Flat Sprial Beadwork with Millefiori Beads

I knew this was going to be tricky, but I didn't realize how tricky.  I made two bracelets last night using my favorite glass beads, which are Millefiori beads.  I love their colors and how beautiful they look when making jewelry pieces.

On the first bracelet I used a Flat Sprial bead stitch, which I had to adapt for the size of the beads.  This bracelet was all about the color red that needed to pop out of the clear Millefiori bead.  Well, I accomplished that, but I did not like going thru two of the beads and will be redoing that bracelet today.

 The second bracelet was using an outstanding green Millefiori bead and this time I went thru only one bead.  It came out so much better than the first one and that is why I decided to redo the first one.

I am now selling on a wonderfully fun and exciting new online shop platform called TheCraftStar.  Unlike the bigger guy "E", it is more personal and the people who operate it have been wonderful.  I am still using the same shop name "Ivonnardona's Creations", so come on by and check us out.

I'm running a Valentine's Sale offering 15% off anything in my shop; just use VALENTINE15 as the coupon code.

Tin Can Lid Ornaments

Wondering what to do with those tin can lids after you take them off of the cans?  I wondered the same thing as well and came up with these Christmas ornaments.  I would suggest running out and buying a smooth edge can opener, so you or someone handling the ornaments doesn't get cut.

First, I primed each lid with Gesso, which you can find in any Craft or Art store.  I let this dry and then broke out my acrylic paints.  I chose a paint that would compliment the colors in the die-cuts that I used for the main piece of each ornament.  I gave each lid a good coating and then let that dry over night.

Next, I broke out my Cricut machine and cut some circles out of scrapbook paper that fit just inside each lid.  Since my Cricut only cuts out certain sizes I went ahead and cut out larger circles and then trimmed them until they fit.  I then glued each circle onto the colored side of the lid that it went with and let the dry for about an hour.

Finally, I took the Christmas die-cuts and put clear glue dots around the centers and then centered them on each lid.  Some of the die-cuts were bigger than the circle, but I like that.  I didn't want to cut the edges, but that is your preference.

Here are the finished ornaments:

  Have fun making your own and Happy Holidays!

Memorable Christmas Ornaments

It took me two days, but I figured out what to do with those can tops that I saved up and asked my sister-in-law to save up for me.  I found a tutorial that used the frozen juice metal lids and kind of followed that.  Instead of using some "template" that someone else was selling; I broke out my Cricket and made circles out of my pretty Christmas paper and I used Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 to manipulate some of my favorite artwork and pictures of the girls.

I spray painted the metal lids with black spray paint.  When those were dry I looped some velvet and glued that on the back and then covered the entire back with a felt cirlce.

Finally when they were all dried I brushed on some Glossy Mod Podge and beaded them with Diamond Glitter Fabric Paint.

I'm really proud of how these turned out and can't wait to see them on the Christmas tree.

These paper ball ornaments were based on another tutorial I found and was easy enough that my youngest helped me make all ten of them.  The tutorial can be found here.

Reindeer - Open Media ATC swap

These were hand drawn and then watercolored for the Reindeer - Open Media ATC swap over at AFA.  I then used gel pens and 3D Glaze pens for the black outlines and details.  My scanner was set at 200 dpi, so the colors didn't come through like I wanted, but they turned out super cool.

I love these reindeer and am sad to depart with them.  I hope I get some fun ones in return.  The one with the lights turned out to be my second favorite and the candy cane reindeer is my first favorite.

Halloween Accordion Scene

This is the scene I made from the original post of just one Halloween arch.  I finished this last night and am really happy with how it turned out. I made "hinges" out of card stock and rotated them so the scene would open up accordion style.  I am thinking about starting a swap for this type of scene.

I have some other arches in various themes that I didn't want to punch holes in and am thinking about doing this to those as well, so I can enjoy them by setting them out around the house.

2nd Annual Halloween Fun Swap

I usually only do hand drawn/hand painted swaps, but I love Halloween so much I decided to do the 2nd Annual Halloween Fun Swap over at ATCs for All!  I found a stash of fun Halloween pieces and came up with these four cards for the swap.  I am now going to make some more to add to my collection.

Then I found an arch laying around, so I used some of those Halloween pieces and made this "Gone Haunting" Halloween Arch.  I am thinking about making two more and hinging them together for an accordion type scene to put out for the holiday with the rest of my decorations.

HandDrawn/HandPainted "A Face, Fowl, & a Fruit Color Palette" Swap

New Art Markers & A Mad Flower Child

Since I can't afford the Prismacolor or other expensive art markers I found that Dick Blick Art Materials had a set of 24 "Art Markers" for like dirt cheap.  I usually use permanent markers and I'm not sure that I'm sold on these new art markers just yet.  For one thing they are super bright, which could just be that I'm used to the subdued colors of the permanent markers.  Or, they are just super bright!

I made several cards tonight, but my favorite out of all of them was the Mad Flower Child.  I'm not quite sure what she is mad about, but by the look on her face I don't think I want to know.

3 Blind Cats Swap

I seldom get out of my comfort zone, but I did try this "Blind Draw" swap for cats.  My first two turned out to have long necks and the second two looked more normal.  I am kind of bummed that my white gel pens went dry and I couldn't accent them, but I have remedied that with the purchase of five new white gel pens; I just have to wait for them to come in the mail.

Smoky & Bob

Jersey & Morris

A Little Spirit Lift

I think every once in a while it's good to get a "spirit" lift.  I really am trying to be more positive, even though most of the time I just want to scream at the top of my lungs "what the heck is it all for anyways?".

So, tonight I find out that the new Art Trader Magazine Issue #18 is available.  I download it and start browsing through it to see if there is anything that I might be interested in doing and there is.  The "10 Minute ATC" article is staring me in the face.  A 10 Minute ATC, really?  This is very cool, because I'm tired and haven't made an ATC in over two weeks.  This particular method is about blending markers and looks to be pretty straightforward.

Green Flower Garden

It might of taken me a little over 10 minutes as my white gel pen kept giving me fits, but I completed my ATC and posted it for trading.

Whew!  After that I continued browsing the magazine and I get to page 25.  Guess what page 25 is?  It is the Reader Gallery.  Guess who is in the Reader Gallery?  That's right; it is me!  It felt good and gave me the little spirit lift I needed.  Thanks to the Art Trader Magazine group of administrators for keeping art alive.

Color Palette I Purple/Blue/Green

 I never really join the "color palette" swaps, because you can use very little black or white and the main portion of the artist trading card (ATC) has to be the colors listed.  However, I really like the colors purple, blue, and green.  This was going to be a challenge for me and I had to think outside the box.  What could I do that would allow me to use all three colors while incorporating little to no black and white. 

I decided to break out the watercolors and start there.  I took three ATC sized watercolor cards and started to paint the three colors on the cards without really thinking about form.  When I was done I walked away, so when I came back it would be with new perspective.

When I returned to the cards; I was excited to see some type of form or shape and immediately broke out the glitter and metallic markers to start adding the needed flare for each card.

Needless to say, I was both pleased and impressed that I could actually handle doing a color palette ATC without alot of strain on the brain.

Mount Sunflower, Kansas

Mount Sunflower is 26 miles northwest of Weskan, Kansas and we drove by on our way to Colorado. 

Our family traveled from Oklahoma to Colorado for Christmas and on the way, in Kansas, we saw a sign for a place called Mount Sunflower. I couldn't stop thinking about drawing or painting it, so when I got home I did this watercolor.

Mount Sunflower

I'm not sure if I should take this place seriously or laugh.  It really isn't a mountain, but as it is the highest point in Kansas, it deserves some recognition, I guess.

Art Dolls Holiday Characters Swap!

Here are the other three characters I finished for the Art Dolls Holiday Characters Swap.  Oh yeah,  I ordered some more "brads" in different colors to help add some flair to my future Paper Dolls.  They are time consuming to make, but I love how they turn out and sometimes I just don't want to see them go.  That is why I keep them in my gallery at ATC's For All! and on my computer.

First up we have The True Mrs. Jingle.  She is an elf that use to be a giant!  You see, the swap only allowed for dolls under nine inches and when I first made her, well, she was 10.5 inches tall.  I had to crop her legs and arms to decrease her height.  I still think she turned out super cool though.

Next, we have Jacquilene-in-the-box.  People always do "Jack" and I thought I would put my little twist and make this fun box toy a girl.  She was alot of fun to make and she slides from left to right, which is kind of different for a "doll", but definitely worth the outcome.

Finally, we have the Spirit of Christmas Present.  We were watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and I forgot how amazing the human puppet for this character was.  I fell in love with him all over again and decided that he would be my fourth and final paper doll for this swap.

Still on the Paper Doll Kick!

I finally made my last paper doll for the Art Dolls: Holiday Characters -- Due Jan 10, 2012. I know they aren't due until January 10th, but when I get into something I can't do anything besides just that and I am obsessed with getting something done.  I wanted to post my Leprachuan Steve because I wanted to show you all how just using a white gel pen to highlight my characters.  I am often amazed at how a small thing like a white gel pen can make such a difference.

All of my Art Dolls can be found in my Gallery at ATC's For All!

Before Highlights

 

After Highlights

Day 75 - Happy St. Patty's Day

Today is St. Patrick's Day and I am making "Irish" stew with beef instead of lamb.  I'll be adding potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to my Crock Pot to simmer all day with wonderful smelling and tasting spices.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and don't forget: if you know someone Irish GIVE THEM A KISS! Céad Míle Fáilte

This is Day 75's ATCs that I submitted in the 2010 Project ATC 365.

Day 70 - Lucky Steve The Leprechaun

This is just Lucky Steve! I felt it only appropriate to draw something for St. Patrick's Day since it is next week. The leprechaun is considered a mythological creature that appeared for centuries in Irish Folklore.

The Irish-American viewed the leprechaun much differently than how the traditional Irish viewed them.The Irish-American leprechaun is more of a silly made up person, while the Irish leprechaun is based on traditional folklore that goes back to the Celtic period. The Irish-American leprechaun was actually taken from cartoons that were used against the Irish and not at all based on the actual tradition. This includes the pug nose, batted hat, and fist in the air. The traditional Irish leprechaun was based on actual folklore of spirits that could be angered if one went near certain sacred places. I was used a method of controlling people and their behaviors. It was a way setting boundaries for Irish societies.

To see a video about the leprechaun and other Irish traditions visit the History channel.

This is Day 70's ATCs that I submitted in the 2010 Project ATC 365.