More butterflies and journals

Over the last few months I've developed what was a one-off collage in a frame into a range of Artist journal/ sketchbooks... I knew getting the Cinch was going to cause problems!

Here are a few in the latest colours, I work each set in fours so they really are unique...

These are hearts and butterflies, I've also tried blinging a couple with little gems, what do you think?  I need to make some more now as I've just got a spot in a shop in Canterbury, which hopefully will be quite popular... watch this space!

Eac of these contain over 40 pages of mixed artist paper such as watercolour, pastel, cartridge, black and tracing paper. Perfect for mixed media artists who love using more than one medium. Each little section is separated with some gorgeous hand-made paper in coordinating colours. 

I'm also taking orders for these with a name added within the design, how special is that? Check them out on Etsy...

Butterflies, butterflies

  I know, I know, too long again! I'm going to have to set certain times to write my blog otherwise I'm just not going to keep up enough. I have been busy, always my excuse! 

  For those of you that know me, aside from working in rainbows alot I also tend towards purple... and use butterflies as a theme regularly, well I've found out this week that I'm not on my own. I've had orders for my collage textile journals, both purple with butterflies- wonderful, as I know my stash is full of suitable goodies.

  Without giving away my trade secret for construction here's one of the finished journals, all sent off and happily received

I've started to add little art canvases of my work too, just as an extra dimension, I know they're each unique anyway, but this makes them more so- I love making these journals!

Here's another one, a small Moleskine I made at the same time for the fun of it, I've listed it on Etsy now.

Now I need to finish the latest order... hope I get my machine back soon, after 7 months it's gone stupid and gone back to the shop, darn! 

COTTON AND COLLAGE continued...

Having spent several days creating tiny flowers and butterflies (see post below) I needed to complete my heart for July's Heart project

July's theme is transparency... working within a construct of acetate sheets. I had an idea a long time back at uni that I never found time for and this was a perfect opportunity to revive the idea.

I cut 3 pieces of acetate to match my other hearts... but I wanted a semi-opaque background so dug out some of the paper-fabric I created a while back.

 I sprayed that with clear gloss till it was saturated and semi-transparent then weighted it while it dried to the back layer of acetate. The idea was to ensure that some areas would remain clear and glassy.

The rest was fairly straight forward, I love nigella so painted that up in pearly paint. Once dried they were glued to the base layers. I inked July in the centre with pigment inks.

I also coloured the centres of the flowers and butterflies with my Promarkers. I blended some of them using surgical spirits. These were attached to the middle layer with gel medium, then sequins added in the centres.

I inked Sweet Summer onto this layer too. Next time I will use a darker ink... I wanted subtlety, but in handling these have smudged and all but disappeared. I think I need better inks...

Here it is completed... I gelled the edges together, punched holes in all around and did several rows of crochet to echo the flowers. All in all I'm quite pleased with it, but will be working out the ink issue... If I could redo it I would, but after all that crochet I'm not cutting it open!!

Thankyou Thealie for you prompt- it gave me the chance to revive old ideas and play with new ones at the same time. I've enjoyed this months challenge.

COTTON AND COLLAGE

I have carried on creating my flower embellishments this week, but changed medium... to cotton. A while back I was crocheting wool flowers and butterflies, but as I had just bought some white pearl cotton thread I thought I'd see if it would work small scale.

The lustred cotton is about the same thickness as embroidery skeined thread, and after a few trials with different sized needles I settled on a 2mm. I ended up spending 3 days playing and making a selection of flowers and butterflies... I've just started on hearts. It seems that a wool crochet pattern will translate nicely into a dinky cotton equivalent- great for journals, hats, jewellery, blankets... so many uses!

I chose white because I want to start colouring as required, rather than have to buy a supply of every colour I like  in a wide variety of material... I've done the same for satin ribbon, bulk white in several widths- it's so easy to colour as you need it.

Here are a few of the flowers and butterflies...

A few variations in stitch and pattern will give you a huge range of petals and designs. I'll put a pattern over in the pattern tutorials section

The basic pattern is several rounds worked from a circle of 4 or 5 chains. Any stitch can be used in any combination...that's the fun of it! 

The next thing is to find a use for all your wonderful mini creations.... as it happens I had a project that could use a handful of flowers... see the following post for the finished project. A hearty project...

This white thread is pearlised, mercerised, which means it has been chemically treated and takes dye really well! You can dye with Procion dyes or similar, but I also use something much quicker and just as effective for crafting- alcohol markers such as Sharpies or Promarkers. The colour will naturally run along the fibres so a small amount is recommended to begin with, and you can always spray with neat alcohol or surgical spirit to dilute and blend the colours... have fun experimenting!

And more butterflies and flowers...

I really have a bug with this one... I've just completed a set of 4 small canvases using the same technique as earlier...

I was going to use them as book covers, but I quite like the idea of keeping them together so I may mount them like this... and make some more for book covers tomorrow.
I also had an oval going spare so I created this one too...

I'm going to border this with beads and/or ribbon... I'll have to search my stash and see what beckons... what a productive day it's been...
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Butterflies are definately in this month...

A few days earlier I posted my heart for June's prompt... the material featured this month is gesso, highlighting "fossilised" shapes and textures. The heart turned out really well, and I enjoyed creating it so much I decided to do some more...

Here's the first one... on a spare piece of mountboard. I don't often use green but I thought it would work well for this. I shall probably frame this one, but I decided to create a set and have them proud of the frame so I'm collaging onto 6 x 4" canvas boards. It will be a set of four, one for each season... I'll post once they're done.

Paper fabric and birthday cards...

Paper fabric? I've not tried it before, but as I'm doing alot of mixed media and textile work lately, it seemed only fitting that I give it a go... creating a material stronger than paper alone by collaging layers onto a fabric base.

What fun! I didn't have any muslin for the base, so I used some ponge silk, which would have it's own benefits/ downsides mentioned later.

I gathered up a collection of tissue papers, leaf skeletons, napkins, string, quilling strips etc. Next came ripping, tearing  and  cutting random shapes.

The idea of fabric paper is to have the benefit of pattern/texture and flexibility of paper, but with the added strength of a material base. Using a 40/60 pva/water mix lay out the material on a plastic sheet and wet it down. Adding papers and the other materials in layers, I built it up until I was happy with it, then overlaid with a white tissue paper. I made four with different themes; nature, butterflies, trees and funky. I also sprayed alcohol inks throughout the process... I could have tried glitter, angelina, sequins... or any number of other items!

I laid them out to dry in the sun, but they seemed to firm up even more over the next couple of days.

They turned out quite well for the first batch- I'd like to get a more flexible piece next time, maybe a texture gel will be more forgiving?

When I began to cut out for the birthday cards I found that the silk hadn't stuck very well, so I began to peel it away. Luckily it came away clean, leaving the paper layer intact. However, it did have one suprise, as the glue had seeped into the inks on the papers in some cases it had spread through to the silk, so I had loose, blended image transfers. I shall be trying this again! with specific images. Both the alcohol inks and the sharpies used on some of the papers transfered really well.

One of the projects I wanted this paper fabric for is my Birthday cards swap... I had 7 to make this month. I cut the standard 6 x 4" with various patterned scissors. I planned to work on the elements again as I'd just cut out the set in lino, so I embossed them onto handmade papers and highlighted them with inks. Adding ribbon, brads, and printing "happy birthday" on leaves finishes them off nicely. I also made a name tag on frosted shrinkies for each recipient.

Here they are complete...

I also had a quick play for a bookmark swap and came up with these little treasures...

April's Heart...

It's that time again already, so Thealie and Lillibule posted this months heart which features gesso and baking soda!

I've not heard of such a mixture so it promised to be a novel experience! It wasn't too bad, and it's great fun, if you don't overheat you get some great imprints... here it is before the painting...

I used various stamps, then added wooden letters and shapes covered with the mix too. I then painted with acrylics, buffed and highlighted with pearly and gold, and added depth with texture paint in orange and violet. The butterflies were embossed then highlighted with paints and copics. As I usually use wire and beads I thought I'd keep that going as I've changed the colour theme for the next 3 hearts- something bright and summery... I shall end up with 3 hearts in each seasonal change.

I really enjoyed this one... but I'm still wondering whether to add some text... or a pic... 

Folding Book Project

Well, it's January 2012 so the first prompt for The Hinges book-making adventure  was posted by Ruth and Dawna. I only saw the post this morning and thought it would be perfect for a birthday pressie for a relative who hasn't got any pics of our branch of the family. 

I'd been prepping for a batch of birthday cards and covers so had an armful of materials at the ready... so I ended up doing it straight away... naughty me, considering I hadn't finished the fabric cards yet- tch tch! I took some pics along the way, so if they come out okay I will post a tutorial for you to follow.

Here's how it's turned out so far.... I need to print out the photos before I can go any further with embellishments

 

My daughter squealed "that's so cute" when she walked in, so I can see me having to make several more!! No great hardship- so much fun.

I've now posted a tutorial in the how-tosbooks section. Have a go and enjoy!! Don't forget to send me a pic!! xx

ATC's - a new exploration, for me, at least!

Having joined the Art swaps group at Milliande's I found a whole new world of small artworks, highly intriguing having spent the last few years growing in confidence enough to make my paintings BIG!
This really appealed to my "have an idea, must do it now" streak, by being small enough to complete in a reasonable time-frame.
And so another addiction began....
Here is my first group of ATC's, specifically for a "layered" card swap

These are on canvas, stamped with pigment inks, gel transfers, embossed copper, and beads. They were great fun to make, and several of them went round the world to Australia for the swap.


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