I've got mail!

Hello, Friends--

Is there anything better than getting snail mail? Why, yes, there is--getting mail art!

Recently, I took part in Lenna Young Andrews' "A Summer's Day" postcard swap. I have been collecting postcards for about 40 years now (OK, I'm definitely giving away my age now) and am always happy to add more to my rather large collection. I've taken part in Lenna's swaps before and have been more than pleased with what I have received. The challenge was to make three postcards using the medium of our choice, and complete the phrase "A Summer's Day Is..." on the reverse side. I decided to hold my nose and jump into the water!

I received my three postcards yesterday and today. First into the mailbox was  Cynthia Zdanzukas' fun and flowery card, titled "A Summer's Day is cooled by shady trees."

Cynthia's card incorporates vintage sheet music, fabric flowers, and an image of that good, old-fashioned American pastime for kids in summer: bicycle riding! Cynthia, thank you so much for sharing your vision of a summer's day with me!

 Next, I received a swimming-themed card from Val Cowan in Scotland. Complete with stitched edges, a metal fish and some very cool watery images, Val says, "A summer day is a day for swimming!" I couldn't agree more. Thank you, Val! I'm pleased to add your card to my collection.

And finally, Marion Bockelman of Munster, Germany, has made a postcard to be remembered, just like her summer's day! Two Victorian ladies and three large seashells adorn the front of her card, along with nostalgic rubber stamping. To see more of Marion's artwork, visit her blog at www.bockel24.blogspot.com. Marion, thank you very much for your card!

Thank you again, ladies, and thank you, Lenna, for hosting this swap!

Until next time, stay well, and stay dry!

Farewell to summer

Photo courtesy of morguefile

Dear Friends,

Just a quick post to mark the "official" end of summer.  The weather may stay warm for a few more weeks, but I can see fall foliage colors popping up here and there.  The birds no longer sing at 4 a.m.  The sunrise is changing, and sunset comes earlier.

I've even needed a light jacket on evening walks.

As long as I can remember, Labor Day has marked the return to school.  Kids go back to school earlier nowadays (I believe it has something to do with snow days).  Do you remember watching the Jerry Lewis telethon?  I would slump in front of the television, as Jerry, exhausted and growing more disheveled in his tux as the hours slipped by and the money poured in.  The closer we got to the end of the telethon, the closer I was to the dreaded start of school, which I viewed as a condemned person would view their execution at dawn.

I wasn't a popular child, though I longed to be, and tried to be.  I was bullied right up until the day I graduated from high school.  But every year, I hoped it would be different.

I'll never forget my sophomore year, when I got contact lenses to replace my Coke-bottle glasses.  I worked all summer babysitting to earn the money for them.  I got a new haircut for the first day of school.  On that fateful day, I walked up to a girl in the class ahead of me, one of the popular, in-crowd girls, and said, "Hi!"  She turned and said, "Oh, hi, Sandi," then turned away indifferently.  I was crushed.  Somehow, I thought that I looked totally different--unrecognizable--possibly even pretty--without my glasses. 

No dice.  Oh well oh well oh well, as Jack White once said.

Anyway, that's all water under the proverbial bridge.  Here I am, more than three decades later, trying to make a new start again.  The job search goes on.  I am trying to sign up for a class at our local community college to sharpen my skills.  I've been working on art for my proposed Etsy shop.

I hope this autumn holds some hope and fresh starts for you, too.

And if you're feeling down, just remember:  At least you don't have to go back to high school in the morning.

Blessings to you--

A Little Late Posting

Dear Friends,

I've gotten a little behind in posting my ICADs for the past week.  I finally finished up the seaside paper bag books I was making for my mother and a friend, and am trying to take photos (or rather, get my husband to take photos) of some Somerset Studio back issues that I will be selling in one of my Etsy shops.   I'll be sure to let you know when they are ready to be sold, in case you are interested.

Also had to deal with a dead mouse in the kitchen and sadly, a dead egg in my front yard, which was the inspiration for the August 16 ICAD.  I always cry when I find dead animals and I feel sorry for road kill.  What can I say?  I am a true softie.

The poor little egg was cracked, and I could see the dead baby bird inside.  We've been having some storms lately, and it must have blown out of a nearby nest.  Hubby and I buried it in the front yard.

Numbers.  Materials used:  vintage text pages, Tim Holtz stickers, Heidi Swapp decorative tape. 

Butterfly.  Materials used:  Vintage text page, Ranger Distress Stain, transparencies. 

Black Background.  Materials used:  Black ink pad, Sakura Gelly Roll glitter pens, Sakura Glaze pens. 

ICAD for Aug. 14.  Materials used:  Scrapbooking paper, Faber-Castell Gelatos, transparency.

ICAD for Aug. 16.  Materials used:  Watercolor with salt effect , ephemera, Glaze pen.
The text on this reads: "These birds are very sad. Their egg fell out of the nest and broke.
And their baby died." 

We are expecting another big storm (Irene) and I hope all the little creatures out there are safe!

Till next time--have an artful day!

The Newest ICADS

Hi, Friends,

This will be a quick post, with my latest bunch of  ICADs.  I confess that I have not kept up with them every day.  I do try to make up for the days I've missed.

I've had some rough times these past few weeks, mostly about my struggle to find a job.  I've had a few interviews, but nothing has worked out.  I try not to complain on this blog about my personal life.  I want to keep it focused on my art.  But at times, I am very, very afraid about the future.  I don't qualify for any further unemployment compensation benefits, and I do not qualify for public assistance.  I'm overqualified for most clerical jobs (I was a secretary for 13 years) yet I don't seem to be qualified for a "better" class of jobs.  I can't lie about the fact that I earned a bachelor's degree--in fact, I'm damned proud of working through night school to earn one.  So, I feel rather stuck at the moment.  There have been many tears and hopeless thoughts.

But I keep trying.

Art is one of the only things that is getting me through it all.  That, and my pets, friends, and family.

So, without further adieu, here are my cards.

Le Lapin.  Materials used:  Pencil

Bubbles.  Materials used:  Rubber stamp, Faber-Castell Gelatos and Big Brush Pens.

Green.  Materials used:  Stickers, mulberry paper, paper leaves, sewn scrapbook paper.

Map.  Materials used:  Scrapbooking paper, transparency, image from my collection, postage stamps.

Stripes.  Materials used:  Images of Jack and Meg White (a/k/a The White Stripes), UPC code, various ephemera, PaperMate Permanent Markers. 

Owls 2.  Materials used:  Scrapbooking paper, ephemera, image from Alphastamps, faux postage from Artchix Studio, tissue pattern paper. 

Patriotic.  Materials used:  Vintage postage stamps, Faber-Castell Gelatos, vintage text from atlas. 

Postage Stamps.  Materials used: Vintage postage stamps, Faber-Castell Gelatos.

Pear.  Materials used:  Colored pencils.  This is a freshly picked pear, one of a bunch my husband picked.  Our pets have really been enjoying slices of these fruits of summer (as well as the branches and leaves from the tree). 

You'll notice I've been using a lot of postage stamps in my ICADs.  I plan to do a post on postoids, or faux postage, very shortly.  I've been creating some of these stamps in Photoshop Elements, and having a lot of fun.

Until next time, take care and stay cool--

The latest ICADs

Dear Friends,

These past few days, I have been feeling as though I want to run away from home. My leg pain is still here, I've been having troubles with some nutty neighbors, and the unemployment blues are ever-present.

One thing that's helping me cope are my ICADs. The challenges are getting to be a bit more difficult, but if I don't find any of them inspiring, I make up my own composition. It's all about freedom.

And so, without further adieu, here are my latest cards.

July 12:  Materials used:  vellum cutout, found text, scrapbook paper, various scraps. 

Pink and White:  Materials used:  Washi tape, Japanese paper, scrapbooking paper, postoids, postage stamps, punched shapes.

Documentation:  Materials used: Actual documents from package from Japan (I ordered washi tape).

Ruler:  Materials used: Tim Holtz stickers, British postage stamp, vintage text, Tintz walnut ink.

July 8:  Materials used: Background from B-Muse, found image, vintage text. Walnut ink background.

Window:  Images from Paper Whimsy and from flickr collage image group; Faber-Castell Gelatos.

Library Card:  Materials used: Found image; vintage library card.

July 13:  Materials used:  Punched leaves, vintage sheet music, image of child, background papers.

Hope you enjoy them! Here are some links to others' cards. As the summer goes on, I am being wowed by so many others' work.

• Cornflowerblue17 on flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27791499@N08/sets/72157626872897064/
• The Handmade Amoeba's cards:  http://amoebahandmade.blogspot.com/2011/07/half-way-celebration-with-zig-drawing.html
• And, Luthien's cards: http://www.luthien.org/wordpress/?p=3487

Also, you might want to check out this swap from Lenna Andrews. Since seashells and the ocean have been on my mind a lot lately, I'll bet you can guess what my postcards will feature! There are still spaces available in the swap (limit is 50) so head on over to Lenna's blog and sign up.  Her swaps are a lot of fun and you will receive lovely, quality artwork in them.


Till next time--have a wonderful day!

I'm Psyched!

Dear Friends,

I am so thrilled! My Feather ICAD card was included in one of Daisy Yellow's Mosaics as No. 14.  I feel like I did when I was in grammar school and one of my photos was pinned on the school bulletin board. Or when I was a teenager and my mom taped one of my charcoal portraits of Debbie Harry on the refrigerator along with my little sister's drawings. 

I am still doing my index cards, and will have a new bunch for you a bit later.  The sciatica that's been bothering me for over a week now has slowed me down a little. Plus, I've been working on a paper bag book through a class I took with the lovely Sarah Whitmire through Joggles.  My book has a seaside theme.  Lately I've been obsessed with seashells, coral, and the ocean (I do so wish I could visit the sea this summer).  Joggles offers excellent online classes, as well as tons of luscious supplies.

I'm also working on other online classes, including Martha Lever's Color Drop Flowers, which I started way back in May (OK, I'm a slow crafter), Liv Lane's blog class (see the badge at right), and Gina Rossi Armfield's Daily Sketchbook Class (I am pleased to say I won a place in the class!).  I won't even go into the various UFOs I have lying around the art room!  I am hoping for my birthday, I will get to take Jane Lafazio's Sketchbook and Watercolor on location class at Joggles.  I've always wanted to keep a watercolor sketchbook, and maybe this class, combined with Gina's, will give me the impetus to do so.

Anyway...enough of my nattering on.  I'll be back later with some artwork.  In the meantime, stay cool in these warm temps!

It's All in the Cards

Hi, Friends,

This will be a quick one, as I am sorry to say I am suffering from sciatica at the moment, and sitting at the computer for any length of time isn't easy.  But!  I wanted to share with you my latest batch of ICAD creations.  I hope you like them!

Feather:  Materials used: tissue paper, sticker, flash card, paper lace tape, scrapbook paper, rubber stamped image. 

Colored Pencil:  Materials used: colored pencils (of course!), washi tape, vintage image. 

Collage:  Materials used:  Vintage image, paper scraps, paper lace tape.

Magic Marker

Acrylics:  Materials used:  Ranger acrylic paints, scrapbooking papers. 

Masking Tape:  Materials used:  Ranger acrylic paint background with washi tape.

Caran d'Ache:  Materials used:  Caran d'ache Neocolor II water soluble crayons. 

Till next time,

New ICAD cards

More index cards for Daisy Yellow's ICAD Project.  I am really enjoying this project, and I'm developing a daily art practice.  I've always had difficulty doing art on a daily basis. Like New Year's resolutions, I would have the best of intentions, but would somehow drop the ball.  Maybe I'm able to keep up with this because I'm letting go of the outcome, not overthinking the process and just trying to have fun and use some of my hoarded art supplies.

Blues.  Materials used: Gesso, Faber-Castell Gelatos, decoupage tissue paper, vintage dictionary page, vintage bird image. 

Freedom.  Materials used:  Japanese paper, found image, vellum, Faber-Castell

Big Brush Marker. 

Linen:  Pencil on index card. 

Rust.  Materials used: Image by Artchix Studio, paper flowers, rhinestones, paper from 7 Gypsies and DCWV, Tim Holtz Tissue Tape. 

Summer.  Materials used: Image from flickr.com, gel pens, decoupage tissue paper. 

Owl.  Pencil sketch on index card. 

Off the Page.  Materials used:  Rubber stamp, Distress Ink dauber, vintage egg and bird image, page from vintage women's medical dictionary. 

Visit these other ICAD participants:

• Art with kids at The Color Palette
• Nathalie Nayer at http://nathalienayer.blogspot.com/2011/06/cockerill-sambre-index-card-5.html
• The colorful work of sirens_idyll at http://m.flickr.com/?done=1&id=5778820990&magic_cookie=e55e5c84cfdb5d8c63616f1c02a9a358&title=&description=#/photos/sirens_idyll/sets/72157626774355301/