This is in response to a post from my good friend Donna. She's planning to make an ATC card everyday to keep her creativity flowing! What a great idea! My life is crazy right now between work and kids so I don't know if I will be able to keep up, but I did make an ATC card tonight and here it is!

I found these super cool napkins at Ocean State Job Lot. I thought they would be great for background napkin collage. I am so tempted to go back for more of the faces. I think I could find lots of ways to use them.

How wonderful! I got to attend two classes taught by the very talented Tim Holtz at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, MA. What a lovely little store. Here is a picture of me and Tim. 

And here are the two projects that I created. This steampunk heart:

and this patchwork piece which allowed us to learn a wide variety of new techniques.

My post today is about Portfolio Water Soluble Oil Pastels. Seriously, I didn't get the hype. But they were so cheap, I ordered a set from Amazon. I am converted! They are so creamy and blend so well, I seriously love them. A few peeks from my latest Art Journal page. Background is spray inks, some stamping with archival black ink and a little acrylic paint to color in, finally some oil pastels blended around the stamped images.

Journaling yet to be added.

A few days ago I got chance to go to Brimfield Antique Market. It was amazing! I picked up bits and pieces to use in my art projects. I also got this:

Supposedly its a Asian sugar mold. I have no idea what it really is, but it looks great on my desk holding my brushes. :)

I had the idea several years ago to start a blog but it never really got anywhere. Well I'm going to try again and see if I can do better. I had a great Mother's Day today and actually got some time in my studio all day. Here are two of the mixed media projects I finished up.

Why velveteen rabbit?

I have always loved that book. My kids are a bit older now but I was never able to get to the end of that book without crying a little.

My favorite part?
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."-- by Margery Williams, from The Velveteen Rabbit --

So what is this blog about? It's a little bit about me, a little bit about my family, alot about what I like to do like papercrafting, scrapbooking, rubberstamping and various other crafts.

It's really about my continuing quest to become REAL--just like the velveteen rabbit.