Art Supplies Don't Need to Cost a Small Fortune

While many art supplies are found to be quite costly, there are a few ways to cut back on costs and save money for the more important supplies on your list, such as your favorite Copic Markers or Golden Brand Fluid Acrylic paints.  When browsing the dollar store the other day I was quite amazed ...

http://goo.gl/GJ8h0z

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot®)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored ...

http://goo.gl/AVhU17

ART PROMPT - Create something random in black and white and then add two of your favorite colors.

Black and white are by far my favorite colors to art with.  I find that the contrast is stunning and very pleasing to the eye.  In thinking of something to work on last night, I decided that I would create something completely random in black and white.
The following is what I came up with:

I b...

http://goo.gl/N4FpW5

Altered Book Journal

As many of you probably know by now, I am completely addicted to Art Journals.  I have purchased a few of them in the past and have most recently been handmaking my own (three so far).  Here recently, I have decided to take this addiction to an entirely new level and start an altered book journal.  I began working on this last night.

The book that I am using for this project is a rather thick medical book that I was able to get for free.  When using a book that is as thick as this one, you want to make sure that you glue at least two to three pages together (unless all you plan on doing is pen and ink).  Mixed media materials and any wet/damp media will cause your pages to swell, so unless you glue some pages together and/or cut some of the pages out of these thicker books, they will likely not close flat when they are full of your art.   Below is the book that I was able to use…I would personally rather use one that is not quite as thick as this one.  I can’t argue too much about this though…free material is a good thing!

The cover was painted solid black with one coat of  black Gesso.  After this dried thoroughly, I then glued bits and pieces of colored tissue paper to the cover and spine using a decoupage medium.  After the decoupage medium dried I then covered the entire cover with more decoupage medium and allowed it to dry overnight.  Isn’t that gorgeous!!!  I will probably go a bit further with this and personalize a bit more.

In the meantime, I couldn’t wait to start working in this journal, so I used some white Gesso on the first page and then took out my best black sharpie and just began doodling.  Here is what have done so far…

Altered Book Journal

COME SEE MY NEW BLOG

Hello fellow artsy ladies!  This site has now moved to the following link....

Come see!

www.elizabethdukeartist.com

Manic Monday

Soooooooooo, before I really get started blog-rolling here I just want to make it clear that I'm well aware that I missed day #4 of the blogalong.  However, I really did have a good excuse.  I received the unfortunate news Saturday night that my beloved Uncle passed away after fighting a long 7-month battle with pancreatic cancer.  Had lots of family things to take care of on top of a not-so-typical hellacious Sunday at work.  UGH.

Without further adoooooo, here is where my life gets interesting.

This started out as a typical blah ass Monday.  Woke up to get ready for work, couldn't find jack crap ANYWHERE.  Finally just said to heck with it, grabbed whatever clothes I first saw, threw them on, brushed my hair and walked out the door.  Enter the storms.  OMG it stormed this morning.  Go to the gas station...all the pumps are shut down.  UGH.  Already irritated, I get to work and there are NO parking spots near my building, which means I got to walk a mile in the rain because my manpet (aka my husband) or my child, one or the other, has decided to take the 100th umbrella I've bought, out of my car.  Now drowned-rattish and even more irritated I walk into a dark office...nobody is there. Before I EVEN get the damn computer turned on the doctors start calling wanting their dictation YESTERDAY.

Continue hellish work day for another 7.5 hours!

Get off work to the most wonderful news that my manpet has finally acquired yet another client in his new web development business.  A rather biggie!!!  Sooooooo, on top of the one item I went to Michael's to purchase, I treated myself to a rather larger heap of craft goodies...including, Golden Liquid Acrylics, more aquamarkers (LOVE these things), fixative, charcoal, more storage boxes and new canvases.  ALL ON SALE!!!!

Now I'm going to go treat myself to a private arty party.  I deserve it.

And.....THANK YOU EFFY for the recipe....it worked PERFECTLY!  MWAH!!!

Until next time I will leave you with what I have done to my gothie girlie.  Not even close to being done, but definitely improving!

Blogalong Day #3 / 30

Well, here we are on day #3 of the Blogalong and yes I realize that I didn't post on day #2.  Yesterday was probably the most exhausting day in the entire history of my exhausting days.  I worked a full 8 hour day and then came home just to get a 5 minute nap, got up to travel the city again and grab something to eat, got in about another 30 minute nap, and then a 4 hour meeting with my husband and his new business partners for business #2...UGH.

On an artsy note, I'm still trying to make myself work on pieces that are outside my normal realm of work, such as the gothic piece I started the other day.  I'm still not done with her but I will be working on completing her this weekend.  Might be a chore though as I'm putting in another 16 hours this weekend since my co-worker is out of state with a medical emergency in her family.

I really can't think of much else to say at this very moment because I'm still just uber tired.  I'm not just really sure why I'm not sleeping all that well.  I have too many artsy things I want to do to be THIS tired.  I will leave you with what I have completed of the gothy girl I was working on the other day.  Toodles for now.