Virtual Cigar Box

So I know I am not the only person with this bad habit... I scan my vintage items in and I just lump them into one big folder.  This seems efficient at the moment; but in reality, later when I am trying to gather images for a collage sheet or a project it takes forever to find what I need.  So the past two days I have started a major project of organizing my files.  This is no easy task as I have thousands of files!!  This scanning and organizing is my least favorite part of all this creative shop keeping!  So tonight as I am trying to find a stopping place so I can go to bed, I stumble upon this great photo of my granddad on my mom's side of the family standing on the porch of this general store in Blocker, Oklahoma.  The younger boy on the porch is likely his brother Gene.  This is the little town where my mom's mom came from.  Surprisingly, I don't remember ever seeing this photo, but of course I must have as it was scanned into my computer.  So this evening during this life altering pandemic I have stumbled upon a virtual cigar box.  You know the kind that have marbles and prize ribbons, Cracker Jack prizes and the like,  except it is even better.... a piece of family history complete with a awesome period clothing and a very cool sign.  Tomorrow I will go at this organization thing again.  I must, as I have boxes of photos from the last year or two that really need to see the light of day or at least the light of my scanner! lol  Who knows, maybe I will once again find a treasure.  :)

Finding the New Normal

As I navigate through the new "Normal"  I hear lots of people saying it is so freeing to have the family together.  They are cooking together and playing board games and such things.  Well, I have had some great together time with my new husband.  He is an RN and works 12 hour shifts so he has an odd schedule.  Couple that with my being a teacher and we have accomplished many projects around the house and still have quite a few to yet finish.  I enjoy that, but really long for the old normal.  My kids are grown and I think this new way of living has kept them busier than usual-read not available to play board games with mom.  lol  It has also compromised many plans...from the wedding dress emergency (mine was ordered from a company in China) to no real honeymoon so far as the week we were set to go to New Orleans and our dream honeymoon the country went to lockdown.

Now I realize this was definitely a necessity, but it still makes one long for the simple things like making summer trip plans or going out to eat at your favorite Mexican restaurant...Shout Out to Mexicali in Tulsa and our favorite waitress; Hailey!

So as the world is trying it's toe in the water of opening up, we have finally been able to plan a trip to the beach.  Not the honeymoon we'd planned; that will still happen at a later date, but a short jaunt to have some fun.

I am also taking time to sort through and scan some of the many photos and paper ephemera pieces I have had fun collecting.  (Seems the collecting part is a little more fun than the sorting and scanning part!)  Soon there will be new collage sheets coming to the Etsy, Shopify, Facebook, and Instagram stores.  I have also listed some of my digital items on Ebay.  Still working out the kinks with the Facebook and Instagram shops, so keep watch for them soon.

Along those lines-what would you like to see in new collage sheets? Any themes you need artwork for?

What are you doing in the new "Normal" this summer? Let us know in the comments!  We love hearing your stories!

Quarantine Quirkinesses

I have noticed that to be motivated I must have a life event. Usually it’s been Christmas or Spring Break. More often Summer Break from my teaching. During all these down times I seem to actually get some artistic work done...or I should say more accurately prep for that artistic work. I clean out; purge the unused, keeping only the items I am still in love with!  Usually that’s more than I get rid of! Lol. Generally, though this takes most of the down time and thus the creating part never happens.

So this Friday I will be offering my first round of goodies on my Instagram page.  Comment here if you’d like to be tagged! I have enough for this to be a weekly tradition for awhile! Lol.

Hopefully, in this extended time I will actually reach the creating phase!

Revisiting an Old Favorite

It has been a long while since I published here.  Let's just say that taking on a new career with all that involves while still working in your current career doesn't leave a lot of time for art...even if your main gig is as an art teacher!  So while putting away the Christmas regalia I stumbled upon one of my first paper bag books.  It may even be my favorite one!  You will have to check back to see that one though as I haven't time tonight to photograph it.  So I will appease you with another Paper Bag book I worked on over Christmas.

My theory behind these books is to show life as a living art.  I use copies of my family photos(ironically none in this one!).  Sometimes of my vintage family photos mixed in with ephemera old and new, ribbons, papers, what ever.  I arrange and rearrange until I have the right "feeling".  Not very scientific or easily taught...it just has to feel right.

I am looking forward to reading Brooke Saward's newest book The World of Wanderlust.  www.worldofwanderlust.com  Many of the collage sheets I make have a travel theme.  What a great way to spend your life... on a big adventure.  Love the journey!

So as summer ebbs away I dream of just a little more time off to travel, laze by cool waters, sightsee and most importantly...sleep in.  lol  Here are my latest two collage sheets available at my Etsy store. They have a bit of a travel theme.  :)

Just in time for capturing those summer travels to the beach, lake or the distant shores.  New digital collage sheet in my Etsy store....SeaSide Summer.

A new collage sheet is in the store today!  Just in time for late summer rodeos.  YeeHaw!

More new Collage Sheets at the Etsy Store!  Go Make Some ART!  :)https://www.etsy.com/shop/jbarretto?ref=hdr_shop_menu

I am so very excited that the Junk Gypsy book Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wonder and Wander is about to be released!!  I have been following their show and basically everything written about them.  For me it all started back years ago when Country Living Magazine did a feature on Round Top Texas.  At that time Emma Lee Turney had the show to go to...The Original Round Top Antiques Show.    Sadly, I didn't realize how close I was to Junk Heaven when I lived in Houston back in the  day.  Now a Round Top trip and a visit to the Junk Gypsy World Headquarters is at the top of my Bucket List.  You can read about their contest to set up a Launch Team for this wonderful book here.  http://junkgypsyblog.com/launch-team-no-name/

Being from the Tulsa area I am surrounded by wonderful reminders of how travel was in the past.  Route 66 runs through many of my favorite towns here and I am particularly enamoured by the charming tiny cabins that might have been built around a central court for tourist lodging.  This digital collage sheet includes two real photo postcards of that time period.  You can see how happy the couples are as the stand by their lodging for the evening. I have a friend who has stayed

in some very much like these and they are one of his favorite places to stay.  They represent a less hectic time, people talking to each other on a front porch or while out on a walk.  You can almost smell the honeysuckle...

Some of these kids are characters!

Just finished two new digital photo singles that portray adorable kids.  One looks to be a field trip to a circus.  The other is a child in a straw hat.  Very nice photos for as old as they are.  Fun for your creating stash.

This is also a family photo.  This is from when my mom was in elementary school.  She is on the second row from the bottom on the end on the right side.  This is the same school I went to and my kids as well.  Then I taught there!  How cool is that.

This photo came from an antique store.  What an interesting family this must have been.  They certainly have character.  Summer on bikes at the boardwalk.  Can't you smell the taffy?!

This photo is one from my family.  It is where my grandmother on my mom's side went to school.  My grandmother is the third one from the left on the third from the top's row in the white blouse.  The two things I love about this photo are the American flag and the two boys at the bottom left who obviously are in trouble!

It may just be the beginning of June but for teachers on break the race is on to try to get all our projects completed.  Soon I will be teaching summer school and have less time, so I am burning the candle at both ends for a few days!  This digital collage sheet is made from a vintage real photo postcard that I collected.  It is a rare beauty for as old as it is.  What a wonderful image for some Fourth of July projects.  God Bless America!

While I was looking for things to put together from my vintage stash I was also following a family conversation on Facebook about family vacations and the crazy things that happen on them. So I was thus inspired!!

In the center of this digital collage sheet is an old photo of some of my grandmother on my mom's side's family, I think! It is a very interesting photo. They are mostly looking one direction and I especially love the guy holding the number sign for the photographer. He looks like a character. Who knows if he is part of the family! Plus, where in the world are they having their photo taken at?? It looks like a mining operation, which further made me think of vacation road trips. What kind of family road trips will you document with this fun sheet? Share some stories!

Maybe it's because I'm a teacher or maybe I'm just a child at heart, but I adore pedal car photos.  This one is a great one- No. 9 Car.

Well, I am on a learning journey and I'm quite excited about it!  My daughter is a photography student and between her tutoring and this new Photoshop course I am taking I am excited at the artistic possibilities in the future.  These two new digital singles that I just added to my Etsy store are the first results of my new classes.  I was able to clean and sharpen these two grand images from my collection.  Both photos look like they could tell stories!  Anyone ready to write it down!  They would be a good start to an altered art book or project!

Travel all around the world with your art!

These latest digital collage sheets are

a fun way to create art with a travel theme or scrapbook some of those travel memories.  Made from just a few of the luggage labels in my vast collection.