ABC swap #7-Way over the top

Welcome everyone! I hope you were wondering where the next ABC swap was. Sorry-I was a little late due to starting this project way late and also teaching a new class this last weekend. Ok- let me say yes, as stated above this was way over the top-even for me. Book #7 was Cathy's book. The subject was Fantasy. Now this subject should be easy for me since fantasy books have long been a staple of mine. Whenever I need to escape I pick up a fantasy book and take a little journey. And by the way I just finshed the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Wow! its been a long time since I read a fanstasy/scifi book that I have been so absolutely taken with. Its an amazing series! Anyway-back to reality. Since I was the 7th person in line for this book eveyone before me had created these amazing fairies, mermaids, space scenarios and even fantasy Cowboys. I could do more of the same but everyone elses art was so fabulous I knew I just couldn't compete. I needed to come up with something totally different. My first idea was to create a Cabinet of Curiosities and actually embed a small cabinet in a board book. But somehow I just couldn't make this work in my mind. At least not in time for the swap (last wednesday). Finally sunday night before the swap I finally got an idea that I knew I could make work in time-if barely. I worked monday, tuesday and wednesday right up until an hour before the swap. EEEK! Cathy had decided to use a series of board books for the swap and they worked perfectly for my project. I created collages on a spread and made pockets on both sides. You can see the full collages with non filled pockets above. Here is the same spread with the pockets filled. But what's in them you ask? Fairy B-Gones fairy detection flyleaf and instruction booklet of course!

I bet you sitting there with an open mouth wondering what I've done now. I've made a fairy detection kit complete with advertisement and instruction booklet. What else? Ask yourself if you are infested with those nasty fairies what do you do? You call Fairy B-Gone of course! Fairy B-Gone's patented detection kit complete with instructions and bonus elimination suggestions is the nations top Fairy detection method. Guaranteed to be 99% safe and effective!

Here's what their advertisement says:

Fairy B-Gone Do things seem a little different around your house lately? Are you continually misplacing jewelry never to find it again? Do you do stupid things and feel like someone else is in control of your thoughts and actions? Does your house always seem to be in need of a cleaning even thought you just cleaned it last week? If so your house could be infested with Fairies. Contrary to popular belief fairies are not benevolent or harmless creatures. Fairies are mischievous often malevolent beings that leave destruction and chaos in their wake. So what do you do? If you tell just anyone they simply won’t believe you. In fact you could find yourself incarcerated in a mental facility accused of being unstable. But with Fairy B-Gone’s do it yourself home fairy detection system you can find out the truth of the matter. Now for just $19.95 Fairy B-gone will send you their foolproof system that includes their patented home detection kit and booklet. To purchase your very own kit this minute please call 1 800 u-r nuts. Or you can purchase this kit online at www.scamcentral.com.

On the opposite side of the spread is the Fairy B-Gone instruction booklet. You can see part of it above. I have posted the text below.

Fairy B-gone This booklet includes: 4 sure fire ways to test for fairy infestations 3 bonus Fairy elimination suggestions

Test #1: Check for brown specks on your favorite treasures. Despite what science tell us, these brown spots are not caused by flies throwing up brown digestive juice. It is actually something far worse. This is fairy excrement. . (See the speck sample in your Fairy detection kit). These brown specks are a sure sign that the nasty little buggers hate you. Test #2: Bling stealing. Is your jewelry missing? Fairies cannot resist Bling. A sure test for fairy infestation is to place a few very gaudy pieces of jewelry around the house at night. If they are all gone in the morning you have a fairy infestation. Included in your fairy detection and elimination kit are several Bling items. Set them in strategic areas of your home at night and check them first thing in the morning. Test #3: Slippery floors: The next time you slip on the floor in you home immediately look at the bottom of your shoe. Fairies love to place sharp objects on the floor for you to step on. If you are lucky you have stepped on one as it was performing its nasty little deed and killed it. Simply scrap off the slime and look at it through the magnifying glass included in your kit. You can then compare it to the smashed sample also provided in the fairy detection kit. Test #4 Fairy Dust: If you find a load of sparkly dust around the house and you are not an artist then this is fairy dust (please see sample in your kit) important: Fairy Dust will not make you fly! Do not throw it around and then jump off a multistoried building. Wear a dust mask while sweeping or vacuuming fairy dust up. This highly addictive substance could cause lightness of spirit, true belief and throat irritations from excessive laughing.

Some suggestions for Fairy elimination: 1.Elimination of your imagination Method: Seek help from a Mental Health professional or some other person that does not have enough imagination to believe in fairies (accountants, government officials, college professors or any grown up) After a couple of visits these Pseudo intellectuals will drive the remnants of your childhood away and you will stop being troubled with fairies. 2.Lady’s Cottington’s patented Splat Fairy Method This is a particularly effective method that is safe and fun. Go to www.thefairy’smademedoit.com for more information. 3.Double stick tape method: This is the most inexpensive method available on the market today. Simply purchase Fairy B-Gone’s special double stick tape. Before you go to bed at night place this tape in any area that you don’t want fairies (fairies will naturally flock to the areas that you want to be fairy free), place a small crumb of cake on the tape then go to bed. Check the tape first thing in the morning and if there are fairies stuck to it just pull the tape up and throw it in the waste can.

Personally I find this instruction kit to be very helpful in all your fairy detection and elimination needs.

And here is the kit. It is packaged in a handsome antiqued wooden box. It is sure to fit into most every decor.

On the inside top the detection supplies are listed:

This Kit Includes: • Fairy specks sample • Fairy identification sample • Vial of Fairy dust sample (hermetically sealed ) • Bag o’Bling • Magnifying glass

From one of Fairy B-Gone's ads you can see the kit and supplies it contains.

Here are the items for your perusal. Remember Fairy-B-Gones motto is: "No Fairy is too small to be detected".

Over and out.

Fun classes and phenomenal art!

Welcome everyone! This weekend I debuted my new class: Personal Collage Icons. I was exhilarated by the art I saw from the students. It was truly phenomenal work. Each and every piece was very different and all the students were successful with the goals I laid out for the class. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera for the Saturdays class but here are three pieces from yesterdays class. Bear in mind that not all the pieces were finished. We did manage to place a gloss finish over all the pieces but two of the pieces still had found objects to be added.

I am hoping that I will still receive some pictures from Saturdays class(cell phone cameras were in use) and I will post those at a later time.

If you are interested in this class I will be teaching it again at C.Andrews studio on Saturday March 5th. from 10:00 to 3:00. If you are iterested in more information please email me at connie@isbjorn.com.

over and out!

Personal Collage Icons all weekend long

Welcome everyone! I just wanted to share my new class with you. This weekend I will be teaching Personal Collage Icons both days. This class has three goals: 1. To give students a chance to use their own images and decide why those images are symbolic for them. 2. To experiment with embossed and textured papers. 3. Practice using color and texture to recreate emotions or feelings. You can see my new example above. It shows different views of one of the many angel statues at a local cemetary. I love the angel statues there. They are great pieces of a virtually lost art. They are majestic and glorious. Every time I visit this cemetary I feel as if I am being watched over by one of these beautiful guardians. They have become a symbol for me. Hence an Icon. I wanted to showcase this lost art with different aspects of my favorite statue. I show closeups of her face, wing and arm pointing the way to heavenly paradise. This angel is on a high pedestal and was surrounded by blue sky. I intesified the blue to represent the blue colors on the stained glass windows in all the mausoleums in the cemetary. When the sun shines through the stained glass each mausoleum is bathed in colored light. I added yellow to represent this glow and to warm up this collage. It makes the angel even more dramatic.

Below you can find examples of the first series of collages that I created in Icon style. They are all scenes from one of my favorite places: The Carmel Mission.

If you are interested in this class here are the details for this weekend. I will also be teaching this class again on March 5th at C.Andrews studio.

Saturday February 19th Class: Personal Collage Icons Where: Art Max in Seaside Description: Icon: 1. An Image: representation, a simile or symbol. 2. A representation or picture of a sacred Christian personage that is traditional to the Eastern Churches. In this intermediate collage class we will be creating our own personal icons on a 10 x10 canvas. What images have deep meaning for you? Is it a person? A place? Or maybe an Object? Even the ordinary can become sacred or symbolic of some deeper personal meaning. To accomplish this we will be creating our icons using collage images and small found objects carefully boxed into compartments using embossed and corrugated papers and texture mediums. To help create a unified piece we will then apply paint washes and finally a glossy topcoat. Items to bring: A variety of paintbrushes, scissors, 5 of your favorite acrylic paint colors and 3 to 5 related images. Please make sure that one of the images is large enough to become your focal point. The images must be color copied or printed on a permanent ink jet printer. Please also bring any special found object you would like to add to your canvas as well. Time: 11:00am to 4:00pm-Lunch break at 1:00 Fee: $55.00 To sign up for this class please email Connie at: connie@isbjorn.com. Class Limit: 6 people Sunday Feb 20th Where: C.Andrews studio Class: Personal Collage Icons Description: Icon: 1. An Image: representation, a simile or symbol. 2. A representation or picture of a sacred Christian personage that is traditional to the Eastern Churches. In this intermediate collage class we will be creating our own personal icons on a 10 x10 canvas. What images have deep meaning for you? Is it a person? A place? Or maybe an Object? Even the ordinary can become sacred or symbolic of some deeper personal meaning. To accomplish this we will be creating our icons using collage images and small found objects carefully boxed into compartments using embossed and corrugated papers and texture mediums. To help create a unified piece we will then apply paint washes and finally a glossy topcoat. Items to bring: A variety of paintbrushes, scissors, 5 of your favorite acrylic paint colors and 3 to 5 related images. Please make sure that one of the images is large enough to become your focal point. The images must be color copied or printed on a permanent ink jet printer. Please also bring any special found object you would like to add to your canvas as well. Time: 10:00am to 4:00pm- Lunch break at 12:30 Fee: $55.00 To sign up for this class please email Connie at: connie@isbjorn.com.

See you in class!

Wow-Look at these Altered Postcards!

Hello Everyone! I hope that your weekend was as much fun as mine. I just had to show you a few of the altered vintage postcards from both my classes this weekend. In the card above this child is apparently afraid of something but it's a secret. I love the composition and placement of the red postage stamps in this piece. They add just the right touch. The strong colors used in the piece compliment this very dramatic child perfectly.

I love the fantasy feel of this card punctuated by the colors used. But with that snow on the mountains I bet this fairy is cold.

This beautiful postcard perfectly captures all the Romance and splendor of Venice.

Well how can you resist this little Transylvanian treat. The colors on this piece really set the mood and oddly make Frank the perfect collage image. Better not go there though, Franky looks a little on the grumpy side.

I love this Rialto postcard. It absolutely screams Romance but almost with a carnival twist. Beautiful.

This postcard with its crackle finish looks like an ancient piece of pottery. Using that crackle stamp was a brilliant idea and really makes this card special.

I love the vintage paper border all around the central image on this card. It makes me feel like I am peering through the lens of a camera to capture a fleeting moment in time. I wonder if this woman got her room with a view?

Look at the brilliant colors in this fantasy Poppy fairy card! Beautiful. But I wonder what this fairy is carrying?

And last but certainly not least this incredible woman dancing for sheer joy besides the riverbank. This piece has a wonderful quiet yet joyful feel. I get both energy and serenity from this card. But if that was me in this card I'd probably end up falling in the water where upon that fish would attack me and eat me.

Well that was the last of my altered vintage postcard classes for awhile. I have seen some incredible work done by the students in this class. I want to thank all the students that continue to take my classes. I hope they have as much fun as I do teaching them. I also want to thank Scrap-it in Santa Cruz for their willingness to host this class and for allowing me to invade their space.

Talk to you later!

Connie

Altered Vintage Postcards all weekend!

Welcome Everyone! Well its a beautful friday here on the coast A little breezy but the sun it out. This weekend promises to be an absolute blast! I will be teaching Altered Vintage postcards both days. First in Santa Cruz and then at the studio on Sunday. Here are the details of both classes: Saturday February 12th Class: Altered Vintage postcards Where: Scrap-it in Santa Cruz Description: Foreign Vintage post cards with their evocative images make beautiful backgrounds for collage. Plus any old postmark, cancelled stamp or writing already on the postcard just adds to the visual interest. So that all these elements mix together harmoniously we will be softening the outlines with a process called Scumbling. To” scumble” is to add a thin layer of white acrylic gouache and then repaint so that all your added elements will match. The surface takes on the look of a painted fresco but still allows the background elements to be seen. To get used to the acrylic gouache the first hour of class will be a color mixing lesson in which every student will prepare an elementary color wheel to take home for future use. Items to bring: scissors, any background rubberstamps you might like to use, various small paintbrushes (Make sure to bring a couple of liners), and a number 4 short bristled filbert brush. If you do not have a filbert brush I will have some available to purchase for a small fee of $4.00 per brush. Time: 11:00 to 4:00 Lunch break at 1:00 Fee: $55.00 + $4.00 for filbert brush To sign up for this class please call scrap it at: 831 475-2380 Class Limit: 5 Sunday Feb 13th Instructor: Connie Andrews Where: C.Andrews studios Class: Altered Vintage Postcards Description: Foreign Vintage post cards with their evocative images make beautiful backgrounds for collage. Plus any old postmark, cancelled stamp or writing already on the postcard just adds to the visual interest. So that all these elements mix together harmoniously we will be softening the outlines with a process called Scumbling. To” scumble” is to add a thin layer of white acrylic gouache and then repaint so that all your added elements will match. The surface takes on the look of a painted fresco but still allows the background elements to be seen. To get used to the acrylic gouache the first hour of class will be a color mixing lesson in which every student will prepare an elementary color wheel to take home for future use. Items to bring: scissors, any background rubberstamps you might like to use, various small paintbrushes (Make sure to bring a couple of liners), and a number 4 short bristled filbert brush. If you do not have a filbert brush I will have some available to purchase for a small fee of $4.00 per brush. Time: 10:00am to 3:30pm Fee: $55.00 + $4.00 if you purchase a filbert brush Class size limit: 6 To sign up for this class please email Connie at: connie@isbjorn.com. Want to see more examples? Check out my earlier posts.

I'm on Etsy!

Hello Everyone! Well I finally did it! I'm on etsy. Right now I have four items listed. Whew! Not only that but thanks to my good friend Mona I have also linked this blog and my etsy page with an etsy mini . You can find the mini right below my list of followers. You can see there is a little space for me to add more items in the coming weeks. To go to my etsy page you can click on the mini or you can click on this link www.isbjorn.etsy.com. If that doesn't work just type the address into your browser. But do me a favor and check out my etsy store and give me some feedback. This is only a beginning!

February classes

Hello everyone! Its difficult to believe that its February 2nd already. As it is I am a day late in sharing the February class schedule with you, both for C.Andrews studio and my other classes elsewhere.

So here it is:

C.Andrews Studio February 2011 classes and events

Saturday Feb 12th Instructor: Maria Ontiveros Class: Paint/Emboss/Stamp =Fun Description: Come learn how to combine stamps, embossing powders and paint for wonderfully textured and colored images. We'll create 6 cards, using 3 techniques. I will also demonstrate how these techniques can be used in your art journals and collage." I'll bring along an assortment of fish and beach stamps to share, but feel free to bring your own stamps as well. Items to bring: Please bring a heat gun, paint brush and small spray bottle for water if you own them. You may also want to bring along twinkling H2o’s and an assortment of embossing powders and inks, if you have them. Time: 10:00am to 1:00pm Fee: $30 ($5 discount for new comers and for those who sign up in groups of two or more). To sign up for this call please email Maria at: rinda1961@yahoo.com Sunday Feb 13th Instructor: Connie Andrews Class: Altered Vintage Postcards Description: Foreign Vintage post cards with their evocative images make beautiful backgrounds for collage. Plus any old postmark, cancelled stamp or writing already on the postcard just adds to the visual interest. So that all these elements mix together harmoniously we will be softening the outlines with a process called Scumbling. To” scumble” is to add a thin layer of white acrylic gouache and then repaint so that all your added elements will match. The surface takes on the look of a painted fresco but still allows the background elements to be seen. To get used to the acrylic gouache the first hour of class will be a color mixing lesson in which every student will prepare an elementary color wheel to take home for future use. Items to bring: scissors, any background rubberstamps you might like to use, various small paintbrushes (Make sure to bring a couple of liners), and a number 4 short bristled filbert brush. (next Page) If you do not have a filbert brush I will have some available to purchase for a small fee of $4.00 per brush. Time: 10:00am to 3:30pm Fee: $55.00 + $4.00 if you purchase a filbert brush Class size limit: 6 To sign up for this class please email Connie at: connie@isbjorn.com. Can’t make this class? See below for another opportunity to take this class. Sunday Feb 20th Instructor: Connie Andrews Class: Personal Collage Icons Description: Icon: 1. An Image: representation, a simile or symbol. 2. A representation or picture of a sacred Christian personage that is traditional to the Eastern Churches. In this intermediate collage class we will be creating our own personal icons on a 10 x10 canvas. What images have deep meaning for you? Is it a person? A place? Or maybe an Object? Even the ordinary can become sacred or symbolic of some deeper personal meaning. To accomplish this we will be creating our icons using collage images and small found objects carefully boxed into compartments using embossed and corrugated papers and texture mediums. To help create a unified piece we will then apply paint washes and finally a glossy topcoat. Items to bring: A variety of paintbrushes, scissors, 5 of your favorite acrylic paint colors and 3 to 5 related images. Please make sure that one of the images is large enough to become your focal point. The images must be color copied or printed on a permanent ink jet printer. Time: 10:00am to 4:00pm Fee: $55.00 To sign up for this class please email Connie at: connie@isbjorn.com. Thursday Feb 24th Instructor: Cindy McCool Class: All Occasion Cards Description: When you need it do you have the right card or do you have to make a quick trip to the store and spend upwards of $5.00 to get one that says the right thing for the right occasion? If so then this class is for you. Each month you will complete 5 cards for an occasion so that at the end of the series you will have a full portfolio of appropriate cards. Let's face it, your friends want to hear from you and a special handmade card received in the mail will always brighten their day.

Items to bring: basic tool kit, scissors, adhesives and a journaling pen all other materials will be provided. Time: 6:00 to 9:00pm Fee: $25.00 To sign up for this class please email Cindy at cindy@mccoolmgt.com.

Other Events in February at C. Andrews studio Saturday Feb. 5th Open studio Altered Book Club work day Description: You can work on anything on this day but the emphasis is on your altered book club swap. Come and work in the company of kindred spirits. 11:00 to 4:00 pm or whenever we decide to leave $10.00 Wednesday February 16th Altered Books Club Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm Fee: $10.00 per person Saturday February 26th Ingrid’s private event Time: 1:00pm to 9:00pm Fee: $35.00 + $10.00 Also offered at the studio

Private studio time – This is for artists and art groups looking to rent studio space to work or to get together during the week-the times and fees are to be arranged on an individual basis. If you are interested in private studio time please email me at connie@isbjorn.com. Open Studio- This is studio time open to everyone for only $10.00 per day. Open studios is available every Friday evening and on the weekends when no classes are being offered. Please note that to use the studio you must arrange this with me in advance. Just email me at connie@isbjorn.com and let me know you would like to use it. Open studio for the month of February will be on the following dates: Feb 4th, Feb 5th, Feb 11th, Feb 18th, and Feb 25th

More classes around the Bay Area

Saturday February 12th Class: Altered Vintage postcards Where: Scrap-it in Santa Cruz Description: Foreign Vintage post cards with their evocative images make beautiful backgrounds for collage. Plus any old postmark, cancelled stamp or writing already on the postcard just adds to the visual interest. So that all these elements mix together harmoniously we will be softening the outlines with a process called Scumbling. To” scumble” is to add a thin layer of white acrylic gouache and then repaint so that all your added elements will match. The surface takes on the look of a painted fresco but still allows the background elements to be seen. To get used to the acrylic gouache the first hour of class will be a color mixing lesson in which every student will prepare an elementary color wheel to take home for future use. Items to bring: scissors, any background rubberstamps you might like to use, various small paintbrushes (Make sure to bring a couple of liners), and a number 4 short bristled filbert brush. (next Page) If you do not have a filbert brush I will have some available to purchase for a small fee of $4.00 per brush. Time: 11:00 to 4:00 Lunch break at 1:00 Fee: $55.00 + $4.00 for filbert brush To sign up for this class please call Scrap It at: 831 475-2380 Class Limit: 4 Saturday February 19th Class: Personal Collage Icons Where: Art Max in Seaside Description: Icon: 1. An Image: representation, a simile or symbol. 2. A representation or picture of a sacred Christian personage that is traditional to the Eastern Churches. In this intermediate collage class we will be creating our own personal icons on a 10 x10 canvas. What images have deep meaning for you? Is it a person? A place? Or maybe an Object? Even the ordinary can become sacred or symbolic of some deeper personal meaning. To accomplish this we will be creating our icons using collage images and small found objects carefully boxed into compartments using embossed and corrugated papers and texture mediums. To help create a unified piece we will then apply paint washes and finally a glossy topcoat. Items to bring: A variety of paintbrushes, scissors, 5 of your favorite acrylic paint colors and 3 to 5 related images. Please make sure that one of the images is large enough to become your focal point. The images must be color copied or printed on a permanent ink jet printer. Time: 11:00am to 4:00pm-Lunch break at 1:00 Fee: $55.00 To sign up for this class please email Connie at: connie@isbjorn.com. Class Limit: 6 people

Sunday February 27th Class: Beginning Collage 1 Where: Palace Arts in Capitola Instructor: Connie Andrews Class description: Using the principles of composition we will explore ways to break through artistic barriers to discover the infinite possibilities of you! We will start by learning about: Art surfaces, Mediums and acrylic paints. We will then progress to simple backgrounds and finally create a small collage using the techniques and principles discussed in class. Items to bring: scissors and paintbrushes. All other materials are supplied including a folder of instructions and a large collage pack of papers and found objects to use in class or take home. Sunday March 27th Beginning Collage part 2 ****Note- you must have Part 1 to take this class***** Instructor: Connie Andrews Class Description: In this continuation of beginning collage 1, we will begin by creating 3 more backgrounds that get progressively more textured. We will then explore composition in more depth and finish our collages using all the tricks and techniques learned from both classes. Every student will get another collage pack of papers and found objects to use in class or take home. Items to bring: Please bring paintbrushes and scissors and your instruction folder and collages from part 1, all other materials will be supplied. Class times: 11:00 to 4:00pm Lunch break at 1:00 Fee: $120.00 for the series Class size limit: 8 To sign up for this class please call Palace Arts at 831 464-2700