Some pages I've done recently

 I like to keep a record on the blog of what I've been making. It's one of the easiest places for me to reference. Just a simple place to share.

Here are a couple of my last entries at Pixels and Companies (PCO) "Cropped" event.

Cropped5 ingredients, prior Cropped elements - bracket, Fonts: Avenir, Bebas, Big Caslon, PCO kits: Dialogue, KarlaDudley Rad

This page was a recent Creative Team project at www.debbiehodge.com. 

This page is about trying to take a photo with my iPad of myself with my buddy Ray amidst giggles, bad lighting and our ineptness on an evening when we went to dinner with our spouses. My plan for an original and striking way to incorporate my own large dot or circle pattern on a scrapbook page was to use the lovely art with circles by Milhazes that I found in a recent Vogue magazine as inspiration. I used my Pink Fresh Studio circle outline die on black card stock and then used it again on patterned paper for the centers. I used a paper plate as a guide on the large piece of polka dot paper but had to add to the edge by eye (use what you have when not at home. I left one quadrant square to work on my page. I used my Creative Memories circle guides to cut the dotted charcoal paper and the green circle outline. The circles reminded me of bubbles and flash bulbs (especially with those Bokeh-like dots on the large green paper). I loved the vibrant energy in the art work and tried to replicate that with my papers to add to the sense of fun. The original art used a stencil-like flower pattern in the design but I went for more texture with dimensional flowers though I used the shape of the flowers in the art as inspiration. I did add Ranger's Glossy Accents to the black cardstock for my "shine". Please refer back to Lisa Dickinson in the GIS archives for her "color, pattern, texture, shine" guidance for scrap pages.
Supplies: Inspiration-Milhazes featured in Vogue, BoBunny-Our Little Monster, Authentique-Suave, stash, Pink Fresh, MME-Cut&Paste, Scrapbook Customs-Graffiti Dots, Prima, BoBunny, AC Thickers,
Ranger Tim Holtz - Distress Ink, Glossy Accents, Amy Tangerine stamp

Cropped Round4 ingredients, STS template, Karla Dudley Rad and brush tool, Mommyish styles, PCO Natural Beauty Kit, fonts Futura Bold, Futura light and Adobe Garamond

       

A bit of sculpture. Yes, I needed help to move this! It is heavy. It was supposed to be  a coil pot. When it went wonky, I said it looked like a pregnant belly. Linda Gelfman said, "Go for it!". Thus, the ultimate vessel, LOL!

That's about it for now. Working on a few more items to post. I had some cute ATC's I made but the photos have gone missing. Alas! I'd have loved to have posted those. 

Planning for retirement

Whew! I am planning to slow down. I mean it! Since I'll be officially retired in a few weeks, I think it is time.
I've been feeling very tired and sore lately and it's largely because I'm pushing myself. OK, I've said yes to a few requests. Mainly, though, it's me.
I think the very time demanding physically trying stuff needs to be cut back. I'm going to limit my art making because that is hard to do when one has to meet deadlines. I'll mainly dabble at that. Most everything else in my life except laundry is quite manageable. I've modified a lot, even laundry. Laundry is something I've spread out over several days. Hauling wet stuff out of the machine and folding and hanging things push the limit. Son, Joe H., has been a dear and helps me with that.
Oh, it's been great fun making lots of art. Scrapbooking, particularly digi, is way easier though. I like the constraints of a 12 x 12 page. I've done other formats like mini books, 8.5 x 11 and odd shaped pages and pocket pages. 12 x 12 is my favorite. I like the constraint of the conventions too: photo, title, journaling and embellishments.
Art, of course, pushes boundaries spatially, physically, emotionally and artistically. So, it's nice to have art as an option. Smaller doses than I've been at, though.
It will be my present to myself as I reach the age which everyone (well, maybe not some people my age or older) considers to be "senior". I understand boomers place that definition at somewhere around 78-80. We do not "feel" old mentally but for many of us the wear and tear and health conditions make our bodies tell us it is true, we are getting old.
I'm very aware of the sense of time left and very cognizant that I'll not meet all the goals in the next 20+ years that I hope for. It's OK.
People, of course, are what matters most. Even there, hoping for love, kindness, and acceptance with all is an impossible goal. Perhaps worth trying though.

A few more for my records

 I decided to post a few more of my early exercises. I like having this record on my computer. I'll be able to refer back to see where I've been in the process of learning this craft.

Some of my art

I know I promised to post some of my projects. There are many in process but I do have a few complete. I'm sure many of you who've been to art school recognize some of these exercises. It's fun to create these pieces. I have a hard time because of the arthritis so I do not do as much as I'd like to get done. Still, I can tell I'm getting better, albeit slowly.
The collages deal with art principles like color, texture, line, shape and text.
The drawing is one of my first with ink.
Enjoy!