IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!

Yep, those darn wings are everywhere!

Shown here, both sides of an ornament done on a store-bought cardboard heart. Collaged papers & acrylics.

Next up, an ornament that can double as a wind chime! 

First, you need decorative tins, sooo cheap at thrift

shops. 

Brightly colored tin containers.

You also need tin snips, glass beads, findings, ribbon, needle-nose 
pliers, & a small file.

Materials & tools for creating a Christmas hanging.

You can even collage the back if you like!

TIP: Be sure to file the sharp edges and burrs to a smooth finish.

Finally, here's a link to a Christmas collage that is so easy to do! 
And I love the stained-glass effect:  Madonna

Have a blessed holiday and thanks for following my blog!

ALTERED BOOKS ARE AWESOME!

How many of you have altered an old, unwanted book and created something both beautiful and useful? This post begins a short series on a few formats to try, details to add, & more. You'll also find links to other helpful sites.

                      This tiny, fold-up "book" stands alone for display. I used slide frames, tiny holes in the corners, and jewelry jump rings.

Anyone Can Draw, by P. Guhin

And here's another idea I love: Make a double picture frame or an altered art shadowbox!

Sea motif with images, glass pebbles, shells, etc.

For this stand-up shadowbox , I had to cut the center rectangles out of a discarded book. And here's a video link to a method of making a hidden shadow box inside an old book!

I love horses!

I made an altered art book on equines, and folded this page so I could slip some mementos into the pocket.

Are you a visual arts educator? This site includes tips, assessment, and more!

A LINKEDIN ART BLOG BUFFET

Are you LinkedIn? All these artists are members, and they also belong to the group "Mixed Media/Collage."  Join us there!  Enjoy the smorgasbord here and make a luncheon of these links!

Our first delicious site belongs to Wendy Alvarez. http://www.wendyalvarezart.com/is striking and easy to navigate. Wendy is a full-time mixed media artist. Don't miss her Heads of State series! 

Aviary Series #11 by Wendy Alvarez

Nicky Barfoot is a textile artist, but you can also see examples of her mixed media and collage work on the blog http://nickybarfoot.wordpress.com/
Are you into portrait collages? Paul Matthew Dessau does that and much more fine art work. Take a look at his step-by-step process with magazine papers!

http://www.pauldessaufineart.com/

Collage by Paul Dessau

Liz Kettle's site, shared with another fiber artist, is www.textileevolution.com  Even if you're not into needle and thread, see the gallery for inspiration.

Wisdom Journey by Liz Kettle

Enjoy some of Chris Marshall's mixed media/collage works in the galleries area of http://www.marshallarts.com.au  She shares the site with her hubs, Steve Marshall, and they are both in Perth, Western Australia. (Steve is a photographer and woodcrafter.)

Art by Chris Marshall

Handmade treasures abound at http://empresswu.blogspot.com. The site is an eclectic mix of art dolls, textile and bead art, and still more. Thanks, Wilma Simmons, for sharing!

Seasons project for the "Hello Dollies" challenge

Joy Norman, mixed media artist, teaches papermaking workshops and maintains a well-organized website in the U.K. Her url is http://www.joynorman.co.uk. View it and be inspired!

Shallow Waters by Joy Norman

Linda Neff's website, called (yes) http://linda-neff.com/ is all about making "scrapped little treasures."  If you're into cards, ornaments, paper and such, check it out! She does tutorials, and will custom-make scrapbook pages and more.

Linda Neff

Geri DeGruy

Our next site in this buffet is http://geridegruy.com/

"Ger" loves to create, with fabrics, yarn, thread, paint, words, music and just about anything. See colorful mixed media pieces under "Works."

Sheila Gazlay has a cornucopia of many things to choose from, including some collages, at

http://www.lifecapturedframedcollages.wordpress.com, 

You'll find mixed media landscape art at www.judithmonroe.com . Judith's website is professional and elegant. She works in assemblage and much more. (Wish I could buy her Bird House #3.)

Judith Monroe

Last but certainly not least, the work of Heidi Eisenmann-Jones can be found at http://onthewind-heidi.blogspot.com/

She is an artist who loves to draw and paint fantasy animals and fairies and write stories about them. Heidi also creates mixed media collages. 

By Heidi Eisenmann-Jones

BLOG BUFFET...GORGE ON THESE FABULOUS LINKS!

I've been meaning to share these wonderful sites with others, just in case they haven't yet found or stumbled upon them. Enjoy the smorgasbord of links below!

• Are you a mixed media, collage/paint artist? See http://caterinagiglio.blogspot.com/

• For the journal artists out there, this link: http://artbeneaththecottonwoods.blogspot.com/

• There's a reason that Robyn Gordon has ten times the followers I do...I'm sure it's her generosity in displaying the works of  so many wonderful artists with her viewers. See her blog at http://artpropelled.blogspot.com/

• Are you into ceramics? Be sure to check this one out! http://dailyartmuse.com/

• Here's a popular, inspiring, eclectic mix (enough adjectives for you?): http://manondoyle.blogspot.com/

• For the fiber artists, http://fibraartysta.blogspot.com/

And thanks for visiting here,