CKC Manchester

I'm so excited for the weekend!  I'm normally excited for the break from work and the opportunity to spend more time in my studio, but this weekend is a little bit different... I am signed up to volunteer at the Manchester CKC convention!  I will be a teacher's assistant from 12:00 - 4:00 pm on Friday and from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm on Saturday.  I expect to meet lots of creative folks who share similar interests, and I'm excited to see the products on display!!!   

Road Trip - You Are Here

I wanted to have a little fun with this piece.  I love, love, love vintage car ads but why not add your random dinosaur when the opportunity arises! This particular dinosaur came from Retro Cafe Art and his name is Triceratops.  Maybe his friends T-Rex and Brontosaurus  will visit... 

 You never know what you'll see on your next Road Trip! Enjoy the journey...xoxoxoxo

 

 

 

Retro Cafe Art Gallery Newsletter

Look!  Look at me!  Not only was Bus No. 9 reposted, but my mixed media collage was mentioned in the Retro Café Art Gallery Newsletter!!  I'm over the moon excited!! 

Road Trip

This is an original, one of a kind mixed media collage that I made using the american road mini paper pad from Paper House with mod podge, acrylic paints, stamps, modeling paste and rub-ons and a fabulous vintage car ad. 

"Road Trip" by Danene Elise Designs

 

This is a close-up of the detail that goes into my collage art.  I love to add color and texture and hidden surprises here and there... There's also a gas sign and gas tank in this collage. 

This vintage car ad (love, love, love) from a 1959 magazine was black and white so I colored it using artisan ink.  This wagon is the coolest!

 

 

Bus No. 9

Fast forward a bit to today and I find myself mixing all types of paper and mediums with Tim Holtz Distress paint and stain or Dylusions ink or acrylic craft paint with stencils and stamps from Technique Tuesday to Dylusions to Prima Marketing to Graphic 45 to Coffee Break Designs.....which brings me to the most absolutely exciting development.  I made this collage called Bus No. 9 using a stencil that I had purchased at RetroCafeArt.com called the Large Bus Stop Lady Mania Stencil:  http://www.retrocafeart.com/item_4026/LARGE-Bus-Stop-Lady-Mania-Stencil.htm.  Given that I'd made the collage using their stencil, I shared Bus No. 9 on the http://www.coffeebreakdesign.com/ site.  Well, guess what....it was noticed!!! 

And not only was Bus No. 9 noticed, but this is the first piece of art made by me, yours truly, that was reposted on the https://www.facebook.com/RetroCafeArt site by the owner!!!  Beyond exciting...thrilling really!!!

The Beginning

This adventure began 10 years ago when I fell in love with scrapbooking.  I found this amazing world where my love for paper and stickers and stamps blossomed.  Scrapbooking paper has beautiful swirls of color and endless design possibilities.  I spent many joyful hours compiling scrapbook albums, learning new techniques and investing in new products.  While I loved the scrapbooking options, I needed something more. 

 

I also have an love for junking or collecting old items for reuse, such as a typewritten or handwritten letter from the 1940's or a piece of music paper combined with an old photograph or postcard.  Before long I found myself taking a mixed media collage beeswax class taught by Claudine Hellmuth.  I love how the beeswax makes the paper transparent and adds warmth. 

 

Here are my first couple beeswax collages: