Tuesday, March 31

A LITTLE RED AND AQUA SOMETHIN' SOMETHIN

Greetings, dear reader!

I was so inspired by the package I received that I just HAD to create something...so here's my little "somethin', somethin'": An AltAred Door Hanger (Front and Back)



I also created a "Happy Easter" Tent Card Garland. A technique learned from the "Banners and Garlands" class taught by the amazing Trish Turay of Work In Progress fame:






This kind of garland is a snap to make! I simply cut paper to 4x6, folded each in half, cut open sides with scalloped scissors (my second fave...first are my "Deckle" scissors!) and added easter images on the front. I spaced the finished cards on the vintage ribbon, and then added a pop dot on each side of the inside of card. Half the pop dot was on the card, the other half "caught" the ribbon to hold it in place. I'll be sending this one to my sister in Indiana...

What have YOU been making for Easter?

More soon!

XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!

Monday, March 30

AQUA AND RED FROM DOWN UNDER!

Greetings, dear reader!

I have just received a parcel from the vivacious Ruby Claire in Australia...she and I did an ATC swap...behold the color-full goodness:



As if the ATCs aren't darling enough...she sent me some gorgeous "I love you" fabric, aqua and red fabric, and handmade papers in coordinating colors! GOR-GEOUS! I can't wait to add it to my red/aqua stash and get to work on something...something...WONDERFUL!

By the way, I am doing an Easter ATC Swap...I realize it's very late...but I just wanted to include my "adoring blog public." LOL

Here are the details and an example ATC (front and back) :




Greetings! I am hosting an Easter ATC Swap and would like to invite any artsy types to join in! This is a great first project to find out what swaps are all about and how much fun they can be!

Instructions are easy! Simply make an Artist Trading Card (2.5 x 3.5 inches) that has an Easter theme. (Religious or not) Make one or make 20! Make them all the same or different! It doesn't matter! Each little card is an individual "piece of art" that will be traded to another participating artist. (Kind of like the old "baseball card/bubble gum card routine of yesteryear!)

The only rules are:

1. Cards must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches, and on sturdy cardstock or cardboard.

2. Cards must have an Easter theme.Please include your name, address and website/blog on each card.

3. Cards must be in my hot little hands NO LATER THAN Thursday, April 9th.

4. Either deliver ATCs to me in person (you can leave them at any of my counseling offices and/or my Grace Community Church or Central Christian Church mailbox, in the front office at each location.)

5. Or send them to me via snail mail...email me at pclouse07@gmail.com for my snail mail addy.

Number of cards received depends on number of cards sent for trade. This will be a 1 for 1 swap. You send 1 you get 1. You send 10 you get 10. Dig?

Have fun! Easter Blessings!

And here's a fun little button to put on your blog! Just right click, save to file, and voila! It's yours!



XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!

Saturday, March 28

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO...

Greetings, dear reader!

Just thought I'd post a few pictures of what the creative "mini me" has been doing for the last couple of weekends...behold the handmade goods:






Shadow box fun

\

Library card envelope and front of card



Microslide Cover



Microslide Inside


Front of Bingo card

Back of bingo card, library card, and easter tag (back)


Tag envelope, easter tags (front)




Accordion easter card (front)



Flip side of accordion card

And finally, a Chick Magnet (teehee)


Many of these will be winging their way to family members: sisters, nieces and nephews, etc. I am now working on an acrylic ATC album and a tent card garland...pics soon to come!

Hope you're having a great weekend! Hugs!


XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!

Thursday, March 26

YET ANOTHER...WOOT!

Greetings, dear reader! Yet another opportunity to create and retreat!



Post and/or email me if you have any questions or if you want more info!

Peace Out!


XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!

Monday, March 23

ALTARED ART WEEKEND PICS AND TALES!

Greetings, dear reader!

Here are some pics from our Second Annual AltAred Art Weekend. First, of all, I must confess that altered art is a messy business:



Here are the weekend artisans with our first project: Altered Canvas Totes (All made with recycled materials)



Here we are with our "hostess extraordinnaire" Rhona:


Our AltAred Dominoes Project:







Loccoco House ATCs:



Assorted Projects:







Shadow box collages:




More pics soon! Wish you were there!

Monday, March 16

DING! DING! DING!

Announcements, announcements...

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears...uh...er...GREETINGS dear reader!

Just a quick note to let you know that my counseling agency has FINALLY made it's way to the cyber highway! NOW, besides finding your favorite counselor here at the Palace,



Wait, that's not me...excuse me a moment while I have an identity crisis...



Ah, yes. That's more like it...Anyhoodlyhoo, my counseling agency now has a website...I built it myself, so please don't mock or laugh me to scorn:

http://www.ccfsonline.com


I still have LOTs of tweaking to do, but there it is. In all its html glory. Also, you can find my counseling profile here:

http://www.ecounseling.com/counselors/71-paula-clouse

Yes, I do online counseling too! And if you live somewhere FABulous, I'll make house calls!

And I'm on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=739133569&ref=profile

And Twitter here:

http://twitter.com/PaulaClare


And my brother in law put up this puppy:

http://www.paulaclousecounseling.com

So there you have it...more places to find my faces than you'd EVER want to know about! So with all this availability, that means that YOU, dear reader, have no excuse but to be a glowing specimen of mental health!



I'm sure that is most certainly the case!

More soon!


XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!

Sunday, March 15

ALTARED ART WEEKEND FAST APPROACHING!

Greetings, dear reader!

I am SO excited about the AltAred Art weekend coming up here at the Palace! There will be lots of art, creativity, laughing, chocolate, and mayhem believe me (when was the last time you got your "quota" of mayhem I ask?) Once again, I'll show you a couple of the things we'll be creating:

BANNER-A-GO-GO:









And we'll be making our version of Martha Bonneau's Getting Kitschy:



So, So, SO Adorable! What fun! I can't wait!

More soon!

XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!

Tuesday, March 10

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

Well, mostly.

Greetings dear reader! Paula Clare LIVE to you from the grave (WINK, I DO have a flair for the dramatic, don't I?) to report on some of the FABulous goodies I've acquired in my absence:

I finally bit the bullet and bought this set for my Ash Wednesday services and for other services where I preside:



Isn't it completely amazing? It is hand thrown by the good folks at Ocepek Pottery in Ohio. I can't tell you how much I love this particular set...I think it looks like something that might have been on our Lord's table at the Last Supper, don't you? (I never "got" the idea of a golden chalice or all the finery often used in church services...I don't think Jesus would have been so pretentious...but then, that's just one Franciscan's view on things!) Every year I scramble for some kind of vessel to use in the Ash Wednesday service, and every year I think, "Oh, if ONLY I had that hand thrown set..." so this year I purchased it. It is one of my greatest and most treasured possessions.

Now in a completely superfluous vein, I have finally discovered the monthly kit club I can afford, AND love:



It's a "Button of the Month" club. Are these not delish? AND a 3 month subscription is only 19.99! I am so excited to get these little goodies in the mail. They are like precious little works of art...definitely EYE CANDY that come to me direct from the artist's hands to my mailbox! Tessa Ann is an Etsy discovery...her shop is full of colorful goodness. The above collection is winging it's way to me as I type! WOOT! Some of the buttons are so gorgeous I'm sure I'll just back them with some fabulous paper and frame them! AND (and this is something I LOVE) the buttons are washable...so I can use them on sewing projects...can you say PILLOWS? Behold the pillow hand stitched while on my "death bed":



This is from a kit purchased at Elsie Flannigan's Red Velvet Art Studio, in Springfield, MO. Adorable, is it not?

More soon!

XOXOXOX



Paula Clare
!