Zodiac quilt is coming along nicely...

It's only 3 months to go and we will have completed our 12 blocks on the 2012 Bead Journal Project. WOW! It's gone so fast... I've now actually finished beading my blocks, but I still have to embellish them with the appropriate crystals and coloured beads.

Each zodiac has so many associations and I thought I'd make a flat reference guide that would look great on the wall, and be totally useful too.

I've started working round a few of them- I've done 6 now... but I've got 3 months now to finish them all and then start embroidering the texts around the piece.

Here's how it's looking now...

Once this panel is done I'll be adding coloured panels around the outside with the seasons and symbols.

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.

It's all in the heart...

I forgot to post this earlier, slap my wrist, it is my January piece for a Heart Journal Project hosted on Thealie and Lilibulle's blogsite. Each month they choose a material/ technique to decorate a heart page, culminating in a 14 page book of hearts. Who could resist?

The first was masking tape... here's how mine turned out...

I used; masking tape, acrylic paints,gesso, paper flowers,glass nuggets, beads and wire on a mountboard base. These will all be @ 20 x 20cm.

Aquarius bead block for BJP 2012

Well, I finally buckled down to beading my first block for the Bead Journal Project this year. I'd designed my wall hanging earlier, but not begun designing the beaded elements...

Once I got going it didn't take long to come up with a set of designs which I thought would be blocky enough to work in beads... but I'm sad to say my first attempt looked awful, no definition and with all the bling there was just not enough contrast between object and background. So I had to retry, this is the second attempt (the 1st attempt is over on my BJP-2012 page )

Aquarius second attempt

 I used delicas, bugles, hex, teardrops and huge seedbeads on felt. I'm still not happy with this- I thought the design might have worked better, so I'm looking at redesigning all 12- or only beading a section of it, but having seen some of the entrants on BJP already I'd feel lazy if it wasn't fairly well covered in beads rather than silks. Best get my thinking cap on before the end of February when I'll need to post my Feb effort on the BJP 2012 Blogsite

!00th Spiral in the 366 Spiral Project

Good grief- has it come round already??

I started the 366 Spirals Project 100 days ago, that's 100 spirals  of  my artwork, photos and creations.

I never realised I had quite so many tucked away in all my work, but the challenge will be to find 266 more!
Not only that, but it's the actual passing of time- 3 months+! Where has it gone? I must have blinked and lost a month. Time is so precious- I am so glad and thankful that I get to spend so much of it doing what I love most- being creative.

This is my chosen pic for the 100th- 2 pieces commissioned for weddings; a spiral heart tiara and a feather heart spiral brooch; two pieces that I loved creating, and know that they were loved by others too, and also went some way to making a special celebration even more unique and personal.

To see the 99 other original artworks, photos and creations  please follow this link

Thankyou for looking!