Artfully Musing

Reminder – FEBRUARY 29th Is the Drawing to Win My Art

2012-02-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

FEBRUARY 29^st is the drawing to win my art. If you haven’t already, be sure to send me an email (link is in the hand column of the blog) or post a comment here if you want to be included in the drawing. Pictures of the art are in the left column of the Blog or you can click here to see them http://artfullymusing.blogspot.com/2012/02/montly-giveaway.html

Broche' Bouton

2012-02-24T07:04:00.001-07:00

I made this button brooch for a swap in the Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group. The overall dimensions are approximately 2” x 3”. The base of is made from pieces of filigree. Then you collage buttons and other metal pieces, pearls, jewels etc. It has a pin back so you can wear it or attach it to a purse, pillow, fabric box etc.

You can see my some of my design process below. I first drew a box on paper to indicate the maximum size the piece could be (according to the swap rules). I then laid out the filigree. I knew that I wanted something dangling from the piece so I drew in some pearls.

Many times when I am designing a piece of art I will do a crude drawing first. On paper, I consider dimension, balance and composition. Then I start laying out the design. If I am really pleased with the design and if it has lots of layers and components, I photograph the design before pulling it apart to permanently reassemble the piece. That way I’m usually pleased with the end result.

Mardi Gras

2012-02-22T15:30:00.001-07:00

The overall dimensions of this piece are 7 ½” x 3 ½”.

My design process started with the mask at the top. After assembling it using various metal bits and pieces, feathers and glitter I then moved on to deciding how to use it. The mask has been sitting on my worktable for several months waiting to be used. I’m happy to have finally done something with it.

Altered Bottle by Creative Team Member Karol Taylor

2012-02-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

Karol started with an old tequila bottle that her daughter Karyn filled with bubble bath and had given it to her as a present. After 15 years or so, the bubble bath had turned from pink to kind of a greyish pink so out it went. She used Glossy Accents to glue Arnolds Grummer’s Sparkling Mica Dust along the bottom edges and up the corners of the bottle. It also comes in gold and copper. Karol She glued faux pearls and a combination of metal, glass and paper flowers. She used a hot glue gun to adhere the flowers as they just wouldn’t seem to stick to the glass with glossy accents. She made the pearl necklace using a sting of faux pearls and a Tim Holtz Bauble. The white pearl is colored with a pink alcohol marker.

She filled the inside of the lid with pink sand and then made a stopper to hold it in place. As a final touch she put five stocks with tiny pink flowers on the inside of the bottle.

Beautiful Job Karol!!

Mardi Gras Themed Altered Bottle by Creative Team Member Marilyn Miller

2012-02-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Marilyn started by stamping the bottle with black StazOn ink. She then applied clear embossing powder and melted the powder with a heat tool. She added foiled Stickabilities around the neck and around the bottom. The bottle is filled with Mardi Gras colored feathers. As decoration she used different colored shaped stones, fleur de lis, masks and string beads.

The top is a cork to which she inserted feathers and glued on stones, flowers and a mask. She used a hot glue gun to glue on the bead feet to the bottle.

Great job Marilyn!!

Carnival

2012-02-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

With Mardi Gras fast approaching I’ll be posting some carnival themed art over the next week. This first piece is something I designed for Alpha Stamps. The top and the bottom are made of plastic craft organizers connected by wooden skewers. The hanging windows are German Scrap.

The mask is made from a combination of feathers (I dyed white feathers orange using Ranger Alcohol Ink), Stamped Flourishes to which I added glitter, a gold brass mask to which I added glitter and white leaf stickpins.

Alpha Stamps Products Used:

Art Deco Party #2 Collage Sheet

Naughty Valentines Collage Sheet

Black Zig Zag Dresden Borders

Stamped Flourishes

Rosary Chain

EKDUNCAN – My Fanciful MUSE

2012-02-17T06:03:00.001-07:00

EKDuncan - My Fanciful MUSE

I recently stumbled upon Evelyn’s My Fanciful MUSE blog and WOW was I excited. I was like a kid in a candy store. Evelyn’s blog is crammed full of fabulous regency period (Jane Austen) art and images. There are fashion plates, furniture, curtains, scenery, gardens and more. The blog also includes lots of historic information and literature from the period. She has spent the past 9 months meticulously digitally cleaning, altering, enhancing and posting the images. It’s a true labor of love. Evelyn has done a suburb job and generously offers them free to you to download and use in your art. All she asks is that you give her credit if you publish or post art that uses her images.

If digital art is your thing she has created some fabulous digital pieces using her altered images (see the pictures above and below).

Be prepared to sit back with your favorite beverage and spend time scrolling back through months of blog postings. If you are a Marie Antoinette fan you will be enthralled with her latest ongoing project and her posts of Marie images and art. She has several images of men and if you are into Marie inspired art you know how hard it is to find good images of men.

Evelyn’s blog also has tutorials, art dolls, paper doll patterns, frames, and she even clues you in on how creates some of her digital art. I could go on and on but I’ll let you go on your own adventure of discovery.

Art Doll Made From One of Her Patterns

Altered Art – Steampunk USB Flash Drive Pendant. Its art and it’s still usable!

Steampunk Pendant

Of course I am now avid follower of her blog and have already planned some future projects using her images!

EKDuncan – My Fanciful MUSE

Marie Inspired Paper Fan – Designed for Alpha Stamps

2012-02-15T09:29:00.007-07:00

This is a fan I designed for Alpha Stamps. I started with triangular shaped blades. The front paper is Love Letters scrapbook paper. Sandwiched between the front and back decorative paper is a thin piece of chipboard.

After assembling each blade I inked the edges. Next, I added Baroque Dresden borders to the ends of each blade (front and back). I decorated the blades with images of Marie from three different collage sheets. The images are glued to paper from the Timeless paper pad and framed with small Dresden oval frames. I added images of flowers and more gold German scrap. The blades are secured with a brad to which I added ribbon and beading. I glued a piece of filigree to the brad.

I attached ribbon along the back of the blades to act as a stop to keep the blades from opening too far. I glued a piece of paper at the points on the blade where I glued the ribbon to the blade.

The ribbon folds between the blades when the fan is closed.

Below is a complete list of the Alpha Stamps products I used to make this fan.

Love Letters Scrapbook Paper

Timeless Paper Pad

Baroque Dresden Borders - Gold

Crocus Filigree

Fleur de lyse Charm

¼ Inch Silk Ribbons – Dusty Pink

Small Dresden Oval Frames

Mauve Satin Ribbon Gold Edges

Queen Marie Collage Sheet

Wistful Collage Sheet
Young Marie Collage Sheet

Sweet Nothings Paper Fan

2012-02-14T08:18:00.001-07:00

This simple heart shaped fan was made from the Sweet Nothings 6 1/2” paper pack that you can find at Alpha Stamps. The package comes with a variety of pattern sheets including gold foiled paper. It also contains images, tags and borders. I used the patterned paper for the fan blades and then on each blade I collaged a variety of images from the paper pack. As a final touch I inked the blade edges and added gold stickers and rub-ons.

The fan is held together with a cherub button. I threaded a piece of wire through the shank of the button. The wire acts as a stop to keep the shank in place. I bent the wire in the back, glued it and covered the wire and hole with gold stickers.

The ribbon running along the back acts as a stop to keep the fan from opening too far. I used a heart shaped punch to punch little hearts. I used the hearts to cover the points where the ribbon is glued to the blades

Clear here to download the heart shaped fan template.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Final Altered Jeweler's Tin

2012-02-13T06:35:00.001-07:00

This is the third and final altered tin I made for the “Naughty Valentine Tin” swap hosted by Alpha Stamps. Just like the others I drilled holes in the tin so that I could insert flowers, leaves etc. I added glue (Glossy Accents) on the inside of each hole to keep the embellishments in place.

All Three Tins

Romantic Couples

2012-02-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

ATC by Wendy Robinson

ATC by Alice Hyde

ATC by Heather Bloom

Valentine Domino Book by Kris Dickinson

2012-02-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

I recently received this beautiful domino book from Kris Dickinson in a swap.

Thanks Kris for a fabulous book!

Creative Team Valentine Faux Postage Stamps

2012-02-11T07:19:00.001-07:00

The Creative Team has been busy creating faux Valentine Postages Stamps.

Postage Stamps by Fran Skoog

Postage Stamp by Marilyn Miller

Postage Stamps by Karol Taylor

Postage Stamps by Naomi Towner

Postage Stamp by Julia Craighead

Monthly Giveaway

2012-02-09T16:18:00.001-07:00

It’s a new month and a new drawing for my art. Below are pics of the art pieces up for grabs. The drawing is open everyone (US and International). If you want to enter the drawing, email me (the button is in the upper right hand column of the blog) or comment on this post by FEBRUARY 29 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time US.

PLEASE MAKE SURE I HAVE A WAY TO CONTACT YOU

Valentine Marie Domino Book

Valentine Pierrot

Valentine Postage Stamp

How’s My Hair – Accordion Fold Book

Romantic ATCs by Gina Peake

2012-02-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Below are some romantic and some humorous ATCs by Gina Peake

This one cracks me up!

Valentine Marie

2012-02-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

ATC by Wendy Robinson

ATC by Heather Bloom

2nd Altered Jeweler’s Tin

2012-02-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

This is the second of the altered tins I’m making for the Naughty Valentine Swap hosted by Alpha Stamps. The unaltered tin measures approximately 2” wide by 1” deep.

Just as in the first tin I used a drawer knob as the base. I painted it silver and added blue German scrap. On top of the knob I glued a piece of gold filigree to which I added blue and antique gold beads.

I also drilled a hole in the tin just as in the first tin. It’s through the hole that I inserted the flowers, beading and fan. I covered the side of the tin with ribbon trim and German Scrap.

You can find the jeweler’s tin and the collage sheet I used at Alpha Stamps. Below are the links.

Jeweler’s Tin

Naughty Valentines Collage Sheet

Valentine Greeting Cards

2012-02-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Valentine Pierrot

2012-02-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Madame de Pompadour Altered Bottle - Designed for Alpha Stamps

2012-02-05T09:59:00.003-07:00

I designed this bottle for Alpha Stamps. The bottle was about 1½” high before altering and all four sides are decorated. Once I added the feet and stopper, the overall height of the finished piece was 3½”. I really loved working with this bottle as the sides are very flat. Some bottles look flat but they curve slightly in or out.

I started by stamping and embossing each side of the bottle using the Enchanted Clear Stamp Set. Click here for a tutorial on how to stamp, emboss and paint glass. I painted the bottle using green metallic paint.

Next, I added German scrap to the bottom and the neck of the bottle. I used alcohol inks to paint the German scrap at the bottom green. I mounted the images of Madame de Pompadour in oval settings. To make the oval settings look more like a cameo, I added Glossy Accents on top of the image.

I painted the feet with the same metallic paint as I used on the glass. At the mouth of the metal birds is a loop. I used the loops to hang the rosary chain. After attaching the rosary chain to all of the birds, I glued the birds onto the glass using Glossy Accents. Lastly, I added the gold rose charms and filled the centers with green Stickles.

The bottle came with a cork stopper which I painted. I inserted the fan in a slit I cut in the top of the cork. I painted the fan gold to match the other metal pieces and added green crystals.

The Alpha Stamp Supplies Used For This Project Are On Sale (see the list below)
Square Bottles
Enchanted Clear Stamp Set
Mini Floral Dresden Borders
Gold Zig Zag Dresden Borders
Spread-Wing Bird Charms
Ornate Brass Box Feet
Antique Silver Fan Charms
Rosary Chain
Tiny Fleur (No Loop)
3D Rose Charms
18 x 13 Lace Edge Oval Settings
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Collage Sheet
Madame de Pompadour Collage Sheet

Valentine ATCs

2012-02-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

ATC by Phyllis Terrell

ATC by Wendy Robinson
ATC by Alice Hyde
ATC by Kris Dickinson

Marie at the Opera Accordion Folded Book – Designed for Alpha Stamps

2012-02-03T07:17:00.001-07:00

I designed this accordion folded book for Alpha Stamps.

The bookbinding tape that I used on the spine was originally white. I tea dyed the tape to give it a more antique look. The tape lost some of its tackiness when I soaked it in the tea so I had to add some additional adhesive. The design on the spine is a rub-on transfer.

Alpha Stamps Products Used:

Mini Rosette Dresden Borders

Small Brass Fleur de Lys w/Loop

Baroque Scroll with Loop

3D Rose Charms

Fan Filigree

Young Marie Collage Sheet

Paper Doll Fans Collage Sheet

Click here to see a tutorial on how to create an accordion folded book.

Altered Jeweler's Tin

2012-02-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

I created this altered tin for the Naughty Valentine Swap hosted by Alpha Stamps. This is the first of three tins. The unaltered tin measures approximately 2” wide by 1” deep. The finished dimensions are 4” wide by 3 ¼ high.

I started by drilling two holes in opposite sides of the tin towards the back of the tin. After drilling the first hole I inserted a wooden skewer through the hole and used it to figure out where drill the hole on the opposite side. The holes are to accommodate the flowers.

I added paper to the inside of the tin and re-opened the holes. I decided to cover the back and sides with paper. Since the edges of the tin are round, it is impossible to completely cover them so I first painted them gold.

The next step was tricky. Since I was inserting the flowers through the holes, I needed to attach the paper to the outside first. But I couldn’t cover the outside with paper before adding the lid. I couldn’t add the lid until I added the flowers and the inside image. It was a "what come first" moment ‘the chicken or the egg”. I solved the problem by gluing the outside paper to just the area where the hole were. Then I re-opened the holes, inserted the flowers through the holes, and glued the flowers in place.

I needed to create a “false bottom” as the stems of flowers create bulk. Next, I added layers double stick tape to the back of the tin until the tape was flush with the stems. Now when I insert the image into the tin it will stick to, and rest on, the tape.

I inserted the image into the tin and added the lid. The lid is painted gold and edged with gold metallic stickers.

Once the lid was in place, I finished glueing down the paper on the outside of the tin.

The base of the piece is made from a porcelain drawer knob to which I added gold metallic stickers. Even though the stickers are backed with adhesive, I added just a little Glossy Accents to make sure they would stick to the porcelain. I used Glossy Accents to glue on all of the elements of this piece.

The final touches were to glue the knob to the tin, add a decorative metal piece at the top and paper birds to the edge.

You can find the jeweler’s tin and the collage sheet I used at Alpha Stamps. Below are the links.

Jeweler’s Tin

Naughty Valentines Collage Sheet

Marie Antoinette Valentine Domino Book

2012-02-01T02:42:00.000-07:00

I stamped both dominos with black StazOn ink. To the front I added a white resin frame. Next, I glued on a bunch of flowers and heart stickpins. I covered the stems with a heart button (with the shank removed).

The sides of the domino are coated with a mixture of pink mica flakes, gold flakes, pink microbeads and red glitter.

I coated the sides of the dominos with Glossy Accents and then pressed the sides into the mixture.

INSIDE

BACKSIDE - Hearts with romantic French expressions.

Click here to see a tutorial on how to make a domino book.

What I Have Planned For the Next Few Months

2012-01-31T15:18:00.001-07:00

I’ve received a lot of feedback from you that you enjoy hearing what I have planned for you. So instead of just giving you a look ahead for the next month (which is what I usually do), I’ll clue you in on what’s in store for the next few months. Yes, I do plan a few months in advance. I know that it’s anal, but that’s what works best for me. I think it must come from years of building computer software and having to plan product launches way in advance.

THEMES

In terms of upcoming themes, there will be Valentine Art, Alice in Wonderland, Mardi Gras Art, Gypsies, Mermaids and of course more Marie Antoinette.

TYPES OF ART

Domino Books

Accordion Fold Books

Altered Bottles

Dioramas

ATCs

Paper Fans

Dress Forms

Altered Jeweler’s Tins

UPCOMING TUTORIALS

Making Paper Fans from Rubber Stamps - This is another great use of rubber stamps.

How to Make an Altoid’s Tin Box Book

Using Fabric as a Background

FROM THE CREATIVE TEAM

The creative team girls have been busy and have created two tutorials for you.

Karol has a tutorial for you on how to make a “Raven’s Claw” book.
If you loved the custom made foam core storage and display shelves you saw in Karol and Naomi’s studios, then you will be happy to know that Naomi has created a tutorial on how to make them.

Back in November the creative team got together for our annual art retreat so I have lots of photos and art to share from our event.
A tour of Julia and Marilyn studio - I had planned to already have this posted but it has slipped a bit.

OUR WORLD OUR ART

I’ll also be participating in the “Our World Our Art Event” which replaces the One World One Heart event of previous years. It is an international blog wide art event. If you have a blog dedicated to art, you can click here for more information.

Etsy Store Launch

Yep, I’m going to be launching an Etsy store this spring so stay tuned for the launch date. Of course, even though I’ll be selling some of my art the “Monthly Giveaway” will still continue!

I hope that you are excited about what is coming. I have a few more surprises but for now I’m going to keep them under my hat!

Winners of JANUARY’s Drawing For My Art

2012-01-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

Random.org has spoken and the winners are:

Waiting - Sonya

Pink & Black Marie – Rebecca Post

Black & Gold Marie - Fairyrocks

Fabric Background Marie – Maska & Patti Fisher

Black and White Accordion Fold Book - Netty

Dance Themed Collage Pack - Jennifer

Congrats to the winners!!

If you didn’t win this time don’t worry as I have drawings every month. Thanks to all for participating and following my Blog.

Banners with French Phrases

2012-01-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Below are the banners with French words I created for my “How’s My Hair” accordion fold book. You are welcome to download them and use them in your art. To download an image, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.

Entertainment Themed ATC Book

2012-01-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

This accordion folded “Vintage Theatre” Book was the end result of an ATC swap hosted by Ali Brandist. All of the participants sent Ali their cards. She created the cover and then attached our cards to a piece of accordion folded cardstock. Her method makes a cute book which you can display closed or open.

She instructed us to put our information on the top of the card so that when it was attached to the accordion folded paper you could still see the information. Ali is so clever.

Below the ATC on the left is by Murial Fulgione and the ATC on the right is by Sheree Rose.

Below the ATC on the left is by Suze Urquhart and the ATC on the right is by me.

Below the ATC on the left is by Ali Brandit and the ATC on the right is by Sharon McAllister.

How's My Hair Kit and Giveway

2012-01-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Alpha Stamps has created a kit that contains all of the materials needed to create my "How's My Hair" accordion fold book (shown below). With the kit and the tutorial it's now super easy to make my book. They are also having a giveaway where you can win a kit and shipping is free. Click here for the details.

The Executives by Creative Team Member Connie Camp

2012-01-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

I just love Connie’s sense of humor!!

Reminder – JANUARY 31 Is the Drawing to Win My Art

2012-01-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

JANUARY 31^st is the drawing to win my art. If you haven’t already, be sure to send me an email (link is in the hand column of the blog) or post a comment here if you want to be included in the drawing. Pictures of the art are in the left column of the Blog or you can click here to see them http://artfullymusing.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-new-month-and-new-drawing-for-my.html

Tutorial – “How’s My Hair” Accordion Fold Mini Book Designed for Alpha Stamps

2012-01-25T09:24:00.005-07:00

Accordion folded books are simple to make and require no sewing. Everything is assembled with glue. You can make them any size you want and can use them to display art, as a journal, as scrapbook or as a piece of art. The new Rectangular Fleur de Lys Frames carried by Alpha Stamps make perfect book covers. I also thought that Alpha Stamp’s new humorous “How’s My Hair” rubber stamp set and collage sheet would make a fun topic for a book.

The new stamps and images are based on the craze of the French court in the 1770s (Marie Antoinette’s time) of creating huge hairstyles called “le pouf”. Hair dressers used cushions made of fabric or cork and the woman’s own hair as well as added hair pieces that would be combed over and piled on top of the cushions. Next were added enormous curls, feathers, lace, flowers and other ornaments. The bigger the hair the higher the status!

What you will need:

2 Pieces of Thin Ribbon 18” Long

1 Sheet of 12 x 12 Cardstock.

A Piece of Chipboard at Least 2 ¾” x 3 ¼”

Decorative paper, embellishments and images for the covers and pages.

Scoring Tool

Scissors

Glue

Creating the Book Pages

The first step is to create the inside pages of the book. I suggest using cardstock because decorative paper usually has a white interior that is exposed when folded so your book pages may end up with a white edge. Once the pages are created you can add decorative paper, images, embellishments, etc.

Cut Cardstock Strips

From a sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock cut 2 strips of paper that are 2 5/8” wide.

Score and Fold the Strips of Cardstock

Score the first strip of paper at intervals of 2 1/8”. You should end up with 5 score lines. Fold first strip of paper along the score lines. Score the second strip of paper at intervals of 2 1/8” creating only 3 score lines. Fold the second strip of paper along the score lines. The first strip should have 5 panels or pages and a partial page at the end. The second strip should have 3 panels or pages and a large extra piece at the end.

Cut away the large extra piece at the end of the second strip along the last score line. This should leave you with 3 pages.

Join Together the Cardstock Strips

Glue the two folded strips of paper together by attaching the short page on the first strip of paper to the first page on the second strip of paper.

Below is a picture of how your cardstock strips should look when they are combined. There should be a continuous folded strip of paper with 8 pages.

Note: This particular book has 8 pages. You can have as many pages as you would like by simply combining more strips of paper. The only rule is that you must have an even number of pages in order for the folds of the pages to attach properly to the covers.

Decorate the Book Pages

First, decorate the inside pages. You must be careful to decorate the correct side. Lay the accordion folded pages in front of you. The side that is the “inside” of the book is the one where the last page on each end lays flat if you press it down to a surface without undoing the folds (see the picture below). The side that is the “outside” or back of the book is the one where the end pages don’t lay flat and form a hill with the next page (see the picture below). Also be careful to pay attention to direction when decorating both sides. You don’t want your images going one direction on the inside and another direction on the outside.

INSIDE

OUTSIDE (Back)

Decorate the Inside Pages
I started decorating the inside pages by cutting pieces of decorative paper that I then glued to each page. I like to cut the paper slightly smaller than the page so that the cardstock acts as a frame for each page. I used papers from the Sweet Nothings Paper Pad. Before gluing the paper to the pages I stamped and edged the paper using gold ink and a rubber stamp with an image of swirls. After attaching the paper to each page I added images from the Alpha Stamps How’s My Hair and Paper Doll Fans collage sheets. I finished up with the banners of French words and flowers from the Pink Roses Dresden Scrap. The images at each end are framed with Small Dresden Oval Frames. The thing to remember about decorating your pages is not to use anything that is too bulky.

Decorate the Outside (Back) Pages

When you decorate the back you can do something as simple as just adding decorative paper or you can also add images etc., it’s up to you. When decorating the outside or back don’t decorate the first and last page. The first and last pages are used to attach the accordion folded pages to the covers of the book. As you can see below, I only decorated the six pages in the middle.

I decorated the back of my book with paper from the Sweet Nothings Paper Pad and Scripty Scrapbook Paper; edging and stamping the paper as I did for the front. I then added images from the Alpha Stamps Fragonard’s Lovers and Stolen Moments collage sheets. Lastly I added bows and fleur de lis that I punched from the Sweet Nothings Paper Pad.

Creating the Book Covers

Cut the Back Chipboard Cover

For the front book cover, I used the small Rectangular Fleur De Lys Chipboard Frame that measures 2 ¾” x 3 ¼”. This chipboard set of frames is great for making book covers.

For the back book cover I cut a 2 ¾” x 3 ¼”piece of chipboard. The chipboard was about the same thickness as the Fleur De Lys frame. If all you have is thin chipboard you can cut more than one piece and glue them together.

Decorate the Covers
I painted and stenciled the front and back covers on both sides. You could also add paper, ink, rub-ons or any other flat embellishment at this time. I don’t add any dimensional embellishments until after the book is assembled as it makes it hard to attach the pages to the covers.

Attach Ribbon to the Front and Back Covers
Glue a strip of ribbon to center of the backside of each cover. The ribbons are used to tie the book closed. For this book you will need two pieces of ribbon approximately 18” long. Use ribbon that is thin and not stiff. For this book I used Seam Binding from Alpha Stamps. The ribbon is nice and thin, feels like silk and is easy to tie. Don’t worry if the glue shows through the ribbon as the inside pages will cover the ribbon.

Assemble the Book
Glue the first page of the book to the inside of the front book cover. Center the page on the cover (see below).

Glue the last page to the inside of the back book cover. Center the page on the cover (see below).

Add Dimensional Embellishments

Now that the book is assembled you can add dimensional embellishments to the covers.

The images on the front and back of my covers are from the Alpha Stamps How’s My Hair Rubber Stamp Set. The set includes 11 different images. I stamped the images on glossy paper using Black StazOn and then embossed the images using clear embossing powder. Next, I backed the stamped images with cardstock to give them more support, particularly since the image on the front of the book is attached to the outside of a frame and is not flat against the cover. I painted images with Twinkling H2O paint. I then added gold trims and rhinestones and pearls.

After attaching the images to the front and back cover I then added dimensional embellishments like the flowers, leaves, crown, mirror, and fan

FINISHED FRONT COVER

To close the book, fold the accordion pages together and tie the ribbons together on each side of the book.

FINISHED BACK COVER

FINISHED INSIDE FIRST THREE PAGES

FINISHED INSIDE MIDDLE TWO PAGES

FINISHED INSIDE LAST THREE PAGES

Opening the Book

Since the ribbons are used to tie the book closed on each side. To open the book you can untie both ribbons or…

you can just untie the ribbon on the right side of the book and thumb through the pages like a traditional book.

Below is a recap of the Alpha Stamps products I used in making this book with hyperlinks to the product:
Front Cover
Rectangular Fleur de Lys Frames
Ornate Resin Frame Set (Ivory)
How’s My Hair Rubber Stamp Set
Seam Binding
Brass Branch with 6 Leaves
Crown
Brass Hand Mirror or Fan
Mauve Satin Ribbon Gold Edges
Back Cover
Antique Silver Fan Charm
How’s My Hair Rubber Stamp Set
Ornate Gold Dresden Borders
Inside Pages
Sweet Nothings Paper Pad
How’s My Hair Collage Sheet
Paper Doll Fans Collage Sheet
Small Dresden Oval Frames
Pink Roses Dresden Scraps
Back Side of Pages
Sweet Nothings Paper Pad
Scripty Scrapbook Paper
Fragonard’s Lover Collage Sheet
Stolen Moments Collage Sheet

Larger Accordion Fold Book

For the book below I used the larger Rectangular Fleur de Lys Frame that measures 4” x 4 3/4”. The inside pages measure 3 x 3 ¾” which makes them the perfect size to display ATCs.

I like to attach the ATC to the page on the right and display information about the ATC on the left page. To attach the ATC I use a couple of small Glue Dots. I like Glue Dot’s because you can remove the ATC without damaging it or the book.

Alpha Stamps Products Used in This Book:
Rectangular Fleur de Lys Frames
Green Foil Damask Scrapbook Paper
Madeline Pink Textiles Scrapbook Paper
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Collage Sheet
Stolen Moments Collage Sheet
Pink Roses Dresden Scraps
Stamped Flourishes
Brass Dragonfly Charms
Medium Bee Charm
Click here to download a PDF version of this tutorial.

All the Alpha Stamps products used in this tutorial are on sale, so click here to jump to their site and checkout the special prices.

To purchase a kit to make my "How's My Hair" book and to enter a giveway for the kit click here.

Home for the Holidays - Swap Returns

2012-01-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

Back in December I participated in the Alpha Stamps Home for the Holidays house ornament swap. Below are the festive ornaments I received. The ornament on the top left with the little bird in the nest was made by Pat Saye McCoy. The ornament on the top right with the chimney and Santa was made by Jackie Tuttle and the Santa ornament at the bottom was made by Shannon Tuttle. Thanks ladies!!

Marie Shoe Book Designed for Alpha Stamps

2012-01-22T09:20:00.001-07:00

Back in December I was busy designing all kinds of Marie Antoinette Inspired art which I will be posting here over the next few weeks. The first piece is a Marie inspired shoe book. The size of the unaltered chipboard shoe is 4” x 6”. The front and back covers are made from the chipboard shoes. I used the chipboard as a template to create 4 cardstock pages for the inside of the book. I used a jump ring tied with ribbons to put the book together.

Some of the images on each page stickup past the top of the shoe and when all the pages are stacked together you can see them peaking up behind the first page.

I used decorative paper, images from various collage sheets (see the list below), ribbon, buckles and ink to decorate each page.

FIRST PAGE

SECOND PAGE

THIRD PAGE

FOURTH PAGE

Below is a list of the Alpha Stamp Supplies I used to create this shoe book:

18^th c Woman’s Chipboard Shoe

Moulin Rouge: Celeste Scrapbook Paper

Pink Roses Dresden Scraps

1/4 Inch Silk Ribbon – Light Pink

¼ Inch Silk Ribbon – Dusty Pink

Brass Crown Set

Cameo Frames: Ovals

Stamped Flourishes

Stolen Moments Collage Sheet

Fragonard’s Lovers Collage Sheet

Marie Ages Gracefully Collage Sheet

Alpha Stamps is also hosting a Marie Antoinette (Off with Her Shoes!) swap based on the chipboard shoe. If you are interested in joining the swap, click here for all the details.

Dance Themed ATCs

2012-01-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

ATC by Creative Team Member Karol Taylor

ATC by Creative Team Member Connie Camp

ATC by Heather Bloom

Marie Antoinette ATCs

2012-01-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

ATC by Kris Dickinson

ATC by Terri Gordon

ATC by Teri Chinen

ATC by Terri Gauthier

Sultry Dancer by Sheree Rose

2012-01-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Another fabulous ATC by Sheree Rose.

Altered Bottle

2012-01-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

This bottle’s overall dimensions are 7 ½” x 3”. I used decorative beads for the feet. The gold on the top, neck and bottom of the bottle are metallic stickers. They come in all sorts of designs and sizes. I purchase mine at Frantic Stamper. The bottle is wrapped in beaded and fabric flowers and leaves. The neck of the bottle is wrapped in beaded flowers. The stopper is a picture frame. I painted the brass dragonflies (purchased at Alpha Stamps) on the front with metallic paints and added Swarovski crystals for the eyes. I used Glossy Accents to attach all of the elements.

I have several more bottles siting on my worktable so stay tuned for more.

Click here if you missed seeing my first altered bottle.

Alpha Stamps Naughty Valentines Giveaway, Swap and Tutorial

2012-01-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Alpha Stamps is having a giveaway of a “Naughty Valentine” kit (see photo below). You have until Monday morning, January 23, 2012 to enter.

Click here for more details about the giveaway.

Naughty ValentinesTins Swap

Alpha Stamps is hosting a Naughty Valentines Tin Swap in their Yahoo group. To participate you must sign up by January 22, 2012 and artwork is due by February 27, 2012.

Click here for details about the swap.

Altered Tin Tutorial

In addition to the swap, Caroline at Glitter Tart Designs has created a tutorial showing how she created her tin (see pic of Caroline’s tin below).

Click here to jump to Caroline’s blog to see the tutorial.

I’m signed up for the swap so I’ll be posting pics of my tins as soon as they are finished.

Vintage Magazine Cover Images for Your Art – 2nd Set

2012-01-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

I use lots of vintage magazine cover and advertising art in my pieces. Below is magazine cover art that you are free to use in your art. Magazines published in the US before 1923 are in the public domain. To download an image, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.

ATC by Alice Hyde

2012-01-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

This fabulous ATC by Alice Hyde is titled “Ring out the old! Ring in the New!”.

Another Dress Form in the Series

2012-01-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

I finished another of the dress form series I’ve been working on over the past few months. The bottom of the skirt is made from a fan turned upside down. I then backed it with lace and beaded trim. I used images of vintage jewelry, paper flowers and metal flowers to decorate the bottom of the skirt. The sleeves are images of jewelry to which I added Glossy Accents to create dimension. The overall size of the piece is 3” x 7 ½”.

Marie Antoinette ATCs

2012-01-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

ATC by Creative Team Member Connie Camp

ATC by Terri Gordon

ATC by Kris Dickinson

ATC by Teri Chinen

Domino Book by Creative Team Member Karol Taylor

2012-01-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Karol created this sweet little book for her granddaughter.
Click here to see a tutorial on how to create a domino book.

Beautiful Dancer ATC by Sheree Rose

2012-01-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

I love this ATC by Sheree Rose. I think it was so clever of her to sandwich the fibers between the layers of paper.

JANUARY Drawing to Win My Art

2012-01-12T09:53:00.001-07:00

It’s a new month and a new drawing for my art. Below are pics of the art pieces and goodies up for grabs. The drawing is open everyone (US and International). If you want to enter the drawing, email me (the button is in the upper right hand column of the blog) or comment on this post by JANUARY 31 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time US.

Waiting

Pink and Black Marie

Gold and Black Marie

Fabric Background Marie

Black and White Accordion Fold Book

Click here to see the tutorial on “How to Create an Accordion Folded Book”.

Dance and Entertainment Themed Collage Sheet Pack

Christmas Gift from Marzena

2012-01-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just recently received this beautiful handmade gift from Marzena in Poland. She decided to make hanging fabric cards Christmas cards instead of paper cards. I was so tickled that she sent one to me. If you want to see more of her art you can check out her blog M-1309 at http://maj1309.blogspot.com/. It’s full of all kinds of fab mixed media art.

Thanks so much Maj!

Marie ATC with A Fabric Background

2012-01-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

The background of this piece is brocade fabric that I attached to chipboard. There is so much gorgeous fabric particularly brocades, so if there is enough interest I’ll do a short tutorial on options for using fabric as a background. I painted the brass decorative piece at the top and at the bottom with metallic paints and alcohol inks. The pink roses were originally white. I used alcohol ink to paint them. If you touch just the edges of the petals the ink will soak slowly down the petal and you will get a gradation of color.

Fabulous Tag by Gina Goodling

2012-01-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

I want to share this fabulous tag I received from my friend Gina Goodling. I love the metal stamping with the use of alcohol inks and I’m thinking that she also used some Glimmer Mist in the background to give it a little sparkle. Thanks so much Gina!!

Black and Gold Marie Antoinette ATC

2012-01-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is sort of a non-traditional color scheme for Marie. I used an image of a bust of Marie and set it in an image of a vintage piece of jewelry. To make the image of the jewelry look more real, I added pearls. The piece is hung from a real key and then accented with a string of faux pearls. You can find the beaded trim at the bottom at Alpha Stamps.

Dance Themed ATCs by Kris Dickinson

2012-01-07T11:15:00.001-07:00

Here are two fun and fab dance themed ATCs by Kris Dickinson.

The Dance

2012-01-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

This piece kicks off this month’s them of dance and entertainment. The border at the bottom of the piece is made from paper clay that I stamped, crackled with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint and then painted with acrylic paint. Click here to see the tutorial on “How to Stamp Paper Clay”.

Vintage Magazine Cover Images for Your Art – 1st Set

2012-01-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

I use lots of vintage magazine cover and advertising art in my pieces. Below is magazine cover art that you are free to use in your art. Magazines published in the US before 1923 are in the public domain as well as some after. To download an image, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.

Black and White Accordion Folded Book

2012-01-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here is another accordion folded book just like the one in the December’s giveaway. Just like the giveaway book, this one is sized to display ATCs. One thing I did differently is that I used a rub-on transfers to decorate the spine (see the pics below) rather than stenciling a design.

Click here to see the tutorial on “How to Create an Accordion Folded Book”.

PS I made two of these books so one will be in January’s Giveaway that I’ll be announcing later in the month.

Be My Valentine Shrine Designed for Alpha Stamps

2012-01-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

I’ve been very busy over the past month designing all kinds of new goodies for Alpha Stamps. This shrine is one of the new pieces. I started with a Masonite shrine kit that requires assembly (very easy).
The Finished shrine measures approx. 2-3/4" wide x 3-3/4" tall (not including decorative header) x 1-3/8" deep. The inside compartment is perfectly sized to fit ATCs and measures just over 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 1-1/8" deep. You can fit several inside and peer at them through the window.
I painted and papered the individual pieces before constructing the shrine. The white designs on the front of the shrine are rub-on transfers.

I added a small paper coverd box on the inside of the shrine to provide a place to glue the hearts, flowers and the image of the boy and girl (so I could pop them up and give the piece more dimension).

Above is the picture of the back and you can see all the stuff I piled on the top. I hope you can keep a secret, as I left the back blank for a special reason. Every year I make my husband a Valentine’s card. This year I'm giving him this shrine. I left the back blank so I can write on it. Mums the word!

Alpha Stamps Product Used

Baroque Door Shrine Kit

Sincere Wishes – Collage Sheet

Heart Sequins

Pearlized Heart Stick Pins

Mini Calla Lillies

Winners of DECEMBER’s Drawing For My Art

2011-12-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Random.org has spoken and the winners are:

Under the Mistletoe - Rose

New Year’s Postage Stamp - Judith Tetley & Annette

All Snug in their Beds Ornament - Crafty M & Robin Parker

A Winter’s Day Ornament – MysticalGlass & Renee

Jane Austen Inspired Accordion Book – Gaby Bee

Congrats to the winners!!

If you didn’t win this time don’t worry as I have drawings every month.

Coming in January

Dance & Entertainment Themed Art

Marie Antoinette Themed Art

Valentine Art

Domino Books

Altered Bottles

Accordion Books

Free Downloadable Images

Drawing to Win My Art

Tour of Creative Team Members Julia and Marilyn’s Studio

Tutorials from the Creative Team

and more ...

Thanks to all for participating and following my Blog.

At The New Year’s Ball

2011-12-28T13:28:00.001-07:00

The fan is coated with blue and green microbeads. I use Glossy Accents to apply the beads.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Update - Creative Team Member Naomi Towner's Studio

2011-12-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Some of you have emailed me or posted a message wondering where Naomi purchased the plastic drawer systems. They came from Best Craft Organizer. Click here for the link to the site.

Welcome to Creative Team Member Naomi Towner’s Studio

2011-12-27T07:26:00.001-07:00

Just like Creative Team member Karol Taylor, Naomi also lives in a ponderosa pine forest in the White Mountains of Arizona. She lives a stone’s throw away from Karol. Naomi has a beautiful spacious light filed studio with high ceilings. When it comes to arts and crafts there is probably nothing Naomi can’t do or hasn’t done.

The table below which is the center piece of her studio and her main work surface was built by her husband Gary.

The table Gary built has lots of storage areas on each side. Naomi purchased the drawers at Best Craft Organizer. Click here for the link to the site.

Two of the sides have lots of bins for storing goodies and paper.

Naomi is so organized and every tray is meticulously labeled and organized (I am so jealous).

On one side is storage for larger sheets of chipboard etc.

Behind Naomi’s worktable is a large storage cabinet.

Just like Creative Team Member Karol Taylor, Naomi also created custom shelving out of foam core board to store and display her inks, paints. glitter, embossing powder and other products. The girls were so clever to come up with this idea.

In addition to the mixed media collage pieces that Naomi creates she is also a watercolor artist.

Below are some altered cabinet cards that Naomi is working on.

Around the perimeter of the studio there are towers for additional storage.

The cabinetry behind Naomi’s worktable was built with supplies from Home Depot.

Thanks so much Naomi for allowing me to share you special space on the blog!!

If you missed seeing Creative Team member Karol Taylor’s studio click here.

Christmas Angel

2011-12-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

For the background of this piece I used a Masonite ATC gothic arch. You can find them at Alpha Stamps.

Thanks to all of you who sent me warm holiday wishes and a Merry Christmas to you all !!

Paint Technique by Creative Team Member Naomi Towner

2011-12-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Naomi has been experimenting with acrylic inks and has created some fabulous background designs. To create the designs she applied a combination of acrylic inks (pearlescent and plain), Adirondack color wash and Glimmer Mist on cheap photo paper. I’m guessing glossy presentation paper would work too

She sprayed color wash on sometimes and used the acrylic ink sometimes and did mixes of all three in different stages. Sometimes she would apply the products to two different sheets or paper, press the sheets together (face to face) and then pull them apart.

She also experimented with dropping the acrylic inks into the color wash from high up to make splatters which would also cause the ink and wash to run together differently. While the paper is still wet, she would spray it with glimmer mist Anything goes, as she also used use rubber stamps or different textured things like wrinkled wax paper, foil, or plastic wrap (while the inks were still wet) to create different textures.

Naomi has created several different background designs and is very generously sharing them with you. You are free to download any of the designs above or the sheets below to use in your art. All the designs are ATC sized. To download an image, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.

Thanks Naomi!!!

Reminder – DECEMBER 31 Is the Drawing to Win My Art

2011-12-21T16:44:00.003-07:00

December 31^st is the drawing to win my art. If you haven’t already, be sure to send me an email (link is in the hand column of the blog) or post a comment here if you want to be included in the drawing. Pictures of the art are in the left column of the Blog or you can click here to see them http://artfullymusing.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-drawing-to-win-my-art.html

Peace on Earth by Wendy Robinson

2011-12-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

This lovely ATC is by Wendy Robinson.

Altered Bottle

2011-12-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

After seeing so many wonderful altered bottles on other blogs I decided to give it a go The overall size of this piece is 8 ½” tall x 4 ¼’ wide. I started by stamping and embossing the glass (on all four sides). Click here to see a tutorial on how to stamp and emboss glass. Next, I added beaded and velvet trims. Lastly, I added jewels, pearls and the metal feet. The feet are made from a decorative piece of brass that I bent (see the picture below). You can find them as Alpha Stamps. The stopper is made from a picture frame.

I used Glossy Accents to attach all of the elements including the trims and feet. Normally I don’t use as wet glue to attach fabric but in this case the trims were thick (so the glue did not soak through) and I needed a glue that would stick to the glass.

I think this could be my new addiction. The possibilities are endless……

More Holiday Fun from Gina Peake

2011-12-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

I just received these fun holiday ATCs from Gina. They are sure to make you smile. Thanks Gina!!

Handmade Christmas Card by Ann Lavin

2011-12-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

I was tickled to receive this festive handmade card by Ann Lavin at RaggedyAnn’s Playground. She used several techniques such as inking, stamping, misting, etc. Thanks so much Ann!

Jane Austen Inspired Christmas Ornament – Fourth In Series

2011-12-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the fourth and final piece in the series and I think this one is my personal favorite. It is approximately the size of an ATC.

Jane Austen Inspired Christmas Ornament – Third In Series

2011-12-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the third piece in the series. It is approximately the size of an ATC.

Here Comes Santa Clause

2011-12-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

ATC by Michelle Carrier

ATCs by Gina Peake

ATCs by Wendy Robinson

Jane Austen Inspired Christmas Ornament - Second in Series

2011-12-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the second in the series. It is approximately the size of an ATC.

Steam Tea Travels - The Next Adventure

2011-12-13T08:09:00.002-07:00

Steam Tea Travels is off again and this time it’s a trip back in time to Victorian London. See the world through the eyes of the ladies of the Hangar Club, download lots of free images, and checkout all the other blogs who are participating. Once there, you might want to jump in and participate yourself.

Click here to start the journey.

Jane Austen Inspired Christmas Ornament - 1st In Series

2011-12-12T14:54:00.001-07:00

I’ve been working on a series of Jane Austen inspired Christmas ornaments. Here is the first in the series. They are approximately the size of an ATC.

Tutorial – Making Boxes Out of Christmas Cards

2011-12-11T06:55:00.001-07:00

So you have stacks of Christmas cards with great art on the front and what can you do with them. One thing is to make them into boxes. These little boxes are great for ATCs, gift cards, jewelry etc. and they are so simple to make.

What you need:

· Christmas Cards

· Ruler

· Scoring tool

· Scissors

· Glue

Start by separating the front of the card from the back of the card by cutting along the fold. The front of the card will become the lid of the box and the back of the card will become the bottom of the box.

Making the Box Lid

1. Score a line 3/8” from each edge of the card.
2. Score a line 3/8” from the first score lines. You should now have two score lines on all four sides of the card. The lines in the picture below represent the score lines.

3. Cut away part of each corner (see the pictures below).

4. To create the tabs, make cuts on each corner (see the pictures below).

5. Pre-fold the score lines. This makes it easier to assemble the box.

6. Glue down the tabs to create the corners (see the picture below.)

7. Once all the tabs are glued in place, fold and glue down each flap or edge (see the picture below).

MAKING THE BOX BOTTOM

Cut 1/16” from the longest edge and cut 1/16” from the shortest edge (only cut two edges not all four edges). Trimming the two edges makes the bottom of the box slightly smaller than the top so that the lid will fit over the bottom.

The rest of the steps are the same for making the bottom of the box as the steps for making the lid so repeat steps 1 through 7 above.

That’s it, you have a box!

If you want to hide any writing inside the box, you can add a decorative piece of paper to the inside once you’ve assembled the lid and bottom. And of course you can always embellish the outside all you want.

If you want a smaller deeper box you can modify the measurement of the score lines. I wouldn’t score lines smaller than 1/4”. Just remember you need to take a little off the bottom so the top will fit over the bottom.

Below is an example of a smaller deeper box where I used 1” for the score lines.

Click here to download a PDF version of this tutorial.

Christmas Marie Antoinette

2011-12-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

Marie is looking super festive in these ATCs.

ATC by April Dudko

ATC by Kris Dickinson

ATC by Lynn Stevens

ATC by Teri Chinen

ATC by Wendy Robinson

ATCs by Creative Team Member Connie Camp

2011-12-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a festive series of ATCs by Connie Camp.

Portrait in Clay

2011-12-07T10:44:00.003-07:00

The overall size of this pieces is 4 ¾” x 4”. I used a crackle and transfer technique to age the image. Click here for the tutorial. The upper right corner and lower left corner are made from stamped paper clay, using the rubber stamp pictured below. I just used the edges of the stamp and cutaway the other bits while the clay was wet. Click here to see the tutorial on stamping paper clay. The piece is embellished with brass findings (that I aged with paint), and images of vintage jewelry to which I’ve added crystals and Glossy Accents.

DECEMBER Drawing to Win My Art

2011-12-06T06:28:00.001-07:00

It’s a new month and a new drawing for my art. Below are pics of the art pieces up for grabs. The drawing is open everyone (US and International). If you want to enter the drawing, email me (the button is in the upper right hand column of the blog) or post a comment on this post by DECEMBER 31 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time US.

PLEASE MAKE SURE I HAVE A WAY TO CONTACT YOU.

Under the Mistletoe

New Year’s Eve Postage Stamp

All Snug in Their Beds Ornament

On a Winters Day Ornament

Jane Austen Inspired Accordion Fold Book
This is the book from the tutorial. I made two, one for me and one for the drawing.