Art for Me: Altered Book

I am one of those that rarely makes art for herself. Yes, I make art daily, but it always lands in the hands of others. While I enjoy mail art, trading and collecting etc, I have recently begun to feel a burnout heading my way. I think this is due, in part at least, to always giving away art that I have poured my love into, that I have bled for, that I have denied sleep for to other people. So to rectify this I have begun altering a book. It will be part art exhibit for me and part journal. The book is hardbound and entitled "The Middle Sister", which is quite appropriate as I am the middle sister (one of two) in my family. So here are a couple of spreads to feast your eyes on. Feedback--of the courteous kind--is welcome.

Gimme Your Stuff!

Heard of the Gimme Your stuff blog yet? I hadn't either until I stumbled upon it today! What a great idea and I am so down to play!

What I want:
Art supplies (fun paper, cool trinkets, etc)
Collage Materials (magazines, photos, whatever)
paperback books in foreign languages
fibers
candy
rusty bits and bobs
ATC's

What I got:
English paperback books
US candy
Mixed CD's
Art Materials
ATC's
almost anything from the west coast of the US, just ask!

I am excited to see where this goes!

Affirmation ATC's!

It's time to host another swap at ATC's For All! This time, instead of focusing on the dark, I am focusing on the light with a swap about affirmations. Called And Gosh Darn It, People Like Me! An Affirmation Swap, the purpose of the swap is to bring positive and uplifting thoughts into our lives.

How often are you mired down in negative thoughts about your self, your art, your family life? These negative thoughts can become ingrained into who we are and what we believe about ourselves and the world if we are not careful. The purpose of this swap is to make cards that affirm the positives in our lives and give us something to focus on when everything is in a tailspin.

The above is quoted from the actual swap post. If interested in joining click the above link and it will take you directly to the swap. Swap is only for 20 folks so sign up now! (You must be a member of ATC's for All to join, but registration is free, easy, and painless!)

Halloween Banners!

ATCsforall.com isn't just for ATC's. (Find out more about Artist Trading Cards/ATC's!) All sorts of mail art abounds within their cyber walls. A current swap that I am participating in is Halloween Banners! This was the fun idea of goatgoddess, a member of atcsforall.com. I couldn't resist signing up when I saw the samples she had displayed.

After much procrastinating I have finally finished my banners. Creating them was a lot of fun, and I am thrilled with how the textures came out with the tissue paper and embossing powder. One of the joys of mail art is finding your mailbox stuffed with art on any given day! I am impatiently wondering what my beauties will bring home!

Message In A Bottle!

WOOT! At gomakesomething.com there is a fabulous challenge going on. Called Message in a Bottle, the idea is that you sign up to take part and you will receive a plastic water bottle in the mail (yep, that's right!) filled with all sorts of goodies! Well, I signed up awhile ago and have been constantly checking to see if my name was among the ones of folks who were being sent bottles. I never saw my name on the list, but somehow, as if by magic, a bottle appeared this afternoon! Loaded with goodies all for me! In the bottle was scrapbooking paper, vintage ephemera, a hand carved stamp, a hand made book mark, beads and other fun things! Check out the photos! If you are interested in this challenge click on the gomakesomething link above!

Art and Dead Babies

So anyone who knows me knows I am into 'dark' art. So silly sounding when I type it out, but the truth is I like to delve into the macabre on occasion. One such occasion arose when a chunky book swap was held on my fave site atcsforall.com. The theme: Trick or Treat! What a better time to get a little creepy than a Halloween theme? So I went ALL out! This meant using mourning photos, which are real photos of dead people. That's right, they are dead and someone took a photo of them! The photos are from the victorian era and many of them are of babies. Creepy, right? Perfect for Halloween? So i thought. Until I posted pics of the chunky pages and received some strong reactions! Seems some folks don't like pics of dead babies. I can't imagine why not! I attempted to be respectful with my art, but at the same time I was def going for creepy. So, I'll let you be the judge. Did I cross the line?

Far Too Long!

That I have been away! But I am back! and the good news is I was gone making art! I have discovered a website called atcsforall.com that allows me to create and trade art with like minded folks. Unfortunately, it sucked me in and I forgot about this lil blog! I'll be better, I promise! to make it up to you here are some pics of my art! Most of them are ATC's with one chunky book page thrown in. The themes are varied but quite fun! Currently I am hosting a swap with Anne Sexton as the inspiration! This has led to some wonderful discussion amongst the players! I will make another post devoted solely to that swap as it nears completion in Sept!

Treasury!

Etsy has this wonderful tool called Treasury. Basically, if you happen to be able to snag a treasury (which is fuckin hard!), you get to 'curate' your own display of wonderful etsy items. Most people have a theme as did I for my very 1st treasury! My theme is Orange sun and blue sky. I love orange and blue together. They are an unbeatable combination. The picture shows a screen shot of my treasury. I think it is gorgeous! Feel free to check it out and check out all the other wonderful treasuries. There are some talented folks on etsy!

Crafty Friends!

I recently joined the The California Crafters Club of Etsy and posted on their yahoo group about wanting to meet Humboldt County crafters. And lo and behold someone actually responded! Today I am going to meet Velma of Color Bomb Creations for coffee. I am stoked to 1)meet another crafty person & 2)meet someone I've only spoken with online. She makes the most beautiful yarn. I think I need to come up with a project to use it cause it is so damn pretty! My hope is that, if we like each other lol, I can talk her into sharing a booth with me at The North Country fair this year and the craft fair held in Eureka in Nov. I wanna get the word out about my art and do it with other fun people. So if you live in Humboldt County (HC, hahahahaha) and make stuff write me!

So much to do!

I am a bit overwhelmed these days with how much my art has grown. I am working on 3 custom cigar boxes (see photo), a bigger piece for an art show at The Ink People in April, as well as adding pieces to my shop on a, hopefully, daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I am excited! To know that my work is appreciated thrills me and makes me blush. It also keeps me going on those days when I don't want to work. But I am also struggling to keep up with all that needs to be done. I should also mention that I work full-time as mental health case manager and I go to school part-time. I don't know how artists that are also parents do it! I am struggling just to keep my head above water as it is. Oh! But I love it! Isn't this what we, as artists, live for? To have our lives consumed by our passion? So I struggle, yet I am thrilled and inspired by it. Such a contradiction!