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But this picture was too good to pass up! Remember a few weeks back we had our yard sale and my crazy husband pulled out my son's hat and modeled it? I had to use that picture in a monthly lottery with the theme "Faces." 
Then I'm playing with some poker chips and have done this so far. I don't know if this will become a magnet or a pendant or what. 
Yep, it has been, but life goes on if we're lucky. Lots of challenges lately, but you have to float or the waves will take you under! If you need a little humor in your life, take a look at some pictures from our recent yard sale. 
My son pulled out something or several somethings from the sale that I tried to sneak out the house. The kid has way too many toys.
My DH pulled out a few 
things that I was getting rid of and he's usually the one who groans if he sees me coming in the house with bags from anywhere and is lightning-fast to throw out things he no longer wants! (At least take them to Goodwill) ROFL I tell you, I married the man for the entertainment he provides at times. What a nut.
Here is the crowd as they swarm the tables looking for buys. 
Later that afternoon, my local art group met and we made those "zazu sticks" I mentioned in an earlier post. Here are the ones that my son and I made. Very cheerful. Okay, I'll even get brave enough to post a picture of my studio area with the sticks, well, sticking out!
I really want another storage something to put stuff in and a shelf to display my treasures on, maybe on that brick area (bleah). DH doesn't want the brick painted but some paint may accidentally make it on there! heh heh Although, perhaps original would be best as it may hide oversprays and MY splatters!
Talk about a hot weekend! 100 on Saturday with humidity that would just slam you in the face when you went out the door. Fit only for a swimming pool. Sunday wasn't much better with a high of 95 but a storm did roll in and drop some rain on us. We've cooled down to the upper 80s today.
I worked on one 3x3 for the third round on alteredartswap. That was all the art I really felt like doing. Isn't that pitiful? I worked on Mary's and her theme is "Freaky Fairy Tales." I was stumped for a while, but put a piece together. I don't know if it was what she was looking for, but I kinda like it anyway. :)
You'll have to make up your own fairy tale to go with it. There are lots of possibilities...was it all a dream? Was she after him? Did he dream this every night?
BTW, I have updated my picture trail if anyone wants to see some of the other 3x3s. I need to add more pics in that album, but I'll get there. Click on the link to the right for my picture trail or go to http://www.picturetrail.com/christygrantva
My dear friend, Aileen Roberts, sent me a link to Ebay of a lady selling Pokemon cards. Actually, the auction has ended. So what, you say. Check it out! Because I Said SO or Alternate link. Her reason for putting the cards up for auction is hysterically funny. If you don't have children or never worked with them much, it may not be as funny however. I will issue a ||Depends Alert|| or ||Spew Alert|| depending on your personal "situation."
Hope it makes you laugh!
If not, maybe this cute picture of my dad (on left) and friend will at least make you smile! (This photo is private property and not up for use in art, sale or otherwise. Please respect this).
Don'tcha love a good challenge? Me, too. Well, my bud, Mija Marie gave some of us one. Little did she know she really challenged me. It was a dark blue folder brochure size with a place that had slots on the inside for maybe a business card or some sort of insert. Anyway, it was that and three vintage seals for milk bottles. Mine were from Yoder Dairy. Fun, fun. I looked at that dark blue and my mind went blank. I like blue, I do. I love turquoise, royal, robin's egg blue, but dark blue throws me. I pulled it out and looked at it numerous times. I folded it and unfolded it, stood back, etc. Finally I said last night (after she said time was drawing close for the challenge to end!) this is it. It's now or never. 
So I folded it back again to the size I originally had it. About 4.25 x 4. I looked at it. I didn't know whether to just gesso it or what. I took out my trusty Color Mists and using the Titanium White, I went at it. Then it was the copper, gold, burgundy, metallic slate and then stamped gold stars using pigment ink. It had a celestial look to it. I added bronze pieces I bought at Art & Soul East from Ashes 2 Beauty and placed them on there. Then a gold quarter moon from Outside The Margins. Dyed silk ribbon from Artchix. Inside where the pockets are, I folded back a corner, added a couple of brads. It kept coming to mind "Fortune Keeper." My pal, Joanne, noticed that I liked to use fortunes from Chinese restaurants in my work. I really do. So, I decided this would house some of my favorites. I added a vintage optical lens to the pocket on the right. Thanks, Mija! This was FUN!
In Saturday's mail, I got a very fun book from Carrie Poisel as a RAK on the Christian Paper Artist yahoo group. She'd used Color Mists for the background and said she was now in love with them after hearing about them from me. Yay, Carrie, we can be addicted together! ROFL
Our local art group met on Saturday and we made "zazu sticks" (phrase coined by Dotsie who was teaching the class). She has willow tree in her yard that yields the nicest curly pieces and we made sort of magic wands with them. I'll have to take pictures of mine and my son's. While there, I saw that Robin, Scrap Artz owner, had added some new products. Lo and behold! She's added Microglaze by Judikins to her inventory! I was thrilled. I don't have to order it online anymore. That stuff is so fun to work with and does a lot of things...acts as a paper protectant, resist, final finish over acrylic paints to prevent tackiness. Oh joy, oh joy. If you're ever in the area of Richmond, or even Fredericksburg, it's worth a trip to Ashland to her shop Visit Scrap Artz (it's about maybe halfway between the two). She's got a good selection of things for altered artist and scrapbookers alike...alcohol inks, 7 Gypsies stuff, ink pads, rubber stamps, embellishments, some canvases and so on!
I don't know what it is about this size that is so fun to work with. You can do a 9x9 canvas with them or 9x12 or whatever other increment of 3 you can come up with. These are the last three for this particular swap. Then I have another set to work on. I'll be done with those for a while and then I'll just have my usual monthly RRs to work on. Oh wait, there's an altered dictionary swap. That will be fun though.
I just got an email from Angie Hall Havilland Go visit Angie! and she nominated me for Nice Blogger Award! She is a dear and SOO talented. I have a beaded goddess doll by her that stays on my dresser. It's precious. She tells me I have to nominate five others who are nice people. This was started on Bella Enchanted Bella's site if you want to read about it. I was even more honored after reading that. Okay, enough said about that. There are so many I could choose who are geniunely nice, caring people. I'm starting with, drum roll please,
1. Karen Owen
Now on to the good mail part. I won the July lottery on Altered Art Divas Reliquary and when I received one of the winnings yesterday (an ATC) and it was from Joanne Huffman. It was awesome!!! She included six other ATCs and a card with one of her other beautiful digital collage designs. Here are the "extras":
This is the one that was actually in the lottery (I believe the theme was Sun and Moon). She is a whiz at digital collage.
Look at the envelope it was mailed in. Even the envelope is beautiful! It was sprayed with Color Mists by Outside The Margins. Gorgeous.
This forest fairy just amazes me. Joanne wrote a really sweet note on it. She's such a thoughtful, sweet person who always has nice things to say about someone's artwork.
Then, on the Christianpaperartists group, we have a RAK list. I got this from Phyllis Schaffer. Isn't it the cutest little book? When you untie it, the pages unfold to reveal a verse. 
Here it is open (you can't see the whole thing). It's fairly simple in construction but rich in detail. Very nice.
These just came at the most perfect time. It was a tricky day and their timing was perfect. Thank you so much, ladies! Big hugs to you both!
The weather has let up a tiny bit with the heat. It's supposed to be back again tomorrow with it letting up again by the weekend. Good thing, I've got a yard sale planned. I need to get rid of some junk!
Here's something I finished this weekend in Susie LaFond's book. This is the front with the pocket on it. The mica with copper foiling piece that goes in the pocket is attached at the top via a brad. The scrap to the right of it reads "My place unknown, my name obscure" and I can't remember the rest, but it suited the theme of "Found Lives" on the front of the book. It's a fabric book with old buttons on it with ribbons trailing from the spine. A very cool book.
The back page has a scan of a beautiful cabinet card that I have on it with some vintage WWII fuel ration tickets.
I just opened the box with the next book in it. I've got Carla Naron's to work on now. It's another awesome one....
This piece seems to speak to a lot of people. I'm participating in a calendar journal RR in 2007 and have Terry's this month. It's a Da Vinci Calendar and I have the hardest time covering up or altering his work. It almost seems sacrilege! SO, on this one, I worked around it and this lady seemed very pensive so I have all these crazy thoughts flying through her head. Can ya relate? I sure can. Sometimes my thoughts don't seem THIS clear!
Here are the scans of the rest of the pages. They will go into the mail tomorrow. I haven't seen any of the others yet. Pretty exciting.
Hey, Marse, recognize the bits of tissue paper with the letters on it that you gave me? It's funny how just a touch can do so much.
I enjoyed these so much. I just may have to do some more using the other animals from the vintage book I have. Some of them look a bit scary though. I guess Audobon had his own "eye" for things.
