Watercolor, oh, and sketching and stuff, too!

So, here's the deal. I have been REALLY loving watercoloring, as you have likely noted if you follow my blog regularly. My Mom mentioned that  she had liked those ones lately, too, SOOOOO.... I got this crazy idea in my head that I wanted to do a watercolor piece for her for Mother's Day.

Okay, so, I've been doing it, so no big deal, right? Welllllll.... I didn't want to just do a stamped watercolor piece. I wanted it to be all my own work. SO, I decided to go a little wild and crazy and decided to sketch out something and then watercolor it. I carefully watched a couple of videos from Sanketi who inspired me in a way that really made me feel like I could make this happen. Then I decided on a subject - Old North Church in Boston seemed like a good fit. Then, I sat down with a sheet of watercolor paper and made it happen!



I began with a pencil sketch, given that my general idea on drawing and me was that, well, I can't draw. LOL! I used another picture as a reference, but I was pretty happy that I was able to produce something that looked like real buildings and such. HA!



I then used a pen to sketch over my pencil sketch to darken it and make it more permanent. I wanted the black outline to be visible, so I used a permanent pen that wouldn't bleed while I painted.



Finally, I added the paint! I had SO much fun painting this piece! I used layers of paint to achieve depth and shadow and I know it isn't perfect, by any means, but I could NOT have been happier with how it turned out! I was so excited to share this with you guys!!!  I did frame it, however, I neglected to take a photo of it in the frame, naturally. LOL!

I hope you like it! And even more...I hope this inspires you to try something that seems like it is just more than you can do, after all, you may find out that you actually CAN do it! YAY!

OH! And for those who may need a refresher on US History, this is the church known most widely for the good old, "One if by land, Two if by See" during the Revolutionary War. Paul Revere instructed three men to two lanterns in the steeple. That steeple is now a reproduction of the original, as the original was actually destroyed by the Storm of October 1804. It was replaced at that time, only to be blown off entirely by Hurricane Carol in 1954. The steeple that stands today is a perfect reproduction.

Have a Happy!

Viva Las Vegas ATC Bash!

I am super excited to be guest designing for Viva Las Vegas Stamps this month!  I will have a couple of posts to share with you, including today's fun ATC post!  Yup!  I hadn't made an ATC in a long time, so I was excited to jump in when they mentioned that they were planning a big ATC Bash!!!

If you are new to the concept of ATC's, they are Artist Trading Cards.  They are created on a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 canvas that can be made from just about any material you would like!  They are a super fun way to create mini works of art to share with others!  I used two different VLVS images on my ATC.  I used this fabulous Row of Stars stamp and the Lacy Lines Round texture stamp.  I super love that circle stamp!  It's full of yummy visual texture!



I used a watercolor paper base and then stamped and embossed the lacy lines circle several times.  I inked over that with distress inks to create a resist as well as add depth of color.  I then stamped the stars in permanent ink directly over all of the stamping/inking.  Finally, I added the word stickers, inking the corners with my fingers a bit to make them blend well.



Be sure to head on over to the Viva Las Vegas Stamps blog to check out what the rest of the team has been creating!  It is some pretty awesome stuff, dude.

Have a Happy!

Alice Summers in Paris

First of all, I want to say a HUGE thank you to each and every one of you who has taken the time to register and vote for me for the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol contest! You guys seriously rock!!! I will find out tomorrow if I've made it to the next round, as voting closes at 2pm Eastern time today! YIKES! Here's hoping! (If you haven't voted yet, and would like to, please click on the widget to the right! Thanks!)

And now...Alice Summers in Paris!



This was a SUPER FUN PROJECT, you guys! No...for reals, seriously, and totally and completely and stuff. This one was SO amazingly fun to create! I began with the absolutely WAY COOL Ornate Theatre Shrine Kit from Retro Cafe Art Gallery! As soon as I saw this fabulous theatre, Alice came to mind! I'm not sure why, actually, but I think she fits QUITE WELL!



I used the fantabulous Wonderland Perfectly Clear Stamp Set from Stampendous! to stamp Alice, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and the playing cards. These are such great Alice stamps! I really like that they are a bit different from the 'standard' Alice set, you know? They have a unique spin and I love that!



I used the Steampunk Parts Collage sheet to piece the clocks into the background. And, being that the Queen is never far from Alice's heels, we see evidence of her in the flying red aces sneaking in over in that back corner!



I roughly covered the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe with vintage encyclopedia pages, which I also used on the background of the theatre.



As you can see, the white rabbit, sneaky as ever, is once again worried about time as he carries his pocket watch, a brad from the Eyelet Outlet. The base of the theatre is covered in moss to maintain the outside adventure feel!



And of course, we simply cannot forget how this adventure began...A tiny bottle hangs over the theatre as a reminder that sometimes, doing something that seems completely and utterly illogical or even downright impossible can begin the greatest adventure in the wholest widest world! And we simply would NOT want to miss out on THAT, now would we?

I hope you have enjoyed the tour through my Alice Summers in Paris shrine! Have a happy Day!

Jingle Out!

*Etsy Love* Jen Kiaba Photography *GIVEAWAY!!!*

Hello, everyone! I am excited to introduce to you an extraordinary photographer! Her work is simply fabulous! I am quite sure you will fall in love just as I did!

Jen Kiaba specializes in what one might call poetic photography. Each of her photographs tells a story and you know how I love photographs that speak!

She has several series in her shop right now including Gothic Prints, Fantasy Art Prints, Steampunk Prints, and Vintage Prints. Each photograph sings its own song in such a beautiful collection of light, color, and imagery! They are simply a pleasure to take in!

Here are a few of my favorites.

For Remembering. The color is so strong and the light is just amazing!


A Lazy Dream. The playful nature of this print captured me as soon as I saw it in Jen's shop! Whimsy and stillness brought together. What a wonderful juxtaposition.


Vintage Dress. This photograph is beautiful. Yes, that is an ordinary word, but I still believe that it describes the simplicity and the elegance that you see here. It. Is. Beautiful.


And this print...this is my very favorite from Jen's shop! I feel the chill and I am lost in a wonderful, magical world the moment I set eyes on it. This print makes me happy. It is called Narnia Fantasy Landscape. Narnia. *sigh*


You simply MUST check out Jen's work both in her Etsy shop and on her blog!

Also, Jen has kindly offered a wonderful, generous giveaway! One VERY lucky reader will receive a choice of ONE print from either the Black and White Prints or the Photography Prints section! (Jen can help you out if you aren't sure when you win which you can choose!)

Here are the rules to enter:
***To be entered you MUST go to Jen's shop and come back here and tell me which print you liked the best. Don't worry...if you win you can choose something else. This entry is MANDATORY.***

These are all optional entries to earn extra opportunities to win!
Remember to leave a separate comment for EACH.

1. Follow my Blog and leave a comment letting me know you follow. Current followers do count!
2. Follow Jen's Blog and leave a comment here letting me know (feel free to leave her some love, too!)
3. Follow both Jen and Me on Twitter AND Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a direct link to your tweet!
4. Make me a favorite in Technorati (see small green widget on the right).
5. Make a purchase from Jen's shop for THREE extra entries! Leave THREE comments to let me know what you bought! (This will be confirmed.)
6. Blog about this giveaway and include a link to this post. Leave a comment here with a link to your post.

Contest closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday, June 23rd.


This contest is open world-wide and will be shipped by the featured vendor.

Thanks for checking out Jen's amazing shop!!!! I can't wait to see what you guys love about it!