Putting Good Out Into The Universe.....

Today the sewing table is temporarily transformed into an art table again. I will be doing a tele-class with Sarah Bush at 3:00 p.m. today, and wanted everything ready to go. The piece of art on the right is what came out of the last class~~it hangs in my kitchen and brings light to my life daily.

Other goodies in order and waiting:

 
A limited palette plus collage medium and an assortment of well *loved* brushes. A big tin of different pens for mark making.

Stamps, die cuts, ink pads, a preview of two papers I hope to use......

Other papers at the ready, along with scissors, though usually I just tear as it provides a softer edge.
No TV, no news, no bad energy going out.
Just good energy from art, in hopes that somewhere there is a little more it can connect with, and a bit more, and a bit more.
And that we can finally move past tragedy into healing and peace.


Pax....

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend! (no, not THAT kind!!!!)

Now that's more like it. 
THOSE are the type of *diamonds* I am talking about! The type you can WORK WITH. heeheehee!
I am a tool girl. I just love them, and recently made a quick trip into a local supply store, only to come out with a small, heavy bag and a lighter wallet. That seems to be the way things work. But, in my defense, it was full of things I had been waiting for a long while to buy.

I still am in search of the perfect pair of very tapered pinch nose pliers since I broke one of the sides off my good pair, but I did acquire some delightfully useful tools.  ;-) 
Not to be confused with people we call a *tool* for various reasons that have nothing to do with usefulness.....
A nice set of steel stamps, nippers, some electrical fuses strictly for altering into who knows what (glass tubes with metal--how can you resist???), cutting discs for the Dremel, along with ALL...THOSE...BITS...   *swoon*
And then the prize of the day, the baby pliers. Yes, a couple of pair of adult pliers had some quality time alone in the factory at night and thus was brought forth:

These little darlings! In three different tips shapes too....
I am always needing something small to retrieve things, and large pliers occasionally just can't do the job. I think my heart skipped a beat when I found these.
And the timing on all this was perfect as MDM put up the link to sing up for Art Lab #2 about two days later, so I am fully equipped! Well, except fot the leather tool apron, and that is still on my want list.
They didn't have any in black with shiny studs....just the boring split cowhide.
But I can dream.
An artist has to look good as they are deconstructing and reconstructing *things*.
Maybe just goggles and some opera length black leather gloves with heavy metal snaps.  ;-D
(it takes little to amuse me.....)
Ahem....sorry for the short digression. At any rate, I am ready to try out everything and start some serious destruction around El Milagro.
Hopefully nothing structural. I need my studio.




Pax....

Oriental ATC.....Steps, Decisions, and Batteries!

I believe I left everyone stranded part way in the process of making my double sided ATC with a less than cooperative camera......

We all learned to get along!  >:-)

Above are the elements I was working with for the back of the card, the Geisha carefully cut out and seeing how she fit on the card blank.

At this point, I slipped some old Japanese print paper over the card back, layed on a piece leftover from a previous collage to bring up the red in the print and sized up visually where I wanted the Geisha, or if it all works. I was liking what I was seeing, so proceeded.

One thing I felt would help to seperate the Geisha from the background was to flip the paper over and add some colored pencil. This is a good way to change the tone of a print without really doing a lot to it that would change the look and flavor. I just worked with some warmer color pencils, then as shown below, I coated the back with Titan Buff, to seperate it a bit more from the text on the page. This is a neutral barrier---you can do it with white or black, or whatever works with the color of the print you are using. (yes, it is fly by the seat of your pants the first few times.......but pretty quickly you learn!)

At this point, I am still fond the text on the background but feel it is too bland colorwise. The aging of the paper is not enough, so I go in with the fluids and a stamp......

.....And I like this much better. More visual interest, more contrast, and I also brought up just a bit of color on the front of the Geisha with the colored pencils. Can't really see it? Good. That's how it should be. I want it to look like it was the original and not my hand.

These are part of the items used; a very small section of the large stamp was inked with the Distress Ink and applied. The Staz-On was used with two of the tiny stamps for the leaf side. Tacky Glue is my fix-all for putting two pieces of paper together.....and of course, letting them dry under several heavy books, to make sure they are flat.

I was still not happy with the seperation between the Geisha's face and the background, so with a very fine brush, I outlined her figure and that seemed to do the trick. A subtle little thing, but really bringing her forward more. I also used a finely sharpened colored pencil to retrace some of the fine lines in the drawing....again, not obvious. It just makes things *look better*.

And here we have the two pieces side by side. One note; the leaf had pulled away from the backing a bit, so I used the knife to lift an edge and put more heavy gel under, smoothing it with my finger. When that was dry, I coated it with a combination of acrylic glazing fluid and acrylic paint, to restoe the burgundy that had lessened some after all the manipulation and ironing.

And below, the final front image.......

And back, after being glued together. One thing I added as an after thought to the back was the small die cut maple leaves.

I felt it tied the two sides together better with that extra black. Then I edged the piece with a colored Sharpie marker and varnished both sides. The leaf side is gloss, so it appears the leaf is floating on water, and the Geisha side is satin, to give a gentle depth to the aged print.

And that's pretty much it for this piece! I still feel like I am forgetting something here....and I probably am, but it is gone for the moment.

I just cannot do things simply........pffft!

Sometimes I wish I could....but......I really do LIKE this!  :-)

Now go get creative! Happy Monday!

Pax.

ATC Day (which stands for a number of things....)

***First, before I forget, new WELCOMES aboard this crazy blog! Relax....it's fun here!!!***

I would love to say yesterday was a day of many accomplishments and LOTS of ATCs. Somewhere half way through the day, I began thinking about the initials of artist trading cards and decided maybe in my case, it stands for other things......

Wait.....I'm getting ahead of myself.

I have occasionally had people ask how I get inspired to do a piece, simple or complex, of art. Generally they are treated to the *deer-in-the-headlights* stare, followed by the dropped jaw and stammering. Sometimes drooling accompanies the afore mentioned. Not always.

This gives a good idea how my mind works....or doesn't as you may decide.

I had wanted to start searching my piles for images for the two other medical related pieces that will go on the square canvas that have the texture. While I was looking for the box with that ephemera, I noticed I had not answered a letter, so I sat and made stationery for that. (the letter turned into about a three hour project)

I walked it to the mail box and, as we were having extremely strong winds, I noticed a perfectly formed red Japanese Maple leaf on the ground, which I-- of course-- had to pick up. It was supple and fresh, but I wanted to use it NOW.  (you're right; this has nothing to do with the two medical pieces...)

Continuing.......I slapped it between a folded sheet of waxed paper, and covered that with paper toweling and ironed until it was dry, flat and very delicate. Most of the color is retained doing this. Well, then I looked at the size and I thought....hmmmmm....ATC size.

So off to the computer to print some backgrounds from my file of Oriental freebies I have saved FOR EVER. I printed a page out, sprayed both sides of the paper well with workable fixative then set to adhering one piece to a precut ATC card.

I decided that having the leaf hanging over the edge would look better and gently broke off the excess pieces. I also had covered the background print with a glitter paint, which barely shows in the photo. It needed oomph. Then I decided I wanted the Geisha cut out around the print, and I would make a seperate back for the card. (I know....you're supposed to sign them but....well.....it's ME and I want that back covered! And I want it firm so it won't bend easily.)

So there I am, with half the card and cutting the Geisha and the camera decides it has ingested all of it's battery.

Great.

I had this idea of a detailed photo post, but you get two and we were doing good with that.

Now back to the ATC abbreviation. (notice how I never got back to those medical scraps to sort???) I kept thinking the way I work is much like Billy from the Family Circus (for those of us OLD and DECREPIT ENOUGH to remember that delightful cartoon) when his mother would say "Billy, go straight to the store...." and he wandered everywhere humanly possible.

My *ATC* stands for:

Artist: Totally Clueless

When I get batteries, the finished card will be posted, unless I find something else to wander off to do. And that is a good possibility. Or I may forget to buy them when I am in town, and come home with chocolate instead.

But all in all, yesterday was a relaxing sort of day and fun, and I got to stay in the studio so maybe I wasn't supposed to find those medical scraps after all. I mean, I would have had to really concentrate.....and lately, my brain keeps saying it wants a break!

I think I'll just take a short walk with Billy......and be straight back!  LOL!!!

Pax.

A Lovely Award, A Surprise, And A Big Honking Art Haul

First, thanks so much to Silke at Metamorphosis for this award! It was a lovely surprise, and I've been having more surprises of late that have been...hmmmm.....less than lovely; in fact, plain not nice! It is the small things that make you smile that always put life back on the right track when the world is determined to pull you in another direction!

I have to list ten things that make me happy: can I limit this to ten????

1. Bloggers, because they are the nicest people out there and writing this blog for the followers as much as myself makes me very happy!

2. Being back on my feet enough to create some minor art and feel like a human being again; that is a biggie and makes me smile....  :-)

3. Getting to have Big Macs two days in a row! I KNOW!!!! They are not good for me but my craving for meat since surgery has been unbelievable......

4. Finding, on the Robert Genn Twice Weekly Newsletter site a reply to one of his letters, from *MOI* with my entwined hearts accompanying the text!

That was a great surprise that made me very happy! You can find it HERE if you feel inclined to read...half way down the page.

5. My little bellowing Budgies, that keep me on my toes and are a constant source of amazement. (How can all that "PEEP!" come out of that tiny body??? Earplugs, anyone?)

6. Walking again without knee pain. The hip surgery straightened the leg, and thus removed the knee pain, and the pricey cortisone shots. How good is that???

7. Some cool tattoo-style designed t-shirts I picked up on sale! With hearts on them! 

8. My art haul from Hobby Lobby today, pictured below. Things like metallic printed vellum was on sale for 15 cents a sheet, media to carve stamps from @ $1.79 on clearance, other goodies, and the Raisinets are, of course, for ENERGY to make art!  ;-)

Click the pic if you feel the need for more details......this was my first art shopping trip since being laid up! I was happy......oh yeah! Ask my plastic!!! LOL!!!

9. Getting in before the bad weather that is predicted hit. Ice does not make me happy when driving in it. No. Not at all, so my cozy home with a cup of hot tea makes me exceedingly happy.

10. Everyone who made a purchase from my Zazzle store....you made me happy!

And an extra, because I don't follow rules too good.......heehee!

11. Passing this on to ANY FOLLOWER who wishes to pick it up. I think everyone who reads and comments are worthy of an award for diligence, honesty and humor (or commisseration, as the case may be!), and y'all start my day off great. So click that award pic, save it, and make your own list of ten things that make you happy! Then pass it on to ten fellow bloggers, or do what I did and leave the joy there to be grabbed! MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY!!!!

As I sit in the mornings with my coffee, in the dark quiet before the hustle and bustle of the day in the outside world, hearing the little sound of mail coming in and replying to comments and visiting blogs, I couldn't be happier or more content.

Life can be so simple, and so extremely good. To all my friends......

Pax.

P.S. I posted this last evening. This morning, the *bad weather* I mentioned is here, howling like a banshee and making me even more thankful for being in. Everything is delayed due to ice on the roads and I have not yet ventured to the National Weather Service site to see what delights are out there. And I'm not opening the door either..... unitl poor DH has to go out to work.
For any of you who live where it is fairly warm and have decent weather, pluck the award and just put you're thankful for your lovely skies ten times. The rest of us will understand!  ;-)

Unbelievable......There Is ART!!!!

Will miracles never cease......give me some studio time and things actually happen! This all started with an odd piece of light weight brown paper that had come as packing in something. It had interesting texture and I had kept it for MONTHS. It laid on the kitchen counter, getting no closer to the studio until the Great Holiday Sweep, to find the counters and cover them with appropriate pretties. Which is about normal here.....

It was large enough that it yielded two decent size pieces, and I chose to leave the top torn edge, as I found them more visually interesting that way. First I painted roughly with off white acrylic and a float medium; I did not want gesso as I felt it would grab too much. I wanted the substrate to be smooth enough to smoosh things around. Yes, *smoosh* is a very technical term......I also had some paper toweling I had painted with fluid acrylic, on a day where I ran to the cellar for a whole ten minutes. I was having a fit to pull it apart and try it on something.

I stamped tissue paper for the B&W images, then began building color and texture through paint, stamps, embossing and finally, glitter.  The close up below shows it a bit better. I was just having fun, seeing what would work with what and trying to keep the two as semi mirror images shape wise but not content wise. And being extremely impatient, I heated an old iron, got my teflon pressing sheet and heat dried things as I went. It did some unusual texture in the gel medium....not at all bad but too subtle to show up here. I probably ruined the sheet for fabric work but it works great in the studio!!! :-)

After getting the two sheets to a point where I knew I needed to stop, I took the brown paper remnants and some leftover white tissue paper and stamped them for future collage work. I think I could get into making collage papers to sell. There is something quite satisfying in that phase alone! Plus, I collect a lot of brown paper, and other odd papers, and it all takes ink differently....hmmmmmm.....Etsy? After the first of the new year?

But no, this was not the end of the day---I was on a roll from not having had time to work with messy stuff, soooo.....next photo please...

.....I bravely opened the packet of cardstock ATC blanks and got my pack of water soluble crayons and Sharpies and began doodling, producing the two cards below.

And it was FUN! Like I mentioned yesterday, had my hands not given out, there probably would have been five to post, all variations on a theme. They were my moment of complete epiphany for the day---the lightbulb slowly buzzed and blinked a few times, then went on full bore!

Now I know why people MAKE THESE. Sorry...you're dealing with a Type A personality, and sometimes the simplest of concepts do not translate into Anne-Land. I just don't see it and go my merry way and that's that. But it was wonderful to have this small project while stuck in front of the TV and I'm thinking maybe I should take a pack with me to the hospital when I am unwillingly confined, craving intellectual stimulation, or just trying not to lose my mind. (more like the last option...)

So that was my studio day. I think the two top papers might get mounted on a black 12"x12" canvas panel each; they look great hung as a pair. But I need to think that out yet. I'm feeling like I need texture for the bakground areas. In the mean time, I'll probably tinker with the collage papers and ATCs.

And then I have the church work that needs to get notes made, so my time is getting busier and busier.

And oh yes, I have to wrap the goodies for DH for Christmas before the hospital stay. Ack.

Thus, I am off to try and accomplish a few things and hope y'all have a creative and good day, with little things to show at the end of it.

The small accomplishments are the biggest of blessings!

Pax.

Work, work, work.......mini-rant.......work, work.....

Breaking News! Go to yoborobo for a delightful Halloween giveaway! Now!

(and now, back to scheduled rant....)

.....ACK! I am in a state of getting further behind rather than any ahead, though I must admit yesterday had it's UP moments.
Like when I was UP crawling on the cutting tables, trying to get the batting and fabric all in order, marking edges and then hitting everything with the temporary adhesive, that I am quite sure will require another can for the completion of the second banner. And did I mention that only half of the work surface is real table? The rest is home exterior foam insulation on two rickety metal ironing boards. That works fine when one stands at the sides and works, but crawling atop it.....no. Bad idea.
I am back to the exercise of crawling UNDER the table to get from one side to the other to work, which seems safer at the moment than trying to flop myself over the top. This hip business is, well, a great nuisance! And a pain in the arse...and groin too. I know, way to much info....la, la, la, la, la.......
I also had the dubious *pleasure* of spending (wasting?) I don't know how much time on the phone with a customer service rep from one of the very MAJOR credit card companies, who got themselves in deep financial ca-ca, so to bail themselves out, they have passed it on to the honest, paying users of said card, to the tune of 29.9% interest rate. Yep. Loan Sharking is legal kiddies! If you're corporate, and you've screwed up, you just pass it on to people who have done right by you since 1990. The person at the other end---and I do mean OTHER END, because he could barely understand my language and I could barely understand him!--- kept trying to get me to transfer a CC balance onto said Loan Shark Card. I kept telling him I wanted a lower interest rate and I did not carry a balance!!! He was clueless.........it was a perfect case of Catch 22.......around and around. I hung up. This was just a broad, across the board interest rate raise before laws come into effect to STOP stuff like this. Ai-Yi-Yi. Where is my USA???? Who abducted the Country I so loved growing up? The honesty? The work ethic? Oy.........
Anyway, back to the work.......I guess, in protest of said company and their policies, that I will have to ask more up front from churches I work for, to make sure all the costs are covered and use a debit card, thus avoiding adding another third onto a commission price. See, this was all going somewhere. Everything I order or consider will have to be firm in stone, which hurts my clients as well as my creativity.........I really, really detest big business. May they have the fleas and fire ants from a thousand sandy acres firmly take up residence in their nether regions. >:-)
So I'm back to the banners, which thankfully all the supplies are paid for, and the second set too, where I have paid for everything needed. Then when delivered, the cash into the account to be saved for the newest commission, a lovely wallhanging for a more modern church......I'll post the sketch when everything is finalized.
Okay, I'm off my high horse now. Or low jack-ass, as the case may be.
That wasn't even a rant......how pitiful!
I am definitely aging....... >:-(
Off with ye---find people to enter the big milagro box give away. We might as well have a little fun from the good old days of CC purchases, which are, officially, no more.
As always.....

Pax.

300th Post, A Most Lovely Award, Welcomes....Oh Yes, and a Blog Give-Away!!!

A few days off from the blog and what happens? Wonderful things! First, a most heartfelt thank you to Ces for the above honor. Please click the image and go read the post behind the creation of the award. It is a marvelous history of how this came about and needs to be read and savoured. To say I was speechless and stunned is mild. I had even debated, before receiving this, about not posting yet because I felt at 300 posts, you should have something of importance to say. And I was not feeling particularly important word-wise, or even remotely intelligent. I wanted something really soulfully good for my readers.

Maybe I have done a bit of that already.......I hope so.

I truly DO.

Another delightful duty on the blog is when I welcome another follower here, and a hearty WELCOME goes out to Sophia, who has joined our little band of mirthful mixed media miscreants! (just kidding...we encompass a LOT of different types besides mixed media and miscreants; even normal people are most welcome here! LOL!!!) Join in when you feel like it......

And now to what I hope will make me worthy of the above award. I had debated doing a give-away of a piece of art, wanted to do it before Halloween, which I knew wasn't going to happen and then it struck me...why not share some of the items I make art from, and see what happens? Why not put together a mixed media goodie box and let another artist do their thing, or share the contents with one of their friends, or just have fun pilfering the contents?

I believe artists have a responsibility to pass things to other artists; knowledge, joy, support, advice, information, love, care, and in this staggeringly tight economy, if you can do it....supplies. Now, when I buy things, I....ummmmmm....usually get a little TOO MUCH. So sharing eases my wallet's guilt pangs and makes my soul a bit lighter knowing that ALL ARTISTS are like little kids when it comes to supplies......it's Christmas morning and we're ripping into the packages at warp speed!

Therefore, I present to you:

"El Milagro's Milagro-Box-Mixed-Media-Supply-Give-Away!!!"

I know....it's a long title, so you can whack it down to fit your side bar. There are papers and fancy napkins and paint and oddities; canvas and pearls, bottle caps, things that may not be in the photo too, because I want to have a good, healthy box to ship! Oh yes, if you look close, there are 5 real milagros! (that's like parting with blood for me......)
So here's the rules to play:

1. Leave a comment and it's one entry. Same goes if you are on Facebook and don't blog, but see this. Leave a comment there, I'll count you in.
2. If you leave a comment and then have a link and pic on your blog, that's two entries.
3. If you leave a comment, link and pic on your blog, and become a new follower, THREE chances to win this.
4. The winner will be chosen by my fancy schmancy Random Number Generator (thank you Random.org!) so it is all legit.

Naturally, I won't be replying to the entry comments as I normally do others......I will be keeping count on everything fair and square, and I may be off blog as far as new posts for a bit to get some work caught up. I've not abandoned nor forgotten y'all! And I will try and visit your blogs to leave comments..... ;-)
I want everyone to have fun, and I especially want to make sure the contents go to an artist who works with mixed media, or to someone who might know another artist who would like to try it but just can't come up with all the supplies from the staggering lists of things we use.
We've all been there; one item shy for a project, and an artist friend comes by and says, oh, use some of mine. Encourage people to enter!
So please my dear blog sisters and brothers, let's get this give away info around and find the box a good home, and let the creativity begin!!!
I will draw the winning number on November 1st, All Saints Day.....because I have had the privilege of meeting so many good people in this blogosphere we call home.
Until we chat here again, which no doubt won't be long.....I bid you, most humbly.....

Pax.

Day Two of Art Redux

After being unable to have time to get to the comments as they came in yesterday, I thought it would be worth it to answer/comment on thoughts and ideas in todays posts. Above is another of my unfinished masterpieces (channeling the Grinch here...."HA!" ....have to get the nasal inflection right!) that I do really LIKE but don't think I will want to finish the way I did the others in the series and no, I have no photos of those. They were done in an extremely rushed time and I was doing good to get the paint out of the brushes.
But I digress.......a lot......

So I think from the comments that we established the fact that we all have these items, and can't dump them. Now, I believe it was Jean that was asking about the canvas panel---yes, these are the flat, cheap panels. They take a lot of abuse, are relatively inexpensive and can be mounted to other heavier panels, objects, etc. for permanence. I order by the box from Dick Blick and get a humdinger price. I don't know about the quality of other companies; Blick's are good so I continue to use them. (read that.....I have a LOT) Jean also mentioned about a face being worked into the piece in yesterday's post and that is odd because that was the first thing I thought of when I was taking it to the worktable. So that's a possibility!
Linda suggested that everyone send me a *little something* to use or be inspired by, and I won't say no to something in the mail!!! That's a possibility. I'm such an unscrupulous mooch...... ;-)
Pam suggested we all go to our poor little misfit art drawer, take something out and either:
A. Make it worse---or---
B. Make it better!
She also intimated she has a lot to choose from.....I doubt that!
Audrey said she was considering digging out some old painting and seeing what she could do with it! You go girl!!!!!
Val has seen my studio so she knows how much stuff lays unfinished and we both commisserate about it. Yes, she has the little lost artworks too!
So I am hoping tomorrow to really get down to business on the piece, or spend a lot of time going through my computer files of images, looking for things that might bring new life into the work. And I am pretty sure rubber stamps and paperclay will be involved. By the way, the paperclay website has other types than what I use, and I might just have to---at some time in the near future---order one or two of the other varieties to see how they handle with the stamps.
Well, we've bared our sins and souls here, so you know the daily mantra:
Let's go make art!
That stays out in the open.....on display..... ;-)

Pax.

More Texture, Please

Continuing from yesterday, these are the corners with the pumice gel added. It is a product made by Golden and is good, but I mix it with a regular weight matte gel to keep it from being too heavy. I assume it is meant to be mixed with paints----I just want it as a base that I can then tint, glaze, or gently brush color over.
First I work in some black, letting the brush lay sideways over the rough surface.


When that dried, I mixed some Jacquard Aztec Gold powder with GAC 200 and gently hit a few places for some beautiful gold highlights. The two products work well together; the powder lets you get your glaze as thin or intense as you need. I find that having it just short of stiff it right to catch on the bits of pumice medium. Notice there is not enough of either to obscure the interference color laid on with the rubber stamp.

These are a few of the other elements I will be using in the piece. The stamped image is deliberately blurry; I loaded the stamp with Staz-On ink and then stamped on dressmakers tissue. Got a nice aged look, similar to old books when the presses were run by hand. The bottle cap is coated with black fluid acrylic on the back, then the inner lip is gilded with the GAC 200 and powder. It shines much more when you actually see it. These were shot in the wet studio as opposed to upstairs where the light is better.

That's all you get for now. I am still tinkering with layers of paper that are taking a bit longer than I thought to get the dimension I want. I could have used molding paste, but I don't think it would have given me the smooth appearance I need on this part.

Tune in again!

It will be the same, but DIFFERENT!!!

Now go have fun!

P.S. If you can't afford pumice gel, get a box of budgie grit and a small jar of matte gel medium. Put some medium out on a glass palette or plate, then gently add the grit. Add only a bit at a time; you don't want concrete your first go. (or maybe you DO, which is okay too). Experiment with this---I have used something similar to edge out canvas panels and it is a very economical way to add surface or tooth to artwork.

BLATANT PLUG!!!

Manto Fev!!!!

(Photo provided by Sara Hopp; copyright Manto Fev.)

Okay kiddies, let's be fairly honest here. Other than blatantly begging you all to read something, or to comment, I try and let you just have your way with the blog. I write, you read, we post, life is good.
Today is different. I absolutely ORDER you to hit the link on the sidebar in "Places To Visit" that says "Manto Fev". Because that will take you to a blog of the STORE from which I order all sorts of goodies that end up in my art.
First off, I love the name.....it sort of rolls off the tongue like a fine wine or the name of a swanky hotel in Europe. Second, Sara Hopp, who--along with Stella the Wonder-Dog--is the proprietress, has great prices and some of the quirkiest things out there for altered art. I mean, where else can you get actually old Rx's---the hand written type where the prescription was really written ingredient by ingredient for the pharmacist? (I bought a load...) Or imported foreign language paper from books that is worth buying just for the texture of the paper? Or great vintage bottle caps (I have way too many), or quirky skull beads that even by MY standards are QUIRKY! Or one of a kinds, new old stock, Joss paper of all types, Hell Money, antique gold pen nibs, beads, charms, buttons, sequins, stuff too numerous to mention........WHEW!!!! Then there are the German gold foils, labels and stickers, textiles such as sari fabrics, kimono fabrics,vintage fabrics, and a whole section simply titled "Fun Stuff". Interest piqued yet? :)
That little list does not even begin to scratch the surface of what is in stock. It is always a fun romp through the pages, especially since Sara, ummmmm, has a sense of humor similar to your dear authoress. In other words, a tad irreverent! It's fun to read about things you probably won't buy, but after you read it, you might buy one just for the heck of it! (ask me how I know on that......except I usually buy multiples.....) It's just a darned fun site to visit, with credit card in hand. Okay, you're allowed a look WITHOUT the CC, but come back with it.
Now what, pray tell, do I do with the things I purchase? Photos speak louder than words!

(Remaining photos by Anne M Huskey-Lockard unless otherwise indicated; all rights reserved)

Here is a small selection of things I couldn't live without, plus my handy-dandy paper punches and a piece of antique paper that had been stamped and embossed. By selective use, some of that turns into:

THIS!!! All the paper in the heart is Japanese paper from Manto Fev. The small stars are tinted Chinese text I ordered too. Just use those fluid acrylics and have fun! You can cut tons of stars from one sheet of paper, so there's room for boo-boos.
And then there is the Frida and Diego piece, whose leaves are all torn from a Spanish text book. Could I have made this with regular paper? Sure. Would it have been nearly as interesting? I don't think so. People are always drawn in the moment they see the text.
So don't just take my ramblings as the blatant truth (even though it is); go visit Sara's Blog, and then her store and see if you don't find something you can't live without. And did I mention she ships quickly???? So if you DO find something you can't live without, it will be in your hot little hands in a short amount of time.

You don't want to disappoint Stella, the real Ruler of Manto Fev, do you???

(Photo provided by Sara Hopp; copyright Manto Fev)

Well, do you??????Have a fun creative day and a leisurely look around! Get something new to fire up your art! Enjoy yourself!Now go make art!!!!!