Having Fun

Here they are! The finished Barbies....and Ken. Now they are Lady Gaga, Tim Holtz, I Love Paris,and the Pierrot. They were so much fun to plan and create.
Jennifer has the complete collection on display at Mystic Paper
If you happen to be in Mesa, go in and see them, there is some great dolls on display. My favorites in the collection are: The album cover Barbie, she is sure to bring a smile on your face! Jennifer created a great Frida, her sandals are fabulous. ( I didn't get to add shoes...have you ever noticed the shoes are either always missing or there is only one?) I love Kevyn's dolls they are out of this world!
It's funny, as a girl I never played with Barbies.....as an adult, I have grown to love Barbie. I have fallen in love with her through the many artists who created signature Barbies.
Do you want to play? The next swap will be in the fall, the details will be posted at Mystic Paper.

Current Events

It's really hot here in the valley. Not only is the thermostat rising, but Barbie , that little "hottie"Pin Up doll, manufactured by Mattel for girls of all ages to adore and dress has been the hottest topic at Mystic Paper in Downtown Mesa. It has been several weeks since Jennifer posted the Altered Barbie Swap and the shop has been filling up with long legged looks of all kinds! The Barbies will be featured in a display beginning on Saturday, July 24, so if you are in the area... stop and take a look. Jennifer is offering a sneak peek as well on the store blog too.
A few weeks ago I began the creative process when I saw the photo of this famous magazine cover:

I just had to create a Barbie of her. She was the my first one! I have to admit, I did use a few more bubbles!
My second barbie is not really a Barbie at all.... It's a Ken, my inspiration.....well let's just say he's that well known craft icon that we all know and love. Yes, you guessed it, I got my inspiration here.
The last two Barbies are not famous people, they were inspired from fun and fantasy. You can see a glimpse of one in the photo on the store post! If you see her, let me know what you think!
If you haven't altered a Barbie...try it, not only is it fun, it's addictive!

Swapping Is Hot

The heat isn't the only thing sizzling out here this summer, the live ATC swaps here in town have been really hot too. It has been a busy summer running around town to participate in the Live Swaps Events and it's also a lot of fun to see everyone around their trip and vacation schedules to share a little art. The themes have been perfect for summertime creativity! There has been Music, Summertime Fun, Gypsy, Ocean and Stamp themes! If your staying in town, come out and join us. Next weeks card theme is "Travel to a Another Land!

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue

The heat's up here in town and
this weekend there's a great line up for holiday
entertainment to enjoy for all.
But that's not all...
Those gorgeous pin up girl ATC's created for the
Red, White and Blue Pin Up swap have made

their way back to the wonderful participants!

Each participant received a star with a small

accordion book to hold their lovely beauties!

Let's open the book to see the fabulous ATC's created

to celebrate gorgeous women and this glorious nation!

I want thank everyone for participating in this wonderful swap!

The art is so much fun! Pictured from the top are cards designed by the fabulous: Melissa, Jennifer, Dawn, Charlotte and mine. Have a wonderful holiday, I hope that everyone enjoys the festivities in the towns and cities they live in and women who live in this wonderful nation contemplate on the fortunes of feedom to be the bombshells that they were born to be!

Anything Goes

It was Friday Night on Main here in Mesa and also the night of the live ATC Swap!

The Theme this month was Anything Goes, the Cole Porter Musical.

The heat must have been too much, as the group was really small, however the art is really great!

This is the mini collection that I have in my gallery.

Very vintage cards, a sweet collection!

Red,White and Blue Fever

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holiday's. I missed it very much while I lived in England. Since then, I have always enjoyed the wonderful BBQ's with friends and family members. The fireworks at night have also been a highlight for years.
This year I would like to celebrate with art, and I hope to share the holiday with all my art friends with a Patriotic Pin Up Girl, ATC swap. Swap 3 Cards for 3 or 5 for 5. The cards should be all Red, White and Blue and add your favorite Pin up girl with a 4th of July greeting.
Leave a comment to let me know if you would like to join, I would like to have the cards returned for the holiday!

Sunny Days

It's a rare day here in Arizona, that the sun doesn't shine. Sunnier Days is not really on a wish list here. I can honestly say I love living here and don't very often wish for much. However, I had wished to participate in this fun art swap, Sunnier Days Post Cards and my wish came true. The previous post shows the post cards that I created for the two talented artist who created these fun cards! The art that came by way of Mail, did bring Sunnier Days and a lot of happiness. The artist who created these pieces Cindy McMath (Here Comes the Sun) and Lyn Avedikian (Arty Pants). The cards are bright and cheerful. A big thank you for such gorgeous work.

Live Trades

What a trading whirlwind this weekend has been.......The art swappers in this town had been busy creating the most fabulous art!
A group of the Art Chixies have also been busy getting their art in the mail, too. The art challenge
for this particular swap was postcards with the theme of Sunnier Days. So...... I treated myself to work on 80# Classic Crest to produce these colorful collages which are actually postcards. They have both been created with dye ink markers, distress inks, which are so wonderful to work with, they seem float onto the Classic Crest paper. Several images from Artchix Studio were then added, afterward hand lettering was added to finish the designs. They were really fun and addictive to make! If you have never created a postcard collage. Give it a try, it is so much fun!

Art Challenges

I just adore an art challenge. Helga at Artchix is always inspiring and hosting challenges that are just too much fun to resist. This challenge was altered clothespins! I have wanted to make an altered clothespin for so long, I had all the materials at my fingertips.

Several weeks ago I had purchased a package of clip style clothespins at the dollar store, and the other day happened to see a box of Animal Crackers with a designer packaging for the Year of the Tiger...it was just the right colors (Helga's favorite...Pink & Green.... so I snatched it up and took it home cut it apart and began to cut, glue, paint and glitter. It was such a blast...I made another one. I took the materials to the girl scout meeting so the girls could have an opportunity to create one! If you try one you will have to create more....they are very addicting!

I Love Animals

I haven't been able to find my way to the computer for days, as I have been overwhelmed by deadlines for altered book round robins and swap deadlines. However, I had received some fun art in the mail recently and I am thrilled to share it.

The Artchix Swaps are always so much fun. The "I Love Animals" cards that have been sent to me are the greatest additions to my ATC gallery. The collages are so colorful I am always so amazed with the detail and embellishment on these sweet little cards! Helga's new art papers featured in this swap are just delightful to work with and they bring some wonderful color to the cards! It's always so fun to see the new collage sheets that Helga puts together from these swaps, you can find them on http://www.artchixstudio.com/shop/digitalcatalog/ , along with a lot more fun and playful art! Do check it out!

Target Swap

The Target Artist Trading Cards have arrived! (ATC's 2.5 x 3.5 works of art which are traded with wonderfully talented artists throughout the world.) This fun collection had participation from across the United States and also Australia. It was so much fun to host this swap! The criteria of this ATC swap was to use a target as part of the art work. This is such a wonderful little gallery!

I would like to thank all the wonderful talented artists for taking the time to play in this swap and I am delighted to share their art!

Fairies in the Future

There were so many great costumes this week end at the Con. In fact, as you can see in the last post, Vic is wearing the costume for his next project, Vampire Night.
I had the pleasure to have met the Blue fairy in this photo, it was at the first Comi Con that I attended. In fact, I attended her panel where she taught the method she uses to create these gorgeous wings. Yes, her fairy gowns are breathtaking-as is all of her costumes.
Today, at the Girl Scout meeting we learned to take measurements so we can sew from a pattern. These stunning costumes can be created after lots of practice and thoughtful preparation. They almost look like they are in a dream!