The Valentines Files Part II

A few more photos....

Little Sister No. 10

So delighted that Little Sister No. 10 found her forever home... Away she goes!!  I love her big overstuffed chair/hair and the way those legs drop down into earrings.  Boy, as an artist, you just can't make this stuff up!   Big thanks to my collectors for engaging with my art and my heart.

A Pretty Little Junque Journal

I made a little book.... maybe we call it a "junque journal" or a "glue book."  I just wanted a place where I could cut and paste and paint and sew and write.  

For the base I used all kinds of papers, both vintage and new, including lots of Fabriano Artistico 140# Hotpress.  This paper makes me swoon.  I truly love it that much -- so great for any medium, from pen and watercolor to collage to acrylics.  The journal's design is based on Teesha Moore's Amazing 16-Page Journal (Google and find the videos on YouTube for excellent step-by-step).  "Amazing" is an understatement -- I've made a gozillion of these over the years.  A 16-page journal from one sheet of 22x30 paper.  Amazing.  

For this project I added a number of signatures.  I did most of the machine sewing before sewing the journal together. Blackboard paint, ball fringe and S&H Greenstamps, washi tape, doilies and dry cleaning tags, and flowers.  Lots of flowers.  Pure eye candy.  More photos to come!

One Thing Leads to Another

(click on images for larger views!)
Sometimes, when I need to loosen up or shake a mood or search for my muse, I make nutty collages. Always have. Inspired by the art of the day or a friend's favorite quote, I just grab whatever flotsam and jetsam are at hand and go for it.  Lately, it's been file folders.

It started over the summer as I was cleaning out files, getting ready for the school year.  I swiped a stack of 1/3-cut, standard manila file folders from Mr. Right and organized like mad.  At some point during my ship-shaping, folder met paint. And gesso. And stencils. And Adirondack sprays. And juicy inks. And Sharpies. And gel pens.

That was a dozen+ file folders ago. Sigh. Heaven.

I've been thinking about painting interiors again and this happened.

I've been adding quotes I sometimes think about I would want to remember while sitting in meetings.  Will I really take these folders to business meetings?  Probably not. 

I've also put a coat of sealer on them so they're tougher than your average bird.  

A quote on the inside too, a favorite of one of my twisted sisters.