Art journal pages~

Art journal pages creatively inspired for "ARTWORDS" The theme this week is Curiousity~

So many things I am curious about~ this was hard to narrow down to one curiousity for an art journal page...I could create a whole book on burning questions of curiousities~

Curiousity~
inquisitiveness
interest
rarity

Curious~
a curious mind
inquiring
puzzled
questioning
mysterious
unusual
wonderful

Something new on ebay~ Altered art card book holder~ for your collection of art cards~
It includes 4 "original" art cards, 1 paper tag & 1 wood tag~
on ebay www.velvet-rooms.com

Memorial Day~

It flutters in the spring air revealing honor. The color red represents the blood bloom from those who fell, those who clawed, those who cried in horrible pain. Those who died fast. And, those who died ever so slowly. They did their duty. When I see the flag waving on a sunny, end of May day, the pigment red gushes from millions of souls, floating, not with us, anymore. They are amongst our heroes, cajoling with angels with their champions, conquerors and commanders. Friends and loved ones gather, over the rave, witness to those who gave more than anyone should be required to relinquish. When the moment harshly struck them their fatal blow, they cried alone.

1900's picture from an old photo album I have, and this poem was stuck behind the pic~ I love this pic~

Photo's the old fashioned way...35 milimeter camera with black & white film... does anyone use the old camera's anymore?

Inspire Me Thursday~

I am on a kick these days, finding all these new groups to participate in....they are truly fun & great for new kids... like me!

This group is called "Inspire Me Thursday" founded by Misty Mawn & Melanie/Navy Lane Studio's....this is what they wrote.....

For this weeks challenge let us see how we can use words to express oursleves in our art. Use words in your art or create a piece of art using words alone.
http://www.inspiremethursday.com/

FRAGILE ~ HANDLE WITH CARE
Sometimes I do feel "fragile"
Sometimes I feel like a lil' girl playing grown up
Sometimes I feel as though my wings could break
Sometimes creating art pieces like this, make me feel stronger
xoxo

Experimenting~

Today I am experimenting!

Started with baby face wipes, with no patterns...

~first one with watercolors

~second one with dark inks

I love how these turned out....will be using them for backgrounds~

You should try it! xoxo

~Try it Tuesdays ~This weeks' challenge....transfers

This is a new group founded by "Chrysti" She has a new challenge every Tuesday, for you to try....this is what she writes....

Try It… Then Win It!
A new twist on weekly challenges…
Especially for those of us who are time challenged…
Win Prizes, Learn New Techniques, Become a Featured Artist or Store… and more!!
Ok, Ok, I know what you are thinking..
"ANOTHER? Weekly Challenge? UGH… "
Not So! Read On.. See How Try It Tuesdays is Different..

check out the rest of the instructions on her site... http://tryittuesdays.wordpress.com/


~This is my first entry with this group....and I will say it was a challenge, I always have had problems with transfers, but this one actually worked! not perfect but better than others I have attempted. The bug was transferred onto packing tape~

pity is like a drug~

Art journal pages~ pity is like a drug, but worse~
(no..this is NOT my state of mind ;) just one of my pet peeves~

A simple bracelet, with sterling silver, seed pearls, swavoski crystals & vintage beads~

~Dreams...(graphic)

"Artwords" has a challenge this week, to create something about ...dreams~

I rarely dream, but this particular theme was right in my face....

Nightmares are terrifying dreams; dreams in which our worst fears are brought to life in fully convincing detail. Whatever horrors you personally believe to be the worst things that could happen—these are the most likely subjects of your nightmares. All people, in every age and culture have suffered from these terrors of the night. People's understanding of the origins of nightmares has varied as much as their understanding of dreams. To some cultures, nightmares were the true experiences of the soul as it wandered another world as the body slept. To others, they were the result of the visitation of demons. Indeed, the word nightmare comes from the Anglo-Saxon mare, for goblin or incubus. (An incubus is a demon who comes in the night.)

13 years ago...I fought a huge hideous demon monster in my room....I awoke one night to something breathing spit onto my face, I opened my eyes & this hairy monster with jagged teeth was consuming my whole room, the stench coming from it was nauseating....I have only told a few people the details of this dream as it is quite graphic, bloody & a very long story, so I'll just tell a lil'.....

I fought this monster with a crucifix that was next to my bed, stabbing it & screaming & crying bible verses at it, begging it to leave me!! it growled, snarled, knashed it's teeth & swore profanities at me!!...... it was horrible...I won't tell anymore about the fighting, it makes me shake to think about it....when I did awake, that filthy, vile monster was gone, was I really asleep is what I was wondering, because I was sore & sweating like I had been in a real fight, and I noticed the crucifix that was on my bed table was on the floor.

Back then my life was full of drinking & clubs mostly every night....after that dream...I never wanted to taste alcohol again & I never set foot in another club or bar...I realized a couple weeks after that dream....I fought a real demon that night...it's name was Alcohol~

Artwords http://artwordsclan.blogspot.com/

oh soooo tired~

Have you ever been so out of it...you have put things away, in strange places?!

How about this one! oooohhhh so tired....I was trying to find my cell phone, couldn't find it anywhere...while I am looking I can hear it ringing "faintly" I go in the pantry in which I happen to find the MILK! what the heck is this doing here! proceed to put it in the refrigerator...open the fridge..there is my phone! & it's still ringing, it was my darling hubby asking "how's everything going!?" I didn't tell him~

that morning while getting cereal for the kids...I put the milk away in the pantry & my phone in the fridge.....needless to say mommy needs a break ;)

Creative day~ vintage glass beads~

Art Card "prints"

Love good mail days! I just received my package of new art card "prints" I just listed them on ebay & my etsy shop~
www.velvet-rooms.com
www.izabellah.etsy.com

I love how the colors are so vibrant... the scanner picked up some glare & looks blurry, but in person it really isn't~

This lil fairy girl, is the one that Chel (founder of ZNE) used for advertising for zne, in the Legacy magazine..thanks soooo much Chel!!!! What a shock it was to see my art in print!!

ohhhh should I or shouldn't I....... give away the secret place to order these fine art cards.....hmmmmm.......ok! ;) here's the link, if you want high quality art card prints, of your atc's, here you go! Be sure to follow the directions carefully or you may end up with text over your image...I accidently did that with a huge order, they were all unusuable~

It is through my friend Jewels~ http://www.siteprint.com/store_index.aspx

Balance~

This weeks entry for "Artwords" is Balance~

This word...balance... is weighing heavy on me these days...the more I try to balance, the more I seem to fail in finding that healthy reality, I feel like I am constantly on a scale trying to balance life.

Just like a tornado whirling around in my mind... constant thoughts of what I need get done in a day......taking care of my kids, family, cooking, cleaning, errands, grocery shopping, clean clothes, making lunches, getting kids to school, running home business, clean house, paying bills, doing dishes, washing floors, picking up toys.... the list goes on, it clutters my mind, sometimes I can't sleep at night.....but I am going to find that place where I can let my mind just accept....that things don't have to done in a day, there is always tommorrow~ xoxo

check out this weeks entries from artists...come on & join in! http://artwordsclan.blogspot.com/

A note left on "being tagged"...never occurred to me, as bragging....I would like to clarify... if it sounded that way...I was simply sharing~a visual for those who read my blog~

Glenda said...
You certainly never miss an opportunity to brag about what you have. Must be a certain sign of low self esteem

Izabella said...
Dear Miss Glenda...not an opportunity to brag....just in awe of how did I get here...a closet this big is ridiculous, material things you may take it as bragging, but in my heart it is overwhelming & aweing, it's just material things, I would give it away in a second to anyone who needed it... it's "just stuff"

It's been awhile, but I finally put some art for auction on ebay....3 pieces

http://www.velvet-rooms.com

Tears~

4 x 4 collage

Two sisters~

5 x 7 collage~

Ashes and Snow~

The Vision of Ashes and Snow

“In exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards rediscovering the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images depict a world that is without beginning or end, here or there, past or present.”—

Gregory Colbert, Creator of Ashes and Snow

Gregory Colbert's Ashes and Snow is an ongoing project that weaves together photographic works, three 35mm films, art installations and a novel in letters. With profound patience and an unswerving commitment to the expressive and artistic nature of animals, he has captured extraordinary, unscripted interactions between humans and animals.

His 21st-century bestiary includes more than 40 totemic species from around the world. Since he began creating his singular work of Ashes and Snow, Colbert had mounted more than 30 expeditions to locations such as India, Egypt, Burma, Tonga, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Kenya, Antarctica, the Azores and Borneo.

The show first opened at the Arsenale in Venice, Italy, in 2002. The Nomadic Museum, the permanent home of Ashes and Snow, debuted in New York in 2005 and is charted to travel the globe with no final destination.

The title Ashes and Snow suggests beauty and renewal, while also referring to the literary component of the exhibition—a fictional account of a man who, over the course of a yearlong journey, composes 365 letters to his wife. The source of the title is revealed in the 365th letter. Colbert's photographs and one-hour film loosely reference the traveller's encounters and experiences described in the letters.

Colbert, who calls animals "nature's living masterpieces," chose to film animals in their native habitats in an effort to be true to each animal's voice. The film can be viewed as a work of art as well as a poetic field study. The film was edited by two-time Oscar-winner Pietro Scalia. It is narrated by Laurence Fishburne, and the musical collaborators include Michael Brook, David Darling, Heiner Goebbels, Lisa Gerrard, Lukas Foss, Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and Djivan Gasparyan.

The Ashes and Snow exhibition includes more than 100 large-scale photographic artworks, a one-hour film and two nine-minute film haikus. None of the images have been digitally collaged or superimposed. They record what the artist himself saw through the lens of his camera. While Colbert uses both still and movie cameras, the images are not stills from the film. These mixed media photographic works marry umber and sepia tones in a distinctive encaustic process on handmade Japanese paper. The artworks, each approximately five feet by eight feet, are mounted without explanatory text so as to encourage an open-ended interaction with the images.


This is a must see website, its slow to upload.....I love the music & the words he speaks...very surreal http://www.ashesandsnow.org/
I believe this traveling show is in Santa Monica this weekend. Also, when you get to the website, it is definately worth seeing in both versions, enhanced & basic~ Be sure to check out the handbound books with his works that you can buy....ohhh I want them all!! xoxo

creative morning~

All is quiet in my house this morning, couldn't pass up the opportunity to create a necklace for myself~ I have been dreaming of making a necklace with this vintage rosary I bought in Seattle, the week of Artfest~

I altered it dramatically with vintage beads & used an optical lense I bought off ebay. For the first attempt at making one of these... I am pretty satisfied with the finished piece...but wondering how to....not get bubbles in it!? any suggestions? although in person in looks as if she is under water...with water bubbles...maybe I'll try making mermaids next time :) xo

tagged by Chel !!!

It finally happened...darn it, I got tagged...by Chel ZNE founder http://www.chelandzne.blogspot.com/

Only 5 things! That's going to be difficult to do.....

5 things~

In my fridge...
~soy milk, vanilla & chocolate
~Odwalla drinks
~Cabernet Sauvignon, non alcoholic wine
~pineapple
~organic fresh veggies

In my closet....
~jeans jeans & more jeans & black velvet dresses
~kippy rhinestone belts
~my library
~a couch
~boxes of old love letters...I really should burn them ;)

In my purse...
~my new "Guess" wallet, with too many credit cards
~makeup
~organic gum
~cell phone
~3 pounds of change, I really must clean it out!

In my car....(Harley Davidson truck, yeeehaaaww!)
~New DVD player with movies for the kids
~art journal
~Rumi "The book of love"
~about 100 cds
~car seat & Koletens toys

hey.... that was kind of fun! Now the mean part...tag 5 more lovely people, hmmmm...it seems everyone I know has been tagged...except......
Bernie Berlin http://aplacetobark.blogspot.com/
Romona Ashman http://romonaashman.blogspot.com/
Teesha Moore http://www.teeshascircus.blogspot.com/
Tia Bailey http://thingamajigz.wordpress.com/
Jewels O' Neil http://tisjewel.blogspot.com/

Lost ~

As I was busy working on some art, my 8 year old came over & stood beside me, with all seriousness he said....
"Mommy, you look like you are lost in your own mind" oh, how right he is....I love getting lost in there these days, it's my hideout ~ xoxo

A stranger~ an angel?

This morning I was at Barnes & Noble reading some magazines...a stranger came up to me....he looked straight into my eyes with all sincerity, felt as though he was staring right into my very being(not in a creepy way) he said "you have the most gorgeous hair I have ever seen" then walked away, it was very surreal, almost angelic...when I turned around, he was gone~

Sometimes when you need it most, strangers can say things that can change your perception of yourself, good or bad...today those words were well taken & how it made me feel, was priceless......as today, I was feeling awful about myself & my hair, actually I was contemplating cutting off all of my hair!! I vow to make compliments to strangers more often, if I feel it tugging at my heartstrings~ xo

Indulgence~

Oh, I have been bad! I have been "indulging" in David Blaine~ since watching & reading about his "drowned alive" stunt, I have been mesmorized by his physical & mental being~ so I have been over indulging my senses of his essence~

I created this art journal page with inspiration from the new group named ARTWORDS founded by Susan Tuttle, where you can find artists each week contibuting their personal pieces of art from their art journals, everyone is invited to create & submit pieces~ although not sure how others' will take to my renditions of the themes~

This weeks theme is "Indulgence"
1. fullfillment, gratification, satisfaction. 2. excess, extravagance, luxury, self gratification. 3.
compassion, fondness, forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, understanding.

check out other entries
http://artwordsclan.blogspot.com/

a distant memory~hiking Mt. Si

Just last night, I was reminising of stories from long ago, from when I was younger. To my my surprize, on the fax machine this morning is the very story I was thinking of!!! Sent by my parents~ they found it in the attic while cleaning....how strange!

It is a true story of my sister, my cousin, a boyfriend & me (my sisters boyfriend) this occurred days long ago, almost a distant memory... a Sunday afternoon, feeling the need to do something different...the four of us headed out for an adventure...this is my sisters' interpretation, she wrote for a class project...

MT Si

The long and grueling forest trail seemed it would go on forever. Climbing Mt Si near North Bend, Washington, seemed easy enough for our FIRST hiking expedition. The trail is well-traveled and thousands of people have gone before. Unfortunately, our novice mountaineering adventure was already too burdensome on our feet and legs.

"I've got to rest again" gasped Heidi. She looked pale and tired.

"I sold a pint of blood yesterday to pay my Nordstrom bill and I'm feeling a little weak."

My companion and I studied her face. She looked at us with her big blue eyes as if to say, "I'm sorry."

"We might as well kiss this hike good-bye!" retorted Richard, "We're not going to make it up the mountain in time!" I could see the blood rushing to his face, brooding in anger, he kept walking.

"Oh well, we will go as far as we can." said my sister with an ambitious look in her eyes. Izabella's remark surprized me. I was delighted to see her feeling so lively.

We travelled on for what seemed like hours and finally the trail ascended the timberline. We finally had reached the crest of the mountain. We stood near the cliff and looked at the view.

"Oh, how breathtaking! Look at that mountain goat! standing so firmly on that rock, it was the first sight we saw as we reached the top. "And how do you think these seashells got all the way to the top of this 4000 foot mountain!?" Izabella looked puzzled, then she turned and said "It's freezing up here, it must be 35 degrees! as we are all in our lil shorts and tank tops.

It was getting very late, it took way too long for us to reach the top. Richard looked panicked and said "We better start getting down from this mountain" he started practically running.

We started our way down into the cool, dim forest, after what seemed a couple of hours, the woods began to get dark (we had no flashlight, no gear of any sort) I could feel the tension and anxiety that each of us were feeling, but no one said a word. I was mostly concerned about having one book of matches with few left in it. Finally someone spoke.

"I figured we would reach the bottom before it started getting dark." remarked Heidi, with a solemn look on her face.

"Me too." Izabella replied, " My feet and my knees are in pain, I don't think I can make it much further!"

"If you can make it this far, you can surely finish! Remind me to never climb a mountain with 3 girls again!" Richard replied

By this time, there was much tension between us, I found myself thinking about surviving over night in the woods, possibly freezing to death and dreaming of breaking my engagement with this 25 year old whiner of a boyfriend.

"Isn't that the trail directly below us?" Izabella asked

"Yep! Lets head straight down the mountain to the trail below & that will save us some time." replied Richard

We reached the path below and found this would definately save us time, we felt relieved, we did this a few times, but on the 5th attempt we didn't find the path. We all laughed and pretended everything was fine. We soon found ourselves hurdling fallen trees and rushing through the labrynth of logs and bushes in hopes of finding the trail. It was getting so dark, inside I was panicking and I know the others were too!

"Did you hear that!?" I asked with a jitter in my voice.

"Uh huh" my sister Izabella replied with a paralized look on her face.

Adrenaline rushed through my body as I listened to the vicious growls and barking echoeing through the trees. I felt weightless.

"It's a pack of wild dogs!" Izabella proclaimed with her eyes bulging with fear.

"Oh my Lord, help us!" Hiedi screamed, "They are getting closer!" My cousing the ex-cheerleader, didn't seem to cheerful anymore. She looked fragile and desperate.

We searched each others faces for a quick solution. Izabella looked at me and I looked at Richard, non of us had a clue of what do to, we were panick sticken and it was almost dark and the dogs sounded like they were even closer. I turned and started running back up the steep mountain. I desperately searching for a tree to climb, but all the branches were too high. Everyone was following me, and I don't know why.

"Why are you guys following me!? Go climb a tree quick!"

"Oh, I suppose your going to sit in that tree by yourself and watch us get mauled to death by this pack of wild dogs! Izabella was livid, yet she was screaching with fear.

"Well what makes you think you can beat these dogs with that LOG you are holding!" I snapped, "that thing probably weighs more than you!" My ninety three pound sister looked so helpless. I wondered how she even carried that huge thing, this far back up the mountain, adrenaline I guess.

The three of them were gathered at the bottom of my precious tree, none of us spoke, we must have all have been imaging being torn to bits by these, frothing at the mouth animals...what a way to die I thought.

After about a half hour & listening to the dogs barking, Richard spoke, "Everyone else grab a stick, Izabella you need to find a smaller one, something you can beat down these dogs with! We need to head back down the mountain, we can't stay here all night!"

In the darkness, we searched the forest floor for our sticks, finally with our sticks in hand we headed back down the mountain, ready to battle these vicious animals. I was certain these were the last moments of my life. I imagined dagger-sharp teeth gnawing my arms and face apart and realized that I would probably die slowly.

"There's the path!" yelled Richard

"Oh thank you sweet Jesus!" Heidi replied

Once on the path, I felt a sense of relief, but the dogs were still howling. Fear swept over me again, and I prepared myself for battle. Beyond, in the darkness, I saw them! There were six of them! They were wolf like dogs that were ferocious and ready to kill!

These man-eating dogs were chained up behind a fence at the Ranger Station! We were at the bottom of the mountain the whole time~

a lil' secret ......Petra

I guess I must tell my secret...so many people ask "where do you get those images!?"

I can not keep it a secret any longer ;) it's not fair to keep her a secret.....I have to share Petra's new website & also her ebay auctions, where you can buy her cd's with amazing vintage photos~

These are some images from her cd's, also her digital artwork that she created~

An amazing artist she is~

http://msdelaise.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/Enchanted-Mercantile