alter it monthly

And now for the other monthly challenge.
When I said I wanted to go on a creative journey I guess I wasn't kidding!
It's been one art challenge after another this week but I love it.
I always learn a lot and I love being inspired by everyone's creations.



September's theme at Alter it Monthly is RUST.
I did a digital  'rust' a while back but have not yet tried a handmade one.
I decided to go whimsical with mine so here is my RUST.



The item I altered is a small tin mint container.
It was just a plain matte silver color. To make it 'rusty' I first covered it
with Gesso. After it dried I was able to do a faux rust finish with
regular acrylic paints. Then I sealed it with varnish.



It was the perfect size to hold this wee little creature I found in my paint box!

'Lepedopera Rustica'
Quite rare you know. The only species of moth with an affinity
for rusty old buttons and safety pins. Very active in late summer.
Keep away from bodies of water.

My little specimen sample is made from a vintage image found in an old
book of French photographs. The wings are from a calendar.
The piece of paper behind her is a page from a book that my son decided
to dunk in a vat of dark tea I was using for another project.
I liked how it came out so I used it here. The buttons were also
'rusted' with paint over Gesso.

This was too much fun to make!

dress up 2010

Hello again! I hope I don't overwhelm everyone with all my challenge posts this week.It's the beginning of the month so I have 2 monthly challenges to add.



It's dress up time at Alice and Camilla.
Here is my paper dress for September. And guess what?
I'm all caught up now so I just have 1 to show you.




It's time for a Harvest Ball under an autumn full moon.
Here is a dress to party the night away in.




For my autumn gown I played with my paper coffee filters again.
This time I soaked them in a bowl of dark Yorkshire tea and ended up with this
wonderful aged patina that reminded me of dried crispy leaves.
I discovered if I crinkled the edges the skirt fanned out in playful layers.



I used silk leaves and tea dyed lace for the bodice.
The skirt has a tule under layer and there is also a tule
bow at the back.



September goes into the wardrobe to join all the others.
As you can guess I'm already thinking about October's dress.
Come back and see what I have in store for Halloween!

Visit Alice and Camilla to see more pretty paper dresses.

Today I'm grateful for...

Teachers. I met my son's teachers today at his school's orientation.
Teachers do so much and are never appreciated enough.
If you're a teacher I say THANK YOU, YOU ARE AMAZING!



three muses art challenge

Happy September!!
And Happy Spring to everyone down under.

This is for The Three Muses weekly art challenge. This week's theme is BACK TO NATURE. When I think of nature I think of camping so my collage turned out to be more of a scrapbook page that includes a photo from my very favorite camping trip ever.


Three years ago we went camping at Big Sur (California) in November. It was absolutely beautiful. The ground was covered with a blanket of fallen leaves in all the gorgeous shades of autumn. It was cool and quiet since less people camp in the fall. The nights are cold and perfect for gathering around a glowing campfire. There's nothing I love more than being nestled in a dark forest of towering redwood trees, looking up at the stars until I can't keep my eyes open any longer then climbing into a great big tent and listening to the crickets sing all night long. And later the smell of crisp smoky morning autumn air when you climb out of your tent just after dawn to light another campfire.....pure bliss.