The Wednesday Stamper challenge for this week is to show how we use color with stamps. I like to use paint. Here I stamped the dragonfly which is a Stampington stamp with StazOn ink and used Golden Fluid acrylics(yellow ochre, teal and crimson) to paint the wings and body.

Somerset Studio challenges often really challenge me to stretch myself in new ways.

I am working on making something to send in to the special publication Sew Somerset (deadline May 15). I am not a fabric/sewing person, but I wanted to give it a go. I had bought fabric paints at Christmas when I was asked to submit pieces for the upcoming Altered Couture Volume 2 (available May 1, I have 2 altered children's dresses in that publication). I found that I liked working with the fabric paints.

For this is a wall hanging that I used fabric paints on a scrap of fabric I had left over from when I attempted(struggled) to make a quilt for my now 5 year old (my Mum finally sewed it together when she was 3 :). I used my often dormant sewing machine to stitch on the altered photo. I think it is a start, but I have a ways to go with the fabric paint/sewing paper art. Nothing like an art challenge!

I Remember

A while ago I posted about stamp carving. Well I am still at it. I have carved leaves and grasses and fishes and designs which I have been using in my art work. But still my favorite is the eye. It was one of the first things that I carved, I got to use it today for the Wednesday Stampers theme for this week, which is Eye.

Mixing media

This is an example of something I have been working on within one of my larger projects. It is not finished, but I wanted to share that I have been have a wonderful time combining my various loves, altered photography, stamping and paint. I have lately been stitching art pieces together, which is a fun alternative to gluing. I have so many ideas and thoughts, they are almost bursting out of me.

Within the hustle and bustle of being a (homeschool) mom of 4 under 6 I am somehow finding the space to do it all. Creating art for me, at this season, is about finding balance between being the mother I was designed to be and being the artist I desire to be. My arms are wide open to it all.

The joy of Gesso

Gesso is the white paint like stuff that is used to prime canvas. When watered down it can be used to whiten images that are too bright and makes a great surface to stamp onto.

Here is a wood & bead bird hanger I made. The lower one is the bird before Gesso is applied. It is a Dover copyright free image and I find some of them a little garish. The Gesso helps tone it back.

My detailed photography needs improvement, but the words in the pendant say 'Dream Big'. This is something that I really am doing in my life right now. I am burning the candle at both ends, but in a good way. God has given us all 24 hours in a day, I am accountable for how I use mine. So I am dreaming big things and stretching out there, praying about everything and using my minutes wisely. Why not? I have only this one shot at being alive!

In my blog searching I found a link to a group called the Wednesday Stamper and their theme for this week (ending tomorrow) is white, so I am going to add this link to them!

This weekend I have been working on photo altering. I got out the box of photos I took last year on our trip to Ireland and have been sanding and painting a bunch of them.

This one is of a view of Dalkey Island from the side of Victoria Hill about 5 minutes from the house I grew up in, where my Mother still lives. When I lived there I took the beauty for granted. Now that I live in a flat, unbeautiful (hot and humid) part of the States I cherish these photos and memories.

I don't know what I will 'do' with these altered photos. Perhaps I will make a travel journal, or maybe another wall hanging, or I might incorporate it into a larger canvas..... hmmm, ideas are floating around. I love the act of creating.... bringing something into existence that was not before....

SPC

I was not going to do the month of March's SPchallenge until I saw the ever inspiring Misty Mawn's picture. The challenge is use online tools to create or enhance your image, they have a list of tools that can be used. I have been playing around with photoshop for a while and have done tons of fun arty things with photos, so I guess I was a little burned out on it photo altering. But I was able to do this one in 5 minutes with my son helping me (he is going to do his own once I finish this post). I love stuff that is quick and fun and a little different.

That photo is huge, ahhhh... I....

I had in mind to make something else tonight, but I had a bad day today (hormones, Monday, you know the story), lots of frowning faces on my accountability chart, so I decided to make myself something to wear that would inspire me to be a better Momma tomorrow.

The pendant I made says on the back 'joyful mother', now how can I wear this and lie? Tomorrow is a new day and I get to start over and BE the joyful mother my babes deserve.

As I was writing this, my 2 year old woke up from sleep and wandered out to me. She said 'I want on your lap mommy'. How can I resist a sleepy cuddle. So now I am writing this with Laura heavy in my arms. She has already forgiven me for not being quite 'on' today.

Tomorrow really is a brand new day and I will wear this necklace with a full heart.

It is official, the problem is the solder. I used lead solder to make the pendants for the butterfly pieces and they turned out great - smooth, shiny, no burnt bits. Then tonight I made this one with the lead free solder and the pendant is the opposite. OK, it is not that bad, but just not satisfactory to me.

Note to self - work on getting Silvergleam solder, I believe that it will make all the difference.

Thank you to all of you who left such nice comments on my butterfly piece. It encourages me, and makes me think that I am on the right road for now. Thank you again. I am honored that you would visit me and take the time to let me know.

It is all give and take. Through blogging I have found so many neat artists who have their own little art worlds that I can slip into and visit and enjoy and learn from. What did we all do before blogging? Waited longingly for the next issue of Somerset Studio... Okay I still do that, but now we can find out easily what other artists are doing online right now. I have a list of blogs I check out daily and weekly, you know who you are! It's fun, it's free, it's colorful. It's inspiring.

This is the first finished piece of a set of 7 mini hanging thingys I am making for the next issue of Somerset Home. I have made all the parts of the others, but have yet to assemble them. If I had another hour or 2 in the day I could get it done!

The accountability partnering I am doing with Shannon has been so fabulous. I am getting all the important things done as my list is there in the kitchen as I pass reminding me of what I need to focus on. And I am aware of it as I talk to Shannon through the week. It is like a constant reminder of my priorities.

This is the idea behind these pieces, each has a little reminder of things that are important to me. They are in my home as little visual reminders to 'create daily', 'love wildly' 'pray constantly', 'give happily', 'serve lovingly', dream big' and 'play freely'.