Wonderful weekend and More CT work -

This weekend we attended a reunion in Lake Louise, Alberta - which for those of you unfamiliar with my neck of the woods, is within the gates of Banff National Park.  Although the weather was cool, the mountain air, glacier fed streams and the reconnection with nature that the mountains always provide made for a wonderfully rejuvenating time away.  I managed to only capture a few photos - the one below my favorite...one of the tiny cottages where we stayed - The Post Hotel.  Isn't it sweet?  The second photo is taken from the other side of the creek looking across to the hotel. 

Click on either photo for larger images.

New CT Work

 Thinking I was just about caught up, Tangie Baxter released a new digital pack this past weekend entitled "She Found Her Bliss" and it has some beautiful colors and vintage images in it.... below a  few previews -

and  my first digital collage using "She Found Her Bliss"  -

This one's for  BEA - 8 x 10 inch original digital collage

I created this collage after reading a wonderfully inspiring post titled "What's The Point?"  written by a dear blog friend - Bea of Dog in The Hole Studio - you can read her post  here 

Image Credits:
Tangie Baxter at Scrapbookgraphics.com all images except -

Tumble Fish Studio for smaller figures and border

Holliewood Studios, ATC2 at DeviantScrap.com - crow

Last Thursday, I had some welcomed visitors arrive to pick apples to preserve.    We thought that they'd be able to take the apples from both of our trees, but one tree yielded 300 kg of apples and so the second tree still remains loaded!   Here's a snapshot of the group that visited - I've printed out enough prints for each of them.

Tomorrow, I intend to provide an update on The Butterfly Effect, once I tally up how many artists, artists children, classes and groups that have already joined in!  I am absolutely over the top thrilled with the response so far! 

Thanks to everyone for your commitment to this project and as always, the encouraging comments on my artwork!

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For this weeks Collage Obsession -

The image we had to work with this week  was this one by Huet -

And here's what I 'morphed' it into -

Check out the other entries here

Image Credits -

Sherrie JD - Cirque at DeviantScrap

Holliewood Studios for striped border and the lion's crown - DeviantScrap

The Greatest Show on Earth words - Tangie Baxter - SBG

And one more that I enjoyed playing with the light reflection  - the figure is from Pierre Auguste....

"Let Your Light Shine"

Image Credits -

Cupid - Tumble Fish Studio

Hearts, Crown and Wings - Catherine Designs

Frame and Background - MizzD Stock at DeviantScrap

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More Catching up....

Yikes!   It is clear to me that I much prefer creating over the administrative responsibilities that follow as Creative Team member which sometimes require me to post the work I have completed on my blog....So a big apology to the designers as I have been late in posting several images!

Over the month of August, Hollie of Holliewood Studios has released a real funky group of ATC packs  as well as Theatre of Dreams and A Rose is a Rose.  This first one below is the front and back of a skinny page I made and have now printed onto cloth and am embellishing it .

4 x 8 inch Skinny Page - Front and Back

Image Credits

Tumble Fish Studio - Wings, Stars, Moon and portion of background

Tangie Baxter - Elephant

Holliewood Studios - Drapery,  white sign, box, crow, candles, crown - DeviantScrap

Hand and box - Studio Gypsy

Little boy on rocking horse and Dreamer - Lisa's Altered Art

Figure - MizzD Stock - Deviant Scrap

Nightmare

Image Credits:

Holliewood Studios - Deviant Scrap for background, rosary, candles, clouds

Brian Davidson from Flickr for Lion

Female Figure - Boudereau

Free Kisses

Image Credits:

Chair and Sky - MizzD Stock DeviantScrap

Figure - Lisa's Altered Art

Background Floor and  Box - Holliewood Studio Theatre of Dreams

Letters, eyelet and butterfly - Catherine Designs

                    Oh Happy Day

Image Credits:

Clowns - creative commons www

Female Figure, Happy Day and Sunny - Tumble Fish Studio

Champagne, Background, Drapery, Box and frame - Holliewood Studios at DeviantScrap

                                                                            Eleanor's Back!!

Image Credits:
Background - MizzD Stock - Castle Exclusives DeviantScrap
Crow, Clouds and Skeleton Leave - Holliewood Studios ATC Series- Deviant Scrap
Other embellishments - Catherine Designs Heart and Soul

Flight Within

Image Credits:

Painting, Chair - MizzD Stock - DeviantScrap

Hat - Holliewood Studios - Deviant Scrap

And one last one, and perhaps my favorite - I'd been working on this one over a few weeks not being able to find the 'finishing touch' , but today I  found the last little bits (leaves) just today in a new pack from MizzD Stock called "Fairytale Exclusives"

Ariela - 8 x 8 inch original digital collage - listed for sale here

Image Credits - MizzD Stock - Fairytale Exclusives,

rm-1008-hero - DeviantArt

Hand and Bird - personal cut outs from magazines.

That's all for today!  I should be caught up by the time the weekend rolls around.....or maybe I'll post a few more this evening!  Thanks for visiting! 

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I'm so happy....and so behind!

The Butterfly Effect

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  First off a big big Thank YOU to all of you that have signed up to join The Butterfly Effect OPEN!   At last count we were at 24 I will be updating the little image on the left here with the number of warm souls who have joined in.  I've been encouraged by the interest expressed so far and hope it continues. 
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  A deadline has yet to be established.  But because the actual exhibit isn't scheduled until sometime in 2013, let me reassure you, we will have lots of time! 
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  Secondly, again a thank you to my Aussie-down-under-pal Tara who always adds a bright spark to my day but this time, she added one of her funky 'blinkies' FOR FREE!!!!!  And I love it!  I also must credit Renee Pearson for the use of her beautiful green butterfly - it is one of my favorites!  And thank you to all of you that have added either the blinkie or the little 'icon' to your sidebars to spread the word and to those of you who are telling your teacher friends about the project so they may consider using the lesson plans as part of their teaching curriculum.
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  My gratitude list for the past few days has been bursting at the seams!  And my belief in the power of higher energy and the the collective consciousness has only been reinforced.  I've had the  fortune of hearing others share their experiences of personally  knowing Holocaust survivors or having been as deeply effected by the 'atrocities' in other ways, whether it was by reading literature on the subject or by their responses to films created that have dealt with the Holocaust.  On the top of my list for this genre was Steven Speilberg's "Schindlers List" and perhaps one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time - "Life is Beautiful".  Two other films were mentioned in the comments received - "The White Countess" and "Karol".   I plan to check them out. 

Catching up on CT work -  better late than never!

First, a few digital collages that for lack of a better word, I neglected to post.  They were patiently waiting in my files and I didn't hear a peep from them until I forced myself to do some filing!  As you can plainly see, my muse decided to favor a particular color pallette in these!!!! 

"Oh Charlie" - digital collage

Image Credits here

2nd Version - this is actually the front side of the envelope

and below is both the outside and inside...

Here is a photograph of it in 2D showing how it folds... 

and the image you see that is behind the envelope is a print I made just before I finished

this one below -

High Society Fly

I was thinking abou the conflict between the material world and the natural world - I bet you my bottom dollar, that that was probably the last thing you thought of when you looked at it!!!  Oh well, that's what I like about holding an 'artistic license'!!!  The beautiful woman is one of Tumble Fish Studio's Marsha's amazing images! She is a moviestar - Lya de Putti, a Hungarian actress from the silent movie era in the 1920's.

Image Credits -

Birds - www creative commons - extracted

Drapery, clouds, birdcage hat and chandelier and floor - Holliewood Studios - ATC1 and 2

The Thing Finder

Figure and Fly - Tumble Fish Studio

High Society - Tangie Baxter

See what I mean about the muses'  vivid color pallette........here's another that is relative similar to the one above in color although I used one of Last Door Down The Hall -  Elizabeth's  images

:;;;l i s t e n;;;

Image Credits -

Holliewood Studios - Theatre of Dreams
Figure - Elizabeth Golden - Last Door Down the Hall

Birds - creative commons WWW

Catch A Falling Star - Limited Edition Print 5 x 7 inch

Image credits: 

 virtually all Tumble Fish Studio  with a few exception and are listed with the description of the print  available for sale  here

If you haven't signed up already, please take a moment to  read

 more about The Butterfly Effect

Thanks!

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Participation in this project has been redirected to the Holocaust Museum Houston

The Butterfly Effect project closes on December 31st, 2011  BUT, you still have plenty of time to send your butterflies to the original source for this project at The Holocaust Museum Houston.


Please follow this LINK for further instructions on how to contribute to this important project or copy and paste their web address into your internet browser - http://hmh.org/ed_butterfly1.shtml

If you would like to spread the word....
(Double Click to Open and then Right Hand Click and "Save")

Add this picture along with this web address:
 http://twodressesstudio.blogspot.com/2010/08/butterfly-effect-open-is-calling-you.html
 and post to your sidebar


NOTE:  Please see UPDATES at the bottom of this posting.




or....here's a BLINKIE made by Tara!!!  Thank you Tara you Rock!!!! 
Instructions to add moving image:
Double Click on the image below, then right click "SAVE AS" - you now have the moving images stored to your computer to upload to your side bar.

You must be wondering  what all of  this is about???

A few days ago, while I was enjoying several visits to some of my favorite artful blogs, I came across a project underway called "The Butterfly Project" hosted by The Holocaust Museum Houston in Texas, USA.    Their mission  as follows:

The Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, we teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.  And the tag line following it reads:

Stop Hate. Starting Here.

That grabbed my attention.  I read on.....

The Butterfly Project mandate is   to remember the 1,500,000 innocent children who perished as a result of the Holocaust  by collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies. 

 In Spring 2013, these butterflies will then become a break-taking exhibition to serve as a memory of this event.  

 Can you imagine?  1.5 million children translated into  1.5 million butterflies....?  If  you wondering why a butterfly,  the project is based on this poem -

I Never Saw Another Butterfly

The last, the very last,

So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow
Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing
against a white stone....

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ’way up high.
It went away I’m sure
because it wished
to kiss the world good-bye.

 For seven weeks I’ve lived in here
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.

Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto.

Written  by Pavel Friedman, June 4, 1942

Born in Prague on Jan. 7, 1921.
Deported to the Terezin Concentration Camp on April 26, 1942.
Died in Aushchwitz on Sept. 29, 1944.

He was 23.    23.  I have a daughter that age. 

After a brief moment, I decided,  I have to send a butterfly.  Then I thought of how I'd love to send a lot of butterflies.  Then I thought of the great group of artist friends here !  Who doesn't love a butterfly?  And who wouldn't be touched by this poem and this tragedy and want to  contribute to this meaningful and lasting exhibit and  tribute?  And wouldn't it be rewarding to encourage as many people as I could to play along with me??? 

I believe when I come from a place of abundance, a place of Giving,  of Heart and of  Light, anything is possible.  The universe will support me and everyone else when we act  from that Higher Place. 

I can already see  butterflies arriving in my mailbox from kindred spirits like you who share a similar belief.   I'll open the envelope, photograph the butterfly and begin collecting a box full of butterflies to send on behalf of all of us! 

Will you play with me?   Would you like to be a part of this?   Join in and make a butterfly? 

 We'll call it ....

The Butterfly Effect "OPEN"

...borrowing from  chaos theory, but  much more importantly  based on the wonderful notion that if enough people think enough healing thoughts, then slowly our world will be at peace. No one said it better than Gandhi - Be the change you want to see in the world.

 The power of the collective consciousness.   Wouldn't this be a great place to start? 

Consider yourself invited!

How it will work -

Follow the instructions  as outlined by the  Holocaust Museum highlighted in blue below.  When your  copyright free butterfly is completed, pop it into an envelope  including your name, email and blog or web address  and mail it to:

 
Two Dresses Studio
1554 - 20 Avenue South
Lethbridge, AB  T1K1E9
Canada

DEADLINE -December 31st, 2011
 
When I receive it, I will email you and then snap a photograph  and  post it in a central post like a registry and include  a link back to your blog.  Then once I'm sure everyone's butterflies have made their way here, I'll send them on their way to the museum .... but NOT before I take a photo of ALL OF OUR  BUTTERFLIES!!!!
 
 Or,  if you'd prefer to bypass the group project,  (though it won't be as much fun!) you can mail your butterfly or butterflies directly to the
 
Holocaust Museum Houston
c/o Butterfly Project
Education Department
5401 Caroline St.
Houston, TX 77004

The deadline for butterflies to be received at the museum has now been established as June 30, 2012

~Here are the Instructions for Making the Butterfly ~

•Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.

•Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.

•Glitter and all glitter-related products should not be used.

•Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used.

Want to play but time broke?   Well, I have an 'app' for that!   Here's a simple, quick and easy solution for you.  Click on  any one of the following images of butterflies, save one, print it out and following the instructions above, art it up, cut it out and mail it in!

Want to get others involved? Here are a few ways - 

1.   Double Click the image of the hand holding the butterfly above,  add it to your sidebar and link it back here.

2.    Or write a post about it, or post your butterfly to your sidebar. 

3.   Or tell two people and ask them to tell two people. 

4.  Are you an educator or a teacher?  Get your class involved.  The organizers have a special section devoted for this very purpose here along with five activities, objectives, lesson plans and examples.

Ok, can you tell by how the font size is increasing that I'm excited about this?  If you have questions, please feel free to email me at twodressesstudio@shaw.ca  (Trudi).

 Finally - here are  a few links for more information:

1.  Holocaust Museum Houston

2.  The Butterfly Project

3.  Butterfly Utopia (direct link to the black and white butterfly   images I've posted above)

Remember, don't forget to include your email address and your web site or blog address so I can link your butterfly photo back to you.

Add a bookmark to this post so you can come back and watch the butterflies appear!

And a huge  thank you in advance for playing along. I can hardly wait to see what you create!

PS - If you plan to play, please leave a comment here so I can send you reminders!  Or if you don't want reminders, let me know that too!

LINKS TO ALL UPDATES: 
(click on the date )

1 -  September 3rd, 2010

2. September 11th, 2010
MAIN Catalogue of   BUTTERFLIES NOW SAFELY LANDED 

 3 - September 22nd, 2010

4 -  September 29th, 2010

5 - October 10th, 2010

6  - October 15th, 2010

7 - October 22nd, 2010

8 -  October 30th, 2010

9 - November 5th, 2010

10 - November 12th, 2010

11 - November 19th, 2010

12.  November 26th, 2010

13.  December 3rd, 2010

14.  December 16th, 2010

15.  January 7th, 2011

16.  January 16th, 2011

17.  February 19th, 2011

18.  March 3rd, 2011

19.  March 17th, 2011

20.  April 11th, 2011

21.  May 5th, 2011

21a.  May 8th, 2011 (continuation of Carstairs Elementary School butterflies)

22.  May 13, 2011

23.  June 18, 2011

24.  July 23, 2011

25.  July 27, 2011

26.  September 6, 2011

27.  September 28, 2011

28.  September 30, 2011

29. September 30th, 2011

31. October 5th, 2011

32. December 5th, 2011



Please remember to send me or include your email address when you sign up!!!  My email is twodressesstudio@shaw.ca  Thanks!!!

Also, please accept my apologies in advance if I don't respond to your comment here indicating your desire to join.  I have made the decision to acknowledge the receipt of the butterflies as they arrive.    However, if you have any questions before you send your butterfly, please email me at the address above.

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Sunday Postcard Art - Odds and Bods?

This weeks theme - Odds and Bods - check out the other entries here

Mrs. O'Hara - original digital collage - 5 x 7 inches




Image Credits - CandyforEveryone for body via Deviantart.com  Holliewood Studios
DeviantScrap.com- A Rose is a Rose for all other elements

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More creative team work to share...

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who left me a comment on my article publication. And again, my apologies to Mrs. Traub. 

 Earlier this week, I stumbled across a 'new to me' challenge - Collage Obsession, hosted by Kris, better known as Iktupilli,  and Elegia.   They host a weekly challenge on Mondays and this week the instructions were  to take  this William Bouguereau’s masterpiece and use part of it to create a new collage - the theme being angels.  Personally, I enjoy the various challenges in Blogville as they give my muse a bit of a 'spark' !   Thanks Kris and Elegia!

untitled

Image Credits: William Bouguereau, Cali Designs for the flowers, Tangie Baxter at Scrapbookgraphics.com for the sky, Holliewood Studios - DeviantScrap.com - Theatre of Dreams for floor, VOID for Bathtub, handwriting - A Rose is a Rose. 

Not that I really needed a 'spark' this week as three of the designers I create art for released new kits.  The first of which was Fair Maidens - from SherrieJD who had recently  invited me to join her team and, well, with these kinds of  images, how could I say no.

So, I started off with my muse imagining how uncomfortable these dresses would have been to actually wear...or even move in - good thing there were no automobiles - b/c the likelihood of a shoulder check would be slim to none.... 

The First Turtleneck

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Muriel - 4 x 6 inch Origina Mail Art - digital collage

Together - Birds of a Feather

Above,  I was noticing how much the yoke of the dress looked like eggs - no pun intended...and this then lead my muse to dress up the bird, and create a neckline of eggs and feathers....

Deviating away from the creative team work for a bit, the following two were inspired by an image I had purchased of the church you see in the second piece  -  I loved the contrast between the white and the cobalt blue stain glassed windows.  I apologize for the poor resolution on these images here - it's just a precaution to prevent the potential for back alley surfers to poach them....

These are brilliant in full resolution and I have them matted (in real life) and ready to be framed.

Sacred

- 5 x 7 inch original digital collage - available for purchase here

Profane

 - 5 x 7 inch original digital collage available for purchase here

Image Credits:

Sacred - SherrieJD - Fair Maiden for renaissance women, link above, Kate Pertiet - butterflies, Holliewood Studios DeviantScrap.com A Rose is a Rose, Tangie Baxter - Background - Tempest Tossed

Profane - Drape, Roses and English Ivy  - Holliewood Studios - DeviantScrap.com,  A Rose is a Rose

Female Figure - Candies for Everyone - DeviantArt.com,  Cloth - Markopolio Stock - DeviantArt.com - Church - my purchased stock

Together - SherrieJD - Fair Maiden - link above, Feathers - Catherine Designs, Background - Lauren Bavin - Heart and Soul

Muriel -  Figure and postage stamp SherrieJD - Fair Maiden - link above, and Nevermore, Heart Earring - Catherine Designs

And a new release from Tangie Baxter this week ' Unconventional Wisdom' - lead me to another mail art piece -

Life - It Happens!

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Somerset Apprentice Autumn 2010 Volume 3 - coming soon!

I'm pickled tink  to tell you Somerset Apprentice's next publication (available September 1, 2010)  will be featuring a 5 page tutorial  on a fabric collage I created entitled When Pigs Fly.  They had initially emailed me askin me to submit  a piece I had created and posted here  but I had given it away as part of a collaborative project  and wasn't at that point too comfortable asking for it back. (I later did and then submitted both)  But,   instead, I offered to create a new piece for the feature.  Well,  I learned never to do that again.  Although I am now happy with the outcome, the angst and self-consciousness that poured out of me for most of May leading up to the submission deadline was too much for me to want to repeat....to say the least.

I am  however very happy with the written portion of the tutorial and especially with the hint section which is detailed and answers many of the questions I am often asked by others wanting to start dabbling in fabric art, stitching, beading, etc. 

I never thought in a milion years that I would be so drawn to this 'medium' to express myself creatively.   Having grown up as a true tomboy, I was also  a bit of a rebel in my home economic class in my teenage years.  Although I promise, I wasn't the instigator, I did have a hand in filling our home economic teacher's rubber boots with porridge one cold and snowy February afternoon.  Her name was Mrs. Traub...I've felt horrible about that ever since.   Mrs. Traub, if you are still alive and reading this, just say the word and I'll send this off to you as a way of making amends.  After all, the poor lady...what a handful of spinny 13 year old girls she had to contend with.   I still remember a particularly mischievous girl standing behind Mrs. Traub on a stool strategically and softly  placing straight pins in her wig as Mrs. Traub (completely oblivious to  what was taking place behind her ) went on with her lecture.  Isn't that cruel?  You may find that hard to believe, but Mrs. Traub was also blind in her left eye making this possible as her peripheral vision was poor.

But, back to the topic at hand, until 2 years ago,  I  never owned a sewing machine that would sew without creating a sizeable birds nest of tangle thread each time I attempted to use it.  Well, technology has progressed since the 70's  - go figure - and even though my sewing machine is modest in its features, those memories of continual failures have now faded and I have come to enjoy the soft whhhhhhhhhrrrrrrr of the machine and the trance that ensues from focusing on the needle and the patina of the cloth as it follows the path front to back.  It's soothing to me.  Similarly, the beading and the embroidery are no longer activities I want to complete or dread, but instead,  a happy and quiet time I look forward to.  I must be ready for grandchildren?

Here's a few photos that I took along the way in May  that don't appear in the feature article -

When Pigs Fly 

 Original  Fabric Mixed Media Collage  5 x 12 inches 

Somerset Apprentice Volume 3 - Autumn 2010

Here is the back side -

A special thanks to the folks at Somerset who provided me with this opportunity to share my creative passion!!  And, for those of you who want to take digital art to a textile application - here's a good place to start!!!

 Thanks for reading!  Oh, just because they've been so good to me,  I thought I'd provide  a convenient   link to where you can order your own copy.

Image Credits - Pig and Bunny - Tangie Baxter at Scrapbookgraphics.com

Crown, Wings, Frame - Marsha Salyer Jorgenson - Tumble Fish Studio

Parachute and Numbers - Holliewood Studios at Deviantscrap.com

Female Figure - the late Suzee Que at Flickr.com

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