Manly Birthday Cards

June is coming and that means.... birthdays! Yay!  Its not mine, but 5 of my family members', so I made up a few new cards.  Hopefully they are manly enough for the men  :)

Abstract Art

 My post today is dedicated to abstract art.  I may get a little philosophical here, so bear with me.

  Lots of people think abstract art is just nonsense and wonder how artists can sell this stuff for thousands of $ when it looks like a 2 year old could make it.  I heartily agree that some abstract art is totally bogus like Yves Klein's Blue.

He had a reason for making this plain blue painting, but seriously?  The meaning is completely lost on the viewers, so in my opinion, this artwork is pointless. 

However, there are some abstract works that I find captivating and actually beautiful.  The value of this work isn't in the technical skill, but in the way that it makes you feel.  I find these captivating because of the fact that pure colors and lines can make you feel something. 

So here are my experiments in abstract painting.  Painting these turned out to be so therapeutic :)

Watercolor Geraniums

My husband bought me some geraniums for Mother's Day, so of course, I had to do a watercolor of them.  I can't wait to do some more!

Happy Blogiversary!

I just realized that I missed celebrating the first anniversary of my humble little blog, so I'm celebrating a day late! Yes,  May 17, 2010 was the date of my first post ever!  A chocolate chip cookie recipe that beats all others- at least for me :)

I just want to celebrate the fact that this blog exists and the joy it brings me!  It really started out as something fun for me to do.  As a stay-at-home-mom, I need projects to keep me going.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment and really gives me the drive and motivation to keep creating and doing the things I love!

My blog hasn't had much growth because I'm still not sure what I want to do with it.  I like the idea of sharing ideas and maybe even promoting my art and selling it one day.  But, I really don't want it to become a burden and a chore.  I don't want to be too tied down and miss out on time with my fam.  So, I guess we'll see what happens in another year.

So, here's a recap of the things I had the most fun creating last year:

Toddler Table Make-Over

Flower Flap Hat

Watercolor Flower #2

Patterned Packing Tape Cards

Many, many thanks to my supporters who make this all feel worthwhile!

Lid Magnet Welcome Sign

I loved my Lid Magnets so much last week that I became a little obsessed with the idea.  I couldn't stop thinking of what else I could do with it.  Hence, the Lid Magnet Welcome Sign! 

I got so into it that I made several signs to give away.  Then I realized most people probably don't have metal doors- oops.  I'm just used to having a metal door since I've been living in apartments for soooo long.   So, if you don't have a metal door you could just forget the magnet part, glue the lids to a strip of wood, and hang it from a hook.  Maybe I'll try making one of those next :)

Lid Magnets

I've been collecting metal frozen juice can lids for months now and I gotta tell ya, my husband was starting to think I was becoming a hoarder, so I had to put them to use.  This little lids have some possibilities.  I thought about making some kind of sculpture or painting them.  But the best idea was to make magnets out of them. 

So here's a little tutorial on how I made them:

Materials:
Frozen juice can lids
Cardstock/ scrapbook paper
Little magnet circles
Tacky Glue/ craft glue
Stamps & ink (optional)

1. Wash the lids and glue a magnet to the back of each.  I used tacky glue and its holding up nicely.

2. Cut out circles of pretty patterned paper.  I don't have one of those expensive big circle punchers, and really, for this you don't need one.  Just use a cup to trace the circles and cut them out.

3.  Decorate them however you choose, but beware if you choose to use ink.  I got a little surprise later on when it smeared all over the place and ruined my cutest designs- sad.  So learn from me a spray a fixitive of some sort before moving to the next step. I used Krylon Matte Finish.  Its a protective finish that I use for my arts and crafts, but if you don't have some handy you could give hairspray a try.

4. Glue the paper circles to the lids.  I tried using Modge Podge to stick the paper to the lids, but they came off easily.  Tacky glue works much better.

5.  Apply a coat or two of Modge Podge on top of the paper circles.

Alright!  All done! Easy right?

Art with a great " psychic line"

First of all, let me say that I'm so glad I finally have a chance to post something.  Life was crazy with health problems and a move and I haven't actually created anything in a long, long time.  I feel so out of the swing of things.  So this post isn't about something I have made recently.  I'm reverting back to my good old college days when I was bursting with energy, oh how I miss that!

Well, this is a little trashed, but its still a one of my favorite assignments I completed for a 2-D design class, oh about 7 years ago.  Yikes!  Was college really that long ago?!

Don't spend too much time trying to figure out what the heck this is supposed to be about.  I'm really not a fan of art that is so out there that you have to stretch your imagination to come up with a meaning. The point of this was to focus on the design of the image, rather that the content or meaning.

The best was the comment I got on the back from my professor about having a great "psychic line"- ha ha!   Sounds pretty funny if you don't know the art lingo, well, and even if you do!  He was talking about the point your eye goes to where the girl is about to reach out and touch the carrot. 

So there you have it.  A little art education and something weird to look at :)