AEDM -day 20

I don't do a lot of preparing for Thanksgiving.  Although I enjoy the day spent with friends and family, my responsibilities are few.  I set the table but Dan does all the cooking and preparing the turkey, etc., friends bring side dishes, my youngest son bakes the pumpkin pies.  So, I just sit back and enjoy the day.

However, the arrival of Thanksgiving heralds the arrival of a holiday that does take LOTS more prep time for me....Christmas.  I love decorating the house and making new centerpieces and/or mantel decor.  I make gifts; I shop for some gifts; I bake (only a little); I make cards.  I'm a busy bee.

This year I've started my gift making with making this little wreath for the boys to hang in their apartment so they have just a little something seasonal.  The only thing I bought was the wreath form (a 24" $6 wreath at Michaels) and everything else I had from years of gathering Christmas doodads.  So, about 15 minutes of my time yielded a seasonal but not too cutesy or girly wreath for them.  Hooray, one down!

I salvaged the big bird from a live wreath given to us a few years ago and kept saving it for ..... something.  I know you all understand - it was just too cool to toss.  A bit of remnant ribbon (I have bins of it!), a cut up sparkly green pick, some cones and cinnamon and I was done.  First time I've fired up the glue gun in a while and it was fun - I wanted to make 5 more!

I'm sharing this in AEDM (art every day month) and hope you'll take a minute to visit some of the other great links over there.

AEDM -day 19

Today I'm back to double duty - I'm continuing my AEDM efforts (pretty successfully I might add!) and completing the Diva Zentangle challenge for this week. (#48) as well as a catch up one #18 (still have a ways to go on these make up ones).

Laura asked Sue Clark to come up with the theme and it's "String Theory: Tri-Shapes" meaning that we're to use a circle, triangle and square as our string.  Also, if we wanted, we were to use tangles that we don't usually use.  Now THAT is a challenge!

Tangles, top:  Chillon, Purzue, Parch, Cirquital   Tangles, bottom:  Purk, Unyon, no name in the triangles by Carolyn Boettner

This was a fun challenge and the possibilities are SO endless.  Want to see more?  Be sure to visit I am the Diva and click through some of those links.  You'll be amazed and inspired!

My two tiles representing eggs - fun to do and pretty simple, but used Prestwood in the lower tile and it's one I've struggled with - this one seems okay.

Every Saturday Artists in Blogland provides a place to recap your creative week.  If you are still needing an art fix or want to meet some new bloggers, be sure and visit all the links there.....

AEDM -day 18

Photo Art Friday is back and I love participating here because I really try to do something different and bold and totally away from my 'norm'.  Sometimes I can't even tell if I like it yet, I just want to try new techniques, new textures and play with the million things PSE can do.

This week we're supposed to share one of our fave techniques and show our work flow.  Well I haven't really been adding textures long enough to have a favorite; every week is a new experiment.  Here's this weeks experiment:

Started with this, a photo of rusty machinery - I liked the colors and general shapes:

This time I really wanted to try to create something totally abstract but starting with these basic shapes.  I cropped and straightened it then went to the PSE filters and added a layer of palette knife and underpainting to give the whole thing a more 'painterly' effect.  I also added the netting in the bottom corner from my digital scrapbooking stash.  It's better already.

Then I added a bokeh texture I picked up somewhere (sorry, no name) and Bonnie's texture from a few weeks ago, Abstract Splotches at hard light, 84%.

I really like how the hint of the original shapes are still here but if you didn't know where I started, it would just appear as a cool abstract.  I think the splotches really add that abstract character.  To try to push the envelope, I added another texture - this one is Razzled Dust by Roshanda Glenn, used at Difference (thanks for the tip Earl K) at 100%  and arrived at total and complete abstraction.

Using Difference totally changed the color combinations and I can barely determine any of the original shapes though the effect is kinda mesmerizing.  To see lots more creative efforts, please be sure to visit Bonnie at Pixel Dust for Photo Art Friday.  She's offering 4 free holiday textures that are very cool and I can't wait to try them.

This is also my creation for AEDM, day 18!  This month is sure zooming by!  Visit all these amazing artists and crafters too - the range of medium will amaze you.

AEDM - day 17

In an effort to keep up with the AEDM challenge, my creativity today went to practical....I made a vase floral arrangement.  I used to be a florist and still love picking flowers and making arrangements for my home.  I'm totally spoiled about wanting to have pretty flowers or greens around.  There's not much in my yard right now, so I picked up a bunch of mixed greens at Costco and voila, a vase arrangement that should last through Thanksgiving.

Ooops - I meant to adjust it in PSE and get rid of some of that bright flash, but oh well.  This is a great mix because it has fragrant eucalyptus, colorful preserved fall leaves, drooping seed eucalyptus, some grasses and leucadendron for a 'flower'.  Colorful and long lasting, that's what I'm talkin' about!

Displaying flowers in a vase is the easiest way to do it - no messing with the floral foam and making that all work.  However, there are definitely some tricks to make your flowers look "designed" rather than stuck in a vase.  I wrote a couple of how-to articles on my home decorating blog (Your Decorating Hotline) and you can check them out if you're interested in some real florist tips..... Arrange roses (or any flower for a formal look) or Arrange tulips (for a more casual style).

Again, be sure to visit AEDM for other talented ways to be creative!

AEDM -day16

Today's bit of creativity is for two challenges - continuing with my AEDM participation and Harlequin for Inspiration Avenue.  I worked a drawing in Zentangle for the harlequin theme.  It was fun to experiment with changing the pattern each time I encountered a new line (from the Zentangle string).

The letters were almost as much fun to make as the drawing!  Be sure to visit others in these two challenges:  Art Every Day Month and Inspiration Avenue.

opposing lines

Kat is still Exploring with the Camera and is encouraging us to look for opposing lines and how they lead the viewer's eye into and around the photo. Her excellent, informative post is here.  So I wandered through my archives (I love doing that when I have the time!) and found a few examples of what I think represent opposing lines.

I think this is a subtle example:  the lines of the chair point (lead) back into the photo but are stopped by the contrasting horizontal lines of the fence and branches. (Vermont vacation)

This barn door has opposing lines - both vertical and horizontal with the addition of a dynamic angle.  (Vermont door)

Architecture is a great place to notice opposing lines - this pic of a glass roof has it all - angled, straight and intersecting to lead your eye through and back through the photo.

Another ceiling (in Las Vegas) filled with curving lines - I'm less sure if these would be considered opposing lines, but I like the shot, so.....it's in.  (Kat, let me know if it's not quite what you meant.)

The new City Center development in Las Vegas fits the theme I think with the strong vertical format but all the horizontal window lines.....

As Kat explains, reflections are a great way to capture opposing lines - here I have the slight waves of the water reflecting a vertical building (in CA).

I always find it so interesting to take Kat's premise or discussion of photographic vision, deconstruct it and explain it so clearly, then wander through my archives to see if I've ever used that principle - usually unknowingly.  But, as shown here, even though I might not have been aware of the principle, it is one that attracts my attention occasionally.

Please take a moment to peruse Kat's site (KatEyeStudio) and absorb all the great info she shares.  Better yet, join in, the folks are great!

texture tuesday: phoebe

I've been absent from the AEDM project the last couple days (guess it's now on day 14!) - I had company from out of town and that took all my attention and energy....but boy did we have fun!  Now, I'm working myself back into the creative groove so started by creating my entry for Kim's Texture Tuesday.

I started with my photo of a back lit dendrobium orchid:

I added Kim's Phoebe texture twice, once Overlay 42% opacity and then Pin Light at 43%.  I blurred the background a bit more and added a French Kiss script brush mark (sorry I don't remember where I found this).

It's a very subtle texture with a slight frame that I kind of like.  You can see it made the whole image much more romantic (I think).  Be sure to visit Kim Klassen so you can see all the other great photo texture treatments.  And if you have a little more time, be sure to visit AEDM cuz there is more creativity there than you can shake a stick at!
   AEDM

AEDM -day 11

Today's creative efforts fill a couple of challenges - the whole monthly deal and Photo Art Friday over at Pixel Dust.

My recipe:
I combine 2 photos of mine:

Then I added a couple of textures:
Frosted Glass Bokeh by Shadowhouse (Skeletal Mess)  (vivid light 38%)
a grunge vignette by Shadowhouse  (soft light 73%)
a little grunged edge erasing
butterfly scanned from some novelty wrapping paper

I'm still not accomplishing the look or feeling I want with my digi art stuff, but I sure like playing around.  The problem (well, not really) is that time just flies and before I know it I've spent hours in front of the computer fiddling and adjusting and trying different textures to see what happens.  OMG, I'm so addicted.

To check out others equally addicted, and an array of finished styles, be sure to visit Photo Art Friday - and, if photography isn't your thing, be sure to visit AEDM; there are lots of links to browse there.

AEDM -day 10

Back to working in my art journal and playing some more with the credit card spreading technique.  I really like the smooth but broken look that I get.  I started this page by scanning in a dried fall leaf.  Then I printed the leaf on a page from a music book and I loved that look.  But what to do with it?

Adding these bright fall colors made me happy.  And I used the "scrape paint on with a credit card" technique which is now one of my fave things to explore.  I just love how the paint smooshes on and the random marks it makes!  Now I'm back to the "now what?" place.  I love this start and may just add some journaling.

Visit other creative types at AEDM or the flickr page.

inspiration ave: needlework

I love a needle and thread - over the years I've tried my hand at quilting (gave them all as gifts), knitting (gave them all as gifts!), but the love I keep returning to is cross stitch.  While I've given some as gifts, I actually have kept some of these too - I have a growing collection of vintage style Santas that I've stitched.  They make a welcome appearance every year!

All my stitching is done on 18ct aida cloth because I like the detail the small stitches give.  However, as I've gotten older and my vision a little less exact, working those tiny stitches takes just a little longer.

Another one I'm quite proud of is this one I made for my mother in law who loves horses.  It was definitely one of my more challenging stitch projects, but worth it to see how much she enjoys it!

I love the lead-in written about this challenge over at IA.  It's amazing to consider how much impact a needle and thread have had in lives (just mending and making garments) and in art over the years.  I hope you'll go read it and then check out the various ways others have used needlework in their lives.