Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Swaping art for art :)

I got back on the swapbot.com bandwagon recently and participated in 2 swaps! I worked on a third today and thought I should share. Here's a little background. When I first began my love affair with photoshop and digital art, my canvas was usually about 12 by 12 inches. That is the size of a scrapbooking page and also about the size of my typical cafepress design. So,when I learned about ATC or artist trading cards... I was really kinda stumped by the smaller canvas! Only 2.5 by 3.5 inches?! How on earth was I going to work with that? Well, a challenge is usually envigorating so I tackled a few and really liked the results. Shortly before Halloween I joined an ATC swap with a Raven or Crow theme. Ooooo! Fun! But for some reason I couldn't seem to get myself to sit down and do it! Now you all now how much I love crows! I was a little confused by my own reaction. Now I think it has to do with my poor little T-rex arms...

I was not looking forward to manipulating tiny bits of paper, especially with glue on them! I have tendonitis and it sometimes thwarts my crafty urges. Anyway, I immediately felt motivated when I decided to go digital for the ATC. My inspiration came from this goth image from my youth...


Here is "Legacy of the Crow".


My next ATC swap assignment touched on another great inspiration of mine, Ancient Egypt. The host of the swap promised that we would represent many of the gods and goddesses in turn. But here is the first!
"Horus the Great".

The second one is very typical of my style, a little bit busy ;) The Crow card came out as I envisioned it but I was a little startled by the simplicity of my vision. Maybe my style is in flux? You can be the judge of that when I post the PLETHORA of paper rosette ornaments I am creating for Christmas. Heheheheh!
Until then, thanks for reading :)
Allison

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Day of the Dead...

Well, Halloween came and went. I meant to post on the very day but I was just too busy! I went to a carnival with my nephews and family. My costume was almost Egyptian Queen but I ended up wanting to be scary (surprise, surprise)! I dug up my fangs and went as a vampire.
I really loved my makeup! I'll post another pic with fangs if I can get it :) Picture courtesy of my hubby at Mask Photo.
Before the spirit of Halloween has totally left us for another year, I want to show you a few more crafts that I labored on this month. They came out just the way I wanted. Of course, I have to give credit to the person who inspired me, Sheila at Cheeky Magpie! Here are the gorgeous crowns she created. I used her template to make one of my own.
Sheila's:

Mine:

This was so much fun! I got sick with the flu in the middle of this and my next project though. They almost didn't get finished in time. The overall feel of it isn't as Halloweenie (Halloweenish? Halloweenesque?) as I wanted but I really love it. Also, the black and white paper was designed by me :) Here's a close up so you can see the bats and dragons. There's also some rib cages and skulls thrown in...

I would definitely do this again, maybe with a harvest theme? Thank you Sheila! But her inspiration didn't end there...

This beautiful banner, spelling out "Beware" just blew me away. It's so lovely but Halloween at the same time! She used velvet on paper. As soon as I read her tutorial, I was all over it. Hidden deep in my closet was some extra orange fabric. I've also been using pages from a very old copy of A Wrinkle in Time to craft with. Perfect! Here's what I came up with...


I stamped on mine instead of spelling out a message. I think next year I will work on it some more, stabilizing the holes for the ribbon and maybe backing it with some patterned paper for extra strength. I want this banner to last for years!
I almost forgot, I did another Cheeky Magpie craft. I had a little trouble with this one. Hoping for some guidance I left a message on Sheila's blog. She got right back to me and was very nice. Thanks! Here are her glam tombstones...

And here is the one that I was able to do. Only one (even though I want a graveyard full) because I don't have the proper cutting implements. You can bet some new items went on my Christmas wish list!

This was also a lot of fun to make. Her template offers five different headstone shapes so you can bet I'll be busy next year ;)
I hope you all will pay Cheeky Magpie a visit. I'm really excited to see what she does for Christmas!
Finally, we arrive at my title project. This is very special to me. In the past, I have created elaborate altars with food and flowers to honor my beloved dead. Today I just want to share their names. I made a layout with various free scrapbook kits from the internet. The ancient Egyptians believed that if you stop saying the names of the dead, they cease to exist in the afterlife. So, praying for them and talking about them is essential for them to continue. Personally, I strive to keep them alive in my heart. Our memories are all that are left of our loved ones and those are precious indeed.

blessings everyone,
Allison