http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html What's new at altered-art.net, your online guide to altered art? What's happening in the world of altered and mixed-media art? Here's our personal view… en-us altered art Mon, 14 May 2012 09:24:58 GMT Mon, 14 May 2012 09:24:58 GMT altered-art.net http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#The-new-EU-Cookie-Law---how-will-it-affect-me? http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#The-new-EU-Cookie-Law---how-will-it-affect-me? The European Union 'Cookie Law' comes into effect in the United Kingdom on 26th May 2012. Under this new law websites and blogs whose owners are based in the European Union will have to obtain permission from their visitors before storing all but 'essential' cookies, or allowing cookies to be stored by other websites to which they link. The definition of what's 'essential' appears to be pretty narrow: about the only cookies that seem to fall into this category are those used to remember your 'shopping basket' when you're buying something online. <b>What will this mean for you, our visitor?</b> When you come to our site you may see a banner at the top of the screen which says that the site works best if you accept cookies, and invites you to do so. You should certainly see a button near the top-right corner of the page that says "<b>Cookies Allowed?</b>". If you've not yet accepted our cookies it will show a red cross. On clicking the button you'll see a panel where you can give us permission to store and use cookies. There'll also be a link to our cookie policy, where we explain more fully how they are used on our site. Once you've given your permission the panel will close, and the red cross will change to a green tick. If you change your mind at any time, just click the button again, and you'll be able to withdraw your permission. Just about everything that you see on the internet these days, from your bank or building society's remembering which colour scheme you'd prefer when you visit their website to all those social networking buttons that seem to be everywhere, needs cookies to work properly, or perhaps at all. If you would still like it to be 'business as usual', we'd recommend that you accept our cookies. Sat, 12 May 2012 11:19:34 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Pinterested-in-our-images? http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Pinterested-in-our-images? This is a hard one... Whilst we're very flattered that our visitors like our images of Maria's work enough to 'pin' them at Pinterest, and we'd love others to follow the links to our site, we don't believe that it's in our best interests to allow this. We hope that you'll understand if we ask you not to do it. You're very welcome to post links to our site if you've enjoyed your visit, and you'd like to share with your friends. Most of our pages have a <b>Link to this Page</b> button that will help you to do this. You'll also find social media buttons at the foot of those pages if you'd like to share that way. What Pinterest is encouraging you to do is <b>illegal</b> unless you have our permission. Please see our <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/legal.html#copyright">Copyright Statement</a> for our policy on the use of material from our site. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:08:05 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Keep-Google-Honest http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Keep-Google-Honest We trust Google to bring us the best search results. But now Google is betraying our trust... Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:24:05 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Twelve-Tags-of-Christmas-2011 http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Twelve-Tags-of-Christmas-2011 Wow! It really doesn't seem as though twelve months have gone by since the last time, but <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz.html"><b>Tim Holtz</b></a> has started his fifth annual <a href="http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/11/12-tags-of-christmastag-1.html" target="_blank"><b>12 Tags of Christmas</b></a> series of holiday-themed tags today, <b>1st December 2011</b>. Every day for the next twelve days you'll find ideas and inspiration for creating your own altered shipping tag on a Christmas theme... Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:27:23 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Stop-the-Craziness! http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Stop-the-Craziness! Do you have a website or blog? Do you like to visit websites and blogs? I know that it's a silly question, but something has happened that's going to affect most of us in one way or another. In May 2011 a law was passed which means that if you live in the European Union (regardless of where your visitors come from, or where your website or blog is hosted) practically everything that you do that involves storing <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/legal.html#cookies" title="What are cookies?">cookies</a>, either directly or indirectly, is <b>illegal</b> unless you explicitly ask your visitors for permission. You'll almost certainly be affected if you have third-party advertising on your website, or collect statistics about how many visitors come to your blog, or even if you have Facebook <b>Like</b> buttons. That's right: under this new law those Facebook <b>Like</b> buttons that you see everywhere are <b>illegal</b> if you live in the European Union. Those are just a few examples. Even if you live outside the European Union you may be affected. Do you like to visit websites or blogs run by webmasters from Europe? If they're trying not to break this law you'll be asked whether you'll allow them to store cookies. That could be annoying the first time, but what if you want to refuse? Under this crazy new law it's illegal to store this information, so you'll be asked again, and again, and again... Please <a href="http://www.silktide.com/cookielaw" target="_blank">click here</a> for more information and a video guide in less than three minutes. <b>So what can you do?</b> If you live in the European Union it may not be too late to make sure that when this law is implemented in your country all the craziness has been removed. It's not due to be implemented in the United Kingdom until May 2012. Please consider contacting your elected representative about this badly-considered piece of legislation. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:11:58 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Calling-Arizona-Artists! http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Calling-Arizona-Artists! It was on 14th February 1912 that Arizona became the 48th of the United States of America, and in celebration of one hundred years of statehood next year the <b>Artists' Coalition of Flagstaff</b> is sponsoring the <b>Arizona State Centennial Artist Trading Card Project</b>. The project is open to residents of the state of Arizona, and original artwork submissions in the form of <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/artist-trading-cards.html">artist trading cards</a> will be accepted until 15th December 2011. Your submission may be in any medium or combination of media, including paintings, photographs, collage, metal, fibres, ceramics and glass, and be on any subject related to the past or present of Arizona. As usual, the only restriction is that of size. There will be a touring exhibition during 2012, and submissions will be shown in art galleries in Flagstaff, Sedona, Jerome, Prescott, the Phoenix and Tucson areas, and Bisbee. If you're an Arizona artist, this is an excellent opportunity to have your work seen. Paricipants may submit up to ten artist trading cards, and will receive an equal number of randomly-selected cards after the exhibition. For more details, please go to <a href="http://flagstaff-arts.org/2011/08/19/az-centennial-artist-trading-card-project/" target="_blank">http://flagstaff-arts.org/2011/08/19/az-centennial-artist-trading-card-project/</a>. We are pleased that the Artists' Coalition of Flagstaff has recommended our website as the source of information on artist trading cards. Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:28:02 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Like-this-Site? http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html#Like-this-Site? You may have noticed Facebook <b>Like</b> buttons starting to appear at the bottom of some of our pages. You'll now find those buttons on most of the pages on our site, and also in the left margin if you like the site as a whole. If you've enjoyed your visit, or found a particular page useful, why not let your friends know by giving us a <b>Like</b>? Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:14:52 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/small-art-big-impact.html http://www.altered-art.net/small-art-big-impact.html We've just received an update from Stephanie Zing at Bohemian Art Cafe, who tells us that the closing date for entries has been extended to 15th July 2011. Get creating, folks! Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:20:48 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/small-art-big-impact.html http://www.altered-art.net/small-art-big-impact.html We've heard about an exhibition of artist trading cards, to be entitled <b>Small Art, Big Impact - Artist Trading Cards</b>, and held from mid-August to early September 2011 at the Oxford Community Arts Center in Oxford, Ohio. This is a terrific way to have your artwork seen and admired by a very 'arty' community... Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:02:45 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Making-Contact http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Making-Contact From time to time we're contacted by visitors wanting to get in touch with other like-minded people hoping to swap knowledge and experience, and perhaps artwork that they've created. This got me thinking. Would it be possible to set up some sort of scheme that would enable our visitors to contact each other? It would have to run itself, more or less, and there would have to be safeguards to protect our visitors' privacy. After much thought I came up with an idea that seemed to fit the bill, and would be technically feasible. We ran a poll to assess the level of interest, both if there were a small fee involved, and if the scheme were free to all members. There was a disappointing response. Perhaps that's not surprising in view of the large number of social networking sites, many with their own special interest groups. Of the small number of responses that we received, almost all were in favour, but only if there were no fee involved. However, two respondents were willing to pay up to $10. In view of the apparent lack of interest, we've decided not to pursue this idea. Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:03:05 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Twelve-Tags-of-Christmas-2010 http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Twelve-Tags-of-Christmas-2010 It's that time of year again! It doesn't feel as though a whole year has gone by, but <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz.html"><b>Tim Holtz</b></a> has started his fourth annual <a href="http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/11/12-tags-of-christmasday-1.html" target="_blank"><b>12 Tags of Christmas</b></a> series of holiday-themed tags today, <b>1st December 2010</b>. Every day for the next twelve days you'll find ideas and inspiration for creating your own altered shipping tag on a Christmas theme... Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:57:32 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz-die-cutting-machine.html http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz-die-cutting-machine.html We first reported on <b>Tim Holtz's</b> die-cutting machine from Sissix back in February 2010, shortly after he'd demonstrated the then unnamed prototype at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) show in Anaheim, California. We predicted that many of Tim's fans would want one for its looks alone. Here's our update... Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:27:05 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-celebrities.html http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-celebrities.html Have <b>you</b> ever met anyone well-known in altered and mixed-media art? Did he or she inspire you to try something new, or were you so overwhelmed that you didn't take anything in? Tell us your story... Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:39:55 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/your-pages.html#first-para http://www.altered-art.net/your-pages.html#first-para If you've enjoyed your visit to our website, why not leave a comment? We'd love to hear what you think. Our <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/your-pages.html"><b>Your Pages</b></a> page now includes a comments feature. All comments will be moderated. We're sorry that we can't accept anonymous comments, but you can use a nickname if you prefer, and tell us where you live, if you like. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:58:49 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz-new-die-cutting-machine.html http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz-new-die-cutting-machine.html Have you heard about <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz.html"><b>Tim Holtz's</b></a> new die-cutting machine? The machine itself won't become available until July 2010, but he's already talking about it on his blog, and he demonstrated the prototype at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) show in Anaheim, California in January. Whilst it does seem to offer a few advantages over existing die-cutting machines, we think that many of Tim's fans will want one for its looks alone... Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:21:37 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/vancouver-2010-atcs.html http://www.altered-art.net/vancouver-2010-atcs.html In March 2010 the <b>Vancouver ATC Group</b> will celebrate its tenth anniversary with <b>Vancouver 2010 ATCs</b>, an exhibition of artist trading cards open to participants from all over the world... Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:42:33 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-2-world-of-artist-trading-cards.html http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-2-world-of-artist-trading-cards.html In April 2010 the historic Smithville Mansion Annex Art Gallery in Eastampton, New Jersey will again host an exhibition, this time entitled <b>Art in Hand 2: The World of Artist Trading Cards</b>, of artist trading cards from local, national and international artists... Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:45:38 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Stampin'-Up! http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Stampin'-Up! With regret, Maria has decided to resign her position as an independent <b>Stampin' Up!</b> demonstrator. Stampin' Up! have recently issued a revision to their Independent Demonstrator Agreement that would effectively prohibit her from mentioning by name on her personal blog at <a href="http://mariaadams.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>My Stamping Corner</b></a> any other arts and crafts product, manufacturer or retailer. Whilst Maria will continue to use and recommend Stampin' Up! products where they are suitable for her purpose, she does not feel able to accept these revised terms and conditions. Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:05:26 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Twelve-Tags-of-Christmas http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive.html#Twelve-Tags-of-Christmas Just a reminder that <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz.html"><b>Tim Holtz</b></a> starts his third annual <a href="http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/11/the-12-tags-of-christmasday-1.html" target="_blank"><b>12 Tags of Christmas</b></a> series of holiday-themed tags today, <b>1st December 2009</b>. Every day for the next twelve days you'll find ideas and inspiration for creating your own altered shipping tag on a Christmas theme... Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:55:59 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-2.html#Desperately-Seeking-Information? http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-2.html#Desperately-Seeking-Information? We've now made it even easier for you to find the altered art information that you're looking for. We've improved our <b>Site Search</b> facility so that you can easily locate the pages on our site where you'll find what you're after. Just enter a few relevant keywords, and click the button! As part of our site refurbishment we've replaced the dedicated Site Search page with a small search box at the top of <b>every</b> page. There's still the larger search box on our <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/site-map.html"><b>Site Map</b></a> and <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-questions.html"><b>Altered Art Questions and Answers</b></a> pages, and even if you've been unlucky enough to find yourself following a bad link to our site there's a search box that you can use to get yourself back on track.<br><br> Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:43:00 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-world-of-artist-trading-cards-2.html http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-world-of-artist-trading-cards-2.html We've heard that the exhibition entitled <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-world-of-artist-trading-cards.html"><b>Art in Hand: The World of Artist Trading Cards</b></a>, of <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/artist-trading-cards.html"><b>artist trading cards</b></a> by local, national and international artists, held in April 2009 at the historic Smithville Mansion Annex Art Gallery in Eastampton, New Jersey, has been a great success... Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:15:54 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-question.html http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-question.html We've improved our <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-question.html"><b>Ask an altered art question</b></a> feature, which offers you the opportunity to ask us any question about altered and mixed-media art that you can't find the answer to anywhere else. If we think that it will be of interest to other visitors, we may decide to feature your question on our <a href="http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-questions.html"><b>Altered Art Questions and Answers</b></a> page, which means that other visitors will be able to read our answer, and add their own comments and suggestions. Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:08:08 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-world-of-artist-trading-cards.html http://www.altered-art.net/art-in-hand-world-of-artist-trading-cards.html We've heard about an exhibition of artist trading cards that's due to take place in April 2009 at the historic Smithville Mansion Annex Art Gallery in Eastampton, New Jersey. It will be called <b>Art in Hand: The World of Artist Trading Cards</b>, and will feature work from local, national and international artists. Anyone may enter, from professional artists and designers to those just starting their artistic journey. Prizes will be awarded for the best artist trading cards submitted, and there will be a card swap at the end of the exhibition. Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:07:48 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/favourite-artist-trading-card.html http://www.altered-art.net/favourite-artist-trading-card.html If you've been an artist trading card enthusiast for a while you've probably made and swapped dozens of these miniature works of art, but is there one that you're particularly proud of, and would like to show off? Have you tried a great new technique that you'd love to share with your fellow enthusiasts? Well, here's your chance... David chooses his favourite artist trading card from all the beautiful examples that Maria has made, and invites you to share your favourite from your own collection. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:53:04 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-2.html#Linking-Made-Easy! http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-2.html#Linking-Made-Easy! We've made it really easy for you to make a link from your blog or web page to the page on our site that you've just been viewing. We've added a new <b>Link to this Page</b> button to most of the pages on the site. Just click the button, and you'll find a working link, so you'll know what it will look like, together with the HTML code that you'll need to put it on your own page. You'll also find a few links to the Home Page: there's a text link, a button and also a larger banner, each with the appropriate HTML code. All you need to do is to choose the one you want by clicking on the radio button to the left, right-click on the highlighted text and select <b>Copy</b> from the menu, then simply paste the HTML that you have just copied into your own page code. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:10:41 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-2.html#My-Stamping-Corner http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-2.html#My-Stamping-Corner <img src="http://www.altered-art.net/images/ATC-Just-Teddy-and-Me.gif" align="left" height="160" width="120" title="ATC 'Just Teddy and Me' by Maria Adams" alt="ATC 'Just Teddy and Me' by Maria Adams"><p>As well as having a keen interest in altered and mixed-media art, Maria is an enthusiastic rubber stamper, and also enjoys other arts and crafts, such as cardmaking. She has recently launched herself into the world of blogging by setting up a new blog called <a href="http://mariaadams.wordpress.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><b>My Stamping Corner</b></a>, where you will find not only the kind of work that you are used to seeing on <b>altered-art.net</b> but also some more fun stuff. <p>Why not take a look?<br><br></p> Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:41:18 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/your-pages.html http://www.altered-art.net/your-pages.html We are pleased to announce the launch of <b>Your Pages</b> at <b>altered-art.net</b>. Over the coming weeks and months you will find more and more opportunities to make your own contribution to our website. Have you made an artist trading card you're particularly proud of, and want to show off? Have you an altered art project you just can't wait to share? Perhaps you have a relevant story to tell? Well, here's your chance... Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:10:33 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz.html http://www.altered-art.net/tim-holtz.html To many people the name of Tim Holtz is almost synonymous with that of altered art today, but Holtz himself believes that many are also surprised to find a man involved in an activity more often seen as the preserve of the female sex... You may well have used some of his many 'Tim Holtz' signature products from several different manufacturers, which include inks, embossing powders, embellishments and rubber stamps. We wanted to discover the man behind the brand, so we asked him a few questions... Mon, 08 Oct 2007 13:07:47 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-board-book.html http://www.altered-art.net/altered-board-book.html Looking for ideas for making an altered board book? Remember board books from your childhood? Here's an account of how we altered a board book from a charity shop that might give you a few ideas... Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:17:21 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art.html http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art.html When we first discovered altered art a few years ago I thought that we had found something really new and exciting, but in fact this form of creative expression is not new, and actually has a history stretching back over many centuries... Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:01:56 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/canvas-artist-trading-cards.html http://www.altered-art.net/canvas-artist-trading-cards.html Although most of the usual techniques for making ATCs can be used when you make canvas artist trading cards, some must be adapted because of the rougher texture of the canvas... Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:35:12 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-3.html http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-3.html In the third article of our series we give you some hints on how to finish your artist trading cards, and how to store and display your finished artwork. We tell you what information you should include on the back of your cards, and explain the difference between one-of-a-kind creations, limited editions and series. Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:01:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/artist-trading-cards.html http://www.altered-art.net/artist-trading-cards.html Who says size isn't important? These miniature works of art must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size, but otherwise when creating artist trading cards you are limited only by your own imagination... Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:01:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards.html http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards.html In the first article of our series we look at the basics of making artist trading cards, and give you a few tips and techniques for creating the backgrounds for your cards. Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:01:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-2.html http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-2.html We continue our series of articles on making artist trading cards with advice on choosing a theme for your cards. We then go on to look at focal points and embellishments, discuss the use of lettering and talk briefly about composition. Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:01:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/fabric-artist-trading-cards.html http://www.altered-art.net/fabric-artist-trading-cards.html Are you a keen textile artist looking for something different? Why not try your hand at fabric artist trading cards? Whether you're a beginner or an expert, we'll tell you what you need to know. Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:01:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-4.html http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-4.html We complete our series of articles with a look at how to make artist trading cards that are, if not completely different, a little bit different from the usual... Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:01:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-3.html#Inch-Bug-Bites! http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-news-archive-3.html#Inch-Bug-Bites! Have you been bitten by the 'inchie bug' yet? Inchies are the latest thing to hit the altered and mixed-media art scene. They are tiny pieces of art just one inch square, usually made from mount board, with a background, focal point and embellishments, much like artist trading cards. <img title="Fabric inchies by Maria Adams" alt="Fabric inchies by Maria Adams" src="http://www.altered-art.net/images/Fabric-inchies.gif" height="117" width="152" align="left"> Also as with artist trading cards, some enthusiasts like to make them from fabric. Although they can stand as works of art in their own right, you may also wish to incorporate them into larger pieces of artwork, such as artist trading cards, mixed-media canvases etc. A large number of inchies could be made into a mosaic, or you could use them to cover a plain picture frame for an unusual and dramatic effect. Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:13:46 GMT http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html http://www.altered-art.net/altered-art-blog.html We are pleased to announce the launch of Altered Art News, our occasional web journal that keeps you up-to-date with what's new at altered-art.net and what's happening in the world of altered and mixed-media art. We'll tell you about new or updated articles on the website, trends and events in the world of altered and mixed-media art, and previous articles that might be worth another look. Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:52:06 GMT