ARTFUL GATHERING ONLINE ART RETREAT BLOG HOP...

Today kicks off the 7th annual Blog Hop for the Artful Gathering Online Art Retreat.  This hop not only introduces the line up of instructors and classes but a chance to win some wonderful package prizes from sponsor Jerry's Artorama:

1st Prize:  $250 e-gift card

2nd Prize:  $150.00 e-gift card

3rd Prize:  $100.00 e-gift card

Think of all the fun and creative supplies you could purchase from Jerry's with any of these prizes!

To find out how to join in the fun just visit the Blog Hop Post HERE.

Blessings,

Sandy

DEFINING MY BLOG GIVE AWAY....

GIVE AWAY  CLOSED
How does one sum up the purpose or content of ones blog in 10 simple succinct words to make it clear, understandable, relate-able,  leaving a positive impression of what it has to offer the reader?   The simple answer would be to have a good tag line.  The hard part is coming up with one.  I recently contacted my sweet friend and blog designer extraordinaire, Karen Valentine of Valentine Design and My Desert Cottage, to give my tired blog a fresh new look and she did just that.  Now I need to define the focus of my blogging.  That is where I need your help...please, pretty please, pretty pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?

Truth be told you only have a few seconds to make an impression on your reader and for them to get the content of your blog, hence the tag line.  Tag line:  a memorable phrase or sentence that is closely associated with a particular person. (ex: NIKE - Just Do It!)  I am looking for a tag line that will help define my blog content but also capture my artistic style and passion for words.

I am a self-taught mixed media Indie artist, hobbyist nature photographer, and word smith.  I consider this blog my online journal where my individual creativity and imagination are expressed in visual form of mixed media art (primarily collage, fiber & textile arts, book arts, and jewelry) and the written word.   I draw much of my inspiration from my natural surroundings and personal life story collections to marry art and words in one mixed media style or another.

Long walks and deep silences help me to get in tune with my intuitive creative self.  A saunter through nature with camera in hand connects me with creation which is an endless fount of inspiration of texture, shape, and color combination.  Many natural forms turn up as personal imagery in my work such as leaves, nests, birds, feathers, flowers, etc. My artistic style often incorporates vintage textiles, ephemera, and/or images, found objects, hand made embellishments, and careful attention to detail combined with text.

Here is where I need your help. Tag line ideas please!  For now I have my favorite art quote under my blog banner but I want to replace it with a tag line.  My first thought was to use the greatest compliment I have ever been given about the way I see my world..."She sees art in everything..."  But I thought that might be a bit general so I could tack something on the end like "She sees art in everything...mixed media art with a story." or "She sees art in everything...narrative mixed media art." or "She sees art in everything...narrative mixed media creations."  I am not sure these are quite right either.

"She sees art in everything..."

"Nature based art with a story..."

"Art with a story..."

"Narrative mixed media art..."

"A mixed media journal..."

"Shared moments, shared creativity..."

"Inspired by imagination..."

"Slapped by a frog..."

Ok, that last one was just to see if you were paying attention.  Seriously, any of the above, none of the above, I am completely open to suggestions.  If I use your phrase or the idea of your phrase then I will send you (could be more than just one of you if I combine phrases or ideas) a jam packed art inspiration kit from my studio to get your creative juices going.  For those that are not chosen, I will draw a few extra names from the comments and send out kits to those as well.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment with a vote for one of the phrases above OR your phrase OR a 10 word or less sentence based on the above information I have given on who I am and what I create.  Any and all are eligible to enter, no standing on your head, linking, tweeting, or chirping required.

Thanks so much for your help and have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Sandy

P.S.  The photos are this weeks inspiration as I walked along a country roadside with masses of Black Eyed Susan's literally towering over me and spilling out into the roadway.  Exquisite!

A BIT OF A RAMBLE...

RAMBLE: An aimless amble on a winding course with no particular destination in mind

The above definition just about sums up this post and my state of mind lately. I think it must be the intense heat here but I can't seem to stay the course on anything lately. I thought today we would just stroll along together through this post path and see where it takes us.

The first fork in this winding course takes us to a ranch, Lipstick Ranch to be exact where cowgirl artist extraordinaire, KC Willis, is having a fantastic give away! I recently posted on her three DVD set, KC in a Box, and sadly this product will only be available for one more week. But, the good news is that the DVD set will be available in a new form of KC in a Bag! As a last farewell to this wonderful piece of art and its contents KC is giving away a $200.00 Art Shopping Spree at Lipstick Ranch! While you are there finding out all the details check out her live workshops as well as her online Collage Camp. Mosey on over to enter, the drawing will be held on August 25, 2010!

One day last week my friend, Pam, and I decided to brave the heat and hit a few flea markets. We made it through two but by the third we wimped out and went home looking like two wilting magnolias with heat exhaustion but not without a treasure or two in tow. I found three tiny bottles...I really love the one with the label still in tact...A sweet little match box with a thin wooden bottom and a great graphic label...A stack of small linen draw string bags, 80 in all...I have already dyed some of them...And a pocket watch...Friday afternoon I took Clara Scarlett back to the place of her humble beginnings where she was parts and pieces of cast off items for sale. Its kind of weird when you start hanging out with your art and taking it on field trips to see where it was born...must be the heat.

Anyway, one of my favorite flea market ladies finally got curious enough to ask about all the odd stuff I buy and wanted to see exactly what I was doing with it, so, that is really why Clara Scarlett went to the flea market with me. I mean its not like I don't have real live friends who want to hang out with me or anything like that, they just don't want to hang out with me while I am hauling around my art doll showing her where she came from.

Since I was already there I thought I might as well take a look around...you know where this is going right? I found the most adorable pair of tiny high heeled doll shoes ever in a dollar bin! And they are green! (My favorite color) How cute are these?I practically pounced on a bundle of crochet pillow case lace that was marked down to $2.00! This stuff is getting as scarce as hens teeth around here and usually when you find the really good old wide stuff you have to open your wallet pretty wide to buy it.

I also stumbled across four of these brand new ephemera books. They are full of vintage images from the collection of Beth Cote, a wonderful collage artist, and will be prefect for future projects.

By then Clara Scarlett was getting impatient to leave, especially with everyone lookin' up her skirt. But, we did not leave before she bask in the bidding war that ensued when customers and clerks wanted to buy her. She is not for sale yet. Clara Scarlett...Along with this DREAM sign...These hand sculpted paper collage birds...And these HOME TWEET HOME pieces...Are all candidates for the mixed media collage/assemblage competition I am entering. Clara Scarlett and the DREAM sign are completed works. The paper collage birds need an assemblage nest to rest in and the HOME TWEET HOME pieces need a back ground to be mounted and then need to be framed. I just recently found the kind of frame I wanted to use to finish the piece. I have two more pieces in the works and then I will decide between the six of them which three I will enter. Actually, I was hoping that you would help me out by voting for your favorite three once I get them all done. I'll be doing a special post on that at a later date.

Well, it took forever to get this post done since Blogger kept giving me a bad request error this morning and I could not post it, I'd better end my ramble by stopping in the studio and get some work done. I hope your day is a bright one!

Blessings,

Miss Sandy

Give Away Reminder...

"October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
and the leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread the carpet,
and everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band."

~George Cooper - "October's Party"~

Just a little reminder that there are still a couple of days left to sign up for the Autumnal Banner Give Away. To sign up visit this post link and leave a comment. You do not have to have a blog to enter and there are no shipping restrictions. A winner will be announced on Saturday, October 31, 2009.

This was my project for the Artist Class and today my tutorial is up! This project was inspired by our recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains...A land of utter enchantment...Where you can view nature at its finest...Where woodland creatures abound...And breath taking scenery surrounds... Where a magical mist hangs over the mountains and an air of enchantment casts its spell of bewitching beauty. I'll be putting up another travel post in the next few days for those of you who have been following along. The Great Smoky Mountains in autumn will remain one of my favorite fall memories.

What is your favorite fall memory?

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

An Inspirational Give Away Sign Up (Updated).....

"Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity."

~Bo Bennett~

Inspiration comes in many forms that arouse the emotions or senses. Inspiration motivates us and fills us with ideas. Inspiration spurs us on and encourages us. Inspiration often leads to action. One of the areas of my life that I particularly like to find inspiration in is learning from the experiences and stories of others who walk with God. Over the years I have had many mentors who will never know how they have touched my life through their own journey of faith. A Woman Inspired is offering just such an opportunity to sit at the feet of eighteen women of faith and listen to their inspirational stories which are sure to arouse your emotions, motivate you, fill you with ideas, and encourage you to take action in your journey of faith.
I would like to offer one of my blog readers an opportunity to listen in on this online conference so I am giving away a ticket to the event to be held on April 6 ~ 9, 2009. For full conference details you can click on the above highlighted link or see my previous post on the event. All you need to hear the event is a computer, internet connection, and speakers. If you can't listen in to all the sessions in real time you will be able to download them and listen to them at your convenience.

To accompany the ticket the give away winner will also receive a collage notebook to take notes as you listen to the event as well as a few surprise goodies to make your listening time more pleasant. As promised yesterday here is the completed journal, "Spring Fever":
The journal is covered with a vintage wallpaper background with layers of vintage ledger paper, hand written sermon notes by a minister in the 1920's, dictionary page scrap, vintage sheet music, scrapbook paper, and a bit of text from a 1800's Harper's Bizarre. A bird image, giant blossoms, buttons, and letter tiles further embellish the journal front. The spine is bound in a wide piece of robins egg blue velvet ribbon with finishing touches of some of my goodies from 5 Dollar French General, hand dyed lace and rich chocolate brown ribbon to serve as a page marker. The inside front and back covers are covered with vintage sheet music, more sermon note scraps, blossoms, and birds.
To sign up just leave a comment on this post. A winner will be picked and notified on Thursday, April 2, 2009 with the give away package going being express mailed on Friday, April 3, 2009 to allow plenty of time for it to reach the winner before the conference on Monday. Should you have any questions, please email me. My email link is on my upper sidebar.

I am very enthused with excitement about this conference and can't wait to be inspired and motivated by the creativity in which each of these women have been used by God through the sharing of their unique walk of faith. I hope you too will consider attending.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

Run, Run, As Fast As You Can, To Sign Up For A Gingerbread Man!

Today is the last Give Away in my Spirit of Giving Christmas Celebration. This brings us back to the heart of the home ~ the kitchen. Holidays always include all kinds of good food and Christmas is no exception. It is a tradition in our family to have a day set aside to make candy and cookies in mass proportions. Sampler bags, for singles, and trays, for families are filled, wrapped, and tagged ready for delivery. A jaunty bow tops each one off with a handmade ornament. We make deliveries the next evening and then drive around to look at Christmas lights.

This morning as I went into my kitchen to check the pantry for ingredients I noticed something different. "What is that nestled in my wreath on my pantry door?", I thought to myself. A little closer I crept and realized the elves had been busy while I slept! All snugged in as cute as could be was a little Gingerbread Man Recipe! I must share this with you friends, this is where the Give Away begins!

This little piece of kitchen decor can be displayed for holidays. The base if foam core with a recipe card attached, I painted the recipe card and then mounted a copy of a vintage recipe for Soft Ginger Cakes in the center. Using another recipe card I hand painted two cute little Gingerbread Men, cut them out and glued them onto the base piece. I added a ribbon and some edge trim that reminded me of icing. Some vintage buttons finish off the corners and a little ornament was added to the cookie to give it dimension. The back is finished off with a burlap paper and gingham ties were added.

To my right something caught my eye. It was a grinning little guy hanging with Santa who stood nearby! He usually likes to hang out on a tree. Can he come live with you instead of me?The second give away prize is this Gingerbread Man ornament. He is made from gingham fabric and embellished with a painted face, a nice big button, and a torn fabric scarf. He hangs from a wire that is adorned with a raffia bow.Looking up further, what did I see? A wonderful book for keeping holiday recipes! I took it down off the shelf to inspect it closer for myself. Upon each page was stamped a snowflake or a tree. Oh, and look, it will hold 50 recipes!This is the third prize in the give away. A hand bound recipe card book. It's front and back covers are covered inside and out with Christmas themed scrapbook papers. It is embellished with a "cookie" ribbon, "cookie" message, and tiny cookie ornaments. Each page is stamped with alternating snowflake and tree stamp in red and green ink. I added five ribbon tabs which divide off every ten cards in the book. It is bound with a burgundy wire. The backs of the recipe cards are blank and would be great for making little holiday notes or annual lists of ingredients, etc.One more surprise was in store, but who was this one for? Oh, that sweet little elf! He left a present for myself! There in a red wooden frame stood a painting of a Gingerbread Man with glittery gum drops all aglow. I thought I left that on my work table, I think, no I know. The elf must have crept very quietly while I slept and removed it from its resting place and framed it up just for this space!So, run, run, as fast as you can to sign up for a Gingerbread Man! If you would like to enter the give away for the Gingerbread Man Recipe Plaque, Ornament, or Recipe Card Holder, just leave a comment on this post. A winner will be chosen and posted on Saturday, Dec. 20.

I will be back on Saturday posting not only the winners but hopefully I'll have a few recipes and one last how to also! Invite you to join me on Sunday for the last installment of my families Advent Celebration. On Monday I hope to be back to wrap this blog event with a bit of a winter theme to show you something else you can do with those little snowmen and mittens! I have enjoyed this month long labor of love and I do hope you have been given some ideas to incorporate into your family celebration.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy