BurningRubber's Reliquary

2012-01-10T15:33:00.000-06:00

I guess I will start with the parts that you can't see very well. Unfortunately I wrote in pencil. On the left side it says: Will you fulfil your destiny.What is your purpose. Know how to be happy even when your alone. Don't expect others to beyour fulfilment. Love yourself first. Take time to play everyday. Use what you have. Share your heart through your art. The dots read Believe in yourself. Believe in love. Believe in Viki. Make love. B is for beautiful. E is for enchanting. Y is for youthful. O is colorful. U is sunny. R for real. S for spirit. Love is be loved. I for individual. K is make. I for independant. M for dream. M for memory. K for kind. The bottom says Spirit Song.
I hope you enjoyed this exercise. http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/2011/10/crusade-no-56-im-a-believer.html

2012-01-10T15:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, I have finished moving and finally figured out how to download my csmera. It was a used camera and didn't come with a cable, so I ordered one and yes it took me this long to get it to load.
Lets see, I seem to have been seriously accident prone lately. First of all, I tripped and fell into my metal cabinet and split my head open. Not nice! It was gushing blood and I had to have 5 staples in my head. All healed now.
The other day, I bought some kitty toys and was getting the plastic ties off using an exacto knife. Why? I thought it would come off easier than trying to get a scissors in there. I was down to the last one and cut my thumb. It is still numb. Plus afterward I noticed that the tip of the knife was missing. I am pretty sure that it broke off on the plastic.
Ok, better posts to come.

Green Pepper Press Crusade #54

2011-08-28T16:11:00.000-05:00

This months challenge was to pick names first and then create a color to go with the name. I sat down cleared my head and wrote down any words or phrases that popprd into my head. Picture 1:1 is Complaint Dept. It is a mixture of all of the colors I used making the other combinations. A mix of leftovers. 1:2 is Crash Test Dummy. I laid down yellow and made an x over the top in military blue. I am not sure why I decided noot to use black other than military blue is my favorite color. I painted my bedroom that color once and loved it so much. I also call it storms-a-commin blue. 1:3 is Surprise Me and it is a mixture of Pumpkin, Sterling Silver and Pearlizing medium. 1:4 is Pearls Before Swine. It is a mix of Metalic Garnet and Pearlizing Medium. Page2:1 Burningrubber's on Fire is a wet on wet starting with yellow, then adding Pumpkin and then Bright Red. 2:2 is Super Freak and it consists of Bright Blue, Bright Red and Metalic Garnet Red.

2:3- Walk on the Wild Side- a mix of Yellow and Pumpkin with dots of Metalic Copper. 2:4- Charge It! is English Ivy and Sterling Silver. You can't get much more money than that. Hmmmm, I guess I could have added gold to the mix. Oh well. 3:1 Rockin The Hammock (I have no idea, I just love hammocks). The mix for this is Pumpkin, Pearl Medium and Metalic Garnet. Pearly and peachy. Sweet! 3:2 is Ripe Grapes. a mixture of Super Freak plus Military Blue.

3:3 King of the Road- Christmas Green and Burnt Siena. Last but not least 3:4 Sahara Sunset I forgot to write it down but I am certain it is Rockin the Hammock and added Pearl Medium with a smootch of Military Blue.

GPP Crusade #53 Mad Scientist

2011-07-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

I have finally completed this project. I don't know why I have been so poky lately.This is the page from my journal. Except for the yellow on the right side all the rest is wet on wet, which is how I usually work in my book. After that I thought what would it look like if I actually mixed the colors in a cup. The next picture shows the results. There is such a huge difference between the fully mixed colors and the wet on wet painting.

10 Secon Studios

2011-07-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

I promised to post some of the items I made with my new items that I recently purchased.

I need to make another quick post today, so on to the next.

New card samples

2011-07-22T03:40:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know that I do samples for After Midnight Art Stamps. Every so often I get some awsome sheets of rubber to make samples for them to use at the shows they do. I really enjoy making them. Linda and Tom are great folks.

http://www.amstamps.com/

I totally enjoyed the birds. They aren't small stamps so they are super fun to color and blend colors. I have more samples but I think I will post them in another post ;P

Green Pepper Press Crusade 52

2011-07-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

I am late as usual. I wanted to take new pictures of my workspace and new items but because I am so far behind I have decided to show my colors with what I already have in my photo album. Grant it, I love all colors but I realy seem to love citrus colors no matter what time of year :)

2011-06-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

http://pinterest.com/viki_banaszak/I recently joined Pinterest and am having a great time adding goodies I find to my picture gallery for all to see. I have been recieving a daily Artfire collection in my inbox and I am utilizing this to add beautiful new products and artists to my pins. I get to see alot of beautiful items that I may not have seen otherwise and I get to share the artwork of others and at the same time promote their stores and alot of times other pinners will add one of the products that I select to their pages. I did get a notice from Pinterest that someone didn't want their picture shared so they deleated it. That's ok by me if they don't want the free promotion of their product. Other than that one incident, I have had no complaints. I think it is a great way to get the word out there about Artfire and what awsome artists are there. There are so many advantages to being a seller on Artfire and I think it is by far better than ETSY and yet there is alot more promotion of ETSY. I don't pay for listing items like I did on ETSY and I don't pay a percentage of my sales to the bosses either. I have a Pro account so I do pay a small monthly fee, but I started out with a free account. That's right free! I opened my little store without having ever made an investment, not one penny at all. That is a great way to test the waters.

GPP Crusade #51 Home Sweet Home

2011-05-29T23:47:00.000-05:00

I finally got the assignment done this month! Yay! I have been unable to participate much after my neck surgery. The plan I have is to catch up, however, I smacked my head getting in the car the other day and am back in my neck brace until I can give the Dr. a call on Tues. My neck doesn't realy hurt but I have been pretty nausious. I did hear a loud crack witch had me concerned. I still have full mobility and since I'm not in pain, I'm pretty sure It can wait till after the holiday weekend. I wore my neck brece all day yesterday and feel pretty good today. I'm still using it most of the time though.
Ok, back to the artwork. I did some water solvable pastels in the background. I spritzed over the top with some glimmer mists to give it some sparkle. I had previously stamped the robin and masked it. The robin is a new stamp from After Midnight Art Stamps. I love it. It is a nice large size that made it realy fun to color for me. I love to do alot of blending and playing with the colors. "Let Hartman Feather Your Nest" is from a vintage card that I made a copy of. The word home and the window are from Green Pepper Press. The flowers are from Bombshell Stamps and the curly bird arrow and dot border are from Inque Botique. The word Home in the title is a stencil and the flower design is from the crusade where we did monoprinting. I cut the design with my Spellbinders scalloped circles. The crossword puzzle is from an old newspaper.

New Jewelry in my Artfire store!!!

2011-05-19T01:08:00.000-05:00

These are just a few of the new items that are either already listed or will be listed hopefully by friday at the latest. I have a few new things that haven't even been taken pictures yet. So much work to do. I am also checking out a few local consignment shops to see if they would be interested in carring some of my items. I hope you enjoy the new jewelry.

A New Toy

2011-04-23T23:16:00.000-05:00

I have finally found something that I can comfortably do with my neck brace on. I am so excited. The things that I usually do all require me to look down to make cards and such. Well my neck brace realy puts a crimp in my creativity. I have realy gotten to where I am so tired of playing computer games that I could just scream. I had my chaufer (roomate ;P ) drop me off for a visit at Mrs. Oleary's in old town. I love that place. I fell in love with Mrs. Oleary's when I came here on vacation about 18 years ago before we moved here. I absolutely fell in love with the place. Sadly, I do not go there any where neer as much as I would like to, especially this year since my health has been so bad. Anyway, I found a new toy while I was there. Something, I have been wanting to try. Not to expensive. I got a Kumihimo braiding disc. Just the foam disc. It came with instructions for a simple 8 warp braid. That was yesterday. Today I have 2 necklaces and 2 bracelets done. Well, mostly done anyway. I did complete my first necklace. The others, I have the braids ready to go, but I am leaving the finishing for later when I escape from the confines of the neckbrace. I can't wait to get a chance to try out my new necklace, but that will also have to wait. Ok, so on to the show and done with the tell.The bottom one is my necklace made with a pendant from the Industrial Chic™ collection by Susan Lenart Kazmer. I fell in love with the hand holding the ring the minute I saw it and it has been languishing in my drawer for quite some time waiting for just the right thing to add it to. Now I have a very awsome eye glass holder to wear. Love, love ,love it!

This picture shows theclasp that I used on my necklace. I also made a matching bracelet, that is not finished yet. I am pretty proud to say that that is the first braid that I have made.

This is the bracelet that I am wearing right now. I made 2 knots on the one end so I could just slip the other knot between the 2 to wear it. It had a flash of copper cord in it. I would have made a necklace out of it but I didn't have much of the lime satin cord. Ok, I'm off to learn a new design to try thanks to the internet and the generosity of other creative souls....and I have crops to harvest. LOL

A blast from the past!

2011-04-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

I stopped by Blockhead Rubberstamps today and was blown away when I saw a card that I made ages ago on their site with some of my favorite stamps from Taylored Artwork. The next page is another of my cards. This is the address to the page with my card- http://www.blockheadstamps.com/gallery.php?photo_id=185

Forensic self portrait

2011-04-03T00:09:00.000-05:00

I was finally able to play a bit and join in this months Green Pepper Press Street team crusade No. 49 called Forensic Self Portrait. I actually had surgery 2 weeks ago on my cervical spine so I snapped a few pictures of my lovely cervical brace. After I loaded them I made the one shown on this page and gave it a cartoonish look in photo bucket. I think it looks great with the subject. I used a mini bag to hold one of my tags. I glued the phronology head on top of it. I also searched my drawers of saved stuff and found a heart pouch that I used for my other tags. The tags were colored with distressed inks awhyle ago and were in my tags drawer. The background paper was done a long time ago with walnut inks. I knew it would make a great backround for this piece. I think this was a great project. It will be realy fun to look back on in the future and see how things change. If you click on the title I have a link to the GPP site if you would like to join in. Thanks for stopping by. xoxoxo

Blueberry Sprite

2011-02-13T17:22:00.000-06:00

I made several modifications to the pattern for this doll. I gave her a large nose and made the hat much taller.I changed the neckline, made the arms the same color as the shirt instead of the legs. I also made larger hands. After making the hands 6 times and having blowouts and tears in the fabric, I decided to make them the larger size that I use on my other dolls. Here is a picture of the first doll that I made using the May Pixie pattern for comparison.

You can't even see the hat in this picture. The embroidery on this doll, who I named Autumn, is from a dress bodice. I used other parts of the dress for the Blueberry Sprite's hands and face. It has a soft suede feel to it.

These pictures are of Elfwind. She was the second doll I made. I love her to pieces. She is long and lanky and dare I say sexy. She was made from a green skirt in the same micro suede fabric, but she wasn't as difficult to make. Her long hair is braided wooly yarn.

A free month from Artfire

2011-02-04T14:55:00.000-06:00

Artfire is a great online comunity of Crafters and Artisans. You can get a totally free acount and by totally free I mean no fees to sign up, no fees to list, no fees on sales. Sweet! Yea? You bet it is! I did that to start and then I made my account pro for a small monthly fee. I get first billing in search engines. I can see where my customers are comming from. I even have a kiosk on facebook. That means people on facebook can buy from my store directly from facebook and never have to go anywhere else! What could be better than that. Check it out and if you use my link Iand sign up for a pro account, I get a free month and you get your 3rd month free. http://www.artfire.com/users/MyEclecticHeart/sell-crafts

Have faith

2011-01-15T16:15:00.000-06:00

I am trying to fix my blog up. I keep seing other peoples blogs that look so great and I look back at mine and it just isn't workin for me. Sigh. So I am going to try and start over with a clean slate and see if I can get it looking better. Stay tuned....

It has been a rough winter

2011-01-13T09:04:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken way back in October and I just yesterday unloaded all of my pictures from my camera. Sigh. It's a long story, but lets just say it involves several trips to the hospital. Not for me, for my roomate. Christmas prep. Helping my friend open her store. I got to use my Cricut a lot making vinyl signs. I think it has finally paid for itself. I should have taken pictures, but my camera was full. LOL.

Playing with Copics

2010-10-17T13:28:00.000-05:00

I just recently recieved some Copic markers and have been playing with them to get a feel for them. I have tried a variety of cardstocks to see what I like best. Here are a few samples of what I have done. All of these stamps are from After Midnight Art Stamps. Check out their link to the right.

Artfire-Going Pro

2010-09-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

My Artfire Shop will be going pro starting Oct. 1. I am excited as it will give me more opportunities to have my work seen and hopefully purchased. I decided since they were running a special on the Pro fees, that I would jump in and see how I do. I will need to do allot of reading for awhile to figure out all that is included in this upgrade. I have enjoyed using the site for free for quite awhile and have had a few sales, but nothing grand....of course, it would help if I wasn't a business slug. It is true! I hate the whole sales thing and would rather spend my time playing with my art supplies. I don't like that W word (work). I have friends who say I should sell my work, and indeed I would, if perhaps one of them would do the evil work part of it. Ok, so, that just isn't going to happen, and I may have to get off of Facebook games long enough to get things going. Really???? I have been cutting back. I have, honestly. I don't really like reading either, so it may take me more time to figure out all the upgrades.

GPP Crusade No. 44- In a scrape

2010-09-24T22:36:00.000-05:00

This was a fun excersize. I used black as a base. The first is black orange and yellow, although the picture didn't turn out very well. The second is black and turquoise. I know, it really doesn't look like black underneath. Anyway, the idea Michelle presented to us was to put a base color down. Let it dry. Then take another color or 2 or 3 and scrape them over the top to get a textured background. I am realy looking foreward to next month when we get to do something on top of these backgrounds. I am chomping at the bit to find out what is instore for these. They were a lot of fun to do.

GPP- Text Messaging

2010-08-26T03:47:00.001-05:00

This months challenge is Text Messaging on tthe Green Pepper Press Street team. This was a ton of fun for me. I had a copy of Gothic Beauty magazine that I bought quite awhyle ago and I felt it was perfect for this challenge. It has alot of different interesting fonts, adverts and pictures.
I didn't think I would get this posted in time as our computer is messed up and I wasn't sure that I could load it to my laptop, but here it is.

Crusade #41- Grid Lock

2010-06-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks Michelle for another great crusade! This was fun and a great way to use up some of my scraps. I will have to do some more of these and I may still add a few more things like a bit of bling to this piece. I had fun adding some of my back stock of die cuts. I tend to cut a bunch of new stuff every time I get a new die or cart, so I have a drawer full of die cuts to use in projects. I did a little zantangle in one of the blocks. I will post more after I complete another page or 2. LOL

Step on the scale! GPP Crusade #40

2010-06-04T23:18:00.004-05:00

I made this project for crusade #40. The challenge was to work in a size you are not used to. I still couldn't bring myself to pull out a large canvas and I saw several people used paper bags for their project. I had a large paper bag with a handle so I cut it apart to use as the base. I added several coats of Golden's Absorbent Ground. I had read that you could use colored pencils on it. I have a stack of old letters and used one to make the face. I did the face with pencils and watercolors. I dessed my lady in some of my favorite scrapbook paperThe backround was done in pencil and then I did watercolors over the top. I used my Slice to cut some leaves from an old National Geographic magazine that had been treated with Desolve-it. I also added a fancy leaf that I cut on my Cricut. I coated the whole piece with Matte medium. After it dried I covered the handle with ribbon and pearls. I added a piece of ruffle to the bottom and added rickrack to the edges. I also sewed on a pearl necklace. After all was done I found a large piece of chip board and glued the paper bag to it. I added glossy accents to the lips and eyes and them added a sunflower I made with my Spellbinders Wizard dies.

Blog Candy Alert!!!

2010-05-22T01:24:00.002-05:00

Go here and visit Tristans blog and sign up for some awsome blog candy- http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com/ Tristan has an awsome blog with lots of inspiration.

More new samples/ acident prone

2010-05-02T18:07:00.007-05:00

First of all let me explain the accident prone part. I slipped and fell in the shower yesterday. I landed with my ribs on the side of the tub. The bruise is amaizingly small. Thankfully, I was finished with my shower and so I just sat there and turned off the water until I could get up. I don't think I broke anything but I will go to the dr. tomorrow to get it checked out. BTW, no the shower curtain won't break your fall especially if it's on a tension rod. LOL Ok not realy funny. It only hurts when I breath, bend, cough ect. But I digress, I have more card samples to show you from After Midnight Art Stamps.

Well, I know I don't talk much anyway....usually, but due to the pain level, I think I will just leave it at that. Thanks for looking

2010-04-29T19:42:00.001-05:00

I was looking at a sight with Kawaii characters and thought to myself....anything with a smile is cute. So I decided to play with some of my spellbinders shapes and see if I could make some cute characters. I love this paisly birdy. The paisly's are cut from felt. The deer were actually my first experiment.Which do you like better? The one with or without the scallopsNext up is a kitty and a puppy. These are great if your like me and cut out lots of extras. You can use up those extra die cuts and punchesThe last group is a happy cupcake, sleepy kitty and a cloud? Ok that one is kind of a reach but it is smiling so therefore it is cute. LOL Anytway, if you make some yourself I'd love to see.

Faiery express

2010-04-19T18:49:00.002-05:00

These wonderful Fairy stamps are New from After Midnight Art Stamps and I am lucky enough to be able to share them with you. More to come :)

Blog Candy

2010-04-16T02:41:00.002-05:00

Go to http://nillascraftroom.blogspot.com/ Nilas Craft Room for a chance to win a Bow Easy.

My New Bike

2010-04-13T14:20:00.003-05:00

I finally got my new bike and had to share. I love it! I haven't ridden in such a long time and had a bit of a bumpy start. LOL I just wanted a nice basic bike. No speeds. I never had a bike with speeds before and that would be a whole nother learning thing that I just am not ready for. I have enough problems with coordination without adding more levers. Hahaha. Besides, it is reasonably flat around here. Of course that is not taking into consideration the high wind gusts we have here in the plains.We live in a small appartment so it is either lock it outside with all the other bikes at the rack or put it in my room and drag it out to use it. Better safe than sorry I say, so in my bedroom it stays.It is a Huffy Cruiser from Walmart. I just had to have the wicker basket. I thought the metal basket would be ok but I wanted to stick with the vintage feel of the bike. I love that you can pop the basket off and take it with you as it has a shoulder strapI added the liscense plate that I got from the scrapcook store. It is not official but it is cute and that is what is important. I wanted to get some sweet streamers for the handlebars too but they didn't have any. What kind of place sells bikes and no streamers? Seriously?!? Ok, so I am just a big kid and I love cute and toys. Can you blame me? Admit it, you play with your kids toys, don't you? I say, screw em! I want my own toys! Hehehehe.
Ok so my love of toys has gotten me in trouble more than once. VBG. On one ocasion, I went with a friend to her shrink appointment for moral support. As we were sitting there in her office, I was getting bored and my eyes were checking out the decore. When what did I see? A basket of stuffed animals on the bottom shelf. I couldn't contain my joy and squeeled"toys!" and rushed to retrieve the basket. Ms phsychiatrist was not amused. Not that I noticed since I was so busy digging threw the basket. LOL. In all honesty, maybe a few years back, I wouldn't have been caught dead being so animated, but I am over 50 now and I realy don't give a damn what other people think of me. I must say, I am a much happier person since I have released my inner child.

More Monoprints

2010-04-11T18:06:00.007-05:00

I love the way these turned out. I think I got them in order. LOL

GPP Street Team Crusaide #39

2010-04-11T17:16:00.009-05:00

What a great time I had with this. Crusaide #39 is monoprinting. At the top of this picture are smashed flowers that I did with my Wizard using Grape Hyacinth that I found in the grass at a farmers market. I'm not going to scrape off the guts. I think they look so cool. They were still quite juicy even after sitting in the car all day. The first mono prints were in turquoise and bronze. Yum! I used my Ideology masks for some of these. In this next picture, you can hardly tell what I used as the mask. I used way too much paint.
This one is a print off of the first one. I just laid a piece of paper over the first print to blot off the excess. What a surprise! I love it.
I think this one was after I removed the mask, but I am not totally certain. Hah, so much for remembering by the picture placement.
I love the brushstrokes in this one and everything is so clear.

Just so you know, if you overmix turquoise and orange you end up with baby poop brown. Yuck. Definitely not my favorite.
Here are some other prints that I like from stencils.

These stencils are from Dreamweaver. I love these. As you can see, I realy loved the turquoise and copper on these and used it again and again.

They got me!

2010-03-25T14:51:00.002-05:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Northeast
The Midland
Philadelphia
The South
North Central
The West
Boston
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

But no, I have never said the word pop for soda. I am indeed from Wisconsin.

Just a little sampling of what's available in My shop

2010-03-22T13:46:00.002-05:00

MyEclecticHeart

Sell Crafts

Grand Opening on Artfire @ My Eclectic Heart

2010-03-15T01:38:00.004-05:00

I just found Artfire recently and after much thought I felt it was time to give it a try. I hope you will stop in for a visit. http://myeclecticheart.artfire.com/. I am very excited and hope this goes well.

My Muse has returned!

2010-02-01T11:52:00.006-06:00

It has been a long time since my muse has been here, but I am pleased to say she is back in all her glory!I purchased this pattern for the May Pixie by Faewyck Studios from Joggles.com almost a year ago and just now got around to making her. I do love making dolls so much. I still hate turning fingers though. LOL. The embroidered fabric is from a dress I purchased at Goodwill during their big sale recently. I snarfed up a ton of dresses and such for fabrics. The hair is from a wool yarn I got at a second hand store years ago. The body is a fabric I got at a yard sale. The face and hands are also from a dress.

Just finished!

2009-07-17T00:31:00.001-05:00

Some more sample cards for After Midnight. I loved playing with the background stamp and colors. When I finished it up, I thought Egyptian. Just happened to have a new Egyptian stamp.

I just love this tree stamp! It looks great all by itself layered on this simple card. I used Spellbinders labels four dies. It would make a great guy card.

On these kitties, I used Memories Mists and masked the image. The cerdstock in the background is Black Magic Coredinations. I embossed it in the Wizard with the Impressabilities butterflies after spritzing it with Wonder Goo. Then I sanded the embossed area to show the pretty base color through.

I love fishies!

2009-07-11T01:48:00.000-05:00

These great stamps are new from After Midnight. Are you ready for Christmas? Me neither, but I got these stamps too. So cute!

I got a little heavy with the glass glitter on the gingerbread house, but I love it.

2009-07-10T01:50:00.002-05:00

This is the beautiful mermaid that Patrick Murillo sent to me. He also sent it framed. I love it....especially the starfish. I love starfish.

I have been spending a little time on metal projects this week. I decided to quit being such a chicken and make friends with my dremmel. Yay! Not so scary after all. Best of all, I was able to easily cut the opening in this piece of copper.

The dremmel also makes quick work of the filing. That makes me very happy because I hate the filing part, especially if I have alot of pieces to do.

Here is a necklace and earring set that I did as a gift for a friend.

This is a ring I made with a vintage button. It's not quite finished yet. I only had enough fine silver wire for one band. I'd like to make a couple more bands and do some wrapping for added stability.

Classes I took

2009-06-10T15:46:00.005-05:00

There goes the time! Lets see, my computer died and I haven't had access in awhyle. Sigh. I have been a buisy little bever whyle I was gone though.
I will start with my newest love. I took a Metal Smith workshop at my local stamp emporium called Mrs. O'Leary's. I had a great time and got to meet some wonderful people and a few old friends. I usually don't take classes but this one caught my eye and lust for all things metal. I wasn't sure what I could learn in a basics class, but learn I did! Apparently there is alot I don't know and haven't tried before. The scary torch thing wasn't as bad as I had thought and I think I have made a new friend...well, at least in the classroom. I don't think I should play with fire in our tiny appartment. The good news is, I can go there and play once a month in the open workshop and use their tools. I did take my camera with me but sadly. I didn't take any pictures. I am so bad! The one time I remember to take my camera and not one picture. On to my finished pieces. My first eva metal smith 101 is a domed disc ring. I used copper as the ring part because I couldn't afford to buy the silver, so I just used what I had been given for the class. I still think it turned out rather sweet.

I love the way it turned out. As you can see, the metal punches are not my friends. I kept getting double exposures as they would jump off the metal on me. I just need to practice ;) Still, not bad for a first piece. We got to look in the instructors books and choose our own ideas to work with. I love using the disc maker and the dapping tools. The next class I took was The Crown Jewel. This one was alot trickier than it looked.

I also took a class on Copper Etched Jewelry. I think the instructor bit off more than she could chew on this one. LOL It was packed and fun but very long. I was going to finish my piece this weekend, but got to playing around at home and the next thing I knew it was done!
Thats my Crazy Cowgirls Bracelet. I had a few near disasters and some of my pieces ended up crooked. I guess I realy should have used that template to place the holes. LOL. I dug through my stash and found the charms and I had alot of turquoise chips and beads to choose from. Plus I had wire from my other class that I hadn't used. I probably should have waited for this weekend to get some help wiring the charms on because I rather mangled some of the wire in my death grip on the pliers.

My alter ego is the star

2009-06-03T13:18:00.001-05:00

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

My card is the Empress

2009-06-03T13:10:00.002-05:00

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I'm back!

2009-05-20T14:54:00.003-05:00

Well, I think I will reopen this blog and see how it goes. Every time I got to someone elses blog it is on blogger and so I think it may be time to try to do some things on here. I removed my link to my etsy store as I am not using it at this time. I never had enough in sales to make it worth whyle. So for now It is closed. Of course I will let you know if I reopen. I have boxes of things to sell, but it does no good if no one wants them. Sigh.

Check it out

2009-01-28T12:53:00.002-06:00

For the one world one heart giveaway. What a sweet doll! Go sign up for a chance to win her. http://itsaboutannie.blogspot.com/ and don't forget to check out all of the other participants too at http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com/

My new blog

2009-01-28T11:28:00.001-06:00

http://www.angelfire.com/ks/BurningRubber/blog/
Just a reminder to see my new blog. It is attached to my website and therefore easier to maintain for me.

Time flies when your doin nothing!

2008-07-24T13:02:00.002-05:00

well, I am doin stuff. I just haven't posted on this blog in quite some time. I have rather let my ETSY store get a bit sparse. I haven't made any sales in quite awhyle. I am not sure what I should do or which direction to head.
If you would like to catch up on the latest, please check my other blog The Burning Truth http://www.angelfire.com/ks/BurningRubber/blog/

If it's not one thing it's your mother

2008-05-26T13:36:00.002-05:00

a>

Mother nature that is. They said it was a micro blast straight line wind. I was sitting in the livingroom working on an art project about 1 am when I heard it. I thought it was a tornado but by the time I stood up to head for the bathroom it was done. Our appartment is half underground, so I wasn't that scared. I didn't even know anything had happened until my roomate came in this morning and woke me up. She had stayed at her boyfriends and saw it on the morning news. Several trees were uprooted, many more broken and the carport on the other side of the complex was taken out

More on that

2008-02-10T13:53:00.000-06:00

Yea, I went to my Dr's office. He moved last year all the way across town, but since he was the Dr. I was seeing when I applied for disability, I need to see him at least until after the trial. The fact that he is good and listens is a bonus. I just hate driving across town, but I digress....

When I called for the apt. I told the person on the phone that I would not be able to make a payment at that visit. That I am awaiting my disability trial and only make $100. per week to live on. She said she would have to clear it with the accountant. Ok, so far so good, she comes back to me and gives me an appointment and all is well. Yea right!

I walk in to the office and the front desk person says that it will be $75.00 for my appointment. I said that I had spoken to the person on the phone and told them that I would be unable to pay when I came in and that they cleared it with the person in charge otherwise I would not have made the apt. So she says she will check on it and I go and sit down. She disapears behind a closed door. I assume to get permission. She comes back out and sits down and spends about 20 min. yacking on the phone and giggling and so on. So I am thinking that the pow wow in the back and her not saying anything meant things were cool. So there I sit looking threw magazines and I hear my name called. I look up thinking it is the nurse calling me in. No it is the lady at the desk and she says I need $75.oo for your visit. I said I thought we had already taken care of that and that I didn't have the money but could make payments. No, they want it all. I am in tears at this point. I am frustrated and know I will blow any minute. I drove all the way across town and wasted all that gas. I even borrowed a car for the trip because I drive a truck and didn't have any money for gas. So anyway they won't let me see the Dr. and I am frustrated and crying. I had to sit in the car a few minutes before I could drive. I was shaken and needed food. I am diabetic and I knew that the Dr wanted to run blood work, so I couldn't eat before going in. So the stress is making my bloodsugar go for a nose dive. I whipped out my organic chocolate bar and took a few bites to hold me over till I got home.

The picture I have added is of some Spellbinder dies that I had a chance to play with. They are so much fun. This set is the Classic Scalloped Paisly. I also used a small hole punch to make the lace effect and added brads to the large one. Someone mentioned M&M's. I think they are right.

Bla, bla, bla

2008-02-04T16:33:00.000-06:00

Ah yes another lovely day. It is nice outside,68*, but unfortunately by back is out of wack again. I have to wait till the end of the week to see the workmens comp Dr. I hurt my back in December at work and I got up from my chair today snd I couldn't stand up. Of course the workmens comp dr didn't do anything for me last time and I expect more of the same this time, so I have also made an appointment for my regular dr. who is a DO and works with my back and the rest of my parts. I have fibromyalgia and disc troubles in my back, so I pretty much am set on the drug front.
Oh yea, tomorrow it is supposed to snow.
On the other side I have finally updated my website. Yay!http://www.angelfire.com/ks/BurningRubber

Blizzards and other stuff :)

2007-12-22T22:31:00.000-06:00

The weather outside has been truly frightful here in the midwest. It snowed so hard, that you couldn't see across the road most of the day. These pictures actulaly seem clearer than what I saw out the door. So I guess we will have a white Christmas after all this year :) Unless of course it is 50 out the rest of the week.

On the warmer side, you can stay inside and Make Something with a little help from Lisa Volrath's sight. http://countdown.tentwostudios.com/

Gearing up

2007-10-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

I just got a couple of new stamps from Hot Potatoes for my birthday and had to play for awhile. This is the best result. A giant 12x12 snowflake background. I used Kaleidocolor Blue Breeze for my ink. I have a serious thing for mandalas and medallions. I have a huge drawer of unmounted stamps marked medallions.
On the home front, I have had to close up the cat door due to being invaded by possums. I woke up last week to a strange noise. I turned on the lights because I figured the cats brought in a live one to play with. Not my favorite way to wake up, but I have gotten good at search and rescue. I noted strange droppings on the floor and some tinkle too. Too small for a cat and too large for the usual suspects. I walk into the kitchen to get a pile of paper towels and there is a possum eating the cat food. The kitties are on the table watching. Great job guys. It takes off and hides behind the wash machine. Great! I cleaned up the mess and went back to bed figuring it would make its way back out threw the cat door. When I woke up in the morning I shined the flashlight behind the wash machine only to see a furry bum. Dang! Off to work. I get home, it is still there snoozing. What to do. I looked at some possum sites on line and noted that they can be apprehended by the tail without harm. Now all I have to do is get him to come out. Crunch, crunch. That didn't sound like a cat eating. I walked over to the cat dish and there he was. Zoom he was off in another direction. Hiding behind the futon in the living room. We have hard wood floors so furniture slides quite easily. I run into my room and get my metal working gloves on. They have nice rubber on the palms. Off to catch and release. I slide out the futon and we catch each others eyes. He doesn't move as thought being still might make him invisible. His tail is on my side. Yes! I snag the tail and lift him up. Not even a struggle. His tiny paws are sticking straight out, but he doesn't even flinch. I opened the door and set him down. Zoom, he was gone. The cat door has been locked ever since, but since I put food out for my kitty that prefers to be outside, I see that possum making nightly visits. Apparently cats and possums get along pretty well. A neighbors cat stopped by for a snack and was seen eating side by side with the possum. I guess the rule is if it is as big as you are and doesn't smell like another cat, leave it be. All others will be caught and tortured.

2007-09-08T16:04:00.001-05:00

***What Your Latte Says About You***
You are very decadent in all aspects of your life. You never scale back, and you always live large.
You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious.
Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls.
You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it.
You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree.
You are inventive and creative, but you are never weird.
What Does Your Latte Say About You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourlattesayaboutyouquiz/

2007-09-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

***You Are a Blue Crayon***
Your world is colored in calm, understated, deep colors.You are a loyal person, and the truest friend anyone could hope to find.On the inside, you tend to be emotional and even a bit moody.However, you know that people depend on you. So you put on a strong front.
Your color wheel opposite is orange. Orange people may be opinionated, but you feel they lack the depth to truly understand what they're saying.
What Color Crayon Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorcrayonareyouquiz/

clean up!

2007-09-08T13:06:00.001-05:00

Well I decided to wash out the trash cans out in the yard. Such fun I spotted the ember pot by the fire pit and decided to clean it up and take it back in to put by the fireplace. I flipped it over and there was a small black widdow spider! I didn'r even know they had those in Kansas. I asked my roomate if she had ever seen one and showed it to her. She grew up in this house and she had never seen one. I took it back out and smooshed it and then kicked myself for not getting a picture of her. She was a young girl. I'm sure her family has to be around here some where. I'll definitely have to keep my eyes open when I am packing the garadge up. Keeping a lookout for brown recluses is bad enough. At least black widdows are easier to see.

Time to rest up

2007-09-03T23:35:00.000-05:00

Well, our huge moving sale is finaly over and it is time to crash! Well, I guess I don't get to rest much since I have to clean up the house so we can show it. Ack!

I added Mikas photo and a Mikascope that I made from it ;) Enjoy.

Mika - Love today - Official Video

2007-08-22T17:23:00.001-05:00

Enjoy :)

Wow! It's been awhyle since I posted!

2007-08-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

Well I was playing with Dumper yesterday. This is Isabella :) I also, thanks to Crafty Chica's blog, found a new artist, musician to LOVE! He is so talented. I haven't Listened to this much music in a long time. His name is Mika. You can hear some of his music on You Tube. And it certainly doesn't hurt that he is adorable either....I wonder how he feels about older women! LOL

Trashion pre trunk show sale!!!

2007-07-15T18:53:00.000-05:00

From July 15-july 27th save 15% in my shop and in other participating shops. Most of the participants are using this avatar in place of their usual one.

Journal page dedicated to Frida Kahlo

2007-07-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

http://www.fridakahlofans.com/

The link is for anyone interested in learning more about Frida Kahlo. I am pretty pleased with the way my drawing came out although I had to scrub out her mustach a bit. The marker I was using wasn't fine enough. Well, it's not a great drawing but considering I haven't done much drawing in years, it is decent. At the top is a picture of Frida transfered onto metal mesh and the one on the bottom is transfered onto a piece of metal tin. I stamped leaves all over the background and then added a light green glaze over the top to give it the jungley background she used in many of her paintings.

The sayings are some of my favorite Frida quotes:

I drank to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

I hope the leaving is joyful and I hope never to return.

I am not sick, I am broken, but I am happy as long as I can paint.

Some pictures I took this morning of the flowers in our fromt yard.

The pompas grass is doing well!

The fire pit in the back yard.By our front porch are some tiger lillys.The little garden area by the mail box is finally looking decent this year.

My interview is on the Trashion blog!!!

2007-07-03T17:36:00.000-05:00

http://etsytrashion.blogspot.com/2007/07/trashion-team-spotlight-interview.html
Go check it out! I am very excited about it!

Day of the dead

2007-07-02T15:37:00.000-05:00

This one is calle the Ghost Ship. After I stamped the ship in permanent ink I wiped some away to give it a ghostly appearance. I had a ghost punch, and I thought that would reiterate what I was trying to show in this piece.
I hung charms on this one to reflect the use of milagros.

I have been having a blast making these cards for After Midnight Art Stamps. This one uses an encaustic background of melted wax.

Puttin on the Ritz

2007-06-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

Well as soon as I added a top hat to this skelly I kept hearing a song in my head, but what was it. It took forever for my little brain to remember. I used my Wizzard to make the lettering. This is the latest in my samples for After Midnight Art Stamps.

Twofer

2007-06-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

I made these 2 very diferent cards using the same background stamp and came up with 2 very different looks. I can't decide if I like one better than the other. They are samples for After Midnight Art Stamps.

Coming Unraveled

2007-06-17T17:37:00.001-05:00

I found this poor moth eaten pillowcase in my roomates trash and just had to save it. At least I think it is moth eaten. I love the way the white parts have disintegrated and the black is left. I am sure this would be great in some artwork somewhere.

Around town

2007-06-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

A cool building that I found on a photo treck around town last summer.

Towering inferno

2007-06-14T18:12:00.000-05:00

It is getting hot out there! So here is a cool piece I have in my shop that has lots of yummy layers of acrylic paints and art stamps. Cool!

Back to work

2007-06-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

I have been feeling a bit better this week and have been able to get a few things done. The first pictures are of a shrine I created for After Midnight Art Stamps for their sample board. It is light weight. Made from a box that a stamp set came in, covered with hand made paper and metal repose'.
This is an expariment I did with glue and powdered mica on orange glossy card stock. It was inspired by my Yahoo group - Janes Lab. Yummy texture and brilliant shine.

Another blast from the past

2007-06-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

My arm continues to cause me much grief and pain, so here is another oldie but goodie.

Welcome to the jungle!

2007-05-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

I thought I would show off a couple of my favorite cards today :) They aren't new but I have not been real productive this week due to my arm being messed up. Still, I thought someone might enjoy them.

New ideas and products

2007-05-29T16:03:00.000-05:00

I was thinking one night about what I could come up with that is new and fresh to sell in my store. I have been saving tins of all kinds to use in artwork of various kinds. Some of them I just can't bare to cut up though. I came up with the secret stash necklace and wristlet. They kind of remind me of middle eastern prayer boxes or poison rings. I didn't want to alter them too much. I wanted them to show what they are, kind of like the license plate purses, and yes I do have a stash of lisense plates just waiting for me to get inspired. I have a ton of cigar boxes to use for purses too, but haven't had the heart to change them from the beautiful items that they are, and so I store my supplies in them. I guess it would work better if I got a bunch of same ol average ones, but I always look for ones that are unique. It's all good :)

Craziness

2007-05-22T00:26:00.000-05:00

Laundry can be a whole lot of fun when you get kids involved. LOL Nothing is sacred around here.

More mushrooms

2007-05-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

Fungi

2007-05-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

I took a stroll around the yard and spotted some mushrooms and decided to take some pictures. I found several diferent kinds in various areas of the yard. I don't know what they are but they are interesting to look at.

Happy Graduation

2007-05-03T18:46:00.000-05:00

I have been busy making these origami book boxes since seing them on CraftTV a few weeks ago. This one is for a friends graduation. They are such fun little things to make I can hardly stop myself. They would be so cool with little pictures in them too. I have already given several away. Each type of paper I try makes it look completely new, so I haven't gotten bored making them yet.

Last weekend we worked outside on exterminating the carpenter bees. We filled the holes with steel wool and then caulked over the top. Hopefully that will put an end to them eating our porch. It is pretty sad when even Orkin won't come back. LOL

Working

2007-04-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

I have been working on getting some swaps out of the way and there is a wedding and graduation comming up. So I have been a buisy little beaver. I will post more pictures as time allows.

Play day

2007-04-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have just been playing with my newest Wizard dies and making all kinds of strange paper dolls. This one is called Tiki Time.

The weather is great. Nice and windy here. We have all been spending alot of time on the back porch, just vegin out. The kitties all join in the relaxation. The bad news is the carpenter bees are back. Not as many as there were last year though. We had Orkin come out and spray them and plug up the holes. They came out about 3 times. They decided not to do the evil fat bees any more. We tried filling the holes this year and the durned things ate threw the stuff we used. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Help!

Bunny Box

2007-04-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

I just listed a cute bunny box and the other day I listed a metal curio.

I am hoping that they will sell. Both are higher in price than most of my items but they took alot of time to complete.

Patinad Copper

2007-04-09T15:36:00.000-05:00

This is a piece that I have been working on using copper tooling tecniques and than a pitana added with amonia and salt.

A snowy day in april

2007-04-05T16:39:00.000-05:00

Last week was so nice outside. Carole and I went to work getting the yard ready for the warm weather to come. We moved some plants to new homes and planted some seeds by the mailbox in hopes that someday something would actually grow there. I made a little garden spot out there 7 years ago and the only thing that comes back besides the weeds is a lemon balm plant. Everything else has died. Nothing will grow around the mailbox. Is it so wrong to want a pretty plant to grow in that spot? This years trial is some snapdragon seeds someone gave me. A huge bag of em. Hope against hope they will grow. I also was given 2 well started pampas grass plants. I put them by the bird bath. The ones I planted by the mail box several years ago died. Ok, so I am bad about watering, but there are plants that grow well with little care. Most everything in our yard grows without any attendance. It is just the things I actually want to grow that have bad attitudes.

So, now that we have planted and moved plants it has started snowing. Yup, it has been snowing all day. The lilacks have bloomed. The trees have all bloomed and budded and now it is snowing. The open windows have been closed. The heat has been turned back on. The poor plants that we moved haven't even had a chance to settle in. Poor things.

Beads, beads, beads

2007-03-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

I just finished loading several batches of beads to my store. I decided it was time to clean out my polymer clay beads to make room for new things. I will never use them all and I usually end up buying from someone else and using those. It is kind of like my cooking. If I made it, I don't like it as much as when someone else cooks. This is all older stuff anyway. I haven't played with clay in quite some time. I love it but it hurts my hands too much. I realy would love to get a motor for my pasta machine. Then I might play with clay more. For now....I'll sell mine and buy from others. LOL

Another day in paradise

2007-03-21T20:13:00.000-05:00

Haaaaaaa, spring is beautiful. Unfortunately I had to work like just about everyone else, but when I got home I ploped outside on the back porch and took advantage of the great weather.

Had to share my little alter ego here :) I had fun playing dressup one night when I couldn't sleep. And of course she has a black cat with her too. What a fun site for mindless hours of goofing off.

Playing

2007-03-17T19:23:00.000-05:00

I have been playing with spin art the past few days and having a blast! Theese use photo paper and alcohol inks. I think they turned out wonderful.

Ode To Abby

2007-03-17T18:59:00.000-05:00

Soft and furry,

fluffy too,

you were my friend when I was blue

When I was happy

or even sad,

your mere presence could make me glad.

You were the best friend I ever had.

For my sisters friend who lost her fur baby. Elvira helped with foot prints when she jumped onto my desk into the wet paint.

Time for change

2007-03-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

Todays listing:

Ah it's that time of year again! Finaly, my car clock will be right. LOL I miss living in a state that doesn't do the time change thing. I honestly wish they would do away with it. Do we realy need to do this?

I spent most of my day editing my ETSY site to account for combined shipping. Ack! 4 pages of edits. I should have done it to begin with. I just made more work for myself in the end. I could stand to add more pictures of many of my items and put international shipping too. I also put in sections so that it will be easier to find things. If you want earings it's listed. Yay!

Last night I played with my new toy. I went to Hobby Lobby to get some tooling foil and got a spin art toy. I had a ton of fun. I used photo paper and alcohal inks. That turned out great. I will have to post some pictures. I found out if you toss on some bombay black caligraphy ink, it will crackle. Oooh,ahhh! Coolness.

New in store

2007-03-10T17:49:00.000-06:00

The latest items in my ETSY store. I was on an earing making binge last week and I will be posting those over the next week or two. I am keeping them at a low starting price of $5.00. Some are slightly higher depending on the materials used.

ETSY and me

2007-03-10T01:08:00.000-06:00

I finally have my ETSY shop up and running. I truly have high hopes for this endeavor. They just came up with this mini shop that you can add to your blog so that is what is on the page. A small glimpse into my store. I am going to try to list a new item every day and the cost isn't too much.

On the creative side, I saw an article in the latest Belle Armoire on Tunisian crochet and had to look it up on the web. I checked into my stash of knitting needles that I got at Goodwill awhile back and there was the hook i needed to try it! I thought I had one! Such luck! It didn't take me long to get hooked on this new(old) art form. I have been working on a scarf and will throw up some pictures. I think it is quite fun and super easy, especially if you already know how to crochet. I love to learn new things, and who knows, I may just enjoy it so much I will use up that pile of yarns exploding from my closet.

The days bad news is my darling kitties brought in a bird last night and there were feathers everywhere. That means cleaning house whether I like it or not. I had to change my bedding too :( My poor back is killing me. I don't put bird seed out any more because the little darlings snatch em right out of the air as it is. I totally would rather they get rodents and moles. They are much less messy to clean up, but i can see how much more fun and challenging it is to a hunter to catch a bird on the fly.