Art Escapes

October Clamshells

2010-10-31T22:19:00.003Z

Having stitched so few in September it was time to catch up for this month's update but first I needed to prepare more clamshells. My rows are now getting bigger requiring more clams of each colour & pattern so I printed off a whole batch with Inklingo .......

.........and then spent an evening cutting them out ready for stitching.

My clams around the world are growing, I've stitched 84 of these little beauties since the last update & it now measures 55" point to point. I think I'll be adding just two more rows after this faded red row, then it will be nice shorter rows to start filling in the corners & square it up.
Happy stitching :)

A few more Pies

2010-10-05T20:52:00.004+01:00

I think I got quite carried away with making Pies last month & ended up with a total of 20! I'm using all sorts of red & blue fabric combinations, repros, brights, Kaffe Fassett & some delicate Rural Jardin by French General below.

I've also been auditioning a couple of spot fabrics for the background.......

& finally decided to go with the pale blue dots, so now at least I can start to applique the pies as I make them.

I've been so engrossed with these & catching up with my Tessellations BOM that I've completed neglected my clamshells, the end of the month has been & gone with no update from yours truely...........I promise to do better next month :)

I'm BAD

2010-09-27T23:17:00.002+01:00

In fact, I'm very bad!

You can find out why here & here .

Please forgive me :)

Catching up with Tessellations

2010-09-24T21:26:00.008+01:00

Earlier this year I signed up for the Brigitte Giblin Tessellations BOM from Material Obsession & was really falling behind having only completed the 1st block here back in April.

So I decided it was time to get a move on with these and catch up as Block # 8 is winging it's way to me as I type! I've loved working on these as the fabrics are fussy cut & English paper pieced to create the design which is then appliqued to the background.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

Block 5 & 6 below ready to be appliqued to their backgrounds

and Block 7 below also ready to be stitched together

Hopefully this weekend I'll have the time to complete these last 3 and be up to date with this project which has been a pleasant distraction with all the bright vibrant colours.

Something new.....

2010-09-04T13:42:00.021+01:00

Lucy joined me in the garden last weekend as we made the most of the fine weather to prepare quite a few of these.......I had ordered the templates & papers form here quite a long time ago but just hadn't got round to using them. My mother, knowing I have a weakness for tins & containers gave me this lovely old one below she no longer needed which is just the right size for keeping all the bits & pieces together.
Stitched together these slices make lovely pies (calorie free of course!) for the Pies & Tarts quilt designed by Sue Daley of Patchwork with Busyfingers. I know it's another EPP project, but this time instead of basting with needle & thread I'm glueing the fabric to the templates using a fabric glue pen by Sewline, which saves alot of prep time. See Sue's mini tutorial here.

I'm blaming the lovely Shirley of Stitcherydo for enticing me into starting this by showing her gorgeous pies here so we are now both working on this project & finding it as addictive as the Klosjes, Clamshells & Hexagons. I've been gradually building a little stash of red, blue & shirtings fabrics this last year which are perfect for this design as I've wanted to make a quilt using these colours for some time now. This pattern is also ideal for using up lots of different fabrics helping to reduce those piles of scraps we all collect.

The Quilt Room in the UK have started this as a BOM from the 1st September, so we reckon there are going to be quite a few out there stitching pies & were wondering if there's anyone else working on this design who would be interested in a Pies & Tarts club? Drop us an email or comment if you're interested.
Have a great weekend :)

Clamshells - August update

2010-08-30T21:14:00.004+01:00

Here's my progress for August, 3 more rows added to my clamshell trip around the world. I managed to stitch quite a bit whilst on holiday,(so easy with Inklingo) & made the most of this lovely granite bench in Mum's garden to take a photo. I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else is progressing with this project.

It's wonderful to see how the Pay it Forward is spreading through blogland. My 3 places are now full & if you wish to participate, don't despair as Theodora still has spots available so pop on over to say hi & sign up.
Have a great week :)

Home Again - Klosjes & Flowers

2010-08-25T22:54:00.008+01:00

We're back in Jersey having had a lovely break visiting Mum in France. She lives in rural Brittany which is very quiet & relaxing with beautiful countryside as in Bon Repos above. This is where the Daoulas river joins the canal which runs from Nantes to Brest & in the background you can see the ruins of the abbey gradually being restored having been destroyed by fire centuries ago.

I managed to finish the Klosjes quilt just in time, Mum was thrilled & surprised with her gift.

I had taken it to work at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust before we left & made the most of our beautiful grounds & granite buildings around the Manor house to have a little photo shoot.

The white door at the top of the above picture is the entrance to my office.

As I had been spending most of my time focusing on finishing the Klosjes quilt, my hexi flowers had been neglected ........

.........but I managed to make a few whilst on holiday

5 more were added to the pile

and a few clamshells were stitched too!

More to be revealed at the end of the month!

July update - Clamshell Calamity!

2010-07-31T11:41:00.009+01:00

Remember how far I had got last month above with my clamshells? I was so excited at having the 3.5" Inklingo download to continue as it would save so much preparation time, alas, I just couldn't match up my Inklingo clams with the traditionally prepped ones.

So, in order not to waste all this precious fabric alot of unpicking had to be done

and a template was made to mark up the Inklingo points on the unpicked clamshells

which then matched up perfectly with the Inklingo ones!

So after alot of frantic stitching, I've just about achieved as much as I did in June.

I'm so pleased I switched to the Inklingo clams as they do go together more acurately than the other method I was using. Now when I look back at the 1st photo in this post I can see alot of irregularities, so, as they say...... it was meant to be.
Happy clamming :) G

PS. Thank you for all the sweet comments on the last post about Lucy, she really is an amazing cat & has settled into her new home so well in just a couple of weeks, we are so lucky to have her.

Lucy's settling in.....

2010-07-27T20:56:00.007+01:00

Having spent her first 2.5 years in a cattery, Lucy is adjusting to home life very well. All the usual household noises were very strange & alarming to her at first. She soon became quite mesmerised by the television & even watched a bit of the world cup final.

It didn't take her long to find a comfy spot on my Klosjes quilt top either!

She also enjoys spending time on the windowsill watching the birds when she's not busy playing with her toy mice or catching flies.

.....and soon discovered the comfort of a nice soft sofa for a little snooze!
All in all, I think she's settling in really well, don't you?

Diamonds & tumbling blocks

2010-07-25T11:14:00.018+01:00

Workshop Day 1
For Friday's workshop we were working with Big Diamonds from Kaffe Fassett's book Kaleidoscope of Quilts & I chose to work with the selection of blues pictured above. The day was very full on & intense as the idea is to get a huge variety of fabric cut & placed on the design wall quickly in order to have the time to focus on placement of colour values & the overall quilt design.

Brandon loved getting right in there with suggested alternative placements & was always on hand for advice when needed.
At 3pm it was critique time & Kaffe went round and gave his perspective of each individual piece of work & offered more advice on placement, emphasising the importance of using large prints for this quilt as small ones tend to become lost in the overall design and end up looking like plain colour fabrics with no definition or movement.

It was a fabulously inspiring day, so much so, that once home I had to continue cutting diamonds to complete my quilt & started machine stitching them into strips the next day (yes I actually used the machine!).

Workshop Day 2

Sunday's workshop was dedicated to creating big tumbling blocks inspired by Liza Prior Lucy's quilt in Kaffe's Quilt Romance book. The emphasis here was to focus on light, medium & dark colour values & their correct placement to create the 3 dimensional effect of the blocks.

Alot of cutting & placing was done

Loved this above combination by one of the ladies

I chose to work with graphic prints in warm ochres, browns & golds from Kaffe's & Brandon's range of fabrics as I'm planning to make this for my son. It was quite funny to start with as Brandon was pinching my diamonds & placing them as quickly as I was cutting, so the first few blocks at the top left of the picture will remain as placed by him!
After the all important critique, Kaffe once again offered to sign copies of his books & pose for pictures before departing for the day.
I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 days with these guys & am so glad I chose to do both workshops.......even though exhausting! They are very intense but an awful lot is achieved, so well worth it & I would highly recommend them without hesitation.

Guess who's coming to Jersey?

2010-07-11T20:09:00.012+01:00

Can you believe it? Kaffe Fasset is actually coming to our little Island to run some workshops next weekend. Am I attending some you ask? You bet I am!

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

On a totally different note, we have a new addition to our family.........meet Lucy. She's a 3 year old British Shorthair Silver Spottie and is a real sweetie.

She only came home yesterday & it's going to take a while for her to settle in & feel confident in her new home as she's been used to living in a cattery with her breeder.......... this is where she decided she felt safe today, on the DVD shelf behind the television!

The house has been so empty since our dear 14 year old labrador, Max left us 18 months ago, so I felt it was time to welcome a new pet into the home. We still miss him loads.

Clamshells, Hexagons & Klosjes

2010-06-29T18:34:00.004+01:00

Remember these I was busy cutting & preparing a few weeks ago? Well they have gradually been stitched together to form this..........

I finally decided on the layout below........a clamshell trip around the world. I've nearly used up those previously prepared & will print out the next batch using the 3.5" Inklingo version which should really speed up the prep time. Thank you Linda, Cathi & Theresa for all your help & advice :)

Just one little flower produced for One Flower Wednesday nestling amongst the Lobelia. This variety is called Crystal Palace, my favourite as it's such a vibrant blue.

.......and finally all my Klosjes are now made, 192 in total (4.75" sq) & the last ones are being stitched together to add the final 3 rows to the bottom of the main piece, this top should be finished this week.

Hope you're all having a great week where ever you are in the world, the weather is glorious here in Jersey, it finally feels like summer!
Happy stitching :)

Step into my garden ..........

2010-06-15T19:40:00.018+01:00

........and sit down to do a little stitching

It's quite a small garden, approximately 5.5 metres square & surrounded by a high wall which creates a micro-climate allowing me to grow some topical plants in this temperate zone.

As you can see I collect plants, especially ones that flower

The California lilac (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus) is now in bloom & smells heavenly when you're sitting next to it, this variety is 'Skylark', a deeper blue & flowers a little later than other varieties.

3 days ago the jasmine was just in bud

.......and is now starting to bloom. This plant is just outside the lounge door & smells divine as it wafts into the living room in the evening.

This year my hardy orchid (Bletilla) has decided to flower again, it is a ground orchid which lives in my semi shady border & dies back in the winter, to re-emerge each spring.

Growing amongst the Cape leadwort (Plumbago auriculata) are the 3 new additions to my hexie flower garden. This plant produces the most beautiful sky blue flowers during the summer, here's a little sneak peek from last year as it is a little early yet.

Well I hope you've enjoyed the little tour of some of my plants, as others decide to come out of hiding, I'll introduce you to them one by one.Happy gardening & stitching of course!

Duh!

2010-06-11T18:41:00.007+01:00

Give me a D for Dunce!

I've been worrying I had done something wrong & upset my blogging friends as I hadn't received any comments on my last few posts, not that I automatically expect them, but thought it a bit odd all the same.

Then I remembered I'd enabled the moderation facility as I've been getting a few spam comments lately, so, I investigated & realised you weren't automatically emailed comments waiting for moderation on the dashboard but had to go & sign in & publish them.......phew, result!

Thank you for all your lovely recent comments, I'm not ignoring you at all, honest & will respond to your messages over the weekend.
Have a good one : )

Klosjes progress

2010-06-06T15:46:00.008+01:00

June already, where does time go? All of a sudden I realised that August & my trip to France is approaching rather quickly & I need to crack on & finish this top in order to quilt & bind it in time.

Looking at the main piece I decided it needs to be a little larger.... another row of 3 at the side & across the bottom should do it, so just 50 more to sew.

So far: 12 more klosjes made bringing the total to 142.
Happy stitching!

A Finish & A New Beginning

2010-05-31T10:37:00.017+01:00

Well here we finally have my first finish which I machine quilted with much trepidation & Kim, if you're reading this, I even managed the mitred corners on the binding! It's by no means perfect but I'm still learning.

Clamshell Prep

This weekend I started getting ready for the Clamshell club organised by Jossie.

Lots of templates had to be traced & cut out, (I decided to try Freezer paper)

then ironed onto the back of the fabric

........and more cutting out

finally I gathered the seam with a running stitch over the top curve of the template

then played around with a couple of layouts, still not sure which I will go for.........

all will be revealed on 30th June!

Klosjes update: I'm afraid I have to report none were stitched this week, but I have been piecing the blocks together, so haven't been completely idle!

Pay it forward

2010-05-25T22:27:00.003+01:00

I've just signed up for Pay It Forward on Sandra's blog, so now it's my turn to host a Pay It Forward here. This is a lovely way to spread a little sunshine & happiness around the blogging community by sharing handmade gifts.

Here are the rules:

1. The first 3 people to visit my blog & leave a comment here on this post saying they want to participate will receive a homemade gift from me. You are allowed 1 year (according to the rules) in which to send out the gift, but I plan on making something & sending it on much sooner than that.

2. You must have a blog of your own to participate in the PIF.

3. You must post about the PIF on your blog & you must offer the challenge of a PIF.

By accepting my PIF, YOU agree to host a PIF on your blog, you will agree to send a homemade gift (within 1 year) to the first 3 people who sign up on your blog to participate in your PIF & so it continues.

Rouenneries by French General

2010-05-22T18:22:00.050+01:00

I have been lusting after the Rouenneries range of fabrics ever since they first appeared last autumn, but really couldn't justify the expense at the time. Lately I've noticed that stocks are gradually diminishing, so in a panic, ordered some to have for a project some time in the future. How could I possibly make the best use of these & come up with something different to all the wonderful quilts being created with this fabric?

Cathi at Quilt Obsession has used hers to create gorgeous Drunken Path blocks out of charm packs using the Inklingo system. Doesn't this look delightful?......can't wait to see this grow!

Below is a gorgeous quilt called Madeleine Grown Up by Nicole of Sister's Choice Quilts. Look at all those super star blocks which show off this fabric beautifully. Not content with this, Nicole has started another quilt called Elizabeth which is going to be another stunner!

The beauty above is the lovely Waterloo quilt designed by Sue Daley . The pattern is available from Sue's online store Patchwork with Busyfingers & is a combination of English paper piecing, applique & embroidery......hmmm......very tempting.

This divine appliqued Fleur de Lis was designed (as well as the whole quilt) by Penny - The Dedicated Appliquist as the centre piece for her beautiful medallion quilt below. I immediately loved this, being French myself & having a weakness for this iconic symbol.

.........and last but certainly not least we have these two beauties created by Ann of Ann's Quilting Journey . Just look at those delightful little baskets above & this beautiful flower garden quilt below. I love the striped fabric Ann has used from the same range for her borders, it sets it off perfectly.

So much inspiration, but this wasn't helping me decide how to use my fabric to try & create something worthy, until last night ...........

This week I received Kaffe Fassett's book, Museum Quilts & whilst perusing it again yesterday evening, was immediately inspired by one particular patchwork constructed with clamshells & made into drapes for a four poster bed (which, by the way is currently on show in the V&A Quilt exhibition in London). So I was thinking that this would be a nice project (all be it long term) to do in various shirtings, then I had that light bulb moment........why not use my Rouenneries fabric?

A Clamshell quilt was another on my wish list for the future. There appears to be more interest developing in this patchwork since I first saw it mentioned by Karen here, who then very kindly directed me to Jossie's blog, who was also working on one. Jossie is planning on starting up a little group to keep everyone inspired & motivated.........so my decision was made for me, need I say more? LOL
I adore this design & am hoping it will work with Rouenneries, watch this space............

Happy stitching!

ps. forgot to mention the new French General range, Rural Jardin & coming soon, Lumiere de Noel.........oh dear, think I need to work lots more overtime!

Blooming Flowers

2010-05-19T20:31:00.017+01:00

Isn't it wonderful that so many beautiful flowers are blooming all over blogland! Karen's participant list keeps growing week by week as more gardeners join in the challenge to make at least one hexie flower each Wednesday. Here are the latest additions to my garden for One Flower Wednesday.

I'm still having great fun fussy cutting these hexagons & am amazed at the pattern variations created from the one striped fabric........so far it seems like the possibilities are endless!

I've settled on this layout for the quilt that will eventually be created with these hexagons. They are appliqued to 8.5" white squares with smaller red hexie flowers as fill ins, which will also hopefully tie it altogether.

Finally.....

2010-05-16T20:38:00.007+01:00

I've plucked up the courage to machine quilt this baby & it's coming along slowly but steadily. Just a little more to do around the edges then it's time to attack my first binding! Any tips on how to do this will be most welcome :)
The Klosjes quilt is steadily growing, 14 more added to the pile which brings my total to 130..... 90 of which have now been stitched into blocks of nine.

One Flower Wednesday & Can you resist a Bargain?

2010-05-05T16:03:00.011+01:00

Well I certainly can't when it comes to fabric! So this is how I ended up with 3 metres of the above for just £10.00 last summer but when the package arrived I was a bit dissapointed to see they were metallic & shoved them in the cupboard thinking I'll make use of them some day.

Last week I came across this fabric again whilst looking for something else & saw it in a new light........wouldn't it be great for fussy cutting hexagons with all those different designs in the stripes?

I had been admiring all the beautiful hexi-flower gardens growing over the last few weeks & this was the perfect excuse to join in too! I believe the inspiration came from Karen who has encouraged stitchers to complete a flower each Wednesday & gradually watch their gardens grow, since then many more have joined in the fun.

I've been having great fun seeing how may different flower patterns I can create with this one striped fabric. I don't think I'll be setting these out in a Grandmother's Flower Garden layout though as it may be a bit too heavy on the eyes.......maybe applique them to a white background?

With all this hexi excitement, I haven't neglected my Klosjes as I'm still making up blocks of nine & managed a few more spools last week.
New total: 116 Klosjes (81 of which have been stitched into blocks of 9)

Klosjes update (week5)

2010-04-18T10:17:00.009+01:00

Reporting a very poor progress this week I'm afraid as only 2 more spools were added to the pile!

It was such a glorious day here yesterday that I finally ventured outside & sat in the garden to sew a little. I've started making them up into 9 patch blocks now as I go along, which will help me decide exactly how many more spools I need to make to complete the top.

Unfortunately, sitting outside has made me notice that the garden really does need some attention, so today as it's another beautiful day, I need to crack on with a bit of tidying up before I can sew some more.

Tessellations

2010-04-14T20:12:00.013+01:00

Hope you all had a lovely Easter, I've had a little computer break for the last 2 & a bit weeks as I'm looking at a screen all day at work & sometimes it just gets a bit much. The up side of this is I have had a little more stitching time in the evenings!

Fancying a little change from pastels last weekend, I allowed myself to play with some bright funky colours & have a go at a new technique - fussy cutting.

This is Block 1 (nearly appliqued to the background) of the Brigitte Giblin BOM run by Material Obsession. I wasn't going to sign up for this but once I saw it was EPP, that was it, my resistance crumbled.

My Klosjes haven't been completely abandoned though:

Week 3 - 28 more spools
Week 4 - 22 spools, this brings the total to 97!

Thank you for all your lovely comments & suggestions, they're all gratefully received & I will be replying to all in due course.

Quilting Block

2010-03-28T12:07:00.005+01:00

This little cot quilt top was finished a few of weeks ago for a work colleague who was expecting a baby & I've come to a real halt with fear of ruining it. I need to quilt this quickly as the baby has arrived. I've never machine quilted before & really don't want to make a mess of it!

How do I go about this......which would be easier for an inexperienced machine user, should I do grids on the centre panel or would free motion like vermicelli look better around the applique lamb? Any advice would be gratefully received, thank you.

Well & truely hooked!

2010-03-27T17:53:00.005Z

Is there a cure?

Forget that last question, I don't want one as I'm having way too much fun!

Another 25 more Klosjes made this week

and this is what all 47 of them look like laid out.

I've decided that this is going to be a quilt for my mother once complete as these colours will be perfect in her newly decorated bedroom. As she doesn't use computers, the surprise won't be spoilt by mentioning it here.

P.S. Why is it when you upload photos to blogger that on some posts, like last week's, you can't click on the photos for a closer look, yet this week all of them click open fine?

Saturday Klosjes

2010-03-20T20:30:00.007Z

I really did try to resist the temptation to make little spools known as Klosjes, but they are popping up everywhere & I gradually succumbed.
I first spotted them on Janet's blog learning that they started in the Netherlands & have since spread across the world. Do visit Valentina in Cyprus, Ingrid in the Netherlands & Nadine in Belgium for more Klosjes inspiration & links.
So here are my first 22 little spools using the Aviary collection by 3 Sisters for Moda which I've had sitting there since last summer & just didn't have a clue how I was going to use it. I'm adding other light fabrics into the mix & making them 4.5" using my usual EPP method, they are so quick to sew up being just 5 pieces & very addictive!

Fairy Slippers

2010-02-21T14:09:00.008Z

Remember these? The Snow Queen slippers were made for an exchange a couple of years ago following Annette Emms pattern from Issue 50 of Stitch magazine issued by the Embroiderer's Guild. This issue is sold out but Annette does sell the pattern in her Etsy shop.

Our local branch of EG wanted to make these 3.5" slippers as one of our Early Birds workshops so I adapted the instructions for a hand made version thus enabling all members to have a go.

These gold slippers were made by applying gold foil to bondawebed black felt before fusing the top layer of red organza.

Dupion silk bondawebed to black felt, detail below

If you would like to have a go at a hand made version, here are the instructions:

Fairy Slippers by hand
Ingredients:

Basic sewing kit including beading needles & sharp scissors
Plain fabric 10" x 6" (not patterned) can be cotton, organza, silk or satin (tight weave is best)
Bondaweb 10” x 6”
Craft felt 10" x 6" similar colour to fabric
Coordinating sewing cotton
Selection of coordinating/complementary embroidery threads & fibres
Small beads, sequins, fine ribbon, trims etc for embellishment (these slippers will be approx 3.5" long)
Slipper Templates from Issue 50 of Stitch magazine or Annette's Etsy shop

Method:
Fuse fabric to felt using bondaweb, if you are using a sheer fabric like organza, consider applying foil or fine fibres to the bondawebed felt before fusing the top sheer fabric.

Using slipper templates trace 2 sets of uppers & soles onto felt side of fabric & cut out.

Blanket stitch in matching embroidery floss using 2 strands & small stitches around the edges of all of the cut out pieces.

Now the fun starts, decorate your slipper uppers using embroidery, beads sequins etc.

Once the decorating is complete, make up the slippers by stitching first the back seam of the uppers, then attaching them to the sole using small slip stitches through the blanket stitches around the edges, using one strand of embroidery floss in the same colour used for the blanket stitching.

Once the slippers are made up they can be further embellished around the top edges with beading, or couching fine cord or fibres etc.
Enjoy!

Green organza on green felt decorated with French knots & beading

JC Quilt Along

2010-02-14T16:39:00.010Z

My practice block - centre points need improving

I blame this blog post & this Flickr album for tempting me to have a go at this and discovering that there are also great colourful quilting fabrics out there.......wow I didn't realise Kaffe Fassett made such stunning fabrics!

Kellie at Don't look Now has very kindly posted tutorials which are brilliant & is hosting this Quilt Along, click here to go there. While you're there, check out her amazing raw edge applique, I just love her tree pattern Lilly Pilly & may have to make one of those too!

My Kaffe fabric selection of yellows, limes & oranges........these on black background should make the colours pop, don't you think?

I ended up having to order these from Glorious Colour in the USA as the only quilt shop on our little Island has nothing like this in stock, nor do they even have any Civil War/Repro fabrics or Moda, would you believe......thank goodness for online quilt stores!

I've just made a few petals to start with......just to see how they look & have set this aside until my hexagon quilt is finished.

Quilting blogs & a little Blue and White

2010-02-14T15:04:00.006Z

I know I've already said this but there is so much inspiration in blogland, here are a few I've come across & enjoy revisiting time & time again, one day will have the courage to leave a comment but have just been admiring from a distance up until now.

Kathy at Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia, which I discovered having purchased both her books & signed up for the Sue Ross BOM also has a great blog.I haven't started any of the Sue Ross blocks yet as I need to gain a bit more experience as some of them look a little tricky but I fell in love with the bright colour combinations so couldn't let this opportunity pass.

Another blog I enjoy is another Kathie from the USA Inspired by Antique Quilts , I just love the inspiration from old quilts & fabrics and Kathie makes some gorgeous mini quilts which I will have to have a go at too.

Wanting to learn applique to add to my patchwork & quilting skills I came across Janet's blog another Australian quilter who also makes amazing quilts and has some super tutorials on applique, thanks Janet for posting these, they have helped me tremendously. Scattered throughout this post are images of Blue & White 4.5" patchwork blocks I am making as an ongoing long term project. Some of the blocks are taken from the Dear Jane book, others made up as I go along & some are just classic blocks that have been around for centuries. They are all hand pieced over paper templates, the EPP method & one day will end up being a large sampler quilt. These are nice to make now & again in order to break the monotony of an ongoing larger project.

Hexagons

2010-02-14T13:58:00.012Z

This project was inspired by finding this fabric & discovering this blog. I find myself drawn to the old fashioned Reproduction & Civil War fabrics & decided to use this jelly roll for my hexagons. Aren't these colours just fabulous?

1st diamond

After much deliberation I finally decided to make up diamonds with my hexagons & set about working out how far my jelly roll would go. Wanting to make a fair sized quilt I felt it would be safer to get an extra one, you know, just in case......

Hexagons back

As you can see from the above photo showing the back of the work, I'm no longer basting the fabric through the paper template but running the thread through & over the corner sections to secure it. This way the basting cotton remains on the back of the work, the templates pop out & you don't need to spend hours unpicking all this thread which will not show on the completed top.

This is the top almost complete as I just need to add a couple more rows of black hexagons to each end, then it's done. I have no idea how I am going to quilt this........any ideas anyone?

close up of top

Burn it

2009-05-04T17:00:00.008+01:00

Having read articles in magazines & online about burning synthetic sheer fabrics, I finally got round to trying this technique.

This ATC started with a base layer of acrylic black felt onto which bondaweb was ironed for the sporadic application of gold transfoil. Small diamonds cut from an old book page were also ironed on at this stage then each embellished with a bead & sequin. Next a layer of burgundy organza & black chiffon was machine stitched over the top in a diamond grid pattern & then zapped with a heat gun, this melted & distressed the sheer fabrics revealing the layers beneath. The edges were then finished off with a little gold paint.

This was a fun technique to try & I can see myself experimenting more with sheer fabrics, heat guns & soldering irons.

Health & Safety: Remember synthetics always produce toxic vapours when burnt, so do this in a well ventilated area or wear a suitable mask.

Detail view

Back to Neutral

2009-04-12T19:36:00.018+01:00

This piece was inspired by one of our EG members, Daphne's 'Low Tide' article for Stitches magazine (#42). I'm forever filling my pockets with treasures found whilst walking on the beach, so had an ample supply of broken shells to play with.

Gather a collection of mixed neutral coloured beads, all shapes & sizes

Tip: Stick adhesive backed sheet magnet to a mint tin lid to hold your beading needles safely

Collect up all your neutral coloured threads, here you can see rayons, stranded cottons, coton perle #5 & #8, & variegated threads which create lovely effects.

Use accent beads like these quartz crystal & tiger's eye chips

or luscious freshwater pearls

or even coloured ones like these

I really enjoyed working on this project & it's another one where you just make it up as you go along, basically you recreate with the help of beads the accumulation of shells & pebbles that you see in between the rocks & crevices at low tide.

another work in progress

Kantha

2009-04-12T16:50:00.006+01:00

The South West region of the EG (Embroiderers Guild) were holding a Fabric postcard competition, the subject being "A Postcard from....." Having spent alot of time working in neutral shades for my last project I challenged myself to use brighter colours for a change, something which I find quite difficult!
I had heard of & researched Indian Kantha embroidery/quilting,so I just had to have a go & this is the result.

Traditionally Kantha is worked on old worn recycled Sari fabric creating lightweight quilts & shawls in the Bengal region of India.
The fabric here comprises of: a top layer of soft cotton(recycled from an old cotton sheet)over 3 layers of muslin basted together, this is worked in a simple running stitch using shimmering rayon thread (Indian of course) & the design is created by the placement of the stitches.

New Directions

2009-04-12T16:02:00.009+01:00

Rock Pool

Since joining the Jersey branch of the Embroiderer's Guild last year I've reignited my enjoyment of creating with fabric & threads. Not having embroidered since a child it was quite an eye opener seeing how stiching & textile art has evolved over the years.......we are no longer laboriously working satin, stem & chain stich (the only 3 stitches I knew) on printed tray cloths & dressing table sets, but being far more creative & even incorporating mixed media with textiles & stitch........I havn't quite reached that stage, but watch this space!

My first project, as most, was inspired by the seashore where I live. I've always leaned towards texture & dimension so it was suggested by some Guild members I try Encrusted Calico, see here for project instructions.

I've had great fun working on this piece making it up as I went along & learn't quite a few new stitches along the way: Cup stitch, Parma braid (stems of the Fan worms), Woven picots, Buttonhole bars & Woven Stars to name a few.

2008

2009-04-12T15:33:00.008+01:00

Last year recap:

Fairy Slippers Project via Paper Whimsy Forum completed.

Garden designed & built from this in April:

To this in June:

Fabric Arch & Charm swap for Paper whimsy finally completed after much delay.....apologies to all involved.

& finally had a go at Needle felting in November:

All in all, not a very productive year Art wise!

Altered Jigsaw & Mini Houses

2008-02-10T12:46:00.000Z

These 2 projects were created for a swap hosted by Greta in Australia. The puzzle swap uses the wonderful Basic Grey background paper from the Urban Couture range, Paper Whimsy images, rusty vines & filigree corners, as well as die cut lenses from Julie Van Osten's Collections chip board range.

These miniature houses are chipboard die cuts from Julie Van Oosten's Collections range as well as some of the letters & numbers. Couldn't resist going back to my favorite background technique & colour for this project.

Paper Whimsy Banners

2008-02-10T12:38:00.000Z

These were created for a banner swap in the Paper Whimsy yahoo group, there were groups of 3 creating words such as Art, Joy & Fly in 3 colourways, Pastels, Jewels & Earthtones.......guess which word & colour group I was part of!

For the background I simply sprayed some vintage book pages with Moon Shadow Mist and added the swirls with a stamp by Christine Adolph from Stampington using Timber Brown Stazon ink. The tiny laser cut filligree butterflies were a gift from my dear friend Cynthia . Thanks Cyn :)

I'm Back!

2008-02-10T12:23:00.000Z

First & foremost I would like to thank you all for you wonderful comments left here as they really are appreciated & apologise for not being in touch for so long.....you'll see why below.

Hadn't intended to be absent for so long, but December was a really hectic month as we were busy packing for a house move just before Christmas, then had a flying visit to London for a couple of days where I saw Marilyn Manson in concert yeah! The tickets were a treat from my son who came with me........you're never too old to rock you know!

We also visited the British Musuem full of wonderful ancient history and the fabulous Terracotta Exhibition from China as well as the Natural History Museum.
Since the move we've had endless telephone & internet connection problems which has really handicapped my online presence, Jersey Telecoms have been working on this for a month now & I'm hoping the fault is finally resolved.

Anyway, I haven't been bone idle and have managed to unpack enough art supplies to complete some swaps that were due. Will reveal all in the folowing posts.

TMTA - Houses

2007-11-19T19:03:00.000Z

Here's my contribution for this week's challenge, used my stamped & distress inked tissue paper again and some silver leaf coloured with black alcohol ink. This one is on it's way to a dear online friend who has been very patient with my delay for a recent trade.

A Walk in the Country......

2007-10-23T19:57:00.002+01:00

We had glorious autumnal weather here this last weekend, that Max & I decided to have a little walk in the country for a change. He's still doing really well on his medication & plods along at his own pace...well, after all he is 13 years old now, which I've been told is pretty good going for a Labrador.

Of course he's loves to have a good old sniff as dogs do......most of the time I'm left there standing & waiting while he checks out all the different smells!

Way behind

2007-10-14T17:48:00.000+01:00

Well as the title of this post says....I'm way behind with all my Gothic Arch Sunday challenges...so in my attempt to catch up, here's my Gold contribution. The stamps used are from the Printed Matter sheet by Green Pepper Press for the text background and the Icon stamp is by B Line Designs.

I had the idea of stamping the icon on gold gilding to recreate the effect of ancient religious icons & used black Stazon ink, but the impression was really poor so I ended up painting in the design in order to create the effect I was looking for....so it turned out ok in the end :)

Lets get Gothic!

2007-10-06T10:52:00.000+01:00

Michelle is celebrating the 1st Anniversary of her GPP Street Team Crusades with the launch of the 13th crusade being..........Gothic........what else could it possibly be?
I'm currently hosting a Gothic arch swap in one of my groups having always loved the idea after first seeing this on Belinda's blog, then on art-e-zine here. Just to be a little different I designed a taller, slender arch page and the swap would include charms as well, all on a Gothic theme of course.

There are some fabulous pages being produced for this swap & I love seeing how each individual artist interprets the theme, you can check some of them out here........ Marion's (scroll down) , Angela's (scroll down), Keron's, Jane's, Cynthia's, Rebecca's & Wendy's. I'll add more links as they become available.

If you would like to have a go at making this taller style gothic page here's the template and instructions:

Gothic Arch page construction:
The basic Gothic arch begins simply enough with a straight, horizontal line.

You will need:
Firm cardstock
Ruler,
Sharp pencil
Compass.

1.Mark out a rectangle 3.5 x 7.5 inches on a firm piece of cardstock, measure 4.5 inches up from the bottom of your rectangle (portrait orientation) & draw a line across…. This is the baseline A-B
2.Extend your compass out to the exact same length of your baseline (3.5 inches).

3.With your compass needle at point B, construct arc A-C.
4.With your compass needle at point A, construct arc B-C.
Voila…you now have your Gothic Arch page ready to cut out & use.

Thank you! & the Winner is......

2007-09-23T18:57:00.000+01:00

Thank you from all at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust for your amazing feedback on the site which has now gone live....check it out here.
They were so impressed with all your comments that copies were made & taken into the Board meeting for all the Directors to read through & one of the Directors popped up to my office to thank you all personally for your great comments.......needless to say they were well impressed :)
Now that the site is up & running, don't forget to forward it on to all your family & friends, the more people are made aware of the plight of these species in danger the better.

Now the bit you've been waiting for....... and the winner is..........drum roll here.........

Rebecca Holso !

A huge favour & a prize!

2007-09-17T19:23:00.000+01:00

To all my blogging friends out there I have a huge favour to ask....... as you know I've recently started a new job at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, this Thursday the Trust is launching a brand new website, but would value some feedback prior the live launch.

If you could spare a few moments of your time to navigate around the site & should you find any difficulties or have any suggestions to ease the use of the site, please leave a comment either today Monday 17th or tomorrow Tues 18th, in order that Caron has time to make amendments before Thursday 20th Sept. Here's the link.

Now for the prize part......

For all you lovely people who leave feedback about the site, I will enter your names into a draw on the weekend to win a lovely goody package which will contain a selection of Paper Whimsy & Artchix Studio images, vintage lace, wonderful fibres, metal embellishments to name just a few things that will be in the box as well as the Gothic arch "Family" which I created for a challenge last week..........now how's that for an incentive!

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Scratch paper backgrounds

2007-09-16T16:14:00.000+01:00

When tidying my workspace after the mess I made playing with the Glimmer Mists, I was loath to chuck the scratch paper that was left with all the shimmery colour overspray. So I picked out the bits I wanted to save & used them as backgrounds for these ATC's.

In the Pink

2007-09-16T10:58:00.000+01:00

Well I woke up to a lovely surprise this morning to see that some ATC's I had submitted to Gale at Paper Whimsy have been selected to be included in a special edition collage sheet,which will only be available for a limited period & the profits of all sales will be donated to promote breast cancer awareness........I couldn't think of a more worthy cause as it affects each & every one of us in some way or another.
To purchase these just pop on over to Paper Whimsy & remember they are only available until 31st December 2007. While you're there do check out all the other wonderful collage sheets & art supplies that have recently been added, wonderful ribbons, rusty tin tiles and the most adorable paper roses you've ever seen!

Trip-fish

2007-09-15T19:31:00.000+01:00

As I had 3 slide mounts left from playing around with the Glimmer Mists, I decided to use them for this weeks WS theme, triptich.......so here's my trip-fish! Unfortunately the scan just doesn't pick up the wonderful glimmer created by the mists and the colour isn't spot on but you get the general idea.

TMTA - Slidemounts

2007-09-15T13:48:00.000+01:00

This weeks submission for the Think Monday- Think ATC challenge is a slidemount that has been stamped then coloured with turquoise & orange Glimmer Mists which I allowed to bleed into each other to create a tarnished metal effect. The background was also coloured the same then covered with punched computer paper from Random Arts which allows glimpses of colour to show through the holes. Stamps used: text - Toybox, ringbinding edge - Paperbag Studios & number at the bottom - Ma Vinci's Reliquary.

Family.......

2007-09-09T21:32:00.000+01:00

......is the theme for the Gothic Arch challenge this week. The background is made up of lovely vintage wallpaper that Keron very kindly sent me all the way from Australia! This is edged with torn text sponged with moonshadow ink. The image was first transfered onto a book page then cut out & the edges smudged with charcoal pencil.

Call again

2007-09-07T12:09:00.000+01:00

Quite a while ago Mary very kindly sent me some of these vintage Hat labels to play with & I was desperate to use them, but could not incorporate them into anything until this morning when I had one of those aha moments! Below is an ATC which was the result of that moment.
Mary has quite an eye for picking up amazing vintage ephemera and embellishments, the surplus of which she sells on ebay , do go check it out as there's always something really unique to be found.

A few more

2007-09-06T15:38:00.000+01:00

Still having fun with gel transfers, so here are a few more ATC's created with the images.

TMTA, Gothic Arch & WS

2007-09-03T15:23:00.000+01:00

For once I'm early in joining these weekly challenges, mind you being on holiday this week also helps! So here we have an ATC for Think Monday Think ATC, this weeks theme being "Men" and my submission for the "Moon" Gothic Arch challenge posted each Sunday which also qualifies for the Wednesday Stamper theme this week....."Blue".

Gel medium transfers - further experiments

2007-09-03T14:22:00.000+01:00

click to enlarge

Following on from my previous post.......
Having successfully transfered images using Paper Whimsy collage sheets, I was curious to see if my own inkjet prints using my HP home printer would work as well. All my images were printed using the best quality print setting.
The image above shows the various papers I tried as well as an Artchix Studio , laser printed image at the end.

What I learnt:

1. You do need to burnish (I use the back of a tablespoon) the back of the image for a good few minutes once you've applied it to the receiving surface & do let it dry for 5 minutes or so.

2. When I used the baby wipe to rub off the backing paper I found it started to dissolve the ink so, for the above transfers, I discovered it was better to dampen the back of the transfer with the baby wipe, then gently rub the remaining paper away with just my finger, with just a touch of dampness added as required to completely remove the remaining paper fibre.

3.Don't rub too hard or you'll rub off the transfer, as I did on my 2nd fish!

4. Use a good quality matt photo paper to print your images to ensure a good quality transfer.

Conclusion: It is possible to transfer inkjet images with the gel medium technique, hooray! Once again, thanks to Carrie for sharing this technique.

Gel transfers & disasters...

2007-09-02T14:36:00.000+01:00

Do you have trouble with these? Sometimes they work & then other times they are a complete disaster! I've had a fair amount of success using gel medium & transparencies, but other methods have been a bit of a flop until I tried Carrie's method explained here. Thanks Carrie :)
I wasn't sure if it would work with an inkjet print so I had a go with some of my Paper Whimsy images & voila....perfect 1st time!

The transfers ended up on these ATC's made up of bits & pieces I had on my work table. The background of the 1st one has been built up in many layers which can't be seen in the scan, believe me they are there! lol Do you get those days where bright ideas just don't work either, this background was one of those, so I ended up covering it with gesso & spraying it with Moon Shadow mist.

GPP Street Team - Crusade 11

2007-09-01T13:12:00.001+01:00

Wicked Game - I have always loved Chris Issac's song, then one day my son played me this version which in my opinion was even better. H.I.M. appeared again in my life via Michelle Ward's blog....I had to hear more of this band...only to discover my son had one of their CD's...Razor Blade Romance which I love! As Michelle would say...How cool is that!

Personal Jesus - Thanks to Nicole, I've discovered another great rock artist & just had to post my favourite song of his......don't you just love the beat to this track! I appreciate that Marilyn Manson isn't everyone's "cup of tea" & no offence is intended by posting this, so just skip this track & move on to the next one if it's not your "thing" :)

Lifted - ....and just to show that I'm not a complete rock freak covered in tatoos (I only have one!) here's something more mellow, have always loved the Lighthouse Family....shame they no longer play.

This is just a small selection of my music, my taste varies greatly on the mood I'm in, my collection also includes artists like Santana, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Sting, Pink Floyd and Ben Webster amongst many more.

Gothic Arch Challenge - School

2007-08-29T15:27:00.001+01:00

Nancy Maxwell James has started a great new challenge blog for Gothic Arches here & she kicks off by challenging us all to create an arch with a school theme, as I'm in a Gothic Arch frame of mind at the moment whilst creating my pages for a swap I'm hosting on Paper Traders, I just had to have a break from mine to enter.

The background stamp is by Rubber Baby Bugger Bumpers, School Report stamp by Oxford Impressions , quote by Paperbag Studios & image by Paper Whimsy .

I'm hoping that I'll be able to participate in this challenge on a regular basis as it would be great to bind all the pages created into a little book over time.

TMTA - Metal

2007-08-29T12:42:00.000+01:00

The theme for this week's Think Monday Think ATC is metal, I don't think I'll have the time this week to make some but here are a couple that I made as part of a swap last summer. The background for the No 4 of the above ATC was painted with bronze & silver Lumiere paint (silver was mixed with a little black to darken it) , applied fairly thick, then dried with a heat gun to bubble it up & create the texture.

The background on the above Atc is masking tape, painted with black gesso then highligted with metallic rub-ons. The fabric overlay is actaully very fine woven steel fabric which has a lovely texture & sheen.

Award

2007-08-26T21:12:00.000+01:00

Sandra of Aquareelle in France has nominated me for the Rocking girl blogger award, thank you Sandra for the honour :) Do visit her site, the art work is truely beautiful.

As for me nominating other bloggers, I find this an impossible task as all the blogs listed here that I visit rock, so consider yourselves all nominated!

New Work Colleagues

2007-08-26T20:08:00.000+01:00

Meet Wolfgang & Barbara, a delightful pair of Andean bears who will sort of be my new work colleagues. I have just landed myself a new job working in Administration at the Durrell Wildlife Trust here in Jersey, woohoo, must have done something right to deserve this! OK...so I won't be working directly with the animals but will have the chance to see them on a daily basis during my lunch hour.

Above we have Ya Kwanza, our Silverback lowland gorilla & a photo of one of his many wives, then last but not least one of the Meerkats.....I love these creatures too & could just sit there for hours watching them get up to all their antics......... this one was on lookout duty.

ATC - I Spy Inchies

2007-08-26T17:59:00.000+01:00

Well I've always wanted to have a go at making a few Inchies (tiny 1" squares ) but couldn't decide how I would display them as they can get lost so easily...........this is where the "Atc Master", Mr Nick Romaine came up with a very clever idea in one of my groups, stick them on an Atc...thanks Nick. While you're checking out Nick's picturetrail, do stop over at his Watercolours & Atc Farm series albums.....this guy is one talented artist!

The "spy holes" were created by burning the text squares with a lit incense stick, do take care if you try this & have a bowl of water handy near by should the paper go up in flames!

Check this out!

2007-08-13T20:50:00.000+01:00

Click to enlarge

Would you like to create a wonderful Altered suitcase like this? Well now it's possible......my dearest friend Maureen has set out on a new venture & is offering this online class through Joggles.com here.

I'm sure you're all familiar with Maureen Blackman's gorgeous vintage signature style as portrayed in Stampington's Inspirations and Someret Studio, so now's your chance to learn how.......& I can assure you she is a great tutor. Maureen taught me the bulk of what I know about stamping since we first met about 10 years ago & most of it being over the phone. So what are you waiting for, go on over to Joggles, sign up & have fun!

By the Sea

2007-08-13T18:33:00.000+01:00

Once again Hermine has created a fabulous background & challenges us to make ATC's or cards with it. I just love the colours of this one & had to have a go...how could I resist!

Flower Art on a Grand Scale!

2007-08-13T12:52:00.000+01:00

Last Thursday (9th August), Jersey celebrated it's annual Battle of Flowers parade which is always an astounding spectacle. As I live right on Victoria Avenue where the parade takes place, we always have a fabulous view of the event with St Aubin's bay in the background, as well as the Moonlight parade which takes part on the following evening where all the floats are illuminated.

The work which goes into constructing these floats is mind blowing as all the fresh flowers are stuck on individually usually about 24 hours prior in order to retain freshness. The detail especially of the overall winning design "Baobab", an African themed float above & below is out of this world!

Detail of the Baobab float

.....and here's one for all you Aussie's out there!

An Indian themed float & an amazing Viking ship

Gargoyle detail, Notre Dame de Paris float & a Tiger created with dyed harestail grasses, many hours go into these creations! Hope you enjoyed a little peek into Jersey's Battle of Flowers.

Visual Anthologies

2007-08-13T11:59:00.000+01:00

If you've never visited Judy Wilkenfeld's blog...well now's the time as you're in for a real treat, not only is the art out of this world but the accompanying process of creating these pieces is truely thought provoking and at times heart wrenching.......as in her latest project "Numbers",
do scroll down & follow the whole story from the beginning.
Another of Judy's wonders is "Of Elephants & Dreams" which is a must see & read (scroll down to the beginning of May to follow the story in sequence). Here again, this amazing artist takes you through her thought process in creating this astounding book.
So put aside a fair bit of time & an ample supply of coffee, you'll need it & believe me it's well worth it!

Circle Book

2007-08-06T16:25:00.000+01:00

Finally managed to complete some art today...........these are for Lenna Andrews Circle Book swap. We were each sent a 7 Gypsies circle book kit & instructed to decorate pages in multiples of 5 with a colour theme......... I chose to make 5 each of blue, white & tan.

The Tan pages were created using some wonderful diagrams from pages of a vintage Patent Catalogue sent to me by Mary, check out her eBay shop for great vintage paper & items to use in your artwork.

Out of Action

2007-07-19T12:20:00.000+01:00

Thank you to everyone that has been visiting & leaving lovely comments, they really are appreciated :) Unfortunately I haven't been able to reciprocate of late but definately intend to catch up with you all soon!

It's been nearly a month since I've been out of action with acute back pain, hence unable to sit at the computer or my art table, but happy to say things are now greatly improving & I'm hoping to be able to start creating again in a few days time......I desperately need to as I have some swap deadlines approaching & lots to do!

In order to make this post less boring I've added some old pics of tags & ATC's I've made in the past.

Max Update:

Bless him, he's still with us, but plodding along a little slower, no pain or discomfort & still his happy self, but definately slowing down now.

PS. I've also updated my sidebar with great new links to challenges, techniques etc, as well as some fun online Generators....check them out!

Before S&AA

2007-06-25T18:49:00.000+01:00

Been under the weather with a stinking head cold of late which just won't shift so I have no new art to share this week other than drawings dug out of the archives from the days before "Stamping & Altered Art". Back then I was more comfortable working in monotones as you can tell!

Puffin 1983 (poster paint)

Stork 1983 (poster paint)

Brian the Boa 1985 (pencil)

Brian was my pet Boa Constrictor who shared a room with me in the nurses home in England back in the days when I was a nurse. On a wet Sunday afternoon with little else to do I decided to draw him whilst he was settled on his favourite branch......he was just a baby then about 2 foot long. Unfortunately by the time he had grown to about 6 foot, a rumour had spread throughout the nurses' home that someone had a snake in their room & a few of the Thai nurses were becoming a little paranoid about encountering a snake on the loose, so Brian had to be found a new home much to my dismay :(

This has always been one of my favourite drawings apart from the log he was resting on....that was pretty naff, wish I had drawn that better at the time!

Alstromeria 1982 (pencil)

More Crackle....

2007-06-17T15:57:00.001+01:00

Individual Liberty - Rubber Stamp by Acey Deucy

Traditions

These latest backgrounds are a little too dark & I tried to lighten the 2nd one by applying a thin coat of gesso on top then sanded it in places so it wasn't so "flat".....think I'll stick to the lighter crackle background in future!

You may or may not have noticed that I've added a Flickr link & button to my sidebar which lists all my available ATC's for trade, so if you fancy trading with me drop me a line.......Keep checking back as new cards will be added as they are made, look forward to trading with you : )

Crackle backgrounds

2007-06-17T15:31:00.000+01:00

Decided to get the crackle medium out again this weekend & have a play, the thing is, once the backgrounds were done, I had trouble finding the right images to complement them & in the end decided on the above butterflies.

I use the Folk Art Crackle Medium which is dead easy to use in 3 simple steps:

1. Paint your card with a basecoat of acrylic paint (this will be the colour that shows through
the cracks), leave to dry.
2. Next apply one coat of crackle medium (thin coat for small cracks, thick coat for large cracks)
& leave to dry.
3. Finally apply your topcoat of acrylic paint over the crackle layer ensure you use long smooth
even strokes & don't overlap or go over an area again as this will obscure the crackles which
form as soon as the topcoat is applied. For web-like cracking you can sponge on the topcoat....
have to admit that I haven't tried that one yet though!

Fish Poste

2007-06-04T17:06:00.001+01:00

This ATC was made with one of the tissue paper backgounds from the post below.....I also stippled some Patina Green Glaze by Goldens through some plastic square mesh on top of the rust. Rubber stamps used by Ma Vinci's Reliquary from the USP(mes)S Sheet.....and here's another with red acrylic paint added.

Fish Poste II

Max Update: Thanks for all the hugs & cuddles for Max,(if he could type I'm sure he'd be writing this himself!) he's still doing fine on his medication...just gets a little breathless but not in any pain whatsoever : )

His days are numbered.....

2007-05-28T20:14:00.001+01:00

Does this babe look ill to you?

At the beginning of May after having had an Xray & ultrasound we were told that Max had a vast liver tumour & basically would be travelling to pastures new before the year was out, as a few of you know, I've been quite devasted by this news for the past few weeks & have found it tough concentrating on anything.

He is such a faithful & loving friend to me that I'm finding it really difficult to take in that he won't be around for as long as I'd hoped. As you can see by these photos which were taken this last week, he doesn't look ill at all and is showing no signs of discomfort or pain......he still enjoys his walks on the beach & meeting up with his other doggy friends & loves fooling around with a tennis ball....looking at him you just wouldn't believe this was happening as many people who know Max have said.So, for now we are making the most of the time we have left with him, trying to ensure the remainder of his life is as pleasant as possible and taking each day as it comes. I was unsure whether I should post about this or not, but then thought it would help to explain my lack of participation in my groups of late. Will keep you posted of any further developments.

Edit : Warm heartfelt hugs go out to all of you for your kind messages & support .......they are so appreciated, thank you : )

Cheap Trick - Tissue Paper Backgrounds

2007-05-28T14:50:00.000+01:00

Whilst playing around with packing tissue, I remembered Michelle's Street Team call for Crusade No. 8 - Cheap Tricks & thought this entry would qualify...........

I never throw away packing tissue I receive with parcels as its always useful for collage & even stamping on. The above background was simply stamped with blueprints , then crumpled up prior to swiping with distress inks & spritzing with water.

This background started off as a piece of tan tissue paper to which I applied rusting solutions through a square mesh stencil .......quite a neat effect & textural in real life, the scan really doesn't do it justice!

Here are a couple of ATC's made with the first backgound above.

The Architect

Venus

Other Free Cheap Tricks:

Use your old phone book yellow pages for glueing, once the page is sticky just turn over & use the next one.

Use phone book pages as part of your background (as in the ATC below)......picked up this trick from Claudine Hellmuth's book - Collage Discovery Workshop.

Collect & incorporate used postage stamps (as above) in your art & you can even cut out the images from some to add to your collage if your don't wish to include the whole stamp. The butterfly in the example below was cut out from used US postage.

Masking tape which is relatively cheap from any Hardware/DIY store can be used to also create textured backgrounds as in the deco cover above.

When you think about it there are a ton of things you can use in your art for free, you just have to look at things with a different eye!

New Banner - Finally!

2007-05-17T22:24:00.000+01:00

After nearly 2 hours of faffing around, deleting codes, re-instating codes & deleting more damn codes......I think I've got there : ) Time will tell over the next few days if things start going haywire, fingers crossed they don't......I'm so crap when it comes to techno stuff!
Here's the link to Lindsay's blog showing how to do this bit.

Possible new header Thanks to Lindsay!

2007-05-17T20:36:00.000+01:00

Have finally figured out how to create a header for my blog using Photoshop Elements, thanks to an online tutorial by Linsay . Now I need to pluck up the courage to add it to the template without messing up.

The wave photo (one of my favourite's) was one of a series I took a few years ago down at Plemont Bay, here in Jersey......that particular day the waves were amazing......well over 10' high!

Architectural Rust

2007-05-14T17:36:00.000+01:00

Another rust themed ATC, stamps by Rubber Baby.

I suppose this ATC could possibly qualify as an "Industria" style card a la Julie Van Oosten.

Also check out Keron's & Kelsey's ........they are fab!

Rust & Turquoise

2007-05-14T11:26:00.000+01:00

Finally had a play with some rusting solutions I've had in the cupboard for years! These particular ones are by Chemtek but nowadays I believe they are made by Modern Options.

These are so fun to use as you can apply them to anything from paper to plastic to fabric to wood as well as metal.......whatever your heart desires rusted up!

I just quickly made up this ATC with an ammonite stamp by Above the Mark, scraps from my worktable & my squiggly doodles......needed a bit more colour than just rust so I brushed on a little turquoise green patina glaze. Would have looked better had I centred the stamped image, but there you go...this was just an experiment to start with.

As Turquoise is the theme for Wednesday Stamper this week, this one may be suitable......I've missed so many weeks lately, it's nice to participate again.

Where I live

2007-05-13T21:17:00.001+01:00

Quite a few people in the international mixed media community are unfamiliar with Jersey, Channel Islands (not surprising) as we are a small group of tiny Islands in the English Channel just about 8 miles off the coast of Normandy, France.
Jersey is the largest of these Islands at approx. 9 x 5 miles, with a population of 85,000 at the last count & far too much traffic! All that said, there are still many beautiful natural sites to see here & an amazing amount of history, dating back from pre-history right through the French Napoleonic Invasions and Occupation of the 2nd World War with beautiful architecture recording these times.
So, here are a few shots of my little Island to help put it on your map, will add more as I take them when I'm out & about.

La Corbiere Lighthouse

South western most point of the Island

Footpath leading down to Le Scez Harbour

Not a harbour at all but a lovely secluded rocky cove where you can collect periwinkle shells, especially the yellow ones, by the dozen....see below. One of my favourite places to walk with my dog.

This is the coast line looking NE from Le Scez towards Rozel

Here we've moved down to the south coast, this is Elizabeth Castle, SE side of St Aubin's bay across the road from where I live, on the opposite side of the bay is St Aubin's Fort below. This is the beach where I walk with Max each morning & evening & pick up seaglass & all sorts of bits & bobs that have a potential artistic use!

Well I had to finish off for today with a photo of Max having fun on the beach as he always accompanies me wherever I go, he's a real beach babe!

Hope you enjoyed this first visit to my Island :)

Doodles & Stamps

2007-05-11T19:41:00.000+01:00

Whilst on the phone last weekend, I started doodling with a permanent marker & white gel pen on some pre-made backgrounds I had lying around on my desk & ended up with these ATC's.....

I also played with oil pastels and stamped a few postmarks on the ones below prior to doodling & embellishing with postage stamps.

Click to enlarge

For the original background, I cover a piece of sturdy A4 cardstock with a page from an old phone book, then add bits & pieces of left over text/music paper from other projects. The sheet is then painted with a coat of French Sepia Ink......... this is a beautiful traditional shellac ink produced by Cornelissen & Son, London, which gives a lovely transparent satin finish to the background paper.

I found it in my garden......

2007-04-16T21:55:00.000+01:00

Keron - the "Colourguru" is hosting a deco swap with a difference for the Paper Traders group on Yahoo. We are to make 2 covers - 3.5" x 5.5", 6 pages - 3" x 5" & 6 charms, all of which will be swapped out. Here are my charms & pages.......

The Charms

(Click picture for a larger image)

Nest
Tinted gesso & cheesecloth, gel medium transfer & collage

Rusty tools

Fluid acrylic background, stamping & collage, edges embossed with vintage photo distress powder which looks & feels like rust.

Butterflies

Tinted & white gesso, cheesecloth & collage. Deeper blue added with Neocolour watercoluble crayons.

Beehive

Fluid acrylic & stamped backgound, gel medium transfer & collage. Covered with a gold metallic glaze which doesn't show up on the scan & bees painted with h2o's.

Birds singing

Tinted gesso, stamping & collage

Fossils

Layers built up with tissue, coloured glazes & collage images to add depth with the addition of mica chips.

My Babe!

2007-03-20T22:51:00.001Z

I thought it was about time I introduced you to my babe Max, soon to be 13......this is one of the 1st Atc's I made just over a year ago(looking back at it now, it's pretty basic) and below is the original photo of him sitting in my old garden.....I do miss that garden so :(
Bless him, he's now fast asleep, snoring away in his basket after a long day at work with me!

Crows & Ravens

2007-03-18T10:50:00.000Z

I'm still having problems moving on with other projects I have lined up to complete because I seem to be stuck in "Blue Raven Mode"!

So I thought....if you can't beat it...go with the flow(at least it means I'm creating something) & here is the result, some ATC's for a swap posted on Marion's blog, go check it out, lots of wonderful ATC eye candy & don't forget to scroll down & check out Marion's Altered Postcards....they are gorgeous!

Edit:

In response to Carol Rose Parker - "Is your "Crows and Ravens" in any way in reference to the lines of Joni Mitchell's song "Aging Children"?" I'm afraid it isn't Carol, but on reading the lyrics I see where you're coming from. Thanks for dropping by & visiting :)

....and a big thank you to all who visit & leave comments, the feedback really is appreciated!

Happy Mother's Day....

2007-03-18T10:16:00.000Z

......to all of you in the UK, I hope you are all being spoilt today!
I certainly was when I woke up this morning to find this wonderful handmade card from my son & it meant more to me than any store bought card.....so I just had to share it.
He spent his day off work yesterday assembling this using newspaper & magazine cuttings with the help of a glue stick....hence the PS on the back page!

Front of card

Inside left

Inside right

Back of card

Needless to say, my eyes welled up & still do each time I read everything he has written.

and the Winner is......

2007-02-14T23:34:00.000Z

Tina.......Congratulations!
As soon as you email me your address, "Beloved" will be packed & on her merry way to you, Happy Valentine's Day!
Thanks to all of you who stopped by to enter the draw & keep checking in, as there will definately be more to come!

A few more Charms......

2007-02-10T23:00:00.000Z

....that I've been having fun making. These are soldered seaglass picked up off my local beach whilst walking my dear old Max & embellished with sterling silver wire spirals.
This will be the last of the creative stuff posted for a week or so as my Mum will be arriving from France tomorrow to stay.
I will be quickly posting the draw result on Valentine's Day, so don't forget to add your name if you wish to be included - see previous post here.

As a special Thank you....

2007-02-08T21:52:00.000Z

.....to all the lovely people who take time to visit & leave wonderful comments on my blog, I've decided to offer you the chance to win "Beloved" (previous post). To enter the draw, simply leave your name in the comments at the end of this post & I will draw the winner at 9pm (GMT) on Valentine's day. Good luck everyone!

Beloved

2007-02-05T23:43:00.000Z

This is my piece for "A Very Special Valentine" , a 3.5 x 5 inch soldered collage, a project for my Paper Whimsy Yahoo group, but as it does have some pink I thought it might be ok for this week's Wednesday Stamper - "Think Pink".

Mona Madness.....

2007-01-30T18:18:00.000Z

......is the theme for this week's Wednesday Stamper . As I don't possess a "Mona" stamp, I resorted to rooting around all my papers and finally found a small image of her on a sheet of Da Vinci papers designed by Lisa Vollarth for Design Originals. So here I am at the last hour entering the above ATC for this week's challenge.
Both stamps used for the background are from Stampington's Da Vinci collection.

Grimm Tales - "The Seven Ravens"

2007-01-30T17:58:00.000Z

Front

back

In my PW group, Lucinda is very kindly hosting a 4x4 Fairy Tale fat book project. As I joined up pretty late in the day, most of the more common tales had been picked so I resorted to a little research and discovered to my delight the tale of "The Seven Ravens"............as I adore these birds, this fit the bill perfectly!

Above is my interpretation.......the two photos show the front & back of the page prior embellishment. Rubber stamps used for backgrounds: tree - Paperbag Studios, diamond pattern - Above the Mark.

Time Defined

2007-01-20T22:06:00.000Z

This 6x8" collage is my contribution for this week's Wednesday Stamper - TIME

Stamps used:

Phrenology head - Invoke Arts

Large clock - Magenta

Small clocks - Non Sequitur (part of a plate)

Clock gears - Above the Mark

Roman Numerals - Stampers Anonymous

and here's another Faux Poste.

2007-01-14T18:00:00.000Z

This time added as an embellishment to an altered puzzle piece......didn't scan too clearly due to the domed letter E! (Background stamp by Toybox)

Faux Poste

2007-01-14T14:50:00.000Z

This week's contribution for Wednesday Stamper.

Colorbox chalks background then just simple stamping & masking.

White

2007-01-12T19:00:00.000Z

Have you ever considered white as a colour? Gather together white materials from your art supplies, ie. papers, fibres, fabric, embellishments etc and be surprised by the different shades of white.

I made these ATC's for a "White on White" swap & concentrated on texture as well as different shades of white, which was really fun to do. Unfortunately white is one of the worst colours to scan and my photography skills are not the best!

Charms

2007-01-07T12:53:00.000Z

I've finally managed to complete my charms for the Oh So Charming charm swap. If you fancy having a go at these, I've included the instructions. Warning......soldering is addictive!

Ingredients
Glass marbles
Rubbing Alcohol
6 mm wide copper tape
Scissors
Bone folder
Flux
Lead free solder
Soldering iron
Silver jump rings
Silver Indian bell charms
Directions
Clean the marbles well with the rubbing alcohol.

Measure some copper tape by wrapping around a marble to gauge the circumference allowing a little extra for overlap (approx. 5.5cm) and cut as many pieces as required.
Then cut each 5.5cm strip down to narrower pieces making them 2mm wide.

Wrap 2 pieces of copper tape around marble in opposite directions forming segments & burnish well with a bone folder.

Flux & solder over the copper tape.

Flux & solder jump rings to top & bottom, then wash charms in warm soapy water. Once dry, polish with silver cloth.

Attach bell charms.

Wednesday Stamper

2007-01-04T17:45:00.000Z

The challenge for this week's Wednesday Stamper is "Shapes", so my shape for this week's submission is circles. Have used the torn background again for this ATC.......note how the walnut ink remains darker on the torn areas.

More ATC's

2007-01-04T17:28:00.000Z

Have been having fun making backgounds using a technique from Collage Discovery Workshop by Claudine Hellmuth.......basically you stick down a page from an old phone book with gel medium & before it's completely dry apply strips of masking tape then tear them off which also peels off a bit of the backgound paper. Before colouring the backgrounds with tinted gesso or walnut ink, I also applied strips of contrasting old music pages. The above ATC's were made using these layered backgrounds.

ATC

2006-12-31T14:02:00.000Z

This little collage is my entry for the "Pink Hearts" Paper Whimsy December lottery & the open themed challenge for Wednesday Stamper.

Soldering

2006-12-30T19:43:00.000Z

Santa was really sweet this year, not only was I lucky enough to receive Sally Jean's new book Pretty Little Things but also a soldering iron & supplies to get me started........guess I must have been a good girl! LOL
Here are my first attempts, a little rough around the edges but as they say, practice practice practice!

Recycling

2006-12-30T19:34:00.000Z

This was an old gold glitter covered ornament that I revamped by covering it with white paint & simply added a brass frame with a Paper Whimsy image & wove a little torn muslin around the central frame to soften the edges.

It's been a while .....

2006-12-30T18:03:00.000Z

....since my last post, so to make up for it here are a few things I've been upto during December.
The above collage is for the December page for a Paper Traders calender....check it out, the rest of the artwork is fabulous and Charlene, the photoshop pro. did an outstanding cover! This group really has some amazing artists who work in all types of media so there's always something new to learn.

Sami culture

2006-11-26T17:26:00.000Z

Well here is my final spread for the Culture AB round robin with the Altered Art Europe group. It has been quite enlightening, researching & learning a little about each culture throughout this project.
For Maria's book I was thinking snow....hence all the white layered gesso & tissue, which you can't really see here as white never scans brilliantly, I also added Sami symbols & a transparency depicting a Sami family circa 1800 & finished off the edges with some red fibre & ink.
Now it's just a matter of waiting for my Native American book to return home filled with lots of great artwork from the other girls.