YAPPING CAT STUDIO

   
Long before the movie ever came out, this was always one of my favorite quotes from Alice in Wonderful. I thought this would make a fun journal page.   To create this I started out using a stencil and a paint dabber.  Layered over with inks and more stencils.  Added some clip art, a stamp, some rub ons and then the wording.

Actually, I have done this as a journal page before.  And I thought you might get a kick out of seeing it, just to see how much my style has changed over the past few years.  This prisma pencil page was done in '06.  I've always liked funky hand-writing.  Always have been a fan of Susan Branch.

 
 
And here it is after I started jacking around with it in Picnik.  Kinda fun to copy your artwork and mess with it more digitally.  And yet, I've a feeling I'm the last one to discover that option.  LOL.  Me, always the late bloomer.  But always willing to believe the impossible.

-c

 
I've been working on some pages for my little journal.  I've been having fun with paint and stains and stamps and stencils.

I've tried to mix a good variety of inspiring quotes along the way, as well as just some things that are different.

Like this vintage bingo card that I painted, stained and sanded.  The strings can be used to slip photo's or journal cards underneath. 

I wanted it to have lots of fun layers and pockets.  Miss Jane holds her teapot here, but its on a string so it can swing back and forth. I was so inspired by Pam Garrison's House book I wanted to do something like it with the various layers.

So this has short pages and pockets.

Little bits of fun.

Transparencies.

And funky hand-writing.  Each time I think I'm done, it tells me it wants one more thing added.  LOL.

You may recall the cover.   This was an old reader's digest book that I gutted.

Can't decide if I want to put it on Etsy or not.  Maybe I'm not ready to part with it.  LOL.

What are you working on?

c

 

Vintage? I can hook you up.

Shabby Cream Plates

Beautiful Woven tea towel

Sweet little creamer.

Vintage reader.

Ceramic Doggie (which is actually a decanter).

And more. 

All on my Etsy.

-c

What does it take to believe?

Found this quote on Pinterest.  Here's my page if you want to looksee.  For my, its not just eye candy...its like eye crack.  Gah.  I'm hooked, bad. 

Anyway, loved this quote.  And yeah, I believe...

 

c

Painted Canvas Love...

.. .I have it!

I been taking another class.  She Art is such a fun class and I'm loving all the techniques I'm learning.

Learning to do layers and layers of lovely goodness.

While finding art time is slim as of late, what little bit of time I'm finding is super fun.  Hope you are finding some creative time.

-c

Have you ever had one of those projects where the pieces just, after some frustration, finally clicked?  That's the way that this book cover was.  The original pieces were going to be a greeting card, but it decided to go into a different direction.

And then at one point, I was almost on the verge of scrapping the whole thing, but then it began to come together. 

Inside front cover.  LOVE this quote.  Found it on Susan Branch'es FB page this morning. 

These are some of the pages that will go inside. 

Been taking the She Art class.  Lots of great techniques and inspiration.

Well, I've tons of things to show you from the recent Antique Alley expedition that Dad and I went to on Friday.  The wind was fierce, I felt so badly for many of the dealers, as there were LOTS of sounds of breakage going on.  And thinks to the wind, I now have an ugly sinus infection.  blah.  I'm headed back to the couch.

-c

She wore butterflies

This has always been one of my favorite quotes.  e.e.cummings.  And one of my favorite artisti's is Hope at Besottment.  Those two inspirations came together to form this page.

I love this page.  But it still seemed a little...I don't know. 

now look:

 
So I went back and whited out some of the wording on the left.  Added a bit more heft to the lettering.  I still can't decided which way I like best. 

But I do love the butterfly as her pocketbook.  If you get a chance, take one of Hope's on-line journaling classes.  They are alot of fun and alot of inspiration!  Hope your day is inspired.

-c

Hey boo boo!

  
Mistakes.  Boo-boo's.  Sometimes they happen.  Especially when the written word is involved.

That's why, ya gotta love sand paper.  I like to think of it as, the eraser for artists.

Before.

 
After.

Before.

After. 

I decided that I had not really like what I had written on the book mark.  I decided to go with something else instead.  Playing with layering.  More playing is in order.

-c

Cottage.  Sorta.  In my house.

But its more of a "dark cottage", rather than an airy and bright cottage look. 

Not that there is anything wrong with that.  I just tend to gravitate towards the darker colors rather than the lighter.  I love pink.  But it only shows up a wee bit in my decor.

This is my entry way.  I've not really done anything new, except I did buy that really cool nest at Canton.  Then, naturally, we got em in at work.  I need to take the camera to work and take some pics, we've got tons of new stuff.  Really cool stuff.

Gets me in trouble. 

Oh well.  Such is life.

Do you like my bird garland?  I thought it was fun.  'Cept there were "structural" issues.  As in for some reason, some of the birds "won't fly right".  LOL.  Actually, I thought it was kinda funny to have some upside down. 

ha!

-c

ps there is one bird garland in my etsy shop.

If I only had TWO Kitchens

 
Have you ever seen the movie, "Prince of Tides"?  At the end, Nick Nolte ponders why we are each not given two lives.  And while that concept is interesting in and of itself, the one I really want to ponder is, why can't I have two kitchens?

What I have now is a French Country kitchen.  Lots of black, creams, touches of red and gold.  Pretty, but a little dark.   And don't get me wrong, I do like my kitchen.  It compliments my living room nicely. 

But sometimes what I really long for......is white eyelet cotton, pots of geraniums, lots of cheery, cottage cuteness.  Simple and sweet.

I'm sure if I had this kitchen instead, I would whip up pound cakes, home-made bread and always have a pot of fresh beans simmering on the back burner.  The smell of fresh brewed coffee would be positively heady.  With a sweet, clean breeze blowing through the back screen door.

Chickens and a great big garden would sit right outside that back screen door.  Yep...if only I had two ktichens.  :)  Dreaming on a Monday...that's me.  How about you? 

-c

PS...new Etsy stuff in stock!  I'll be loading new stuff all this week.  TONS to put in!