Bees in my Bonnet

2008-02-12T01:16:00.001-08:00

32 YEARS?!?!?!!

2007-11-08T17:12:00.001-08:00

Well I haven't posted for a while and I'm feeling quite nostalgic because my husband and I were married 32 years ago TODAY! It doesn't seem possible that it's been that long but in some ways it even seems longer! (In a good way MOST DAYS!)

We've been through a lot like anyone who's been married for longer that two weeks but today it seems so worth it all! (see the card above and that will explain it ALL!) To see our kids doing well (most of the time!) and see them starting their lives with spouses and babies....it's WONDERFUL!

I know that I have someone who will be there for me when I need him. He's the one I call when I am afraid or upset or angry or happy about something that's happened and I just wanted to publicly thank him for these years! I could'nt have made it without his patience and strength!

Well before I wax TOO poetic I'll give you all a few more tips for ATC's! I'm still having sooo much fun!

NOW WHAT DO I DO?

After I’ve glued all my images on and am happy with the card I make sure it is all trimmed up nicely (from the back) before I start sealing it. I also like to trim the corners off with some sharp scissors. Of course this isn’t necessary but to me it makes it look a little cleaner. Just use your eye and trim the tiniest bit to make the corners round. I put one coat of mod podge on the front and the “sides” BUT be sure to clean up the back before you lay it down to dry. If you have trouble getting a perfect finish try purposely using short quick strokes for a “painterly effect”! I usually lay it on the top to one of my acrylic paint bottles but you can also lay it on a plastic garbage bag. When it’s dry I give the back a coat and repeat the process if desired. Sometimes I put as many as 4 coats back and front but 1-2 is all that’s necessary. It all depends on the look you like. Mod podge will make your card flexible and IF it has curled or warped you can gently…..GENTLY…curl it back into shape.

Love you ALL!
Becky
Ebay
My Website
Etsy

One of the best days of my life!!

2007-10-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everybody!

I had the BEST day yesterday!

One of our sons called and wanted to know I wanted to go with them to the pumpkin patch we used to take them to almost 20 years ago! Him and his wife...my sweet daughter in law named Jacquelyn...have a new baby and they wanted Grandma along! YES Hugo is going to be a BUMBLE BEE for Halloween!!

It's a cheesy little farm about 45 minutes from Portland and you have to ride the ferry to get there! The ferry only holds about 6 cards and it literally only takes about 2 minutes to get across the "river"!

It was a GORGEOUS day! Crisp and clear and cold BUT sunny! Just PERFECT!

There's a little "train" to ride to go see some farm animals and then ON TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH! Hugo is just about the sweetest baby any Grandma ever had and of course he is ADORABLE too! I've lost my heart to him!!! Here's a picture of Grandma "stealin some sugar!"

When we got there we saw my sister and her family.....just by accident and hung around with them for the rest of the day! What a blessing the entire day was!

I begrudgingly (not really) let my sister hold him after she gave him a teensy tiny pumpkin she bought for him before we got there! (take a look at Hugo....I'm pretty sure he's thinking....I WISH GRANDMA WAS HOLDING ME!) tee hee!

This last one is of Hugo amongst the pumpkins! I miss him already!

HUGE sighWhat a WONDERFUL day that was! One for the memory books!

Ok here are a few more art tips!

GROOVY MOD PODGE BABY!

I have lots of people ask me what kind of collage medium I use. I LOVE plain old mod podge!

Remember it from the 1970’s? Well it is available in any craft store. I like the matte finish and I HATE the gloss but try both and see what works for you! I know a lot of my fellow artists use “Goldens” and I HAD tried it several times without much luck. I recently tried Golden’s again and realized it works much better for gluing images on. It’s much thicker and doesn’t make your paper wavy like mod podge does. Now I use Golden’s to glue the image on and then seal them with Mod Podge. I tend to use my finger as a “paint brush”. Since we’re dealing with such small spaces a finger full of collage medium that has been rubbed on the card works better for me than fiddling with a paint brush.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL artful day!

MUCH LOVE!

Becky

Ebay

My Website

Etsy

I NEED TO GO TO BED BUT....

2007-10-26T00:46:00.000-07:00

.......I just can't!

Partly because I'm feeling so creative and partly because I had 2 or 3 DIET COKES!

Before I get my butt to bed I thought I'd share a few more atc tips with you!

GLUE then CUT?

After you’ve initially cut out the image you want to use try NOT to cut it any further before you glue it on (UNLESS your already begun design requires you to!) Sometimes just putting part of an image on is more effective. When we’re working with such small sizes it’s important to make the most of every little bit and if you can convey your thought with ¾ of a Victorian lady then all the better! What I do is cut the image out completely out and lay it on the card (don’t glue yet) judging as I place my image on how much I need for it to still look “right”. I either use my hand to simulate where the border is or just lightly run my finger over the edge of the card and the little bend on the paper will show me where the edge is. That way I can judge just exactly where I want it. Sometimes you have to sacrifice an arm or part of a dress so that you can have more room for more STUFF! Also that little bend tells you exactly where to cut IF you need to cut part of it off to fit into your design! BE BRAVE and glue it down! When it’s dry I trim off the edges that are lapping over (from the BACK) with some sharp scissors. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell exactly how much you want on there so positioning it, gluing it, and THEN cutting it later works better for me! Remember to wait until your glue is DRY!

Nitey nite!

Becky

Ebay

My Website

Etsy

Monday is a great day for ART!

2007-10-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everybody!
I've found that Monday is a GREAT day for art!
It raises my spirits and gets my creative juices going for the rest of the week!
Just tell yourself "I don't have to get anything done right now....I'm just playing...
You might just find that art will help your Monday Blues too!
In the meantime here are more great art tips for YOU!
GLUE then CUT?

After you’ve initially cut out the image you want to use try NOT to cut it any further before you glue it on (UNLESS your already begun design requires you to!) Sometimes just putting part of an image on is more effective. When we’re working with such small sizes it’s important to make the most of every little bit and if you can convey your thought with ¾ of a Victorian lady then all the better!
What I do is cut my image completely out and lay it on the card (don’t glue yet) judging as I place my image on how much I need for it to still look “right”.
I either use my hand to simulate where the border is or just lightly run my finger over the edge of the card and the little bend on the paper will show me where the edge is. That way I can judge just exactly where I want it.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice an arm or part of a dress so that you can have more room for more STUFF! Also that little bend tells you exactly where to cut IF you need to cut part of it off to fit into your design!
BE BRAVE AND GLUE IT DOWN!!!
When it’s dry I trim off the edges that are lapping over (FROM THE BACK) with some sharp scissors.
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell exactly how much you want on there so positioning it, gluing it, and THEN cutting it later works better for me! Remember to wait until your glue is DRY!

Take a peek at what I did this weekend for EBAY!
I hope you all have a wonderful artful Monday!
Much Love....Becky
Come visit me at my website for more FUN!
AND
My ETSY shop!

Artist Trading Cards ROCK!

2007-10-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone!

I can't believe how much FUN I'm having with my new ORIGINAL artist trading cards!!

I especially like the freedom I feel in just "playing" and not having the art feel too serious!

You need to give these little gems a try

If you'd like to take a look at what I've been creating lately click HERE

In the meantime here's MORE atc tips for YOU!!

CHECKERBOARDS ANYONE?

I love black and white checkerboard borders but for some reason I couldn’t find black and white checkerboard art paper. Then I happened upon some black and white striped paper. I realized that was actually better because when I cut off strips it looks like checkerboards AND I can cut them as skinny or as wide as I want without worrying about staying right on the line of actual checkerboards! If you want a double row just cut two strips about the same width and glue them on side by side staggering the colors to form your checkerboards!

Brilliant huh?!?!?

Here's a couple more links JUST FOR FUN!

My website

AND

My Etsy Store!

Have a BEAUTIFUL Sunday

love you all!

Becky

Friday is a great day for MORE ATC TIPS!

2007-10-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone!

Here are a few more artist trading card tips for YOU!

WHO THOUGHT SKINNY WOULD BE SO HORRIBLE!

I like skinny little borders around the edges of my cards but they are murder to glue on. I just use regular art paper and cut a strip off and use that as a border BUT I cut the border twice as wide as I actually need and just glue “half” of it to the edge to my card. It’s a lot easier to deal with that a tiny ¼” wide strip! Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly straight! Sometimes that makes the card more interesting and when someone comments on “how cool it was that you used that slanted border” you can just act like you meant to! Then I can just trim off the excess with some sharp scissors (from the BACK of the card) and it’s a lot easier to handle.

My hubbie and I are starting NutriSystems today! (notice the artist trading card above!) I've lost 40+ pounds this last year but need to lose more and am sort of stalled! Hopefully this will get me going again!

Wish us luck!

Love to all!

Becky

More FUN art tips!

2007-10-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday Everybody!

As promised here a few more FUN artist trading card tips for you!

CUTTING UP IN THE CAR?

I have a basket of little images that I cut out when I’m watching TV or waiting in the car for a few minutes. It’s amazing what you can get done in a few minutes. I usually try and keep a pair of scissors and some magazines in my car for those precious few minutes I am waiting for one of my dear children. (copyright issues will be addressed later) That way I have some wonderful images all ready to go. I tend to put my “people” in one pile and all other images in another pile. Since I usually begin with a person (but not always!) I like to keep those separate.

ANYTHING can inspire you....just keep your eyes open and you will be surprised how many ideas are just waiting to jump into your brain!

Speaking of getting things done in a few minutes I'm reminded of a story our mother always told us!

This is a true story about a bus driver who had 5 minutes between the end of one of his shifts and before he began his second shift one. He just parked his bus and waited for those few minutes until his other shift began. One day as he was waiting he noticed he was parked beside an abandoned lot. He decided that he would spend those few minutes just "cleaning the lot up a bit". He only had 5 minutes a day so somedays he would move a few rocks and other days he would pull a few weeds.

In about a year he had built a beautiful park for all the neighborhood children!

I love that story and it is soo true!

Happy Happy day to you all!

MORE TOMORROW!

Love Becky

2007-10-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

I decided to start trying to blog more often so be sure to check back regularly in case I say something earth-shattering!

I'd like to start sharing some of my art tips with you each time I post! Creating Art can be healing, relaxing, encouraging, fulfilling and among lots of other things....just plain FUN! My art has given me more joy than anyone should ever have! I've been fortunate enough to be able to make enough money to justify all the time I spend doing it AND the rewards have been unmeasurable!

I've noticed that people who collect my art eventually want to try their hand at it too, so over the years I've done a bit of shifting and have been offering more "art supplies" and "kits" for all of you! There is nothing more satisfying than hearing from someone who thought they weren't creative and being able to feel the excitement in their email! I LOVE IT!

So in hopes that maybe you...yes YOU...who doesn't think they are artistic will have the courage to begin, I'm offering you some fun little ideas!

I hope you enjoy them!

BECKY'S ARTIST TRADING CARD TIPS!

Try starting with those tiny little gems....ARTIST TRADING CARDS! They are small....2 1/2" by 3 1/2" and I've found that the size allows me more freedom to play and "make mistakes" because it's not just one big project that HAS TO TURN OUT! I can also have sooooo many going at once that it's fun just to glue a bit here, stick another bit there and just have fun without the worry of "failure"! If I don't like the way one turns out I just recycle it and begin again! More often than not though I end up with pieces that would never have happened had I not felt so free to experiment!

The things you need to begin you probably already have!

1) heavy cardstock or mat board cut into 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" pieces (sometimes I use the heavy backing from note pads etc)

2) pretty paper for backgrounds (Pretty sacks from stores, leftover scrapbooking paper, or wrapping paper works GREAT!)

3) small images.....start with pics cut from magazines. Because of copyright issues the end product won't be able to be sold but using images from magazines is a great way to experiment and get started!

4) collage medium...I usually use golden's or mod podge(or elmers glue works great!)

If you're using elmers water it down just a bit and brush a thin even coat onto your card. Apply a piece of art paper that's been cut a wee bit bigger than your card. Use your hand or a brayer (a small rolling pin) to smooth it out. Wait until it's dry and trim around the edges!

I usually start with a "person" image so that comes next and then just cut, paste and glue to your heart's content! The ART POLICE won't be coming around judging you so if you think it looks good...IT LOOKS GOOD! Have the courage to JUST GLUE IT DOWN! PLAY ahd have FUN and you will be amazed at what you can create!

MORE TOMORROW but in the meantime look at some of the atc's I've created this week!

Three are on ebay right now and the other 6 WILL BE SOON!

LOVE Becky

2007-04-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Spring Greetings Everyone!

I hope this finds you and yours well and ready for some nice weather! It is sooo pretty here in Oregon today! I fell asleep in the sun and slept for an hour and a half…..purrrrrrrrr!

Well as many of you know I went back to work…part time…..a couple of months ago but much to my surprise…I LOVE IT! I’m working at US Bank about 17-20 hours a week! My daughter in law calls it the “princess shift”! hahaha! I am really enjoying my co-workers and the customers and surprisingly enough my art seems to be flourishing now too! I think I felt such pressure to make art that sells that I lost sight of just why I make art! I now feel freed up to make whatever my little heart desires and the pressure is off! It’s funny the things we kick and scream trying to prevent when all along that was what was going to make us happy anyway!

I wanted to let you all know that I have some of my “block assemblages” on ebay right now! For some reason I get more requests for those than almost anything else I make! I already sold one yesterday before I could even get my newsletter out! It was my favorite…..SUGAR AND SPICE! I have them on auction style BUT have also placed “buy it nows” on them if you just cannot wait! If you want to take your chances just place a bid and the buy it now will “go away”! Please let me know if you have any questions! If you click on the link directly below it will take you to ebay where you can see them much better!

http://tinyurl.com/y72lzv

One of my wonderful customers also gave me a great idea! She loved my artist trading card sheets of some of the sets I’ve done in the past but wanted more! So just for her (and you!) I made some up the other day and I think you will really like them! I took my favorites on a certain subject and grouped them together on a sheet to make 8 artist trading cards. They also make FUUUUN greeting cards and I will be sending instructions for BOTH with your atc sheet! I have them up for auction on ebay BUT don’t buy them from ebay cuz you will end up paying more than you need to! If you are interested in purchasing any just email me back with the ones you like and I will send you an invoice. If you are reading this you may have any of my collage sheets at 4.99 per sheet with 3.50 for shipping BUT if you purchase all 5 I will ship them to you free! (the buy 5 and get them shipped free applies to any collage sheets I have!) Just drop me an email! PLEEEEASE put your email address in the body of the email! Sometimes they don't show up!! I will probably eventually have them in my ebay store but for right now auctions have better visibility and I’d like to get the word out! THANK YOU SO MUCH MISS SUZY for the FAB idea! Here’s the link for those!

http://tinyurl.com/y66fmu

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful day and a fabulous “rest of the month”! I love you all and want to thank you again for all the years of supporting my art! I have met soooo many WONDERFUL people! Drop me a line ANYTIME! I’d love to get to know you too!

Lots of love!

Becky

Becky Christian

Bees in my Bonnet

Come visit my website!

www.beckychristian.com

on ebay

http://tinyurl.com/drshh

Calling all ARTISTS!!!!!

2006-10-30T13:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Well my last post stated that "I think I got my mojo back" and I guess this message will create some doubt about that! tee hee!

I have been examining the reason I make art these past few months and I think I've come up with the reason I feel so many ups and downs with my business!

Most artists....(I think)....make art as an expression of themselves. I would love to be able to do that! Maybe I'm just not as evolved as I need to be! I've realized lately that I make art for others. Now before you think I am getting all high and mighty on you....just remember.....I don't think my art is going to change the world or make THAT much of a difference in anyones life....BUT I do receive great joy from knowing that my art may have caused someone to smile or chuckle on a day when that may have been difficult!

Consequently when my art is selling and/or I am receiving lots of "strokes" from others about how my art may have touched them...even in a tiny way....I'm on top of the world! 'Course I'm sure you can guess what the opposite of that is! When things are slow AND I'm not getting too much feedback I am completely paralyzed! I sit in my studio with EVERYTHING I own layed out on the tables and floor and just stare at it!

I'm not writing this to nudge anyone into "action"! I am just hoping that my thoughts layed out in words will help me decide how I need to change to be able to cope with these realizations!

At the risk of sounding like a BROKEN RECORD this whole thing may still have to do with my older sister's passing in june OR the fact that I am totally burned out from making 365 atc's in one year. I don't know but I am beginning to "not know who I am" without this passion for art that has ALWAYS burned so bright that I sometimes couldn't even sleep! That's actually the reason my business is called....Bees in my Bonnet......Sometimes the ideas are so relentless that is't almost annoying!

I have always relied on my art sales to help pay the bills and although I never did break any sales records I was bringing in enough money to help close the gap. It has begun to dawn on me that:

1) I'm either going to need to figure out a way to "drum up" some business....

~OR~

2) I'm going to need to get a "real" job! YIKES!!!!

I guess the "sales" part of my business I really don't care for. I feel like I'm forcing myself on everyone when I try and keep my name "out there". Let's face it! There is sooooooooooooooooooo much competing for our attention or maybe just because as a nation we are so easily distracted that anyone in sales has to continually keep the new ideas rolling in AND promote their product if they expect to have any sucess. I think I'm just so tired of doing that and even though I know it is a necessary evil I just wish there were another way. (you know like being discovered and having agents bidding for a job and becoming rich doing what I love to do? something simple like that !!!)

Anyhoo...I would love to hear what you have to say about this subject. Any and all comments are welcome...be kind though...I am ridiculously sensitive! Remember to leave me your email address so that I can reply!

Thanks for you time!

Love to all!
Becky

http://www.beesinmybonnet.etsy.com

http://tinyurl.com/drshh

http://www.beckychristian.com

I think I got my MOJO back!

2006-10-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

WOW! It's been over a month since I posted and I think I'm getting back to normal! Well normal for ME anyway!

I've had quite the creative week and have now listed LOTS of fun things in my new ETSY store!

Take a peek!

www.beesinmybonnet.etsy.com

I will probably still list some things on ebay but I am REALLY excited about the "etsy" possiblities! There are already lots of things I like better about Etsy! Much more user friendly and the quality of listings are really great! If you haven't checked it out DO THAT RIGHT NOW! It's fun!

here is a sample of what I have in my store so far!

An entire set of PERFECTLY VALID reasons why we SHOULD NOT clean our houses!

My FAVORITE set of atc's BY far!

SEVERAL fun 4" by 4" collages on canvas!

Thanks so much for looking and GOD BLESS YOU!

love Becky

.......aaaaand I'm SPENT......

2006-09-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

I cannot believe how quickly this summer went! It really feels like fall here today! It’s sunny and still warm but every so often the wind comes up suddenly and I hear the surprisingly loud sound of rustling leaves on the trees and the most wonderful “tinkling” sound from the wind chime that hangs right inside my studio window. Most of the wind chimes I’ve heard are so annoying...so noisy…but this fabulous thing was made from antique silverware and purchased at a craft show several years ago and I love it! I wish I could describe to you the sound it makes. It reminds me of meals long ago with family. Yes there was talking and sometimes even arguing but more times than not, there was quiet while we filled our mouths and all you could hear was the sound of the old silverware as it “clanked” against itself.

This isn't a very good picture but it was still fun to try and show you though! The flattened spoons are hanging from a fork that's had it's tines straightened into 4 different directions!

A lot has happened to me this past year. As most of you know my sweet older sister died suddenly at the age of 56 and I am really struggling with her absence in my life. I don’t know if it’s mainly that, or the fact that I just finished my year long challenge on ebay or if I am just at a crossroads in my life, or if I’m just HORMONAL..hahaha…..BUT I feel convinced that I have to take a few months off from EVERYTHING and just get my head together.

This is us several years ago. My sister who is heaven now is the one sitting dressed in red and I am the one in the middle back with my cheeks about to explode! I don't know what we were laughing at but I'm sure it was hilarious at the time! My other two sweet sisters are on each side of me and I cherish them soooo much! This was about 5 or 6 years ago and I wear glasses now and I'm sure I've gained some weight! Oh well!

I am absolutely so thankful for being able to make a living doing what I LOVE to do but in some ways it’s more difficult than having a conventional job. I have had to be a self starter…keeping myself motivated every day. Also having a literally hundreds of ways I “could go” is sometimes overwhelming. I have so many ideas that sometimes I lose sleep and that is actually the reason my business is called “Bees in my Bonnet”…because of all the ideas buzzing around in my brain. Don’t get me wrong…I am so grateful for the talent God has given me but it’s difficult to turn it off. Getting up every day and motivating myself has not been difficult for me in the past because I love what I’m doing but lately it’s begun to be more of a chore than art. I know that any job you have is not always fun and there are times when you just need to push thru but this is not one of those times. I desperately need some time to grieve my sister’s passing without the pressure of what I have to “make” next. Hopefully I will also be able to catch up on some much needed house organizing and get some groceries in my fridge. That moldy cheese and jar of pickle juice are getting awfully lonely.

I know….KNOW….art will always be what I want to do! It is something that I could NEVER walk away from. With the exception of God and my family it is my reason for getting up in the morning. I love it…so no worries about if I will return….just when….

I just wanted to let everyone know what’s going on in my life and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support I’ve had since I started selling on ebay 6 years ago.

I hope to check in here whenever I feel like it so if I have anything earthshattering to say it will be on my blog!

I love you all!
Becky

2006-08-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYBODY!

I absolutely LOVE looking at the past art of some of my favorite artist friends...SO even though it's old news to me I thought I'd show you a few of my past favorites!

Hopefully it will get me inspired cuz ever since my year long challenge ended.....I GOT NOTHIN'.......!! Change is wonderful but scary and I need to get my bearings again!

While I'm trying to wait patiently for ideas I've been gutting my studio, rearranging things more efficently, using some new storage ideas and getting rid of things I thought I needed! "If you haven't used something in 5 yrs yer prolly not gonna use it...ya think?!?!?!"

Thanks for looking!

Blessings!
Becky

These assemblages were created from blocks of wood I found in my garage! I had SUCH fun with these!!

King Frances

Soar

Tickled Pink

Tick Tock

Little Mollie

Best Friend

Little Princess

Little Angel

They will be safe

Jumping on the BLOGGER BANDWAGON!!

2006-08-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well I've procrastinated long enough! I'm BLOGGIN' BABY!

Some of you may or may not know that on August 3rd, 2005 I committed to making and listing one atc for an entire year.

I MADE IT!!

Each card had it's corresponding number somewhere one it!

Here is day 20 and one of my favorites from last year!

Please be patient with me while I figure this blogging thing out and email me with ANY and ALL suggestions! THANKS! bzzzzz..... Becky