AlteredPages Artsociates

The hustle and bustle of Christmas is now behind us but we hope to keep the spirit of the season with us.  And now New Year's Day is right around the corner.  I enjoy New Year's because it's very festive and like a giant party.  And what do we toast in the new year with?  Wine!  Oh sure, you could drink champagne, but I prefer a nice sweet wine.  And what could be sweeter than this adorable little flower from Just For Fun rubber stamps ?  It's part of a trio of flowers, but I cut them apart to make separate blooms.  I stamped one of them with wine colored ink on a Glitz scrapbook paper.  I used a permanent fine point marker to hand-draw the flower into a wine glass!  Then I chose several images from two Altered Pages collages and some German scrap to make this card. I had to sponge some tan ink onto the paper in the background so that the wine glass would show up better.  It kept the polka dots from blending together....

This week was a catch up week from the flurry of activity with CHA and  the Art Unraveled Art Retreat  of the last couple weeks.     Saturday was a welcomed day off and we spent it with very good friends visiting some of the Arizona wine country.  Yes we do have one!   The higher elevations provide great land for vineyards.   While it is 109 degrees in Phoenix, we dined outside in balmy breezes and cloud  filled sunny skies. See wine collages by clicking here Inspiration for art came from the scenic landscapes and architecture.   We learned allot of history too. Where else can you see movies at a theater like this one?   Look close and see modern technology in the background! We went to the Oldest Store in Arizona, opened in late 1800's and still selling!   The Wilcox Commercial Store is where Geronimo would come from the Chiricahua Mountains to get food and provisions.      Johnny Ringo stan...

Do you like Wine, maybe a Cosmo or a Gimlet?   Do you drink Skinny Girl?' We came up with a perfect hostess gift or keeper as a fun and purposeful upcycled project.     Stephanie and I collaborated, and with some inspiration from the Muse, developed a darling wine accessory! This starts out as plain old coasters you might get at a restaurant or bar.   Then collages are added to create the right mood.  Using a cropadile, holes are punched, a metal ring inserted and simple wine glass charms are made and inserted onto the ring or each coaster hole.   This keeps both items together so there is no searching for one or the other.    We like the idea of variations using a martini motif or hot pink and black for the Girls! Have some fun and try it.  Our collages include wine labels and other advertising that is PERFECT for the project.... see them here, along with our glues.