Hearts?

So I've recently been wondering about this hearts thing on etsy, and therefor, began a thread. You can view it here, if you're interested:

No One Calls "" a Favorite Yet

I put my "Lost Octopus" up for sale a few hours ago, and already it has a heart! I guess what would be really cool is that if people heart an item, if they would send the creator a quick little note saying that they hearted the item, and why. That way it would somehow mean more, right? Just my two cents.

Completely Different!

Hello every one! Well, I promised I'd post a picture of the finished
ACEOs from yesterday, and I only got one done, but I'm very surprised at the direction it took... so different than what I had planned for it! But I guess that happens with art. Anyway, here is the finished piece. You can see how it began on yesterday's post.

No longer about fall or even leaves dying... now it is a "Lost Octopus". I really like it, even if it isn't what I expected it to be. Also, it was a boy's birthday today in the shelter where we currently live, so I made this for him last night. I like the way it turned out, but I can do better when given more time.

Well, he seemed to like it, so that's good. I'm really trying to hone my graffiti skills... it's tough, because it's totally an individual art form. You've just got to find your groove, as it were. I'm trying! :) Also, I'm happy to report that my husband is back to making ACEOs!

He hasn't made one since we left California... a long time ago. Here is his debut! It's listed in my etsy shop here! Come by and take a look at my latest ACEOs. And have a great day every one! God Bless!

New Works

I've been in a very creative mood lately, but sometimes, when I first begin a project, I don't like it so much. Then, as time goes on and I flesh it out a bit, it gets a lot better. Here I'm posting two cards I'm working on currently. When they are done, I will post how they've come out, and you will witness the difference first hand. Anyhow, pics!

Here is an ACEO that I'm making with a real leaf. I'm looking to create an aged yet
Autumnal look. The idea: that there is beauty in the death of the leaves as Autumn comes along. How'm I doing?

And this one is one I've begun with a graffiti/city thing going on. I like it so far.

That's all for today! Still trying to figure out the benefits of Twitter, LOL. Does anyone else find it overwhelming? I mean, I dig finding out about people's art and what not... but do I really need to know how many times they've gone to the bathroom in the last hour?

Mypartyshirt.com!!!

This post is a special one, because I am writing about a GREAT gift site! That's right, it is My Party Shirt! Let me tell you, you can find a gift for ANYONE on this site.

Did your sister love Full House? Look at this!
What about the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? They have the 6 main Ranger shirts, plus the white ranger!
And who could forget the fabulous Boy Meets World?

Mypartshirt.com not only has fantastic shirts, they are also easy to contact, and ship VERY quickly. They take pride in delivering a quality product, and it shows. And they have MORE than just T-shirts, too! They have hoodies, AND accessories, like this cool belt

and the greatest air freshner ever!

So when you get a chance, go visit My Party Shirt ... you won't be dissapointed!

Pretty Cards and Tooth Decay!

OK, how's that for a blog title? LOL. Yesterday, I experienced root canal. It was all gravy until the numbness wore off... ouchie! It's difficult to eat today, so I'm taking it slow.

Still hot hot hot out here in Long Island. I still haven't gone to a beach yet... I have GOT to see the ocean soon or I'm going to go nuts. Here are two greeting cards I made for friends... one is a thank you, and the other is for a baby shower. I really like how they came out!





How did they come out? I also did this new ACEO, on what else? A WIC check! (Pasted onto some studier card stock, of course!)

Decembering into Autumn...

Hard at work right now on multiple ACEOs. I am trying now to do "altered prints", where I print bits of my original work, cut and paste them to ACEO cards, and then decorate or alter them however my mood directs me. I like the way they are coming out thus far, hope to have them up soon.

Also working on a multi-textured "Summer Fruits" picture for this month's Dawg Group quest.

I am nursing a current love affair with the Decemberists. I can't remember how I found out about them, but I really enjoy their music, almost as much as my all time favorite band, Radiohead. I already made this ACEO a while back:



with some lyrics from their song "Red Right Ankle". I can't wait to see what I come up with next. Autumn is on it's way, my favorite time of year. It is a point of high creativity for me... it is difficult to look out at the beauty of this time of year and not create.

Husbands Just Don't Understand

Today's blog post will be brought to you by... creative stress!

Alright. We are all crafters, right? And let's face it. We craft because we LOVE it. It's nice if we make money, but we would do it regardless. Why? Because it's in our blood. It's what we do. It is who we are.

That being said, I feel it is unfair of my husband to threaten to cut off buying me crafting supplies if I don't sell more art cards. I mean, wether or not he's serious is not the issue. That's like telling Van Gogh you're not going to buy him paint anymore. Van Gogh needed to paint because he was a painter, the same as we are whatever respective craft we do.

Does anyone else feel the way I feel?

Anyway, here is my latest ATC, up for trade. Want it? Comment here!

How to Make an ACEO!

Hello every one, and welcome to my fun little tutorial on making an ATC/ACEO! ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions, and Originals." They are 3.5 by 2.5 in size (the same size as a baseball card), and are made for selling. ATCs are just like ACEOs, only they are created for trading purposes only. Either one is very addicting to make and to collect. Here I'm going to show you one I made just last night. Of course, there are many different materials that can be used to make ACEOs, so this is just one little example of the tremendous fun that can be had. Enjoy!

The very first thing you'll need to do is ensure all your family is otherwise occupied. For example, I had to make sure last night that my husband was on the bed, happily playing on the laptop. He truly is a wonderful man who supports me in all my creative endeavors, even though he "sometimes" threatens to cut off my crafting supplies if I don't sell more ACEOs!

I also had to ensure that little baby Kyle was blissfully in his own crib.


Once my loving family was where they all belonged, it was time to gather the materials I might use. As I said earlier, you can use just about any materials you can imagine to make ACEOs. The sky is the limit! But one thing I definitely recommend is chocolate! Notice the huge Hershey bar?

After you have gathered all your materials, you are starting with a fresh, clean card. Half the fun of making these cards is deciding how to make your next one! For the purposes of today's tutorial, however, we are going to make a beach ACEO.

I took my newest set of clear stamps, "Coastal Clear Stamps" by Inkadinkado, and attached them to a thin acrylic block. I really love the versatility of clear stamps. I feel they give as much detail as the wooden ones, and they are a lot less expensive. And the designs are endless!

I then inked the stamp with a funky new ink by Tim Holtz, called Distress Ink. This one is "Broken China", and gives the effect of broken china! It is not easy to see from this picture, but the ink really is cool. I stamped the top of the card and the bottom.

After inking the shell design, I proceeded to cut two strips of thin blue ribbon and attach them lenghtwise to the card with glue. The strips were longer than the card itself, so you can cut off the excess once the glue dries. I used a blow drier to help the drying time.

Then, I cut a small block of designer paper that I thought would accent the blue ink. I glued that block to the card, and stamped different shells with black ink right onto the square.

Once that was done, I took a sticker of a B with a small seashell on it and attached it to the card. Then, I used two Gellyroll Stardust pens (blue and green) to write the rest of the word beach.

I also used the two Gellyroll pens to accent waves along the top and bottom of the card that I made with black marker.

And there you have it, my finished ACEO "Beach Day". I am happy with the way it turned out, and I only ate half of the chocolate bar!

I encourage you all to try and make some of these fantastic cards. I really enjoy creating them, and the feeling when they turn out better than you hoped is very rewarding. Please leave me any comments if you have any questions about making them, and above all else, remember to enjoy yourself! The creative process can be so much fun if you do it right. With chocolate!