pApER plATe

New Offering from pApER plATe

Paper-plate is offering a new selection of wallpapers and cool vintage paper finds !!!

New to paper plate is series #2 ready for your enjoyment!! 12 brand new richly surfaced wallpapers and 14 one-of-a-kind vintage ephemera pieces just "itching" to be part of your creative projects, collages, boxes, and atcs.

For a FREE SAMPLE -send you request to: Sandy at - sanso46@yahoo.com . We'll get one off to you, so you can judge the quality for yourself !!!

Packets are 9" x 12" generous sheets and sell for 20.00, plus 4.00 for shipping - They are available by mail with check, or through paypal, using a bank account- we do not yet take credit cards.....

Those inquiring about free sample packs- please email your snail mail address with your request. paper-plate.blogspot.com

2 pix of same flowers

These daisies are called "Becky" and are a wonderful type of strong stemmed daisy-however, I DID NOT mean to post them twice, and tried unsuccessfully to edit one out. (I'm still learning this) Oh Well....

Garden Pix- Only the Beginning

Looks pretty barren, everything, except the transplanted hostas, look so small- lots of black fabric cloth first, to keep the weeding to a minimum, I hope

GARDEN OBSESSION

My GArdeN HAs gottEn AwAy from mE

Boy, ignore it for one season, and it goes berserk....... My garden(s) are large, and many....
Plus, it seems as though I'm always starting a NEW one, somehow. Not too bright!!!
Well, this year I'm trying to tackle a very large area, and take it from WILD to WONDERFUL.. But that takes so much time to have that VISION become a REALITY.. (On paper, it looks like a fabulous idea), Well, I'm getting there, bit by bit...... My pampas grass keeps popping up here, there, and everywhere, but I WILL TRIUMPH !! Even if my bill for MULCH each month rivals my house payment. So Here is some of the project in progress--

Collage Packets

The Collage Paper Packets are 9 x 12 inches, and sell for 20. plus 4.05 for shipping and handling.
Right now My method for selling is -email me with order and check and your snail mail address and I'll send it directly to you so you can start playing with the paper. If you would like a Free Sample of the wallpapers that are in the pack, send me an email with your address, and I'll get those out to you....
Start Collaging!!!

Vintage Collage Papers

I'm offering a vintage paper packet for Collagers and Scrapbookers that will contain all the elements needed for creative journaling and paper arts. It includes vintage design wallpapers, plus numerous examples of ephemera, such as old ledger pages, old schoolbook pages, yearbook pages, music papers, and various other interesting bits and pieces that I think would make wonderful elements in artwork and collage.
The packet contains 12 wallpapers - 14 other paper selections, plus 2 handmade paste papers, also. I'm sending along a FREE SAMPLE of the wallpaper selections to those who would like to email me with their snail mail addresses. My email address is: sanso46@yahoo.com

INSPIRE ME THURSDAY !!!

---BODY---PARTS---

Inspire me Thursday

Body Parts- this made me think of a painting I had recently finished,with a portrait of a child over a landscape image--HOWEVER-- Upon looking at my most recent photos(taken standing in the rain on the fourth of July under an umbrella) I was compelled to override the painting, and go with these FABULOUS ILLUSTRATION of a "body part" theme. Quite like nothing I've done before !

Get in shape!

Joined the GYM !

While at a party a few week ago, in the old neighborhood, I saw one of my friend's daughters, who I haven't seen for probably a year or two. She looked so fantastic, she had lost a lot of weight, and was in great shape. ( She has twins that are almost 3 now- so darling!) She looked amazing, and so happy, and full of energy- I just had to ask, " Sarah, How did you DO it? "
She said she had joined a gym, and with the help of her personal trainer ( I know it sounds weird) she works out 3 days a week, and THATS how she did it.....
Sarah, YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION-

I had already actually joined, several weeks before, and the gym hadn't opened yet, but seeing Sarah- set my resolve!!

So far, I've done very well, I must say, keeping my promise to myself- Wish me Luck!

Finishing Touches-

With the final few bits and pieces completed, it looks so good, I'm ready to start tearing another bathroom apart-(while we're still in the mood)

Not bad for what took about a week and a half, and under $600. with our labor !
(Bus and Lin, you were right about the rug!, thanks)

Hooray !

The finished product! Except for a few finishing touches, it's totally done !

Day Three

Sub-floor, and then tile, then came the Sink and vanity, and finally the toilet. hooray!
I wasn't sure how well this would look, but we are both thoroughly pleased at our work, and we did it TOGETHER, with NO MISHAPS, can you believe it?

Day Two

Wallpapering was never fun, even back in the day, but I like the way the appearance of a room changes so dramatically in such a short time

Have you ever Redone an old bathroom?

Its a bigger job than I at first imagined. Just figuring the correct order in which to proceed is a challenge. Well, we are into the project now, no turning back, wish me well

Luncheon with friends

Yesterday was time-out for laughing, acting totally crazy, singing in the car, visiting and catching up, eating, swimming, and boating at Judy's new lake home in Illinois..
It was beautiful, with a peaceful setting serene enough to quiet the most nerve-racking day of teaching......... Our guest treated us to a spectacular luncheon, complete with home made treats of all kinds. (I'm so used to store-bought delicacies) so nice when someone thinks you're special enough to go to all that trouble on your behalf.....WE HAD A GRAND TIME.. thanks Judy!
Sitting on the deck overlooking the water, so restful..

artists folding books

Here are some folding books my students made, about an artist, including collage, paint, text, images, and embellishments, after researching their artist. They were fun

It was fun today, getting to try the "Inspire Me Thursday" challenge, even though it was Tuesday. I went to my sis's house, and we shared the treasures we found at a wonderful estate sale Sunday, and then proceeded to create a finished piece, in a relatively short period of time.... it was fun. I remember trying that approach years ago, when I used to over-work my watercolors, and they would become muddy. I put a time restriction on them and they "freshened -up" a bit.
I created this environmental piece using antique bits and pieces, and this and that. The photo gives it unity, I think.
Let me say a big "thank you" to both of you girls for setting up these challenges. This is what I feel we do as art teachers, and sometimes we need someone to put an "assignment" in front of us for focus, and motivation..... This is positively a fantastic inspiration, thanks, thanks, thanks!!!

Since the post didn't apply to my quilt picture, heres a little explanation:
Been doing quilts for a long time, but recently I've really gotten into it again. Mainly I've done baby quilts, but I also have some larger ones, mainly to give to my three children as keepsakes..... This one started out as a baby quilt, but I loved the color combination so much I decided to make a queen size to pass along to my daughter, who loves all shades of green. So, here you go, Buffy, when you get back from your amazing trip to the East you can redo your next bedroom to work with this color scheme.. ha ha
Heres a few more quilts from the last 6 months.
:

Gotta get back in the swing of things... When summer comes, as a teacher you might know, your mind goes in so many directions that its hard to focus. So many things you want to do, that you end up going in circles, starting and stopping, and not finishing things, just going 90 miles an hour with all that FREEDOM.....
I've started a garden project, worked on cleaning various closets and areas of the house, we began tearing out a bathroom and starting from scratch, catching up with doctors appointments, having lunch outings with friends, and began an exercise program at the gym! (new stuff for me, for sure!) Also, theres all that time to find and visit all the local estate and garage sales and search through the goodies.... yumm... funn.....
I've still done some creating too, but, get stuck sitting at this computer, and it's so much fun surfing, that I can spend hours here without being aware of it.
Now, enough for the excuses! I have to PRIORITIZE !! It's always been my biggest flaw. I can't decide among all the fun things I want to do.

The work in my studio is for a surprise, so I can't reveal it just yet. I can show you some of my students work, however. They were to design 10 ATC cards with a theme to be swapped with 6 classes from our school. The themes were unique and gave me insight into some of my students. Well, here goes:

Sometimes the studio gets so messy I'm confined to about 6 square inches to create, and it's time to spend a few minutes straightening and organizing.
Well, it's not much fun, but, once finished, I feel as though I'm ready to go again.....

I have a place for everything in my studio, with labels, and all kinds of shelves, wow. not really like me at all, but, it makes creating a lot more fun when you can find what little something you are looking for. hooray, here is the clean table, but not for long!

Fun weekend. What glorious weather we have enjoyed. I got lots of studio time and found some nice treasures for my creations as well.
Sister, Linda, and her husband, Roger spent a delightful dinner with us on Saturday, and we got into a fit of laughter that must have added YEARS to our lives. Somethiing that was silly, but just struck us all as hilarious!!
Sunday I got to spend some quality time with the new twins, Hunter and Chase Westmeyer, so precious....
Was working in the studio on ATC cards for a swap my students are just finishing up at school. Each one picked a theme, and created 10 cards to trade, they really got into it and didn't want to stop. My topic was Native Americans, so I'll trade the ones I made, too.
This large box is made up of pictures I aquired at the antique mall. I started really looking at the faces, and found myself totally fascinated with the ideas in my head about all these people I have never met. I wondered about them as I compared the different stages of their lives in photographs. Pictures really do sometimes say a thousand words, especially when we have no words or voices to accompany them. I somehow felt strange about including them in my artwork, and then I felt as if I was giving them a chance to be seen and heard. I hope they would approve.....

Really felt as though this box needed a butterfly speciman, but alas, couldn't come up with one.
Woman at the turn of the century seemed to be mostly engaged in cooking or sewing pursuits.
So grateful that we have broken out of that mold, but it is because those who have come before us have paved the way. What freedom for ourselves, and our daughters! Halleluiah!

The weekend is over, back to school, but I've done nothing but art for two days, nothing that is except cook, shop, and do a little laundry. Not much to show for it, I guess. Saturday was the day to go out on the hunt to find "found objects" for collage. I was able to snag some great little treasures. Elephant Bar for dinner, yummy.
Sunday I painted, and painted, and brought out the colored inks for some fun effects. Nothing is finished, though, I just had fun painting backgrounds and having a good time with color. By the time I was forced to clean up, the entire space around me, floor, table, and any other horizontal space, was covered with blotches and dabs of colored paper. what fun.
Sunday afternoon, the boys came over, Ted, to do his taxes on the computer, and Jim after work, Di Di was doing her real estate thing. We had fun just like old times. MoJo, too, of course. When everything was cleaned up, and everyone left, and I got to talk to Judi about the crisis in Arkansas-Boyd's father was drowned on a missionary trip to Nicaragua. I headed back to the studio to paint boxes, and that took me way past my bedtime...

The pictures finally came, sorry, to be such a baby about it, but i was getting frustrated, and its already 11:30 at night, and i should be sleeping, so i can get up by 5:00.

The pics are some new studio creations, plus my latest baby quilt, which i took to the ladies at the local church to quilt for me last week. i skip around a bit with my interests, just to keep things exciting. i certainly do love art, in ALL its forms!

finally, pictures!!

Can anyone help?

i keep trying to publish the pics, but it gets half-way there and stops, but says its published...

i don't know what i'm doing wrong. it seems as though i'm finding the picture and doing it correctly, but they won't go through. any suggestions, anyone??

somethings amiss, couldn't seem to make this work, but now its working.. goodie

nope, still not happening

tried twice to publish pictures, no luck,.... i must be doing something wrong, i'll try later.

today was a whirl, both at school and home. i stayed longer than i usually do, working on creating some ATC backgrounds to show my students tomorrow.- although that was sort of an excuse to stay and work, uninterupted, for awhile and make some art. jim, ted and diane joined us, along with their wonderful pup, mojo, for a nice family dinner. the weather allowed us to sit outside a bit, and throw the ball about a hundred times for mojo to run after.
my darling nephew, chris, and his wife sheila had their twins yesterday, i can't wait to see them. what big boys, wow, weighing in at 6lb.7oz. and 7lb.6oz. those are huge for twins! you are awesome,sheila. we have such a darling family, each so unique and precious-wow


and as for the artwork, nothing is in the "finished" stage, but here are a few shots of the studio, and some of the works in progress.....