Inspiration

My creative life took a 180-degree turn when my niece, Ashley, was born in 1999.  Modern scrapbooking was just getting off the ground then; supplies were limited and most products were geared towards “cute.”  At the time, I was into mixed-media and collage in conjunction with rubber stamping.  Scrapbooking (that word used as a verb always makes me shudder, btw) didn’t appeal to me at all, what with its cartoony die cuts, stickers and papers.  But what better gift for new grandparents than an album full of baby pictures?  I made one for each of my parents, using the scrapbooking supplies and methods that were available back then.  Despite my best efforts, they were painfully “cute.”

The scrapbooking hobby, thankfully, has grown right along with my niece, becoming less childish “cute” and more sophisticated over time.  Ashley continues to be an inspiration in my artwork, despite that she lives 1200 miles away, thanks to a constant stream of digital photos supplied by my brother.  For his birthday this past April, I made him this collage on a silver tray from the thrift store (I’m a thrift store fanatic!), based on a project designed by Teresa McFayden on her Paper Bella blog.

 

It was so much fun I had to make a second one, using a much smaller silver tray.  He’ll be getting this one for Christmas.

Before making these, with their colors and embellishments designed to complement a picture of a little girl, I had made this more “artsy” one on a beautifully ornate tray with handles.  Hard to believe I only paid $2 for it.  An exciting thrift-store find!