Remembering Aletha

This post today is part of a very special blog hop. 

We are celebrating the life of an amazingly talented artist and friend. 

The crafting community lost Aletha Jane Williams on May 5, 2019. 

Those of us that worked with her on Design Teams or on Challenge Blogs 

all agree that she was one of the sweetest and most talented women we knew. 

We are not here to mourn her loss though. 

This hop is happening in conjunction with a very special celebration 

of her life and her art that her husband Bob is holding

 in her home city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

Please join us in honoring our incredibly creative friend, Aletha.

When I think of Aletha I remember her amazing talent with 

design, composition, and most of all color.

That lady had such a knack for creating with color. 

Mitzi was sweet enough to create this adorable Sprite in honor of Aletha.

I'm a bit out of practice with my Copics, but I tried to color this purple passion

cutie as close to the actual flower as I could manage.  

I never really know what to say in times like this, so I will just say, 

"Thank you for your friendship and your colorful inspiration, Aletha. 

You are very missed."

Please join us on our blog hop to honor our friend, Aletha.

Alison Heikkila 

Mitzi Sato-Wiuff

Suzi Baker McKenzie

Marion Lones

Silvia Sencaka

Ann-Marie Johansson

Jane Bradshaw

Creepy Glowbugg

Donna Mundinger

Susan Salyer

Cristena Concialloni-Bagne

Jan Thompson

Silly for Sprites!

Today begins the new challenge at 

Aurora Wings Challenge blog.

The new theme is 

Sprites. 

I instantly fell in love with Mitzi's flower Sprites the minute I saw them.

I honestly can't remember the very first Sprite I added to my ever growing

collection, but I can say that I love them all! 

Especially the "Corpse Flower Sprite". He's wickedly awesome!
So, to say it was difficult to choose which Sprite to use in this project,

is an understatement. 

So I narrowed it down to eight of them,

and I made an accordion book to keep them all cozy.

Morning Glory

Lotus

Tiger Lily

Hydrangea

Bamboo Shoot

Snapdragon

Wild Rose

Bearded Iris

I just wanted to show how glittery this little guy is in real life.

Everyone got an adequate dusting of glitter. All sprites sparkle, don't they?   

Front cover.

Painted with black gesso and Silks acrylic glaze in Black Ice.

Back cover.

After the black Silks paint dried, I added some of the same

paint in Iridescent Copper for some highlights and distressing.

I really like the copper Silks. Nice coverage and shine.  

I used some Sizzix dies to cut out various shapes and embellies for the book.

I cut everything out in back card stock, and glittered accordingly. 

For the covers, I painted the die cuts with TH distress crackle paints in 

antiqued bronze.

I really love the crackle effect.

I'll probably make a belly band or a sleeve for the book to slide into,

so it stays safe and protected when not being adored by everyone.

But, that's for another day.

Please be sure to drop by the challenge blog and check out all

of the Sprite projects that the talented DT have created for this challenge.

So much eye candy, you can't help but be inspired. 

Corpse Flower Sprite

I have the great pleasure of being on the Aurora Wings DT.

This means that I not only get to create with all of Mitzi's incredible

artwork, but that I get to make suggestions as to possible future images.

Well actually, if you are a member of the Aurora Wings facebook group

you can make all the suggestions you want, and eventually Mitzi may get

around to drawing up one of your suggestions!

But I digress...

I have always been slightly enamoured with the magical carrion flower, or

also known as the (way cooler sounding), corpse flower. 

This beautiful plant grows in the rainforests of Sumatra.

The bloom is enormous, and smells of rotting meat, or really smelly gym socks. 

It only blooms once, every two years. So it is a pretty big deal every 

time one blooms. The bloom only usually lasts for 24 to 48 hours.

 One just bloomed in Missouri Botanical Garden, and one also bloomed 

in a man's backyard in Florida. He has been growing it for 12 years from a seed.

This is the first time it has bloomed. He has seven total plants that he has
grown from seeds he purchased for $100 each. So cool!

Again, I digress...

See? I said I was a bit enamoured with this plant.

Soooo, 

I asked Mitzi if she would draw this incredible plant as one of her Sprites.

And she did!

Wanna see him?

Are you ready?

Isn't he delightfully menacing?

And dig those awesome, squiggly stench lines!

And the flies, too!

I loved coloring this odiferous guy up!

I think he'd make a great/funny "get well" card. 

He is now available in the Aurora Wings digi shop.

Get him before his stench fades!   

Mother's Day blahs

Had a case of the blahs for the past few weeks.

A little too early for PMS, and I wish our new puppy

liked me more than my husband, but not enough to be so irritable.

And weepy. Uncontrolled, unannounced, and untimely, tears.

Fuck. Mother's Day is coming.

This will be the second Mother's Day without my mom.

It's just been a little over a year since she passed away.

Time flies. And we all get older. Fuck.

I still have two awesome Mother-in-Laws, and an incredibly

vibrant Grandma to appreciate this holiday. So stop yer cryin"!

Since I am such a fan of these adorable little guys, 

and as are most ladies, a fan of flowers, it seemed only fitting

to use at least one of Aurora Wings' Flower Sprites on a Mother's Day card.

Grandma has probably ten (or more) thriving, and flowering orchids at her house.

She has the gift of a really green thumb. She and Grandpa ran their own floral

business in Escalon, CA way back in the day. Total no-brainer to use the fabulous

Orchid Sprite from Aurora Wings. Grandma loved the card!! 

Another of my favorite artists, Torico of Birdie Brown drew up this cutie.

Unfortunately she no longer sells her images as digis, but she currently 

designs for My Favorite Things.  

I tried a new way of shading/coloring. I was trying to achieve a

vintage, tea stained feel by using browns to shade. I like it.

 Kept the layout pretty simple, too. I couldn't get too involved in too

much more than that anyway. My MIL loved it. She always loves my

cards no matter what they look like. She is a wonderful woman.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. 

I did.

I got a Daenerys Targaryen action figure.

She is the Mother of Dragons, after all.