Cigar Box

Froggy Cigar Box



Cigar box- altered with Fantasy Film and acrylic paints.

Contest time!!!

Hi, Everyone,

We have gone waaaaay too long without one of our contests. So, here is a new challenge and its different than our usual challenges. This time, I will not be sending you found objects.

I want pieces of art that just happen to tell time - basically, we're talking about clocks - but not clocks - PIECES OF ART THAT JUST HAPPEN TO TELL TIME!!!!!

So, here are the contest rules:

1. You must use some embellishment or something in the creation of this artwork using OPALS embossing enamels and a Krafty Lady Art Mould©.

2. It must actually work and tell time.

3. It must be sent to the Midnight Art Ranch postmarked NLT May 22nd. Zeb will be at the Midnight Art Ranch for the Gourd Retreat in early June, so she can photo the entries while she's here.

That's it!

We'll have a panel of judges to pick the winners. They will not know who's submission they are judging. No names will be submitted to them with the artwork so that judging will be completely objective and all artwork will be judged on its own merit.

All artwork submitted will become the property of After Midnight Art Stamps.

This is a great opportunity to browse thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales. You can start with a basic clock or you can create the entire thing and add clock works.

The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate from After Midnight Art Stamps. Runners up (2nd and 3rd place) will each receive $50 gift certificates. All submitters will receive a package of goodies from After Midnight. All submissions will be displayed at the Midnight Art Ranch with the artist's name prominently displayed once the contest is over and winners have been selected.

All entries will be listed on the web site after the judging with the artists' names for all to see.

If your entry costs more than $10.00 to ship to the Ranch, LMK. I am willing to refund some of the shipping cost, within reason. This means, please don't ship grandfather clocks that weigh a thousand pounds without prior approval, lol.


Linda

Denver Rubber Stamp Convention

Hi, Everyone,

We are attending the Denver Rubber Stamp Convention which is being held April 17th and 18th at the Red Lion Hotel, 4040 Quebec St, Denver. We'll be there with all 400+ Krafty Lady Art Moulds©, all 35 colors of OPALS embossing enamels, all the new Spellbinders dies, including the impressabilities and nestabilities, plus some new items.

Jen Lowe of Jen Lowe Designs will be doing make and takes both days using the wonderful Ultimate Crafter's Companion (UCC), the Wizard and Spellbinders dies, plus the Lucy McGoo stamp line. Jen is sooooo very creative and it always amazes me the make and takes she comes up with. Don't miss this opportunity to "play" the Jen Lowe way.

I'll also be doing a 2 hour class using the UCC, Wizard, Spellbinder dies and much more.

Dragon Eggs for Easter!

The "dragon eggs" are goose eggs covered in Fantasy Film!

The other eggs are done with Radiant Rain and Memory Mist sprays. :)

Open for Business!

We are now carrying the Ultimate Crafter's Companion. I love, love, love it. Boxes, pretty matching envelopes and out of the norm cards have always been something I loved but stopped doing because I hated all the measuring. And even after I did all the measuring, they didn't always come out right. With the Crafter's Companion, you can do boxes, cards, envelopes and more extremely quickly, with no measuring and they always come out exactly right. And after you create these wonderful boxes, cards and envelopes, you can embellish them with Spellbinder's die cuts. The two go together beautifully.

At the Albuquerque show this coming weekend, we will be introducing new stamps featuring Haiku created by award winning novelist Sabra Steinsiek. Sabra will be demoing at our booth and will be using the new stamps. They are beautiful and will add a delightful touch to your artwork. So, if you're in the Albuquerque area this weekend, stop by the rubber stamp show at the Fairgrounds and meet Sabra and take the opportunity to preview and purchase the new stamps. They will be available for purchase from our website on Tuesday after the grand opening in Albuquerque this weekend.

I will be teaching an OPALS pendant class here at the Midnight Art Ranch on Sunday, March 29th from 1-3pm. Those of you in the local area can sign up for the class on our website or call on our toll free number: 1-866-634-9408. It's a really fun class and you'll go home with lots of beautiful pendants/pins/beads/embellishments. You'll also have the opportunity to shop at the store while you're here.

We are once again carrying Scotch Weld from 3M. We stopped having it when the price went up. The price has now gone back down to it's original cost and it's available once again on the website.

Have a great week and I hope to see many of you at the Albuquerque show this weekend.

Linda
After Midnight Art Stamps
at the Midnight Art Ranch
www.amstamps.com

Artsy Bottle Recycling

I've been playing with bottles again.





I have a two part tutorial up on the After Midnight website with an explanation of how I did these.


http://www.amstamps.com/ebottut/

http://www.amstamps.com/ebottut2/


Enjoy!

New videos from Linda Hanson

Krafty Lady Art Mould© Pendant from After Midnight Art Stamps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9eBNXMez1I



Metallic Fashion Flakes Pendant from After Midnight Art Stamps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqNGtnsbzh8

OPALS Fantasy Film Faux Dichro and Carnival GlassPendants

Another great Jen Lowe video tutorial!

Check out Jen's blog for more great tutorials!

Fantasy film tutorial

We have a tutorial up for some of the fun ways to use Fantasy Film.

There is a download for a pdf file of this tutorial on the webpage.

Retreat and Gourd Art Classes!

The Midnight Art Ranch is offering gourd art classes with Bonnie
Gibson and Maria Dellos!



Be sure to check it out!

Spellbinders Nestabilities Origami Flower

More video tutorials from Linda Hanson!
A beautiful origami flower created using the Spellbinders Nestabilities die cuts!

Opal- Fantasy Film Stained Glass Paper

Great new video tutorial from Linda Hanson!


Part 2

art deco ATC

I love these art deco stamps. They are just the right size for ATC. I stamp them and colored them with colored pencils. Then I cut them out. The background is text books pieces glued to cardstock using some tinted gel medium.

Christmas Recipe Card

For your Holiday recipes!





Click on image to right click, download and save a jpg image.


Or download a pdf file: Here

Kit Kat candy bar wrappers

Click on image for full size jpg or get the pdf file:

Kit Kat Candy bar wrappers


Order these stamps from After Midnight to make cards and tags to match!

Mini Embellishments AM350 by Jeni Calkins

I just love the 10 Mini Embellishments AM350 I’ve been adding these to the indented pendant shaped to make some fun jewelry. These are cast with a mix of different color polymer clay, crystal are pressed into the clay before cooking. The pendant is then coated with clear urethane finish, and wired wrapped.

also used AM273 - XLgeIndented Pendant Shape, AM282 - XLgeIndented Oval ShapeHas side indentationfor wire wrapping,AM180 - MedDonut small

Mari's Blog

Wow! You've got to see what Mari came up with using the Fantasy Film and rubber stamps.

More techniques to try.
I need more hours in the day.

I posted a new Fantasy Film creation on my personal blog too. A gel medium transfer over the Fantasy Film.

This stuff is too much fun!

More Fantasy Film

I tried my ironing technique with the Fantasy Film on a gourd. Wow!!! I love this piece.
I applied some Stewart Superior black glue pad to the gourd and then ironed on the Fantasy Film with a layer of backing parchment over it.
I used some micaceous iron oxide with copper buffing wax to texture and cover the top and bottom that weren't covered by the Fantasy Film.
I coated the whole thing with a layer of clear spray finish when it was done.

I'm going through a lot of Fantasy Film. LOL It is gorgeous on everything.

The Shrines

Shrines were our main project for this retreat - and all of the classes provided inspiration and artwork for creating unique assemblage pieces using large, rough-hewn wooden shrine boxes.

One of the things I appreciated most about the format for the Midnight Art Retreats is the opportunity to really immerse yourself in a major project. Having the entire five days to work on a major piece gives you the freedom to think about your work, redo parts that you aren't pleased with if necessary, and let your muse guide you without being rushed.
Each class builds on skills and techniques that enhance your work. You can pick and chose which mediums and techniques you choose to incorporate in the finished piece.





Patricia and I (Zeb) both ended up using Memory Mist sprays to do the backs of our shrines.




Patricia added some embellishments using techniques from Jeni Calkin's classes.
We'll let Patricia post her completed shrine on her blog. I think she wants to add some finishing touches before it is shown in it's entirety.
It is going to be a fabulous piece.


Linda tried out some of the Golden gel mediums on the inside doors of her shrine.


I thought it was wonderful. Rich and highly textured with a lot of glitz.


But after thinking about it for a couple of days, Linda decided to scrape the inner doors and go in a completely different direction.
I had to admit- I like this version much better.

Linda has used a beautiful copper embossed initial that was a gift from Lynda Abare.
Her focal piece is an encaustic painting under glass with a copper tape frame.
She even included some items from her favorite local winery.
Items she collected during our field trip and some of the grasses from her field and interesting rocks were added. One of her wire wrapped chandelier beads hangs from the top center.
The Welcome words are done with Grunge Board letters distressed with Ten Second Studio tools. The same tools we used for the pewter work.


This horseshoe was donated by a neighbor and beautifully decorated by Linda.


The front of Linda's shrine has a pewter embellishment and a piece done with PMC.
The "Thank you" sentiment, mounted under mica, is for the realty agent who found them their wonderful new home in Sonoita AND donated the shoe from her horse. :)


I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with my shrine. I knew I wanted my pewter piece to be the focal point.
I printed one of the sunflower photos I took on our field trip and added that to the top. I used some gel medium to strengthen it and to add texture by gluing on Essential Elements organic bits.
I made a swirl flourish with Duo adhesive and applied some Metallic Fashion Flakes.


Then I started adding things that would bring back the memories of this stay in Sonoita. These were all thing gathered at the Midnight Art Ranch or on our field trip.


I had a great time playing with techniques for the front of the shrine.
I used papers from the class with Jeni and also some of the slump glass pieces.
A Krafty Lady butterfly mould perfectly symbolized all of the beautiful butterflies I enjoyed in the yard.


I am sooo in love with the new technique Jeni taught me. I added a few layers of other mediums over it and got this amazing texture and color. I even took close up photos to print out for background papers in the future. :)


You might notice that the flourish on the inside door somehow turned into a lizard.
LOL
That's what I mean about being able to allow your art to evolve and develop at its own pace during the retreat.

Being at this retreat was so much more than "taking classes". It was learning and creating with plenty of time to think a project through.
It was wonderful to be able to go back and tweak pieces. I don't think I could have turned out a piece I would have been nearly as pleased with if I had to try and finish it during one or two days of class.

The camaraderie of the participants was so inspiring.
I loved every minute of it.