Latest project - Engagement Photos Album as a wedding gift

 This is my latest project and I love how it turned out. This young man is my son's best friend. This past weekend we attended his wedding and it was wonderful. His new wife - is beautiful inside and out.  

I used an alterations box with their engagement photo's to make this wedding gift. I was able to shop from my stash and was amazed at how everything looks so beautiful with the photos.  Georgetown was the setting for the photos and they are amazing.  

 

Pathways to Housing - New Art Donated

It's been a long time since I posted - not sure if anyone will see or read this but I wanted to share my latest art work.  Pathways to Housing  is a non-profit that helps the homeless gain housing.   They are located in several cities but I'm donating my art to the Washington DC office since that is closest to my home.

They believe "housing first ends homelessness"  and they have been very successful with this program.  Last year my husband and I took a tour of their offices and learned more about the program.

I left wanting to help in some way but not sure we had tons of money to donate.  We did make a cash donation but I still wanted to help more. Then as I was looking through my art supplies one day I found this house stamp by Wendy Veechi and realized I could made something with it.

Last fall I made several "welcome home" cards and sent them down to the  Pathways -DC office.  They loved them - they said the clients love getting mail at their new homes.  Great!!

Another thing Pathways does that I thought was brilliant was they have art hanging all around their offices - canvases that have been painted. The clients when they get a home get to pick a painting for their home also.  We all love to have something hanging on our walls - it helps make a house a home. So I took the same house stamp and make these 8 x 10 wall hangings with them.

I am sending them down to the Pathways office today - I will keep my fingers crossed that the clients like these too!

Mixed Media Art

It's been awhile since I posted.  I have been busy with projects for family and friends. I just finished this project yesterday. It's for an IKEA mirror challenge being done by a potters group that a friend is in. She suggested that I  do one and apparently I'm not the only non-potter that is submitting work for the challenge.  I actually had 3 of these mirror's in my studio already because I had wanted to do something like this with them.  I am working on a second one with sea shells on it.

I took an IKEA mirror and added lace, ribbon, metal, fabric, wood objects to it.  I then gesso'd the whole thing.  Next I sprayed several colors of Tattered Angels glimmer mist and Lindy Stamp Gang starburst sprays to add color to the piece.  This is the direct influence of Finnabair - I believe she is Norwegian.  Her name is Anna Dabrowska - but her blog is titled Finnabair.

Everything on the piece has meaning to me. Influenced by people both present and past in my life.

It's not visible in my photos but I also colored seam binding and added 2 eye hooks to the top - the the piece will hang from the seam binding.  

Tomorrow there will be a photographer at the event to take a photo of everyone's pieces. I will add a group shot to this blog post if I receive one. 

 

My love for teachers!

I have several friends who are teachers and I feel honored to call them my friends.  They are going back to school on Monday and I was inspired to make a piece of art for one of them. I hope to do a similar piece for each of them in the near future.

On a recent field trip with two teacher friends we found this quote and I had to use it in this piece.  I hope my friend smiles when she sees it this weekend!

Best wishes to all the teachers of the world starting a new school year soon!

Baby Album for our Niece's new baby!

I had great fun last week getting photos of our newest family member. His grandmother helped me get them without his Mom and Dad knowing. Then I edited them in Photoshop Elements and sent them off to be printed and waited! This week I got to make this album for Derek's Mom and Dad. Derek is being baptized this Sunday and we are going! Hopefully the proud parents won't see this post until after Sunday when Mike and I give them this album.

I used the Graphic 45 Alterable Box and Graphic 45 Little Darlings paper collection.

Enjoy!

ETSY store

Come see my new cards in my shop on my ETSY website!  Here are just a couple. More will be coming in the near future. Please share my ETSY store info with friends to help build my viewers.

 

 
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New Baby Tray and baby cards

I am going to be adding many items to my ETSY page in the coming week. The first being an Altered Silver Tray done for a baby photo.  The tray is approximately 12 1/2 inches in diameter.  This tray is for a baby girl but I would be happy to do a tray for a boy or in more neutral colors if anyone needs one.  Each tray is one of a kind so I can't really tell you what size yours would be.  If you would like to order one I can give you an idea of the size of the trays I currently have waiting to be altered and you can pick a size. 

As you can see in the photos I have made a photo mat for a 3 inch by 5 inch photo. You simply but carefully pull off the white paper and adhere your photo in it's place.  If you send me the photo I can do it for you before I mail the tray to you.

These trays are $50 each.  If you need me to alter a photo to fit the colors of the tray I can do that in Photoshop Elements but there would be an additional cost to do that. 

 

 

Engagement Photos

My oldest son Matt is engaged to a lovely young lady - Kelly.  They recently did an engagement photo session in NC and I wanted to make something for Kelly's mom with the photos.  I choose the Graphic 45 ALTERED ART BOX WITH ALBUM.  The paper is from SIMPLE STORIES DOCUMENTED

So here are some photos of my finished project:

  

Sorority Greeting Cards

My daughter attends Elon University in NC. She is a member of the AZD sorority there and they are holding a fundraising Boutique on Parents Weekend. The charity they work for is "Autism Speaks" and they work very hard at it!

My daughter loves to send her friends cards I have made for her and they love receiving them. So I am making cards for most - maybe all of the sororities to send down for her to sell and raise money for  "Autism Speaks".  They are all done in the specific colors of each sorority. I have put the Greek letters on some also.

I am not able to attend in person but my daughter is going to "sit" at my table. I hope they have a very successful fundraiser!!!!

Wedding Scrapbook photos

I was asked to make a wedding scrapbook for a friend and wanted to share the photos I took of it. Hope you enjoy!  The bride will be able to add the photos of her choice and will know the size they need to be printed at to fit on the pages. I hope she likes it! I had great fun making it.