One Stop - Buttons and Bows

One Stop's challenge this week is all about buttons and/or bows. I have made a valentine card from a background done earlier today as practice for another challenge, using a distressed gesso technique. Check out TrishBee's method for doing this. The bird, butterfly, and birdhouse stamps were all Christmas gifts. This really isn't quite so much the color of Pepto Bismol as it appears onscreen. I just can't get it exact.

My thanks to my friend Lucille, who supplied me with lots of photo papers from her photo mistakes. That's what the narrow band of color is - a picture that wasn't focused.

Saturday's Workout - Distressed Gesso

What a fabulous technique we have for our Saturday's Workout challenge today. Distressed Gesso is the name of TrishBee's wonderful background method. I used two colors of green dye ink and one of a blue plus the gesso, of course. Other entries are found at SaWo.

Artarazzi -Orange

Artarazzi gave us a gorgeous painting "Boreas" by John William Waterhouse to use in this week's challenge. The other requirement is that we are to use orange.

Yikes! I've Been Tagged

Alison tagged me. Now it is my opportunity to tag six others. I had to go into my photos folder and select the sixth folder in it. From this folder I had to choose the 6th photo to show on my blog and explain.

This is a picture of my granddaughter's sophomore honors convocation at her high school. She is the second in line here. This picture is 4 years old in April! 

I have selected 32 people in the last week to receive honors for awards I received and had to pass on. Forgive me if I skipped you. Please feel free to consider yourself tagged and select the 6th photo from the 6th folder in your photo folder and display on your blog. Please let me know so I can follow up.

Theme Thursday - 4x4

Theme Thursday challenges us this week to use the 4x4 format to make a piece of art. My background has been made with my new Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons. The flower is part of a greetings card that I painted for a friend.

New Award from Judy

What a surprise I got this evening! Judy in New Zealand has given me such an honor. She has sent me this "One Lovely Blog" Award.

I am to give it to seven other artists, who will also pass it on. What an honor! Thanks so much, Judy.

Arja from Finland

Alison from UK

Margaret from Switzerland

Craftaholic Mummy from Luxembourg

Frankie from UK

Lena from Luxembourg

Jo from Spain

Paper Minutes

The penguin ATC was used for another challenge yesterday. I thought it would make a cute greetings card, so I am using it for the image in my collage for a Paper Moments entry today. 

The second entry is a very different kind for me and for this challenge. Since it is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the year of the ox. I am using the Paper Minutes sketch to make an Asian-looking Happy New Year card. The butterfly and swirl were used in a recent Artarazzi challenge. The postcard (6x4) is entirely done with Photoshop.

Crazy Amigo Doors

Doors welcome us into new surroundings or into our old familiar places. Here is my digital skinny (3x5) using our front door and some butterflies from Dover Publications. Crazy Amigo challenge is featuring doors this week.