ARTfilled Inspirations

Its been a while...

2012-01-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I posted, but life has a way of going by way to quickly. I wanted to share with you pictures of some of the items I made for our ARTHaven January Swaps. I hope that those who receive them will enjoy them.

Let me know what you think!!

Sherri

I am not sure why blogger rotated the last picture, but I think you can still get the idea. Have a great day!

A Fun Fungi

2011-08-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of rain lately and it is amazing what will sprout up after a good rain. When we were out the other day I found this amazing fungi growning in the moss under and old oak tree. It fascinated me, reminding me of a creamcicle. Enjoy!!

Growing up so fast....

2011-06-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

The last eleven years have flown by. My baby is now a young lady, and I couldn't be more proud. Of all my creations, she is by far my masterpiece. This was taken on her birthday, June 14, and I just had to take a minute to share with you what keeps me motivated and moving forward.

Botanical Blooms

2011-05-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our theme this month in ARTHaven was Botanical Blooms. Anyone who knows me knows that flowers are my favorite subject to photograph, so this was a great theme for me to play with. We were challenged to create a card with matching envelope, a tag, a pillow box and a gothic arch hanging piece. Here are the first three of mine -- I will post the arch later tonight when the final addition to it has dried. I hope the ladies who will be receiving these enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!!

A Little Bird Art....

2011-05-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you an art piece I am proud of. It is not often that I am really happy with what I create. I always feel like it needs something when I finish...except this time. With input from my dear friend Kerry, I was able to make something very special for our friend Diann. It was a swap in the ARTHaven group, but I was struggling and not happy with the fabric hangie I was creating. It just wasn't speaking to me. One day while visiting Kerry, I wandered into Joann's and this fabric jumped up and shouted at me - and I knew it was just perfect for Diann with her love of birds and flowers. And so I started over... and I am so glad I did.

The background is natural canvas and the bird piece is layered on top of that with frayed edges. The berries are all French Knots. There are paint accents on the bird and branches to highlight them, and a bit of sparkle was added to his beautiful beak. The lace was hand dyed with Tim Holtz Distress Reinkers, and couldn't have turned out more perfectly. A raid of Kerry's incredible stash of flowers provided the perfect branch and a flower that was made just for this piece. The orange of the flower is the perfect accent for the birds beautiful colors.

The best part of the whole project was Diann's excitement and enthusiasm over this. It made my day knowing she liked it and thought it was worth the wait.

Thanks for visiting and letting me share with you.

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

2010-11-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

Have you thanked a veteran yet today? If not, please think of the meaning of the day, the history, and do so. I would like to share with you the following from William J. Federer's American Minute:

American Minute for November 11th:

The 11th hour of the 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH of 1918, World War I ended. Though the Armistice was signed at 5:00 AM, fighting continued till 11:00 AM, killing nearly 11,000 more men.

In 1921, President Warren Harding had the remains of an unknown soldier killed in France buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. Inscribed on the Tomb are the words: "Here lies in honored glory an American soldier know but to God."

Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all U.S. Veterans. In 1958, President Eisenhower placed soldiers in the tomb from WWII and the Korean War. The soldier from Vietnam, buried by President Reagan in 1984, was identified by DNA tests as pilot Michael Blassie and was reburied in 1998 at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.

On NOVEMBER 11, 1921, President Harding stated: "On the threshold of eternity, many a soldier, I can well believe, wondered how his ebbing blood would color the stream of human life, flowing on after his sacrifice...I can sense the prayers of our people...Let me join in that prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come..."

I am proud to come from a long history of service to our country and our people. While I myself did not join the military, my grandfather, my father and my brother-in-law were all career soldiers, as were several dear friends. I am so very proud of them, and thankful for the sacrifices they made for our proud nation. We are truly the land of the free, because of the brave - men and women who have fought so hard to protect the rights we have been given. We should never take that freedom for granted, or forget those who died to preserve that freedom.

Operation Write Home ~~ Cards for our Troops

2010-10-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Operation Write Home is a special group that ArtHaven is supporting by making cards. I managed to get a lot of time to create some while I was in South Carolina, but I never got them posted. These will be heading out of here Monday to Celeste, a great friend who supports this wonderful cause and helped make it possible for the rest of the group to do so too.

Christmas Cards are next on the list!

A Beautiful Fall Day At The Shore

2010-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a beautiful day. Much too nice to spend inside. We decided to take a ride to the beach and spend the afternoon chasing waves, looking for shells and enjoying the beauty and peace of the shore. Assateauge National Seashore is a wonderful escape close to home. In less than 45 minutes we can be in a raw, natural seashore, undeveloped and teaming with natural beauty. There are wild horses roaming the park, free to come and go as they please - it is the humans that have boundries here.

Here are just a few pictures from our day. Katherine is still shining in her makeup from a community festival we attended earlier in the day. The sparkle suits her i think. There is also a rarity for you - a picture of me. Not only am I always behind the camera, I run from it when it is pointed my direction. I am trying NOT to do that quite so often. Sometimes it is nice to have evidience that I was enjoying the day just as much as everyone else.

There were magnificent butterflies everywhere Saturday. Some larger than my hand floating around the shore, along the breaking waves and over the dunes. It was amazing to see so many, and some so large. Nature at her finest.

Also enjoying the day with us were Rodney and one of his students from last year. Johnnie is a great young man, a very talented musician who never ceases to amaze me with how quickly he learns. With his talent and desires he will go far. We have been fortunate over the last year to get to know him, encourage him and watch him grow. His future is definitely bright.

Johnnie found another example of the wonders of nature in the tiniest of crabs running along the sand. It would pop up its little eyes and look at us with just as much curiosity as we were showing towards it. While it might have been tiny, it was a fiesty little thing and fast as lightning.

One last look at the pristine beauty of Assateague.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and share with me the beauty that is around us. I have a beautiful life - I need to remember that and take time to recognize it much more often.

The Art of Wendy Vecchi

2010-08-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

During my recent trip to South Carolina, I was lucky enough to find and attend an art class led by Wendy Vecchi, an amzingly talented ARTist. The wall hanging below was from the second class. The first class was an Ink Technique class where we learned diffferent ways to use distress, pigment and archival inks. It was a great day! I was so pleased with how this turned out, and was given high praise by Wendy for my first attempt at a grunge project. Made me feel really good about my ability.

This second picture is of the next class she will be teaching here in Maryland in October. This is only one of the four classes, but it is the one I am wanting to take the most - I will have to work on the budget to be sure I can manage it - Katherine will be taking it with me so there will much art flowing in our family.

Wendy and I

This picture just struck me as one I had to take. A little bit of country in the middle of the city - how wonderful it was to find.

Creative Memories and Cricut - A New Partnership

2010-08-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Creative Memories and Cricut have recently formed a new partnership. Cricut will be developing cartridges that will go along with the Creative Memories Collections. The first two are fabulous cartridges, crammed full of content. Recently, I became a Creative Memories Consultant and I am so pleased to be able to offer you these cartridges through my own Creative Memories web site. Please click on the link below for more information. Contact me directly if this is your first order with me - I would love to offer you a "New Customer" discount!

My Creative Memories Site:

http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/sherriauld/

Today's View Through My Lens

2010-06-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

We decided to go for a ride today, just to get out and wander. We headed over to Cambridge MD and the Blackwater Nature Preserve. Of course Sadie went along for the ride.

One of my hobbies over the last year has been photography, and while I am far from great, I do like a lot of what I have taken. I did develop a serious case of Lens Envy today - there was a group of Japanese tourists at the Nature Preserve who were loaded down with cameras and some of the nicest lens I have seen in a while. Guess I better start a special savings account. :-)

Hope you enjoy seeing what appeared thru my lens today.

Handle With Care

2010-04-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

How will you handle our fragile world? Are you remembering to handle it with care? Let me know what you are doing to recycle, reuse or refresh our earth.

Prima Givaway

2010-02-28T17:13:00.001-08:00

Prima has a BIG SECRET ~ and a fabulous prize giveaway worth $100.00. Head over HERE to learn more and to enter to win!

Hearts and Swirls

2010-01-16T12:13:00.001-08:00

Valentine's is right around the corner, love is in the air.....

This little heart hanglie danglie will be winging its way to my ARTHaven friend Sandy on Monday - I hope it makes her smile. I used papers from SEI and findings from Lost and Found, both of which just shouted Valentines Day to me.

A little button fairy flitting by.....

2010-01-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

I have entered a whole new area for me - working with beads and wire. It was an interesting introduction, as I learned that there is a big difference in the gauge of wire, as well as regular wire and MEMORY wire. Little did I know that the lower the number, the thicker the wire. The big haha on me was the memory wire. It doesn't bend well, it pops right back into shape, and darn it all, it will NOT straighten out for anything. Nor will it go through the holes in a button. Well, it will go through one, but not the second. After asking for advice, and a speedy run out to get new supplies, I was finally able to put her together. I loved this project - loved the colors, the feel and just how much fun she is. I wish I had more buttons on hand, because I would have made several more. These are going to make great little gifts down the road for some special friends.

Isn't she lovely?

A Suave and Debonnaire King of Hearts

2010-01-16T11:55:00.001-08:00

I had to smile when I saw this image from an old pattern book. This seemed perfect for the King of Hearts altered playing card. All he needs is his queen on his arm.

More Christmas Fun

2010-01-16T11:41:00.001-08:00

The two projects that follow are exchanges that were done for ARTHaven. Both of these were created using gorgeous paper from My Minds Eye - so elegant and perfect for the holidays. While you can't see it in the second picture, the paper had beautiful glittered sleighs on it, which went perfectly with the silver ribbon I found in PA over the Thanksgiving holidays.

Here are a few more of my art projects for Christmas. These were all done for ARTHaven, The holidays were a blur this year, time ran short, I was late on many things, and most of all, overwhelmed a great deal of the time. I was grateful though for the time that I had to create and play, and look forward to a new year where time is more available! I am looking forward to letting my creative mind overtake the analytical mind for a change.

The image used on the snow ATC is an actual photograph of a real snowflake. I found this and other images at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos/photos.htm. They are from a project at CalTech University in California. They are amazing.

A Christmas Shoppe

2010-01-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

In ARTHaven one of our fun projects was a Christmas Shoppe Row House - I had a great time with this one. I was able to find the perfect file from SVGCuts and was thrilled with how it fit my idea of a shoppe. The little bit of sparkle is from some beautiful glass beads.

It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

It is starting to feel a lot like Christmas here in my little part of the world. While the house is bare, with no holiday decor as yet, I am feeling the spirt of the season. This book was created for a friend in my ARTHaven group. I hope she enjoys it as much as I do. The last three pictures are of the little goodies that are tucked inside the book.

Trash to Treasure Blog Candy

2009-11-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

Lynn at Trash to Treasure Art is giving away blog candy for her one year blogaversary!
She has some incredible art and talent - take a look, you will be amazed just as I was.
Leave a comment for a chance to win one of several awesome pieces of blog candy (like this bracelet shown above!!). Don't miss out!

More Art Fun

2009-11-08T11:12:00.001-08:00

I got to have more fun with paper today. Remarkably, every one let me play with almost no interruptions. I got the Christmas card below done for an ARTHaven swap. I just love the sweet little girl in blue.

I also got a Thanksgiving Card done for the SSC group. I have to include another thanks to Tami Putvin for being so generous with her fibers. Once again I found the perfect match in those she shared with me.

Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed looking! Have a day - maybe I will be able to get some more done today - that would be a great treat for me.

The Beauty of Snowflakes

2009-11-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I took time to play with paper. This card is the result. I found a wonderful web site with these beautiful pictures (www.snowcrystals.com). These are actual photo's of real snow crystals. Nature itself truly creates the most magnificant ART there is.

A Church for ARTHaven

2009-11-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

Today I got to make a church for the ARTHaven Row House Swap. Every month we get a new theme and everyone gets thier creative on. I was really excited with this challenge because I could see it in my mind right from the start. It was fun putting it into form and reality. (The sparkle you see is tiny little glass beads). I hope you enjoy it.

Another First - Charms

2009-11-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

I ventured into an area not familier to me, and made these charms for the ARTHaven swap. It wasn't a fast process for me, as I am the typical accountant and had to over think every aspect of making them. I am pretty pleased with them for a first - and I guarantee they won't be the last I make. I hope the ladies who are going to receive them will enjoy them.

The ART of Magic

2009-10-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Long ago I got to witness the art of Magic - David Copperfield Magic. I have been a fan, even before seeing my first live show well over 20 years ago. I was awed at that night. He appeared in the audience right next to me, placed his hands on my shoulders and spoke with me. I was a gonner at that point - a fan for life.

Fast forward to tonight, and another David Copperfield moment. We spent close to two hours watching art of a magical sort. The man is truly a magnificent artist - fooling the eye, entrancing the audience, leaving children wide eyed and amazed. My daughter Katherine saw her first live magic show, just as I did many years back. She was entranced thru the entire show, sad when it ended. I have to admit I am still just as big a fan, and still find the man to be magnetically attractive.

Once again tonight he appeared right behind us. Katherine and Rodney were stunned, mouth wide open as they realized he was within two feet of them. He smiled, they smiled, and Katherine was a gonner. :-) Like mother, like daughter.

It was a wonderful night, full of fun and magic. Every life needs a little magic - it makes it so much more interesting.

I finally found some ART time.

2009-10-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

I was happy to finally find some art time over last weekend and tonight. I find I relax so much when I am playing with paper. It brings a bit of calm into a very hectic and crazy life.

This card was made to say thank you to my dear friend Susie. She has been a huge support and wondeful friend for several years now. I appreciate her part in my life more every day.

I made the next card for the ARTHaven great pumpkin swap. I have had a hard time getting this one made, but it finally came together and I am pleased with it. I have to thank my very generous friend Tami for the great fibers that were the perfect addition to this card.

I was playing with some of the printers samples I got a few months ago and came up with this great "French" inspired card. The image was one of the divider pages in a sample book and I loved the feel of it. I added a little Tim Holtz and voila.

This was a great stamp I found at Michaels that I just had to play with. I plan on using this as the front art of a Journal of Love.

Thanks for visiting today - I hope you have a wonderful night!

It Is A Learning Process

2009-10-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

Creativity is a learning process all its own. You have to learn to let yourself venture and explore, and let the creative side take over from the analytical side. It's not always an easy process for a number driven, analytically minded person, but in little steps, it happens. The three items posted here tonight are all part of that learning process...I am slowly stretching and learning...and as I go I hope that there are improvements over each of the previous creations.

The first is a card for the mother in law of an ARTHaven friend, who at 84 faced cancer with a brave front, and continues to grow stronger, even with preventative treatments. That spirit is an incredibile testment to life.

Also created for an ARTHaven exchange, the fall tag was great fun to create. It started with a an image I printed out and distressed with Distress Ink from Tim Holtz. I added some beautiful fibers and a lovely copper flower. The Many Blessings ribbon tags added just the right touch.

Last but not least is the Harvest Blessings card that I created with an image I downloaded and stickled and placed on a solid background. The green damask is from a great book of wallpaper samples that I was lucky to be given.

Have a great evening everyone - thanks for looking!

Life's Changes

2009-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Life has thrown me a few curves the last year or so. I've had time to reevaluate one or two things. Some changes are coming, and challenges too. One thing I have done though is give myself the chance to go back to the days when I used my heart, my hands, and my mind for creative endeavors.

I need to thank my new friend, Penny Duncan, for giving me not just an outlet for creative urges, but also a group of friends that feels like a family. Penny is one talented lady - please be sure and check out her ART at http://pennyduncancreations.com/.

I have only completed a few items, and they are all for the ARTHaven group, but I know this is just the start.

Here is my latest, a haunted row house to go with a collection of row houses that group members are creating for one another. Next up is a church. I am looking forward to that one a great deal!

This next picture is of a Journal I completed for Journals of Love, a project Shirley Nagle has started to provide cancer patients with Journals to capture their thoughts, notes, dr. comments, anything they might need to write down. Shirley has inspired many of us to create one of a kind books for them, and I am glad that I have been able to help. If you are interested in contributing to this project, email me and I will get you in touch with Shirley directly.

This last picture is a card that I made for the group card lottery – the theme was cat’s and it was a blast coming up with this stylized little kitty. Just reminds me so much of the attitude that I receive from my own felines. SO much fun!

Thanks for letting me share with you. I am looking forward to adding lots of new ARTworks soon!