Ms. Trish, ListMom for Next Generation Stamps, challenges her Yahoogroup members with background techniques. This week for the Background Noise Challenge it was the Shaving Creme Technique. But, instead of using Shaving Creme, use Mousse! Well, I didn't have any mousse so Shaving Creme it was for me. This particular technique brings back many fond memories for me since it was the VERY first technique I learned. I enjoyed it then and enjoyed even more this time. In addition to smooshing cardstock into the creme mixture, I also smooshed on see through fabric so I would coordinating fabric to make ribbons and what not. The fabric smooshing was done after I did the cardstock. By the way, the fabric was free! I went to a blind and window shop owner and asked if she had any sample books. Well, I came home with 30 books with fabulous fabrics---silks, brocades, cottons, sheers, heavy fabric...I couldn't believe it. Ask around!

Lunch Box Assemblage

I started with one of those white lunch boxes. I 've forgotten who makes them and even where I purchased---I've had for over two years! I made this for my middle brother who turns 58 on Wednesday. I used anything I could find---some very old, rusty stuff given to me by a friend from an old barn, crushed beer bottle tops (that my brother gave me!), handmade papers, model magic, jute, rubber lace and stamping on acetate. Lots of E600 on this one--just hope the chain stays on there!

Recycling Project #2: Contact Lens Supplies

Do you wear contacts? Or, know someone who does? Save the supplies and recycle! I wear Bausch&Lomb lenses which come packaged in the clear plastic cases shown and the saline solution comes with the blue and white cases. What do I do with these? I use the clear plastic cases for mixing paints of all kinds, as a holder for glue or small objects..just about anything. For the storage lens case, I use for travelling. If I need just a little bit of something, I pour into the case, i.e., perfect pearls, glitter, gold leaf, paints, etc., etc.. These cases are pretty airtight, but I strongly recommend placing anything liquid when travelling in a plastic baggie. What else can we do with these??

Remember to Recycle! It's a good thing!

Design Elements: Irish Collages

These are some of the elements I used for the two Irish Collages. Some of them were downloaded as PDF files and not as JPEGs.

Irish Sheet Music & Postcard Collages

I made these two collages using vintage sheet music illustrated covers, one vintage postcard and one Dover design. Each of these is created using four different sources and each has at least 9 elements layed out and glued down. I found a really neat website that has vintage sheet music. It is the Johns Hopkins University, Sheridan Collection. Visit Johns Hopkins University Collection Its site linked another consortium of vintage sheet music at the University of Southern California, Visit UCLA consortium This was lots of fun and would love to creat some more but I need to do some chores!

Daguerreotypes - Period of Use: 1839 - ca. 1860

Photography was one of the most important inventions of the nineteenth century. The daguerreotype was the earliest practical photographic process, and was especially suited to portraiture. The images created were so lifelike that some referred to the daguerreotype as a "mirror with a memory."
It was made by exposing the image on a sensitized silver-plated sheet of copper, and as a result, the surface of a daguerreotype is highly reflective. There is no negative used in this process, and the image is almost always reversed left to right. Sometimes a mirror inside the camera was used to correct this reversal.
The men and women who worked with photographic materials faced many challenges. Solving one problem often created another. The daguerreotype was expensive, relied on toxic material such as mercury, and could not be reproduced. http://www.floridamemory.com/

The Textured Black Gesso Challenge--Train Wreck!

Well, the challenge was to create a background using Black Gesso, highlighted with gold. Hmm.... I don't have any black gesso, tried to make black gesso by mixing a black reinker to the white gesso and, as Trish, Next Generation Stampers, http://trishbee.co.uk/ said "be careful you might get grey." I did, plus just a huge messy looking "thing." So, I altered the challenge by using the gesso and painted with Color Mists sprays, acrylics inks, Walnut Ink sprays, adding glitter to the gesso while wet to make a grainy look and highlighting with gold ink. I think I shall go out and purchase some black gesso and give this another try. (And, I'm going to purchase some better gesso---I think I have some really cheap stuff---runny!)

The Color Wheel Circle Fatbook Swap

I joined the The Color Wheel Circle Fatbook Swap on BookArtz, hosted by Jennifer C. This was such fun! I selected the color Orange and had a ball creating my pages.

An Angel Card for An Angel

This is the 4 X 4 page I made for a very sweet lady who has always been an Angel--from the moment I met her at the Art & Soul Retreat in Dallas, Texas. She has been been in every Fatbook Swap I have hosted for Art & Soul, except this one. She has had surgery on her shoulder and is unable to participate. So, I made her a page so she will not miss out! I was thrilled to find and old thread advertisement with this angel who was sewing around the world. I cut her out from the advertisement and created a new collage that says, "Wind Is the Love we don't understand, but feel." Get well soon, Dale!

Windswept Cover

This is my prototype for the cover of 4 x 4 Fatbook Book I am hosting for the Art & Soul Retreat in Asilomar, California. The theme is "Windswept." I found this old pen advertisement and started adding elements to it. This is NOT the finished page. I'd like to postpone posting the final for a bit!

Recycling

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