DIY Valentine Card

I recently participated in a short discussion with some Winter Bellas about Valentine gifts for girlie friends....and I thought I'd share my simple idea with you too. Making Valentines for friends, family and loved ones is soooo much fun and we're going to be much more imaginative that big red hearts and white doilies (lol, i know you know what I'm talking about...) So these little pretties are quick, easy to make and lots of fun to give! Here's what you'll need:

• A vintage Valentine ~ I usually scan mine, then shrink it to about 4 x6 and print multiples on heavy card stock


• Glue Stick


• Decorative Paper


• Glitter glue


• Tea Bags ~ I like the Tazo Chai because it is in a nice, graphic envelope and it's RED!

If you haven't already guessed, I love tea.....hence the vintage Valentine I chose! Copy and cut out your valentines. Make a pocket on the back using squares of your decorative paper ~ this will hold your tea bag. Once you fit to size, simply glue around the 3 sides with a glue stick leaving the top and middle of square unglued. Once adhered, slip a tea bag into your pocket and voila! Oh, I almost forgot about the sparkle.....I embellish the front of the card with some glitter glue to give it some extra pizazz! What a fun and whimsical little valentine! Would also make lovely tea party favors! Would love to hear what you are giving or making this Valentine's Day!!!!!

Just found this Valentine on Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Website and you can download it for FREE ~ here's the link: http://www.homecompanionmag.com/web_only_extras/from_me_to_you/from_me_to_you.asp

A Blast from the Past!

I love to fill my home with vintage treasures and I love to use bits and pieces of vintage ephemera in my artwork...but my love for all things vintage extends into a favorite pastime that I soo enjoyed in my younger years.....ROLLERSKATING! A good friend hosted a party for his daughter's 9th birthday yesterday by renting out the roller rink for a few hours...and boy, me, Jake and my best girlfriend couldn't wait to put on our wheels and tear it up. Much to my surprise I wasn't as good as I used to be, but I get to that in a moment. When we walked into the Skate Land it was as if time had stood still; everything looked exactly as it did back in 1985! While some turned up their noses at the worn and faded carpeting, bright orange and gold paint...I was in my own sort of little heaven, taking in all of the scenery. For me this was pure nostalgia. Now on to the fun part....my son had never been rollerskating before but he learned pretty quickly....now he did fall quite a bit, but children are resilient and fearless. I, on the other hand, not so resilient, not so fearless. As much as I wanted to skate in and out of the crowd, do a little backwards action, I was stiff on my feet. How humbling it was to put on a pair of skates and be at the mercy of my two clumsy feet. I had one big wipe out that landed me on my tail end but I had hundreds of laughs! Who knew rollerskating could be so much fun! I left the party wanting to come back again, if not for the fun of it, but to relive the nostalgia of my youth.

P.s. ~ I blame the rental skates for my poor performance; next time I'll bring my own and really tear it up (wink, wink)...until then, in the words of my best bud "Roll on!"

Inspired or Obsessed...

Ok, so I've become a little obsessed with cupcakes....not really eating them (just wanted to clarify that), but making beautiful cupcake collages and art...take a look at the one I just finished....I can't seem to get enough.....I'm thinking about cutting a cupcake shape out of wood and painting it to hang in my kitchen....maybe add a little tiara for the cupcake queen, who knows....anyway it sure is funny where we find inspiration....this one started from the Winterbella phrase that was shared with the group, but inspiration surrounds us every day....what will inspire me next?!!!!! What inspires you?!

Welcome...

Welcome. This latest Winter Bella project (Welcome Frame) has got me thinking about how I not only welcome friends and family into my home but...how do I welcome life? how do I welcome each day? Well, usually with a warm shower, a bowl of cereal and a hot cuppa tea...but really sometimes we forget to stop and welcome the beauty that surrounds us (today was one of those days for me)...and sitting here now to write this entry, I've realized that as easy as it is to take what we have for granted, how hard can it be to stop and revel in the beauty of the little things....Jake usually keeps me in line here as he sees things that I sometimes overlook....the squirrels hiding behind the big oak in our front yard, the rainbow colors of a sunrise......so each morning when I gaze over at my welcome frame welcoming me into my kitchen I will welcome the day with a smile and remember that it is truly a gift.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, or More...

I've been going thru envelopes and boxes of pictures recently...trying to organize and put my pictures in their proper place, clean up a bit, you know...and I realized, boy do I take ALOT of pictures.....probably too many but how can you take too many pictures, right? On Thursday, we had our first snow of 08 and the snow was just so perfectly laying on the tree branches, and the ice was like glitter sparkling in the sunlight....I stood there and studied my surroundings for a moment before I was interrupted by my son Jake: "Mom, you should take a picture of all this snow...." Right then I knew that I was a serial picture snapper....but a proud one.....Anyhoo, I wanted to share with you what I decided to do with some of my favorite pics....note cards! I know, not that exciting, but I sure was! I logged onto Shutterfly.com and ordered some note cards for practically everyone in the family. This picture of Max will make charming note cards for Jake ~ nice to give as thank yous for gifts, notes to teachers, etc....you catch my drift. And although I may not have finished what I set out to do as far as organizing, I sure did find a fun way to capture and share my magic moments.

Hey Sweet Cakes...

I finished up my cupcake collage today...from the moment I read these words, I was in love:

You are what you eat, so eat something cute.

One of the recent Winterbella projects was my inspiration for this little canvas; I gave it a whimsical twist by hand painting the words in swirly twirly script and adding lots of polka dots (my favorite). I am going to make a few more and experiment with different colors and mediums...I'll share my cupcake journey with you as I go. Until we meet again sweet cakes (It's been a loooooong day and I'm getting the sillies)....

ART from the HeART

I think for Valentine's Day this year, I will be making AND giving artist trading cards (ATCs) to some dear friends, my two sisters, my mom and of course, my boyz.....They're 2.5" by 3.5" and you can use of variety of recycled materials as the base, or cut one out from a scrap of sturdy card stock or paper. To get started I like to get inspired with a quote...usually find one in the various old/vintage books i pick up at flea markets or yard sales....The one on the card pictured came from a vintage book entitled The Real Adventure...this book is full of great quotes! Next I cut an image from a piece of wrapping paper and add some glitter accents to the gals....Since Valentine's Day is my theme, i cut out a heart from some vintage paper and adhered it to my card with a heart shaped butterfly....Oh, almost forgot, used one of Jake's playing cards as my basis...perfect size! I think I'll give this one to my main squeeze....

These are so fun and easy to make; plus they're like mini pieces of art. You could also make a group of cards with the same theme and frame them; what a great gift that would make and a wonderful piece of art....stay tuned for an upcoming project using ATCs and a shadow box frame...Have fun creating!

Me Time = Tea Time

In the busy mix of juggling work, home, school...and making time for husbands, children, family, friends AND of course, art...it's easy to often neglect some much needed (and overdue) ME TIME. One of my favorite ways to reconnect with myself and dear friends is through the ritual of tea.

There's a charming little tea house close to my home (Tea by Two) where I can walk through the purple glass front door and be transported into a whole 'nother world of tradition and whimsy...a place where people take (and make) time to not only enjoy a spot of tea with dainty little finger sandwiches and scones, but they take the time to cherish each other's company. My girlfriends and I try to make time once a month for tea and it is something that I sooo look forward to each and every time. And, i would highly recommend this experience to other girls out there. The picture that I posted is a sign that I cut from wood and painted; it reminds me that I am never too busy to make time for myself.

Bing-O

Wow, what a beautiful day today was...70 degrees in January, with lots of sunshine...can you believe it?! I tried to enjoy it as much as I could but unfortunately I spend most of my day behind a computer...the silver lining: my office is a third floor loft space surrounded by a large expanse of windows....oh sunny day.... at least I got to look at the sunshine and watch others breathe in the fresh warm air.

Well, I just finished my inspiration collage I'd been working on ~ turned out nice; I'm happy with it. I added the words "failure is not an option" to the side and lots of fun and funky collage elements. Putting this together was alot of fun! I don't usually include pictures of myself in my artwork but since this was intended to inspire me all year long...what the heck! Hope this inspires you to do something fun too.

You Can Quote Me...

I signed up for Teresa McFayden's Winterbella ezine series as I simply LOVE all of her fun and inventive projects. She kicked off 2008 with a fun collage project using a bingo card and a photo of yourself...the idea was to incorporate a quote that implies a thought or action as opposed to a resolution. The idea of something to inspire you throughout the year instead of a resolution that may not stick....I thought this a fabulous idea and so this weekend I wracked my brain trying to find the right quote for me...after looking through some magazines and some of my previous work I decided to focus on something adventurous for 2008....it's funny how the search for this quote haunted me this weekend...just when I'd lie down for bed and get all warm and snugly, guess what popped into my mind....you guessed it, "the quote." What would it be, would it be the perfect inspiration for me...so here is the quote I chose (yes, it's a bit whimsical but so am I):

Be daring, be different, be impractical. Be anything that will ASSERT IMAGINATIVE VISION against the play-it-safers, the creatures of common-place, the slaves of the ordinary.

~ Sir Cecil Beaton

I'm still working on the collage, but I'll be sure to post a picture when it is complete. I added an image of a sign I painted for a friend...says a lot in just six little words, don't ya think?!

Junque

Ok, so here is the foxy box-y picture i promised...i think it turned out really charming, and so easy to reuse something that you already have....one thing i love to do is take something old or something that had a previous life as something else and transform it into something wonderfully whimsical...it's my way of recycling and giving junk new life as art.

Box-y to Foxy

As part of my resolution to "de-clutter", I came across a stack of box bottoms that I can't bear to part with..i'm sure you've seen them or maybe you have some of your own sturdy box bottoms from holiday cards, candy, chocolate etc...Anyway, i've been saving them for a rainy day and had plans to use them as mini shadow boxes with bits and pieces of art tucked inside...well, today i had an idea that just tickled my fancy...i decided to turn them into art canvasas...collaging on the flat side (bottom) with the opening of the box as the back...It turned out fantastic..I'll add some pictures shortly. The boxes are nice and sturdy and make fun canvases!

With the cold and windy weather i can't help but remember the warm and cool days of spring when my garden was in its full glory...here are some of my favorite pictures from this past spring, in my garden.

Welcome 2008!

Welcome 2008! Today is the day I embark on my creative journey to both artistic and personal growth. As an art blog addict, I find myself enchanted by the numerous art blogs by so many very talented individuals...Searching for a creative outlet of my own, I decided to continue to read and delight in the wonders and charms of my favorite art blogs BUT I also decided to create one of my own...a place where whim and whimsy mingle with creativity, a place where family and friends (new and old) are always welcome and appreciated, a place to create and share my passion for whimsy with others. So without further adieu, welcome to the art blog of Maria Kelly ~ My Whimsy!
I hope to chronicle the magical moments of everyday life as well as the daily inspiration from my husband, my son Jake and our pooch Max. They remind me to stop and smell the lilacs...and to always enjoy the ride!