I need a hug and some chocolate....

Okay, I think I have now completely screwed up so many things, i don't even know what to say, every time I try to say something, i just sound rediculous. For instance - I've sent swaps out the weren't completed. What the hell? That's not me. I'm behind on a few swaps because I just can't seem to get inspired. I keep joining new ones because I can't resist and I keep thinking - my muse will come back...and hopefully it will bring my brain back with it!!

I don't know what the real deal is with me these days...i think it's the migranes. They're horrible. I went to the eye doctor, she said bifocals...bifocals at 25 (in may)...rough. So I got bifocals, I had them a week...getting kind of used to them, but not really. I can't consentrate on my swaps to long because it hurts my eyes, which hurts my head...which makes me want to cry because doing the swaps is my own personal therapy (can't afford a real one, that would take up my art money).

I do have an appointment with the opthmologist - eye surgeon, because my eye doctors thinks there is some serious issues with my eyes - high pressure...blah...blah...blah...migranes....my eyes ache... I hate the eye doctors, I hate what they put you through....I can't even put drops in my eyes...hey, some people hate needles...i hate eye doctors. Ben is going with me to hold my hand...i love him.

Last weekend, I couldn't find my car charger, I had someone trying to hook up with me for some fun stamping or just hangin out time, had to rely on emails and hoped she got them so she wasn't thinkin i was ignoring her. Found my cell phone charger after the weekend, in the same place i always put it so I don't loose it. !!?&*?!!

I don't get it. I want my normal brain and my normal patterns back. Damn it!!

I'm staying home this weekend to get my swap life back in order, i have a beatles altered book, some cds to alter and some cards to make...they will get done...and they will be fabulous!

Two more Chunky Book Projects Done

These are my chunky pages, the left is the front, the right the back.

This one is for 'Angels Amoung Us'

This one is for 'The White Chunky Book'

Yeah, there are other colors, but they help to bring out all the great vintage white colors!

More of what I have been up to these days...

This was for an ATC swap called Doors, Windows and Portals.

These were some altered Cd's I was doing.

This is just a really cool glue resist doen with watercolors.

I'm Back!!

Hi everyone, miss me? A lot has happened since December. I've moved into a bigger and better apartment, with a hallway, and a bedroom and a bathtub!! Oh and closets - 3 HUGE closets!! One with a built in shoe rack - very cool.

I've also been working 12 hour days - TAX SEASON. Not to bad, this was my first and it's going pretty good. Lot's of clients, lots of hours = lots of art spending money for me!! Tax season is starting to slow down now, which is good. It's nice to come home and the sun is still out, even if it is ready for bed.

I've still made time for my art. Although I'm getting a little upset about some of them. I'm in a cd swap that is really not the level I was expecting. Luckily, I'm in another one which the work is a lot better. That's the thing though about swaps, you don't know what you're going to get!! Unless of course you know the reputation of the group...I didn't!! :O)

The Round Robins are going the same way, one group I find the art work to be fantastic, the players are timely, communitive and nice to talk to! The other group, I haven't seen a book in 3 months. And apparently we have someone hording 3 books for whatever reason... and has had one book since the end of last year. Stuff like this is very difficult to deal with, and it makes Round Robins so incredible hard for the lot of us who are honest and are willing to partake.

I've also been involved in some awesome chunky books. The themes were: Angels Amoung Us and White. The White was challenging, but I'm very happy with what my end result was. I'll upload them soon. I'm just joing a chunky book called - Ya Ya's!! I'm so excited about that one, my Ya Ya name is Queen Giggle Box!! I just see a ton of fibers and beads hanging off these pages. Another very cool project I was asked to join is an altered wine journal. More to come on that.

Happy Altering!! Copper

Just some more pics of my babies

It's a sad day for me...

As most of you know, I have 2 cats - Sophie and Sammy. Well, not anymore. Because of my financial situation, I could not afford to move into a place that would allow me to keep my furry babies, unless I wanted to put down another $400... That was just no possible. I do trust in G-d and I know that he gives me what is the best thing for at all times, so when this apartment became available, I took it, and that meant giving away my precious babies.

Today was that day. After many emails, and a phone call or two, I found a family whose 2 cats have passed away, one after 15 years, and the other only a few precious months. They said they would love to have both of my cats so they can stay together. This was an answer to my prayers. I had a lot of people interested in just my girl, and that was fine, but when this lady said she would take them both, I just couldn't refuse.

The pictures of Sohpie, the tortie cat is from a month or so ago. The gray one is my Sammy, and this was when he was just a few months old. This was his favorite position, next to sleeping next to mommy's head at night!

I'm really going to miss my little kitties....

Some Misc Art Stuff I've Done...

Here are some odds and ends stamped art that I have made that are some of my personal favorites. The Butterfly Fairy was the first pin I ever made. Everything stamped on a white cardboard square, and then covered with utee. The girl on the bed card was a gesso and alcohol inks background technique. Long thin cards are my favorite shape!! The one with all the awesome fibers was a tags on tags swap I was in. I miss this one a lot!! The cd moon shape is my second pin I ever made, but the first CD pin I made - got that?!? I stamped on the cd, the letters are on regular printer paper I just cut them out, and the topped everything with utee and sparkles. The last is a card that made a LONG time ago - maybe 2 years. I was really just getting into stamping, and this is one of my earlier cards. I really liked it.

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

These are the two spreads that I did for another round robin swap I'm in. I liked the theme for this book, "In a Galaxy..." I thought it was very original and a 'far out' theme. I had a little difficulty on what I was going do. My main source came from magazines. Hope you like CM!

WinterWonderland

WinterWonderland spread - the next spread in the seasons book.

Okay, so this is what I did in a nutshell - the background is papertowels. I used them as clean up in some color wash sprays I was using, and the papertowels were so pretty, I had to keep them. When it came time to do this spread, these were perfect!! The flowers are from a tissue box, Then I put random embossing powders all over to create texture - Tim Holtz ditressing weather paine - I think, some silver and a touch of something deep brown. I added the fibers with cool dangily things at the top to give it a nice touch.

Copper

Frido Cd

Cd Dolls

OKay, so another wonderful scan!! These are my cd dolls. All the body parts are made from cd pieces that I boiled and then cut up. I painted with lumieres, versamagic and staz on. All glued with E6000 - which smells horribly! I added some fibers and some page pebbles for added glitz. I hope whomever gets these lovies take good care of them!! Copper

Altered Clock

Okay, so this is my altered clock. Well, it's not mine anymore, because I made this as a gift for one of my secret holiday swaps this month. I used lumiere paints - olive green, bronze and burgundy and just a touch of the halo blue gold. I used yellow and blue (understatement) stickers from the Sweetpea Jack collection from basic gray. The stamp on top of the clock is from Beeswax - I think! ANyways, this really is gorgeous in person, and I really hope she loves it!!! Copper

The Butterflies Break Out

This is a gift I made for the Altered Art Club that I am in. Today is our 'holiday party' and we are having a Handmade Gift Exchange. I used Stamp Zia Luna Moth stamp and her color wash jewels, and then stamped and embossed the luna moth with silver on the black mat. I really hope whoever ends up with this likes it!! I think it's really cool how I only used one stamp. That was something Zana taught us. Thanks Zane - you are so awesome!! Copper

Self Portrait Chunky Book Page

Okay, at the last second I decided to join a chunky book swap. The book is called Self Portraits. Here is what I have created. They are 4x4 inches. The left side is the front, and the right side is the back (see the little gray area between the metal Femme and the other page down at the bottom? That's the space between the two pages, I'm just not the best at scanning!!). I really like this one, I feel fairly confident about it. Hope everyone likes it too!! Copper

Pages I did in OTHER People's Seasons Book

These are the left and right pages of the second and first spreads that I did in another Artists' Seasons book. Since I live in Maryland, I found some neat pictures of the tress from my own city in the newspaper one day. SO I cut them out and put some sugarbeads on top. I think that's what their called. That was my friend's Donna idea - Thanks Donna!! On the right side, you open the doors to another beautiful spread of Maryland fall tress. The right side didn't really seem to scan all that well, it look much better in person, I think!! The first set of left and rights are some really pretty November poems I printed out on vellum and put over some crazy fall backgrounds that I made. I hope she likes what I did!!

More to be posted as I create! Copper

My Altered Poetry Book

Here is the cover:

This is inside the covers

Sign in Pages:














Up close at my tag:






















Behind the Sign in Tags:




And the Back Cover:


Note to Players:
Well, I'm at in again!! In another online art exchange swap group, I am hosting a Round Robin. There are 6 of us in the group, and we all are picking our own themes. For my book, I picked Poetry. I found a really cool make it yourself little book kit at Michaels that I'm using for my base. Everyone will have pages that they work on, and when I get the book back, I will bind it myself. So Cool!!! Anyways, here are some starting pages of my book. These pages are pretty much finished, and I will be posting as I continue to work on them.

Last Page for Fall

Okay, this is the last page in my book that I'm doing before I mail it off for others to do. It's not finished, and it's also on the left side.

Notice the brush stokes? They are all over my book!! I just dipped my paint brush in lumiere and added some shimmer to my pages.

BYE BOOK!! I hope you make it back safely!!

Copper

Sign in ATC Front and Back

This is my sign in page, nothing fancy, just that cool punch again, done on metallic sticker stuff and then some info about me on the back...

Seasons RR

Okay, so here is the sign in page. I just did some paper weaving. The background is painted with lumiere paints. And stickers for letters and then some metal leaves for bellies...

...and this is the right side of the sign in page! The sign in spots are the size of ATC's, with covers. The stripes and dots papers with numbers and leaves on them act like hinges

Last Page which will be complete upon return:


Let Side Do's:

Right side which is don't. And of course, more lumiere!!!


I'm in this Round Robin with an online group, the theme is Seasons and this is my cover... so far!
The book is a composition book which I'm a little worried about as it's a bit flimsy, but hopefully will hold up with all the mailings.

I want to add a transparency over it and some stuff in the middle and of course...Fibers and beads and dangly things!! I'll probably wait until the book comes back to me so I don't weigh it down to much for shipping. Plus, I'd like it to come back to me in good shape... Oh I will so miss this book...

Will post more pics of some of the spreads I do in other books as they come. Copper