trash to treasure

Something a little different!! This is my contribution to the wonderful "Trash to Treasure" swap that Diane is holding over at the Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo group. We were instructed to make journal covers out of scrap cardboard and then design and decorate with things that would otherwise go to waste and be thrown in the bin. Think of it as our little contribution to the environment! Of course, both the front and back of mine could be used as front covers, but I'll leave that choice up to our creative swap hostess.

Front Cover:



-Two layers of cereal box cardboard for the base
-Used tissue paper. Wrinkled up and attached with matte medium and then painted with copper acrylic paint
-Scrap of citrasolve treated national geographic, left over from my shadow box auction piece
-shredded paper stitched onto watersoluble, and then dissolved
-strips of shredded paper stitched onto an end scrap of fabric (cut off to straighten the edges when making the bee block)
-Flower - underlayer is a circle of the inside of a President's Choice 100% Sparkling Fruit Juice can (Kiwi Berry flavour if I remember correctly). The metal was cut with heavy duty scissors, pounded with a jewelry hammer and shaped into a shallow cup form. Then three layers of scrap organza (from another project), cut into circles, freemotion stitched and then held upside down over a candle flame to shape (just touched by the heat, not the fire except when I screwed up). I used tweezers to save my fingers. Note: Make sure that you do this outside, or in an area with extremely good ventilation. Use your respirator to protect your lungs as this stuff is toxic! I do it outside, wearing a respirator and with a big bowl of water beside me to douse runaway flames.
-Little balls of gold foil chocolate wrappers
-Leaf - gold, silver and bronze foil chocolate wrapper pieces, laid onto a scrap of tulle, encased in watersoluble stabilizer, freemotion stitched and then dissolved.

Detail:



Back Cover:




-Two layers of cereal box cardboard for the base
-Collaged chocolate wrappers, attached with matte medium
-Used felt pads from my last alcohol ink domino session at Deb's. Heat distressed! Edges accented with copper acrylic paint.
-Metal squares cut from the inside of a President's Choice 100% Sparkling Fruit Juice can. Spirals stitched s l o w l y on my sewing machine. No thread in the needle!! Pounded with a jewelry hammer and shaped.
-The foil chocolate wrappers (Ferrero Rocher, yummmm....) were accented with red oil pastels -- not a good choice as they didn't dry on that surface and needed a couple of coast of Krylon Workable Fixative

BTW, those metal squares really aren't all that comfortable to hold in your hands, so they should probably be kept away from little fingers.

Detail:



The flip side:



Top - the back of the front cover

-Collage of old book pages (they're fair game as the cover is falling off)
-Leftover copper paint from the front cover, shaped and dried on the freezer paper I was using to protect my work surface. I cut out the shape (paper and all) and then used matte medium to attach to the base
-a flyer from the "Sketch" program, that was left at my last quilt guild meeting
-More chocolate wrappers
-Bits of gold leaf left over from other projects. Flecks, really....left on the backing paper. I just never got around to throwing them away!
-Paint, gesso & teabag drippings
-a thin coat and polish of Renaissance Wax

Bottom - the back of the back cover

-Collage of old book pages (from the same book)
-Thread bits under a layer of Godiva tissue paper (left in a bag that someone gave me). Fixed with matte medium
-Walnut ink spray that didn't dry (probably because I was in a hurry and the matte medium wasn't absorbant), so had to be blotted and sprayed a few times to get some colour
-More chocolate wrappers
-Bits of gold leaf left over from other projects
-a thin coat and polish of Renaissance Wax

This was quite a fun process and they are my first EVER book covers!! I'll probably have separation anxiety when I give them away, but I expect that I'll be making more in the future. I've actually never made a book and I'm not sure that I left enough room for binding, but I'm hoping for the best!! So, what do you think?

one small part....

...of my "Trash to Treasure" book cover for a swap over at the Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo group. Ingredients = gold, copper and silver chocolate wrappers, a scrap of tulle, watersoluble stabilizer and free motion machine embroidery. The rest will be posted either later this week or on the weekend. A license to work outside-of-the-box AND use trash.......my muse is very happy!!!

tradition with a twist

Sparkly Chicken Yahoo Group - Receiver's Choice Swap updates:

The first photo is my interpretation of Jacqui's request for a Bee &/or Bee Skep block. Crazy quilted onto an 8 1/2" cotton square and then hand and machine embroidered (but mostly hand). The bees are hand embroidered with silk ribbon and little bit of black floss. The skep image was hand drawn on TAP (Transfer Artists Paper) with Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens (permanent india ink). Then I heat transferred the image onto off-white quilter's cotton, added an extra layer of the cotton, free motion stitched and then attached to the CQ square. Would you believe that I've had the TAP for around three years and this is the first time I actually used it? I do love the effect, so you will be seeing more of this type of image transfer in the future. Jacqui wanted a yellow/gold colour scheme for her block, but I just had to sneak in a little orange!!



A little closer look at the details:



This is Cheryl's interpretation of my own botanical theme. Isn't it lovely? Despite tomorrow's threat of snow, this block gives me hope that spring will actually arrive. Raw edge applique, using a machine blanket stitch. The wording is separate.

did someone say inchies??

I joined a "Paws for Art" Inchie Swap on the Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo group, hosted by the lovely Wendy in the UK (one of the group owners). I love making inchies, but for some reason my mind couldn't get around the "Paws" part of the challenge. As I live in a no pet zone, I decided to skirt the whole issue and just make some art. Well, to my surprise, I ended up making the inchies out of leftover fabric paper, recycled cardboard, a nest of shredded paper and free motion stitching. Of course, the nest needed an egg, but what the heck kind of paws would hatch from an egg?? So my story is that this is the nest of a mythical hybrid creature. Part bird and part mammal with the largest PAWS you ever did see!!!

My first set of inchies for this swap:




A close-up!




Well, after a lot of deliberation, I decided that it really wasn't fair of me to poke fun at Wendy's theme, so I decided to make a second set of inchies and this time, I actually had an idea! My sister had given me a notepad that had cats paws running up one side. They were the perfect size for an inchie, so I thought to myself, why not use them as a pattern? So, I drew the paws (no, I didn't trace them!!) on watersoluble stabilizer, sandwiched a piece of tulle (fine netting) between two layers and then free motion machine stitched. Of course, my paws had to be just a little different, so my kitty has paws of a different colour!! The inchie base is recycled cereal box cardboard,treated with a coat of gesso for 'tooth' and then monoprinted with acrylics. I also included a little square of Angelina Fibre for sparkle.




Just a little closer so that you can see the detail.



Now all I need to do is figure out what I'm going to do with the first set! Decisions, decisions!!

a different perspective

My friend Kaite from Australia just posted a couple photos of the backsides (hee, hee) of her lovely dahlias. So, I explained how much I like to take these types of shots and promised that I would show a few that I took last year. It doesn't hurt to inject a little colour at this dreary time of the year. Enjoy!

Yellow Iris:



Poppy:



Purple Iris:



A different Purple Iris, but from the front this time and cropped:



Weed - Queen Anne's Lace I believe, but don't quote me on it:

possibly paisley

As discussed with the others in my Sparkly Chickens Yahoo Group, Beth's choice of a paisley pattern for her Receiver's choice block was a bit of a puzzle for me, as I didn't really know where to start. I'm rarely lacking in creativity, but for some reason it took a while for me to get the right inspiration for this block. I couldn't use my normal battery of techniques, so decided to dig out one I'd learned from Penny Berens many years ago. You layer three to four different fabrics and then stitch out your design (Penny had us scribble with crayons first - no designing required!). The paisley outline was drawn on freezer paper, which was then ironed onto the stacked fabrics and free motion stitched. I then stitch sketched the designs on the inside of the shape. Next, the embroidery scissors and I snip, snip, snipped to reveal the different layers of fabric. Then out came the embroidery floss and three simple stitches, buttonhole, french knot and running. Time consuming, but oh so satisfying!




I suspect that Beth was looking for complicated and unusual and I'm happy to say I think I gave it to her.



This block is now happily living with Beth in South Africa. It took a month to get to her. Two weeks from Canada to the US and then two weeks to South Africa via diplomatic mail. Sheesh! That was a very long time to have to wait for a reaction....

By the way, don't forget to drop by Beth's blog to say hello! Her photography is amazing and she even sprinkles in a little bit of stitching......

a rose is a rose is a rose

I'm involved in a "Receiver's Choice" block exchange with 9 members of my Sparkly Chickens Yahoo Group. At the end of 10 months, we will all have enough original blocks to make a very personal quilt. I chose a botanical theme in natures colours. This is my talented friend Candy's interpretation for the month of January. Raw edge machine applique with a lot of free motion stitching. Isn't it lovely? It arrived well before Valentine's Day, but I still think that it's something very special!! I love it!!!

July, 2010 BJP AMD

It's been a long time coming, but now it's finished and I'm more than happy with the outcome. July and it's warmth is but a faint memory, so this BJP is more of an impression than a journal. It whispers to me of warm summer days, long walks, lying by the shore and visiting spectacular gardens. My thoughts turn to pink roses, sea shells, lush greenery, boardwalks and a riot of spectacular colour.

The first photo was taken upside down so that you could properly see the tiny pink apple that someone gave me. Isn't it sweet? Was it Deb? Or perhaps Marilyn & Rain?? Or perhaps I found it in some lonely basket or box tucked away at the back of the cupboard. Doesn't matter, because it's now been found and takes pride of place in the month of July.



The stone is a Yellow Turquoise that I purchased years ago, just because I liked it. I know, it doesn't really look yellow, but that's what the ticket said on the package. I peyote stitched a bezel around it in size 11 seed beads and the final row was done in 15's. A lovely, tidy finish for a simply delightful stone!

Did you notice the vintage button, lovingly nestled against the stone? That one, I'm pretty sure came from one of Marilyn & Rain's early forays into the wild and wonderful world of E-Bay.

At the very bottom of the photo, is a little brass finding that Kaite sent to me from Australia and a silver key from Marilyn & Rain.



The star is from one of Marilyn & Rain's trips to Seattle and the shells from a strand I picked up a couple of years ago. They had been pierced through the sides but I preferred to glue them to the substrate. I think they give a spirally, whimisical quality to the piece. What do you think? Did you notice the vintage jewellry piece at the top of the photo? Again, I think that was courtesy of Marilyn.




Another shot of the stone and the vintage button. Aren't they lovely?



The complete piece!! At the bottom, you will notice a little teeny map of Canada. Believe it or not, it was sent to me from Candy in Syracruse, NY. It came in a set of other Canadiana pieces that will more than likely show up in future months.

My original intent was to make a green and blue piece. But much to my surprise, the soft pink showed it's shy but persuasive little face. Another case of the piece having a mind of it's own. Or is that the muse? I was half way through peyote stitching around that great big focal, when I realized that I was doing it all in 15's and pale ones at that. What the heck was I thinking??? Shiny, tiny, pale beads are hard to works with, especially at night. Needless to say, I was saying very unkind things to myself all the while I worked on that part!

This BJP contains a selection of beads that include, but are not limited to seeds in size 15, 11, 8 and 6 (or were they 4's?). I also used bugles, drops, magtanamas (if that's the way it's spelled), pearls, cubes, bits and pieces of other beads, crystals and a broken pearl necklace (Did you spot it?). Of course, I also had to raid the button box!

My regular posse of bead stitches were used. Peyote, stacked, back, fringe and bocce/boucle.

The focal is one of my serendipity landscape, monoprinted with acrylic paints and then free motion stitched. It's fun to do and if you paint and stitch a larger piece, you have extras for the component box. In this case I have a postcard, an atc, a couple of twinchies and three or so inchies, all stitched and ready for finishing off. Of course, all I need to do is remember where I put them!!!!


I hope that you've enjoyed my little taste of the early days of summer!

this & that

I won, I won!!! Natima (Nat) and Loani Prior got together on a Christmas blog giveaway and I was the lucky winner.....Whoopee!!! I had admired the tea cosie ever since I spotted an earlier one (yellow) on Nat's blog. Nat decided to knit another one as a blog giveaway and when she corresponded with Loani (the author of Really Wild Tea Cosies) about it, it seems that she wanted in on the action as well. LOL! Anyway, I love both parts of my gift, despite the fact that I can't even knit a stitch! Please check out both generous ladies on their lovely blogs. Thanks so much and I plan on having many cups of tea in your honour!




What else have I been doing? Collecting, of course!

I have the sketchbooks......



I have the books..........





I have the artsy supplies..........





What I don't have is time!!!!!!

All this is because of all the blog chatter about The Sketchbook Challenge and the Strathmore Visual Journal Online Workshops. I mean well, I really, really do!!! It's just that I have a day job, and the bead journal project and another monthly block swap to do. Yes, I am whining!!! It's hard to admit that I just can't do everything I want to do. Besides, the supplies won't go bad and the info will still be on the internet later in the year. So, I'm not abandoning this subject entirely, I'm just postponing until some later date. Yeah, that's it!!!

Wish me luck!

shadowbox auction - textile museum of canada

Some of you might remember this post that shows the piece I donated to the Textile Museum of Canada's annual Shadowbox Auction. If you're interested in taking an on-line look at some of the other donated pieces, you can find them here . Just under the banner, you will see some links to the boxes. You can find me in the "Artists: A-G" section. I'm under the letter "D".

thank you, thank you very much....

My friend Beth made some very complimentary comments about my work (blush) when she passed on the:




This Award is bestowed upon blogs that could use a boost in followers… (should have less than 300 followers) and like Beth, I definitely qualify there! The awarded blog then nominates 3-5 other blogs that could also use a boost in readership. My nominees for this award are as follows:

1. Penny from Tanglewood Threads for being my mentor in my early fibre art days, for her friendship, support and also for her amazing and artistic fibre and photography work. Penny is quite new to the blogging world, but is quickly making up for lost time.

2. Rachel from Rachel's Art Spirals is quite the busy and eclectic artist. She's a Mom by day and yet manages to get in as much art as she can in her free time. She beads, stitches, draws, paints and is one of the list mom's of the Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo group. This is a group I highly recommend for it's gentle, nurturing nature and safe, creative mixed media swaps. I have no idea how many followers Rachel has as it's not listed on her site. However, I'm nominating her anyway.

3. Mary Anne from Magpies Mumblings for her sunny disposition, eternal optimism and clever use of as many mediums as possible. MA has a generous spirit and a real passion for Crazy Quilting.

Now I could go on and on to nominate a few more friends, but I'll leave room for the others to pass on awards.

Please be sure to visit Beth's blog and wander about for a bit. Beth was originally from Chicago, but has recently relocated (with her husband) to South Africa. Her wildlife photography is amazing!

there's something about the light

Looking through an icicle that had formed on the outside of the window. I wonder who made all the footsteps?




Remember all that rain? Well, this was the view from my bedroom window when I got up this morning. Snow muffles sound and sleep is so much sweeter! My intent was to rush out to Michaels to buy some art supplies. Needless to say, I changed my mind! Isn't it amazing how quickly priorities change? Of course, being Toronto, the streets are fine and driving is not an issue. I think that I'll stay out of trouble, just the same.



Now how did THAT get in there? The start of my July, 2010 Bead Journal Project piece. Yes, I'm late and it's going to be green!!! Well, green and some other colours which will remain a secret until I get further along (read that to mean, finished). I'll start beading the bezel on the focal point today.

BTW, this is the acrylic painted, peltex substrate.



Have a creative week!

late but not forgotten

I was blog hopping earlier last year and happened upon the wonderful Lawendula at the Woven Letters blog. I've been interested in paper for a while, but hadn't built up much of a stash. I quickly noticed the regular paper swaps that Lawendula organizes and emailed her to sign up for the next one.

The first swap I joined was called the "Art Failures" swap and my partner was Sue from Australia. Sue was generous enough to send me an envelope stuffed full of handmade cards, a few of her little accordian books, miscellaneous paper products, earrings, a necklace and bracelet. Alas, not too many failures, but what a bounty for a mixed media artist with a touch of ADD! Also, don't you think the sayings are so appropriate? Sue hasn't been blogging much lately, but perhaps a few lovely comments would encourage her to start.





The next swap I joined was "Embellishment for Paper Art" and my partner was Faerwillow from the U.S. I received a bountiful and enchanting envelope, chock full of nature themed elements. Papers, fall leaves, beads, brads, sequins, a pin, mystical ladies and even a fairy tale or two were included for my enjoyment. Don't you just love the fall colours and the faerie theme? A natural delight for my eyes!




A great big thank you to Lawendula, Sue and Faerwillow for a couple of very successful swaps. The dialogue was great and the results, oh so very satisfying. If you're interested in joining a swap of this type, wander on over to Lawendula's new blog. You'll meet the most interesting people on your journey! See you there!!

Of course, the next thing I need to do is figure out how I'm going to use my treasures. Stay tuned!!

I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011

Original photograph of a rain drenched tree, taken this morning and then altered in my Picasa photo editing program.





The top of my balcony railing. Time to get out the paint!!! Either that or rust some fabric. Again, digitally enhanced in Picasa.





Rain, rain go away.......wait a minute, it's January 1st, 2011. Let's keep the rain and the mild weather and wish away the cold and snow to come. This brings back memories of Vancouver, B.C. in the winter. It's not really normal for Toronto.


My word for the year is going to be FOCUS! Will there be more focus in my life, or just a renewed interest in photography? Only time will tell!!


Anne Marie

presents from down under

A few wee gifties from my friend Kaite in Australia. The Mobius scarf is colourful, warm and soft and oh so cleverly crafted. The calendar and card remind me that Australia is a very different place than Canada. If the card looks familiar, it's because Kaite is currently using it for her blog header. Thanks so much and I hope your gift from me arrives soon!!! Needless to say, her timing for the mailing was much better than mine. But did you notice how well coordinated everything seems? Do you suppose she did it on purpose? BTW, the scarf photographed a little dark. It's really much brighter. The colours in the other pieces are pretty good though, when you consider that I took the photo inside, under a couple of CF daylight bulbs. Also, did you notice the lovely little pieces of dark red lace, the candy wrappers and the bits of metal? No she didn't mail the display piece! That one is mine!! BTW, missing from the photo is a little santa bead and a small blue/white cabochon. Boo hoo! You'll see them appear later in one of my very late bead journal pieces.

merry christmas to one and to all

I'm wishing you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season, full of friends, family and good times.

child's play

.....and the answer is..............CRAYONS!!!!


Many years ago, I took a FIRE class at Sybil Rampen's place, before she opened the Joshua Creek Heritage centre. In one part of the class, she showed us how to gesso river rocks, draw designs on the bottom with a Sharpie and then heat them up in a toaster oven (sorry, I can't remember how long it took). When the rocks were nice and hot, you took them out carefully (tongs are good), placed them on a heat proof surface and then touched different colours of crayola crayons to the surface. The crayons melted instantly, and made wonderful patterns that flowed seeped and puddled under the bottom (the photo shows the top). We left them to cool and then polished with a soft cloth (pants, shirt or whatever!!). I love my rocks!

The nest was wet felted in a class at the Textile Museum of Canada from an instructor who's name escapes me. It wasn't originally planned for a nest, but it works well, so a nest it is!!! I didn't notice before, but do you see the ducks head on the nest? Totally planned, of course......ahem...cough.....or perhaps the inner serendipity muse at work!!!

rocks & mouse trails

Mouse Trails:

This is the piece I made for the President's challenge at my guild. The theme was "Small World". I scraped three or four colours of acrylic paint onto part of an old sheet, with an expired credit card. Then I stamped into it with more acrylic paint on the bottom of a large round tub. After it dried, I hand cut the little circles (ouch!), layered them like a quilt (it IS a quilting guild) and free motion quilted with my sewing machine. After that, I finished the edges by butting yarn up against the edge and zigzagging it in place. I laid out the circles and then stitched them together, first with a thread bridge (heavier stitching) and then by stitching the weblike strands. None of this was done with any type of stabilizer. I was stitching across the gap!!! You gotta love Bernina's!!! I was worried that it would be too flimsy and wouldn't hold together, but I'm pleased to report that it has.

How does this all relate to "Small World", you say? Well, it's all about how small the world has become with the internet, my communication with like minded artists all over the world, the inspiration I gain and the techniques that I learn. All for the cost of my high-speed internet. The sun shines on all of us and the open thread work represents the lines of communication. North, south, east and west......my mouse travels all over the world. The title of this piece is thanks to a suggestion from my friend Kaite in Australia.





Pinned on the corkboard, while I was contemplating adding more circles, and trying to figure out how the heck I was going to hang this!



Not a great photo, but this is what I eventually decided to do. I added a narrow sleeve on the back, used more of the yarn to make a length of machine wrapped braid and then hung it from one of the beaver sticks I picked up in Sault Ste Marie, last summer. I'll have you know that the bark was REALLY chewed off by a beaver! Right now the piece is hanging on a door, but I think that I'll eventually hang it from a hook on the ceiling.



I'm contemplating entering this in another show in the spring, so will need to take a better photo before then.

Rocks:

My friend Penny in Nova Scotia recently posted about some rocks and a nest. I thought that I would show you my version.



The nest is a bit of wet felting and I've been meaning to wrap some floss around the edges for years. Does anyone know how I coloured the rocks? A couple of you really might know (because you've either done it before or I talked/wrote about it in an earlier email), so please hold off on your answers until we get in a few guesses.

Yeah, I know that three would be more pleasing to the eye, but I only made two! LOL!

Happy guessing!