted with Lumiere and the entire piece was handsewn onto the vintage cardboard backing from a frame ( you can even hang it up by the metal triangel. Just have to gently pry it away from backing ). Oh yes, there's a bit of polyfill stuffing to give it more depth and pull away from the sharp frame corners.

I really enjoyed creating these brooches but I think I'll stick to making the shabby whimsical animal ones for now. The Bliss brooch and Magnificent Marilyn brooch are enough for now. I tend to go overboard at times instead of sticking with my first idea. Here it was to create small brooches and I end up with Bliss and Marilyn. That doesn't mean I won't make these kinds ever again, I just want to stick to things that are whimsical and small.

My next felt brooch...not yet sure, but it will be silly :)

Forgot to point out, the Bliss sticker was varnished twice and then covered with Triple Thick gloss gel to make the sticker 'bendy'. Of course, the brooch is not meant for wet weather because everything else is not sealed ( it could have been done but would have made the piece look plastic ).

Doodles to ACEOs, I've got the fever !

Hello everyone :) May I suggest you DON'T overindulge on Smokehouse Almonds ? I had a few too many on Wed. and my oh my, Thursday morning 6 a.m. came super fast and I was sick all day, blech ! I'm guessing my body couldn't handle all the salt and that I was bad and didn't drink any water. It was quite a gross feeling but I'm back to feeling about 98% normal ( the tummy is still making a few weird gurgly noises but thankfully that's all it's doing ).

Anyhooo, thought I'd show off what I've been doing the last few days. You've already seen my 'doodling' in the previous post and I'm showing them off again. I've decided they look more like ACEOs than doodles and have changed the section in my Etsy shop from Little Doodles to ACEO Doodles ( or something like that ).

And there's another one here that is unfinished, called 'Fly My Love'. For this one I'm going a little further than my markers and adding a touch of acrylic paint with a wash effect. It should be done by Monday ( weekends are for the family ).

Pricing these little art pieces is difficult. And that I am not one of those artists who can paint lifelike or has art certificates/awards on my walls, well, confidance needs to kick in big time. Oh sure, the people/animals I draw have a very juvenile look but that is the way they come out for me.

It's all about the fun tho, the colors, the energy they create. Just like my Charmblies and shrink collages, they are made with joy, with life, and more will be gracing my Etsy shop :)

How about a cupcake with free images ?

Good day all ! Here are a few photos for you to use in your art or wherever. Clicking on them will take you a larger version --just right click and 'save as'. If you do use them in your art, then would you be so kind and post a link so I can see the finished product ? I love seeing what people do with images :)

It was my birthday on Saturday woohoo ! My dear husband, son and I decided to head out on a short road trip. The weather was a bit soggy so we only drove up to Duncan B.C. I was looking at the mountains and wondered aloud if we could find a road to drive up one of them. We ended up on a wonderful back road that felt like we'd gone back in time, some of the houses were so old looking and one in particular made me think of the Crooked Man Who Lived in a Crooked House. This house was literally 'tilting' in the front lol ! There were cracks, the paint was peeling, and earlier there was a little dog laying on the front step, wonderful !
Feel free to use this photo in your art. I know I will :)

Here's a shot of Duncan taken from Mt.Prevost. Of course everything looks so much farther away in real life. Free to use.

This shot was taken half way up the mountain. I love it's mystery, how there could be something hiding in there, looking out at us. Feel free to use in your art :)

And finally, I couldn't resist taking a shot of the rich cupcakes one of my dear friends brought over. Her outfit even matched lol ! The frosting was oh so thick and GOOD ! There's one left, on the counter, in my field of view, and I'm being a good girl to not eat it. My dear husband is taking a nap. I could take it and make up some excuse. Oh I won't, I'll just have one of the almond tarts leftover ;P

Latest project & new delights

My car needed it's checkup yesterday, so while it was getting done I decided to walk to downtown and checkout my 2 fav. shops in Chinatown. Oh my such a pretty mug, had to add to my ever growing tea mug collection. This one sports a lid to keep in all that lovely hot flavor AND a removeable infuser for the loose tea, handy and pretty :) The pennant was found among many other glittered pennants, but they sported children and fans, I fell in love with this glittery koi one. Had to get some lucky money envelopes too, they're going to be used for some special treasurers. After that it was a refreshing walk back in the wind, grabbed a Tim Hortons latte, read my book for an hour and then got the car.

Today I worked on one of my Etsy ideas, a whimsical paper dolly which I plan to make more of and use with my other ideas. I think my 'ideas' are coming together nicely and I'm hoping to get 'them' listed within 2 weeks. Think 'whimsical' 'cute' 'fun'.....

Day to Day Joys I'm Thankful for....

The kitchen window is one of my fav. places to be in front of. The scenery wakes me up & ready for the day ahead, the birds flitting to and fro in the trees, the lone squirrel perfectly balanced on the chain link fence with a found treasure in its paw or mouth. Every season is easily seen and enjoyed immensely. I'm thankful my eyes can take in this beauty and never tire of it.

After breakfast I usually make a pot of tea, today it was Raspberry Earl Grey with a bit of sugar and hint of skim milk, very yummy :) That's one of my many fav. big mugs and my dear moms teapot and kettle. I'm thankful to enjoy the taste of this satisfying sweet delight and to share it with my husband, son and friends.

The plate is dinner size and was one of those things I really did not need, but I LOVE cardinals and couldn't resist ( besides, it was on sale ). We don't have cardinals here on Vancouver Island, yet they've always been such a beautiful eye-catching bird. Other fav. birds are ravens/crows/chickadees/owls/finches and many more. The Albatross is another one but none over here. I'm thankful to have this fluffy flitting wildlife around me, even if a few of these birds can only be enjoyed in pictures.

My journal, recently purchased from one of my fav. stores in Sidney B.C. ~Cameron Rose~ . The artist & designer is ~Anahata Joy Katkin~ another favored artist, I even purchased a slice of her pink blossoms & birds wrapping paper which is going to be made into a magnet board.

Usually I don't create with the need for drawings, etc...but when I saw this beautiful journal, well I could not resist. Now it comes with me almost everywhere ! I've actually drawn ideas, written ideas, thoughts and more. I find plain paper tends to kill off the urge to create, but now this book has greatly helped bring art back to life :) The glittery blue pen was a gift from a sweet friend, goes so nice with the journal. I'm thankful to be able to write and draw out my feelings, to keep something of me to pass on to my son and his family.

These are just a few things I'm thankful for.......what about you ?

More of my favorite things....

Somerset Studio, Victorian Papers and Victoria are 3 of my favorite magazines. Victoria magazine stopped publishing a couple of years ago but then they brought it back, yay ! But I have yet to buy any new copies yet, perhaps after our move.

Victoria Magazine

Victorian Papers came from the Victorian Trading Co. that sells all things Victorian. Lovely romantic bits, bobs, trinkets, papers and clothing...ooh la la. Here's the link to check out their treasures and you can order a free magazine too ! ( and yes, I do use some of the images in my art ):

Victoria Trading Co.

And of course there's Somerset Studio. I splurged and also got their Somerset Life, such delights to delight everyone's eyes. Lots of wonderful altered art treasures and they even include free art papers for you to try in your own creations.

Somerset Studio

I couldn't resist showing off my collection of crystal perfume bottles my dear husband brought back from his navy excursion to the Gulf a few years ago. He went to many ports so I can't remember exactly where he got them from (!) --I'll ask him when he gets home from work. I'm going to guess that they came from Dubai where he visited several 'Souks' ( arabic markets ). One souk sold only gold, gold everywhere ! Shops and their windows lined with gold jewelry, from rings right up to exotic jewelry for elephants. He said the shine from the gold was very brilliant. Then he visited a silver souk and a spice souk ( brought home bags of wonderful rich spices --cinnamon, clove, tea masala (what would be used in chai tea, my fav.) ).
The shop where he got the perfume bottles was a place to buy scented oils, and then they would supply you with the bottles if you wanted them. Not seen in the photo are 6 other much smaller and plainer bottles with simple golden caps, each with a faux colored jewel embedded in the lid.
My most favored bottles are the pink ones and the blue one. The silver bottle had a minaret on top with a little crescent moon, but alas it broke off :( I still consider it another favorite bottle.
The oils inside each bottle are really lovely, from fruity to famous scents ( one smells like Chanel No.5 ). There's also one with a soft vanilla scent.

I love these treasures from afar. For now the bottles are kept in a dark place so the oil won't spoil. Once empty I plan to line them up in a sunny window.

The big bottle behind belonged to my mom. I believe she had it before I was born, don't you love that vintage label ? And yes the soaps are original but their scents have long gone. I could empty it and replace with something prettier...not ready to do that just yet.

Beach glass and other romantic findings

Isn't this glass just gorgeous ! And this is just a 'sample' too ! My grandmother used to be an avid collector of beach glass, wandering the beaches on Dallas Rd. and picking up whatever caught her eye. I was told she has 30 years worth of glass and there are even more bigger buckets at her home !
*Fyi, my grandmother is my birthfathers mom. She carves dolls, does asian and regular painting, a very creative and wonderful person. She's even glued bits of the beach glass to the outside of her 'glitter home' --one of those 1950s homes that have outside walls of little rocks that glitter ( getting more rare to find ).
But now she is in a care home and she does have some of her treasures with her, thank goodness. What I would like to do is fill a plastic jar with some of her beach glass so she can play with it whenever the mood strikes. I may also fill a pretty glass bottle with some too and add water to give the glass a soft effect, something she can put on her window ledge and would look lovely with the light shining through.





My new birth family is full of artistic folk and I'm happy to be one of those artistic types too :) It seems many of us have the magpie syndrome where we just have to collect things, whether from the beach, ground, forest, if it catches our eye then we swoop it up.
Here is a small sampling of some of the treasures I've found over the past years. Much of the larger china pieces and a few larger glass bits were found under the bushes in a dirt pile on a beach just down the road from us. I believe there was once a farmhouse on the cliff and when it was taken down 'they' simply pushed a lot of the leftovers over the edge. Somewhere I also have a few old porcelain spark plugs and more china/glass bits. Over the years the dirt covered it up and every now and again the rain brings some of these lovely treasures back to light.
Last time I was there was last summer, so I've got to get back there soon ! This time I'll wear gloves and bring something proper to dig with ( small trowel ), because sticks don't quite work. It's also great that you're partially hidden so no one else can really see what you're doing :)
The only thing I don't enjoy about finding these treasures: I want to use them in my art and then list in my Etsy shop, but another part of me is reluctant to sell them. Sigh.