My Summer Flip

I was driving to the grocery store and spied a dirty, rusty neglected patio table sitting on the end of  a neighbor's driveway, waiting for pick-up by the garbage truck. It had a thick plate of glass that showed the possibility of a beautiful outdoor dining set, but I had to be quick. The garbage truck was at the end of the block, coming our way.

I got there not only in time to rescue the pieces, but the driver of said truck helped load the chairs into my car. He promised not to take the table and glass. after dropping off the chairs at my house, I returned just as a neighbor was parking his car in his own driveway. He helped me take the glass off and put it into my car. One more quick trip back and forth and he helped me put the table in as well.

I started with the heavy piece of glass, which needed two hours of elbow grease and window cleaner to make it shine again. The table was next, but I had to sand off the rusty frame so I could spray paint it. I had recently bought a few cans on clearance from HobbyLobby and Michaels.

After the table was painted, I cleaned, sanded and painted the chairs, having removed the chair pads. I gave them a good cleaning and sorted thru my excess material before choosing one large enuf to cover all six chairs. 

Last weekend, I held a garage sale and the table and chairs were very popular. I sold it the first day!!   Here's the before photo. I also decluttered my basement, emptying two bookcases. I repainted the top of one of them, and they were sold the same day as the table (and three sets of cozy mystery series went as well. My mom, before she passed, was an avid trading card collector. I had mountains of tubs in my basement of non-sport trading cards, some still in factory-sealed boxes. I never realized how many collectors are out there!! I made some pretty good money selling two tubs of them (and yes, I checked E-Bay for the going rates).

Now my main focus is to clean up the slightly empty basement and make it a livable space for my sister and her husband when they come in from Germany for a visit. My secondary project is to pull out all the Holiday and Halloween crafts I've made throughout the year for a craft fair in September.  My work is cut out for me.,.

I'm Busting Out Another Birthday Card Today

 After my cardio workout this morning, I felt like using lots of color on today's card. I found the perfect paper to go with a new birthday card. It's from Close to my Heart. I had a friend who sold their products. She also facilitated weekend crops which I loved to attend. I haven't scrapbooked in a long time. My photos and memorabilia are spilling out of their drawers and filling up my computer's memory.

Meanwhile, I'm making birthday cards. It's a nice quick craft whose supplies don't take a lot of room, and I am all about decluttering this year. I want to pare down my many craft interests, but my ADHD craves new projects like an addict...

Meanwhile, my card uses one of my favorite images, of which I can't remember the artist/designer. If you know whose image this is, please comment below. I like to give credit where credit is due. The paper flowers are from my stash, as well as the celebratory die-cuts. I colored the image with my Copics. And that's all, folks! At least for today...

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

HALLOWEEN & OTHER OCCASIONS ALL YEAR ROUND -  This is my DT make

CRAFTY ANIMALS -  AG w/Animals

HEARTS QUEST CELEBRATIONS OF LOVE -CcHALLENGE #7, BIRTHDAY

LOVE TO CRAFT - AG #87

PAPER ROCK SCISSORS -  AG using papers and scissors on your project

CREATIVECRAFTERS - Anything Goes

It's Coming...

 

I created another "two-fer" today. That's what I call it when I create two cards i/o one with pretty much the same supplies. The papers are both from a DCWV paper stack, as well as the greetings. On the featured in the forefront, I used a brand-new-in-the-package set of acrylic stamps that I bought years ago (!) from Michael's. It's one of their own Recollections stamp sets. 

I also changed the orientation of the two cards, but not much more than that, besides the focus of each. Like I always say, It's just as easy to make two cards as it is to make one...

Are you filling up your stash of Halloween cards? There are only two months left before we get our scary on! See you at the Halloween & Other Occasions Challenge Blog this month!

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

Time's Fun when You're Having Flies

 

I went to an estate sale and found a few garden frogs to color. The only thing I like better than frogs are mushrooms, but I also spied some garden birds. The whole lot cost me $5 and I've just finished the first five of the ten frogs I found.

The first frog I painted and named George. I placed him under a trio of very large mushrooms growing in my neighbor's yard across the street. He's catching some shade in the summer's heat today. He is only 3 inches high, but mercy, look at the size of those mushroom caps!! If they were edible, they would have been in my frying pan and eaten already...

I painted another four frogs and placed them on the steps of my front deck. Arranging them from top to bottom, they seem to be looking and moving toward the front lawn. The next frogs I paint I plan to place them across the ramp that runs the width of my house, up against the deck. The ramp is no longer in use so I'm putting a caution tape across the ramp (temporari;y). I also bought a brass garden sign that warns visitors that the area is a "frogs crossing area" that you can see between the deck and the ramp. I have more frogs to color, which will end up  in the small garden surrounding the lamp post across the yard.

I used acrylic paints; Posca paint markers for the detailed work. Next up will be the birds, but first I've got a big garage sale for which I've been decluttering. I need to price all the craft supplies I'm letting go of (and whatever else I toss into the for sale pile) in just 2 weeks---YIKES!!'

Looking at Things with a Fresh Perspective

 

I started back to drawing in my journal again, and this time I used a digital stamp called Citrus from QKD (Queen Kat Designs). I drew a lava lamp surrounded by things you might (and would) find on my desk. I didn't stop there but made it into a kind of house. But when it came time to draw a critter who lived inside the lamp, I used the QKD stamp instead. In other words, I looked at my drawing from a different, or fresh, perspective...me, looking out!

I used Posca paint markers as well as colored pencils, as well as washi tape and a strip from a magazine. I love my G2 Black gel pen for finer details as well as writing. A little weird. I admit, but I was in a little weird mood...

CHALLENGES i AM eNTERING:

WE LOVE 2 CREATE - Anything Mixed Media Goes

CREATIVE FINGERS - Anything Goes

A Tisket, a Tasket, Another Kitchen Basket

 

Welcome to another day of crafting, and another kitchen basket shadow box! Today I created a beach scene using crushed glass for the ocean, mixed sand for the beach, and tiny seed beads mixed with white paint for the sea foam.

I have plenty of sea shells, but added some pea gravel, moss and one glass button from a floral purchase. Looked a little empty, so I added the last of my starfish stickers. I used one of the tiny bottles I had purchased online (during COVID), with a tiny, rolled up piece of paper inside (neatly tied with a strand of twine).

The final touch was found in my box o' shadow box figurines...the tiny seagull (well, it really was a dove. Use your imagination)! LOL

Challenges I am Entering:

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Seashells at the Beach

(Pin)spirational - July Tropical Sunset (I used the beach scene on my shadow box basket)

The Four Seasons - Summer Season July

Colorful Options - July

So You Think You're an Artist

 

After a super busy start  to Spring, I am finally able to catch my breath and create something new, This piece is a collage I created with mixed media from my water color journal. The background was water colored with a cheap box of water color tubes which, after finishing it, I promptly threw away. Most were dried up, but it only cost me a dollar at a garage sale.

After drying I tore (literally) threw a few magazines that my sister gives me when she and her neighbor read first (because I cut and tear whatever I want from them when they're done with them). I found the most delicious words to flavor my collage that pertained to being or becoming an artist, as you can see.

Some words were given dimension with dimensional tape, while others were glues directly onto the page. I found the very colorful woman's face in another magazine for my canvas' centerpiece. After choosing the right words to their most descriptive matches, I highlighted their importance by using arrow-shaped sticky notes and outlining them with white a Posca marker. 

For a little extra oomph, I cut out a penned Zen drawing, drawing in the shadowed edges with colored pencils to match the water-colored background. All that was left was to fill up a few empty spots with colorful items from other mags. I did use the white marker to create musical notes, my copyrighted logo under the woman's face, as well as a few tiny flowers above the paper vase on the left. The circle on her hat is a button I inherited and the butterfly is a leftover die-cut  I created at a scrap meet (a long time ago in another galaxy...)

There you have it. Enough media for the pickiest of artists. I think my message conveys what all artists need to be and do, don't you?

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

AAA Colourful - Colourboard #17

 CSI: Color, Stories Inspiration - Case File #458

Mix It Up- AG/optional  Mixed Media

Morgan's Art World - AG

We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media Goes