Where have I been?

Nowhere actually! Just swept up in summer activities, yard work, and doing Art-of course! I will try to list everything I have completed and they won't be in any particular order cuz I can't remember anymore.  Enjoy!

This is a swap from Paper Whimsy which called for 3 Bookmarks.  Each one was laminated.  Of course I received 3 in return that I just love.  These were easy to make and I had fun doing these. Images by Paper Whimsy -of course!

This is a little ATC sized birthday card I make for my son's fiance Suzie. The images show the front, the inside, and the back of the card.   This was so much fun to design and put together.  The images are by Cemerony. I think Suzie liked it!

Here is an ATC I created for a swap at Creative Souls. The theme was Jane Austen. I was a bit perplexed as to what kind of picture I wanted to create for this and then I stumbled on this lovely image on a collage sheet in Etsy.  Using a background from Cemerony the picture came together.  I imagined Elizabeth after she was married to Mr. Darcy and so I showed her living the life of luxury as Mrs. Darcy in her fabulous estate.

Another ATC swap at Paper Whimsy.  The theme was night creatures (I think).  So I included all creatures of the night that I had a picture for and voila! And I think that brings me up to date for now.  I will try to be more timely going forward!



Postcard Art!

I hosted a project over at Paper Whimsy last month and the theme was called Spring Friends.  Everyone had to create something on a postcard sized base and then we swapped with another member of PW.  Below is my submission for the project. 

FLOWERS ATC Swap

Here is my submission for the monthly swap over at Creative Souls. The topic was Flowers. Of course I couldn't resist adding a vintage image to my composition. A lovely lady from Cemerony. And then all the lovely handcut flowers and a bird to dress things up.

April in Paris

Oops am a bit late with this! But here is the ATC made for Paper Whimsy monthly ATC lottery. The theme is April in Paris and here is my take on this lovely theme.

StEaMPunK aTC

Here is my first attempt at Steampunk.  I created this ATC for a swap at Creative Souls.  When you look at the images of the sweet girl you might think it is a picture (or half a picture) of two different girls. But it is not! It is one little girl image that I cut in half.  I think if  you took a picture of your face and cut  the image in half you might see two different people too!

Adorable girl and her Mother

This is a picture of my Aunt Emily and her mother, or as I called her, Busia.  My Aunt recently passed away and I thought I would do a little piece of art featuring my own relatives- for a change.  I also wanted to give something to my cousin Claudia, the daughter of Emily.  I took this image from a much larger picture of my father's family, nine members altogether.  I love working with these types of  vintage images and this one featuring my own family  was very

special to me.  Since my family is Polish I added a small map of Poland and a scrap of  music from a Polish Christmas carol. My sister and I used to sing Polish carols every Christmas season as we learned them in school.  Although my Busia looks very stern in this picture, she really was the sweetest and most gentle person.  She would make me graham cracker "sandwiches", with a thick layer of butter in between-Yum!

I also wanted to share a little story about my Busia as told to me by my Uncle Eugene.  My Busia grew up in Poland in the 1880's and lived on a farm with her large family who were tenant farmers. Due to their extreme poverty my Busia was sent out to be a maid at the landowner's house. She was a scullery maid and  began when she was only 9 years old, washing the dishes and pots and pans.  Later as a teen she came down with small pox.  This left her face very scarred. Her sisters worried that no one would wish to marry her.  They knew of a man  from a nearby town that had emigrated to America and wished to marry a Polish girl.  They thought this would be a good solution for my Busia.  So they packed her up and sent her to America. She met my grandfather and they were married.  They had seven children. One of them was my father.  So that is my little story.  I like to think that I and my sisters inherited some of the spunk and hardiness as shown by my Busia. Her maiden name was Antonina Klazura and she lived until age 103!

This is the ATC I created for the Paper Whimsy group's monthly ATC challenge. The theme this month is "I live my daydreams in music".  I used Paper Whimsy images and background paper.  Some fancy cutting put the parasol in her hands!

Island Fever

Just returned from the islands so I am showing a piece that has that island flavor! It is done on canvas board with Paper Whimsy image and background paper. I loved adding the jeweled accents if you can see them, it adds a bit of sparkle here and there.

Geisha with Lantern

I am again inspired with the wonderful images and artwork by Julia at Cemerony. Here is a lovely geisha holding a lantern. Background paper from Somerset Studios and Cemerony. Image and collage pieces also from Cemerony.  I added a brass lantern charm covered with a paper flower and tied with black linen string. These colors are my favorite!

Angel in a Birdcage

Here is a little wire wrapped cage I made from rusty wire.  I fashioned it into a wobbly and quirky little bird cage for this darling angel girl. I added flowers, a charm and of course her favorite green chair to sit on.  I was inspired by an article in Somerset magazing about little handmade cages. Image is from Paper Whimsy. Enjoy!

Paper Whimsy ATC Challenge

I participate in the monthly ATC challenge over at Paper Whimsy. Everyone has a chance to win all of the ATC's submitted each month through a drawing. Each month is a different theme selected by the previous month's winner. February's theme is Flower Fairy. Here is my submission.

Valentine Love

I created this piece on a 4 x 6 cavas panel/board based on the most beautiful inspiring images from Julia at Cemerony.  She showed a wonderful digital collage on her blog and I wanted to do something like it. so here is is. Enjoy!

Valentine Rosette made from wired ribbon, glittery cutouts and Paper Whimsy image.

Vintage Visions

I have been thinking about having a blog for quite some time and now seems like a good time to start. I love to create collage art and make little tableaux and vignettes.  I have a lovely glass dome on a mercury glass pedestal that I use to create little scenes and stories. I will post these as I create them. I have been doing up my house in a valentine theme and will show some pics of that too. I hope you enjoy.