We Have a Winner!

Thank you so much to those who commented on my giveaway post.  I'm not the most prolific blogger, so I appreciate that you hang with me. 

My DH goes to sleep before me and leaves the house before I get up, so I left him a message in my scrawly 2:30 a.m. handwriting asking him to pick the winner before he left for work. Each name was printed on a strip of paper, all the same size, and placed in a little bowl (someday I'm going to have to learn to use the random number generator, but the DH method will have to do for now.)  And the winner is...

Congratulations, Wanda! I hope you enjoy the goodies.

I appreciate each of you who took the time to comment.  For the four who commented but didn't win, please send me your mailing address (if we've not communicated via USPS before) to junqueseeker@yahoo.com and I'll send you a Valentine tag.

Sweet Bird of Winter

I was beyond thrilled to win this beautiful canvas by Becky Shander!  Her pieces are so subtle and calming, and I'm always in awe of her work. 

 

If you read Somerset publications I'm sure you've seen many of her creations.  If you're not familiar with her work, please visit her website here.  You can see additional photos and read about Becky's recent blog giveaway here.

Thank you, Becky!  I will treasure this always.

Valentine's Giveaway

I just finished a few Valentine's tags and listed them in my Etsy shop.  I'm hoping to make more. It takes me longer than it should, but I enjoy the process. The sweet little girls came from The Graphics Fairy and the man with umbrella is Tim Holtz.

Making these tags put me in the mood for a Valentine's giveaway.  I owe you a giveaway from my 100th post last October, and this seems like the perfect time.  If I wait much longer there will be another milestone to celebrate!

One lucky person will receive a selection of ribbons (including two from French General); doilies (red, pink and gold hearts plus a few of the vintage Royalies I found last fall); a few labels, Dresden birds and velvet leaves from French General; and an assortment of buttons and other goodies that should have you making your own Valentine's tags in no time.  Of course, there will be a few surprises included, too!

If you'd like a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post by midnight CST on Tuesday, January 23, then check back on Wednesday for the name of the winner. 

Please share the fun and let your friends know about the giveaway.  Love and good luck to all!

The Best Friday the 13th Ever

The class last Friday with Donna Downey was amazing!  It was a 3-hour class, designed to get participants into the mind set that whatever you do in your art journal is yours and it's okay.  It wasn't like any class I've had before, but I felt like it was just what I needed.  To get the full benefit, I also took the 5-hour class on Saturday.  There were about 30 people in each class - limited by space only, I'm sure.

To begin, we each received one of Donna's expandable journals.  Those of us taking both the Friday and Saturday classes received two.  I worked in one both days and am saving the other for later.  One thing I love about Donna's journals is that the covers accommodate the filled pages.  The journals come with one signature and room for another.  She also puts the smaller "insert" pages on each spread to challenge you to think outside the box and come up with something to complement the rest of the spread.  

One of our first instructions was to take a pencil and put something on a blank page.  I wrote "just begin" and wasn't happy with it at all.  We then painted a page and drizzled ink over it.  I didn't work on this spread much more during class but added a few things at home and ended up with this.  I'll probably add more later.

Here are a few of my other pages.  I'm sure I'll be adding more to them later, and still have several blank pages to work on. Bear in mind that I've never had any formal art training other than a junior high art class, and my talents lie more in the sewing area. Please be kind.

We were asked to add certain shapes and colors to a page.  Mine was green circles and triangles.    

We tried photo transfer using gel medium.  I added the suitcases cut from a magazine.  More to do on this page.

This one started as torn paper mosaic.  It still needs something - just not sure what.

This is my favorite spread so far.  I have no idea why as these are not colors I'd typically use, but I love it as is and most likely won't add anything else.

At one point we were told to take our books, move to someone else's area, and use their supplies.  I love this tree screen.  The shadow of the woman was a failed photo transfer that lifted some paint leaving an outline. I like it.

The directions for this spread were to use tape on two pages in two different ways.  I love the stamps and the horse image cut from a magazine, plus the little bit of cardboard given to me by a table mate.  I'll probably add some journaling at some point.

If you have the opportunity to take one of Donna's classes, I would recommend them.  She also does Inspiration Wednesday each week on her blog, and has archives of many of them.

Donna Downey Classes

Donna Downey is in OKC this weekend and I'm excited to be taking two journaling classes with her.  My tote is crammed full of things for the class.  Certain things you bring must fit into a one-gallon zip bag (curious to know the reason behind that) but you get to bring lots of extras.  If all goes well I'll have something fun to show after the weekend.

P.S.  I haven't forgotten that I owe you a giveaway.  I had an idea that didn't really pan out, but I promise there will be something within the next few weeks.

Happy New Year!

This is the story of my life and something I should work on this year, but hey, why change now?  Ha!

I started this post on January 1, and here I am on the tenth finally putting it out there.  I've been thinking back over my favorite excursions this year, all the fantabulous junque I found, and my favorite craft projects.  While there were many of each, I hope to have even more traveling, junqueing, and creating to share in the coming months.

The day after Christmas I traveled to San Angelo, TX with my parents to visit my oldest brother and his family.  We had a great visit, including a shopping day at the mall and the thrift stores.  My sister-in-law loves to junque as much as I do, and her mom is a junquer from way back.  Her parents just moved and downsized, and Jackie saved me a few things from her mom's stash - some lovely old photo holders, glass Christmas ornaments, a very vintage Scrabble game, and this little cardboard village made to go over a string of Christmas lights.  Aren't they the cutest? I'm going to look forward to next December when I can display them.

  

Jackie also gave me a cute green log planter, shown below with a wonderful vintage wire "in" basket and a map puzzle that my niece Jen gave me.  I'm already using the basket, and have a few ideas for the puzzle pieces.  The planter has been added to my chartreuse collection.

From San Angelo, we traveled to Odessa, TX to visit my sister and her family and my brother's younger daughter and her family.  While there we saw a great movie - We Bought A Zoo.  I highly recommend it.  My sister gave me some fun lace, trim and buttons that she got from her mother-in-law.  I've already used a couple of pieces of lace, and look forward to incorporating more in the things I make this year. I especially love the green trim and the red, white and blue flowered trim.

I received several fun gifts before the holidays, too, but they were sorted and used before I got photos.  Thanks to my friends and family for supporting my creative and junqueing habits!

Wishing you a year filled with creativity and fun finds!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year! 

However you celebrate, we hope you have

family, friends and pets with you to share in the magic of the season.

Buttons, Doilies and Tags

I was totally surprised one day last week to find a package from Laurie on my porch.  She sent me the most wonderful little case filled with buttons.  She painted and decorated the top beautifully and added "junque seeker."  Then she filled it with a vintage doily and so many lovely buttons.  There's a large bag and several smaller bags, and she let me know that these are for crafting. I can tell you that quite a few will be kept in my stash of "the best stuff."  She is so sweet and generous, and talented, too!

I hemmed a few pairs of pants for our niece, and when she picked them up she brought me a bag of treasure - a large plastic bag stuffed with doilies!  There were fifty in all - whites, creams, multicolors, simple, fancy, you name it.  She got them at the thrift store for less than $2.  All that work by so many people for just $2, but I'm thrilled to have them!

I've done a little bit of miscellaneous crafting this week.  I bought an ugly sign at the discount store for $1.50 and recovered it in cute Santa paper. I'm still adding embellishments so it's not complete but I think I'm going to like it. It has a curly wire for hanging that will be reattached when it's complete.

Friends came over on the 10th to make cards and tags. I had a bad case of allergies so didn't accomplish much while they were here, but they did inspire me and I've worked on a few tags since then.  These two were made from old Christmas cards.

I've also been working on tags for my great nieces. I'll get to see them next week and wanted to make a little something for them to hang on their doors or in their rooms.  Here are two in progress, and I have several more to go.  Lots of girls in this family!

That's it for now.  Hopefully I'll make more progress tomorrow.

Stocking Swap

Last month I joined in on a stocking swap hosted by Cerri at The Little Pink Studio. We were to make or buy a stocking, embellish it, and fill it with vintage and other treasures for our swap partner.  My partner is Danielle, whose art is amazing.  She likes vintage shabby chic and not a lot of bright color, so I made a burlap stocking trimmed with a vintage dresser scarf, burlap roses and vintage millinary flowers. I filled it with Prima flowers and buttons, a couple of ornaments I made, a tiny Paris-themed calendar, vintage doilies, and other fun things.

Although Danielle isn't a big fan of a lot of bright colors, I saw a lot of dress forms, chairs and chandeliers in her work, so I thought she might like this banner made from Bari J. Paris Apartment fabrics.  The flowers between the pennants were given to me recently by my friend Chris as part of a handmade embellishment exchange. I hated to give them up, but they were absolutely perfect for this project.

 

I hope Danielle loves everything.  I certainly love everything she sent me!  She embellished a green knitted stocking with a sweet little bird on a nest and beautiful flowers.  She added gorgeous trims, plus a window with tulle curtains, a tiny spool, and itty bitty roses.

She embellished a journal and made a lovely tag. 

She also sent lots of embellishments, chipboard, tags, paper, and other goodies. I have so many new things to work with!

Thanks so much, Danielle!  I couldn't have asked for a better swap partner, and hope you feel the same! 

It's Beginning...

to look a little like Christmas.  I finished a banner and a couple of ornaments today. 

The incredible Jackie Peters taught a banner class at Paper Crown last month, but it was full almost as soon as she announced it.  After the class I learned she had a couple of kits available and I was lucky enough to get one.

I made mine pretty much in line with the class sample, filling in with a few things of my own here and there.  It's very pretty and will coordinate nicely with my Junk Drawer Advent Calendar (if I finish that!)

The two ornaments were quarter items picked up at Target's after-Christmas sale last year. I used some wide wired ribbon Jackie had included in the banner kit to make rosettes and topped them with vintage rhinestone buttons. Pretty!

My Fun News - The Art of Craft at French General

I was reading blogs the other evening when I came across a post from Wanda about The Art of Craft Event at French General.  I read about the event and knew immediately that I wanted to go.  It was late at night - too late to check with my creative buddies to see if anyone else would go along.  If you know me, you know that I don't really like going new places on my own, and that normally I would NEVER commit to something like this without that safety net.  But this was BIG!  And I did meet Wanda in a class at Silver Bella, and we've been in a few swaps together and exchanged a few e-mails since, so I would know someone once I arrived.  With a little encouragement from my very supportive hubby (thank you, sweetie!) I hit the button and signed up!

I'm very happy to say that my friend Chris signed up the following day (we're going to have so much fun!), and I'll get to meet my permanent swap pal Terry there, plus I'll get to see Wanda again!  I was doing a little happy dance, I assure you.

I was fortunate enough to have two classes with Kaari Meng at Silver Bella last year, and have always been a big fan of everything French General.  I have four of Kaari's books, and I drool over every piece of fabric, button, bead and bit of bling she finds.  I'm sure I'll need an extra suitcase to carry home everything I buy there.  Kaari will be teaching a button bracelet class, similar to this.

photo from French General

Pam Garrison and Charlotte Lyons will be teaching a sailor's valentine workshop.  Charlotte taught at Silver Bella 2010, but I didn't have enough time slots available to take her classes.  I'm so happy to have the opportunity now. She and Pam are both amazing.  Here are sample photos for their class.

photos from French General

My first memories of mixed media artwork were from Anna Corba.  I was fascinated with the things she made, and wanted so badly to have that creativity she posseses.  Seeing her name on the schedule is probably what put me over the edge from wanting to attend this event to actually feeling a need to attend. I can't wait to learn from her, and the fact that classes are limited to 30 people means it will be easier to take in everything she has to share. She'll be teaching a beeswax journal.

photo from French General

I'm also excited to learn bookbinding methods from Molly Meng who will teach a 12-month memory book class,

photo from French General

and Michelle Jorgensen will show us how to create this beautiful Valentine box.

photo from French General

As if that wasn't enough - or more than enough - there will be a reception with Jo Packham of Where Women Create! It's going to be such a wonderful event!

I love every project, and another big bonus is that all supplies are provided so we won't have to carry as much with us as we do to some workshops.  Of course, we'll still take our most special bits and pieces to incorporate. 

I'm sure I'll be sharing more before we go at the end of January. If anyone reading this is going to the Art of Craft workshop, please let me know!