Dylanbug Gets Published! - Update

The Stamper's Sampler has long been one of my favorite idea/inspiration magazines.  Last night we returned from vacation and I found my newest issue in the mail.  What a nice way to relax after a very long journey home.

An even bigger bonus?  Seeing my work on a 2-page spread!  I can't show you the pages themselves because the issue doesn't hit the newstands until July 1st.  However, the table of contents is listed online as proof of their existence.  Check out page 26:

Generally, when you submit to a publication, your artwork disappears into a black hole, never to be seen or heard from again.  It's best to just send things off and forget about them.  Which I did - months ago.  This was only my second or third attempt ever - the first for this publication.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my work would appear in such a wonderful way.

If you get a chance, pick up the new July/August/September issue.  Not just to see my work, but also to see the rest of the extraordinary artists featured inside.

I'll share the actual pics when the issue is released.  Whoo hoo!  I'm still doing my happy dance!

Update:  a much-published friend let me know it's ok to share the pages with you.  Here they are:

New Toys for Pam

 It doesn't take much to amuse me.  Cool file folders.  Funky colored paper clips.  Glitter, pens, a really fantastic piece of handmade wrapping paper.

What do you think of this little beauty?  Pretty, right?  It's one of the new dies that I got from Cheery Lynn Designs.  I've heard mixed things about their products, but I decided to try a couple and see what they were like. Now I can't stop making butterflies!

Doilies are all the rage in the papercrafting world right now.  You can buy them already made, but that's not nearly as fun as making them yourself.  This one is traditional white, but I plan to make many in different colors.  Maybe I'll even go wild and try patterned paper!  See what I mean about "easily amused"?

Here's a look at the whole doily die.  It's several sizes in one set so you can layer them or make frames.


This ought to keep me busy for awhile, anyway!

(til the next cool thing catches my eye)

Ink Spots

Finally made it to the art store to buy some watercolor paper.  Since I don't paint, this isn't one of my normal supplies.  But, I have long wanted to try my Distress Inks with watercolor paper.

Distress Inks are reactive with water, so you can create many wonderful techniques with them.  They come in pads, stains, bottles and markers.

In this case I used the stains, and pads.  To create a background color, I rubbed an ink pad on my no-stick craft sheet and very lightly misted it with water.  Then I just laid the watercolor paper on the craft sheet and pressed down with my palms.  I did not move the paper at all.

Next step was to wipe the craft sheet clean and swirl some stain on it so that it beaded up in good sized beads.

Lastly, I laid the paper on the craft sheet face down.  I did not press it down, just let the ink touch it.  When I turned the paper over, the ink was beaded on the surface.  I took a narrow plastic straw and blew the ink around on the paper.  I swirled the straw in circular motions to create the spidery looking splatters.  Then I let the sheets air dry.  I didn't use the heat tool because I didn't want to move the ink around any more.


Now I just have to decide whether I want to cut these up and make cards, or just enjoy them as they are!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Pocket Watch Pendant

I love when I find a new treasure that immediately inspires me.  A vision of exactly what I'm going to do just pops into my head and I can't wait to make it reality.

This amazing pocket watch case is engraved with wonderful flourishes around the sides and on the back.  The back pops off so you can fill the inside with whatever you want.

I filled the inside with silk flowers, a cameo, and a vintage  chandelier crystal.  Then I topped it with some charms and vintage jewelry parts.

The best part is the front window flips open when you push the button on top of the watch.  The front glass is a magnifier, so you can really see the inside.  When you flip it open, it's just regular glass.  Very sweet!

I love that it's so easy to find intriguing art supplies in Portland.  And there are so many uses for found objects and little vintage baubles.  So glad to live in such an artistic city!

Thanks for visiting.  Have a great day.

Wistful for Letterpress

I have always been drawn to letterpress cards.  Probably because the colors are so clean and vivid.  Doing simple cards without texture and embellishments is pretty far out of my usual comfort zone, but I was really inspired to try something different.

There have been several sets of rub-ons in my drawer for months just waiting for me to figure out how to use them.  Here's what I finally did.

I now love this set so much that I don't want to give them away!

 I think the pink chandelier might be my favorite.

Or maybe the opera glasses.  I can't decide!














I think that I should keep these around where I can see them for all those times when I don't think I can do clean and simple.

Have a wonderful day!

12 Tags - March

Tim Holtz has this great project going on his site.  Every month he posts an inspiration project, and we can all make something based on his work and post it to his blog.

So, we did faux mosaic this time.  I didn't have the same materials he did, so I improvised on my tag.  I took an adhesive chipboard frame, peeled off the back and flipped it over.  Stuck the paper pieces to it, covered it in embossing powder, and melted it.  I think it came out nice - reminds me of Tuscan pottery.

Sorry such a fast post.  Must go get Dylan from school.  Have a great evening!

Gift for Mom

Now that Christmas is past, I can share something I made and gave to my mom.  This started out as a plain tan-colored paper mache' box.

Getting it to its finished state required a lot of patience on my part.  Not usually my strong point.  But there are several layers that each required full drying before the next step could happen.

Some of the ingredients that went into the box were:

• Pretty paper napkins
• white gesso
• rubber stamping with solvent inks
• Vintage black velvet ribbon
• Vintage jewelry pieces
• Antique lamp crystal (colored with solvent ink)
• glitter glue

I have to say it was really satisfying to watch this project progress through each step and then wind up with this result.  It is exactly how I imagined it.

And hopefully my mom liked it as much as she let on :)

I'll be back with another post about my mother-in-law's gift.

Stay tuned...

Why I Love SCRAP

If you don't know, SCRAP is this totally cool little place that people donate all kinds of weird stuff.  And artists, crafters, quilters, and tinkerers of all types can find surprising supplies there.  For next to nothing.  The cool part is that the inventory changes all the time, so you can always find something different.

I stopped by today and here's what I came home with...

• 1/2" stack of bright red tag board
• 8 sheets of alphabet stickers in various colors
• Several yards of embroidered ribbon
• Vintage doilies
• Button blanks for my iTop tool
• Fine purple glitter
• Red frog fasteners
• Round ceramic tiles
• Two pairs of shoe laces
• Paper Crafts magazine
• A gorgeous red and white upholstery fabric sample

And I paid a grand total of $6.80!


This is such an amazing community place.  They have a little gallery of art projects that people have made with things from the store.  If you have kids, this is a great place to go stock up on art supplies and not spend a fortune.  Dylan loves taking a couple of his allowance dollars and seeing what he can buy for his craft stash.

It's like a little treasure hunt and you don't have to feel the least bit guilty about buying art supplies!

A Touch of Spring

If April showers bring May flowers, then there better be some truly spectacular blooms next month.  Normally I kind of like the rain.  But lately even I am getting sick of this drippy nonsense going on in Portland.  The ground is perpetually squishy, the gutters are a slimy mess, and my poor car is getting a little green scum in the nooks and crannies where the carwash can't reach. Ugh!

So, here's my temporary antidote - some lovely blooms.

These bright lilies remind me what will be showing up in my yard when the sun finally gets warm enough.  Something to look forward to.

Dylan and I are going to start planting our little garden in a week or two - strawberries and pumpkins, and some zinnias for color.

I love walking in the woods in the springtime and stumbling upon the pretty little irises hiding among the ferns.  They always look like fairy flowers to me.  Ever since I watched the first Tinkerbell movie, I can't help but imagine little sprites painting all the flowers when nobody is looking.

Hope you find a little magic in your day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Wheels

There are days when I am happy to just sit and sift through all of the cool little doodads that I've accumulated.  It fills my head with daydreams and memories.  It makes me crave period films and Louisa May Alcott books.

Inevitably, art ideas emerge and I have to stop dreaming and start designing. 

Who else out there stuck playing cards in the spokes of their bike wheels?  Yes, I'm old, but some things really were better way back when.  We used to raid our mom's wooden clothes pins and beg the jokers from the card pack.  And you had to get the alignment just right to get the perfect clickety clack sound.

I found some great metal buttons in a grab bag at our local antique store and decided to use them on a nice old fashioned guy card.  This one reminds me of leather furniture and silk ties.  Shiny black wing tips and pipe smoke.  I've always kind of liked the smell of pipe smoke. 

Speaking of tobacco...my mom and I had a chuckle on Sunday of "card weekend" because my fingers were so stained with brown dye that I looked like I'd been rolling my own smokes!

Well, that's it for today.  Hope all is well in your world.  I'll be back later with a touch of spring...

Le Cirque

Finally finished getting all of my card pictures taken and onto my computer.  So without further delay, a peek at some of the results of "card weekend".

I thought I'd start with two of my favorites.  Graphics 45 has this great paper pad that is all vintage circus images. 

Making these made me want some warm peanuts and popcorn.  Maybe some cotton candy too!

I'm not sure if I could stand watching captive animals perform for people any more, but I do remember how awed I was by the circus when I was a kid.

As an adult, Cirque du Soliel has become an annual tradition.  We're going to take Dylan next year and I can't wait to see the look on his face!


That's it for today.  I'll be back with more....stay tuned...

From This, to ...

Ahhh... A whole weekend of papercrafting!

That's right, I packed up some of my stuff (see first pic) and headed on down to Eugene to spend the weekend papercrafting with my mom.  Just the girls.

Our tradition actually started with a whole group of friends getting together each November to make our holiday cards, drink, eat, stay up late and generally just have a great time.  As the years have gone by, it's gotten harder to get us all together in one spot.  Children, sporting events and geography have all eroded our tradition.

A couple of years ago, my mom and I decided to just get together ourselves.  This last holiday season we decided that we should do another weekend in the spring to stock up on cards for all of the many other occasions that happen throughout the year.  And that's what we did!

My neatly packed boxes ended up covering half of my mom's lovely kitchen.  We set up on opposite sides of the kitchen island, and had another table as a cutting and embossing station.  Totally cool!

My dad played it safe and went golfing :)

Over two days, I managed to make 36 cards.  No two alike.  I got to play with all my neat goodies that I've accumulated.  There are not a lot of things that could make me as happy as making art for a whole weekend. 

Except coming home to my boys at the end of it.  They are so great about allowing me to do this periodically.  And of course they had a very nice boy weekend - t-ball, cycling, pancakes...

I'll try to share the cards I've made over the next few posts.  See you soon, thanks for visiting!

First Art Show of the Year for Dylanbug!

Save the date!  Come on out and have some fun, say hello, and enjoy the local artists.  It's a great neighborhood with lots to do.

See you there!
Pam

Steampunk?!

So, I'm pretty behind the times on certain terms used in the artsy/craftsy world.  "Steampunk" is everywhere and has been for awhile.  I know it when I see it, but couldn't really describe it.  I know I love it.

So, I looked it up on Wikipedia (of course) and there are some great descriptions and references including:  "Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc"

So, when Graphics 45 came out with a paper line called Steampunk Debutante, I knew I had to check it out.  I can't get enough of it!

There are so many possibilities with the vintage, metal, grungy elements.  My imagination just won't stop.  I've picked up a lot of weird little scraps of metal, chain, tarnished jewelry and buttons.  I can use them all at once!

I love the colors on these images.  Reminds me of bronze and copper with that green patina of age. 

I'm especially attached to the circular design, but I put her in the store anyway.  I know she'll go to a good home and whoever receives her will be thrilled.

Take care of yourselves, and don't forget to daydream a little today.

Funny Faces

Happy New Year!  Well, after a loooonnnggg hiatus, I'm back.  The real job has been hopping and holiday festivities have kept us all busy around here.  No time for art or blogging.

We had a lovely little winter vacation in Vancouver and Whistler, BC.  We got to see some of the Olympic sport centers  and even skied on the biathalon course!  How cool is that?

Christmas was the usual lovely old-fashioned cozy time at my parents.  They go to such lengths to make things wonderful for Dylan.  Of course he just ate it all up.

I even had a little time to play with new art supplies and make a few things.  How about these little guys?

I found these images on dafont.com.  They have the most fun Dingbat fonts!  I just enlarged a couple and printed them on kraft paper.  Every time I look at them they make me smile.

They will be available in the store page shortly.  If you want them, you'll have to hurry.  I might steal the birthday one for a friend soon (wink).

I'll have more new treats in the store over the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled!

Here's hoping your new year starts off with a bang and just gets better.

Dylanbug at Siren Nation, Nov 7th, 11am to 5pm

I'm at the Kennedy School today at the Siren Nation Art and Craft Sale.  Lots of traffic, great vendors, food, beer and fun!

 

It's Been Awhile...

Yes, the blog has been on hiatus for a couple of months.  Many reasons for that...

My boys (big and small) were in a bicycle accident involving a car.  Although their injuries were surprisingly minor, they are still recovering.  The biggest outcome from the whole thing has been my renewed appreciation for both of them and the time we all spend together.  What could have been a life-rending tragedy was somehow turned into even more love and a reminder of what is truly important in life.

My "real" job - owner of Compass Human Resources - has been amazingly busy lately.  That is a wonderful thing.  New clients, new projects, and new adventures.

And, we've been traveling and enjoying our larger family too.

All that said, where did the art go?  Well, I've been making art here and there, and had a weekend card-making extravaganza with my mom last month.  All in preparation for the Siren Nation Art Sale this Sunday at Kennedy School.  Sorry I haven't posted any pictures - haven't had time to set things up, pose it, touch up the pics...

I hope to have some things up soon.  Just wanted to say hello and that I'm still out here :)

A Special Gift

It's been awhile since I've posted.  That's largely due to my "real" job getting very busy.  New clients and new projects - yay!

But, I have been working on some art projects too, just a little more slowly than usual.

One of the things I've been doing is making a gift for a keynote speaker that will be appearing at a conference I'm involved with.  The idea is to give him a handmade box filled with Bittersweet truffles.


This box is going to a gentleman who is a motivational speaker and professional magician.  I had a blast designing and creating this box.  Cobalt blue is one of my favorite colors to work with because it makes everything else pop.

I have a smaller prototype of this box that will be going up in my store soon.  Speaking of which, thanks for being patient while I move things over from Etsy to this site.  I have to take new pictures of some things and decide which inventory I want to put up in the new store. 

I'll be back with another project soon.  Meanwhile, enjoy what's left of summer!

Gardens and Such

I've been working on an art project this week, but it's not quite ready for showing off yet.  Funny how the day job can slow the creative process.  So, I thought I'd show you a few pictures I took on a recent trip to Washington state. 

I hope these intrigue, inspire, soothe, or provide you some simple pleasure.  Thanks for stopping by...

What's Happening?

Dylanbug had a blast at Hip Happening on Saturday.  Where were you all?  I got to hang with my pal Aimee all day.  A little slow for sales, but had a great group of vendors and the neighborhood looked great.  I got to take a break and sneak off to the antique mall for some treasures - thanks Minda!

Here are a couple of shots from the day.  The light was horrible, sorry.

Dylanbug Display - crafty goodness!

Bittersweet was on hand with hand-rolled truffles and deelicious cookies

Hope to see you all next time around!