Spring themed altered book tipin layouts,

almost the same, but a little different,



for a Lisa Vollrath swap at Art42.
The quote is from a Shakespeare song, probably
most noted for its partial performance by Gene
Wilder in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The gold looks kind of brown in the scan, but
you know how that goes . . .

Victorian themed altered book layout

For an altered book round robin at Altered Pages;
Luella's has a Victorian theme.

altered art fans and a free magazine

I recently had a pair of mixed media altered art fans
published in the Spring 2010 Altered Arts Magazine.
These were inspired by a swap at Art42, hosted by
Lisa Vollrath. My fans use some beautiful images from
Altered Pages, and are all golden and shimmery in real
life.



Here's the cover--and guess what? You can get this
new issue for FREE! There are some great altered
books and projects, as well as a video needle
felting tutorial. The fans are way in the back,
pages 54-57, in case you were wondering . . . ;)

Here's the linky again:
Altered Arts Digital - Spring 2010 issue
On the owner's blog, she states the first digi
issue is free to anyone who wants to try it;
now, however, the website says "for a limited time,"
but don't ask me what that time frame may be! There
was still a "free" link as of April 18, but you did
have to register to view it.

:)

spring flowers

It's such a welcome change when everything starts
blooming again! The "usuals" are in various stages--
some are just coming on, like the crabapple and lilac,
and some are on their way out, like the Bradford pears.
The girl child took photos for us:

grape hyacinth


redbud tree


violets (you can eat the flowers)

(my imaginary friend Tipper has a recipe for violet
jelly--look for the linky in the sidebar of her blog)

lilacs (these smell so good!)


crabapple (the fruit will end up jelly)


These we'd never noticed before. Maybe it was their
first time coming up in this spot, I don't know, but
they're a wildflower, about 3 inches tall:



Aren't they curious looking? They're called Indian
Tobacco, which isn't a very pretty name, or pussytoes,
because they're kind of furry looking, like kitty feet.
They supposedly have some medicinal uses, are an
indication of acidic soil, and, if you are so inclined,
you can dry it and smoke it in a pipe.

(I am NOT so inclined, thank you!)

Is anything beautiful blooming where you live?

spring cleaning: nothing is safe.

Isn't she cute?


I'm spring cleaning with
a vengeance.


It's very refreshing.

Happy Easter!

The Contessa graciously hosted a canvas challenge
at the Altered Pages group--I finished the background
the first day, but then let it sit. Just waiting to see
what would happen, not really sure what to do with it.

THEN along came the mailman with a package from Amy May,
with some pretty pink buttons and vintage lace and sweet
little paper roses. Like a little muse (from across the
ocean, no less!) in a box, delivered right to my door, it
inspired me to finish off the collage. The Distress Inks
(Tattered Rose and Antique Linen) I used also fit in
nicely with the Simon Says challenge.

Happy Easter, everyone!