(Crickets Chirping...)

Sorry for the random silence here on my blog. I got very bogged down working on filling up my vendor space at a local antique store, was preparing (and still am) for an art show this
Sat., and then I ended up in the hospital last week. I had chest pains and went into the ER, where they said my heart rate was too high, so they kept me overnight. It was my first time doing so, and boy was I glad to go home the next day. They found a "lesion" on my adrenal gland, so now I have more tests to take. I am trying to stay positive, and keep myself busy. I am prone to being a worry wart. So, please forgive me for my failed daily post attempt. I hope to resume again soon!

Antique lovers clip art

Hello everyone...the storm missed us down here in Florida, but we feel much more prepared now. There's always more one can do to prepare, just like there is always something we can improve upon in our lives. It's important to continuously learn, to practice the skills and talents we have, and to be brave! On that note, if anyone has any fabulous new products or tips you have discovered and would like to be featured on this blog, just drop me an email at: loriramotar@gmail.com
I'll start the week out with a "flapper" era pic of two lovers. Hope everyone has a great week!

My favorite crackle paint medium: Deco Art One Step Crackle

Because I love texture, and the look of antiqued pieces, I am a crackle paint fanatic. In fact, the last time I went shopping for it, I bought all the bottles they had on the shelf! I use it a lot. The only thing I dislike, is the small bottles. I would love to be able to purchase larger containers and use this on small home decor or furniture pieces.
Deco Art One Step Crackle is easy to use, too. After painting a first layer of acrylic paint, I take a smooth, flat brush and apply it on top of the first layer in single strokes. Try to not go back over a first stroke, or it may not crackle in that spot. If you missed a spot, you can simply wait for it to dry and go back to do that spot later. After the surface has completely dried, you should be able to see the cracks. At this point, I pic a color I want the cracks to show (I usually choose brown, cream, or black) and mix it (acrylic paint...by the way) with a bit of Golden or Liquitex acrylic varnish, I wipe the mix onto the surface with a small sponge, making sure to push the color into the cracks. I keep another sponge that is damp, and some paper towel, around to wipe off any paint that may sit on the top of the piece (not in the cracks). I will post a pic later...I am being called to dinner by hubby...lol Happy crafting!

Gibson girl and vintage map clip art

I missed posting yesterday, so today I am posting two new clip art freebies. The first is one I have had for several years, and is one of my favorites...a Gibson girl. She appears to be swimming, but it is kind of eerie. The second is a map of Spain, that came from a vintage book. Happy creating!

Antique German Dictionary Page Clip Art

Today's clip art comes from one of my weekend finds. It is an old German grammar book from 1907. The cover is fabulously worn and faded. Here is a page you can use as a background or whatever else you come up with. Happy creating!

Monday, and new goodies on the way!

I received my new business cards with my Hip Heart Studio logo on them this weekend, so I will soon be listing new items for sale at hipheartstudio.com!
Saturday was my birthday, and hubby and I did some thrift store and antique shopping. I didn't find much, but my 3 items are definitely treasures. I found a 1932 magazine with awesome ads and graphics, and 2 books that are 1900 or earlier. They are beautifully aged and fragile, which I find alluring. The magazine was only $2 at a thrift store, and I later saw the same magazine, from the 30's at an antique store for $22. I got a great deal on that one!
I will be posting some new clip art later today, in the evening most likely. For now, I am off to do a quick antique finish on some "crackle finished" canvases, then off to run some errands. Happy Monday! Let's make this a creative, productive, joy-filled week!

Hobby Lobby weekly coupon

I love a good coupon...in fact, there are certain items that I will only buy when I can use a coupon....like Liquitex Matte Medium, or Varnish. I am thrilled that a Hobby Lobby store just opened up yesterday, right down the road from me. I am headed there tomorrow morning, after having a nice large breakfast, and plan to spend as much time there as I want. It's my "pre-birthday" present to myself. My birthday is Saturday, but I didn't want to drag my poor husband along on another craft store shopping trip. He already was nice enough to wait on me this last weekend, when we went into a Hobby Lobby store in Orlando for the first time. I nearly fainted when we walked in! I had no idea what aisle to go down first. My creative brain went into hyper-overdrive. So, for all of you fellow coupon-ers, here is a link to a weekly Hobby Lobby coupon.
I also got an email from Blick.com today, announcing a sale, but I need to look into that first. I spent the day today in Miami, getting my MRI and nerve tests done. I left our house at 8:30, and didn't get back until 5:30. It was a very long day. I am turning in early, but will pop in tomorrow with some more clip art! Good night creative minds! Happy dreams!

My product review & mixed media paintings made with 7Gypsies tissue collage paper

As soon as I got an email from Stampington/The Shoppes at Somerset, I drooled over this tissue paper. I love using tissue paper for texture in my mixed media paintings and I immediately had two project ideas pop up in my head. I completed the first one, which is this set of four 12" X 12"mixed media paintings. I used the tissue paper as a background. One tip: when working with tissue paper, cut the size you will need ahead of time, and apply the matte medium (or whatever you used as a collage 'glue') to the base ahead of time. Do not try putting the matte medium onto your tissue paper. I suggest not using a lot of the medium or the paper gets soggy and easily tares and you are smoothing it onto your canvas/surface. I used a rubber brayer and gently smoothed areas with my fingers, allowing crinkles and light layering to occur. I waited until it had dried well before I put a topcoat of medium on it to seal it. After that, I was free to paint, draw, stamp, and collage on top of it.
Final conclusion: Try it! You'll love it! I have plenty left over for another project and am looking forward to playing with it again. However, since it is a bit pricey, practice with regular tissue paper first, if you have never used tissue paper in your collage pieces before. You will learn what mistakes to avoid, so you can move on to the fancy stuff without fear. The paper is available Here or you can look for it on Ebay, or other places where you buy your craft goodies.

Monday clip art: hand marbled paper

Another week has arrived, and it is gearing up to be a busy one for me. I have another Dr. appointment in Miami this week, and will be getting an MRI and an EEG (to hopefully diagnose the cause of my nerve problems that I have had for about a year now). I will do my best to share something each day, but if I don't, you will at least know why. So far, one person has told me to think about food I would like to eat, another said to think of a song, yet another told me to just take a nap, and all have told me to KEEP MY EYES CLOSED before and during the MRI, so that I don't get freaked out by it. I may be tired from the stress of driving and being repeatedly shocked (EEG), and just take the advice of napping.
Today's clip art freebie is a piece of marbled paper that I made by using craft acrylic paints, swirled on waxed paper, and then laying down a piece of thick paper on top. It turns out really neat if you use some metallic paints along with some darker opaque colors. Hope you enjoy it!

Saturday's clip art: Dramatic Dancers

Thank goodness the weekend is here! I'll be hitting some more antique stores this weekend, and hopefully a few art galleries. Before I leave though, I wanted to send you into the weekend with some fancy dancers! This is a BIG full page size piece of clip art. Enjoy, and happy Saturday!
On tap for this coming week: two new product reviews, and join me as I make my own bird bath from repurposed items.

Thrifty artist money saving tip for leather crafters & today's clip art freebie!

Happy Friday! We've been hosting a small dog this week, and it has been a loooong week. We had hoped she would be fine with our cats, but it was hate at first bark. The cats were interested in befriending her, but she only wanted to chase them. So, tomorrow, she goes home, and things will be back to normal.
I wanted to share a tip with anyone who works with, or would like to work with leather to make jewelry, accessories, wallets, etc. I am a big fan of thrift store shopping and upcycling. My fluffy felted flowers are all made from repurposed felted sweaters. I also like to use leather for making jewelry and hair accessories though. My favorite treasure hunting tip for this is to check out the skirt, pants, and coat sections at my local thrift stores. Vintage 80's leather skirts are my favorite. I also got a fabulous pair of metallic silver leather pants on Ebay recently. You can get a lot of projects out of a cost of $3.99! If I find a leather purse that has seen better days, I may also use it for scrap. So, check out your local thrift store, and see what goodies you can find this week!
Finally, here is today's clip art....an old aged page from a Shakespeare tragedy.
Have a fabulous weekend!

My antique shopping treasures...

Here are the spoils from my girl's day out antiquing trip from last Saturday. We had it planned in advance and were so excited when the day finally arrived. I made treat bags filled with snacks and bottles of water, as I knew we would need the extra energy. I had to include some chocolate, of course! I plan to refinish the piano bench and add a padded fabric top. It will become a window seat for the cats, most likely. I also have plans to paint and "shabby up" the other pieces. I got some great old cookbooks for a grand total of $5, and one has awesome pages that would look great framed. The old glass mason jar is from Italy, and even though it is antique, it will become my "homemade refrigerator pickles" jar. I have been having the hardest time finding a glass container large enough to make them in. I have my new project pics ready to post tomorrow, along with a new piece of clip art. My eyes are starting to roll back into my head though, so I think it is time to head to bed. Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you tomorrow....

Who knew?

Who knew that antique shopping could be so tiring? I had so much fun today, though, that it was worth the energy loss. ( : I got some really cool finds at great prices, including a huge antique printer's drawer. My friends and I left for our trip at 11 this morning, and didn't get back until after 4. Two of the places didn't have any, or had a lack of good air conditioning, so maybe I lost some weight while shopping. Between the 6 of us, we packed the vehicles chock full of goodies. I don't have a clip art to share tonight, but I will make up for it at the beginning of the week with some extras! Enjoy part 2 of your weekend!

Dollar store deals!

I'll be adding a new clip art piece later today, but first, I wanted to share some Dollar store ideas. We just moved very close to a Dollar Tree store, and I am in there all the time! Yesterday, I found they had put out their new Halloween items (Yay! That means fall is on the way!) and I found this packet of black cat paper cut-outs. I already have ideas for a cute 3 piece, small canvas mixed media piece using these cats. Those of you who know me well, know that I adore cats, and one of mine happens to be black.
What else can you use from the dollar store? Toothbrushes for spattering paint, plastic plates as reusable paint palettes, craft foam sheets for making your own stamps, scissors, sandpaper for distressing your art pieces, coffee cups for holding your brushes, and tissue paper for wrapping your pieces for mailing or gift giving. I prefer the Dollar Tree, because EVERYTHING is a dollar....AND they have great chocolate. I am a self-proclaimed chocolate snob (usually, I prefer European brands), but the Dollar Tree has their own brand made by Landmark Confections, that is soooooo good!
On another note, here is a picture of my studio in our new home. I finally have my own room, with tiled floors, so I can spread out and make a big, creative mess. I am a complete clean freak when it comes to the rest of the house, but I am really good at making a mess when I am in my creating mode. Well, off to eat some breakfast and get on with the day! Stop back later for some clip art!

Folk Art Heart

I came across some fun finds at the local dollar store to use in some projects, and I will share those with you tomorrow. The dollar store is a fabulous place to find things to use in mixed media artwork.
For today though, as promised, is a new free clip art that you are free to have fun with! I hand painted this piece and have had it sitting around without a purpose for a while. Hope you enjoy it!