More Creativity

I was once again about to lie down to sleep when BUTTONS shouted out at me. I just knew where they had to go. This is the Journal page I had made earlier in the day with buttons attached.

And here are the buttons on my needle books.

They took me no longer than half an hour in total, including choosing the buttons and deciding where they were to go. I was able to watch 'Air Force One' again while doing this.

Yesterday was busy

Sorry there were such a lot of posts yesterday but there was a lot to show you. I am taking part in a Be Creative weekend and have been doing a lot of 15 minute creative activities. Some of which I showed you yesterday.

Last night I did some quick pages in my art journal. with Koh-I-Noor water based paint and sugar water. Now they are dry I can show them to you.

They took me no longer than 15 minutes to create. 

The two acrylic pictures below are made with bronze and red acrylic paint and my trusty bubble wrap to create a texture. Sorry Myfanwy I do have a bag of fruit bags, but the bubble wrap was handier. The second piece has a few accidental white marks as I was in too much of a hurry - as usual - and they came off onto my piece of baking parchment. I quite like them so they may stay. And yes, before you ask - they are still wet!

New needle books

Yes a change came over my thoughts as I knocked back my fabric journal pages with chiffon and the embellisher. I was working away when I suddenly thought needle books, so here they are completed
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Yesterday's sketchbook paintings

4 dry pages. Note the subtle marks left by the salt

A sponge was used for this one and sugar was involved. It really looks better in real life

This one is my least favourite. It may have more colour added later.

This really does show the effects of the salt. I only put red dye on this one, honest no orange!

Thanks Myfanwy, Off to look at our challenge prompt for today.

Creative Day

Well today has been quite a creative day. Well not so much creative as a learning process. Thanks to Lindsey I had made two small pots on her wheel last week. These are the pots I made. I know they are not quite centred properly but they were my first try!

Today we had an afternoon of glazing and here are my pots now before they are fired. I'll have to wait until next week before I get my little pots back and see how they turn out.

Tonight I have made a few new background journal pages thanks to the prompt from Creating Something New Every Day. You will have to wait until tomorrow before I post pictures when the pages are dry. All I can say is that sugar and salt were involved.

Fabric book signatures

OK the fabrics I found last night (early this morning!) have been turned into some signatures for my fabric book. They aren't completed yet and I'm not sure if the stripes should go horizontally or vertically. What do you think?

The next one - I forgot that the velvet was stretchy and I only had small amounts.

Then cat number one decided she wanted part of the action.

When I went to the machine cat number two was there padding around the desk and then she followed me to the cutting mat.

It must be getting near tea time as they are now having a great time chasing one another around the couch. My wool has been moved out from there as we are decorating and they are both a bit unsettled because things are not where they should be.

Sleepless

Why when trying to go to sleep does the mind start wandering and I thought about my newest journal. How could I use it to inspire a new project? I had a thought and just had to get up and dig out a few pieces of fabric. In only took a few minutes. felt from the felt box and a few scraps from the first scrap box I put my hands on. Well I just had to audition them and now I'm wide awake again. This is the result. Now I just have to think of a way to combine them - the embellisher might have to come out or even the sewing machine. I'd like to make a fabric book this time.

Last Saturday I got together with some of my Guild friends to learn a new skill for some - needle weaving. We did some of the basics first then started a bigger project - guess what it is! It takes a long time to wrap the wires. Tonight I finished one wing. I've made a few mistakes but hope that I have been able to disguise them.

New beads and a Journal

Well last night I made 3 new beads with some viscose knitting ribbon and I think they go very nicely with the dark purple ones I had already made - perhaps they will make a new necklace.

Also my papers have been made into a new journal. Thanks to Colouricious for the Elephant and my new printing blocks. Also to Frieda Oxenham who pointed me to a lovely journal making YouTube video by Jennibellie.

My journal is quite small and I should have reinforced the cover a bit more. Anyway you might recognise one or two of the papers shown below.

Not much to show

Well today I don't really have anything to show you, I am still waiting for my printing to dry!!!!!!!! every time I touch the papers I get printing ink all over my hands grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

Today I did a refresher course with a guild member on needle-weaving. There isn't a lot to show yet as we were doing sample pieces and it takes a long time.

I've also been playing with some rayon ribbons for my knitted beads BUT they got all ravelled up and it took me hours to untangle them.

So it's been a busy day if not a productive one.

Bracelet

Well I haven't got any further with the project I had in mind for the beads I showed you yesterday. However here is the Python bracelet I made last night. I was going to make another necklace but started to run out of the 20mm wooden beads, so it became a bracelet instead.

My papers have now been trimmed and printed on. (I just had to use the new stamps I got from Colouricious today!) Here they all are. I have plans for them but you will have to wait to see what they will become. Can you guess?

More paper and beads

I have made another paper using the kitchen towels painted the other day. Note the paper markings are a much brighter colour.

Compare today's paper with the one made yesterday

Now which of these beads will become part of my next completed project? Sorry the photo is a bit dark and you can't see them properly.

Dry papers

What I didn't tell you was that yesterdays papers had two lots of colour on them. The first time they were too pale so I added more colour and these papers are the result.

they are still very pale, I had forgotten that Koh-I-Noor does go much paler when dry. I'm going to live with it though as there will be more put on later.

Below you can see one of the papers that I tore up and stuck back together mixing up the colours. I used Golden Matt Medium to stick the papers down and couldn't wait for it to dry before taking the photo, hence the slight sheen which will disappear as it dries. I like matt medium as it combines the papers without curled up edges

I made another very large bead and completed my first necklace. It's not that spectacular as they are all my practice beads. I'm now working on another one and I'll be a bit more careful about the bead placing. More to come later.

Back to playing

Not sure how many people are still following my blog. I have been very remise over the last year or so. But I am back to playing again so I do have pictures to share again.

Here are some papers I am preparing - we will have to wait for them to dry before I tell you what I am going to do with them. They are still very wet. I've used Koh-I-Noor dye paints so the colours are very vibrant. The slightly see through papers are kitchen towels.

Here are my first attempt at making beaded, knitted beads

I have made more beads and hope to make a better necklace as my trials progress. Playing with different yarns show how different they all look. I'll let you see more as I play.

Please let me know if you are still with me as I'll feel very lonely if you don't.

Sorry I have been absent

Yes I know I have been absent for a long time. My apologies. I will try and rectify this soon.

I hope everyone is getting excited about Christmas, coming soon! Yesterday we went for a visit to York to see the St Nicholas Fair. It was a long day, the trains we were booked on were cancelled due to the weather and it was COLD. 

We did a lot of walking and there were lots of people round the stalls. The best event was inside the Guildhall and it was free. Some of the other inside events charged entry. 

DH took a lot of photos of the flooded river at night with all the lights. I haven't seen them all yet. He spends ages playing around with them. It was quite spectacular but not fun for those businesses effected.

Bye for now.

Off on my Rambles

This Wednesday I am off on my rambles again. This time it is to Egypt with Colouricious. I will be doing a block printing course with Jamie and Marilyn. DH is coming as well so he can do some scuba diving. We have been told that the Red Sea is the best place for scuba diving and that the fish there are fantastic. So we will both be happy.


I hope to be able to let you see what I've done when I get back.

February

Hello everyone, February is here and I am now a year older. Thank you to all my friends who sent me greetings or cards and threads. It is lovely to have so many lovely stitching friends. yesterday I went out for a meal with DH. I had seen my sister last Wednesday when she had a preview evening of her beautiful art work in Spennymoore Leisure Centre.


Here she is with her friend Catherine Howard If you would like to see more of Lindsey's work go to Lindseysatrbornart

Catherine can be found at Catherinejhoward and she is a very talented textile artist. Well done girls on a fantastic show.

I must take a photo of my Ruby Wedding Sampler which is now complete but it will have to wait until daylight. Today we have snow and I had to go out in it as I went to a friends 60th birthday party. A good time was had by all. I have also made a patchwork bag but again don't have the photos. Next time I promise a better run down of my work.

January

Well we are half way through January and I still haven't said Happy New Year to you all. So belatedly Happy New Year.
Having arrived back home on January 1st I have started an online workshop run by Strathmore Artists Studios.
Here is the first paper I made.

I then started taking small portions of the paper so I have nice close ups

Because I am an embroiderer I then did some tissue samples using similar techniques to the papers. These are serviettes I collected while away on holiday. The first one has been sprayed, stamped, then doodled. When everything was dry I then attached the papers with Bondaweb (Wonder-under) onto a wadding and stitched the piece by machine and hand. It's lovely and will be the front of a sketch book.

The second one is not finished yet

My next photo shows the progress of my Anniversary Sampler