When I worked at the rubber stamp store in Piedmont SC, I made hundreds of card samples for my card workshops. I found this one today and wanted to share it. I love the stamp by Hero Arts and U think this is a good example of how delicate and subtle you can get with Copic markers.

The card is 4x6 inches

Paper/Cardstock :Bazzill Cameo, Pinkini; Sonberg Pink Linen; Neenah Solar White

Stamps: Hero Arts CG14o Poppy Background; CL129 Anytime Messages

Inks Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Andirondack Watermelon

Copic Markers R0000, R81, R85, G 0000, G21, G24, Y21, Y26

Contrary to what seems normal, start with the darkest color and then over lay with the lighter colors, drawing each layer slightly closer to the outer edge of the petals. A touch of light yellow in the center and a touch of green on the stems and you have a dramatic negative image .

There has been a lot of interest lately, in making easel cards. This is a relatively simple structure. but it can sound rather complicated. So this is my attempt to clarify how these cards are made.

Let's start with a simple diagram which I have shown at right. The light green piece is the base.The darker green is the card face. This is the card in the 'open' position. Closed, it looks like any other card. The blue dot represents the brad or label which holds the card open.

Below are some pictures of an easel card in the open and the closed position. This card was made for the Montly Lottery on An Affair with Art. The artist can make anything she chooses, the theme is Hearts. So she is getting a valentine from me.

To make an easel card this size you need

1 sheet 8.5 x 11 in. Cut in half to make 2 pieces 8.5 x 5.5 in.

Fold one in half to make a standard 8.5 x 4.25 i n folded card.

Fold the center of the font at 2.25 in. This is the easel.

Cut the othe piece of cardstock to 5.5 x 4.25 in and decorate as desired

Attach the lower half to the lower half of the folded portion of the easel.

Attach a decorative element or a brad or button for the catch to hold the easel open

No new artwork today. for those who don't already know, Stamps and More by Eleanor is closing at the end of March. They are having a goind out of business sale, starting today, Feb 1. It will be sad to see this happen.

One of the fun activities on An Affair With Art is exhanging artworks in a 'mingle'. The subject is posted and members are given a specified amount of time to sign up. At the end of that period, the moderator gives each person the names of two members who are to receive her work. This is the piece I did for the 2011 Valentine 4x4 Mingle.

The back ground is a pearl satin cardstock that I ran through the Vagabond with one of Tim Holtz Texture Fades. That was mounted on burgundy red cardstock. The red metallic heart is one I found at Hobby Lobby. The piece was finished with two Prima Flowers layered together and given a center of a red metallic fake brad. The work "Love" was cut out on the Expressions Cricut, using the "Alphalicious" Cartridge.

I've been busy doing art but forgot to post. Bad bad me. But here are some of the things I worked on.

One of my favorite activities is participation in an online art group who are having "An Affair with Art" In December we exchanged art pieces as a 12 day exchange if small handmade gifts. This is the one I made. It's a tag on the theme of the Christmas Season... Winter with snow and sparkle and evergreens.

I've also joined a 4x4 swap in that

group. The theme is Month by Month. I selected June because it's my birth month and I love pearls and roses and the fact that it's the bridge between Spring and Summer. This is the design I submitted.

Finally, this is a 4x4 I created as a gift for the Swap Coordinator. That not an easy job. I hope she feels appreciated. The images are from a new Graphic 45 offering called Once Upon a Springtime

New Artwork

I've been invited to join a wonderful online group called An Affair with Art. The terrific ladies who are members of the group are mixed media artists from all over the country. There are online swaps and 'mingles' and a monthly lottery where each participant makes one piece based on a theme, then at the end of the month there is a drawing and the winner gets the goodies. All of them. Then she selects a theme for the following month and the whole thing starts again.
I made some 'fern paper' this month and used that for my lottery entry. Below are some of the papers and the tag project I did for the lottery entry. I love tags. Love to make them, love to get them, love to give them... welllllll sometimes I would like to keep them, but that's half the fun of giving them up... they go to a new home where they will be loved and admired and that is defintely a good thing.

The theme is "Numbers". I chose the number three, but decided to do something other than just use numerals.

So, I made fern paper with three ink colours
There are three elements in the design on the tag

There are three colour feathers in each cockade and three feathers in each.

The numeral is 3, embellished with three colours of Perfect Pearls

There are three doubled strands of each colour fiber in the tassel at the top of the tag

Here is the tag for September's An Affair With Art Lottery, along with two samples of the fern paper I made

I promised to show you how to prepare a book for altering.









In the previous posting we talked about how to choose a book. Once you have inspected the book, know that the binding is a good one and the pages are in good condition to work on, the next step is to determine whether the fly leaf and end paper are in good shape. If not, you may want to add a new one. I'll get to that later. But on the chance that you will want to do that, don't do anything to that part of the book yet. The next step is to start removing pages to make room for the artwork that will be put in the book.

The flyleaf and end paper are in good condition here and there is no sign of tearing or stress in the fold
<----End paper
<----Fold
<---Flyleaf






This book is ready to prep. Consider skipping the first few pages before you start removing pages. This will give you options for a sign in page if you are going to enter the book in a round robin swap or for the pages to introduce your theme.
There are several good methods for removing pages from the book. The best and most common are:

• Tear against a ruler


• Free-hand tear


• Cut away

It is probably not a good idea to tear out all the way to the stitching due to the risk of damaging the thread, especially if the book is an old one or a cheaper new binding. In this picture you can see that the ruler is held against the center, near the seam. This keeps the tear from going all the way to the stitching.


This also ensures a relatively straight tear and allows you to 'grade' or 'shade' the tears so they are not all exactly the same distance from the binding.






Some artists prefer to cut the pages because it gives them greater control.


To do this, insert a thin cutting mat under the page to be removed. Lay a ruler on the page so that the left edge is where you want to cut. Use a good sharp craft knife to cut the pages. I suggest that you take the time to do one at a time.





An easy way to remove pages is free-hand tearing. Use the thumb or a finger from the other hand to guide the tear so it doesn't get into the binding seam.Always tear slowly so that you can stop if you are getting too close to the center of the book.





*Note: if you are going to be folding pages to the center, the part of the page that is left after tearing or cutting will allow you to glue or tape to that piece. This is helpful if you are making a pocket with the folded page.





I like to save the pages I tear out. This gives me the chance to use the book pages for collage or to cut out words/phrases for another page. You can also save illustrations or photos to use later.






This is how your book will look when some of the pages are removed. If you will be the only one working in it, you can remove pages as you go. If it will be entered in a round robin in which other artists will be working in it, you will probably want to remove pages through the entire book. Some of your participants may not know that they need to make room for their wonderful creations. Do it for them to save yourself (and them) some sad surprises.







Some guidelines for you when working in other artists' books:

• If pages have not been removed by the book owner, you should remove sufficient pages to make room for your work. If what you are doing is 5 or 6 pages thick, then remove that many plus one, from the area where you are working.
• Remember, even a coat of paint adds thickness to a page. If you are using only ink that is not an issue, but paint definitely IS.
• Do not start your work on the back of someone else's work. That also creates problems with thickness and you run the risk of accidentally getting paint or other media on the previous pages. It can also cause problems with the page that has already been completed.
• Use wax paper or freezer paper behind the pages where you are working. That way any excess paint or gesso or medium will be on the wax paper not the previous artist's work.