Ms. Ruin's Playthings


"The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates." -Oscar Wilde

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Silly Goose


I can't help but wonder what this silly goose was thinking.  Probably that he wanted to chase me down and eat my face.  He was very mean.  Such interesting creatures.

Distressables

I have always loved graphic art and everything I do is self-taught.  I don’t think I’d ever take a class because then I would consume myself with sitting on my behind and making graphics and that’s not good.  So I do enjoy getting out and being active with my photography.   In this first image I had a little play time with distressable graphics by Tim.  Yes, that’s my little sis and I.  She is now 30.  :)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Arranca el Corazon


One is never too old to endure a broken heart.  Sometimes we mourn people, other times we mourn things and we have all likely mourned expectations.  I am an expert at mourning expectations.  I wonder how I can have any tears left, any emotions left, I wonder how I sustain my level of sanity…but I do.  A true testament of sorts.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Birds of a Feather


I love black birds.  You will see them as often as I can capture them in my visual art.  There is something commanding about them, something mysterious…they remind me a lot of myself.  I think people tend to judge me based on my appearance…I wear a lot of black, I enter a room with confidence, I speak eloquently and boldly –I am described as intimidating and having a commanding presence.  But once people really get to know THE REAL ME, they are pleasantly surprised at how sweet and even vulnerable I can be.    

delicate STRENGTH


Human beings harness delicate strength as do sunflowers.  They withstand the elements and have days when they hang their heads low and days when they are face up soaking in the rays of the sun.  And on the days that we as humans, close our eyes and bathe in the goodness of the sun, we allow the heartrending darkness of our life to fade away unnoticed.  We can all learn a thing or two from nature, huh?

Monday, June 27, 2011

The Artist

Senorita Ruin...such a complicated woman.  And it's just that simple.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Product Review: Lava Gloss Eyeliner


Time for product review.  In this episode we are looking at Lava Gloss Eyeliner by Too Faced.  Part of my hunt for the blackest of the black eyeliner.  ;}

Hmmm, this takes me back to my days of television reporting.  :D  Enjoy!




Thursday, June 23, 2011

Zipper Tutorial

Check it out!  I was featured in Maya Road's Tutorial Tuesday.  Woo hoo!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Drum roll, please!


I am so excited to introduce all of you to my new program:  ART FOR THE HEART!  I am rolling out a program where I will go to outreach and community centers and work on art projects with disadvantaged children.  There is a lot of work that will go into this as I am volunteering my time and all expenses are coming out of my own pocket.  There’s much work to be done and I need to move quickly as Summer is the most opportune time to reach out to underprivileged kids that don’t have a whole lot to do for the summer.

Currently I have had Caroline Lau of Maya Road come forward and donate discontinued items.  How very exciting is that!!!!  Plus, a couple of crafty friends have also said they will donate their scraps.  Some even offered to volunteer their own time to help me out.  I am blessed, so very blessed and I’m ready to pass on these blessings to the children in centers in and around Dallas.  I will keep all of you posted.  In the meantime, if you would like to help, please contact me at stamptabulous@gmail.com.  I am not accepting monetary donations but will gladly accept supplies and man hours to help prepare for the classes and actually help instruct these classes.

Art for the Heart…a little therapy for the aching soul.

Father's Day Reflection & Project

It’s Father’s Day in the United States and I am fortunate to still have my daddy.  I am reminded this year of how fortunate I am to still have him, even if it’s just a voice on the line until we can see each other as we live nine hours away from one another.  My cousins Debbie, Danny, Tony, and David lost their dad a few weeks ago to Leukemia.  He went so suddenly and as they said their goodbye’s he cried from his coma.  They have been weighing heavily on my heart today.  No, I can’t hug my dad, but I can hear his voice on the line telling me that he loves me.  Something that my cousins cannot do.  Wherever they are, I’m sure that my uncle Tony Garcia can hear them speaking to him with their hearts from the depths of heaven.  :)

I would like to share a couple of pictures with you of my father and share the words that I shared with my friends on Facebook.  There are so many reasons that I admire him, below you will read just a few.  I would also like to share the Father’s Day project that I made for him.  It is currently on display at The Crafty Scrapper.  I can’t wait to get it back and send it off to him.  If you would like details on the canvas piece, please e-mail me at stamptabulous@gmail.com and I will answer any and all questions. 
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Grandad, Dad –what’s the difference? My father has been a “father” to my nephew Anthony since he was born. I wonder from time to time how his own father could walk away from a beautiful child. I’m not judging, I know there are circumstances that are at times beyond our own control. Luckily for Anthony, my dad has been HIS DAD, his father figure. And at the age of 70 going on 71, my dad still manages to find the vigor to entertain a VERY LIVELY five year old. It’s not a task for him; he adores Anthony to no end. I think it’s true that Grandparents love their grandkids more so than their own children…if it’s true, I don’t mind it. Thank you dad, for giving so much of yourself to this little boy. It doesn’t go unnoticed.


Always our daddy, no matter how old we get: This is a picture of my dad assisting my brother, John, in the hospital back in 2009. John has severely deteriorated the past couple of years from Multiple Sclerosis and my parents have reverted to caring for him like he was a child. A very large child. ;) My dad is not perfect...and if you don't believe me, just ask my mom. LOL. But no matter the circumstances in their own relationship, he was ALWAYS there for us when we needed him. ALWAYS. And he continues to be there for us. Thank you, daddy…for enduring the heartache we have caused you through our mistakes, for seeing our potential before we could ever realize it, for propelling us forward in our jobs and our relationships, and for so many countless acts of selflessness. Although you are a man of few words, your actions spoke a thousand loving words to me. Now quit critiquing my driving and have a feliz dia de los padres.

This is a picture of my dad and I – taken this time last year on his visit to Dallas.  This is by far one of my favorite visits.  We grilled food, went to a Rangers game (my favorite memory), sat by the water and sipped on adult beverages, watched television together, etc.  I hope I can get both my parents out here soon.  They are both sick these days, luckily it’s nothing life threatening.  But I know they are needed at home by my brother and it’s difficult for them to get away.  But we’ll see.  Happy Father's Day, Papi! 

FATHER’S DAY CANVAS





Artist Trading Cards

We currently have two swaps going on at ARTSY FARTSY.  Remember, anyone can join - just need to have a facebook account.  One of the swaps is for recipe cards and is being facilitated by Genie Smith.  The other is an Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap that is being facilitated by yours truly.  We are each making a total of 3 cards which means we have three themes. 

The themes are:
  1. Childhood Memories
  2. A Favorite Song
  3. Surprise Theme (you pick a theme)

So far I have completed Childhood Memories and A Favorite Song.  Details below.  For those of you that are not familiar with ATCs – they are a tiny original piece of art created with the intention of swapping or trading it with another artist, not selling it. The one rule an artist trading card must adhere to is the size. An ATC should be 2.5 x 3.5 inches. ATCs can be made in any medium and using any technique, whether it's painting, drawing, or collage. You are really limited only by your imagination and materials."

This is what a card looks like when you purchase it – and heck, you don’t have to purchase these, you can simply use cardstock.  I buy the ones with the punches on the side so that I can put them on my Artist Trading Card carousel by 7gypsies.

Now…on with the magic.

ATC No. 1 of 3:  Childhood Memories


Who didn’t watch The Wizard of Oz as a kid?  Every time it comes on television I am mesmerized by the magic of oz.  It reminds me of the unique beauty in the Land of Oz and the journey of Dorothy and company along the yellow brick road.  I was able to capture the enchantment of Oz in this ATC with the help of Graphic 45 and their new line “The Magic of Oz”.  Scroll past the pictures to read steps/products.


    

Steps and Products for ATC No. 1:
  • Using a VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad I juiced up the gorgeous vintage frame stamp by Glitz Design.  The stamp is from the “Fancy Frames” clear stamp collection.
  • Stamped image onto a large tag.
  • Covered with black embossing powder.
  • Embossed with heat gun.
  • “Generously” distressed with “Stormy Sky” distress ink by Tim Holtz.  When I say generously I mean I distressed the entire image – the embossing will serve as a “resist”, trust me, you don’t have to worry about getting ink on the embossed portion of the tag.
  • Cut image out with scissors.
  • Distressed a cream colored ATC with black archival ink (they also sell black ATCs).
  • Adhered frame to ATC with scrappy glue.
  • Using a glue gun, I adhered two layers of off-white colored lace to the center of the frame.
  • Adhered Dorothy image from “The Magic of Oz” paper by Graphic 45 to the lace (I did use hot glue on this as well)
  • “The Magic of Oz” title came from the cover of the paper pack (crafters don’t waste –hahaha!).  I cut it out and distressed the edges with a distressing tool and then inked it with "Vintage Photo" distress ink by Tim Holtz.
  • I don’t care for stickles but I did use red stickles on the hair bow and shoes because it’s the Wizard of Oz and hello – YOU NEED BLING!

ATC No. 2 of 3:  A Favorite Song


I am a music fanatic and listen to all sorts of music.  Some you would like, some would terrify you.  HAHAHA.  One of my favorite songs is “Perfectly Flawed” by OTEP.  This ATC is about empowering yourself when faced with adversity.  Scroll past pictures below to read steps/products.



Steps and Products:
  • Distressed ATC with “Fired Brick” distress ink by Tim Holtz.
  • Applied “Mod Podge” to the entire card and then placed an ATC transparency by 7gypsies over it.  Let it dry.
  • Applied “Zipper Trim” by Maya Road to the edge
  • Printed a picture of myself that I graphically distressed and added the words “Perfectly Flawed” to it.
  • Took a scrap piece of patterned paper and used it as a border for the picture.  Around the frame I hand wrote the following lyrics from the song:  “You’re perfectly flawed.  You’re perfectly incomplete.  A work in progress.  Imperfection makes you unique.”
  • Adhered the mat with the writing to the ATC using pop dots (I love dimension!)
  • Adhered picture of self to mat also using pop dots (more dimension – yay!!)
  • Using hot glue I adhered a red rose by Prima to the picture.

ATC No. 3 of 3 is yet to come…stay tuned.  And don’t forget to join us at Artsy Fartsy!

Jewelry Magic!

Alright – it’s time to do some serious blogging!  I have been slacking off.  I know this.  :)  This is post number one in a series.

First and foremost, have you seen the new Magic of Oz line from Graphic 45?  Holy gorgeousness!  I love it.  Thank you to the folks at G45 for making me put some jewelry art together.  I am just starting out with this whole jewelry making stuff.  I don’t want to actually put necklaces together or anything like that.  But I do enjoy the mixed media side of it all.

Here is what I made last night – if you are interested in one or more, you can email me at stamptabulous@gmail.com and we can arrange payment/delivery.  Note:  These are WAY PRETTIER in person.  Just sayin’!  :)

This is Glenda the Good Witch and she can be yours for only $10 plus shipping.  This particular one is sold but I have enough material to make about 15 more of these.


I really dig this one.  It’s a compass with W’s for the Wicked Witch of the West.  Notice the witch legs serve as “arms” on the compass.  That’s pretty cool.  This one can be yours for $10 plus shipping and I have 7 available for sale.


This is my favorite and the one of a kind from the group.  I only have ONE of these and it has sold already for $20.


The following are not Wizard of Oz themed but they are still super cute.  I have plenty available of each and these can be yours for $8 plus shipping.



Hope you liked!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Shoot to Thrill Boudoir Session

I am still very much in the infancy planning stages of the Shoot to Thrill Boudoir photo shoots.  I have not booked a location yet, but I am hoping to host these sessions in an upscale Hotel.  I am really leaning towards the W.  I will have concrete details closer to the dates of the shoot.  Here is some preliminary information for you to process:

  • Shot in Dallas, Texas by me, Ms. Ruin
  • 50 minute indoor photo shoot
  • Intimate Location (likely the W Hotel in uptown Dallas)
  • At least 30-40, tasteful and gorgeous photos provided to you within 30 days of photo shoot on a high resolution disc
  • A complimentary 8x10 photo chosen by me, Ms. Ruin
  • Fee is $250
  • Non-refundable deposit of $50 required at the time of booking
  • Spots are limited (approximately 12 spots)
More information to come including sample photos so stay tuned!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

:D

Big things are happening for this girl!  Stay tuned for a big announcement.  Eeeeeeek!