I am 2nd

This is the art piece I gave to my daughter for her 21st birthday. She had been begging for a cardboard art piece for 2 years. I had to wait for inspiration and this picture became that inspiration for me. There is a story behind this photo. My daughter, Haley,led her best friend, Haylee, to Christ. Haylee is a photographer and wanted to document a photographical testimony but could not be the photographer and the subject at the same time. She had Haley pose as herself to make her documentary. This photo symbolizes having her sins washed away. The other photos in the series can be seen on her Facebook page ( I'm having trouble linking it here, I will try below).
I have learned by trial and error over the last two years about working with cardboard. I learned it should be mounted on something stiff to keep it from warping. In this piece I mounted it on a plaque from Michaels that had a pretty edge. In the past I mounted on a thin sheet of plywood but it didn't have a pretty edge. So, make sure what you use as a mount is going to give you your desired effect before you glue everything in place.
To begin I painted the base green to match my daughter's bedspread. Then I started on the cardboard. I tore it larger that the base so the base didn't show when looking at it straight on. Then I ripped most of the top layer off leaving some large areas for writting a Bible verse. I decided I wanted a couple of open areas where the base peeked through so I ripped those next. Once I had it looking like I wanted I started painting it. I used 3-4 shades of green and teal because besides matching her bedspread I wanted it to be somewhat like water. You have to allow drying time between layers of paint to minimize the warping. Once it was dry I set it aside for a couple of months, glancing at it periodicly, trying to decide how I wanted to put it all together. Finally I decided I needed a Dymo label maker for the Bible verse and I bought clear tape so my Bible verse would be white writting on the green background. I used crackle accents on the letters for "2nd". I attached all the letters with glossy accents. I attached the cardboard frame for the picture with hot glue. I went over all the water drops and rivulets on the photo woth glossy accents. I puddled the glossy accents inside the bottom of the frame and had it rub over the frame and drip down like the water was running out of the frame. I also had glossy accents coming from all the letters like water. I added a ribbon trim to the bottom, tucked just under the cardboard and I let the glossy accents drip down on it in a few places.
I hope you like the piece, my daughter said it was my best piece yet. Any questions? Thanks, Ms.Cheryl

Did you miss me?

My creative side has been on furlow for some time now. January 2010 I reconnected with my high school sweetheart and married him in May. That will stifle your creativity. Really it just made me frustrated that I didn't have time to be creative or to blog. Probably a time management issue. I am NOT domestic and I had to cook some and clean some MORE than usual. You expect there to be adjustments that have to be made but let me tell you, it has NOT been fun. My husband moved into my house so there was an adjustment for me to move things around and make room. My house is clean and that was an adjustment for him. I thought his house was yucky just because he was a guy and that he would be thrilled to live in a clean house. Not really, he likes it yucky. That causes dificulty. I like my yard mowed regularly and had a yardman that did a very good job. Wayne talked me into getting rid of the yardman and he was going to mow the yard... that was a bad idea. Wayne only mows the tall grass so where it wasn't as tall he just skipped. My yard has looked like an embarrassing mess ever since. He tells me I have a control issue when really HE has a control issue. Really all this kind of stuff is just adjustment type problems and with time will work itself out. The BIGGGGG problem is he is a closet alcoholic and I had NO IDEA. Now we are at a point where I've had to draw a line in the sand...me or the alcohol...he can't decide. My last 210 days have been rocky. The second day of our honeymoon he pitched a fit, told me I had a control problem and we needed marriage counselling. All because I wanted to fold the foil for the BBQ grill double and he wanted it single fold. We had gone to a park to cook out and both forgotten our tools so we had nothing to turn the meat with. He said he'd lay a piece of foil below it while it cooked and place another piece on top to flip it with when it came time to turn it. I said ok but let me double the foil so it would be stronger and less likely to tear and our meat fall. I started a fight although I never saw it coming. You'd have to know my husband is a small man, very quiet and laid back. He thinks alot. He isn't usually quick to rile so the problem with that is I NEVER SEE IT COMING. He doesn't argue, he assasinates my character instead. I've never been in an arguement with anyone that argues like that. At three months I gave in to marriage counselling. He thought the counselor would point out all my flaws and shortcomings and straighten me out. In actuallity it has been the other way around. Turns out HE is the one with the control problem but he projects it on me. One day he said "I thought we had clarity before we got married about everything including Who would be the boss"...Hmmmmm, strange I didn't know marriages came with a boss. Therein lies the problem! That and the alcohol.
I had planned to go to the INSPIRED event in May but cancelled due to the fact it was the week after my honeymoon. It just didn't seem the right thing to do at the time. Now I wish I had gone because my marriage hasn't been good since the "get go". I got all the class stuff from the event but not the instruction stuff. I really need the instruction too. And it's just not the same sitting alone in my craft room. I like being with other crafters.
I had a trip to Idaho on the calendar for October. A trip to Brave Girl Camp. I cancelled that to take my mother-n-law to visit her older brother recently daignosed with advanced prostate cancer. My MIL can't fly due to inner ear issues and her brother lives in Miami, Florida. Thats an 18+ hour drive from here. That trip went about as well as the honeymoon. My husband was a jerk the entire trip. I have really regretted cancelling my art trips for him. Now I'm looking for trips for 2011. Any ideas? I live in Shreveport, Louisiana so I am looking for something within about a 4-5 hour drive in either direction.
I NEED CRAFT TIME WITH OTHER CRAFTERS. I am going through withdrawal. HELLLLP.

INSPIRED

Surely you have all heard of Donna Downey. She hosts an event called INSPIRED and I am so excited to be able to attend this year. It's really outside the box for me. I wish some of you would sign up too. We could room together. It will be so much fun. Check out her blog donnadowney.com and sign up!!! ms.cheryl