A Love Sketch...

I love Sundays.  It's my day of total rest and I get to do whatever I want.  Chores are done.  Groceries are bought.  So I kick back, relax and create.
Here's a really cool challenge over at Friendship's Garden.  The theme is Love and we are provided with a sketch.

Ingredients:
Vintage Lovebird by Ana
Sentiment by Michelle Moss
Hearts by Graphics Fairy
DP and gems from my stash

Thanks for stopping by!
Peace and Love,
Mary xoxo

NOT COOL...Important, please read

Please read the following post here.
It saddens me that people would commit design theft.  It sucks all the joy and fun out of creating.
Have heart.
Namaste,
Mary

Express Yourself

Well, NYC had its first snowfall...now it really feels like winter.  So, today was a good day to stay inside, drink good coffee and create.  I came across another wonderful challenge blog, Art with No Boundaries.  Sharon, a teammate from Wicked Wednesdays, is hosting the challenges and our first theme: Express Yourself!

Most challenges call for cards and ATCs...I'm going back to my favorite form of expression: colorful and crazy drawings!  My favorite media are pencil and ink.  I use multi-media paper or canvas paper (I like the texture and pencil effects).  I am a person of contradictions.  Dark, gothic, bright and sweet.  

I find inspiration from anything and everything.  It mostly comes from within and how I feel at that very moment.  Here's a drawing to showcase the surrealistic landscape of my imagination:

(Pencil and Ink)
Some of my favorite things

Gothic Lolita, Turtles, Bunnies, CUPCAKES!, Strawberries, Cherries, Apples, Pumpkins, Music, Butterflies, Fashion, Sunflowers, COFFEE!, Tea, Skellie Daisies....and a whole lot more!

Meet Gabriella:

I love the movie The Corpse Bride!

Her pet Bun-Bun, the undead bunny:

Take time to smell the flowers...

A turtle birdcage?

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read this.  Happy creating!

Peace and love,

Mary xoxo

Enlightening fashion designs

Happy Saturday everybody!
I'm here to remind you that if you haven't already, check out this week's dress challenge over at Wicked Wednesdays!
Would you like to see my "collection"?
My mini spring collection is called Tiffany's Garden.  Each design consists of a vintage corset paired with a Tiffany lamp "skirt".  I cropped and cut each image to make a mini collage.
So, what do you think?  You like?

This trio will also be entered for the Anything Goes challenge over at the newly revamped ATCs and Cards with Attitude.
I hope that you take some time this weekend to relax and create.
Happy creating!
Peace and love,
Mary xoxo

Sneak Peak

Sometimes I'm not in the mood to craft.  I don't want to hold a scissor or glue something.  Don't get me wrong, I love creating.  But my first love will always be pencils -- charcoal, chalk, colored...I love drawing.  I create my own world.

Here's a sneak peek of what I've been up to.  I'm hoping I can finish this piece in time for a challenge I want to participate in.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm going back to work, ciao for now :)

Mary

Pencil sketch
Technicolor version coming soon!

Freaky Chic...

This week we get to create something that's Freaky Chic for Macabre Monday.  I had this mini picture frame for the longest time and never came up with a project idea for it...until now.

The Skellie Daisy is one of my favorite images!  I printed it several times, each layer slightly smaller than the last.  I colored them with Sharpies and used foam dots to make it "pop".  I did the same thing with the scorpion.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mary xoxo

Wicked Wednesday hits the catwalk!

How's everyone doing?  Let's dry off from last week's challenge and go to Fashion Week at Wicked Wednesdays!!!  We are working with this cute little retro dress by Michelle Perkett.
As soon as I saw that dress, I thought Barbie!  Here's a really cool retro design sketch when Barbie made her debut.  She's going to wear that pretty dress for her date with Ken:)
So, find your inner fashionista and let's see what awesome creations you come up with.  Make sure you stop by the blog to check out the rest of the DT's awesome designs!
I will also be entering this over at ATCs with Attitude - Anything Goes Challenge!

Thanks for stopping by:)
Peace and love
Mary xoxo

Alice's Nightmare...

Today was a rather productive day!  I love crossing off items on my to do list...thank goodness for sticky notes.  A three day weekend is also very helpful:)
It's time for another challenge at Forever Night. We're looking for something "A Little Strange"...one can go from whimsical to nightmarish in a blink of an eye.  Nightmares can be funny like that; they come without warning....

Cheshire Cat by Jack-Caine Silverman
Alice in Wonderland muppet by WonderStrange.com
Bunny Suit clip art

You know what else can happen without warning?  My camera isn't working so I had to scan in my creation.  It's a triptych card I wish I could have photographed to give you a more dimensional look.  But, I guess this will have to do for now until I get my camera working again.
Well, thanks for stopping by.  Close your eyes and sleep if you dare.....
Mary xoxo

This one's for the birds...

Hey there,
I had the day off today and it was a much needed three day weekend!  I found another cool challenge blog today: Party Time Tuesdays.  This week's them is Birds.
So, after all my errands were done...it's time to make a good cup of coffee, kick back and start creating!  I've decided to revisit the traditional art of paper cutting.

I printed the pattern on the bottom half of white 8.5 x 11 card stock.  I went to cutting with my Xacto knife.  (Yes, this was done by hand...I do not own a Cricut machine...at least not yet, lol).  I glued a red 5 x 7 card stock behind it to make it "pop".  I kept the card simple with minimal embellishment to let the little birdie sing for itself :)
I'm also going to enter this for the "Birds of a Feather" challenge over at The Cheerful Stamp Pad.
Well, I'm off to complete at least one more project.  Thanks for stopping by!
Peace and love,
Mary xoxo

Heavy wings can't fly...

Here we are again at Macabre Monday. A playground for all that is dark and creepy:) This week's theme is Metal. You can create anything you want for these challenges; yet I'm drawn to another journal page...
Metal is hard and cold; it brought back memories of how I first felt when my parents were NOT too keen on the idea of my desire to pursue a life in art and music.  I literally did a 180 and switched tracks so quickly it gave me and my friends whiplash.
Today, I help and heal people everyday.  I have a great job that allows me to revisit my creative desire.  It's also the rebel in me.  It's my turn to do what I want!
This journal page is an expression of how despondent and lost I felt when I initially plucked myself out of a creative atmosphere and threw myself into a competitive healthcare arena.

Doll image by Corinne Skinner

Metal accents: Wings, heart lock and key

One would ask, where are the dark elements? The dead bird symbolizes the end of music and singing while the soulless stare is devoid of any creativity.  She remains grounded; heavy wings can't fly.
I thank you for stopping by.  Never stop creating!
Peace and love,
Mary xoxo

Visiting Friendship's Garden

Hi there!
How's everyone doing? I'm starting off the New Year in THE greatest way!  While I continue to build and develop Happy Bunny's world, I'm exploring other cool genres and meeting great people along the way.  One of them is Sharon.  We are both members of the DT over at Wicked Wednesdays.
She is also a new DT member over at Friendship's Garden.  Congrats Sharon!  She made her debut with an awesome ATC trio.
They are so pretty, I decided to join in on the fun.  Here's by pair of Garden BFFs!

Image by graphicsfairy
DP by K&Company
Pearls by Recollections

Image by graphicsfairy
DP by K&Company
Pearls and flowers by Recollections
Ribbon from my stash

Hope you like them just as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peace and love,

Mary xoxo

Children of the night...

Why hello there...
We are taking a stroll over to the Dark Side today.  Welcome to Macabre Monday where all things creepy and ghoulish take center stage in the moonlight. This week's theme is: GOTHIC.
I decided to experiment with art journaling.  Here's my take on Mary had a little lamb:

I absolutely adore the Japanese Gothic Lolita subculture.  I adore all things cute and sweet.  Where do you suppose Mary is going on such a beautiful night?  Here's what the opposite page looks like:

Sweet and fashion forward with a "Children of the Corn" stare.

Sweet nightmares!
Mary