Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....(LTC #132)

The Art of Christmas Swap

First Snow (LTC #132)

The Card:

I LOVE Christmas. I've always wanted to make a card, but I'm always way to busy in December. I broke down and joined this swap though so I decided to do something elegant and simple. I thought of some of my favorite things about Christmas and I have to admit I really delight in the first snow. I love the slightly chilly air, the crisp clean smell and the way the flakes look as they fall. It's my favorite time to take a stroll and then come back to a cup of hot chocolate. So that was my theme....the delightful pleasure of the first snowfall at Christmas.

Making The Card:

I stamped the image on cardboard card stock and layered white tissue paper at the bottom to create the snow. I layered on red and light brown christmas paper and then used pearl accents to create the illusion of snow falling. I stuck with two colors for the card so that the color wouldn't distract from the snow. I colored her winter coat, hat, mittens and tights in holly red and then accented the jacket with a white paint marker. This is definitely a bit different from my normal style. I kept it simple to give it that old fashioned feel!

                                                                      White Christmas

Just Stamp It!...(LTC #131)

Just The Stamp Swap

Birds Of A Feather (LTC #131)

This was for a swap listed by Lava Girl. We have both been doing LTC's for about 6 years now. When we started a good majority of the cards were completely stamp based. Amazing carves set on a single piece of paper. We have seen an evolution in the styling and set up of LTC's. Now there are embellishments and tons of layers and hand painted cards with mixed media. Not to say that those things didn't exist 6 years ago, but there were very few people doing them. She wanted to challenge us to focus on our carve for this swap. No coloring, no embellishing, no layering (kind of broke that rule). From the beginning of my start in cards I have been all about color and layers so I joined to challenge myself and to see some amazing carves by other people. 

Making The Card:

I picked some hand made paper that I had been playing around with for a different swap. It was made with Ranger Alcohol Inks, stencils and Dylusions ink sprays. From there I simply stamped my image. I chose a peacock because I figured that if I stamped it on colorful paper I would be less tempted to color it. The image I carved was somewhat smaller then LTC sized so in the end I did put a backing paper on it. I stuck with just black hoping that sticking with a solid color would make me a tiny bit less of a rule breaker.

This really was a hard swap for me. I carved 3 different images before I was able to find one that I could just "stamp" and walk away. I'm not sure I could have done this swap with anything other than a peacock. I'm going to have to try this again in the future just to push my own boundaries.

98 Percent Human, 2 Percent Bird....(LTC #130)

An extra card made just for fun

The Angel Experiment (LTC #130)

The Card:

I joined a faerie swap listed by Linden Leaf. Two weeks after sending the cards out they were returned to me minus the postage. I felt so bad for holding up the swap that I grabbed an old carve I had sitting around and made a bonus card to send. Years ago while I was working in insurance I used to listen to audiobooks all day long. after listening to the first few Maximum Ride Books by James Patterson, I carved two images that reminded me of the main character. It was a fun set of books and carves. The first book in the series was titled "The Angel Experiment". 

Making The Card:
Since this was a quickie card I used only materials I had on hand. First, I covered white paper in black distress ink and then stamped the image with black Versafine Ink. I then colored the image first with copic markers and then enhanced the wings with chalk. Finally I sprayed the entire card with a shimmer mist and looked for a backing paper that would compliment the image.

Book Teaser:
WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE.
Do not put this book down. I'm dead serious - your life could depend on it. I'm risking everything by telling you - but you need to know...

There are strange things done in the midnight sun....(LTC #129)

Oh Captain, My Captain Swap

Sam McGee (LTC #129)

The Card:

Growing up in Alaska there are some books all kids read in school as a right of passage. The authors Jack London and Robert Service are a given.

I had to memorize "The Cremation Of Sam McGee" in sixth grade. Reading it now it seems quite morbid for grade school, but we all loved it just the same.

Making The Card:

 I've wanted to make a card for this poem for a very long time but have never found an image that fit it perfectly enough. I originally carved this image for Just The Stamp swap but after finishing it I just really felt it needed a backing and then it seemed like it would make a good burnt card. After playing around with fire for a bit I was reminded of this poem. I added the poem to one card just for fun and then decided I finally had my Sam McGee. Thank you Lava Girl for adding a swap for me upon seeing my card! 

The Poem:

I was going to post the poem here but when looking for it I found a link to You Tube with the one and only Man In Black Johnny Cash reading it... 

Alaskan Midnight Sun

Unconditionally....(LTC #128)

White, No White Layered Paper Swap

Fire & Ice (LTC # 128)

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The Card:

Believe it or not I am one of the few people on the planet that has not seen Frozen. My son told me that his cousins tortured him to within an inch of his sanity watching it over and over again so I have not extended that torture by putting it on my television as of yet. However I absolutely loved this image when I saw it and I knew enough of the storyline and themes to know I wanted to try this card. Unconditional love is a topic you can never go wrong with....

Making the Card:

This was a fabulous challenge swap listed by Sharkboy and Lava Girl. The only rules were that you had to start off with white paper and have no white left in the end. I always do layers so for the back layer I covered white card stock in black Distress Ink. The top layer I first covered in alcohol inks and then stamped my image in archival ink. From there I painted in the image with distress stains, chalks, and oil pastels. I sealed the coloring with a spray fixative and then lathered the card in gLossy mod. All in all I am pleased with the outcome of the card with the minor exception that I could not get her hair to hold the white. I tried a number of techniques to no avail. So I remind myself that art is subjective and does not have to be perfect and slipped Anna and Elsa into sleeves.l in all I like the outcome of the card. 

Celestial Wings....(LTC #127)

Faeries Swap

LTC # 127 Ethereal

"She explained that sometimes the part of us with wings battles with our earthbound selves.."

~Monique Duval

Adjective:
(comparative more ethereal, superlative most ethereal)
1.Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere; celestial; otherworldly; as, ethereal space; ethereal regions.
2.Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.
3.Delicate, light and airy.

Origin

From Latin aetherius (“of or pertaining to the ether, the sky, or the air or upper air; ethereal”), from Ancient Greek αἰθέριος (aitherios, “of or pertaining to the upper air; ethereal”).  

I carved this Faerie approximately 4 years ago. I originally carved it for an Earth Day swap but never did get to finish it. When this swap popped up I decided it was time to dust her off and see what I could do with her. I did quite a few prototypes and never managed to make one I loved. This one was as close as I could get to giving it an ethereal and cosmic feel. I wanted to create a nebular and celestial feel around her. I used Dyan Reavely sprays, Distress Inks, Copic Markers and Glossy Accents in the creation.

I also carved the quote  listed above and used it in the creation of this card. I was unable to fit it in a legible way on the front so I stamped it all around the faerie. I love quotes by Monique Duvall and previously used one for my card She. This was another in a long list of her words that I love, I used it as inspiration for the card.

My humble beginning.....A carving perspective

First Ever Carve

My First EVER carve

      I've noticed over and over on the AQ boards that people worry about their level of talent. First off I like to point out that Art is Subjective. What one person considers talent another person may hate and what one person thinks is juvenile another may see as a masterpiece. Many of the most famous artists were not admired or coveted until long after they left this earth. Some people like perfect art where as others prefer contemporary. I myself love all levels of art. My favorite painters are Rothko, Degas and Lichtenstein. They really do not have s ingle thing in common other than you can see their work in museums. I love the colors that Degas was drawn to, the blues and greens captivate me. I love the comic book fun that Lichtenstein brought to life in his work. I even carved three of his pieces and made cards from them. Last but never least in my book is Rothko...He painted colored rectangles. When I first saw his work I was almost appalled that he had ever become famous, but after spending more and more time looking at his stuff it took on an ethereal feel to me. I absolutely love his work. My 8 year old son can probably come close to imitating it...point being...Art is subjective. There is room for all levels and types of talent. 

    Anyways, I recently ran across my first ever carve. I decided to share it with the masses in hopes that it will inspire anyone who thinks they can't carve to NEVER quit. I started off with Pink Stuff, a pencil and a #5 nib. The picture above was the result. It took me years to become the carver that I am now. Everyone starts somewhere and if I had never managed to carve better than that heart I would hope that even that stamp would have given someone out there joy. Its the effort and heart you put into your work that matters...and mine is full of it. I truly hope I bring people joy. and if even one person looks at my work and feels the way I do about Rothko then I have accomplished more than I could ever hope!