IF - i spy

IF - i spy YOU spy

this is dedicated to those few people who read my blogs to spy on the happenings and events of the family that they are not allowed to be a part of because of their actions. by reading my blog, this is their main supply of information, which they then try to use against us for different purposes -- anger, jealousy, guilt -- whatever fits their needs at the time.

what they don't understand is that they are not allowed to be a part of our lives because they aren't capable of acting respectful or respectable. they have nothing positive to add to a relationship or to a situation; therefore, they are left out.

things will not change until they mature and change themselves and then it will only be a "maybe" and not a promise. do not count on the fatted calf being killed and a banquet prepared in your honor just because you have decided to act in an appropriate manner.

you have mistreated many people, most of whom do not care to see you return. you chose to burn the bridges -- do not count on them rebuilding themselves and do not count on the people you mistreated helping you rebuild them.

you have chosen to give up a lot and have no one to blame but yourselves. be careful that you do not put blame in the wrong place.

a moment of rest

i did this piece and submitted it to the "orchids and hydrangeas" show (curated by cynthia padilla) for powell gardens for the months of march and april.

i really stressed more over the piece than i have any other piece i've done -- probably because i promised it before it was done. that put extra pressure on me to have a product that turned out good enough to be shown instead of just enjoying working on a project!

i think i started this piece about 5 times, in different sizes and on different kinds of paper. nothing "felt' right. even the piece that i finished didn't "feel" right while i was working on it, but felt right when i was done. this was the first time i had ever used the prismacolor pencils and the first time to work on stonehenge paper. i guess i shouldn't have started 2 new processes on a piece that was promised before it was done.

this is a colored pencil piece, measuring 6" x 9", and done w/ prismacolors on natural white 90# stonehenge paper. i sprayed a light coat of clear matte sealant over the finished piece to prevent any smearing in the framing process.

janus -- looking back and looking ahead

this comp book page was inspired by the typical beginning of the year analysis and comparison of what happened last year and what's going to happen this year. i liked the picture of janus, the face looking back and the face looking ahead.

the page was painted w/ acrylic paint, picture of janus printed out on my home printer and attached w/ mod podge, and the writing done w/ green sharpie marker. i did spray the page w/ a light coat of matte sealant before writing on it w/ the sharpie marker b/c the paint felt very dry and chalky. if the page/paint is very dry, it makes the markers not write well at all. a quick think spray coating on the page makes all the difference in the world when it comes to writing time!

pink flamingos to count

this comp book page was inspired by a conversation/debate i had w/ my kids several years ago about what i would do when they were grown and no longer needed a "mother". i was somewhat joking at the time, but sometimes those things that are said begin to take on a life and meaning of their own that increases their importance in life.

if you want to read the whole story, you can find it at my personal blog.

this page has an acrylic painted background, flamingos printed out on photo paper from my printer, flamingo legs penciled in w/ a black prang colored pencil, and writing done w/ a ZIG pen. the painted page was sprayed w/ a thin coat of matte sealant, which made it hard to get the ZIG pen to write on. i ended up writing over it w/ a black sharpie marker b/c i felt the ZIG pen wasn't going to stay put. after another coat of spray matte sealant, i then used future floor wax on the page as the final sealant.

the 60s - woodstock and moonlanding

here are a couple more altered book pages that i did in a "retro" round robin, where people had to choose topics from the 50s, 60s, and/or 70s. well, this book's theme was "things i remember from the 60s". that was a little tough for me, since i was born in november 1965!

but, 2 things stuck out in the 60s for me specifically -- woodstock and the moonlanding. for different reasons, of course, but who can answer for what a kid remembers and why?

i remember woodstock mostly because my parents wouldn't let me see anything on the news or on television about it. suddenly when a topic becomes taboo -- it becomes really interesting! so, i wanted to see more about it just because i wasn't supposed to see it!!!

this page is made w/ a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper w/ flowers as the background. pictures found on the internet and printed off become the main part of the page. sticker letters were used down the left margin to spell out "woodstock". mod podge was use to glue all items down. no final finish was put on the page.


the other main event that i remembered of the 60s was the moonlanding. it wasn't a positive experience for me, either. i was 3 1/2 years old and more interested in watching cartoons than watching a man in a marshmellow suit bounce across the surface of the moon. especially after they had shown the same news clips several times!!!

this page was done using a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper w/ a red, white, and blue flag design on it. i printed out a picture of the moon landing on white tissue paper and then used mod podge to glue that down on top of the "flag paper". i knew that the white tissue would allow the patriotic theme from the background to come through, so it had a really neat look to the whole page overall. no final finish was put on this page.


it's amazing as i look through these old pieces of artwork that i traded off and realize that i really wish i had these back. i think i'm going to have to start an altered book of my own and just keep all my stuff in it!

somebody's dummy

everyone knows someone like this -- that "child" who wants to be an adult when it best fits and not when it doesn't. then this same child doesn't have the nerve to stand up on his own two feet, but must continue to be tied to his mother's apron strings and spouting all the same ricidulous accusations and demands that she does.

it's almost like "i AM an adult . . . because my mommy said so!"

this "child" is continually mouthing about being an adult, but demands that his way be paid in life. he wants extra money sent for other things he wants that his few hours of work each week won't cover and he considers it someone else's responsibility to pay for his problems. yet . . . he can afford vacations and mission trips and other luxuries.

no, no, no, i won't go to a doctor covered by health insurance and you can't make me. i shouldn't have to change doctors just because insurance doesn't cover this one and i've moved out of the area! i should be able to run up whatever health bills i want and someone else should have to pay for them!

you can't make me play by the rules and you can't expect me to be respectful or respectable -- after all, i'm an adult and i don't have to do those things!

yeah, whatever!!

when this kid gets in the real world, he'll learn a few lessons quick. when this kid has kids, if he ever does, he'll learn even more lessons. then i'm sure he'll expect them to treat him w/ respect even though he hasn't shown respect himself and hasn't earned it through his actions. hopefully he'll be the perfect parent, knowing that if he's not . . . his kids will throw it in his face for the rest of his life.

i'm glad he's getting a good college education, too, so he can get a good job and make lots of money. after all, i'm sure he'll support his children until they are 22 AND pay for their college as well. it'll take a very good job to be able to afford that! i'm sure someone will tell his children they don't have to worry about paying for college b/c that's what parents are for!

what goes around . . . come around. sometimes its harder than what we were expecting . well, be expecting it, because it's coming your way all too soon!

this comp book page has an acrylic paint background, prang colored pencils for the dummy, and sharpie markers for the writing. the finished page was sprayed w/ clear matte sealant to keep the colored pencils from smearing.

60s and 70s music - altered book pages

i was once in a round robin altered book group where one of the books was featuring music of the 60s and 70s. other than the request to not smoke and not use frangrances in/around the book -- there were really no other requests of limits on the creativity. if possible, we were to do at least 2 - 2-page spreads in each book.

i decided to do a page in remembrance of the infamous plane crash -- the day the music died. for this page, i printed off a page w/ some lyrics on it from the don mclean song "american pie" and glued into the book using mod podge. the i found a picture online of the actual place crash and printed it on light pink tissue paper (*** read warning below about printing on tissue paper!***). i used mod podge and generously coated the book pages and then laid the pink tissue down onto the wet pages.

tissue is so lightweight that it can't handle being moved or stretched or repositioned -- so you pretty much have to get it right the first time or be stuck w/ it. i have found it helpful to fold the tissue to where it will fit into the fold of the book to help me get it positioned right. the gently smooth the tissue out, making sure that it is pressed down against the mod podge all across the page. after the page is dry, trim the edges of the tissue to match the egdes of the page.

the page of elton john was more difficult to decide on, because what can a person do that portrays ALL that elton john has done music-wise and do that on a 2-page spread? so, i decided to put his name/info, his picture, and a list of his most well-known songs (which was about 1/2 of his hits!) and focused on the songs from the 60s and 70s.

this background is just a regular piece of scrapbook paper, measuring 12 x 12. i chose the bright green color because i though it matched his flambouyant personality and performances. then i used bright green tissue paper to print out his name, his pictures and the list of hits. these i glued on top of the background paper, using mod podge. the picture i trimmed around before glueing, but the other pieces i just glued them down and then pulled the excess off after the mod podge had dried. this gave the edges a nice frayed and textured look.

there is no "final finish" coat over these pages because anything (like mod podge) would smear the printer ink. i've since learned, though, that i should print everything in reverse so that it goes on the side of the tissue that is laid down against the mod podge (or glue) and that way it won't smear and it won't be on top and need protected.

***warning on printing on tissue paper***
printing on tissue paper is NOT recommended for you printer, so you take a risk by putting this material in your printer. tissue paper is not strong enough by itself to go through the printer, so it must be attached (taped) to a regular piece of typing paper. the tissue must be larger than then typing paper, as it must wrap around to the back side of the paper to keep the printer from getting hung up on the edges of the tissue paper in the printing process.

i have printed on tissue paper about 30 times and never had any problems, but it is rather tedious in attaching it to another piece of paper. i use the tape roller from scrapbooking, fold my tissue around the typing paper, and leave quite a generous margin. this helps specifically if the book you are working in is larger than a regular piece of typing paper OR if you tear your edges getting the tape off of the tissue.

notice -- now, any time i print something out on tissue, i print the picture or words in reverse so that the ink side is down on the mod podge. then i can still put a finishing coat on the top w/o worrying about smearing the words or designs. if anyone has questions, feel free to ask. suggestions are also welcomed, too!

my valentine

this comp book page is dedicated to jerry, my husband, for our first anniversary on valentine's day. i've always loved the song by martina mcbride "valentine," so i used the lyrics from the song in the shape of a heart on this page.

the page was already painted various shades of pink w/ acrylic paint. i very lightly free-handed a "loose" feeling heart shape that spiraled inward w/ a white prang colored pencil. then i decided to use the white prang colored pencil to write the words on the page as well. i worked with paper under my hand to keep from smearing the writing as i worked.

when i was done, i sprayed the page w/ matte finish sealant. once that was dry, i painted the page w/ future floor wax because i like the shine and protection that it offers in the finished product. plus, the pages never stick together after using future floor wax, even if the book is close tightly for quite some time.

soul searching -- tape transfer altered book

i've been looking back through picture files and finding samples of altered book pages that i've done and thought i would post the artwork here.

this is a collaged page made from pictures from national geographic and W. the national geographic was doing an article on our troops, the picture of the eagle was from another issue of national geographic, and the words on the left were from ads in W magazine.

this page was done in a round robin "techniques" project. that's where several people sign up for the project, trade their books around for the assigned time, and try out new/different techniques as we worked through the project. this particular assignment was a "transfer" project. i chose the "tape transfer" method, so the eagle is a tape transfer and glued onto this page.

this is probably one of my favorite pages that i did using an unfamiliar technique, but i did learn a lot of things from trying new/different techniques. the most important thing that i learned was that i could probably figure our a quicker/cheaper/easier way to do the technique than the way it was presented. some people just make things WAY too difficult!

another important thing that i learned was to make sure that someone in my group wasn't a "fragrance junkie"! you can see on the edges of the book where someone else had taped/glued bottles of fragrances/oils, which usually stunk, were really strong, leaked out of the bottles, made messes in the mailing containers, and were just generally unpleasant to me! there were times that i had to leave the book out in the garage because the fragrances were SO strong and unpleasant.

i wish this page was still "mine," but i'll always have the picture to show of it. i even have similar pictures that i could try and re-create it, but the recreation never seems to be as good as the original to me.

wishful thinking . . .

this comp book page is one that i did back in early january, 2007. i had heard that meatloaf was going on tour and that his newest album was out. i got his album for my birthday in november, so i was anxious to see when he was going on tour and where he would be.

obviously, you can imagine my disappointment when i found out that he wasn't coming anywhere near us. he only had east coast, canada, and europe set up for concerts. the only one not located near the others was one in california! i figured that he would be coming through the midwest and i would probably have a chance to see him, but i guess not. he must be too big for that now!

the background of the page was painted w/ acrylic paints. the writing was done w/ sharpie markers. the album covers, usa today article, and concert schedule were all printed out on my color printer and glued in place. the finished page was sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to protect any of the printed material from getting smeared.

all by myself

december was a hard month, w/ the back injury and loss of the holiday activities w/ my family. i was pretty much just left alone, lying on my stomach while other people went on w/ their lives, and i wanted certain people to just leave me/us alone totally, saving us the trouble of dealing w/ their drama and idiocy.

this comp book page has an acrylic painted background with a couple of colors mixed together for variation. the picture was taken from a national geographic and glued on after painting. the writing was done w/ sharpie markers and the final finish on the page was done w/ future floor wax.

if you want to read more of the story, you can find it over here.

first altered book tip-in -- purple

about 3 years ago, when i first headed into creative pursuits for personal pleasure, i became interested in altered books. i didn't have "experience" doing altered books, but i figured "how hard could it be?"

so i signed up for a tip-in swap, where each person makes a certain number of pages in the assigned topic and sends in to the swap hostess. the hostess then sorts out the pages, swaps them out, and mails them back to each participant.

the rules are to leave a 1/2" space on the left of the page where the receiver can glue this page into an existing book. the topic was "purple".

on the first side, i found pictures of beautiful purple things and then found words associated with the color purple. i created a collage of the pictures and words and scanned it into my computer. then i fed the book pages thru the printer and printed out copies of my collaged page on each of the pages i was going to submit.

on the back of the page, i printed out a beautiful sunset w/ purple colors in it and glued to the book page. then, i cut out and glued pictures of the "most famous hug/kiss" from the cover of life magazine, glued more words associated w/ purple and passon, and then tied a small metal heart to purple string to dangle from the kissing couple.

i was very happy w/ my first attempt at altered books and couldn't wait to get back my swapped pages to see what every else had done. it was a great experience and lots of fun!

there you sit . . .

here is another comp book journal page that i made back in december, 2006. while i wasn't posting much art (because of the back injury), i was still making some art. i saw this picture in a magazine and just knew i had to use it on a journal page.

while these birds are necessary to the environment, the really stink up the air (situation) where they are. these are the only creatures that rely totally on dead and rotting meat for their nutrition. these birds do not hunt -- they merely wait for something to die and then feed on it. their only effort in "hunting" is to find something that died or that is almost dead. much easier that having to find something, chase it down, and then kill it -- i'm sure!

since these birds have their total diet made up of carrion, they have a horrid odor that permeates from where they nest or rest. they sit in the branches of the trees w/ their wings held out as if to allow the breeze to blow the stench off of them. but no matter what -- they still stink.

i did this page at that time because it reminded me of some people who are people-users -- parasites feeding off of other people but offering nothing beneficial in return. the ones who look around like the world owes them a living -- just like the world owes the buzzards their next meal. these people, just like these birds, are oblivious to their own stench and unaware that others find them repulsive and disgusting.

so they sit there . . . . waiting for the opportunity to dive in for their next free meal.

envelope swap

one of the first art projects that i tried as i was getting into altered books and comp book journals and things was an envelope swap. each participant was to make or alter a certain number of envelopes and send in to the hostess, who would then redistribute them back out to the members of the swap.

i knew i was a fairly creative person, but i hadn't ever been in a situation where my artwork/creativity was going to be measured and compared to others in the group. there were really no rules on the project other than to submit the specific number of envelopes, a return self-addressed envelope and a certain amount in postage.

as typical for me, i stressed and worried about the project. i came up w/ the idea of "pandora's box" for the decor. i always liked the story of pandora's box and the implications that the decision had on the outcome of the story, comparing the unopened envelope in the mail as similar to pandora's box.

i found a beautiful picture to alter and use as pandora, filled w/ blues and greens (my favorites!). then i thought about and came up with my own envelope design. i drew out the envelope template, then cut it out of thick paper (not cardstock but not regular paper either). i folded and glued the envelope and then glued the pandora on the front.

the neat thing about the envelope was the silver key and lock -- made w/ silver embossing powder on pigment ink and heated w/ a heat gun. the lock was threaded through an small opening on the flap and glued in place. the key was then glued in pandora's hand.

i also made a brown envelope w/ another picture of pandora on it, so i'll have to see if i can find another one of those to make a scan of and submit. the were definitely different in style from these!

i sent my envelopes in for the swap and waited w/ anxiety for my envelopes to come back to me to see what others had done. i had a note in the box from the swap hostess stating that there was obviously no reason for me to worry about my envelopes in comparison to others and that i deserved the "most work and effort" award on the project.

that's the only envelope swap i've ever had the opportunity to be in and it was great fun. i still have some of the envelopes left from that because they are just so beautiful and unique that i hate to use them for just regular mail!

night mares and charlie horses

this piece represents the time i spent in december and january dealing with a pinched nerve in my back. i continually had charlie horses, running from my waist to my toes on my right side.

this is done in a composition book w/ acrylic paint as the background and prang colored pencils for the landscape. the landscape was sprayed w/ matte finish to keep the colored pencil from rubbing off. the horses were done w/ a black sharpie marker.

i decided not to write on the page, but just to let the picture tell the story.

if you want to read the whole story that goes to this picture -- you can find it at hand in hand.

she sees -- he sees

last year as jerry and i rode to work together, we watched this new warehouse being built. jerry was SO interested in watching the progress that he couldn't hardly keep his eyes on the road as we went by. every day, i would look and look at that jumble of steel, equipment, and supplies and wonder what he found so interesting about it.

i even studied it -- was it the way it looked in the sunrise? the way the building was shaping up so fast? the rumors that it was going to be a totally animated warehouse? the patterns the steel beams made as we drove by? what???

i just couldn't see it! what i could see was that what used to be a beautiful meadow filled w/ grass and wildflowers was now gone and this ugly mess of steel/metal, equipment, smoke, and noise was in its place. i hated to see the building put on a place that was beautiful, but now i felt it was ugly. why couldn't it have been put on a piece of land that was already in use -- like tearing down a useless building and putting it there?

jerry is different, though. he can look at a mechanical project and see what it can be and how beneficial it can be. jerry is the type who can build anything or fix anything that he puts his effort into. plus, they'll probably be added business for him in his line of work. the added business that this facility will bring to the area will probably be helpful, too.

i felt like it was another careless business decision to destroy something fresh rather than clean up something old and decrepit. i despise urban sprawl. i grew up in the country, and i love the wide-open spaces there. to see people building subdivisions out of town and crowding houses in-between other houses just to get out of town just makes me sick.

i wonder how long it will be before i feel like i have to move because town is crowding me too much. i guess it makes it nice in that some really big farmers own the land surrounding mine -- so i don't have to worry about those turning into housing divisions! i wonder if that's enough space?

new hatching

remember last fall when i was curious about all those woolly worms that we had all over the porch and everywhere? i was so excited thinking that we might be getting some huge batch of beautiful butterflies in the spring or something. i requested info from the group.

well, i learned that was not the case. everyone was so helpful, but i was rather disappointed when i found out the truth about these caterpillars. they weren't really going to be butterflies, but moths. well, they were kind of pretty moths, so i wasn't really that disappointed.

we met our first moth two days ago. he flew in the house so fast i couldn't catch him, but i knew i would be on the lookout for him. i recognized him immediately! he was one of the transformed woolly worms! from the number of woolly worms last summer, i'm sure we're going to be infested with these moths very soon! i managed to catch him after he had a go-round with the cat, but he was still in pretty good shape.


i have full-resolution pictures if anyone wants to use one for a drawing. this one wasn't quite as pretty as the example one that i found a picture of, but he's not too bad!

IF - hide

IF - 03/02/07 - HIDE

the first thing that i thought of was those people who use their religion to hide behind. they are not really living the life they are preaching and claiming to live, but hiding behind their positions of power to point out faults to other people. some examples include (but are not limited to!) ted haggard, jim and tammy faye baker, jerry falwell, jesse jackson, pat robertson, and more. these are exactly the kind of christians who make other people hate christians. they put themselves into a position to help others, but in reality . . . . . they only cause destruction and make it worse on the true and sincere christians in their work.

this post in no reflects my views or personal beliefs towards christianity -- it only points out that i don't like hypocrits (those people who do what they preach against or who are what they say is wrong!) and have little tolerance for people who lie.

this drawing was done in a 9 x 12 sketchbook w/ 70# white paper with prang colored pencils, sprayed w/ matte finish sealant to keep it from smearing.