Category Archives: Altered art

May11

Becoming a professional crafter has changed my life. Monday mornings? Couldn’t be better! Daily commute? No sweat! I. Love. My. Job.

Admittedly though, it has made me a little odd. I am often going out in public with dyed blue fingers or traces of glitter in my hair. And seriously, who besides me makes frantic dashes to the dollar store before it closes for the night in order to buy cheap dolls to dismember?

Ummmm…Apparently several of you. When I asked fellow Alpha Stamps Design Team Members that question, more than one had done the same thing. One, who shall remain nameless, coughTristancough had bought 12.

Scary.

This is not the first time I have dismembered body parts in the name of crafting…

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May10

Welcome to our cottage on the lake–sorry no synchronized flushes

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

Welcome to our cottage on the lake–sorry no synchronized flushes

Next year will be the 75th anniversary of our family’s cottage and I thought it was high time to acknowledge our family’s long history with this humble yet special place on “da lake”.

Humble is not some half-hearted attempt at being polite. I literally mean humble. Our little log cabin has been flanked in recent years by McMansions haughtily looking down from climate-controlled alfresco kitchens and his and her en suites complete with synchronized flushing.

That’s Me! On the back steps of The Cottage.

While I might not object to a few upgrades to our cottage–like being able to take a shower some place other than in the basement with chipmunks dashing in to sneak peeks at my lady parts, I cannot imagine replacing it with some giant lake home.

Our cottage has too much character, heart and history–from the open loft guaranteed to cause concussions in any adult over five feet tall, to the six-foot wide longhorn steer horns above the table that my grandfather acquired somewhere in Texas, to the 1960s retro motel towels that my uncle “borrowed” when he traveled the state with his construction crews.

I bet people in alfresco kitchens don’t let their kids stick fishing lures in their swimsuits.

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May5

Honoring a hometown hero

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

Honoring a hometown hero

Prince was our hometown hero.

Most of us took a quiet pride in him in a typically reserved Minnesotan way. Writer James Lileks summed it up perfectly when he described his early encounter with Prince in this Star Tribune article. “Everyone knew it was Prince. Here’s the Minnesota thing: Everyone left him alone. There just seemed to be an understanding that you were not cool enough to go bother him. It wasn’t personal. It was just a fact. There’s Prince over here on the cool spectrum, and then there’s you, waaaay over there, and somewhere in the middle is Don Knotts.”

I can’t help thinking how even though he was of the world’s greatest musicians and a revered rock star, Prince died all alone. I hope he knew–in spite of our reticent ways–just how much his hometown loved him.

I designed a stencil and subsequent altered tag as a small remembrance of him. I hope you check out my tutorial featured on the ColourArte Blog

Great Stuff

ColourArte Primary Elements: Snap Dragon and Love Struck
ColourArte Emperor’s Gold Acrylic Silks
Manilla Tag
White cardstock
Molding Paste
White colored pencil
Lace
Gold ribbon
Scan n Cut
Adobe Illustrator
Beacon Zip Dry

Apr19

Celestial Pinwheels for spring’s evening breezes

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

Celestial Pinwheels for spring’s evening breezes

Paper-Calliope-CA-Pinwheels-130224

It is almost magical: a warm spring evening, a light breeze and a starry sky. These celestial mixed media pinwheels remind me of this special time.

Paper-Calliope-CA-Pinwheels-125731

Here is where you can see my tutorial on how to make pinwheels.

These pinwheels kind of makes me want to skip out on all my work, make up some lemonade and go sit on my porch swing right now. Ah, but I have a lengthy blog post to write. Of course, I could just send you over to my tutorial…

…and then…

…I could just…

…play hooky…

Apr13

A little birdie told me Mother’s Day is drawing near

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

A little birdie told me Mother’s Day is drawing near

For moms of young kids, Mother’s Day can be difficult. I bitched for years about not being able to enjoy the “holiday” because it meant racing around trying to honor my mom, step-mom as well as my mother-in-law before she passed away. At least my husband would help my kids give me a gift–I know single moms have it harder. .

Losing my Dad and nearly losing my mom this year gave me an attitude adjustment. Immensely grateful my mom is still with us, I am determined to relish this day. Read the rest of this entry →

Apr13

Leaving the nest and letting them soar

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

Leaving the nest and letting them soar

For 18 or so years we keep our children safe–all the while strengthening their wings and slowly teaching them to fly. Finally the day draws near when they are ready to leave our nests and fly away on their own.

Suddenly, in the beat of a wing, the core focus of our lives is taken away from us. It is terribly tempting to tightly lock the door to the birdcage, keeping our vulnerable fledglings safe under within our care.

Yet, a caged bird will not sing. We know we must let them fly away. There’s the saying that “if you love something, let it go free. If it loves you, it will come back.” Usually, our children come back. Yet we know deep that things will never really be the same. Our nests are forever changed.

I created this art, featured at Alpha Stamps, as testimony to the experience so many of my friends are going through–the bittersweet experience of seeing children leave for college or another adventure. The cage, which I made from paper mache, is lined with “bird advice” a mother might say to her children. Read the rest of this entry →

Apr12

Under the Mixed Media Big Top

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

Under the Mixed Media Big Top

Canvas Corp will soon be publishing a plethora of 4 x 4 canvases, uniquely created by each of their design team members. Since the canvases are supposed to reflect the designers in some way, I decided to create a vintage circus meets industrial canvas.

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Mar30

Save money! Be unique! Have hella fun! Make your own embellishments

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

Save money! Be unique! Have hella fun! Make your own embellishments

Paper-Calliope-CA-Embellishments-party2

When I was in my twenties I would naively brag about how I was great at finding bargains–except I wouldn’t use the most refined language. My stepmother would gently correct me, telling me I shouldn’t say I was cheap, and instead describe myself as frugal. She was right, of course. Never for a single moment–even back in college when I sometimes wished I could just be a carefree party girl–have I “been cheap”. Read the rest of this entry →

Mar25

What’s on your bucket list

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Betsy Skagen

What’s on your bucket list

What’s on your bucket list? My first post with Canvas Corp was on mine!.

Life suddenly began whizzing by for The Husband™ and I. And, to tell the truth, it sometimes feels like there are a lot of missed opportunities.

As parents of kids with unique needs, we put many of our dreams on hold. Year after year, we avoided activities that required babysitters. We embraced staycations and we usually juggled far more stress than we could imagine. Yet, I would give anything to have my kids be little tykes again so that I could better appreciate that precious and fleeting time. Read the rest of this entry →