Art should be fun

Don't you agree? It has been a rough go for a few months now and I can't even tell you how happy it makes me feel to hide in my studio and play.

I never really considered myself much of an artist. Not compared to what I see "out there". But I make what I feel and once done, I'm happy, yet my mind is onto how to make it better. I've come to find out, I'm not alone LOL So I make it, I share it, I give it away, but it's the greatest therapy in the world.
This is what I've been up to over the past few days.
We had a swap in my charm group. You had to take a gift card (you know those cards you get at Christmas to all your fun stores?) What do you do with them after you spend the money they are worth? Throw them out? Are you NUTS???At best they could be used for spreading glue, or creating texture or melted into....anyway the deal was to make them into charms. This is what I did...I could have and would have done more, but we are limited in size.

The heart has gold edges and I added a golden heart. That card was from Michael's. Peppermint Twist was a card from A.C.Moore. I heated it and twisted it around a dowel then filled the center with wired tinsel.Freedom Star was a card from Tractor Supply (one of my favorite stores LOL) I added a little silver star to go with the patriotic theme of the card.It was cut with scalloped scissors in an odd shape, just to be different. 3 sets of 5
You know about my banner swap each month. The banner is supposed to be Vintage White Winter. But each month also has a theme-

For March the theme was French Royal. I am totally out of my element with these banners because I want to go all steampunky. But I made a frame using a mold I made and filling it with gold hot glue. I found a wonderful old pic of a french Queen as well as a "baby" royal. I framed the queen and put the baby in a small frame (added some swavorski crystals) Hung a crown from the point (also added crystals), a touch of gold here and there and called it done.
The biggest thing I worked on in between was my View from Within. That was a swap in my own group (the one Cherie and I own) mixedmediastudio.yahoo.com  The deal was...you take apart an old alarm clock and use the empty part to create a scene. I went back and forth with subject matter, but a friend of mine has a salt water aquarium that I just love watching. I thought an old travel alarm lent itself to a tank, so that's what I did.

The outside was easy. Just give it a water look find some cool fish charms, add some Pauashell from New Zealand and color it DONE.

I didn't have much room to build a 3D look, but  finding a pic of an aquarium with a 3D look helped, then I just added some cut out fish, some greens for the seahorse to attach to and the tank looked pretty cool. Also added some black sand from a NZ beach.

I  found some star fish on the ocean floor pic's that I used on the "Floor" of the clock, and some coral and rocks, I used on the back part of the case. Lighting it up became a mission.

I found a little light with an on and off switch and glued it to the back with the light peeking through the hole left by the clock face. Actually with the decorated case it serves as a nice back light, night light. I was quiet pleased and intend to make another. Correcting all the mistakes I made with this one LOL

So that's pretty much what has kept me busy, in between cleaning, volunteer stuff and doctors. Happy to say the doctors are slowing up. It's all just connected to that hospital stay and my eye. I expect to get a lot more time to play now and who knows, maybe actually make some sense of my studio. Oh stop laughing.

One of these days I may surprise you (not to mention myself)

Thanks for stopping by......