New Collages

Well, I'm back after a much needed rest from blogging and after a few challenging months including family issues and major computer problems. 

Here are some things I've been working on.

This is a collage I made with paper, dried hydrangea, rhinestones, silk flower and an air dry clay piece at top. The substrate is a recycled mass produced poster on a mat board of some sort that one of my neighbors didn't want anymore in her house. This is my favorite photo of Marilyn Monroe.  I was going to use it for the bottle below that my daughter wanted, but she selected another Marilyn photo. 

I'm not quite finished with this bottle. Still waiting on a quote from my daughter that she wants to include of Marilyn's.

 

Here's a little glimpse of my craft room.

 

 until next time......

Nelly

 

 

 

Well, after a very minor earthquake and some minor floods from hurricane Irene, things around Pennsylvania have calmed down. It was quite a week. We rarely see such events in this state, especially the quake. My thoughts are with those less fortunate states and the people who have been hit with real tragedies due to these events.

This is a small collage on plywood pieces I got from Dollar Tree; it was a pack of 12 or 15 for $1. In the background there's stamping, paper and also crepe paper which I also stamped.

  

This tag was made using images sent to me by

Inka from Altered Artifacts for examples to use in her Etsy site.

 

This is also with an image from Inka, the backgroupd Lilas one.  The canvas is a recycled CD.

I love Old Hollywood stars, so this is one of many others I have to put together in a book.

Thanks for visiting and stay safe out there.

Mixed Media Piece, Drawing and Free Images

 The collage below was worked over a few weeks.  I just kept leaving it and coming back to it.  I like how it turned out, but it still is not finished.  Its currently on drawing paper and I want to adhere it to something stronger.

 

 

 The purple is dimensional paint stamped with a foam stamp and then painted a bit of blue in the leaves.

 I'm continuing in my quest to learn how to draw whimsical girls.  Here's some of my practice ones.  Thanks again to Tam at Willowing for her free course.

 

Still working for the look I'm after, and I see improvement with ever practice.  Wish me luck with my finding my style.

 Are you still holding on to summer.  I AM!  I can't even think about how soon we'll see it go without getting depressed.  Here are some images to have and enjoy from Shorpy's and Bumble Button.  I especially love everything ocean and beach!!

  

I was impressed at this tutorial.  Simple and cool.  I haven't yet tried one myself.  Let me know if you did.

How-To: No-Carve Stamps

Ciao,

Summer Celebration 2010 -- Challenge Still Open

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful sounds of the ocean on my blog.  Try clicking on the down arrow by "video" to see the beautiful beach also.

  Are you ready for the Summer Celebration?

 

 There's still time to join the Summer Celebration link party if you haven't.  The linking post will go up this Friday, August 13, but you may enter your link anytime after that until the following Friday, August 17.  I know I said August 17, but I'll probably extend it a bit to give me more time.  I hate deadlines for funness (I'm making up a word :), don't you?  So, you have time to create your piece and write up your post to link it up.

Hope to see many of you link up. I can't wait to see all your pieces. 

 

Don't forget about my giveaway for all that join in the link party.  

And speaking of giveaways, here's one for you at:

The Polka Dot Closet

 Carol has the sweetest paper dolls.

Need more inspiration?  Here are more beautiful vintage photos.

 

 

Images from The Graphics Fairy and Marie's Freebies

Enjoy,

 

 

 

Pretty Window and Giveaway Extended

So I finally put my wedding veil collection and organ music rolls to use.  I decorated my craft room window with them.  I love looking at the beauty of the tulle fabric, don't you?  I am in love with tulle!

This huge puff is a wedding crinoline I got from Freecycle (you know how much I love Freecyling).  See where I put it.  On my TV in my craft room.  Its been squashed in my closet for weeks and I finally liberate it.

Wanted to give all my followers a chance to win so, I'm extending the Allmodern.com giveaway 1 more week.  I will choose a name on April 18. 

Good luck, everyone!

Anniversary Frame and a Dozen Darlings

I'm still without my beloved PC, so it hasn't been easy to download photos. I'm quickly doing this on my daughter's PC which is not the ideal, but here goes.

This is an anniversary frame I made for a friend who needed an anniversary gift for a friend. I used a yard sale frame which I brushed with some white gesso on the edges to tone down the gold. I then made a ribbon bow to which I attached some tiny pearl trim, a silk Peony and bling from an earring. A true repurpose, recycle, upcycle project.
I'm hoping its well received.

This is a quick layout from a book page. I used a flower cutout from wallpaper which I gessoed a bit. At the top, an amazing handmade paper I got from a swap. See how it was glued in a square pattern (I know there's a better word to describe it, but it escapes me right now) leaving open squares. I love its color too. I used a smaller piece that was coming apart after I cut it at the bottom of the flower too. The sweet picture of the 12 children is from a vintage photo I picked up at an antique store. Pieces of pink vellum cut with wavy scissors. I decorated the bottom of it with rick rack and lace and stamped throughout the background. Click on the picure for a larger image and to see details.

Dozen Darlings - By Nelly aka Bella Nella

For those in the USA, I hope you're enjoying the summer everyone, I'm already stressing about how soon it'll be gone.

I have many more photos of my altered book from the internet class I've been taking and a fat book I worked on for my daughter's high school years for her graduation. I'll post those soon too.

Nelly

Down with Free Images

I still can't get my computer to work right. I have several pages of 2 altered books that I have been working on, one of my daughter's for her high school graduation and the other from the online class that I want to share with you, but I'm still not able to download them because of this issue with the computer. I hope this makes up for it. Some free images for you to use. Have a great week!
Hope to be back to normal with my computer. This temporary solution just doesn't do it.

Nelly

Dance Cards and Free Images

WHAT IS A "DANCE CARD"?

A dance card or ballspende, is a card, often decorative, that is used by an attending woman to record with whom she will dance at formal dances and balls. Though originating in the 18th century, they became quite popular in the ballrooms of Vienna and elsewhere in Europe in the 19th century and remained popular at college dances in the U.S. into the 1920s, lingering on into the 1930s in some cases.

The cards were designed to be worn on the wrist (hence the long strings often attached to them) or attached to the gown and would allow the woman to “pencil in” the names of gentlemen seeking a dance.

Although there are no formal rules, there are some social conventions which are important to keep in mind. For example, a lady generally does not give more than three dances to the same gentleman unless she is greatly attached to him. It is also traditional to take the last dance with a special someone, leading to the request to “save the last dance for me.” source: http://www.millikin.edu/staley/archives/exhibits/exhibits_dancecards.htm

Thanks for visiting,

Creative Research

Well, I have been wishing to get motivated and to create, but since I haven't, at least, I have been "researching" creative things to wet my appetite that way. I shopped at my favorite antique store last weekend, and found a couple of really adorable cards and photos. Here are a couple of them.

My favorite vintage photos are those of babies and children. How could I not pick up this cutie pie. I will post others soon and also the dance cards I'm working on for swap with NancyD from Altered stArt yahoo group.

Thanks for visiting,