Category Archives: Altered art

Big news deserves a big altered art project–I am joining the esteemed Alpha Stamps Design Team!

Big news deserves a big altered art project–I am joining the esteemed Alpha Stamps Design Team!
Big news deserves a big altered art project–I am joining the esteemed Alpha Stamps Design Team!

Dreams really do come true. I found that out firsthand when I recently got invited to join the Alpha Stamps Design Team.

I can’t adequately describe what an honor this is. Nor how terrifying it is. Many artists I have most admired over the years are on this team. Simply put, their work is brilliant.

Austin Kleon says, “Stand next to the talent” because you will only be as good as the people you surround yourself with.  He tells artists to hang around people who are smarter and better than themselves. That’s what I am doing–I  just fervently hope I don’t fall on my face (subsequently impaling myself with craft scissors or suffocating from all the glitter on my studio floor).

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alpha stamps badge

Alpha Stamps is announcing my arrival on their blog tomorrow. For my debut Alpha Stamps project, I created a three-dimensional Altered Art Greenhouse from two 6.5 inch tall House Oddities Boxes, complete with a mossy roof, wind chimes, iron bridge and flower urns. You can see this miniature greenhouse featured on the Alpha Stamps blogRead the rest of this entry

Meet my hipster great-grandparents

Meet my hipster great-grandparents
Meet my hipster great-grandparents

 

 

 

Check out the beard on my great-grandfather! Isn’t he quite the hipster. Too bad the rest of this photo is somewhat frightening. I don’t know if my great-grandparents, Sven and Caroline, were terribly stern, but they certainly appear so.

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I decided to have a little fun with my ancestors by creating mixed media frames and then sprinkling the photos with whimsical and brightly colored flowers.

To learn how I did this and to learn more about Sven, Caroline, and twin boys Arvid and Harold, please visit my tutorial at the ColourArte blog.

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Great Stuff

Itty bitty teeny tiny–how to make miniature flower bulbs

Itty bitty teeny tiny–how to make miniature flower bulbs
Itty bitty teeny tiny–how to make miniature flower bulbs

 

 

 

For some of you Spring is in the air. Here in Minnesota, well, let’s just say, we don’t even dare hope for it until April. Creating these miniature dollhouse flower bulbs provide a fun reminder that eventually the snow will  may melt. The realistic miniatures have bulbs and shoots made from clay, and papery scales made from paint and gloss medium.

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To see a tutorial on how to make miniature flower bulbs for dollhouses, please visit the ColourArte blog.

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Great Stuff:

Tag someone sweet with this mixed media Valentine

Tag someone sweet with this mixed media Valentine

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Have you completed all your Valentines cards yet? Don’t run out and buy those perforated factory-made cheapos just yet. You still have time to stun someone special with a dazzling creation.

And if they don’t ooh and ahhh with enough appreciation? Well then you can retaliate by keeping all the chocolate for yourself.

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A mixed media Valentine made from a Tyvek envelope and glass heart

A mixed media Valentine made from a Tyvek envelope and glass heart

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Who knew that my heart would get shattered before Valentine’s Day? Thank goodness it was only a spare glass heart. This mixed media heart made with glass, dazzling artist’s pigments and Tyvek envelope paper beads is still intact.

I hope you have time to check out my tutorial (and get a peek at my shattered heart) for this mixed media Valentine project.

Great Stuff 

I love my word nerd friends so much that I made them an altered art Valentine tag

I love my word nerd friends so much that I made them an altered art Valentine tag

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As a former journalist and business writer, I have many friends in the editorial world. While our party animal reputation may not be on par with–oh say, the Kardashians–we still know how to have a good time. For example, can you think of anything that creates more rollicking merriment than a little word nerd banter?

Indeed, we are a boisterous and bawdy bunch.

Please go see the tutorial on the ColourArte blog.

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You spin me right ’round–like a Valentine carousel

You spin me right ’round–like a Valentine carousel
You spin me right ’round–like a Valentine carousel

 

 

 

I don’t think there’s any sweeter combination than Valentines and merry-go-rounds–at least if you exclude the food category. Everyone knows there’s nothing sweeter than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
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This carousel features glittering lights, prancing horses in perfect pastels and mid-century sweethearts all dolled up for the holiday.  Read the rest of this entry

Swag swoon…Please don’t faint from this blog’s lavish perks…a free printable calendar

Swag swoon…Please don’t faint from this blog’s lavish perks…a free printable calendar

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had lots of fun making this month-at-a-glance mixed media calendar. I hope you visit the ColourArte blog to see how to make it. I will love you even more if you leave a kind note on the post over there.

To make the project a lot less time consuming, I create this printable calendar for you. And guess what! It’s free!

Just download the Month at a glance printable from Paper Calliope.

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2016 handcrafted calendar–bright days ahead

2016 handcrafted calendar–bright days ahead

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What better way is there to ring in a new year–not counting those midnight champagne kisses–than by making a handcrafted calendar?

I’m excited for 2016. For me personally, I sure hope it is better than 2015. What’s more, I am looking forward to embark on some exciting new adventures that I have been keeping under wraps.

Today though, is a little sad, since it marks my last post as a Robin’s Nest Design Team Member. The Robin’s Nest was my first design team and the gang there will always hold a special place in my heart.

Please visit the Robin’s Nest and see the tutorial for this 2016 desktop star calendar.

Also, as I promise in that post, here is the 2016 mini calendar I created. Please feel free to download and use it for your crafting projects.

Download this free 2016 Calendar Printable made by moi!

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Breaking news–puppy accused of tomte-cide

Breaking news–puppy accused of tomte-cide

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Ever heard of “tomte-cide”?

During the sanding process, I made the mistake of leaving the tomtes I was crafting on the kitchen counter when I left to pick up my daughter from basketball. 

Boomer, the golden retriever puppy, does not have a discriminatory palate. Food. Not Food. Doesn’t matter.

Poor little tomtes–only a few survived.

You can learn how I made these cute little fellers over at Altered Pages.

boomer

Don’t let the cute face fool you. He’s guilty of tomte-cide.

Activa tag