Mind Wide Open Challenge - All Dressed Up

I have found a new site through my mother called Mind Wide Open. Go over and take a look if you have never been there. It is a great group of people and artists. I decided to take a chance and enter. I just absolutely loved the photo that we were supposed to use. These two little ones are adorable. This is a 8" by 10" gallery wrapped canvas that is 1 1/2" in depth.

My kiddos!

This is a 10" by 10" canvas that I created using a pic of my kiddos. It was difficult to get them to sit so close to each other but, I finally got a pretty good one. I have the perfect place for it in a little nook in a hallway. Love it.

Well, things are finally starting to slow down for me and get regulated. I am completely thrilled that I am finally getting some time to sit down and be creative. I am planning on getting some things listed on etsy this week. I am excited to jump back in. It is about time. I am anxious to start particpating in Mixed Media Mondays and some other sites again!

Gallery exhibit

I am posting some photos and the newspaper article about the gallery exhibit that both mom and I are having this month in Texas.

Mixed Media Mondays - Sunshine Dance Girls

This is my submission for MMM. The theme is dance and I ran across this picture of these little girls who look like they are about to perform a dance routine.

We are headed to visit my hubby's sister in Colorado for the holiday. So, I will be gone for a while. Hopefully, I can get some really good pics while we are there. I have only been once and that was way back in college. I just remember that it smelled good there.

Finally finished something

Yeah, I finally got a canvas done today. I am so tickled to finally get something finished. Lately, I have started several things and just not finished them. I ordered some new paints and was eager to get them open and used. I think sometimes it is easy to get bogged down with a rut. This is a 6" by 6" cradled canvas. I will be listing it on my etsy site.

Anyway, the summer is going pretty good. I did start a schedule for the kids which has been great for them and more of a challenge for me. I am just not a schedule girl. But to see how well the kids do on a schedule helps me. It is starting to get REALLY hot here in Texas which means no time outside which I don't like. And time is starting to count down to the Italy trip. I am so excited and almost ready to go. I plan on taking a ton of pics.

Needle felted cell phone case

I have decided to explore some different mediums until I find my muse again. I always forget that when I do this blah thing, it is good for me to just dive in and start playing with different stuff until I find what directions I want to do in.

For this cute little cell phone case I pulled out all of my roving and my needle felting machine. It was so fun to make. As you can imagine it is only about 2 1-2" by approximately 4 1-2". I think it will look dandy hanging on my purse. It is so my colors!

Banner for my little one

I have found myself increasingly uncreative lately. I am not sure why. At first I contributed it to being gone for a week and out of my rountine. Now, I am not so sure. So, I have decided to switch gears and do something different. Two years ago I saved up and got an embroidery machine. I use it extensively during the holiday season for teacher's gift and such. I have had so many ideas running around in my head. Stuff to do for the kid's rooms and clothing. So, this is my first change in course. I created a banner for Alexis' room using some scrap fabric that I had laying around. Then I streamed it over her window valance. She was so excited about it. I think I need to center it a little better but, I was just too excited to see it up and take a pic. I am anxiously awaiting the final name for our new little neighbor so, I can make one for him too (hint, hint Dambers).

Mixed Media Mondays - Bingo

Well, I thought that I would be crazy busy with the kids home and I was right. But among the chaos though , I have had the chance to host Mixed Media Mondays. I have chosen the theme Bingo. I figured it was pretty open for interpretation. I can't wait to see what everyone does. And thanks Diane. You are a sweetie and a pleasure to talk to!

News from Sew Somerset!

Well, we are finally back from our trip to Cabo San Lucas. The weather was very pretty but I must admit it is so nice to be home. I know that getting back into a routine is going to have to take a few days but, I look forward to it. I missed the kiddos terribly. I know it was only a week but, I think they both grew a ton while we were gone.

I did have a nice surprise in the mail for me upon arriving last night. A few months back Sew Somerset contacted me about some work that mom and I had submitted and wanted an article. So I got to see it for the first time last night. It was a great treat after being gone. I have included pics. The magazine itself is filled with wonderfully inspiring work from many artists. One of those magazines that will be added to my library of inspiration. I am not sure it is on the stands yet but be sure to check it out!

Me, I have a ton of laundry to catch up on but am dying to sit in my studio and start working. It is hard to not be creative for a long period of time so, I can't wait to get started.

Mixed Media Mondays - Hats

Here is my little piece for hats. I love this picture. This little thing looks like she is shopping for her new Sunday hat. Too cute.

I am back but things are still pretty hectic. The kids had a great time staying with the neighbors but now are settling down into our weekly routine. But, we have to start gearing up for the next trip which is in two weeks. It will be Cody's business trip. So, more work less play.

Baby in Bathtub

I finished this little piece today. It is only 4" by 4" but it is adorable. I just love this picture of the baby in the bathtub. Too cute. I have this listed in my etsy store.

Things are starting to get busy here at our house. We have a few trips planned over the next few weeks so I am probably going to be quiet for a while. I also got a new camera that is going to be a challenge to learn to use. I am going to have to study the book for a while.

Mixed Media Mondays - Girls and Dolls

I have been pretty busy lately with kiddo stuff ie... soccer and school testing. We are going outta town this weekend to Cody's alumni reunion. That should be a lot of fun but more traveling. In a few weeks we have his anual business trip. It is my chance to be the good business wife ( which I stink at ).

But, I did get to participate in the MMM challenge. My mom got the honor of hosting and picking the theme. Girls and dolls. So this is the little piece that I did. It is a 6" by 6" cradled canvas . The glue is not quite dry but I was anxious to put it up.

One more for the day

One more for the day. I could not resist this. I wanted to take advantage of the daisy before it wilted! And then I caught my little photographer with his newly given camera.

Pink Lady

Here is another TTV. I decided to incorporate into a mixed media project. The original photo is on the far right. The other two are photos of a 4" by 4" gallery wrapped canvas. I made a gel transfer of the flower image onto it. I then painted the sides black to match the black border that is always on the TTV photos. The transfer not only softens up the pic but also adds character with the white spots. As with most transfer processes you never get a completely perfect image. I guess if you did why do it at all. I will be doing more of these. Love them. I just have to round up some more canvas.

Yellow and Pink

Playing around again today. I just love this technique. The way it is a little blurry and dirty.

Exploring Photography

I have recently discovered that I have an interest in photography. I think that it might be a natural progression for someone who uses photos in their artwork to eventually be interested in using their own photos. This is a really cool technique called Through the Viewfinder. This is one of my very first tries and I can see that I have a lot of improving but I am having a blast trying. This is of a bloom on a neighbors tree. It has been so windy lately that I have not gotten out too much to take any more.

Back into a schedule

It is always so hard to get back into a regular schedule after going on a vacation. We had such a good time at Sea World. It always seems to go by so fast. The kiddos are already wanting to talk about when we are going back. But for now, we are getting into the routine of school and soccer games. I was hoping to have time to do the MMM challenge but don't think I will be able to jump in until next week. I gotta unpack the RV and do laundry like a mad woman in order to catch up.

Off to Sea World

We are off to Sea World tomorrow morning so things will be pretty quiet around here this week. I am hoping to be all charged up and ready to jump back in next week. Hope everyone has a great Spring Break!

My baby loves to take pics!

So just recently Bailey (my soon to be 7 year old ) has asked for a camera. And I gotta tell ya, he takes the best pictures. I don't know if it is because he just randomly takes them or because he has a natural nack. This picture is more of the silly random ones but I thought it was pretty cute. I am thinking that maybe I should go ahead and give the little guy a "real" camera and let him go for it.

Crackle?

Surprise, another angel. I know....not a big shocker! I am trying to find a good crackle medium and don't seem to be having much luck. This is that Tim Holtz stuff. I don't know if it was intended for this or not. I think it is too shiny and raised. But, I still like the piece. It is a 9" by 9" gallery wrapped canvas that is 1 1/2" deep.

Probably won't be on much in the next few days. Next week is Spring Break and, we are gearing up for Sea World. The kids ask every day ( few times a day ) if it is time to go because they want to feed the dolphins. If you have ever been there they have this huge tank and if you buy a little tray of fish you can actually feed the dolphins. They get super close too. It is amazing. I am usually a nervous wreck. Trying to keep the kids from falling in. I don't know if that has ever happened to anyone.

Mixing it up

I decided to mix it up a little today and pull out my fabric stash. This is one of my favorite techniques to do using an embellishing machine and punching the little fabric squares down. Then stitch over the top using a decorative stitch. I then added fibers to the side. I thought it would be fun to make it a hanging quiltie. I have listed it in my http://alishafredrickson.etsy.com/ store.

Mixed Media Mondays - Purple and Gold

It was a crazy weekend. I have barely had a minute to sit down to do anything let alone make anything. I was happy to steal some time today.
The theme for MMM is gold and purple. I thought it would be tough for me but it actually was not. I started with some metallic paper and added some soft purple paint, water and then some walnut ink crystals. Oh, and it is on one of those wood canvases. LOVE THEM!!!!!! It is 6" by 6".

It happened again!

It snowed again yesterday! We did not get alot but, the kids were sooooo happy. As soon as we got enought to start throwing snowballs, making snow angels and making a snowman, we headed outside. So Alexis did finally get to make her snowman after all. And even if he was kinda pathetic looking, they were both so proud. You can tell that they are Texas kids. They got pretty cold pretty fast. So as soon as all the fun stuff was over they were in the bath warming up. It was great fun. And look in the background.

Theme Thursday Challenge - Paris

I have enjoyed MMM so much that I have decided to jump in and participate with Theme Thursday. The theme this week is Paris which is always a good one to work with. This is a 5" by 7" gallery wrapped canvas that I have collaged onto, added a gold leaf and then made a transfer over the top. I will be listing this on my http://alishafredrickson.etsy.com/ site later. I was anxious to get it up and it is not quite dry yet. And I am getting ready to run out the door to collect both kids at their different schools. Good ole Texas weather again has decided to bring us an ice storm. Maybe we will get enough snow for my baby girl to finally get to make her snowman.

Big Trip Coming

I think that I have totally fallen in love with the 5" by 5" canvases. This is another little one that I finished today. I absolutely Love this picture. Sweet!

Well, it is now official and I can't back out. My hubby and are are going to go to Venice and Vienna for our 10 year anniversary. I figure we will probably never go again. I am looking forward to it now but, it took me some time to warm up to the idea. About seven years ago I swore to myself that I would never leave the country again. This was only after a trip to the Bahamas where I unfortunately had a very bad miscarriage. And believe me, you don't want to visit the hospital there. At least not on the island that we were on.

But it is a new day. And I think that it would be an incredible situation at this point in my life when I can look through eyes of an artist.

We had snow last night!!!!

I can't believe it. We actually had snow last night. I let the kids stay up a little late because they were predicting snow. I was not really sure it would happen. I mean, I have not seen snow in a few years. So, we were reading and I decided to look out the back door. Low and behold, it was coming down fast and furious. I have never heard the kids giggle so much about the weather. We opened up the door and gathered some up to make little balls to throw. And after a little time and very cold hands, I put them to bed. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning to absolutely NO SNOW. It melted that fast. Crazy. It was super sad was Alexis jumped outta bed and to the back door only to begin crying. When I asked her what was wrong she said that she wanted to build a snowman. Adorable. Bailey only asked if school was canceled.

This is a piece that I just finished. I am enjoying layering up on canvases and canvas board. Kinda like a frame. This is a transfer of a great statue. I also added some paper flourishes to the base canvas board

Mixed Media Mondays - Music

I did this little wooden window for the challenge on Mixed Media Mondays. These cute little windows were found on the isle at the craft store with all of the doll houses. I think that is an art form that seems to have died down some. It is a shame since I am sure it was costly and very time consuming but well worth it all.

I stained the wood, added a background with papers and sheet music, stamped and added the photo and other embellishments. I love the way the girl looks like she is looking out the window. The quote says "She sings the song in her heart".

Bishop's Key

I had fun making this cute little thing. I covered a 5" by 5" gallery wrapped canvas with clay, stamped into it and then dyed it with walnut ink to make it look like wood. I then added the panel covered in ledger paper. The name on the top says Bishop. The key is I believe a clock key. It is really old and rusty. Love it! I finished it off by adding a little wire hanger. I am going to be listing it on my new etsy site today if you would like to take a look.

Hey, did everyone see the etsy founder on Martha Stewart show today. It is always fun to see etsy in the news but this is great. If you have not visited http://etsy.com before, go and check it out. I love looking to see what other people across the globe are creating!!!!

My New Etsy Store!!!!

I have excited news! I am opening my very own http://www.alishafredrickson.etsy.com/ store. I am venturing out on my own after selling along side of my mother with http://www.twocooltexans.etsy store. I know that it might be difficult to start out with a clean sheet but I think I am up for the challenge. It will be good for me to be more consistent in my creative production anyway. I will still be listing on twocooltexans.

So be sure to go check out both stores for upcoming artwork and creativity!!!

Back again today!

I was a lucky girl today and got to fit in a little extra creative time. Both kiddos were at school today and my hubby called and said we were headed out to dinner with the neighbors. So I stole some extra time that would have been done doing something else. Yeah! I am glad because I want to switch gears tomorrow and work on some other things.

And thanks to all of the very lovely and friendly gals at the mixed media mondays group. You are all very talented and fun to share with. Lots of inspiration!!!!

Mixed media Mondays - School

So Mixed Media Monday's challenge was school. I was not sure what I wanted to do until I saw this picture of this little girl giving what I would say is "the what for" to this very patient looking dog. That is why I am calling this Obedience School. I created the background using lined school paper and paper that I painted using acrylics. This is a 5" by 5" gallery wrapped canvas. I have also wrapped it in black ribbon that has letters on it.

I hope everyone is enjoying beautiful weather like we are. We will see how long it decides to stick around!

I think I am ready for spring!

It is actually warm here in good ole' Texas today. It is like in the 80's. I can't believe it. And I think that it has put me in the mood for spring. I am ready to start taking more flower pictures and getting ready for our spring break trip.

We have decided to head to San Antonio again for Sea World. We had the BEST time a couple of years ago. We, of course, take the RV down loaded up with all of the crew ( kids and dogs ). I know the kids will enjoy it more just because they are older. I will make a confession, everytime we watch the orca whale show, I cry. There is just something about their size and their beauty that seems to get me all weepy. Sad, I know.

So, with my spring fever today I decided to do some flower pieces. I am sure there will be more in the near future until I decide to move on to something else. This piece is 5" by 5" gallery wrapped canvas. I have made a really light and airy flower transfer onto old ledger paper. I then distressed it with some slash marks and added texture. I will be listing this piece on etsy.

Wings

So for the most part, I don't have the attention span to work and practice to learn something for months. But, I have worked so hard on learning to do large transfers. I think that I might actually have it down. It has taken many, many wrongs and throw aways. This is a 12" by 12" gallery wrapped canvas. It has already found a home on my walls. I will be selling some soon at our etsy store but, I just have to celebrate with keeping the first one for myself.

Christmas Mustache!

Here is one of my latest layouts. I am a whole year behind and am going to try really, really hard to catch up. These pics were taken Christmas morning. I had purchased these cute little cups that froth milk. I made both kids hot chocolate and made them all frothie. Bailey was not overly interested seeing as how it was Christmas morning but, Alexis loved it. She was so cute I had to capture the moment. She did not even realize that her mustache was what we were laughing at. She just thought that the drink was the best she had ever had.