RTT - Current Obsessions

Bit of a Drive By Posting today - A Random Tuesday Tumble

Click on the purple button, grab 1 & post some Random Thoughts of your own today. Here's a quick peek at my current fixations:

Sondre Lerche's Heartbeat Radio - I usually like a random mix of music in the A.M. but I'm loving the album too much to change it

The Black Spot Books on Etsy. Everything about this shop is perfect. I am in awe of the talented Margaux Kent. While I am seriously tempted by the Illness Apprentice print series, the little books are freaking amazing too.

photo from The Black Spot Books

Guess what?! You you can try to win 1 over at the Olive Bites Blog. Many thanks M.M.E. Stuttering for pointing out this great giveaway!

Smitten Kitchen's bread recipes - big hit at my house the last few weeks

tique - excellent interviews

The art of Justin Vining & Shawn Stucky - different styles but both really know how to work color & line! (Thanks for the heads up, Nate)

Queen Bee has posted all the art-tags she got from the swap. Now she'll distribute them. Here are mine:

tags I made - photo courtesy of QueenBe

Click here to see the other sets

Fabric!! - 2 Etsy Team challenges (Melange & Steam) this month require use of Fabric. I've too many ideas- need to settle on something soon & get started. I keep missing the SteamTeam deadlines & they have some of the coolest challenges.

Gotta get moving today. Be sure to pop by & visit the Archangel of Anarchy, The Un Mom, & find out why you really really don't want to drink & drive - It is soooo not what you think!

Before you go leave a comment here at ArtSnark's Artifacts & I'll enter you in this Thursday's random drawing for some craft supplies. Click here for list & photo of items in prize package

RTT - mmm..mmmm...linkaliscious!

Missed you last Tuesday

Sadly my time machine is still busted so we must move on....

It's time to flush all those random thoughts so grab a button & play along!

Another tag done - 1 more to go

Giving proper credit: The silhouette is based on one from publicdomainpictures.net. The hooded figure is adapted from thesiNister stock image Hood.

I think it was Joy to the blog who introduced me to unnecessaryquotes.com. If so, thanks Joy! This is my new favorite pick me up

Have you tried whizzball? Not nearly as dirty as it sounds & highly addictive. I've about 50 puzzles my 5yr old made this weekend clogging my email box...

Pampering Beki is giving away a piece of her handmade jewelry on Friday to 1 lucky winner

Tom Banwell is up to something peculiar this week. He's designing gas masks for animals...

"hippo Vajen-Bader 'smoke protector' inspired mask" by Tom Banwell

.....verrrrrryyy peculiar......

And thanks, Tom, for last week's introduction to Radio-Guy:, Steve Erenberg. Anyone into steampunk, gadgets & odd stuff MUST check out this guy .

I think I've mentioned curiomira before but this blog is well worth mentioning again!

A shout out to Totus Mel's Wunderkammer for pointing the way to Goths in Hot Weather - not a keeper for me, but worth a chuckle

In time for Halloween, a seriously cool Beaded Spider Tutorial over at Room3Designs

Beaded Spider by Tiffany at Room3Designs

If you can't be bothered to make one, you can buy a finished spider at Room3designs' etsy shop.


Captain D. turns grilled cheese into eye-candy in this guest post.

And what's a Tuesday without zombies? I think these guys from Barbara Moustafa are craving some of that grilled cheese right now......

Reminds me - time for lunch! Be sure to visit The Un Mom & show us your random today.

P.S. There is still time to enter 3 random drawings happening here this week:

To enter the 1st, just leave any comment on my blog before noon (EST) on 9/10.
1 piece customized jewelry from Etsy seller Jewelry By Solange

For the next 2 leave a comment stating how you would use each prize if you win.
500 custom business cards to 2 winners - ends 9/10

&

A 24" square custom wall sticker to 2 winners - ends 9/13

Musical Monday's Muse - wiggle & no

Butterfly/faerie tag front & back

Good Mourning Glory is adding prompts to Musical Monday. Today is "Makes Ya Wanna Dance"

Click the button above to hear what's got folks moving this Monday. Then add your own tune.

I've gotta go with Jaan Pehechaan Ho - always gets me wiggling, especially with the video.

Each Week, Maternal Spark asks what's your muse?
Today I'm going with "No".

In order to get more done, I've got to commit to less....kind of sounds weird but is too true. Instead of trying to keep up with the hectic pace that evolved this summer, I spent the last week saying "Sorry, no thank you" a lot. It was hard at 1st but I think it will be worth it.

I fear that the Muse gets even more annoyed with playing catch up than I do. Hope to knock out a few more overdue commitments (some fun, some not). Then reevaluate how I am using my time. For instance how useful is it to google saying "No in over 520 languages" ?

Hopefully then I'll clean the studio (for real this time!!!). It used to look like a bomb dropped. Now it looks like the border dwellers built their post-apocalyptic city on top of the rubble.... and then another bomb dropped.

In the meantime, here are some more tags for Queen Bee's swap. They were tea died and stamped (the text & butterfly outline stamps are from Judikins). And then watercolor pencils & ink were added.

yet another tag front & back

Hope to finish the last 2 tags tonight. But before that I need to go hike Mount Laundry, put away about a bazillion toy trains & reclaim the vacuum from the cobwebs......

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By the way, there are 3 random drawings happening here this week:

To enter the 1st, just leave any comment on this blog before noon (EST) on 9/10.
1 piece customized jewelry from Etsy seller Jewelry By Solange

For the next 2 leave a comment stating how you would use each prize if you win.
500 custom business cards to 2 winners - ends 9/10

&

A 24" square custom wall sticker to 2 winners - ends 9/13

Trying Out Tags

Hello all. This week's Mix it Up with Melange Challenge is Abundance. Bitten of a bit more than I can chew this week, so I may have to pass on this one. To post your own interpretation or view others click HERE & go to comments section for links.

Last year I bought a bunch of altered Tags from the etsy shop QueenBee's Altered Needs for gift wrapping. They were so cool, I had a hard time parting with them. Each measured about 2.5" x 5" and had a fun vintage look as well as a sweet vanilla scent. I did keep a couple for myself. Here is 1:

I then picked up a few from another of my favorite etsy shops, Glimmering Prize. These are mostly vintage images stitched onto tags with text and fiber embellishments. Here's my fave of the lot:

So now I've got the bug! Carol over at QueenBee is hosting a tag swap that I managed to get in on. While I've been having fun with ACEOs, I kept meaning to play with tag. This is getting me jump started at last.

Woo Hoo - Finished my 1st tag! This is front & back of a mermaid tag. Need to add some string & I'm afraid I didn't leave much room on the back for anyone to write ....

Decided to tea stain 5 of the blank tags. I like the old look.

Left more room on the back of this 1 but didn't realize the ink would leak through once I sprayed a protective coating.

This is the last 1 I played with before bed last night. Same ink problem on back...harumph. I also need to decide if I'm going to embellish these with any fibers & sparkly bits too....

That's about it today. Day 2 of Kindergarten for the little guy. Now that I've some extra time on my hands, I'm trying to catch up on all of the tasks left unfinished this summer. After that & a deep studio clean I hope to schedule a bit more art time in this fall.

By the way, here is your last chance to enter tomorrow's noon (EST) random drawing for 1 of Felicia Kramer's Liquid prints! Just leave a comment before then to enter. To view some of Felicia's colorful artwork & read her interview CLICK HERE. If you'd like a virtual tour of her Studio, click HERE.

Also over at her blog, Felicia Kramer has another bright idea, Felicia is holding a random giveaway of my original drawing/painting Idle Hours. Winner will also be picked at noon tomorrow from those who comment on her blog before then. CLICK HERE to view this one of a kind prize & enter her contest