Keeping the Postal Service in business!?

For those of you paying attention, yes this is my 3rd blog post today. Since I didn't get to write much in the past couple of weeks I am catching up.

Over the past few days I feel like I am definitely doing my part to keep the postal service operating. Between sending and receiving swaps, my business, and ordered goodies arriving going to the mailbox has become a daily adventure!

Here are some of my latest swaps I haven't had a chance to post until now.

On Art For The Creative Mind we got to try some neat techniques and projects this month.

  Altered Matchbox Shrine - "Tea Time"

 

 Altered Matchbox Shrine - Arful Collage

 

Card of the Month - "Games People Play"

ATC of the Month - "I Hear a Symphony"

(using a napkin or servette)

Tag of the Month - Bleach Technique

Lots To Do: Shapes

Nothing like waiting until nearly the last minute to finish a challenge. This is not like me and greatly upset my structured/anal/slightly compulsive side. My only excuse is that I just couldn't formulate what I wanted to do until today, late afternoon to be exact. Then throw in making dinner and parade rehearsal for my daughter's dance company and there you have it....last minute entry!

I call it ..... "The Shape of Me"

I began with focusing on the word shape and what that means to me. Funny little sayings and quips came to mind. Remember the book "The Shape of Me and Other Stuff" by Dr. Seuss? That sparked the use of the mannequin shape which not only represents a body but also has significance for me in creative ways. 

Then I did a little research on sayings that included the word shape. I chose things that touched or moved me in some way. I varied the fonts for interest, design, and ease of reading. I printed it out, aged the paper with Antique Linen Distress Stamp pad then spray it down with a blending solution which I rubbed around with my finger. I coated the mannequin chipboard form with Heavy Gel Medium and while the paper was still damp I laid it over the form and gently pressed it down around the shape. Again using water color crayons I highlighted the edges of the paper and the form to make it pop. 

I covered an 8x10 canvas panel with a beautiful paper napkin I got from Sky Blue Pink using Modge Podge. After it dried I traced the edges of the flowers and leaves very simply with water color crayons.

I attached the finished body form to the canvas with Heavy Gel Medium and added my initials to the upper left corner.

Three Muses: Mail Art

This week Three Muses has chosen the theme Mail Art. I am very new to this form of art as I have only done two altered envies before this attempt. I am in awe of the artwork already posted in the comments section. 

Lack of experience was not going to hold me back though. Like most things I do these days, I threw caution to the wind and jumped in with both feet. I had a used manila envelope that had been written on with pen all across the front so the first thing I wanted to do was to cover that in some way. 

I first swiped it with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink Pad and then with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink Pad. This gave the orangy envelope a nice green forest look so that set the tone for what I would do next. I found two ArtChix Images from the Gypsy Heart Collage Sheet I wanted to use. As I cut them out and laid them on the envelope I was instantly reminded of Little Red Riding Hood and so it grew from there. I found some great trees online and of course a wolf head that I printed and cut out, I used a piece the fairy tale map found on the inside cover of Jack Kent's Book of Nursery Tales, some colored pencils, a little more Distress Ink in greens and brown textured embossing powder. 

I did not specifically add places to write in To and From addresses but I did place the images so that there is a space to put them later.