Frogwarts

Single Rose Tutorial from Cut Out & Keep!

2011-07-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this fun new webzine Cut Out & Keep. Here is one of their tutorials. Check it out!

See Origami Rose and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Inspiration in Black and White - Tutorial: Making a Mussie Tussie

2011-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine issued a Christmas call in the middle of summer. What a delight! I had such fun with my creation. Here are some photos of my submission and a "how-to" tutorial:

Whether you call it a mussie tussie (mussy tussy), a nosegay, or a posie, a cone full of flowers is easy to make.

SUPPLIES FOR CONE: 1 sheet of 12x12 or 13x12 inch, heavy duty (makes 2 cones), scrapbooking paper - two sided, hot glue & gun or tacky glue, rubber stamps & permanent ink, glitter, glitter glue, ribbon, and lace (for edging), metal tip from a cake decorating set, and whatever tiny flowers, beads, buttons, or bangles you want to add to embellish the cone.

SUPPLIES FOR FLOWERS: Sheets of paper for flower petals (at least 2 different designs in same color group), a flower hole punch (Mine is about 2 inches across with a scalloped edge), a regular hole punch (I prefer one that punches small holes), scissors, a stalk of small silk flowers (to deconstruct and use in your flower), colored ink or chalk pads to add color to petal edges, beads, buttons, shells, or other items to use as the center of your flower, florist wire and tape, toile circles (I used white, pre-cut circles from the wedding section of Joanne Fabrics.) and whatever ribbon, feathers, etc. you are inspired to add.

HOW TO MAKE THE MUSSIE TUSSIE CONE:

(1) Divide a sheet of heavy, double-sided, 13x13 inch diagonally to create 2 triangles.

(2) Using one triangle, loosely pinch the center of the long side. This will be the tip of the cone. Keeping that in mind, roll together each of the two smaller angles of the triangle until they match up in back at the larger angle.

(3) By taking a good look at your cone, you will have an idea about which of the paper surfaces will be exposed once your cone is finished.

(4) Open up the paper cone. Lay it flat and use your creative skills to add layers of color and/or texture to the paper areas that will be visible once you re-roll your cone. In my black & white creation, I began with paper that was already tinted off-white with images of roses (from GeminiAngelArt's collection). Using "Stays On" permanent ink, I rubberstamped the paper in black with various flourish designs I picked up at Michael's. Additional hand drawn flourishes of white, iridescent glitter glue gave the paper sparkle!

(5) With your hot glue gun or tacky glue handy, re-roll the cone, quickly adding glue to the outside edge to hold it tightly in place. Hold cone in place until you are sure the glue has set.

You can see from this view of the back, I added off-white, eyelet edging along the top, outside edge of the cone. Next, starting in the front, I topped this with small, black, grosgrain ribbon, forming a loop in the back and securing it with an old hat pin. Glued on vintage buttons help close the paper seam. Tiny white flowers added extra frills to the back and front. The lower part of the cone is wrapped with black mesh from a produce garlic bag and secured with a black grosgrain bow and another hat pin.

HOW TO MAKE PAPER FLOWERS:

(1) Using a flower hole punch and your flower paper, punch out 2-3 times the number of flowers you want to make.

At first, I used really old paper from a vintage book. Unfortunately, many of the petals I punched out were too brittle to use in my flowers. Next, I scanned some vintage pages of text and music, printed double sided copies and punched those instead. Also FYI, I prefer to use an odd number of flowers in my bouquets. Somehow, it balances better.

(2) Use a regular or tiny hole punch to make one hole in the center of each layer of paper "flower."

(3) Use scissors, make small cuts from the outside edge toward the center of each "flower" creating petals. Fold each petal in half (lengthwise) to add dimension. Use a colored ink or chalk pad to tinge the edges of each petal with color.

(4) From a stem of store-bought silk flowers, pull off the number of flowers you need. Remove any plastic or centers. Note that there is already a center hole in each petal.

(5) Select a bead, button, or other item as the center of your flower. Cut an 8 inch length of florist wire and string it half way through the bead, twisting both wires down to secure them.

(6) Stick the beaded wire into the center of one of your silk flowers, then add 2 or 3 of your paper flower layers. Be sure not to flatten the paper petals too much, so your flowers stay full and 3-dimensional.

(7) Holding the paper flower layers tight against the bead, use florist tape around the wire to secure your flower in place. This tape stickes to itself, so once you get the first wrap on, the rest is easy. Wrap the tape several times, tightly against the paper petal, then wrap it in a spiral down and around the wire to create a stem for your flower. You can use old scissors to cut off any excess wire or tape. (Cutting wire with good scissors will ruin them!) Repeat this for each flower. You can make your flowers identical or you can make each one as unique as you please!

(8) Finally, gather your flowers together in a bouquet. Insert any extras among them (feathers, ribbons leaves, etc) until your bouquet is arranged the way that pleases you most. (An easy way to add ribbons is to knot them onto a length of florist wire, fold the wire over and tape together with florist tape, creating a stem that is easy to insert into your bouquet.)

(9) When your bouquet is finished, bundle all the stems together with more florist tape. Cut a hole into one or more circles of toile and insert the bundle in the hole. More florist tape will secure the toile around your bouquet.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Insert your bouquet into the cone, gluing it in place with hot glue or tacky glue. (If using tacky glue, give the glue time to dry before moving the mussie tussie.)

On the tip of my cone, I used E6000 to glue on the metal tip of a cake decorator set. Inside the metal tip is a bead holding the tassels that dangle below the cone. My tassels include a shell and a couple of pearl beads attached to a pearl chain. I used more E6000 to add ribbon and a flower to the top edge of the metal tip.

Here is the finished product:

Frogwarts Freebie - vintage music in the shape of a heart

2011-02-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

I'm back!

2011-02-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

After several months away from my blog...due to back to back hip surgery...I have returned! Although recovery put a dent in my art activities, it did not slow my ideas. Lots new if planned for upcoming months.

         1.     Look for my new Frogwart's World shop to open on
                 Etsy.com in early March.

         2.     Come back here next week to see new jewelry and
                 ArtCards from Frogwarts.

         3.    And, of course, check back often for Frogwart's Freebies...
               copyright and royalty free images you can download
               and use in your own art!

Frogwarts Freebie - Holy Family Doors on Cape Cod

2010-11-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I clicked this image of doors at a church on Cape Cod. I'm not sure of the exact location. If you have an idea, please leave a comment. To pull up the highest quality image, double click on the doors.

Frogwarts Freebie - vintage 1903 German Methodist Episcopal Church Bookmark

2010-11-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Remember to double click on the image to bring up the highest quality format!

Frogwarts Freebie - Vintage German Book Plate

2010-11-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

It's time again for more Frogwart's Freebies!! This is the herb Arnica. The plate is from an 1800's book by Pfarrer Sebastian Kneipp. He was a German pastor who developed a system of health and healing using water walking as a cure and encouraged the use of herbs.

2010 Annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party!!

2010-10-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

What a great time we all had at this year's Annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party!

There must have been 50 or more people and enough pumpkins and food for all. We were especially happy to have Nga Reh and his family, transportation courtesy of Simon Khin!

Nga Reh and his mother have been in the U.S. for about a year. His sister arrived with her four daughters only six months ago. Ngh Reh is our Karenni language teacher and happens to be a student of one of our former students in Thailand, Hser Coo. Talk about what goes around, comes around! Simon asked us to help teach English to the older generation of refugees who now get together once a month for field trips.

November trip: a ferry ride and lunch on one of the islands!

Other guests included a ton of new and not so new friends and neighbors from the Seattle-Bellevue-Edmonds-Lynnwood area, former medical student friends, and current medical colleagues. There must have been as many young kids as adults and at least 8 babies who were 6 months or younger...lots of future carvers for future parties. Michael, Dominique & kids (family) were able to join us from Portland. Yea!

This front window greeted people arriving at the party!

The kids got Poison Punch (rated G) hidden under the fog of dry ice.

(The adult punch was less accessible and rated XXX,

courtesy of a recipe from our favorite Thai bartender,

Nathan who came dressed as himself and who brought along his wonderful family.)

Behind it the kids punch, Scary Sea Squid Dogs are stuck on skewers into a giant cabbage head.

(1/2 hotdogs poked with spaghetti, boiled, and served with blood...er-r-r catsup)

Of course, we had the obligatory fruit and veggie trays but along with them were:

Witch Charmed Chili,
Brittle Bones with Mystery Meat (BBQ drumsticks),
Spooky Ghost Pockets (yummy potato & pea samosas),

Burmese Boo Balls (potatoes in Burmese curry) &

Juicy Jack-o-Lantern (Burmese pumpkin curry)

Our three party helpers were gymnasts from the local club.

They did a wonderful job keeping the little kids engaged in crafts, games, and badmitton (outside) and passing out prizes to all the winners. (Everyone was a winner!)

Raggedy Ann and Andy (aka Travis and Ryan) were the true hosts of the party!

I almost wore my "I just had a hip replacement 10 days ago recovery costume" but opted, instead to attend as a red headed skeleton with weird, fun socks

...a birthday gift from my grandkids: Mason, Kaylin, and Lainey!

Notice my right leg is still a bit swollen from the surgery...

...but I was still able to get around without a walker! Hooray!

That's Travis (back) dressed as Raggedy Ann and me in my skeleton outfit!

Our front door greeter!

Oooooo! Scary black lights!

Norb was the Mad Hatter and our official photographer!

What's Halloween without an altar for Dias de los Muertos!

My fun craft creation found its place on top of the bookcase

Oh yes! And we had chips with spinach-artichoke dip, hummus, cheese balls,

5 different torts and cakes, plus vegan pumpkin muffins!

Scary cats above the mantle watched over the festivities.

Nga Reh's neices wanted to know why everyone was cutting faces on the pumpkins.
Simon explained the holiday custom to Nga Reh in Burmese. Nga Reh explained it to the girls in Karenni.

Did they understand? Who knows? But clearly everyone enjoyed doing it.

BTW, why do we cut faces into pumpkins?

Grown-ups helped the little carvers use small knives to cut and clean their pumpkins.

Of course, the guys had to pull out the big weapons.

Dominique and Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, and Young Girls

(aka Sophia) tooks a moment to share a smile.

There are "doers" and there are "watchers". At this party, Simon was a watcher.

In the throws of pumpkin madness!

Nga Reh and family: Is this how it works??

And at the end of it all, these were the great creations...

and the artists who created them!

Time to get ready for next year!

Halloween Here We Come!

2010-10-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

My Dia de los Muertos alter is finished. Spider webs hang from every nook and cranny. The front window is eerie with shadow images cut from black poster board and backed with a cheap, translucent orange, plastic tablecloth. We're almost ready for the annual Pumpkin Carving Party!!

Halloweens Past!

2010-10-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

I was digging through old files and had fun discovering some creations from Halloweens past. Thought you might like to see them. The last image is one I put together from images and embellished papers created by my daughter Angela http://geminiangelsart.blogspot.com/. She is truly my art inspiration!

Halloween Cupcake Toppers

2010-10-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

What would be Halloween-ish about a party without Halloween decorations on the food? My granddaughter, Syd, helped me with these toothpick topper creations. All we have left is to glue them on to the toothpicks and we'll be ready to party!

Dia de los Muertos Fiesta!

2010-10-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy week. I've been trying to finish up my Dia de los Muertos alter...or sort of alter...for our annual Halloween party. My inspiration came from last year's Halloween charm swap hosted by Michelle Cummings' Witches Cupboard Charm Swap at http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/. I decided to use some of the charms in this year's creation and will post photos of those items once I receive permission from the artists who created them.

For now, here is a sneak peak:

These are my collection of skulls and skeletons grabbed from the sale tables after last year's Halloween season was over. I used some of the skeletons whole and just added clothes to them. For the disembodied skulls, I created bodies using clothes pins, pipe cleaners, wire, glue, and sticky bandage tape from my local drug store.

The base of the alter is constructed from two scraps of inexpensive fencing wood, insulating foam, foam board and that thin, hard, board-like material with a name I can never remember. It is like peg board without the holes! Using my handy, dandy Ryobi scroll saw, I cut the shapes for my alter background and used a combination of Elmer's spray glue and E-6000 keep the layers together.

Once the base was finished, it received a layer of sheetrock joint compound followed by sanding, a coat of gesso, and a layer of adobe colored acrylic paint. Hardest of all was for me to keep my hands away from everything while each layer dried!

In the niche above the doorway, I placed an image of Our Lady of Guadelupe Modge Podged on to a foam board backing. Of course, my old nemisis, impatience, raised its ugly head again when I tried to use the scroll saw to cut out the form before everything was dry. All ended up a globby mess!

Second time around I decided to use an Exacto knife to cut out the layered image before mounting it to a turquoise, star embellished background and placing it in the niche.

Two of the skulls remained without bodies, so I mounted one on each side of Our Lady.

FROGWARTS FREEBIE! Be sure to check out and download Graveyard I posted a few weeks ago. Click on it to bring up the large format image and HAPPY SPOOKING!

Frogwarts Freebie - Graveyard Shadows

2010-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Holidays are coming and Halloween is a big one in this household. This year, our annual pumpkin carving party will include a Dia de los Muertos theme. I've been working hard on an altar and will give peek previews over the next few weeks.

This graveyard is my own creation.
You are welcome to download and use it in your own work.
Please do not sell it or claim it as yours in any form.

Theme Thursday - Halloween

2010-08-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a big deal around the house and sudden cooler, rainy weather reminds me its only 12 weeks away. On top of that Theme Thursday's Challenge of the Week (http://themethursday.wordpress.com/) is Halloween. So my submission and a little something to remind all of you that the witching hour will be here sooner than you think!

Bat girl is ready. Are you?

Wish you were here! Charm Swap July 2010

2010-07-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Once again, Michelle Cummings http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/ is hosting a charm swap. This time, the theme is "Wish you were here!" Participants were invited to create a charm of a favorite travel spot and accompany it with a postcard created about the same location. Predictable me, I could not stop myself from picking up the theme of my favorite destination - Thailand.

The base of my charm is a 7/8ths inch wooden circle. After using my Dremel drill to pre-drill a tiny hole in each charm and adding an eye screw, I sealed the wood with Modge Podge.

Settling on a Buddha image for one side and a saffron orange and blue Thai design for the other, I sealed each printed sheet of images - again using Modge Podge, then punched them out. I mounted one image on each side of the wooden disc, then used gold glitter glue to embellish both. Wooden edges were painted gold using an acrylic paint marker.

Once everything was dry, I mixed an epoxy resin and poured it on one side of the charm. This was not as easy as I had hoped....maybe wearing my weaker set of reading glasses was part of the problem. The resin looked good, but was quite thick and did not spread itself all the way to the edge of the charm. I ended up using a toothpick to move it around for better coverage.

In the end, I decided to try dipping the entire charm into resin to coat both sides. It created a bit of a mess. I could have better prepared my workspace by having more newspapers so excess resin could drip without getting on other things. As the charms dried, I saw that this method drained away much of the thickness I had hoped to create with the resin. Also, each charm had a little "blip" of hardened resin at the bottom where the liquid dripped. Taking advantage of this, I topped each hardened drop with more gold glitter glue, creating a shape that is quite common to Thai style decorative elements.

The postcard I created to go with each charm began with a vintage image of the Temple of Dawn, a giant chedi in Bangkok, said to be the place where time began. The back side of the postcard included Thai script and images taken from ephemera in my Thai collection. To age the postcard, I rubbed the edges with Colorbox Cat Eye chalk in browns and sepia colors.

I was pleased with how the charms turned out, although next time, I will take more time and find more patience when using resin. It clearly takes a steady hand to create quality work.

This charm swap was a great chance to try new skills and practice old ones. What fun! Thanks Michelle! I can hardly wait to see charms created by the othe participants!!

Celebrate July 4th

2010-07-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

NPR had a recent broadcast asking listeners to share their definitions of patriotism. Most dictionaries define it as something like love or devotion to country, but I have a hard time really understanding what that means - after all - what is country really? Is it the government? Is it the people? Or maybe it's the land and its resources.

For me, patriotism is about priorities.  It means putting the needs of all of us, collectively, above my own personal needs.  That means sharing wealth, resources, and knowledge. It means trying to live in a way that sustains this land and its resources. It means caring that the laws, justice, health, education, and social systems of this country apply fair and are workable for everyone, not just for me.

Take speed limits as one example. Our highways crisscross the nation. Roads go through nearly every community in this country. All of them have speed limits that chosen by the people of the communities bordering the roads - men, women, children, people of all ages and abilities. When we drive these roads, typically our focus is on getting where we need to go and doing it as fast as possible.

What if, instead, our focus was on caring about the needs of every individual in every community served by these roads?   Is it not patriotic to do something as simple as follow the speed limit rules established for the safety of everyone in these communities?   What if we took our patriotism a step further and developed a sense of patience and courtesy toward pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers.

What if we expanded our acts of patriotism to include changes in how we act when dealing with the environment, taxation, health care, social services, education, law enforcement, and the judicial system.
I, for one, have not given up on developing patriotism as a core value. Maybe one day, we can become patriotic as citizens of not just America but of the world.

Hope you find a way to celebrate this July 4th 2010.

Here is my latest creation for you to enjoy, thanks to an image from to the Graphic's Fairy at http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!

Frogwarts' Freebie buddha on blue

2010-07-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here is another Frogwart's Freebie for you to download. I thought it might be useful as a background.

Do remember to double click on the image to bring up the largest format! Have fun!

Anandamela India Festival 2010

2010-07-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

What a fun, fantastic time we had at this years festival in Redmond, WA! We enjoyed music, dancing, food, and learning more about so many diverse aspects of Indian culture. Here are some images:

Frogwarts' Freebie 1920 Estelle and Nell

2010-06-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

(Double click to download larger format.)

Digging through old photos, I came across this wonderful fuzzy old print of two young women taken in 1920 - Estelle and Nell, two sisters born to William and Naomi Cullen.

Annoyed Alice

2010-06-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

It's true! Alice is quite annoyed that I forgot to post her charms.

You see, a month ago, all of these lovely artists (see the list on http://www.faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/) created amazing charms and I forgot to share them with you at the Mad Lunar Eclipse Tea Party!

So here they are along with some of the fun tags that came with a few of the charms.
- Carol and friends

Our Alice in Wonderland Charms!!

and Some Fanciful Tags!

Sorry for not mentioning who created each item. In my rush to

avoid annoying Alice any more, I separated tags from charms and

created quite a mess, but do visit Michelle (at her blog above)

and check them out one-by-one.

Enjoy!

And don't forget!

Scroll down to visit the Mad Tea Party underway now.

It's Frogwart's Mad Hatter Lunar Eclipse Tea Party!!

2010-06-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Come in!

Behind the garden's wall of leaves,

where poppies bloom bright red,

past the rosemary and thyme,

we've prepared a lovely seat for you!

All the guests are just beginning to gather!

Alice already arrived in a flowery hat,

just in time to wiggle her toes in the warm afternoon grass.

"Yes, do come in!" welcomes the Mad Hatter.

"It's a lovely afternoon for tea.

We've lemon drops, and poppy seeds, and fumbling dumble-dees!

The Frogwart Queen has made this spread,
and asked me just to host.

So I'll be sure that all are fed

and no one ends up toast!"

Do join Alice and find a seat at the table.

Would you like a cup of 'drink me' tea?

Everyone is here, you know. In addition to Alice, there's Tweedle Dum,

and Tweedle Dee, and, of course, the Queen of Hearts is here!

March Hare arrived. He's over there beside the Hatter!

"And who are you? If I may ask...or even if I might-n't!" Hare says, turning to Alice

and taking a rather impolite whiff of the scrumptious flowers on her hat.

"I thought I knew who I was when I arrived,

but now I must admit feeling quite differently.

If I'm not the same as who I was before,

then how can I ever say for sure just who I am?"

asks Alice with great puzzlement.

Well, of course such a dilemma always makes one hungry.

Please do take a plate.

There are so many de-luxious little bits crying "eat me"!

Oh yes, how true! says the Queen of Hearts replying to Alice,

To know or not to know, that is indeed one of those questions, now isn't it?!!

and with that she chomps a bite of lemon poppy seed muffin with colored swirly frosting.

Tweedle Dee is not interested in missing out.

He promptly takes a seat upon the Red Queen's lap.

. . .which makes Tweedle Dum roll his eyes

because he knows what Dee is up to!!

. . . and with that look,

Tweedle Dee climbs off the Queen's lap,

seats himself among a bunch of yellow day-zees,

Now, he's whistling!

He learned long ago, you know,

that Tweedles must whistle for something good to eat.

As you might imagine, that little tweedle of his lips

caused a plate to appear straight away

- a magi-scal assemblage of miniscule morsels indeed!

Do please plan to stay the whole afternoon.
I promise this tea party shall progress with not one guest becoming toast!

The Queen of Hearts will smile as she rests her feet upon a pork roast that fell off the table.

Tweedle Dum can wile away hours observing a resident homing pigeon
gathering crumbs dropped by Tweedle Dee.

The March Hare will surely once again explain that he was not the legendary Hare of the Dog.

Even the Mad Hatter will be certain to make a special announcement.

Oh! Here he is now!!

"Ah- hem! " he begins, clearing his throat.

"To everyone who's here or not,
I've something grand to say.
Although the weather's far from hot,
it's still a special day.

The 26th of June brings us
a special-ish-ous treat.
It's not a drink. It's not more fun...
not something else to eat!

When day turns night, up in the sky,
an evening prize there'll be -
the moon eclipsed by all of us
is what you soon will see!"

You can see for yourself that the Mad Hatter is feeling very pleased with himself

at having done such a nice job with his announcement.

"Oh heavens", shouts Alice, "what on earth are you saying?

Most of the time, I do so like surprises,

and I understand that this party has neither cabbages nor kings.

(Just think of the tootles cabbage would cause!)

But how, pray tell, can we carry on with this tea party

into the night if there will be NO MOON?"

With that Alice takes a big bite out of yet another corn dog!

You can see for yourself how disturbed everyone is about this pending turn of events!

But I also notice that the Frogwart Queen has turned to the Mad Hatter with a smile.

"This," she says with great confidence, "we can easily fix!
As evening comes to our lovely party,
we shall all sing songs bright enough to light the darkest night."

Well there's a relief !

This king-less, mean-less, moon-less,
and totally MAD tea party
will stay bright and cheery even with an eclipes of the moon!

The Mad Hatter pours himself a warm cup of hibiscus tea
with 14 drops of shimmering, sun-kissed honey,
takes a sip, and hums the first note of a tune.

"On that note." he says with joy, "please do stand up
and join me in a song.
An evening breeze is blowing in.
We know it won't be long.
The moon is rising in the east
and soon it will be night.
Our tunes will brighten just in time,
so sing with all your might!

We know you'll soon be on your way

as dew grows on the lawn,

we'll wiggle toes if fresh wet grass

and sing you this last song.

You've many parties yet to visit,

maybe one to host,

we hope your time is filled with fun

...and no one ends up toast.

Toast!

Harold's Bane

2010-06-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to The Graphic's Fairy http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ for the wonderful images used here!!

As a young girl, I had occasion to visit a favorite aunt and uncle. Since they were childless, those visits included attempts to find a playmate - the boy who lived next door. I never actually saw Harold in the flesh. His mother never allowed the poor thing outside. Even today, my thoughts occasionally wander back to him and contemplate how he turned out as an adult. This is to Harold!

Coalition of Refugees from Burma

2010-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

All it takes is a few moments of time listening to stories of people who have fled Burma, learning about the loss and oppression they have suffered, seeing the hopelessness they have experienced in their lives, and I guarantee that your heart will never be the same. My husband and I have seen first hand the isolated condition of refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Hundreds of thousands of people live in these camps. Some have spent the majority of their lives there.

Every year, the U.S .invites a certain number of these refugees to relocate to different cities around the U.S. When this program began decades ago, families were given nearly three years to learn English and to secure living wage jobs. Today, refugees are given 7 months. Imagine, if you can, trying to learn an entirely different language and to become fluent enough to get a job in 7 months! Good luck with that! My guess is that most of us would fail miserably. The culture shock alone of living in a new strange land would be pretty much all any of us could manage in that short amount of time.

The Coalition for Refugees from Burms is a newly formed, non-profit organization that provides support and assistance to many of these families. I, for one, am a big supporter of this organization. If you have any interest at all, take a look at their website and consider ways that you might help.

Add their button to your website to encourage others to learn about the situation in Burma and how to help the newest refugees here! Here is their link: http://www.allburmarefugees.org/contact

2010-06-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is a mixed media 3D pendant I made with a square of copper metal on the back and glass on front. The sides join front and back with copper tape topped with solder. A square of scrapbooking paper forms the backdrop for this little vintage angel. "Smile" is stamped on a metal circle and embellished with a bead and star dangle. A punch out snowflake, stick on jewels and a scrap of hole punched metal ribbon add other textures to the piece. I call her my snow angel.

Frogwarts' Freebie elephant

2010-06-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Do you like flying pigs? Why not give flying elephants a try? This image was extracted from one of my photos from Thailand. It topped a low brick wall surrounding a Thai temple in Chiangmai. If you ask me, all that is needed to help this pachyderm fly is the addition of wings!

Sketchbook Project 2011

2010-06-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for the 2011 Sketchbook Project (http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject). Things that change things is my subject. Can't wait to get my sketchbook and get started. If you want make a statement or just jumpstart your creative side, you really should take a look at the site and consider joining in!

Frogwarts' Freebie Vintage Thai Postcard & Pali Blessing

2010-06-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest freebies for you. The first is an photo postcard taken in Bangkok, Thailand in the 1930s. The second is a Pali language prayer. Usually this writing and these symbols are written on cloth and hung inside a home as a blessing.

Click on each image to pull up the larger format. Enjoy!

Frogwarts' Freebie buddha heads background

2010-06-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

I thought this might make a nice background. It is cropped from a photo taken in Thailand and altered in Photoshop. Enjoy!

As always, click on the photo to bring up a larger format image!

One Sunny Day

2010-06-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

We have had one...count it...one sunny day in the past four weeks and that was yesterday. I spent the occasion paying a visit to my granddaughter's school fair and taking in some rays at Richmond Beach. Bees buzzed a field of clover in bloom. The scent was unbelievable!

Today, its raining again and I just learned that my son-in-law is returning from his three week kayak trip only to board a plane for Denver two days later and be gone another week. Despite having babysitters to watch the grandkids most of the time, critical periods like bedtime and 5:45 wakings are left to me to take care of.

My art studio is still calling but it looks like I will have to wait another week to answer...ho hum.

2010-06-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is a reason or an excuse, but I'm feeling a little embarrassed that I have not posted any of my own art creations for a while. My son-in-law is on a 3 week kayak trip leaving working mom and us with the two little ones...mostly us! I forgot how much time preschoolers can etch out of a day. Anyway, my studio is calling and I will post an original one of these days. Until then, here are some more Frogwart's Freebies for you!

The altered photo was taken in Nepal. The pillars are from Laos.

Frogwart's Freebie monk

2010-06-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

My visit to Laos was like stepping back in time. I imagine it the way Thailand was 20 or thirty years ago, the way America was 70 or 80 years ago, quite, peaceful, connected to nature.

Walking around the streets and temple grounds gives visitors the opportunity to take lots of photos. This one has been cropped and modified in Photoshop making the colors vibrant.

Remember...

2010-05-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today we remember those who have suffered and died...in all places, in every war, in times of peace. Today, I take time to remember.

Frogwart's Freebie angels

2010-05-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

We bought this sweet...scary?...angel in Mexico. I just had to photograph the face and play with it.

This image has been touched up with photoshop. If you are preparing in advance for Halloween, check out the colored images below:

2010-05-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Color turns these sweet angel images into something a little scary...for Halloween maybe? Have fun with them!

Frogwart's Freebie girl by door

2010-05-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

I found this little girl standing by the door to her house in Katmandu, Nepal. She had such a pensive look as she nibbled on a green bean. Use the image with kindness.

2010-05-27T17:44:00.001-07:00

Here is another image for you! Just click for the large format.

2010-05-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

I came across this handwritten note in one of my recently discovered vintage books. Click on the image to bring up the large format, save to your computer and enjoy using as you please!

Frogwart's Freebie torn book plate

2010-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

One of the 1902 vintages books I picked up at a local thrift shop was falling apart. This page inside the front cover was already torn out. I thought it might be fun to use as a background for an ATC, skinny, or other mixed media creation. Hope you can find a good use for it!

Frogwart/s Freebie birds fly tag

2010-05-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here is another freebie for you to copy and use as you like!

Mermaid ATC

2010-05-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Several blogs I'm following post challenges to create ABC ATCs. Once again, because my scanner was on the fritz, I could not post my creation for the "M" challenge. My theme was from the sea. The background is a wonderful teal blue with specks of rust from The Background Fairy (http://www.backgroundfairy.com/). I topped that with a vintage mermaid image, scripts torn from old books, a stamped tag, commercially purchased flower stickers, and a single, sticky-sided jewel. Rubber stamps and distressing helped finish up the under sea theme.

Courage ATC

2010-05-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

The May '10 Mind Wide Open Challenge (http://mind-wideopen.blogspot.com/) was to create a piece using this image of a woman wrapped in what looked to me like a flag. The theme for the challenge was "courage." Although technical problems prevented me from posting my creation on the website, this patriotic take on courage honors all of the veterans out there who have given and continue to give their lives for us. Bless them all and their families!

Using a distressed playing card as a background, images printed on matte presentation paper, cut out and distressed were attached along with one paper strip from a dictionary. Using a permanent stamp ink in dark red, the letter "C" and the word "courage," leaves and the clock face were stamped onto glued paper. Golden matte glaze helped seal both sides of this ATC.

Oh my!

2010-05-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Well, these past few weeks have been a bummer with both my camera and my scanner on the fritz! Hopefully one or the other will be up and running today so I can post images of my latest fun projects.

Seattle Spring Again!

2010-04-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

I never fail to be inspired by images I see at the Seattle Space Needle Park. The sculpture on top reminds me of standing among giant bamboo. Grey trees in front of the mirrored building make me think of spring flowers hoping to bud and bloom. The mirrored walls change hue depending on the light. I love the shades of purple and pink captured on this day.

Seattle Spring

2010-04-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Longing for Spring...any sign will do!

Frogwarts' Freebie: Love Letters

2010-04-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

Before World War II, a young woman named Fern wrote love letters to a young man named Howard. These are those letters. Feel free to use but not sell the image.

Frogwarts' Freebie Image: Chedi of Southeast Asia

2010-04-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

In honor of the upcoming Songkran festival (New Year's in much of S.E. Asia)...here is a new freebie image for you to copy and use in your own work, however please do not duplicate for resale.

I shot this image on the grounds of a Thai temple off Suthep Road in Chiangmai. For the most part, colors have been removed. Only the saffron-yellow prayer ribbons remain.

Sisters

2010-04-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

My sister have had our share of sibling spats, but family is family....right! Here is part of a birthday gift I made for her last year!

Postcards for 3

2010-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Three of our bazillion grandchildren live on the other side of the U.S. As much as their parents try to help us stay connected, it is not always easy. As a way to show that I recognize each of them...as individuals, each with his or her own unique interests, I created these special cards, soon to be mailed, each with a personal note on the back.

Alice-in-Wonderland Charm Swap

2010-03-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Alice-in-Wonderland Charm Swap:
Michelle Cummings at http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/ hosted this fun charm swap. I just finished up the last of my creations.  As my inspiration, I chose the White Rabbit. Using brass lockets, beads, edited images and epoxy stickers, I created "pocket watches" for the swap.

In the story, (not the mention the several movies out there) the White Rabbit  constantly looks at as he declares in one way or another... "Oh dear, oh dear! I shall be late!"   ...the story of my life too lately. Maybe that is why I picked the cute little guy as my inspiration.

Here are some work-in-progress photos and the final creations.

Spring Equinox

2010-03-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of two days a year when the length of our day is exactly the same as the length of our night. From here on out, sunny weather is coming! Spring is here!

In this...the backside of a 3D card I created to display a gift of earrings...this red winged faerie gives happy birthday greetings to a New Springtime. Maybe a few flowers and a little more sunshine will help her smile!

Freebie Vintage Image - Celebrating The Ides of March!

2010-03-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Ides of March has been celebrated since Roman times. To celebrate it today, here is a free vintage image from my own personal collection. Feel free to download and use it as you please.

Saint Patrick's Day Greeting

2010-03-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

I always love St. Patty's Day. Maybe it is my Irish heritages or maybe it is memories of sitting under a blooming tulip tree with my friend Kathy. She often hosted parties on that day complete with green frosted shamrock cookies and a pitcher full of homemade (Bailey's) Irish creme - yum!

Her birthday is also this month. Here is a look at the card I made for her special day.

The girl is a vintage image that I colorized, in part, cut out and pasted on a background that had been colored with watercolor and stamped flourishes. Behind the girl, I placed colorized images of butterfly wings turning her into a faerie. Next, I used an Exacto knife to slice through the paper background just along the faerie's right wing.

Taking a piece of chipboard of the same size, I glued a small piece of vintage print right in the center. The print had first been given a green color wash and allowed to dry.

This done, I glued the entire background to a piece of chipboard, taking care not to glue the space behind the girl and her right wing and in front of the green printing. Leaving this space unglued helped create a pocket inwhich I placed a tiny gift enclosure card that I have held on to for many years. The card text, with its image of a pig and shamrock, is a birthday greeting in German. The images in Germany, as in may other places, represent "good luck."

After writing a personal note inside and embellishing the mini-card with a green ribbon and stick-on jewels, I tucked it neatly into the slit behind the wing. The other end of the ribbon is attached to the back of an old four-leaf-clover image (also from Germany).

To finish of this side of the card, I added a butterfly sticker, several greenish flowers and brads. Since the brads were an after thought I was lucky that the glue attaching the background to the chipboard had not dried completely. Carefully, I separated them, flattened the back of the brads, and stuck the two back together again.

Starting Over

2010-03-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

I have to start with this. Something unpleasant has happened to my old blog. It was hijacked, and I am not alone with this problem. After checking out a bunch of forums, I see it is happening to a lot of people. So, this is where I try to start over. There is no time now to re-post images from my hijacked blog. I'd rather spend my energy sharing what's new.