Cute Paperback Page Flowers

So, I hear using coffee filters for crafts is all the rage now.....(even Stampington & Co. issued a Coffee Filter Challenge).....  and in the interest of finding more creative things to do with all the paperback pages I have around here now due to my Altered Page art, I decided to try to combine a bunch of things I already had on hand to make these funky and versatile, little flowers.

I thought they'd be great for dressing up gifts, your hair, clipping on a sweater, etc.....

I used dyed coffee filters

paperback flower shapes edged in white glue and glitter,

buttons and feathers....

I adhered alligator clips to the backs of them to make it easier to jazz anything up!

This shows a clothespin holding the clip in place while the glue dries.

I 'm really pleased with how they turned out.  They were so fun.  I took pics of all the steps I took to make them.  If anyone is interested in more info, I'd be happy to supply :)

I "vintagized" this photo for effect.... they remind me of retro corsages, so, it seemed fitting ;-p

Art Walk is just around the corner now....on Friday.....better stay up late to keep up the creative pace.  I want to have lots of eye candy to present to my adoring fans ( and by this, I mean family and friends that I'm insisting come to my exhibition...haha!)

Wishing you well, Cameron

Where Your Roots Are

It seems, fellow Magic Seekers, that the Fairy Folk are emerging from their Wintery abodes to do some sprucing up for the Spring.  It must be just as exciting for them, as it is for us, to welcome the warm sunshine on their tiny faces and revel in the greenery sprouting up all around us! 

I'm assuming, anyway, that this is true. You may remember I was gifted by the glimpse of a fairy home last month.  Well, it's happened again!  In the roots of another old Olive tree it was.  And I must say that they are really decorating in bold Fairy fashion....all aglitter and aglow....

Why after living here all this time am I priviledged to spot their dwellings now?  I believe it is my daughter's doing.... My first sighting was while I was hearing her laughter in my mind...this one, well, she actually spotted.

You see, blue is her favorite color...an interesting coincidence, don't you think?!   She wanted to knock on the tiny door...but, since we were empty handed, I told her we'd try when we had a little gift to offer.  Perhaps we'll return before bedtime with a thimble full of milk and a pretty feather.  Our fairy friends around here seem to have a penchant for them!

So, be on the lookout...I'm thinking that these little Folk are on some kind of mission of late...they are making themselves known. 

-Is it to reinstill a bit of Innocence that we seem to lack nowadays?

-Maybe to renew our belief in Possibilities?

-Probably they're just mischievious and want us take other people back to where we saw the door...only to have it not be there anymore....hmmm?  Tricky Little Creatures :)  Good thing I got a few pictures!

Whatever the case, those Folk, their kin and the Spring are always welcome here!

Until we chat again,

Cam

P.S. Of course, you are always welcome, too!  I didn't think that needed mentioning...but in case you were wondering ;-)

It's Nice to Have Friends

I just wanted to share with all of you some child-like magic...This is the Story of Lilly Walters Schermerhorn.  She just happens to be one of 3 Grandmas my daughter's Best Friend (left) is lucky to have! 

That's how I met her.  She is a Face Painter, among other things, and takes out her brushes and paints for the kids' birthdays.  We attended one of our little friend's parties and my Pumpkin was so excited to have her face painted. 

Lilly is so patient and not unlike a big kid herself, delighting in the choices the children make while flipping through her portfolio of characters and ideas!

She graciously invited us to her home one Christmas (me, my daughter & my husband!) had a stocking and little gifts for my girl, just like she did for hers.  She fed us, gave us a tour.....her whole house was a feast for the eyes....

She's painted everything so whimsically and beautifully.......ceiling, linen cabinets and all!

I loved how fantastical it all was...and so uniquely her!

She welcomed and embraced us...and, with a smile so warm and genuine, invited us to visit again.  I wish I could show you her whole house (and I'm sorry for the quality of these photos!  They don't do the place justice!) Her work is amazing! You can see her incredible painted necklaces here.


She continues to include us in plans she makes with her family and asks about my little girl when visiting with her granddaughter.  She has touched my heart through her generosity and Fairy Spirit.  Her persona and art exude it....

Much to my delight, she has agreed to come and paint at my Pumpkin's Birthday party!  I don't know who is more elated by this news...me or my daughter :-D  I'll be sure to put up some pics of her handiwork after the celebration in May!    Thank you, Lilly!

So I leave you, Dear Readers, with gratitude, for giving me a place to share the good things in Life.  Friends are definately one of the Best!

Getting Ready for Art Walk

Hello All!

So sorry I didn't post on Friday....I've been super busy getting ready for the Artwalk.  I had a great meeting with Mike and Candace of Violethour Studio and Gallery about my impression of how the Walk went and showed them my new pieces (like this one) and they graciously offered me a huge space to exhibit and showcase my merchandise!  Essentially, it'll be like having a booth set up in their gallery during the Walk!  So, needless to say, my production has amped up to high power!

I've been working on more covered journals....these are ready for art and embellishments.

I've packaged all my hair accessories.

Even been trying my hand at creating jewelry with my art....still experimenting with the art part.  I'm in love with the shell earrings!

And though I said I wasn't going to do it, I made more copies of my new and previously uncopied works to make notecards with and to use on the journals.  I figure, anything left over from the walk can be offered in my store!

This is my latest Altered Page.  The words read, "She was completely ridiculous."  I wanted her to be whimsical and fun.

 My daughter liked that she kept her teapot on her hat.

How magical it would be to have butterflies flutter out of my pockets like that!

Have any of you made something with your art that you've found people really enjoy?  I'm curious and would love more ideas on what I could make.  Thank you!


I'm off to do more............much, much more!
Cam

Work in Progress

Happy Wednesday Everyone!  I thought thaty I'd share a piece with you that is not yet finished.  I've never taken pics during the various stages of completion before, so I thought this would be the something new for both of us!
Plus.....if I put it out there, unfinished, incomplete, and in full view for the world to see....I'd have no choice but to get a moving on it again.  I always seem to work better on a deadline of sorts :)  Thanks for helping me overcome a little procrastination!

This is the reference photo I'm using for this piece....It is Killian again holding her dog. You can see another painting that I completed using a photo of her here.

I changed the sketch to have her holding a cat instead....though I know Familiars can really be any creature, I wanted it to be a little more obvious that these two were a Magical duo.

Here it is on 11 x 14 140 lb watercolor paper with the background put in.....this will not be the final background (or final anything, for that matter)....I still add more (and more) layers after I block in some of the other parts....no wonder it takes me so long to get one of these done...sheesh :)

Here, I've started the hair and skin tone....these 2 are, by far, the hardest things to get right, in my opinion!

The cat and the denim vest are started here.  The cat will be black, but I'm using a grey undertone for some of the sheen...on the vest, I utilized some watercolor pencil for the fine lines and details.

That's all I have so far....I'd guess it needs about 2 hours more of work before it's done.  I'm not sure, yet, whether I will define it in black ink after all the water media is finished.  Any thoughts?

My daughter likes me to describe how I draw and paint....and she has taken some of my practices to heart!
At 3 1/2 years old she's becoming pretty adept, at the risk of sounding like a bragging Mommy :)  Take a look for yourself....

This is a dragonfly from a coaster she picked up from the coffee table.

This one blew me away.  A fantastic rendition of one of her toy spiders (yes, I say one of....she likes bugs:)

Thank you for giving me an excuse to take a piece from the "in the works" pile and breathe into it some new life and excitement.  I look forward to posting a completed image of it soon!  I'll still be working on those altered pages, in the meantime....I find their quicker timeline of completion such a relief after taking on a larger scale watercolor! 
Until we meet again,
Cam

Altered for a Perfect Fit

I stayed up late last nite....my first time in over a week that I got to work on something artsy.....long overdue, and sooooooo satisfying! I finished one project and loved it so much, I started and finished another! I never am able to do that! Mainly, it's cuz I usually work on 9x12 inch or larger pieces, that end up requiring large chunks of time, layer upon layer of washes and detail and the proper mood to sit down and work on the same thing I've been painting for sometimes, months! I mentioned and displayed some altered pages on a former post.....which I thoroughly enjoyed and wanted to explore further, thanks to Sheree at Raven Moon Magic. She was not only kind enough to give me the idea, but to give me helpful hints and feedback! So armed with a new larger paperback with thicker pages and hidden messages to reveal, I began the journey of uncovering Secret Truths!

Well, my obsession with coffee could definately be called a Truth.....but it's certainly no Secret!

So, it just started as a simple message about the ritual of coffee drinking. The circled words read, "Morning constant, next day the same, survivalism" I can see by your nodding head, that you understand and appreciate this statement. :)

But as I continued exploring the aspects of the page and finding random bits of info on coffee drinking on my hunt through magazine pages..... I found something interesting...something that makes my multiple cup habit good...even HEALTHY for me! Imagine that! There were articles about it reducing risks of endometrial cancer, making your muscles feel less sore when you drink some Joe before exercising....but my favorite....and the point that drives the whole page home is featured above. It says..and I quote *clearing throat* "people who reported drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee daily were 65% less likely to develop dementia compared with those who drank 2 cups or less."

It's not even saying drink some coffee....it saying drink lots of coffee! Now that's my kind of study...I feel vindicated...haha. So happens this torn out page was the start of Chapter Five and I added 5 "coffee" rings. The image in the center is a hand-carved stamp I made years ago. Hope this tickles your craziness for the brew as much as it did mine....I celebrated it's completion with a cup!

Then I matted it and started a new page.

Within this page's text, I saw something serene....something universal. The circled words read, "Gentle whispering, shady green, it was everything." The first thing I imagined was a tree....but more than that, I wanted to convey how this tree...this spot in time is everything...right now. How our experiences, while uniquely ours, are not the only ones occuring at any given moment....how one second, one thought , one tree, one word, one glance...can be everything to lots of different someones at one time.

We are so lucky to be able to revisit those "Everything" times whenever we want...in our minds and in our hearts.

I've found that adhereing the page to a sheet of watercolor paper allows me to flow over the edges and helps keep the integrity of the soft page. I used black and white ink to highlight details of the animals and such...

I also used some of my irridescent watercolors in the tree and grass to give it some shimmer....

I'm looking forward to doing more of these fun pages. I get to relax a bit and not be so hung up on details. They're also so much quicker, and therefore, I'm able to get something done in one sitting for once!

Please have a wonderful weekend! I hope to be back on Monday with pics from Artwalk!

Off to have another cup of coffee!