Crazy Art Girl's Musings

Answer to iPhone inquiries

2010-01-02T13:42:00.002-06:00

I have been getting a few inquiries about iPhone usage. I am just a user and not a guru by any means. The best people to ask would be the people at Apple and not me. Not sure if most people know this or not but the Apple website has quite a few tutorials for iPhone users. That is how I learned to use my iPhone. They also offer free classes in their store (I took one of those as well).

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

OT: I am still lusting after a MacBook. Need to stay off the Apple site. Arrgh.

Rune-type pendants for pendant swap

2010-01-02T13:30:00.004-06:00

If you haven't heard, Cloth Paper Scissors is having a pendant swap. So, I am supporting the effort by hosting my own swap right before that swap to get artists' juices warmed up and going for that swap. Mine is a 5 for 5 swap. It is in the Mixed Media Art Friends group.

http://quiltingarts.com/cpsmag/cps_challenge.html Here are the rules for the CPS swap.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mmartfriends/ Here is the link to the Yahoo group.

Realize that the quantity and rules differ for both swaps. Read each carefully please.

I will be trying to do a few tutorials between now and the swap due-date but I will be posting them within the Yahoo group only. 8-D

Melly Testa's cool Vid and new class

2010-01-02T13:19:00.005-06:00

Melly Testa and joggles.com have partnered up for a class. Take a look. joggles. com is one of my favorite places for textiles.

How I did my latest batch of fabric paper

2009-12-28T16:57:00.004-06:00

Whatcha need:
freezer paper - shiny side up
cotton muslin - thin stuff - I buy the cheap stuff from Joann's for this purpose
thin tissue or wrapping paper
text from books
textured or lace paper
white glue like Sobo
container
cheap foam or paintbrush
water
acrylic paint or fluid acrylics

Instructions:
1. Lay muslin down on shiny side of freezer paper. Do not use wax paper. It will stick to the wax paper and will ruin the effect.
2. Create a glue wash. I do about 1/2 glue and 1/2 water or a little bit less glue. Mix well and keep giving it a stir when using because the glue has a tendency to sink to the bottom as you are using it.
3. Cut or tear the thin strips of tissue paper or text into size or shapes your want. Important to leave space in between each shape or you will get chunky paper - not fabric paper.
4. With brush - brush on a layer of glue wash on muslin. Lay down the tissue or text shapes. Dab glue wash on top so that the shapes stay down. Let dry completely.
5. Water down the acrylic paint or fluid acrylics to the color you want so you get a color wash almost to watercolor consistency or a little brighter if you want. Give the entire thing the once over. You can do it in several different colors, if you want. Let dry completely. I would go with a light color here since you will be layering other colors on top.
6. Add random pieces of lace or Japanese tissue paper on top of fabric paper. Dab glue wash on top. Let dry completely.
7. Add color with acrylic wash in different colors. What I did was use Polished Pigments. and Simple Solutions #2. I did it so it was pretty watery - almost watercolor consistency and did that as the final layer. I laid the brush sideways and swiped the Polished Pigments on so that it was mostly the texture that got the color and some of the flat areas. I did that with several colors. It provided a great color contrast with just enough sheen without glittery sparkle. If you know me, I don't like glitter.

http://www.luminarteinc.com/catalog/primary-elements.html

Let dry completely.

8. You can do whatever you want once it dries and you peel it off the freezer paper. It is a little softer if you iron it first. Make sure you put a layer of freezer paper on top if you iron it. The fabric paper should be malleable enough so you can sew on it. '

Working on birds now for my swap. Email me or comment if you have any questions.

response to iPhone home page

2009-12-28T16:53:00.002-06:00

Hmmm. I am responding to the person who wrote the comment about iPhone. I have 4 pages of apps on my iPhone. My friend had 5 pages. Once your main page is filled, it should automatically go to the next page. You can even move your apps and change them around. You just press down on them until you get them to be all jiggly and an "X" appears over them. Don't click on the "X" or it will delete the app. You just move the app around while they are all still jiggly. You can move the app off the page so it goes to the previous or next page. It will displace an app if the previous page is full. To save and to stopp the jiggling, just click the round button at the bottom on your iPhone. HTHs.

Photoshop App on iPhone

2009-12-26T13:02:00.001-06:00

I took a pict of a bush from my yard and changed it with the Photoshop app on my iPhone. Free - BTW. Pretty cool.

Mother Nature's beauty even during a rampage

2009-12-26T12:50:00.006-06:00

You can click on the picts for a larger view.

Even when she is pissed off and on a rampage, she manages to create things of beauty. We have been having some really crazy weather here in the past week - snow, rain, freezing rain, warm, cold, sleet, and now tons of snow again. Just a couple of days ago, we were having tons of rain that would freeze almost immediately making for very hazardous driving conditions, but it looked oh so fantastic on the trees and bushes. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long time. I kept staring at the scenery on the way to the grocery store. I could not believe how nature glistened as the angry rain drops continued to pelt down on my SUV. I did what most out-of-her-mind artists would do, I left my groceries in the car and took picts of it with her iPhone. It was brrrr! cold out while I was doing it. My one hand with no glove got awfully chilly. It was worth it though. I hope my picts were able to capture 1/4 of the beauty that Mother Nature left us that day.

Newest sheets of fabric paper

2009-12-26T12:47:00.004-06:00

Need to make good fortune birds and dolls for swap for the book study from Kelli Perkins book in my Yahoo group. Will do more sheets and experiment more but my latest was with Polished Pearls with fluid acrylics base with lace paper tissue paper. How's that for a long run-on sentence? The layers are still relatively thin and is pretty pliable so I can sew on it. Will make for some interesting birds. Found a really good bird template online. Gotta go and make some birds now. I got some great bells in the Xmas section of Walmart. Will put them to good use.

Tired of automated messages spamming my blog!

2009-12-26T12:44:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you other bloggers out there but I am getting tired of rejecting automated messages from spammer that keep hitting my old messages. It has only been happening the last couple of months or so. It is a good thing that I approve all my message or a bunch of comments about Viagra and erections would be showing up on my blog. Spammers - get some integrity. Sorry, that would be asking for too much.

Winner of my earrings!

2009-12-07T19:37:00.002-06:00

The winner is...

yvonne said...
First one to comment never wins but oh well. I love your shaker necklace it's my favorite. Love the earrings for the giveaway too. Lovely! Copper is so cool.

Nope, you weren't the first post. I have to approve them before they appear on the blog. You are the winner though. Email me at crazyartgirl@sbcglobal.net with your particulars and I will send them to you.

Congrats!

Better etsy picts

2009-12-02T00:06:00.004-06:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtDustBunnies I have 5 pieces for sale on etsy.com. Hope you will go and visit. Pictures are a little better now. Enjoy the holidays. Go down a post or two and enter my giveaway. It is going on until Sunday, December 6th. I pick a winner on Monday.

Comment on digital camera

2009-12-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

Yes, I have one but lost my cord for it when my desktop died. I bought a camera dock off eBay but it did not come with power cord or USB cord. In process of getting one. So many hours in a day. Wish I didn't need to sleep or eat. 8-D

New Giveaway!

2009-11-30T19:31:00.003-06:00

In honor of cyber Monday and me actually putting something up for sale in my etsy store/shoppe, I am giving away a pair of resin earrings. Yes, they don't match on purpose - because I am that way. Sorry, my iPhone is not the best at photographing jewelry. All you need to do is take a look at my stuff on etsy and comment HERE about it for a chance to win the earrings. I will even throw in a Trader Joe bag.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtDustBunnies Link to my etsy store.

If you want to know where I get the resin - there is a link in my right column for Little windows. I get my copper sheet from Basic Copper. They are also on eBay. I torch soldered the copper pipe to the copper sheet. So much easier than soldering the other way.

So, you have until this Sunday to comment. I will pick a winner a week from today, December 7th, using the random number generator. Good luck. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any soldering questions. Little Windows has tutorials and videos on their website that explains all about doing resin, so it might be better to go there than ask me.

Let me recap. Go to my etsy store and take a look at my stuff on sale. Come back here and comment. If you are feel particularly lazy, you can just comment on the earrings. Comment before Monday, Dec. 7th. I will pick a winner on the 7th. The winner will win the resin earrings and a Trader Joe tote bag.

Copper pipe jewelry for sale!

2009-11-30T19:30:00.001-06:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtDustBunnies click on the link to take a look. Get them before they are gone. I don't put stuff up for sale very often. 3 necklaces and 2 rings

Distressed wooden storage box

2009-11-29T03:14:00.005-06:00

I quickly slapped this together for Little Windows so they would have something to store my resin pieces in. I used a wooden storage container meant for utensils from Walmart. You can click on the picts for a larger view. I really like how the colors came together. You could always put a piece of felt at the bottom so the pieces would not get scratched up or anything.

Dremel Question

2009-11-29T03:12:00.003-06:00

Dremel does have a new DVD out on how to use a lot of their attachments. I would think that you would be able to use it in Australia. You can give them a call or email them through their customer service department. Just go to dremel.com and click on the correct country for you. Their customer service dept is full of a lot of old timers who really know the products. There are also tutorials on youtube that are not by Dremel but by people who use the Dremel products.

Finished resin jewelry

2009-11-22T20:02:00.005-06:00

Sorry, the picts are a bit blurry. They looked more clear on my iPhone but they don't transfer too well onto my blog. I like to do the double chains on my necklaces. I like the contrast esp with a little bit of dangle. The earrings are the leftover charms from Art Unraveled. The majority of them are going to be samples for Little Windows. There were two that were not perfect - the way I like them. I used a heat gun and blasted them and they look so cool - like kinda burnt and crackled. I think I will keep those two and put them up on etsy.com. I know that I will never wear them. Maybe someone else will like them and actually wear them instead of just letting them sit around and collect dust like I do. Initially, I made the pipe bezels at a Jane Wynn workshop - you have to take a workshop with her, if you ever get the chance. I have made several more since then. I added on the key on the back to make it easier to attach the chain/jump ring. Besides, I like the look. I use my Dremel to cut the end of the key off, if the key is too long.

Comments welcome

Dremel users - new Dremel tool!

2009-11-19T17:23:00.002-06:00

Did you know that Dremel has come out with ANOTHER rotary tool? If you buy a 4000, you can even get a rebate on their new abrasive brushes. http://www.dremelepk.com/dremelenewsletters/November2009/PDF/Dremel%20Promo.pdf Just passing on the information for Dremel users.

Here is the link to the new 4000 on their website. I have one, it is a great tool.
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=4000

Impasto form...not named

2009-11-16T00:52:00.003-06:00

I normally do not give my artwork as birthday presents. Not sure why, I just don't. I did give two of my pieces today to two of my dearest friends. I was playing with impasto this weekend and decided to make something for them since I was doing it anyway. I used Matisse Derivan impasto medium and their structure acrylic paint. So love the stuff. It does not smell the best but that goes away quickly. If you love texture, you will love this stuff. I randomly put strips of cheesecloth underneath to give it some additional texture and loved the effect. Not sure I needed it but just wanted to experiment. Lots of fun. The base was done with Ranger/Tim Holtz crackle paint because I needed it to dry quickly. Crackle paste takes too long even though I like the effects better. I have to say I was pretty happy with this crackling though. I did not do a very good job taking picts with my iPhone this time. Did not look blurry when I looked in the iPhone view but I must have lost some pixels when I loaded it onto the computer.

Great party...Yummy cake

2009-11-16T00:47:00.003-06:00

I went to a very fun party tonight for my friend, Sandy. She is one of my ABFFs - art best friends. She is a riot! Her family was there from out of town. Food was great. I did not really know the people who threw her the party but they made me feel welcome. I could not believe the cake that was there. It was too good. I am glad that I don't eat like that all the time. I had to come home and type out a presentation but I had fun anyway. Just wanted to show all of you the cake that looked almost too good to eat.

fabric paper and soy wax journal base pages

2009-11-07T16:43:00.010-06:00

Here is how the journal looks closed. I just took a big eyelet that came with the crop-a-dile. I braided some fibers together so that the journal would close. I took the two ends together - found the middle and put that thru the eyelet. I knotted the middle end where the eyelet was and pulled it through so that it would go through the eyelet. Instant braided roped to close my journals. I did that with all 3 journals. This one was longer than the other two journals. BTW, if you click on any of the picts, you can get a bigger view.

This is the soy was journal that I am going to send to Melly (shhhh!). I took the soy wax workshop with her in Arizona. Lots of fun. If you ever get the chance to take it, do it. My fabrics turned out fantastic - as you will see in the my journal pages. The fabric page journal is the large journal. The two small journals are all soy wax. The soy wax journals are soy wax on both sides. My fabric paper journals are fabric paper only on one side and watercolor on the other because I did not have enough fabric paper made. I figured I could do other things on the other side like texture or collage.

This is how my fabric paper collage journal looks. Yeah, so I got a little carried away with the embossing powder. I figure I can always cover that up with some texture later on, if I want.

Forgive the fingers, I had to keep the pages open to snap the picts. The tomato looking shapes are my favorite. That was some kind of kitchen utensil that Mells had.

This is a page that folds out into thirds.

Back of my journal that I am going to doodle on and texturize. Wanted to see how the heart stamps would look with the distress embossing. Some experiments turned out better than others.

You can see on the side of this how the fibers come thru the eyelet.

Interesting how the embossing worked on some parts of the soy waxed fabric and didn't on other parts. Cool effect.

Remember, this is just my base structure, I really haven't done any work on my journals yet. I don't think that I am going to do any work in my soy wax journal. The backgrounds are too beautiful for me to cover up. I think I am going to leave it. I am going to work in this journal though. I will post when I am done.

You can see the basic fabric paper backgrounds and the fluid acrylic background. I did do the edges in different acrylics. The edges are sewn together.

The fabric paper took the embossing really well. I figure that I can add layers to the journal. I know I can't write over the embossing. If I want to write something, I can just add a layer over the embossing. I am thinking that my next step might be to try some of the impasto medium that I just got. Linda told me about the Matisse Derivan impasto medium and paints that she uses in Australia. It is available here in the US. I just got some and I am itching to try it. I already have some ideas in mind.

The top part in the pict is not really that shiny. Just glare from my window. Oooh, I also got a iridescent medium that I need to try on my journal. If you are interested. Here is my source for the iridescent medium:

http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/online/3679/art-supplies/4

I just finished the base structures on 3 journals based on Teesha Moore's blog vid. I modified the 2 smaller ones since they are not the same size. The big one is the same as the one structurally as the one in Teesha's vid. The two small ones are folded differently and don't have the same amount of pages in them. The large journal has fabric paper pages adhered to the watercolor paper and the two smaller journals have soy wax paper adhered to them. I used the the thermobond type adhesive type paper and ironed it onto the watercolor paper. I then sewed the edges of the fabric/soy paper to the watercolor paper. I also sewed the edge where I was going to do the binding just for a little exta support.

I have not done the impasto yet but will very soon. If you want my source:

http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/online/3422/art-supplies/3

Teesha's blog for her vid:

http://teeshascircus.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-16-page-journal.html

Teesh'a blog in general: http://teeshascircus.blogspot.com/

That's about it folks. Comments and questions welcome.

EZ screenprint is having a sale - last day!

2009-11-06T10:12:00.002-06:00

http://ezscreenprint.com/ This the site where I get my stuff for stenciling on fabric. This is the last day of their sale. I was going to buy some refill sheets and I found that they were having a sale. Yes, I buy my stuff from them. It is not a hard thing to do. They have complete instructions.

Resin trays, clean-up and other resin questions

2009-10-27T05:01:00.003-05:00

Someone asked about the Little Windows plastic tray clean-up. It is actually really easy to use them. I love that they come in several sizes. They do say that you should pop them in the freezer for a couple minutes before taking the cured resin out. The resin comes out so easily that way. Clean-up is really easy. I just wipe the tray clean. Sometimes, I might need a bit more clean-up if I have been messy with some mild soap and water but that's it. the resin does not stick to the plastic even when I am being a clutz. Little Windows has all sorts of directions, videos, and tips on their website.
https://www.little-windows.com/

Someone else asked about the mold size. The medium ones are pendant sized and the small ones are charm sized or bracelet sized.

Another asked about extra resin left on the doming tray. I have not ever had soft or liquid resin left on the doming trays. The resin will harden and just use a paper clip or something to take a section of resin off, if needed. I will just throw that out in the garbage. Little Windows resins is non-toxic. When I wash my hands or wash my stuff out, I use dish washing liquid and wash it in my kitchen sink with some pretty warm/hot water. I don't have any resin left-over. I always use it all. I will always find something to pour the resin into even if it's a bottle cap.

Hope that answers everyone's questions. Let me know if that does not.

Fortune cookie sayings and copper sheet source

2009-10-25T18:37:00.002-05:00

I buy my copper pipe from the local Menards - hardware store and my copper sheet from Basic Copper - basiccopper.com http://basiccopper.com/. They also have an eBay store. You should check out the article I wrote for them.

Cheesy fortune cookie sayings are not made up by me. I looked them up on the internet. 8-D
http://www.chinese-fortune-cookie.com/fortune-cookie-sayings.html

http://joshmadison.com/article/fortune-cookie-fortunes/

http://www.fortunecookiemessage.com/

Quilt Festival Quilt Scene

2009-10-25T01:09:00.002-05:00

I have had the opportunity to attend the IQF - International Quilt Fest in Chicago for the past few years. It is a ton of fun but hard on your feet. You really need to have a good pair of walking feet. It is not for traditional quilters only! It is for art quilters and mixed media artists, too. I am seeing lot of great things as I walk around. There are some great buys on machines, if you are in the market.

Anyway, I am privileged to be in this commemorative issue of Quilt Scene magazine. I was lucky enough to teach a couple of workshops at MIU - Make-It University and to be one of the Studio Artists for Quilting Arts.

Even if you are not a quilter, you would be blown away by the quilts that you see on display at the Quilt Fest. They are fabulous. I cannot believe the intricacy, work, and creativity that go into them. You get to see some of them in the magazine. You also get to meet some of the artists. There is even an 8 yro quilter in the magazine proudly showing her quilt. It is very awesome!

Helen, I love your modeling skills! You rocked that recycled tote bag apron!

There is an article in the magazine on how to make fabric birds. Way cute. I am going to have to try to make those when I have some time. There is a pattern and everything. They even show you how to make their feet. So very cute. Don't snicker at me. I will get to it...eventually. Next comes the fabric fortune cookies. Being Chinese, I am not too sure that I would make them since I have been around the real ones way more than I have ever wanted to be. They are very colorful though. Email me if you want some cheesy fortune cookie one-liners. Susan Brubaker Knapp has a very funky door organizer that looks like a really big tag with pockets. That definitely has possibilities. If you added a long enough strap, you could hang it on the back of your car seat for the kiddies' stuff. I was also groovin' on the vintage quilt book covers that were in the magazine. I could see using my scraps for something like that. I would adapt it as an altered book cover. I don't wear belts but there is a fun article on how to create your own quilted belt. An especially interesting article was the memory narrative that would be great for beginning quilters. I liked that one because it was an art quilt and it had that distressed look.

The magazine goes on with a section on special exhibits. Fab quilts. Cannot believe how great the quilts are. There are a couple of articles on quilts for the floor and a scrappy quilt and a mini hexagon quilt. I loved the inside out mini quilt because it is something that I would do because it is non-traditional. There is a section on quilting tips and even a table top with a round quilt underneath the glass top. Lyric Kinard has an article on exploring color and value with some examples. One of the most informative articles for me was about machine quiting starting right - I make some of those mistakes! Now I know how to correct them. My friend, Melly Testa, has a fun article on free-motion quilting exercises that I have to try. I have had limited success so far with free-motion quilting. How about you out there? Pokey has an article on fabric ATC and some great examples. I want one of her very cool and colorful ATCs! Alisa Burke shows you how to make a quilted cuff to wear as a bracelet. Then comes my rag quilt apron. Don't miss Beryl Taylor's quilted heart motif. If you have not tried doing one of these, they look wonderful in real life. I do these when I watch TV with the kids. They really add something extra to my artwork. The magazine ends with tips and trivia about attending IQF.

Whew, this magazine is packed full of stuff. Honestly, I would have bought this issue even if I was not in it. I hope that this was interesting/useful to you. Comments welcome. I hope to see you at the International Quilt Fest in Chicago next Spring.