And now for WEEK 9!

Here we go! Look at me getting caught up! Holy cow....you all should be impressed with me! Anywho...week nine's question is:

What was the last brave thing I did?

The answer for me was easy, but making the tag and opening myself up was very difficult. Here is my answer:

On the back I wrote:

Being brave, does it still count if you are forced to be brave? If so, the last brave thing I did was telling my 17 year old it was time for him to leave our home. He clearly didn't want to live here anymore and he was destroying our family. It was time to release him into an unknown scary world. I may regret not fighting harder. Isn't that what bravery is all about? Making decisions that may or may not haunt you in the future?

Art Info: Painted tag with black metallic fabric paint and then sprayed copper spray paint randomly over it. Then I dabbed white and grey inks to give it some depth. Edged in copper. Stamped "Brave" in white craft ink. The Fragile sticker is old ephemera....photo is not a copy, but actual photo.)

52Q - Week 8

And here we are at week 8 (okay, I am a few weeks behind....). Week eight's question is:

What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

Here is my answer:

I can't even remember the last time I laughed out loud because it happens SO OFTEN! My friends and family are always cracking me up. Without these people in my life, I would be lost. They all truly know that without laughter, I would cry. My loved ones -old and new life long friends - where would I be without you? You all keep me smiling...on good and bad days. For this I love you and thank you.

Truthfully, I am really not a fan of the art on this tag. It isn't really my style...but I love the sentiment.

Art info: Torn the Sunday funnies into strips and glued them on overlapping the edges. On the edge I punched holes for funky ribbon. The back has a pocket (ATC sleeve) for the journaling info.

WAAAAAY Behind in Blogging!

Well, forgive me (again)....I have (again) been neglecting my blog. I really wish I was better at keeping up with this. I have been busy making art, though....so that is a good thing. Of course, since my sanity depends on it, I guess it is a VERY good thing! Here are the "returns" from the Text Rolodex Swaps....I just love them!

Butterflies are Everywhere!

At a local library sale last year, I purchased this great book about butterflies. The "Plates" included in this book are amazing. I love using butterflies in my art whenever I can and this month's rolodex cards are not exception. March's theme for the monthly rolodex card swap was 'text'. Here are the cards I made. I am mailing them off today.

EYE CANDY!

One of the latest and greatest trends in the Altered Art world is Rolodex Cards. Of course, artists just can't leave anything alone, can we? We look at almost everything in our lives and wonder how we can "Artify" it. The same is true with Rolodex Cards! I started making and collecting these little pieces of art about a year ago. Recently, I joined a new yahoo Altered Art group how as offering a monthly Rolodex Card swap. I was hooked! Each month there is a different theme....last month was Black And White. Here is my art and what I got back....

Week 5 - 52Q "How do I feel today?"

How do I feel today? Hmmmmm...I woke
in a great mood...not sure why...but slowly
my mood shifted some.

Today I am feeling homesick...very, very homesick. I am from a very rural area in Pennsylvania....my family and many friends still live there. Moving to the "Big City" (aka the Boston area) was a major culture shock for a country girl...but you know what they say, "You can take the girl out of the country...". I have lived in Massachusetts for 15 years and 4 months. Other than the first dreadful year after I moved here, I have never been as homesick as I am right now. So, my tag for this week is about that....How do I feel today? Homesick. The back of the tag reads: Today I am feeling very homesick. I miss my family and old friends tremendously. I miss walking down old dird roads feeling my troubles and worries leaving my soul with every single step I take. I miss driving in mountains that I know like my own body. I miss the smells of home. The country air, the sweet fragerance of my hometown. I miss the old oak tree which stands in the farmer's field. I am homesick and I ache for home.

Art info: I used an extra-large manila tag and distressed it lightly with black ink and a "stratch" stamp. For the collage I used old sheet music, black paper and a lace sticker. The image is from ArtChix. Edged in black chalk.

Week 4 of 52Q Journaling Challenge

Ahhh........week 4 (can you believe I am still doing this at WEEK 4!....I am so proud of myself!)....and the phase we were asked to complete is..."When I look into my eye I see..." . Man, Emily, what were you thinking? Talk about Art Therapy! Can't I just keep going on NOT thinking about my feelings? (suppress, suppress, suppress)


Well, I can't....and this is good for me (I think). So...here is the tag for this week. Before I tell you about it, though, here is a little back story: Okay, as many of you know (and some of you don't), I am having problems with my 17-year-old son...not just basic mouthy-he-won't-listen-to-me problems but more like....on-a-first-name-basis-with-the-cops problems.


That said, anytime you look into a hurting mother's eyes it is never easy. Looking into your own hurting eyes is down right hard (and nearly impossible). So, my tag reflects that. It may be uncomfortable to read, but it is what I see...When I look into my eyes I see sorry, grief, fear, anger, resentment adn failure. When I look deeper, I also see compassion, forgiveness, hope, joy, hunger, life, beauty, religion, love, understanding, zest, lust and relief.

Art Details: I took an extra large manila tag and crumbled it all up and then flattened it with a brayer. Then, I painted the tag with green ink and over-stamped and distressed it with black and gold ink. I then sanded it with fine-grit sandpaper. I collaged using scraps from my messy desk, but the "eye" image is from an old song book. The butterfly is from a vintage book and the "K" is a real scrabble tile. I finished the edges with a gold krylon pen. Sealed the entire tag with sealer.