-->

Welcome

I love answering your questions. If you ask them in the comment section, I have no way to answer you (if you haven't heard from me, that is why). If you use the "EMAIL ME" in the left column of this page, I will be able to respond to you. You can also use it if you want to be added to my newsletter. Laura

Friday, June 29, 2012

Altered Bottle

The feet on this altered bottle are clear glass drawer knobs.  I used metallic stickers to decorate the bottle.
The brass butterflies are painted with a combination of Ranger Alcohol Inks and Liquid Pearls.  I also added lots of Swarovski Crystals to give the bottle lots of sparkle.
The largest butterfly on the front of the bottle is made by combining several different brass pieces.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Free Images Vintage Victorian Scrap – Forth Set

Below are images of vintage Victorian scrap.  You are free to use these in your art.  To download an image, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.


Friday, June 22, 2012

A Summers Day


The combination of soft yellows, browns and creams are one of my favorite combinations.  The woman that is the focal point of this ATC is the same one I used for the Lovely Moments Canvas Book.  I loved so many of the images I used for the book, I decided to create a series of ATCs using scaled down versions of the images.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Damsel in Distress Altered Postcard

This is the fifth and final postcard in the series I made for the Alpha Stamps “Wish You Were Here” postcard swap.  The overall dimensions of the postcard are 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.  I decided to have some fun with this one.  I’m a big fan of the old science fiction and fantasy movies; the cheesier the better.  So here we have our damsel innocently sitting in a boat at night (first mistake) completely unaware of the monsters descending upon her.
On the back the handsome hero rescues the girl just in time.  You are probably wondering why the girl on the front and the girl on the back aren’t the same.  Well, in these movies someone always bites it in the beginning.
In addition to decorating the postcards we were also supposed to come up with fun addresses that fit the artwork.  So this one is:
Damsel in Distress
Just In Time Lane
The Black Lagoon

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Aviary Millinery (Hats for Glamorous Chicks & Dapper Dans) – Designed for Alpha Stamps

Since the theme at Alpha Stamps this month is “Birds in Hats” I figured the birds needed a hat shop!  To create the shop I decided to hinge together three of the Chipboard Birdhouse Shapes.
I started by cutting away part of the chipboard on each of the birdhouses to create a straight edge.
I covered the front and back of each of the chipboard pieces with paper from the Pretty in Pink 6x6 paper pad.
The hinges I decided to use had very tiny holes; too small for brads which would have been my first choice for attaching the hinges.  So, I decided to glue the hinges to the chipboard.  When attaching hinges make sure to leave a little space between the items you are hinging so that there is room to bend the items and the hinge.  For nails I decide to use Liquid Pearls.  The applicator tip is very small making is super easy to apply small dots of the paint the hinges.

Below are detailed pictures of the front of the shop.  One of the things to consider with a project like this is that some of the images and embellishments (birds, hats, flowers etc.) are seen from both sides; I needed to make sure that everything looked good from both the front and the back.
Behind the windows in the front of the shop are hats on hat stands.  Inside the pink acrylic flowers are microbeads.  The great thing about acrylic is if you don’t like the color you can change it with Ranger Alcohol Inks.
The handles on the door are brass lady bugs that I painted with Liquid Pearls.
Below are pictures of the back or inside of the hat shop.
I used the new Just Hats Alpha Stamps collage sheet for many of the hats and then added embellishments.  I also used their Flippery Hats Die-Cuts as the base of some of the hats.
The hat racks are German scrap antlers.  I thought if birds had a hat shop that might be what they used for hat racks.  And since antlers are also called “racks”…..
 The owl above came from the Bird’s Nests collage sheets.  I decided he needed a mustache and top hat with a moon.
The beehive with bees is one of my favorite hats (pictured above).  All the birds came from several of the Alpha Stamps bird themed collage sheets.
I decorated the hats with flowers, leaves, fruit, ribbon, feathers, beads, birds and bees.  In total there are 19 hats (either on the birds or on the racks).  I would have added more but I ran out of room!

Alpha Stamps Supplies Used:
Collage Sheets
Birds and Bees
Flowers and Leaves
Ribbons

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Larely Nymph - Altered Postcard

This is the forth in a series of five postcards I’m making for the Alpha Stamps “Wish You Were Here” postcard swap.  The overall dimensions of the postcard are 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.  The image of the woman is from the Alpha Mermaids #2 collage sheet.  In addition to decorating the postcards we were also supposed to come up with fun addresses that fit the artwork.  So this one is:
Larley Nymph
Mermaid Gardens
Atlantis

Monday, June 11, 2012

Coo Coo Clock Designed for Alpha Stamps

As soon as I found out that this month’s theme at Alpha Stamps was birds and saw the chipboard bird houses (pictured below) I thought coo coo clock!  At the top is an opening for the bird to pop in and out of.  On the ledge are figures that on a real elaborate clock would circle the clock coming in and out of doors on each side.
I used a matchbox to accommodate the gears, pendulum and weights.
I cut off one end of the matchbox drawer.
I attached the mechanics inside of the matchbox drawer using glue and a brad.
I covered the matchbox casing with paper and glued the drawer into the casing.  Lastly, I glued the matchbox to the back of the clock.
I made the ledge by cutting a name plate into two pieces, inking the one piece and gluing it to the clock.
Alpha Stamps Supplies Used:
OrnateName Plates Used for the ledge
Cameo Frames:Circles
Corrugated Brass Pears - Used for the weights
Lace Edge Oval Settings - Used for the pendulum
Stay tuned for more bird art using the Chipboard Bird House Shapes!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Song of the Sea Altered Postcard

This is the third in a series of five postcards I’m making for the Alpha Stamps “Wish You Were Here” postcard swap.  The overall dimensions of the postcard are 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.  The image of the woman is from the Alpha Stamps Seashore collage sheet.  In addition to decorating the postcards we were also supposed to come up with fun addresses that fit the artwork.


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Enchanted

After first making the larger framed piece I decided to use many of the same elements to create an ATC.  The overall size of the framed piece is 7” x 5 1/2 “.  I found the frame at Michael’s Craft Store.  It’s a perfect size for pieces that are a little larger than an ATC or for framing an ATC.  To create the framed piece, I started with a wood birdcage which I aged using Ranger Crackle paint and then Ranger Distress Ink.  I collaged papers behind the birdcage and then mounted it to the pink and white striped paper in the background, using several layers of double stick tape so it would popup to the level of the frame.