A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk

a grey day

I've been hoping to complete some wips but haven't had much motivation. Actually, I woke up this morning with a black cloud over me and haven't been able to shake it all day. I'm counting the minutes until I can put the kids to bed and I don't know why. I'll probably just go to sleep. Everything just seems more difficult today.

I finally got Hillary's Make-a-Long patterns and am going to take a stab at making Olive & Archie. I showed the pictures to the kids and Maisey made me go out and buy the fabric today. I had to talk her out of wanting flannel Cinderella fabric for Olive's body. I guess she's a little excited. Soren already decided that he is going to rename Archie Lovey. I got some new owl fabric I'm thinking will make a cool shirt for Lovey:

These beauties came in while we were in Vegas from Fabric Tales. The shipping was super quick, maybe a week total coming from Japan. They also threw in a large fabric sample and this wonderful postcard. Plus the shipping was only about $10 which is half the price of Kitty-Craft, though the selection isn't quite as good. I do like that you can buy whole yards, though. I'm thinking of Archie, I mean Lovey, in the tan owls. I bet he's cool enough to pull it off.

Oh, and I don't think I've showed you these:

25 charms I made for an MMCA charm swap. I call them "forbidden fruit". Here's a not so great close-up:

They are about an inch and a quarter long and are made from my fabric beads wrapped in wire. I ran out of the round dangly beads and had to make half of them with the coiled wire. Ruth has generously volunteered to make the charms into a linked bracelet for us. I just hope mine don't catch on everything the ladies come in contact with.

my stamps & a new patchwork bag

A while back I posted about the stamp set that I designed and which were being released. Well, long story short, the company I designed for went out of business and I thought my stamps were DOA. But good news! Blockhead Stamps has picked up the line and now they will be selling my stamps! The stamp sheet is about 8.5 x 11, so you get lots of stamps and several of them are nice and big. Blockhead sells them as untrimmed rubber or pre-cut rubber on cling cushion. I am soooo excited to see them live! You can buy them on the site (along with a coordinating alphabet) here, just scroll down a bit. But here's a peek:

In case you can't tell from the photo, the set includes a corner design and a border.

In other news, I finished another patchwork bag and have listed it in my Etsy shop.

For this one I used some of my new Japanese fabric and hand stitched applique. I have another bag in the making, but I've ripped seams out of it so many times I want to throw it out the window. Maybe in another couple of days I'll be able to finish it up.

new totes, pincushions, and more

Finally I'm ready to update my Etsy shop! I've been working hard on adding some special things for a while, but I wanted to have a good number of things before I uploaded them. I finished up my quilted fabric and decided to make it into tote bags. You can see more pictures here. Both of these bags will be in my shop later today--God and kids willing! Along with the bags, you can find some pincushions made from my paper towel fabric, a new fabric book, and even sunglasses cases! Here's a sneak peek:

Check out my shop later for more pictures and details. Now that it has taken me all morning to take the photos, edit and post them, I've got to get to the grocery store and run some errands. I'll be back later this afternoon with the Etsy update!

a new book & patchwork experiments

The past week's work has been mostly experimental--my favorite kind of work. Yesterday my beloved postal carrier brought me the much anticipated and drooled over Mixed Media Explorations.

Since I ordered the book, my daily prayer has been, "please-God-let-me-get-my-book-today-please-please-please!" And yes, apparently, I am that shallow. But--oh!--it did not disappoint me and was well worth the wait. (I'm getting all giddy just typing this. I actually have goose bumps.) This book is exquisite. Luscious. Magnificent. And all of those over the top adjectives--it truly deserves them. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous buying it sight unseen (at $38, including shipping), but it is worth every penny for the pictures alone. Beryl Taylor's art is unparalleled. I don't even know what to compare it to. Her attention to detail is awe-inspiring. Her use of color and texture--stunning. And as if that's not enough, she generously shares so many of her techniques de-mystifying her processes, but certainly not her talent. You will be amazed. I am so dying to show you more pictures, but I will be good...just go get your own copy so we can talk about it. I promise, if you love fabric, paper, embellishment, embroidery, or beautiful things in general, you won't be disappointed.

It seems that I have a hard time making anything lately without using my sewing machine. And my favorite thing has become patchwork pieces using some of the to-die-for commercial fabrics out there mixed with some of my own hand painted ones. John barely cashed his paycheck this week before I blew my "allowance" on stacks of fabrics from ebay and here. Since my new goodies are en route, I had to satisfy myself with putting together my first patchwork bag:

I actually made the patchwork front to cut up for some smaller projects but because of personality fault #2 discussed here, I couldn't bear to cut it up so I made it into a purse. Having that one saved from potential disaster then freed me up to experiment with some more random patchwork fabrics like this one:

I started with a piece of muslin as a base then pinned on squares of patterned and mostly-solid fabrics. I dyed the solids myself earlier in the week. Once the entire piece of muslin was covered, I stitched everything down just enough to keep it in place. Then I added some more mostly decorative stitching in a second thread color to emphasize the layered block pattern:

Then a few more fabric pieces here and there as focal points, and more decorative stitching:

I like it so far, but it needs a bit more embellishment. Some little details here and there  as accents and to tie everything together. Already, though, I'm thinking this will be a tote bag.... Maybe you'll even see it in the shop this week, she thinks ambitiously.

a few updates

I finally finished the fabric book I have been working on for Dawn. I was thrilled to have been one of the lucky ones to get a peek at her most recent trade catalog, and I think I was looking forward to making something special for her as much as I am looking forward to receiving one of her beautiful collages. It is the first time I've made something like this with another person in mind and it was both challenging and way too much fun. It is great to sell your work, but there is also something special about making something for another artist who you know can really appreciate the work and heart that go into handmade things. Anyway, here's what I came up with.

Like my other books, the cover is hand painted and stamped fabric, this time with random fibers fused over the top leaving a smooth and almost glossy sheen to the surface. The bird is a packing tape transfer. The inside pages are hand dyed and sewn together into one signature. It's the largest book I've made yet, maybe 9x10 in. Plenty of room for journaling, doodling or whatever. I hope she likes it.

I also put together a patchwork bag that I'll try to photograph and share tomorrow. I have lots of things in the works to update my Etsy shop. Some books, fabric beads, pin cushions, and a few other little things. Hopefully I can get that up next week. As for tonight, no working late for me. I just bought the newest issue of Belle Armoire and it looks fabulous, so now I'm off for a hot bath and some inspirational reading. Good night!

label love and wip

I've been wanting to order some woven labels, but end up spending my money on other things. Then I remembered I had one sheet of inkjet printer fabric left. Perfect. There is one thing crossed off my list. I'm also working on something for someone special that I don't want to reveal quite yet. Okay, maybe just a little teaser.

WIP--frustrated

This is my week's work--thwarted. A stack of freshly washed and ironed fabrics left temptingly close to where Maisey sat drawing with my new super-cool package of over-priced-but-bought-with-a-coupon-Sharpies. I knew I should have left the markers off limits, but I was trying to buy some time to finish up laundry. Bad mommy.

It wasn't all bad, though. I did end up making a new pincushion that I love. Half way through the day I realized mine was no longer good enough so whipped up a new one using my paper towel fabric. If you were wondering what the heck I was going to do with it, here you go.

I'm bringing it along on vacation next week to test it out. If it holds up well, I might even make a few for my etsy shop. If you haven't been by my shop, go check it out! (Shameless plug, I know.) But right now, I'm terribly tired after two hours of grocery shopping with a 3 year old who didn't get a nap and we have to be up super early for a day at the beach, so off to bed. Have a great weekend everyone!

making fabric

Feeling so much better and so glad to be creating again. I didn't even know where to start when I found myself with a few free minutes in the studio yesterday. I haven't had the energy to do anything for almost a week, and I pretty much have to be on my death bed not to at least move piles of supplies around a bit. I've been wanting to dye some more papers using my new stencils and try out a new technique with Liquid Sculpey and also make the DSQ oven mitt and there is Sue's Alphabetica journal that arrived this weekend and and and....

What I decided was to play a while to get in the mood and I ended up making some more fabric, this time from fusing a dyed paper towel to felt and then quilting it.  (I know this must sound weird, just keep an open mind.)

I was reading recently in an older issue of Quilting Arts or Cloth Paper Scissors about making fabric from tissue and kraft paper and decided to try it with my dyed paper towels and then quilt the whole thing up with gold thread and free motion stitching. (I can't get enough of the gold thread!) I wish you could feel this. It has a wonderful feel to it, almost leathery. Because I used fusible webbing to fuse the paper & felt there is quite a bit more strength to it than you would think. There is even a bit of stretchiness about it. I love it and want to make some bigger pieces soon. Here is a little close up of the texture, if you can tell:

We've also been doing lots of gardening so later I'll have some pics of the new pots and plants...not to be confused with new pot plants.... oh, I'm just sooo funny.

New fabric journals

Tonight, while simultaneously cooking diner, cleaning house, and playing dress up, I was able to add some new goodies to my Etsy shop. I am sooooo happy with these. Each one was a labor of love:

This new fabric book is similar to this one but with a tropical theme--inspired by the Rio Grande Valley where we live and where hibiscus flowers grow to the size of dinner plates.

This one I am really excited about. Many experimental techniques combined here, and I just love the way it turned out. It is a bit more substantial than the cherry journal here.  The texture is fabulous because of the layer of chiffon on top. I layered some of my painted papers with angelina fibers (scroll down for link), other fibers, and chiffon for the cover. The pages are all hand dyed and embellished. More pics:

The last pic are sample inside pages.

I also finished up the holder for my CD for the Music Swap. Next I just have to finish up the CD. Watch for that one tomorrow!

art journals for trade

These are some new blank journals I've been working on using my hand stamped and painted fabrics & papers (see some here.) Both books are bound by hand. The fabric book has dyed papers of various sizes so you never have to fear a blank white page staring back at you. It also has little pockets & envelopes for treasured ephemera. I'm thinking the pages can serve as jumping off points for your own artwork or writings or you could leave the pages as a colorful background for photos. The paper journal at the bottom is hand stitched and the inside watercolor papers were left completely blank--for the purist.

I think I will be keeping these and a few more like them that I am working on for trades, so if you are interested in an art trade, let me know! Later I will add some to the Etsy shop I'm working on. More on that later.