I got an order for some up-cycled Spam cans like I had made for myself… matching. They will have hangers on the back to hang on the bathroom wall for toothpaste, Q-tips, hairbrush, and what-nots. I reused everything from nail polish to romance novels on these… along with bling from the the scrap-booking isle of Walmart.  Save your garbage! I’ve been saving my used up food packaging for several other projects I have in mind that I’ll share when I have enough “junk” to complete them.

This was fun. I used leftover scraps from making my Occupy college and layered white paper napkins over the top. Then I used lids and corks to “stamp” circles. I then took a black chalk pencil and lightly outlined the stamped circles and smudged them up good with my fingers. I added the “watch me Grow” rub on and called it good. Easy peasy and pretty too!  Art journal entries don’t have to be complicated… they just have too look like they are! Hee.

Drop by tomorrow… My house painting is almost done… I think it might be ready for show and tell tomorrow!

I saw some Valentines done just like this with reds in Create With Me magazine and thought I’d give it a whirl in my journal. Very fun. I think if I did this with texture on a canvas it would make a great painting to hang for a burst of color.  As always I get tons of ideas and not enough time to bring them to fruition. I am however making a bit of progress on my “house” painting. Here’s what it looks like right now.

I think the background it getting much closer to being done. I’ll work on it more again tomorrow. It’s almost time for me to head downstairs and tackle the kitchen… and dinner. Think sausage and chicken… prolly pasta!

I’ve been devouring lots of books on my Kindle. I just finished one called Invisible and I’m starting a new one called My Boyfriends Back. I’m loving the free books and short stories. I have an endless supply of reading material at my fingertips! If you don’t have a Kindle… I highly recommend one.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some completed upcycled Spam cans to share along with my journal junk. Drop by and have some coffee with me. Till later!

Today I’m working on a composition for a painting I got the idea for yesterday.

Super fun. I can’t wait to pick papers and colors and scraps and goodies and bling and… and… and… This promises to be a joyful experience for me. I’ll share it with you as I journey down this villages path. Come back tomorrow to see if anyone home in there.

I had fun playing with torn papers, stamps, embellishments, pens, paints, and oodles of other goodies making this Valentine collage. I took advantage of the Occupy movement and moved it to my heart! Right were it belongs. What a fun expression. I used paper umbrellas, brads, confetti, and much more that just doesn’t show up in this photo. I’ll try to get a scan of this painting this week and share a better close up of this punch of color!

So far all I’ve come up with is Crash Test Mummy…. OY!

See you tomorrow for more amusement!

My cutting board looked very much like a watercolor painting after chopping vegetables for Everything Slaw. The purple cabbage and carrots together in the bowl looked so much like Halloween too. If you’re looking for something to serve with pulled pork, burgers or sandwiches I highly recommend this recipe. It’s quite yummy!

I’m busy in my studio this morning… bright and early! We had a snow storm over night and I was up at the crack of dawn to see the results… check out some of the pics after you grab a cup of hot cocoa!

Quite frosty out there indeed. I’m wrapping up in a blanket, pulling out my paints and enjoying the view from my studio window! See you tomorrow!

I just finished these Spam cans today. I added hangers on the backs and will be hanging them in my “Flower Potty” downstairs. The bathroom is very small and has no real storage for odds and ends one might wish to use when washing up. I’m going to use these to hold such sundries. One I may use to put some dried green grasses in as the theme of the room is done in a potting shed style. Fun and Whimsical. I’ve ended up using several shades of orange in there so these should go great. And since it’s snowing this week…

I’ll have plenty of time throughout the rest of the week for more creating. I promise I’ll be back tomorrow with some Accidental Art that I created last night… along with a collage painting I’m toying with! See you then… and stay toasty warm!

I saw something very similar these “Word Birds” in the most recent edition of Cloth,  Paper, Scissors magazine and I knew instantly that I had to make these precious tweeters. I used recycled cardboard from Coke Zero boxes. (My morning crutch…) I love a boost of cold, caffeinated carbonation in the morning. Very unhealthy indeed, but it does the job while the coffee perks.

These are covered with decorative tissue papers and paper napkins. Then I embellished them with oodles of ephemera and bling… adding fishing line to hang them with and stringing some beads as well for a boost of shimmer and color. I hung them in my studio window for inspiration and the occasional grin they give me. I love how they swing in the breeze of a slightly open window or on colder days… the soft breath of the forced air heater. Super fun… Super easy, and super cute! I encourage you to make some tweetie birds for yourself!

I made these clay acorns for myself this week. I had ordered some felted acorns from an Etsy seller for my sister as part of a Christmas present but they never arrived so I was forced to come up with a solution to the missing link in my “ACORNucopia” gift for her. I had gotten her a mini c cornucopia just to put the acorns in. Always the punster! Well… after stressing and buying several different types of acorn items from Walmart I still wasn’t happy. I knew I had to make them myself. So… out came my ever-so-old stash of unopened Sculpey III clay. I used the dark brown and a Moroccan red for hers. I fell in love with them and was so happy that I decided to make some for my living room… and here they are! I even made one into a charm to put on my new purse.

Christmas kept me very busy this year and wore me out. Hence my extended absence from posting. But now, thankfully, I’m well rested and raring to go and excited about a brand new year in our new home! I’ll be doing various kinds of creative things this year… as you can see… I finished some “Word Birds” which I’ll share with you tomorrow.  I also started a “diary.” Just a journal of thoughts and events that I plan to record in handwriting over the year. The art is dying and I wanted to do something about that. =)

I’ll be back tomorrow to share again… until then! God Bless!

From rags to riches… and making a silk purse out of a sows ear. I’ve been making these decorative hanging gems from the lids of frozen concentrate juice cans. … like this…

So far I’ve made nine of these funky mini mobiles. I’m using beads, mini mirrors, wooden circles, decorative napkins, charms, scrapbook embellishments, and more to complete them. It’s turning out to be a great way to use up some of my not-often-used bling, and it helps stretch and strengthen my creative muscle.

Here’s another look at the mini mobiles… I’m getting ready to head out into the cold for some much needed Christmas shopping…and I’m actually getting excited about it this year.

Here’s my mini tree close up. I added some yummy to it over the weekend. I’m busy, busy, busy today creating Christmas goodness for loved ones and family. I’ll share some of what I can with you later this week. I have one more item to work on today and then tomorrow I’m going to make my own Christmas tags similar to the ones I made for my aunt. I think it will be a fun project… and I can do my cutting in front of the TV in the evening while relaxing.

Hooper, our neighborhood squirrel stopped by quite frequently this past weekend to visit and nibble while I was sitting at the back window reading. I snapped his picture to share with you. The yard has been extremely active this pre-winter. It’s alive with Goldfinches, House Finches, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Doves, Starlings, and Flickers… And I’m enjoying them all so much! I’ll share pictures am often as possible…

Until tomorrow and some pictures of art… God Bless!