Day 4: Just Sew

The fabric scrap bin is staring at me.

The best way to attack a bulging fabric scrap bin is with an open mind and my Janome Sewist 509.

When I start a new quilted piece, I don't think too much about what I am making or how it will look in the end. I just starting sewing pieces together. After 5 or 6 fabric pieces, I have a bit of a pattern and color combination going. Today the purples and reds are speaking to me.

I like to throw in a black and white graphic print. I like the way it pulls the piece together and adds a bit of edginess. This black and white print reminds me of a bar code. This makes me thinking of shopping and materialism. This makes me think about phrases I might embroider on the top of the piece.  Perhaps prices or discounts or sale lingo like, "Lowest Prices of the Season!"

I've decided to make this piece a table runner. It will look fabulous on my long black dinning room table. I'm imagining it with white china plates, flowers in low vases, lots of candles, red wine, and friends. Stay tuned on this ... I will post the finished project.

 

Speaking of finished projects, I finished my daughter's quilt late last night. I sneaked into her room and covered her with it while she was sleeping. She woke with two surprises this morning, her quilt and no school due to icy roads. A perfect combination for snuggling.

Day 3: Make Some Gifties

With only a week left until Christmas, I decided to make some gifties for my friends at work. I work at an elementary school. Although there are a few men sprinkled here and there, the majority of my co-workers are women. I love it. I've worked in all kinds of environments and I have enjoyed aspects of every one, but none have fit me better than an elementary school. It is filled with creative people who love children. Most also love puppies and kittens and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils. I digress...
The goal for today is to create some gifties for my group of coworkers. Let's see what supplies are at hand. Small flat wooden shapes, magnets, paint, background papers, matte gel medium, gloss medium & varnish, fabulous paper images (see day 2), and the always entertaining GLITTER! I will be making decoupage magnets. Who doesn't need a magnet?

Step 1: Play with the designs and select background papers and images.
 

Old book pages, maps, music, and dictionaries make interesting backgrounds.

It feels a bit magical to find existing print that works perfectly with an image.

Step 2:  Sand and paint the wooden shapes.

 

Step 3: Adhere all the papers and images with matte gel medium.
 

I love this sleeping cowboy! I like to imagine him dreaming about trigonometry.

Step 4: GLITTER TIME!

Step 5: Coat each piece with gloss medium & varnish.

Step 6:  Glue a magnet button on the back. I use E-6000 glue for super strong adhesion.

Step 7: Enjoy your pretties while they dry!

Mr. Czardine

I want to keep them!

 

 

 

 

Hmmm...Now to decide who will get which magnet. 

 

Next creative endeavor: How to wrap these delicious treats. I'm thinking tulle, tissue, and sparkly trim!

Day 2: What Are You Saving That For?

I love old children's books. Especially discarded library books. The smell of the discolored paper. The beat up binding. The little "due date" pocket on the back page. The charming illustrations and type are perfect for collage and decoupage. However, there is a librarian that lives in my head and her eyebrows are raised over her spectacles when she realizes my plan to desecrate a book.
So the books gather.

A few thoughts come to mind.
1) Piled-up books take up space.
2) Sitting on the couch all day would easily accommodate paper-cutting.
3) It would be handy to have a stockpile of images readily available for craft projects.  





  

With my pointiest scissors, I will cull the coolest and cutest images. Let the librarian put her hands on her hips and huff at me.

Day 1: Finish What I Started

Day 1. I will finish what I started.

 I dug out a quilt I started for my daughter, Bea, a few years ago. At the time, I thought it would be a beautiful gesture to hand-quilt the whole thing. That lasted about one week. I neatly folded the quilt and stuck it on a bottom shelf. Did I think I would suddenly want to hand-quilt a quilt?
Today I admitted this would never happen. So, I am going to finish the quilt the easy way. I will leave the hand-quilting and just tie the front to the back, hem the edges, and let Bea enjoy it.

My favorite part of the quilt is this little patch. When the boys started leaving us for Cub Scouts camping weekends, Bea decided we could call our time "hang out club." She was about 6 years old when we started our hang out club. I hope I always get to be a member.

Confessions of a Craft Supply Junky

December is here and I find myself stuck at home after a hysterectomy. Between naps, I'm reading books, flipping through magazines, and watching movies that no one else will watch with me. The result? Eye candy galore. My creative juices are flowing like melted trans fat over a big tub of movie popcorn.
A few days ago, I felt adventurous and was able to take stairs. I went into my basement studio to see if there might be a tiny project I could start or finish. My stomach sank as I looked into a room that might be featured on Hoarders. I need an intervention.

I promise all family pets are accounted for.

The problem is trifold. 1) I accept other people's craft "donations," 2) I love to buy new supplies, and 3) I keep anything that could be collaged, painted, or sewn (roughly anything that will not rot or attract wildlife.) The problem: I feel trapped creatively.

At least I've got some bin action!

The only solution: Craft My Way Out (or CraMWO)

Here are the rules of CraMWO:
1) No new supplies. I am allowed to replenish the basics such as matte gel medium or black thread. But no new fabric or paper or gadgets!
2) No trip to JoAnn's, Michael's, or Blick without a list of specific items (see stipulations in Number 1.)
 
Stay tuned and wish me luck as I wade through years of  "treasures."

 

 

 

 

Wonderful News in My Little Bubble

Back in July, I submitted a small collage ornament for Cloth Paper Scissors magazine's Holiday Gift Swap. It was the first piece of art I have ever submitted to a magazine. Earlier in the month, I received a pretty collage magnet from another artist, Peg Englishman. I knew some of the holiday gifts would be featured in the November/December issue, but I never heard more about it.
Today I was delighted to receive the new issue and was thrilled to see my ornament on page 80, next to Peg Englishman's lovely magnet! What an encouraging step in my artistic journey.   

Pajamas all weekend = Time for Art

After an outpatient surgery on Friday, I stayed in my pajamas all weekend. I wasn't in pain, just waiting for the drugs to wear off and felt like a slug. The only thing that helped the time pass was art. So... two collages later it is Sunday night and I am ready to enter the real world again. The first one is called "Queen of Escape" and the second one is called "The Key to Me."
I had so much fun cutting and smooging scraps around with my matte gel medium. I love that stuff. I feel rested and at peace after a weekend of creating. Better than any drug any day!