Once again, I am participating in the annual One World One Heart event. This is an international blog event that started back in 2007. It’s HUGE!

For some background on the event, I’m posting exactly what Lisa, the fabulous organizer of the event has to say:

WHAT IS ONE WORLD ONE HEART?

I created this event in 2007. The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. 2007 had roughly 85-90 participants and many connections were made because of it……friendships that are still going strong.
We had a strong showing the first year for sure, and then in 2008 we had just about tripled that number. In 2009 there were 911 participants, to say I was amazed is an understatement. 28 countries were represented in the 2009 event as well.
This is more than wanting to win something…….that is only the means…….in the end it’s about finding kindred spirits. Someone who may be fairly new to blogging, not sure how to navigate, find others and have others find them….Some are long time bloggers and in some cases well known in the blogging community. Whatever the case it brings all of them together. This is an INTERNATIONAL event that has and had participants from the US, Canada, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Malaysia, Brazil, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, England,Wales, Slovenia and more. It transcends geographical location, socio economics, political affiliation, religious beliefs……it’s a coming together like the giant community we are on this planet. If only it took a simple giveaway to create PEACE everywhere, in the mean time here we give from our hearts. We are not solving the worlds problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging. What more could I ask for, my little idea has surpassed my wildest dreams of what it could become.

WHAT IS FRAN GIVING AWAY THIS YEAR?

Now on to the good stuff: What am I going to give away this year? This year, there will be two gifts available. Both are art dolls I made.

Doll pin-cushion

The first: For an artists’ holiday exchange in 2008, I made these funky doll-pin cushions. They were well-received by the recipients and we all use ours all the time. So, when I was talking with my friend Angie about what I should give away, I remembered that I had one of the doll-pin-cushions that I hadn’t gifted to anyone! Well, that made my decision easy!

I’m giving away this lovely doll pin cushion. She is hand-made by me. The face is a face I painted myself and then scanned and printed onto fabric. I added the hair, beads, embroidery, and buttons by hand. She was truly a labor of love. I’ve enjoyed having her here in the studio, but she’s ready for a new home. Perhaps it will be your home!

Funky Doll

The second is another doll I made. Like the other, she is hand-made by me. I made a few of these and intended to sell them, but they remain here in the studio. So, this one is up for you to win! Like the funky doll pincushion, she is hand-made by me. The face is another face I painted and printed onto fabric. I also drew the main image in the center and printed it on fabric. Some people have told me it looks like a rubber stamped image, but it’s not! I drew this when Dave and I went on our first trip overseas. It’s the ironwork from our first hotel in Paris, France. After printing the image on fabric, I added color to the fabric. The additional fabric on this doll’s front is from Vintage Kimono Fabric. She is sewn my machine with some quilting, but the beading is all added by hand.  She, too, is ready for a new home!

THE FINE PRINT:

To enter the drawing, please post a comment on THIS POST on my blog (Facebook comments will not be accepted for entry). Your email is required, but will NOT be published! It will only come to me – I need a way to reach you if you win! I will accept comments until noon Eastern time on February 15, 2010. At that point, I will add up the comments and use a Random Number Generator to choose the winner. The winner will be posted by 5 pm Mountain Time on February 15, 2010.

For the past two years that I’ve participated, I’ve made several new friends online. We correspond regularly. I look forward to “meeting” you and to becoming a part of your world! I’ll be stopping by all the websites of those who stop by mine so we can all get to know each other! Take some time to look at the main OWOH site to participate and to meet some other bloggers who are participating.

Please email me your address so I can send out your winnings!

Thanks to all for playing. We’ll have another Manic Monday soon….

What is in the kit? As you can see to the right, you get four unmounted original flower stamps, 10 pre-punched chipboard pages, three rings, and a handmade flower.

I broke mine into two mini-books so I could make it work for me.
The first one, “Spring” is collaged throughout. You can see all the pages in the flickr album I created for these products here. How did I create the look of the pages? Well it was simple and inexpensive! After receiving the kit from SunSpirit Studio, I cut out the stamps and then started collaging the pages with old newsprint that we found when unpacking my Mother-in-Law’s house. The paper is from 1968. (If you want this to be archival, you can spray it with archival sprays.) Then I painted using inexpensive craft paints I purchased at the craft store on sale. They were about 50 cents each! I used a foam brush for each color. I also stamped with the paint. No, I did not use any stamping inks on the “Spring” book. I used my foam brush and red, yellow and blue paints, as you will see throughout the book. I was careful to try to make facing pages coordinate, so I can add photos and create a “double layout”. I used alphabet stamps from Making Memories to create the text on the front with red paint. Then I used the included rings to bind the book.

The second book, “Spring Break 2007″ was created in the same way. The difference is that I added a few steps.by collaging them with text from a book I tore apart. Then I painted with a blue craft paint and stamped the pages in yellow, blue and red paint. I let all pages dry and then I took a medium-grit sandpaper block and distressed the pages. Because I had collaged under the paint, there were highs and lows and there is text below the paint. These show really well. When I was finished, I stamped the front with Making Memories stamps, using Ancient Page Coal Black ink. Finally, I added the copper flower piece with Alleene’s Tacky Glue. All I had to do was add some rings I had in my studio to bind the book. And there we go!

Do you want to have an opportunity to win this kit? Simply leave a comment between now and Tuesday, April 10th at 9 am Pacific. The winner will be announced Tuesday, April 10th at 9:30 am Pacific Time.

Special thanks to SunSpirit Studio for donating this exciting product!

Shari Schneider! Congrats, Shari. Please email me your address so I can get your collage sheets out to you.

I know. I’ve left you hanging. I didn’t post after my day out with Angie. But Angie did such a great job of describing our day, I couldn’t have done a better job and, well, I figured I’d like to her blog so you could see our day. To check it out, look here. We both picked up some cabinet cards and old snapshots at the antique malls. Angie picked up a vintage hankie. I picked up a vintage medical book and a box full of old patterns for a bargain! Then we went to lunch at a cute little place called My Florist. It was a lovely day.

After I left Angie, I went to SAS Fabrics by the Pound. For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know that I had a long six weeks (seemed like six months!) where my Windows-based laptop computer was in and out of the Geek Squad’s hands. Finally, I chose to go with a MacBook this time around. And, I’m so glad I did. And, since I adore this piece of machinery and I really want to keep it in excellent shape, i was looking at the option of getting a sleeve made for it. But then, I figured, heck. Why should I have a plain black neoprene sleeve when I can make my own with some attitude? So at SAS, I went on a hunt for some vinyl to use on the outside. See, as I mentioned in this post, I’m a klutz. And I don’t want anything to happen to my MacBook when it’s in transit! I found a cool denim-patterned vinyl for about $2.99/yard. I got a yard, figuring it would give me enough to make at least 3 sleeves (Yes, I anticipated messing up the first one at least! LOL). And I bought some trim to add to it. I also had some batting and some pretty cotton fabrics in my stash that I knew I could use. I also picked up some sequin waste for my stocks and for Tracey. All in all, a long but good day.

I came home around 3:30 and 10 minutes later, my husband came home. His best friend from childhood was coming to stay with us this weekend along with his wife. So, well, we needed to do some cleaning up! We kicked it into high gear and cleaned until 6, when Dave left for his monthly poker game. I ordered Chinese food and then went to work on figuring out my laptop sleeve!

Now, as I’ve mentioned in the past, though I have a very logical part of my brain, I tend to just jump into projects like this. Which means that no, I didn’t draw out a pattern on paper or make actual measurements (perish the thought of even pulling out a straight edge or ruler!). So, to say the least, the first one, though it worked (I kept putting my MacBook inside of it to make sure it fit!), it was far from pretty! – edges that are not finished; a lot of unfinished spots inside, lots of ick, basically. But at least I tried it. I found the most difficult part was sewing on vinyl. I didn’t even think that it would be a problem with the feed dogs and the presser foot. But then again, I’ve never sewn on it before. That was a major pain. By 11 pm, I had finished a prototype (yes, that’s it to the left – click on it to see a larger image and to see what the writing says!) to use as a pattern, realized where I had gone wrong, and went to bed!

Saturday morning, I was determined to work on this again and to use what I learned from my mistakes to make it work out better this time. Dave was on call this week, which meant he was headed to the hospital to round. I jumped in and started working on my sleeve. But not until I actually checked online to see if there were any patterns. And DUH There were! Damn my impetuous nature! (Just Google “laptop sleeves DIY”!). But despite this, I did not find one that met MY needs. They were made of old pants legs, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and foam. Not my style. However, I did use the ideas of how to get the measurements and looking at them, I saw where I had gone wrong the first time. So this time, I actually tried again. Googled “sewing on vinyl” and I learned that I could use tissue paper to feed the vinyl through the sewing machine…. MUCH BETTER! To the right is the second try. I need to add some Velcro for it to close, but it will work. No, it’s not beautiful, but at least it’s all mine! LOL I think the third time will be a charm, but I don’t think I have it in me to try a third one at this moment!

Then Dave brought in the mail. And I received a treat from my friend, Tracey! It is the “goodie bag” she prepared for me for the party I missed due to my vertigo. It’s so CUTE and it’s a perfect piece for me. I mean, coffee-themed? How much better could it be? And inside were many fun treasures; however, the one I treasure the most is a booklet made for me by the party attendees. Some background: Tracey had asked us each if we were willing to share a technique or project with the rest of the group. I was going to teach some of my intuitive collage and share my new collage sheets with the group. Since I wasn’t able to attend the party, I sent the collage sheets to Tracey via email. I had updated two of my sheets and created some new ones using vintage images I had purchased. I wanted to see if they were going to work as well as I’d hoped. Well, in my absence, the group all did collages using my collage sheets. And they were a hit!
So, today I am pleased to introduce ArtsyFran’s newest collage sheets, featuring vintage images.

Collage Sheet 1: Vintage Children’s Images 1

Collage Sheet 2: Vintage Adult Images 2

Tomorrow, I will post the collages and the new collage sheets. But they are already up in my Etsy store where you can order them now! There is so much you can do with these sheets. And there are some more surprises coming up soon.

MANIC MONDAY!

Yes, it’s going to be another Manic Monday here at ArtsyFran Designs! To kick off the new collage sheets, I’m going to GIVE AWAY one set of each of my TWO NEW Vintage Image Collage Sheets to one lucky winner who posts a comment in my blog by 8 am Mountain Time, Monday, February 5th. I choose this date in honor of two of my favorite people: my niece Eliana, and my cousin Tammi, who both have February 5th as their birthdays. So, same rules as last time. You can give up to one comment per day and for each comment, you will get another chance to win!

But first, let me say that the winer will receive the following:

The winner will get the following:

One 10-pack of Gelly Roll Moonlight Pens – I LOVE these pens! I use them in all my journaling pages.

Two Packs of Sticklers – One gold and one silver pack. These are dimensional outline stickers with 3 dimensional Souffle pens that dry opaque and pastel.

One Pack of Gold Shadow Gelly Roll Pens – These are BRAND NEW! And I love them! They have a gold base with outines in each of the five colors. You HAVE to try these.

Congratulations to WindyAngels! Email me privately and send me your address so I can put your prize in the mail to you.

For those of you who entered but did not win, you can purchase these products at your local art and craft stores. If you don’t have one close to you, you can go to the Sakura website and use their Shopatron option, where a small retailer will send products they have in stock (it’s more complicated than that, but my point is that you will be helping a small store!).

To the left is the final version of Escher’s self-portrait with quite a bit of altering. I really went to town on this one, but I think he looks better than he did in black and white! I had a good time on this one and it just seemed that it was not ever enough, so I kept adding to it. I like the final version. He is quite colorful, wouldn’t you say?

The page to the right, “Childhood Lessons” is a lesson to myself! It reminds me that not all of my artwork has to have a lot of detail to be a good composition. I created this one in a short time and just played!

This next image is created by altering Escher’s “The Horseman”. I used the original image as the central point of the composition, but I added bright colors, which were not part of the original. I enjoyed playing with this and adding the lettering to the top. Another rather simple composition, using my own photocopied journal pages as a basis for the design.

Finally, “Childhood Dreams”, to the right, is the finished page that started off with little or no alteration to the images of the child statues I have. There is a lot of detail in this one, but it was sort of “organic”, in that it was not something I planned. I just let the child inside of me play.

And today, I spent the majority of the day working on another quilt. I know, I can become obsessive about things rather rapidly, huh? Well, I have a friend who made a comment to me privately about this quilt and so I decided she needed her own. I was not ready to give up my first attempt, but I wanted to create one for her. And, amazingly, I think, I actually did the whole thing in one day. I did nothing else, except scanning these pages and some household things, but I was happy with the results. It’ was much easier to put it together this time, as I was less timid with the machine. It even gave me some fits, but I allowed myself to slowly work through it and – the most exciting part – I did not need to use my manual today to play with the sewing machine! That’s progress!

Finally, I have had several questions asked about my artwork and my process. I promise to answer them, perhaps later tonight, but definitely this weekend. The response is half-written, but I thought you might appreciate some actual artwork, rather than simple Q & A to start off your weekend.

Don’t forget, there’s still time to enter the Box of Inspiration contest! Just comment on this blog and be sure to include your contact information (it stays hidden!) and you’re entered!

1. I went to my first concert at age 6. I was obsessed with Tom Jones. My mother took me to what was then Sunrise Musical Center in South FL. It no longer exists

2. Windsocks make me laugh. Seriously. I cannot pass the mile of cars a bit down the road without laughing at them. I will go out of my way to take that road when I’m down. I blast the music and it always seems that they’re dancing to whatever I’m listening to!

3 I collect Wizard of Oz things and have always loved that movie. A Wizard of Oz reference on TV or in a movie makes me smile and laugh and cry!

4. When I was in second or third grade, there was this one-man traveling show thing that my mother took me to. I have no idea who the guy was, but he had a lasting impression on me. He acted out Harry Chapin’s song “Cats in the Cradle”, playing the parts of father and son. I cannot listen to that song without remembering this sad rendition.

5. I am a stickler for punctuation and spelling – which you might not know from reading my blog! I shudder when someone uses an ‘s to indicate plural or capitalizes something that is not supposed to be capitalized.

And I tag Angie and Tracey!

The one to the right focuses on all the new possibilities the new year brings, and that simply by inking things in (such as goals, wishes, and deadlines, etc.), we can create our own dreams. The car image is one of my old journal pages that I printed on my color printer. I use a lot of older pages over again in new ways. And the little guy at the bottom is a guy I found in an antique store!

The next page is where I finally got to wish Juliet a happy new year, with a picture (also from an antique hunt!) of a woman who looks very serious, but is wearing a party hat! She’s got a car that she’s sort of floating above (I have no idea what that’s all about, but hey, at least she’s there and in a party mood!). And, I added a Victorian cameo as the hod ornament. I want to keep the actual journaling from the first two days visible, so this page is almost done. I may just add a bit more color.

The fourth page is still a work in progress. I was testing out some of the new Sakura pens I got, and it’s the Gold Shadow Gelly Roll Pens that give the metalic look to this page. The Moonlight Gelly Roll pens are what I journaled with, and the letters that spell out “Vertigo” are from my own collage sheets. The design of the bird came from cutting up another photocopy of the journal page and the small cabinet photos are from antiquing. This page is not done yet. I will need to do more doodling and mabe add some more color to the page.

The final page I’m working on has a self-portrait of MC Escher. I’m enjoying cutting up hand-decorated papers to dress him up. It’s not done yet, and it is kind of silly, but I like it. On the right side, I’m creating a layout about the dreams of children. I think that, as an artist, we all have to have a bit of active child in us, so I feel as if I need to somehow talk about that in my drawing and it contrasts well, I think, with the seriousness of the unadorned portrait.
Don’t forget to leave a comment so you, too, can be entered into the Sakura “Box of Inspiration” contest! I will draw a name Monday, January 22nd at 9 am Mountain Time. You can enter up to once a day by commenting in this blog. Each comment gets you another chance to win this prize worth more than $40 retail!

Today, to try to assuage the vertigo, we moved my IV treatment up by two days. As a result, I spent the morning in the infusion center at my husband’s practice. I spent the afternoon responding to the comments you’ve left so far for the entries into the Sakura contest.

The only art I have been able to do in the past day or so is in a Round Robin Altered Calendar Journal for the Calendargirlz YahooGroup. I will take some scans of that tomorrow to share with that group and with all of you. I know you don’t *just* come to visit for the prizes! LOL Besides, I want to show you how I have used the new Gold Shadow Gelly Roll pens and how I’ve used the Sticklers to decorate my quad cane! Nothing is sacred around here! LOL

Remember, the name of the winner will be drawn on Monday, January 22nd at 9 am Mountain Time, so you have plenty of time to enter! And you can enter up to one time per day!

Have an artful and inspired day!