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November Musings
Just a bit of inspiraton and some new goodies that have hit the Paperwhimsy shoppe in the last few days.
Hope you enjoy!
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Baby, it's cold outside...
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And so it begins, this headlong tumble into winter. The tree in my front yard has stripped itself bare and all it's "clothes" are blown all over the neighborhood. I keep waiting for the trees in my backyard to adorn themselves in their brightest finery because... well, heck, if I'm going to be subjected to three months of very grey and dismally cold weather than I want the little Autumn Mardi Gras of jubilant color - their one last hurrah - to guide me gently toward the big BRRRRR...
In the meantime, I embraced Halloween and went to the most haunted house in Indiana with Draw and my son and his girlfriend. We paid 15 bucks each and stood in line for almost two hours so we could be scared silly for 30 minutes. How old am I? What grade am I in? Of course, I screamed within five minutes of entering the house and continued to scream my fool head off for the rest of the 25 minutes we stumbled through the dark maze of ghosties, gouls and goblins. And, also of course, I was the target because I couldn't keep my screaming mouth shut. Draw ended up being my "shield" through the maze and did so quite gallantly. I grabbed hold of his jacket, buried my head in his back and hung on for dear life. Step, BOO, scream... step, BOO, scream... What a blast! And I didn't wet my pants once. Pretty darned good for a middle-aged scaredy-cat.
Now, Halloween is over and it's time to get serious about the Happy Holidays. I've been in the studio creating some Christmas for you. All digi so you can print and print and print to your heart's content and, hopefully, these PaperWhimsy flavors will inspire you over and over again. I have some non-traditional colors because I'm a non-traditional kind of gal, and then some traditional colors... but in a non-traditional way. Can't take the funky out of the girl, I'm afraid. The PaperWhimsy Christmas Collection 2008, is being unveiled as we speak and will be available, at special holiday pricing, just til the the end of the year. Then the Christmas Collection will be retired just because that will make it all so very special. You'll find all these festive bits in the Digi Sheet section of the shoppe.
 Also,
in this newsletter, well, just a wee surprise. It's an oldie but
goodie that I hope you'll find some new uses for. GRIN!
In this House: A Collection of Altered Art Imagery and Collage Techniques
by Sarah Fishburn & Angela Cartwright
Quarry Books
Paperback
List Price:
$24.99
Our Price:
$10.38
Buy Now
Sarah and Angela also author a terrific "Quartz" (which is a QUality ART Zine - clever, that, eh?), Pasticcio; the newest issue is now available. Click HERE to take a peek at it as well as find the gateway to all of Sarah's sites. She has a lot going on and you don't want to miss a minute of it.
As always, Rande is ready to inspire you with her amazing projects and art pieces. I am always blown away by Rande's ideas and her way of assembling bits into master works of art. If I had a tenth of her talent I would be a happy, happy, ever so happy gal. Be sure to stop by her blog (you can also get a view of all her projects through the website by clicking on "Projects") and be sure to leave a comment when you do - it's always such a treat to find out that someone is looking and they've been inspired.
Certainly high on the list of new and exciting things at PaperWhimsy: The Whimsy Club. It is the gift that keeps on giving. There are a limited number of subscriptions available to this club and if you purchase ten or more collage sheets from me in a year then this is definitely worth a look.
The Whimsy Club is quite exclusive and gives members a 25% discount on all their paper sheet purchases every day of 2009. Every day will be a sale day specially for Whimsy Club members. Along with that discount on paper sheets (and that's all paper sheets including the printed digis) members will receive a coupon for a free paper sheet of their choice, with purchase, every month. Twelve months per year. 60 bucks in free sheets. As well as special Member Events in April, August and December which will be very exciting because you know I love a party.
You can find more information about the Whimsy Club by clicking HERE and if you decide you'd like a subscription and you treat yourself before 11/30/2008, you'll start gaining the benefit of the 25% discount as soon as you're membership is approved (24-48 hours). AND you'll receive an extra free sheet with purchase for the month of December. So, 13 free sheets instead of 12.
Okay, another little peek at Christmas before we get into other stuff. Actually, it's a ticket to that little surprise I mentioned a minute ago. It may take a while to load so please be patient. Good things do come in big packages.
Wow. That's a lot of words. Good job you got through it. How about if we look at some pictures, now. And, yes! Good morning/afternoon/evening to you wherever you may be. It's so nice to hang out with you, again.
g
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Speaking of Good Books...
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I've found myself on Amazon way too much this past month. It must be that I'm shoring myself up for a good long snuggle by a cozy fire while the winter winds rage outside. And it must also be that there have been some great titles released lately that have knocked my socks off.
If you haven't already seen these books and/or added them to your library, I think they're worth a serious look. And if you haven't been shopping at Amazon for all your books then you've got a treat in store! Fast shipping/cheap or FREE shipping/huge discounts/vast array of titles... you just can't lose with Amazon. I've never been sorry when I've shopped there.
So, my favorites for October and some that I've added to my personal library over the last few months:
Vintage Collage-Works: Artful Ideas with Antique Ephemera
by Mary Jo Koch
Quarry Books
Paperback List Price:
$24.99
Amazon Price:
$15.62
Buy Now
Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings
by Kelly Rae Roberts
North Light Books
Paperback List Price:
$22.99
Amazon Price:
$14.47
Buy Now
Mixed-Media Collage Jewelry: New Directions in Memory Jewelry
by Janette Schuster
Lark Books
Paperback List Price:
$17.95
Amazon Price:
$11.71
Buy Now
Pretty Little Felts: Mixed-Media Crafts To Tickle Your Fancy
by Julie Collings
North Light Books
Paperback List Price:
$22.99
Amazon Price:
$13.79
Buy Now
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Finally got these back in so I'm counting
them as "new". Clear corner stamps from
Prima Marketing. They're cute as all get out
and they're only 2 bucks. Better get over there fast. You'll find them in NEW GOODIES and Necessities. |
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Ahhhh... silk ribbons. How could I have lived so long without them? Tender Lilacs shown here (six wonderful yards of silken bliss) and other pretty pretty samplers are available in the shoppe in Ribbons. Gorgeous!
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Perfect Pearls by Ranger Ink are new to PaperWhimsy. I am a sucker for anything that adds a bit of bling (as you know). An artist just can't have too many art supplies on her art table, especially if it sparkles or glimmers. You just never know what's going to light up your muse. find them in Pigments & Glitter.
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More glorious color to ignite your muse - the Walnut Inks by Tsukineko. Beautiful subtle colors to add that antique time-worn look to your art. Spritz it on and you will love the transformation! You'll find themt in the Pigments & Glitter section.
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New to the shoppe - rusty and puffy in all their glory - 2" stars to decorate and dangle. These are a gem. Check out these stars and other new and returning rusty stuff. Hearts and screens are back in the shoppe, and a little 4" screen is new. You can see all these glorious bits in, you guessed it, Rusty Stuff.
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It's looking like the Holiday shopping has started. So many things to see, it's hard to decide. I have started doing a little Holiday art, making Christmas Faeries. For this newsletter I have also created an ornament, and several art pieces ideal for gift giving. When you have finished the newsletter, be sure to stop by my blog and say "Hi!" and hopefully be inspired. Warmest, Rande |
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Featured Artist: Sarah Fishburn
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I'm so stoked to have Sarah Fishburn as this month's Featured Artist. Sarah is one of those indomitable spirits that you just can't help but like. And her art? It has a funky, amazing quality that she aptly calls Mixed Media Narrative. Her art tells the most amazing stories.
Sarah has her paint-covered hands in many pots and her work always raises the bar and forges new ground. In a word: she's exciting.
As I mentioned earlier, Sarah co-authored In This House (I love this book) with Angela Cartwright and is now working on a new book with Angela titled In This Garden. It will be released April 2009. Click below to take a peek and reserve your copy or put it on your wishlist. You won't want to miss it!
In This Garden: Exploration in Mixed-Media Narrative
by Sarah Fishburn & Angela Cartwright
Quarry Books
Paperback
List Price:
$24.99
Our Price:
$16.49
Take a peek
So, let's get to know Sarah a little better and find out what makes this creative mind tick, shall we? And then hang around... Sarah's put together a tutorial for us. You WILL be inspired!HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ART?
Many years; since I was a kid...
HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?
Naah. I wanted to be an actress or a writer. I acted in high school and college but decided not to follow through - really, I was too young to decide on anything, and ended up dropping out of school to have four kids.
WHAT TYPES OF ART DO YOU DO?
Mostly mixed media narrative - currently a lot of digital deconstruction - I am trying to practice taking excellent photographs, I've been lackadaisical with that in the past - also jewelry - whenever I have nothing else to do (she added. 'Cuz she really appreciates a good joke) - in the past I did pottery (hand-built, turns out I was actually kinda good at it), designed and constructed costumes for theater and dance, and I used to weave my own belts! I can definitely make a dress out of a feedbag... but probably not a man out of you!
WHAT DREW YOU TO MIXED MEDIA ART?
Its gloriously motley potential.
WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR ART?
In a little room that doubles for a sleepover guest, so mostly, there's a room for a bed - we call it ART, short for The Art Garfunk Room (named by a grandson) - I work at the computer, or on the floor.
WHAT COLOR WILL WE ALWAYS SEE IN YOUR ART?
Probably a fabulous shade of red, orange, or pink...
WHAT THREE THINGS ARE MUST HAVES ON YOUR ART TABLE?
Computer
Scanner
Tapes (masking, Japanese, graphic, duct, etc).
WHAT IS YOUR MUSE?
Champagne
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS?
A short list (Baker's Dozen) includes:
Gustave Baumann
Pat Chapman
Deborah Coe
Erin Currier
Jennifer Davis
Luis Gonzales Palma
Jennifer Gordon
Helen Lacelle
Stephen Morath
Ella Moss
Sister Raya
Holly Roberts
Rob Ryan
All of them are currently living except for Gustave Baumann. There is ALOT of cool art out there!
WHEN YOU'RE IN AN ARTISTIC SLUMP, WHAT PULLS YOU OUT OF IT?
Is this too weird: KNOCK WOOD, I don't think I have ever had one. If I did I would probably just go to the movies!
WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR FUTURE AS AN ARTIST?
Not sure, baby, I kinda go with the flow - there are some unfinished things I need to finish.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE CURRENTLY PERCOLATING ON YOUR ART TABLE?
The next issue of Pasticcio Quartz
a handful of necklaces
an ultra-cool, yet meaningful swap project
design for "Make your own cool art-full cookbook" class for the local Whole Foods
a dozen unfinished bits
WHAT IS YOUR ASTROLOGICAL SIGN?
Sun: Taurus
Rising: Gemini
Moon: Libra
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY NAME WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Carmelita, Crescent, Garnet, or Lily. I also kinda like Ruby May. De la mer would be a nice last name, I think.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?
OH! Only one?? I hope people will send me some great big bouquets of violets or lilies or Gerbera daisies.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
I like almost every color, except maybe mauve, puce and baby-poop yellow.
WHAT IS THE MOST RECENT BOOK YOU'VE READ?
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Good Fairies of New York, The Little Book, Seven Years in Tibet, Alabama Stitch Book, and Semi-Precious Salvage (I usually read more than one book at the same time).
WHAT WOULD WE BE SURPRISED TO FIND IN YOUR LIBRARY?
I have a pretty big library, and I love books passionately, including an occasional romance novel, so I guess I would say Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
Why, Lord, why do I have to keep naming faves? (Maybe because I don't want to know what you think stinks? Especially if I happen to love it.) I dearly love SOOO many... a few that I will put on the DVD player time and again: Across the Universe, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Grand Canyon, The Lake House, A Life Less Ordinary, The Postman, Sullivan's Travels, To Kill a Mockingbird. This summer I found that A Love Song for Bobby Long provided a perfect working background for me, day or night.
WHAT FAVORITE RECIPE ARE YOU GOING TO SHARE WITH US?
This recipe is my version of one by Kim Peoples (who I don't actually know, it came from a magazine.)
Blackberry Piņon Tacos
Heat 4 TBSP margarine (I use Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread), 1/4 C of heavy cream, 1/2 C of sugar (I use brown) and a scant TBSP of corn syrup in a double boiler at low heat to approx 120 degrees. Mix in 2 TBSP unbleached flour and 1 C of pine nuts, toasted at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then coarsely ground. Add zest of one large orange (approx. 2 TBSP).
our oven should still be at 350 degrees from toasting those piņons. Drop batter by 1/8 C onto a cookie sheet. Each taco will expand to about 6", so be sure to leave enough room! Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned. Remove from oven, cool for just under 3 minutes. Lift off of the cookie sheet with a spatula and quickly "wrap" around a rolling pin to create the taco shape. (If they got too hard while cooling, pop back in the oven for a few quick seconds.) When the tacos are cool, paint their insides with melted bittersweet chocolate. This recipe calls for 2-6 oz. depending on the thickness of your "paint".
Whip 1-1/2 C of heavy cream with 1 TBSP sugar and 2 TBSP light rum. Puree in a blender 2 C of blackberries (Kim People's original recipe was Strawberry Piņon Tacos, but even in the kitchen I can't help altering) for sauce. Spoon the sauce onto each plate. Fill tacos with whole blackberries topped with rum-flavored whipped cream. Garnish with shaved chocolate and savor!
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Dans un conservatoire Book by Sarah Fishburn
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In an abandoned conservatory in the old Garden District of New Orleans, the little girls dress up and dance at midnight...
(Instructions are the same for the front cover and all pages.)
Glue decorative paper to the cover and each page. (I used various paste papers on which I also drew abstract 'letters'.)
Use a ruler to tear off excess paper along the 'wall' and 'roof peak' edges.
Spray paint randomly along any edges you like. (I used black & blue paint.)
Print out words horizontally across a pre-printed page. Words from a poem, quotes; I just made up a story in French and printed that out. Pick a font that is complementary to your artistic theme and/or style! Tear the printed words into strips and adhere to pages.
Cut door and window shapes from PaperWhimsy Digisheets 001 and 003, and adhere to simulate a building. Because I was making a 'conservatory', I glued down Prima petals and floral embellishments randomly on the pages (random, but in pleasing layout!) and placed small crystals or sequins in the center of each.
Hand-color the little girl from Sheet 015, and add a skirt from Faerie Sampler 13. Adhere her to the 'front door'. Put together several Petite Gothique Faerie paper dolls from Faerie Sampler 13 for other pages, embellishing them further if you wish (I used paint, crayons, bindis, etc.). I also added 'twigs' and 'branches,' and perched an owl from the same digisheet on one of them.
Cut out several 'suns' from Digisheet 024, amp up their coloring, and place at the peak of various pages.
Lumiere Bright Gold paint and Astro Turf, Blue Angel, and Varsity Blue Pearl Ultrafine Glitter applied sparingly around edges and throughout, add a luminous finishing touch.
Et voila!
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Gosh, there are so many other things I could tell you about but I've taken up your whole morning/afternoon/evening. I hope you've been inspired and are ready to pirouette on over to your art table and start creating. There are so many ideas and only so much time.
Please be sure to visit the shoppe and check out the other new goodies such as the needle felting stuff and new collage sheets (as well as digi) with a Steampunk-look. You can click on this NEW Goodies button, below, or just wander over to the shoppe and meander around. There are probably things I've forgotten to mention that you've never noticed before. Hopefully, something there will inspire you.
I hope you have a terrific week and pray that you bask in the warm and wonderful glow of art. You have a gift: the desire to create. Share it with someone you love.
Many blessings!
Gale Blair
PaperWhimsy
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