Family Treasures

Well this little beauty should receive her little fat book in a bag any day now. The blank book was purchased and blinged up.. The bag was machine appliqued.   I am new to sewing and this is my new machine that I got for Christmas. I am sure it does more things than I will use but it is fun to try different stitches.  I did make a small quilt but the tension was not right.  In fact I had the bobbin in wrong so it missed a few stitches.  I was having so much fun that I wasn't very precise matching my corners..Oh well I have no where to go but up. Hope you enjoy my latest creation.  I have one more to post then I am back to making Jewelry.  Have a blessed week, everyday is a new beginning. Hugs, DIANE

Light up the Night

Lighting up the night at Christmas time is something that we do to give back to our little community. Every year my Husband goes to this extreme project to thrill the town and the children of the town. He starts putting up the lights way before Thanksgiving so that Thanksgiving night we can turn them on and start the Christmas Merriment.  Most of the old lights have been traded for the new LED lights which save a lot of energy and money.  We went to the annual Christmas dinner with the Rotary International.  Every year we get invited by our friend to be their guest. The food is so fabulous, the Turkey moist and the stuffing fluffy. Yams and mashed potatoes, pie and wine. yummmm

After we stopped at one of the churches and viewed their Live Nativity.  It was wonderful they all wore beautiful costumes and the animals were all live, moo and bah and goose and duck. Songs of Christmas being sung. Truly a blessing.  I hope they do it again next year.  They went to a lot of work for this two day event.

My prayer is for an end to Cancer. My blessings go out to all those suffering with Cancer that they might have a new year Cancer free.............I believe in the power of prayer.            Hugs and well wishes...Diane Glass

Pearls of Wisdom

Pearls of Wisdom is what my Mother always called those little quotes that got you through the little bumps in the road of life. "Life is 10% what happens to you an 90% what you do with what happens to you."  How you handle the bumps that life gives you. The black eye and the bruises. The light at the end of the tunnel. The Rainbow at the end of a storm. The sigh at the end of a good cry.  If we count our BLESSINGS and not our TROUBLES...we will always have more blessings...........Pray for the people of Haiti and the rescue workers............DIANE

Random Thoughts

I have recently joined a group of artist in a broad effort to STOP ART PIRACY http://www.flickr.com/groups/stopartpiracycampaign/ Please stop by this site and add your support. Support in numbers not money...we are raising awareness to the problem of people stealing art and posting it as their own. How low can you go. Our aim in the art world is to inspire, teach, learn and share techniques. Maybe along the way get some art published and always to meet friends with the same interest.

I found a few other places to check the rules of copyright. Respect the rules. Dig deep into your creative imagination and be original. You will find your own style and more than likely people will distinguish you and your style. I know a lot of us in groups are doing the same theme of art, and it is fun to see how many ways you can cut it, but always stick to your own style. DIANE

http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
http://reviews.ebay.com/COPYRIGHT-INFO-for-POSTCARDS-in-The-Public-Domain_W0QQugidZ10000000004222864?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:6
http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
The Best Hearts are Crunchy http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/

LOVE IN BLOOM

My first lily to open is always the most exciting. This one was so large this year I couldn't believe it. It was bigger then a saucer plate.. The day I took these was a little windy so it was a challenge. It is on a stem four feet tall. Can get to swaying. But the lighting was wonderful so I didn't want to miss the moment. Also the pollen changes after it has been open for very long.
Have a beautiful Sunday..................Diane

A WING AND A CHARM

This is the last of my Victorian Steampunk Jewelry. I can't tell you how much fun it was to create the funky jewelry. I had been saving chain for quite awhile, picking it up at thrift stores here and there. Had not a clue what I would use it for but loved the different sizes that I found.

The dice and game pieces I started collecting when I started on my ALTERED ART journey. Being a collector, the fun was finding the stuff whenever my husband and I would go on a little trip somewhere. I even enlisted him in the quest. And he would always come back with a scrabble game or something I could add to my stash. It was fun. Things that were not already on the list were fun to find. Altered art is all about thinking outside the box. Some of the things I gathered I still haven't thought of a use for, but I will come up with something . Have a creative day............................DIANE

SHARE YOUR JOY

I just wanted to share with you an altered matchbox that I received in a swap. The artist Robin Sanchez gave me permission to take some pictures and share with you what a wonderful little matchbox I was lucky to receive. Robin and I first traded art in Oct. 08, when she signed up for a swap I was hosting at flicker "Got Bling". Her work just charms me, the colors she uses and the professional quality of her work really stands out. She taught me that the back of these 4 x 4 chunky book pages should be as interesting and beautiful as the front. A sticker with your name on it just isn't enough, she really raised the bar for me.

I made up a little story about my matchbox........It's a LOVE STORY about a man and a woman. He said he would love her til the end of the earth. He gave her a promise and the key to his heart. Then she found all these other pictures of beautiful women in his wallet....THE END......DIANE

You can see more of LtlBlonde at flickerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ltlblonde/ and a little sample of her Got Bling Page herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ltlblonde/2810878043/in/pool-793762@N25

The Eyes Have It

This one was fun....The glasses were given to me in a grab bag swap. They were little Zero's from some alphabet set. I just clipped off the little pegs that were on the back. I used Diamond glaze to seal everything the chain is really cool with these gold color links that came off some vintage jewelry, two vintage dice and her "hat" was some found object with some watch parts.

Have a blessed Sunday.........................DIANE

Tuscany Sunshine

"Tuscany Sunshine" This is a commissioned canvas I made for someone after my art show. It is 9" x 14" I hope she likes it...she is a quilt artist and designs some very fantastic quilts of I am a little intimated. This is a lot harder than I thought. I think I would rather just make something and sell it if they like it instead of a special order.....a lot of pressure. I am working on the second canvas and it is commissioned also. Even more stressful as it is someones grandson with a specific theme...STRESS.....I have to admit tho, it is nice to finally be making some money with my art after all these years. Anyway it is really still fun and I think she will like it..I had her e-mail me three photos so I could pick the one I wanted and also get a little personality from them. It is in progress but I will share it with you when finished. Have a Artful weekend. Diane

Wall to Wall Art

Just thought I would share these pictures of my studio. I took these pictures to show my mother. I put them on a DVD so we could view them on her big screen TV...but for some reason we couldn't view them. For some reason it was the wrong format. So she had to settle for the Laptop view...Believe it or not.....my room was fairly neat when these were taken because I put away a bunch of stuff and cleaned up so when I got home I would have a fresh start. Oh but when I am in the middle of a project everything gets pulled out and gone through. And boy can it look a mess.....I admit it.....I have too much stuff. That is just me I guess, I am a collector of many things and love the hunt as much as I love the prospect of using some discarded funky thing in my next art project....ART ON..............Diane

Vintage Princess

She is dreaming of her handsome prince, riding up on a white stallion. Waiting for him to take her somewhere wonderful. Maybe her favorite................ art room......tee hee?

Really I did escape when I did this canvas. It was so fun. It is done on a stretched canvas 11 x 16 a mixed media collage. Hope you enjoy her.

Love Blooms

This collage is 12" X 16". The saying is from Walt Whitman. It is on a stretched canvas.

Beautiful Gems

Here are three more of my little lovelies......I guess the reason I haven't listed them on Etsy yet is because I have separation issues.....Tee Hee.

ATC'S Artist Trading Cards

These are the first ATC's I have made in awhile..I have been working mostly on larger sizes so this was a fun project. They are all made for a swap I am in at another site. These exchanges keep the ideas flowing and the challenge always on. It is a way to exchange ideas and art with others and make new friend. The ATC is 2.5 x 3.5, the same size as the baseball card that have been traded for years. I have done a new size 5 x 5 just for fun and will share them with you later. Meanwhile ART ON PEOPLE.......................................DIANE

Shasta Lake

You might say the LAKE IS LOW.....I couldn't believe how far they had to drive down to get to the water. Still it is beautiful. The air was unseasonable warm, just a touch of breeze. No crowds, just fresh air and beauty. The rain today and yesterday is a blessing, but much more is needed to get us up to a normal season. Rain or Snow..........have a beautiful day. Diane

Four Pretties and a Valentine

We had a lovely trip to the city. Four nights and five days, ate like little piggies, went to two movies two different nights and had a blast at the thrift stores and of course the art store. I think I gained 4 pounds.........ah but it was fun. Lattes every morning yummmm I will miss them but now I can go back on my black coffee and cold cereal.

I found four lovely little pieces of jewelry...I just had to have the Statue Of Liberty...with my birthstone. I was born in New York City, but left when I was two and somehow I still feel connected to the place. The brass cupid I just had to have for Valentines Day and of course I can't pass up the little rhinestone pins..The little girl Valentine is in great shape and the arms and legs move, it is handwritten on the back from the 1930's. The vintage photo is a beautiful woman with outstanding furniture. Have a Beautiful Day. Diane