Rejoice... there is a reason for the season!

 

Joyous Blessings of Love & Peace as we celebrate this Christmas Season...

  
May God Bless You and Yours, 

not only for today but always!

Perfect Pickle Party Pizazz!!

I'm really in a pickle this time... whoops, to be clear, it is a "Pickle Swap"! Once again, the fun and talented artists on ATC's For All have come up with a swap that tempted my creativity enough that I couldn't resist joining in the fun! Everyone has been partnered up with another artist to exchange a work of art celebrating the much beloved taste sensation known around the world as a  "Pickle"!!  This is an "anything goes" kinda swap... any medium you choose... any size, big or small... bread & butter or kosher, sweet or spicy, gherkin or dill... the only guideline being, your work must depict a Pickle! 

After finding out who my partner was, I felt inspired to create a pickle with a personal connection to her world! She says in her AFA profile that "I would have Harold Lloyd's babies if I could!" and uses a photo of him as her online avatar. Soooo, how could I not give it a try? 

Below is a classic photo of the silent film star and comedian Harold Lloyd, my inspiration... 

Below: Presenting..."Mr. Harold Lloyd Pickle"... he is a soft sculpted doll created from a pair of girls tights, painted with acrylics & stuffed with polyfill... his hair is made of yarn, glasses made from rubber washers and wire... all body parts are embellished with hot glue "pickle bumps" and entirely hand sewn (that was my biggest challenge, I am definitely not a seamstress!!) His pickle torso measures a bit over 12 inches.

  

Thanks for popping by... 

Until next time, Happy ARTing!!

Judge a "gift" by it's cover... it's a package deal!

I do realize that today's Show & Tell is not a very original idea for holiday gift giving, but... Hand Painted Wrapping Paper gives any artist the opportunity to showcase their own uniqueness of style in a fun & useful way! 

No matter how you choose to create your wrapping paper designs, the first thing you need is "paper" to create on... many artists like to use brown kraft paper or white butcher's paper, but you are not limited to a "blank page"... for an economical & eco-friendly choice, recycle your morning newspaper into a creative mixed media work of art!! 

Next, let's create... when it comes to supplies for this project, anything goes!! Watercolors, acrylics, markers, colored pencils, stamps with ink... just let your imagination loose with your favorite medium!! There are no rules but one... HAVE FUN!!

I know you get the idea, but just to give your creative juices a jump start, I want to share a couple examples that I had fun making! This time, I started with an actual roll of plain white wrapping paper that I found at the local Dollar Store. It isn't as thick as butcher's paper, but that is really why I chose it, as well as it had a bit of a sheen to it. 

Below... I started out by using acrylic paint... my designs were created by applying the paint in droplets... I then "smeared" the drops using an old credit card in different directions & patterns.

Below... Next, I added some ink stamping... I used stamps that I had "hand carved" out of erasers... the perfect way to put your own unique "stamp" on each piece! (I couldn't resist!)

Below... Voila, here are my wrapping papers in use... one thing that I know for sure, it truly is "the ART thought that counts"!!

 Once again, thanks for stopping by...

Until next time, Blessings to all!

 

Create... simple fun for this Christmas Season!

Frosty the Snowman was a very jolly soul... (Whoops, there I go singin' again!)

 

Today's Show & Tell will continue with more ornaments that guarantee to put a little smile on your face! These are definitely budget friendly projects that are perfect for kids of all ages to create and enjoy... whether you're young in years or young at heart, I hope you'll find some inspiration along the way!!

Below... Clothespins can be a very versatile and inexpensive craft tool, they come in different styles & sizes and with a little imagination they can be the perfect choice for your next art project! I like the look of the old fashioned "round top" style, they are perfect for creating what I like to call "Pin Pals"... with just a few scraps of this & that from your cherished craft stash, they can come to life with Holiday Style!

"Pin Pals" Assortment

Below... This lively duo of Snowmen were created from battery operated tea lights... using the built-in candle light for a substitute to the traditional carrot nose that we all know & love! Once again pull out that craft stash and create away... they are sure to brighten up any Christmas Tree that you have! 

(* FYI... to remain in our budget friendly mode, tea lights can be found at your local Dollar Store in packages of two.) 

  "Tea Light" Snowman

 Stop by again... the Christmas Season has just begun, 

more projects & inspirations to come... Ciao!

Ready, Get set, Go... 'tis the season to be jolly?!

Well, the Holiday Season has managed to sneak up on me once again... every year I'm amazed that I'm actually surprised when December comes around! I suppose if I had my way, November would have at least 45 days in it!! 

Today's Show & Tell is the official kick-off celebration that will undoubtedly become known around the world as "The Holiday Art Blog-Fest"... I'm calling upon all of my fellow "Blog" Artists to join forces and generously share all of those crafty secrets that you have been keeping to yourself... this is the season of sharing, give the gift of your uniqueness & creativity this Holiday Season!!  

Below... My first offering of the season is an assortment of "Star Ornaments" that I created for a recent swap on ATC's For All. The star shapes are made of papier mache, decorated on both sides with acrylic paints and embellished with twisted wire, beads & bells. By using papier mache you are not limited to making just stars, try your hand at other shapes as well and decorate them in your own unique style... the only rule here is to Have Fun!!

Papier Mache "Jingle Stars"

 Hope your creativity has been sparked a bit...

Please, come again throughout the Holiday Season...

Together we can make this season "ART-fully Joyous"... Ciao!!