bjp 0812 - a measure of citrus

The summer of 2012 has been fabulous!  I mean weatherwise of course, as my work life has been busy and limited my leisure activities.  But that's beside the point!!  My August bead journal is a celebration of the sun.......the warmth, the colour, the sweet tartness of lemonade and orange juice, the flowers that peak in August and the sunny dispositions of those enjoying the last full month of summer!

I rushed out to shop for beads at a couple of local haunts, but arrived home to discover that my citrus stash was already quite healthy. Sigh!  Don't you just hate when you do that?  This section contains a silver spiral from when I first learned the technique, vintage flower sequins, a couple of small washers painted with orange Vintag Patina (thanks Deb for being an excellent consumer) and then distressed with Baroque Arts, Guilder's Paste in copper.  The golden square is a small tile that was part of a mosaic kit I purchased 10 - 15 years ago (originally for a small tray, I think).  Don't you just love finding stuff you spent your hard earned money on, but never used??  Now I'd like to say that doesn't happen all that often, but I suspect I would be lying.  How about you?

I thought the washers, stacked one on top of the other, made a perfect "8"!  Did you spot my intent?  The oval, dark reddish bead (close to the black "8") is a stone of some sort.  Purchased and utilized for colour and definitely not for pedigree!!

The perfect match of old and older, mixed in with a dash of new (beads, beads and more beads) and a bit of distressed!  While making a small attempt at cleaning a sewing drawer, I discovered a well used measuring tape tucked way at the back.  It probably dates back to my sewing days in Vancouver, but has not been used for it's original garment making purpose in years.  It had yellowed with age and I distressed it even further with a dusting of gold Perfect Pearls.  I thought that I was actually tarting it up with a little sparkle, but it doesn't really show in the photos, so what do I know?  The vintage crystal button is one of my favourites (I know, I know, I keep on saying that) and I paired it up with a couple more of the family button box refugees.  The distressed red bit next to the yellow button is another of Kaite's finds from her wanderings in Bathurst, NSW, Australia.  I believe that it's a zipper pull! There's a little gold ring behind the crystal button.  I have no idea what it is or where I found it, but I suspect that one day, I'll be needing it for something!

Back to the measuring tape......I used to make many of my own clothes.......I wonder if I ever will again?  I did love the challenge of a Vogue pattern, but confess that I don't really know squat about tailoring, so wasted an awful lot of material.  I don't even know how many outfits ended up rolled in a ball and thrown against the wall!!!  At least with beading, mixed media and fibre art, I'm not tempted to do that.......Oh I know, now they're called U.F.O.'s!  Heh, heh, heh......

The finished piece, but it seems I cut off the peak of the roof!  I'll fix that later...when I figure out how!  The colours are not necessarily in my comfort zone, but I have to admit that they make a definite statement.  Now the question is, what are they trying to say?

Stitches used: - back, stacked and boucle/bocce. 

Other fasteners: - E6000 glue for the tile and washers and Aleene's tacky glue for the measuring tape and corrugated cardboard.


I wonder what September will bring?

bjp 0712 - raspberry and lime

July is late and was a bit of a challenge for me.  I sprained my wrist and although not my dominant hand, I found that I still couldn't bead.  Perhaps if I had a "third hand".....you know, one of those clip things....but I didn't, so decided to put my playthings away until the pain was gone.  Surprisingly, healing took longer than I thought it should, but it's good now, so life progresses!!

During my vacation from beads, I dreamed up the raspberry/lime colour scheme.  Not a new one to me, but one that I find particularly refreshing, even though I'm not really a "pink" person.  I even visited a couple of bead stores to beef up the stash.  Did I really need to do that?  Definitely not, but it seems to be a ritual I follow with these journals, so who am I to stifle the muse?  The distressed, metal "7" is actually a new charm that my sister found in Michaels (she sent me more than a few packages of charms, so you'll be seeing more of these lovely mixed media treasures in future projects).  The silver owl is from my stash and this section also showcases a paper clip, a little bit of sequin waste (thanks, Mary Anne!), a millifiori bead, from a string I picked up years ago, a new lantern bead and an abalone shell button (one that's apparently way too shiny for a good photograph).

The squished and naturally distressed metal button was gifted to me from my friend Kaite in Australia ( she picked it up at the side of some road).  The white one (enhanced with a bit of Guilder's Paste) is from the family button box.

Another wee giftie from Kaite -- the top of an old knitting needle.  If you check out her blog, you'll realize that knitting needles are something very precious to her!  Clever Kaite!  I would never have come up with this idea in a million years!!!  Of course, in my defense, I'm not a knitter.......

My vintage button pick for July!!  Also a little "Love" charm that was part of a swap package from someone a while ago.  I confess that I have no idea who sent this particular package, but it contains some lovely things that are certainly fated to appear in future bead journals.  If it was "you", my apologies, but if you let me know, I'll credit you on the blog.

The finished piece!!!  I started out not liking it very much, but it grew on me during the process and I find that I'm really quite fond of it now!  It seems that every time I'm away from beading (or anything else artsy) for a while, it's a huge chore to persuade myself to get back into it.  Does anyone else experience that same effect?  I think it's a sulky muse!!!! What do you think?

My normal rogue, range of stiches including back, stacked, flower and bocce/boucle stitch.

The background for August is already painted, so I expect to start on it soon....................stay tuned!!

leaf me alone....

I needed to make some leaves for an ATC swap over at the Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo Group. Did I want to make green, yellow, red, orange or brown leaves?  No, the muse told me to make them white!!!  They're not intended to duplicate nature but to make an impression of it!  That's my take and I'm sticking to it!

They started with one and grew to three..........

......then multiplied to ten......and finally finished up at twelve........yikes!!!! 

But I only needed three..........finished ATC's for the swap!



The leaves are a version of fabric paper that I read or heard about somewhere (I think my friend Deb mentioned it on our last play day) and then added my own ingredients.  Use cheesecloth for the base and matte medium, instead of watered down white glue.  In retrospect, the glue would have been cheaper to use and would probably give the same effect.  I laid down some freezer paper (shiny side up) and then a layer of cheesecloth......brushed on the matte medium......added bits and pieces of white/cream japanese paper......then another layer of matte medium. I cut all the leaf shapes freehand.....added some fine brass wire to the back and hand stitched the centre veins. 

The background is collaged text, then a layer of crumpled tissue (more matte medium), then a print using acrylic paint on my new Gelli Arts, Gelli Plate (a gelatin print without the fuss).  An empty Robison Anton thread spool was used to make some circular impressions, but you don't really see the effect in this shot.

I wanted a dimensional effect for the leaves and I'm happy to say that I accomplished it!  Of course, they'll probably be squished flat when they arrive in TX, but I'm sure that Diane will be happy to fluff them up for me!

Now what the heck will I do with the rest if the leaves?



wee gifties from afar and a kitchen technique

More results from my July gift exchange with Kaite in Australia.  I wasn't allowed to open the first one until July 23rd and as I was late sending mine, I decided not to open anything else until Kaite  received her parcel from me (at the end of July).  Hee, hee......waiting is so much fun!!  If you check out Kaite's link, you'll see my gifts to her.

Lovely free form peyote earrings and a handmade box.  The earrings are light as a feather and very easy to wear.  The box is clever and I'll need to persuade Kaite to send me the instructions.

Part of our gift exchange is always a handmade postcard.  This is the one Kaite sent me this year.  Interestingly enough, many of the blue fabrics on the background are ones I sent to Kaite to include in a blue quilt that she wanted to make for herself.  I wonder what happened to that quilt?

There was a lot of serendipity happening in our gift exchange this year.  We both made earrings and used circular layered flowers.  She sent me a house, so of course, I had to send one back to her.  It was really quite funny!!

Another lovely postcard, but this time from my friend Beth in South Africa (soon to be moving back to the US).  I admired a series of postcards she made for a PC exchange and she sent me one!!!!!  Aren't I lucky?  The colours just glow as they're made out of some type of waste silk product.  Throwsters Waste, perhaps?

Thanks to both Kaite and Beth for my lovely presents!

What else have I been up to??  We'll I found that I just couldn't resist the kitchen anymore, so started playing with flour.  I mixed up flour and water (wisk together one cup of flour and one cup of cold water), spread a thin to medium layer on the fabric and then leave it to dry for 24 hours.  I used a credit card to slather on the goop as my pieces were fairly small.  You could also use a squeegee for larger pieces.  I pin one end of the fabric to a layer of plastic, over a layer of towelling, felt or cardboard.  When you've finished spreading the flour/water mixture, pin around the sides as the fabric will curl up as it dries.

When it's dry, crumple it up in your hands until you are satisfied with the crackle effect.  Lay the fabric back down on fabric and paint on thinned down fabric paint/acrylics or ink.  Make sure you get well down into the cracks.  If using a dark paint on light fabric, you should be able to see some of the results on the back of the fabric.

I used mostly Setacolour transparent fabric paint in Ultramarine Blue.  One blob of paint at a time and 3-5 short sprays of water, mixed on a pallette of some type (I use well washed meat trays).  I used a lot of paint!

Plain white cotton fabric/dark blue paint!  It's nice, but perhaps a little boring.

 Reclaimed cotton fabric that had previously been dyed with black, Procion MX dye.  I thought the piece was a failure, because it turned out a rather blah grey.  It certainly looks a little more lively with a combination of white pearl acrylic and white acrylic ink (the lighter colour that almost looks like a light grey).  It's better, but certainly not perfect.

Now we're talking!!!!  Green/white wipe up cloth with the dark blue Setacolour.  This one didn't have enough blue for my liking, so after it dried, I cracked the fabric again and added more paint.  I think this one is raw silk, based entirely on the rough texture of the fabric.

I love this one as well!!  Procion MX, parfait dyed cotton with the dark blue Setacolour.  I used turquoise Setacolour first, but it really didn't show up all that well, so the Ultramarine was added after the first layer of paint dried.

It's quite a messy process and not for the faint of heart, but the results are quite satisfying.  I expect these small pieces will decorate my stash for a while as I have no immediate plans for using them.   Don't you think that stash is much better after it ages a while?   I still have a one yard piece of black/white silk that I purchased in the 70's and couldn't bear to use (or I hadn't bought enough to really make anything interesting).  Do you have anything similar?

BTW, to get the flour/paint mixture off the fabric I soaked it in a bowl and then scraped the mixture off the fabric with a credit card (messy, messy, messy...).  I then hand washed and hung to dry.  After that, I heat set the piece with an iron and then threw it in the wash to get rid of any residual flour.  I'm very happy with the overall results and will be playing more in the future.  Perhaps next time with thickened MX dyes!

My next kitchen experiments may require the use of either oatmeal or mashed potato flakes.  Not sure when I'll do it, but do it I will!!!  What do you do in your kitchen?

images of nature

Very few words, but a little bit of paradise on a grey and cloudy day out in the country.  A garden, home and nursery carved out of nature.

Delphiniums, of course!!! I couldn't get close enough to some of the other colours, to get a good photo.  Rats!! 

A surprise pond!

Crazy Daisy!  Don't you love the name?

I don't know if these are Heliopsis or Helianthus.......they confuse me!  Very tall and prolific with yellow daisy type flowers.  I made the mistake of planting some of these in a city garden once and believe me, it didn't take long for them to outgrow their space.  Good cut flowers though and the bees love them!!

Daylily triplets!  The pink are my favourites!

Every once and a while, you need a trip to the country, just to re-charge the batteries.  I feel refreshed!!

bjp 2012 - 1st 6 months

Not much to say, but I thought you might like to see the first six months of my numbered row houses.  Now all I need to do is figure out how to make them larger.  I think that they look pretty nice together, don't you?

I've been sun printing and painting fabric with textile paints this weekend.  No photos yet, but I'll try to take some to post later in the week.  I even painted one of my eye glass cleaner papers (wipes).  You know, those ones in the tidy little package that contain a large amount of acohol.  I purchased mine from Walmart!  BTW I rarely shop at Walmart, but my sister introduced me to these wipes and they're just the perfect thing for greasy glasses.  BTW, the paper took the paint very well and the paper is really very strong.  I may need to do more of this.  What I'm going to use it for, I have no idea, but it's nice to know that they have a second, useful purpose.

bjp 0612 - royal and rich

Purple is the colour of wealth and royalty!  It's also my older sister's favourite colour...so it does have a natural place in my work.  I've twinned the number six this time, with the copper 'ruler' bit from a set of charms gifted by said sister and a black one from an old work calculator that was well past it's prime!!  Silver, copper, light purples and violets were added for contrast.  The lovely art deco silver button is from my vintage collection.  The copper wire 'spring' was hand wrapped by me on a metal mandrel, that had been gifted to me in a beading class. No, I've never held glass to a flame to make beads, but I'm destined to do that one of these days.

I saw an article in the Cloth Paper Scissiors magazine a while back, that showed how to cover old buttons with paper to use in mixed media work.  Well, of course, I had to try it, but instead of using a solid piece of paper, I collaged several bits of Japanese paper I had in my stash.  I used matte acrylic medium for the collage, but modge podge would do as well.  BTW, if you're going to try this at home, remember that the buttons are not washable, so it's really not a good idea to use them on clothes!

The small white piece with the tangle of beads was sent to me all the way from Kaite in Australia!  She found it along the roadside, on one of her many, healthy walks around the neighbourhood!



The copper leaf has been in my stash for a while and the piece underneath it is another of the charms sent by my sister.  I decided to couch the piece on with floss, to add another level of texture.

Not the best photo, but I like the angle and feel that it gives the viewer a completely different perspective on the piece.  Call it my artsy photography attempt!!!

The finished piece!!!  Vintage & family button jar buttons (including the collaged one), hand wrapped copper spring, pearls, bugles, miscellaneous beads, vintage sequin, de-constructed jewelry parts, road 'kill' from Australia & gifted charms.  Stitches include stacked, back, flower, bocce/boucle, couching & a crazy kind of freeform netting.

Do you believe that I'm right on track with the project this year AND that I've completed six months of bead journals?  As usual, I have no idea what I'm going to do for next month, but I want you to know that I do have a couple of numbers up for consideration.  Ahh, you've guessed it!!!  It's the number seven......but I have three or four good ones, so I'll need to hold auditions in the next couple of weeks. Lights, camera, action!!!!!  Oh the suspense...........



update + mail x 2

"Into the Deep" is coming along nicely! The binder clips are helping to control the unruly canvas, so I'm getting a lot less fraying on the edges.  I seem to have veered off somewhere and the bottom edge is definitely not square.  I'm not going to worry about that, but will just be happy with whatever serendipity brings!!!

BTW, my friend Kaite in Australia has taken up the needle challenge and is now knitting squares with yarn bits. Hers will be made into squares and then eventually into a blanket. Isn't that a cool idea? I love projects that use up leftovers of any type!!!! Do you have any ideas?

A couple of close-ups!!! I think that I'll collage some of these together when I get enough and then print them off on either paper or fabric (or both). Wouldn't that be cool?

Remember my "Four Fabric Flower" swap on the Cloth Paper Studio, Yahoo group?  I just received these lovelies in return from (clockwise) Meri, Janene, Rachel (x 2 as she was the hostess and went overboard once she got going) and Barbara.  Thanks ladies!!  I'm not sure what I'll be doing with them, but rest assured they will show up somewhere in my work.  I'm playing with the idea of a fabric book and I think that Meri's lovely raw canvas beauty is a strong possibility for gracing the front of the book.  It won't be soon, but we'll see.............

Unexpected mail from Kaite in Australia.  Well she actually told me that she was sending something, but I didn't know that the little wooden birdhouse would be included.  Roadside pickings (from her walks) for my bead journals, a knitted flower to yarn bomb my balcony railing and a surprise package that I'm not allowed to open until July 23rd (I wonder why??).  Oh yes, missing from the photo are cards & brochures, plus a couple of numbers for future bead journals.  Of course, I couldn't let you see those yet, could I??  BTW, the wooden spools were from a recent yard sale purchase.  I thought it was a nice way to show off the little house.  Now I wonder what type of birds would live in a collaged house of stamps?



into the deep - betwixt and between

I always like to have an in-between, hand stitching project on the back burner, for those times when the muse is not being cooperative and I need to keep my hands busy.  This piece is my homage to the daily stitchings and scratchings of Judy Martin and Penny Berens.  I greatly admire the work of both artists and while, not committed to working on my piece daily, I'd like to think that I'll throw a few stitches on every time the mood strikes!

A long narrow piece ( approximately 6 inches wide by 4 1/2 feet long) that's gentle and very soothing.  I admit that the rolled up canvas is a little awkward, but I'm getting used to it.  Narrow strips of cotton batiks & commercial fabrics have been stitched into machine wrapped braid and then couched onto the artists canvas background, with two strands of embroidery floss.  The original machine wrapped braid technique was taught to me by Penny B. many, many years ago, so I thank her once again for her invaluable instructions.

Detail of the braid and stitching.

Mostly straight and tidy, but I do need a way to corral the canvas while I'm working on it.  Perhaps long safety pins!  Any other brilliant ideas?



The threads are clippings from other projects and mostly live in a big old jar!!!  Don't they make a nice background?

Now enough of this, it's time to start my June bead journal!!!

bjp 0512 - a little bit of sunshine

With the fabulous weather we've been having, I decided that my May bead journal should be painted with the colour of the sun.  May is for bountiful blooms, the promise of lazy summer days, sipping cool drinks and basking in golden rays!!  It also helps that I still had the yellow beads out from my earlier brooch making projects.  Why waste a perfectly good, messy work area?

My five was snatched from an old computer keyboard and then distressed with Baroque Art, Guilders Paste in German Silver (which really looks like an antique gold).  I'm sure that there are many suppliers, but I found mine at Bead Fx in Toronto. Like a true technique addict, I spotted the product on their website and decided that I needed some for my stash!  Now I have five or six colours and will probably, eventually, end up with the entire line.  It's waxy, like shoe polish, easy to apply and a little goes a long way!  It's meant for antiquing all sorts of things (including wood), so I'll be playing with it more in the future!  I wound sock yarn around the base of the key, to fill in the empty space, as it really wasn't suitable for bezelling with peyote (the wide key was on top of a fairly narrow base).  I love the look of the soft yarn against the black key and the hard beaded textures!

Did you spot the dragonfly?

Components in this section include buttons and a bronze buckle from the family button box, an old clasp and metal beads from a deconstructed necklace.  The star was a fairly recent purchase, but I thought it added to the effect! 

I used a smaller vintage button this time and to my surprise, it seems to be a horseshoe! I'm not exactly sure about the significance, but it has some sparkly bits, other carved sections at the top, down the centre and on both sides.  My eyes are not good enough to figure out what they are, but it's an interesting piece.  Perhaps it's telling me to buy a lottery ticket before the month is over!!!

The small shell button at the top is a fairly new purchase, but I think that it fits the theme quite well.  It reminds me of a wee window, sitting prettily at the top of the house.  I wonder who peeks out from behind that window?  Any thoughts?

The finished piece in all it's sunny glory!!!    The belt buckle reminds me of a garden gate and the dragonfly is flitting here and there, looking for the perfect place to land.  Do dragonflies land, or do they just flit about endlessly?  Perhaps I should have included some running water, to add to the ambiance!!  No, you say? It would be too hard to control, you say?  I say, never say never!!!  Water coming up in some future piece.....  I think.........or should I say I promise?

Odds and sods of beads, attached with back, stacked, wildflower and boucle/bocce stitches.  The cool little wildflower stitch can be found in Robin Atkins "Hearts to Hands Bead Embroidery" book. 

Now on to June.................

double swap

I've been swapping again on the Cloth Paper Studio, Yahoo Group (CPS).  A creative, sharing group with interesting swaps and just the right amount of chatter.  The focus is mixed media and they offer a varied range of interests (fabric, paper, beading, dollmaking, stamping, etc).  It suits my off-beat, eclectic nature, but don't let that stop you from joining.  There's something for everyone!

Four Fabric Flowers Swap - Original fantasy flower background, cotton batik, free motion quilted, heat distressed  organza (using a candle flame and not a heat gun). The flower centre is machine wrapped braid, coiled and then stitched by hand).  More details to follow:

Flower # 1 - this one is very calm and appealing!

Machine wrapped braid ------------tear three strips of narrow fabric (a little less than 1/2 inch). Tie them at the top and drop the feed dogs on your sewing machine. Twist the strips and place under the presser foot. Take a stitch and draw up the bottom thread. Set your machine to zigzag and then just stitch!!! I use one colour of rayon thread in the bottom and another colour on the top. Stitch backwards and forwards to get good thread coverage. When you get to the end, zigzag in place to finish the end. Without cutting the thread, zigzag backwards again until you return to the top and bump up against the knot. Zigzag in place again, then switch to straight stitch and take a few more stitches. Cut thread! I use a machine braiding foot for more control, but you can use any free motion embroidery or quilting foot. I haven't tried to do this with a darning foot, but have found that it works quite well with my large quilting foot. You'll need to experiment with the accessories that come with your machine. If you like the technique, then I suggest that you invest in a braiding foot. It's worth it!!

I started with the braid spiral, but thought that the flower was too plain, so I added a couple of layers of organza and then heat distressed. (Note: the melted organza is toxic, so protect your lungs by ONLY doing this in a well ventilated area with the proper ventilation mask (not a dust mask). Check out your local safety store and ask their advice!  I am not responsible for your lungs, you are!!!). I was a little happier, but thought that it still needed something, so I decided to add a quilted flower. The design was drawn on the dull side of freezer paper (FP), cut out and then ironed to the quilt sandwich (cotton batting sandwiched between two layers of cotton batik). I free motion (FM) stitched (dropped feed dogs) just outside the edges of the FP and then removed the paper. I then FM stitched the quilt design, cut just outside the stitched edge and assembled the flower with a tiny tacking stitch.

Flower #2 - this one is actually a yummy pink and orange, but you really don't see much of the pink in this photograph.

Flower # 3 - I originally thought the blue organza was too dark, but it grew on me! 

Flower # 4 - my sunny flower! 

The whole gang!  No particular flower in mind when I designed these, but for some reason they remind me of water lillies.  Am I crazy?

Lessons learned! 

• Check your stash before going to the fabric store.
• Don't buy the expensive organza in the drapery section.  It doesn't melt properly! Good for drapery sheers, but bad for mad fibre artists!
• Test before you stitch!

BTW, you need synthetic organza, not silk!  The flowers are approximately 4" wide.

****************************************************************

Playing By The Numbers Swap - torn masking tape background, acrylic paint, text on computer paper (torn,  FM stitched on watersoluble and then dissolved), collaged text, hand carved stamp, Stazon ink, straight stitching. 

The textured background was made by tearing small pieces of masking tape and attaching it to cardstock.  Painted with acrylic, left to dry and then rubbed with Stazon ink.  If I use this techniqe again, I'd probably use distress inks instead of the Stazon for a more muted effect.

Torn paper sandwiched between two layers of H20 Gone, watersoluble stabilizer.  FM stitched  and then dissolved in water.  Warning!  Not all printer inks are the same, some will wash away (dye based) but this technique works great with Epson DuraBrite pigment inks. I don't know about toner copies. 

The background for the stamp is just text, collaged onto cardstock and then painted with a watered down layer of gold acrylic.  The stamp was designed and then carved out of a dollar store eraser (the design needs to be transferred backwards) with Speedball Carving tools and stamped with Stazon ink.  The last time I carved a stamp was in high school!!!  Back then we used potatos and real lino flooring tiles.  From what I remember, the eraser was easier to carve, but the lino held the lines better.  The potato was just plain weird!! I think my stamping technique needs work!  The stamp kept slipping on the acrylic.  I should have attached it to some type of handle or block.

I was going for a graphic, grafitti or comic book type of look......did it work?

I decided to carry on the theme for the back.  I cut a styrofoam meat tray into ATC size (2 1/2" X 3 1/2"), used a pen and carved 7's backwards all around the edge.  I stamped with distress ink!  It's not a polished look, but interesting!  I will be doing more of this in the future.

Lessons learned:

• my stash items need to be better organized.  Where is that nice, thick block of carving material I purchased several years ago?
• practice makes perfect
• Stazon ink smells nice
• small stamps need a firm background to stabilize them
• acrylic paint is a slippery stamping surface
• a larger surface is better for fledgling carvers (the eraser was too small)
• I want to do more of this, but next time with the proper carving material and a combination of the Speedball tools and an Exacto knife,

I really enjoyed these swaps!  I hope that you did as well