May Day Remembrance-A Peek-a-Boo Project

Long ago and so many years ago I was invited to a friend of a friend’s house for a May Day Celebration. They lived in a cottage by a spring fed river. She was a Wordsmith-a poet, he a Silversmith-a jeweler. Their home was a land of enchantment. Libations and morsels abound. There were Charcuterie boards before we even knew what they were. A maypole was erected with delicate ribbons dangling in the spring breezes. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Supplies: GSLC Layered Frame Victoria Round, GSLC Layered Frame Victoria Oval, GSLC Layered Frame Bella Round, GSLC Layered Frame Bella Oval, Pencil, Magazine Pictures, Scissors, UHU GlueStick, Nail-file, Green and Bronze Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush, Antiquarian Sticker Books, WeldBond Glue, Blue Glitter, Turquoise Stencil Butter, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint, Dura Clear Matte Gel Medium

1. Gather Supplies
   
   
   
2. Use a Pencil to the trace Bottom Portions of GSLC Layered Frames Onto a Magazine Picture of Your Choosing.
   
3. Cut Out With Scissors and Glue to Bottom Portions for GSLC Frames Using a UHU GlueStick.
   
4. Use a Nail-File to Smooth off any Rough Edges.
5. Use Green and Bronze Metallic Paints to Soften the Edges and Unify Pieces.
   
6. Go Through Antiquarian Sticker Books, Selecting Items You Wish to Collage on these Frame Back Portions. 
   
7. I Use WeldBond to Add Blue Glitter to Top Portions of GSLC Layered Frames. I would Caution Against This as It was Extremely Difficult to Separate the Delicate Frames from the Substrate.
   
8. Once Delicate Frames are Separated from Substrate I Added Turquoise Stencil Butter as Most of the Blue Glitter was Removed by This Time.
   
9. To Add an Aged Patina I Used a Dry Brush Technique to add Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint to These Upper Portions of the GSLC Layered Frames.
   
10. Use WeldBond to Attach the Delicate Tope Portions of the Frames to their Prepared Bottom Collages.
    
11. Dry Fully, Flatted and Weighted Down.
12. To Unify the Art Pieces Coat with Dura Clear Matte Gel Medium.

Final Thoughts

May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on May 1st. Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches, weaving floral garlands, and setting up a Maypole, around which people dance. It is also often celebrated with bonfires and a good bit of drinking.

There are days I wish I could live again. May Day at the Bastian’s is one of them.

"The world's favorite season is the spring. 

All things seem possible in May."

- Edwin Way Teale

Double Sided Coins-A Peek-a-Boo Project

In early spring, March through April, billions of birds migrate back into the United States from their southern wintering grounds. These birds are teaching for nesting locations for breeding season, with abundant food sources. In the United States the bird most associated with our coinage is our bald eagle, but around the world there are other coins with birds on them. Usually when tossing coins, you want a two-sided coin that are different. For these trick coins, tails side always wins. They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC Artist Trading Coins,  GSLC Fern Fronds, Antiquarian Sticker Books, UHU GlueStick, Magazine Pictures, With cloth, Nail File, Highlighters, Matte Gel Medium, Paintbrush, Assortment of Green Acrylic Paints, Cheap Hair Spray, Iridescent Glitter, WeldBond Glue, Polymer Clay, Leaf and Flower Molds, Mica Powders, MakeupBrush, Polymer Clay Oven, Colored Pencils

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Glue GSLC Artist Trading Coins to Magazine Pictures Using a UHU GlueStick.
   
3. Once Dry, Take a Damp Cloth to Rub Around Coin Edges. Gently press out coins.
   
4. Use a Nail File to Sand Edges.
   
   
5. Use Highlighters on Edges of Sanded Coins.
   
6. Seal With Matte Gel Medium.
   
7. Search Through Antiquarian Sticker Books for Desirable Stickers and UHU GlueStick to Create Compositions.
   
8. Use Assortment of Green Acrylic Paints and Dry Brush Technique on GSLC Fern Fronds.
   
9. Spray with Cheap Hair Spray and Sprinkle on Iridescent Glitter.
   
10.  Cut Apart Fern Fronds and Secure to GSLC ATC Coins Using WeldBond Glue.
    
11.  Press Flat with a Weighted Object.
12.  Use Polymer Clay Leaf and Flower Molds to Make Additional Embellishments.
     
13. Use Mica Powders and an MakeupBrush to Add Shimmer to the Pieces.
    
14.  Cure as Directed on Package in a Polymer Clay Oven.
15. Once Cooled Add Clay Embellishments to Prepared Coins.
    
16.  Add Patina Using Colored Pencils and Seal with Cheap Hair Spray.
    
    
    

Final Thoughts

One cannot talk about coins without mentioning the Witcher. Toss A Coin To Your Witcher, is such a catchy tune. Just as we all know there are two sides to a coin There are two sides to every story.

Besides the American Eagle being featured on many of our coins, there is a Cuban Coin with a Hummingbird on it, UK Farthings with Wrens, Russian Federation Ruble wit a Two-Headed Eagle, a mythological bird, the Simurgh, on the Iranian Rials,  Australia has coins with a lyre burn and an emu on them, The Canadian Loonie coin has a loon on it, and at one time they had a River Dollar Flying Goose coin. I am sure there are others but these re the one I discovered during my research. 

For Migrating Birds there are two most prominent seasons, Spring and Autumn, and two lands where they call home. While not all birds migrate and have adapted to survive the cold winter, many do. Some may only migrate a few hundred miles to escape the worst of the winter weather and food shortage, others  wile other may fly thousands of miles.  The Arctic Tern fly more than 49,000 miles round-trip each year  from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to winter foraging areas in the waters off Antartica.

A Different Type of April Shower-A Peek-a Boo-Project

 I've always said a good sense of humor can get you through many dreary days. Others have said it better. "If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor."Jennifer Jones "Life is so much easier with a sense of humor." "A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles."Mignon McLaughlin It is with my warped and twisted sense of humor I bring you a cheeky new take on the phrase "April Showers..." I first found Victorian images of woman with umbrellas then tattooed men. I quilted them together in honor of April, National Humor Month.

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Layered Frame Aria, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Layered Frame Felicity, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Layered Frame Tulip, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Frame Lavinia, Collection of Found Images (Victorian Woman with Umbrellas, Tattooed Men),Printed Images of Card Stock and Transparencies,  Double Sided Tape, Embossing Ink Roller, Red Geranium Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Black Acrylic Paint, Lumiere Crimson and Metallic Russet Acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Heavy Gel Matte Medium,  Scraps of Cardboard, Heavy Book, Scissors, Black Sharpie, Used Tea Bags, Matte Medium,

1. Gather Supplies.

2. Search Pinterest for Desired Images-I Used Vintage Victorian Women with Umbrellas and Tattooed Men.

3. Quilt Together into a Grid.

4. Make Copies on Both Cardstock and Transparencies.

5. Layer Transparencies on Top of Cardstock Images.

6.  Attach with Double Sided Tape.

7. Paint Base of GSLC Frames with Black Acrylic Paint using a Paintbrush.

8. Use Embossing Ink and Red geranium Embossing Power on the Top Portions of the GSLC Frames. Cure  With a Heat Tool.

9. To Add Interest and Texture Use Dry Brush Technique to Add Lumiere Crimson and Metallic Russet Acrylic Paint to the Top Portion of the GSLC Frames.

10. Use Scrap Pieces of Cardboard to Add Backs to all of GSLC Frames.

11. Carefully Choose Portion of Quilted Double Exposure Images to be Included in Each Frame. Cut Out.

12. Layer Frames and Glue Together Using  Heavy Gel Matte Medium.

13. Allow to Fully Dry Under Heavy Books.

14. Once Fully Dry add Bits of Used Tea Bags on Portion of the Images to Give a More Vintage Sepia Look with a Paintbrush and Matte Gel Medium. Once Again Allow to Dry Fully.

Some Final Thoughts.

I hope you have enjoyed my take on "April Showers!!" I think many of us could benefit from a cold shower from time to time when the stresses of everyday living get too much for us. If you are allowed the luxury a bubble bath is even better with lit candles and meditative music and sipping a guilty pleasure beverage of your choice.

"I have a knack for finding humor in all sorts of things, no matter how grim. My sense of humor is wry and a bit on the warped side. (Well. more than a bit depending on whom you ask.)"Gerri R. Gray

"Laugh as much as possible, always laugh, it's the sweetest thing one can do for oneself and one's fellow human beings" Maya Angelou  "A sense of humor...is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that person down deep has a pretty good grasp on life" Hugh Sidey  "People with a sense of humor tend to be less egocentric and more realistic in their view of the world and more humble in moments of success and less defeated in times of travail." Bob Newhart "You've got to have a sense of humor to keep your sanity." Lance Bass "Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing."Clive James