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Showing posts from September, 2009

Kaleidoscope page two of my circle journal

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So here is page two of my circle journal.  This is a kaleidoscope that I printed onto fabric.  I love my Epson printer for printing on fabric.  It works great.  I then embellished the kaleidoscope with Pearl Ex, beads and sequins.    The journal will probably only be three pages.  I will put the journal together in a way that leaves the possibility of adding more pages should I choose.  Page three is still to come.  It needs some more work though. 

I finished it

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I love finishing things!  It feels so darn good.  I took some advice from a lovely blog reader and added a border and bit more stitching.  I have also worked a bit more on the other circle journal pages.  I  should be able to finish the pages this week and post the whole journal later.  Nothing telling the world that you can do something to give you the determination!

Sharing my kaleidoscope idea

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This is my very simple book made with some of my kaleidoscope images.  I cut out a butterfly shape and glued each page back to back.  I used some wonderful handmade (not by me) paper for the cover.  The book worked up quite quickly.  I think it could be fun to embellish each of the butterflies but I think I will just call this book finished.

I had a great day

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I was thinking I haven\t posted a free kaleidoscope for a while.  So here it is.  Enjoy.  I've had two cool ideas as to how to use these kaleidoscopes.  One idea involves paper and the other idea uses fabric of course.  I will post the paper idea tomorrow hopefully.  The fabric idea will take a bit more time but stay tuned. In regards to why my day was so good.  Well, I had the two new ideas for the kaleidoscopes.  Plus,  I found some lutrador material for really cheap today.  I read on one of my yahoo groups that lutrador is the same stuff that is used on the bottom of couches or box spring mattresses.  So I took a look for it at a local shop and they carry it for $0.89 a yard!  Can you believe that?  Now I can't wait to play with it and see what I can create! 

I'm feeling the need to redeem myself

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Everyone has been so very kind in regards to the crazy quilt book cover I posted last week.  I have received many lovely comments and some super advice.  Thank you all. I just feel like I have to prove that I can do better.  This piece I made into a purse and then hated it as a purse.  It has been languishing in my stack of UFOs.  I know everyone has them (UFO's that is) but I am really trying to not have so many.  At any rate, I think I'm going to turn this into another book cover.  It will be a different kind of book than the last one though.  I probably should have waited until the book was finished to post this but I really wanted everyone to know that I really can do better.

I love playing with texture

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This book I made specifically to play with texture.  I used cheese cloth, paint and Liquitex glass beads gel.  I really love the glass beads.  They are quite pretty and easy with which to work. This is the inside of the cover.  It is just painted matt board. This one of the pages.  Each page is an envelope that opens.  The envelope is made from a 12 x 12 sheet of scrapbook paper.  There are six pages total.

mixed media paper and fabric

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This is mulberry  paper, cheese cloth,  and metallic thread all stuck together.  It's kind of like paper mache.  The little purple disc is basically a dimensional piece done in the same paper mache style.  I stitched it onto the base with metallic thread.  It\'s going to be a page in a circle journal that I am making.   I think it's better in real life than the photo but I also think that it's not finished.  It needs something else just not sure where to go with it.  Unlike the unfinished piece I posted On Sept. 10th I'm not afraid to ruin this one. 

crazy quilt book cover

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I made this small crazy quilt thinking that it would be a birthday card for a friend.  The friend is a real professional and an extreme  perfectionist.  I concluded that it was not good enough to give to her.  It's a bit wonky.  I made it into a small book for myself instead.  I think it's a darn shame that perfection does not come easily or naturally to me but I have learned to accept it.  Sometimes good enough is good enough.  And done is better than perfect. I color copied the crazy quilt and used the copies as end papers inside the book.  I quite like the way that turned out. I

An accordion book

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I love tags.  I love nature.  I love making books.  No surprise that I made this little book incorporating tags and bits of nature.  I was going for a monochromatic feel with this so it does not photograph all that well.  I'm now noticing that I didn't add any fibres to the holes in the tags.  I'm thinking I should probably do that.

A box of crayons

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Crayons have long been a source of amusement for me.  Since I was a little girl I have had a love affair with crayons.  The day I received a box of 64 colours I was in heaven.  I spent hours perfecting my ability to colour within the lines.  As an adult I try t throw off the bonds and confines of staying in the lines.  I don't want to be trapped within the lines.  I want to create in freedom.  The oughts and shoulds I want banished as  I have enough of those in real life. A box of crayons can take you more places than a starship.   Guinan in Star Trek The Next Generation

Unfinished

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I posted this picture on Cracked Paper quilts.  Unfortunately my comment didn't show up with the picture. My comment was asking for advice as to how to finish this piece.   Maybe I'll get some advice here on my blog. I created this fabric and paper piece using Beryl Taylor's method.  I love her work and her book Mixed Media Explorations.  I like this piece so far but feel it's just a start.  I think there is more to be done but I am a little anxious about trying anything.  Because I like it - I'm afraid to ruin it!  How do you get past that fear/anxiety?  What do you do? 

Journal cover

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I really like this journal cover.  I think it's quite pretty.  I used interference paint on the diagonal rectangle.  You can see how it shimmers a nice green color.  It shows up better in this picture than in the nature print photo in the last  post.  Interference paint works best on a dark background.  Do try it.

nature prints

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When the leaves start turning color it makes me think of nature printing.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's because I have a thing for leaves.  I just love them and hate to see bare trees.  Maybe I just want to preserve them. I am trying to think of a cool way to use these leaves in a stitching project.  I would really like to enter this show   http://www.onnguilds.ca/threadworks/CALLforentry2010b.pdf    The above leaves I printed with interference paint.  I love that stuff.  It's a little hard to tell from the photo how pretty interference paint is.  If you haven't played with it you really must try it.

A fabric journal page

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This is a page from my 'Today I Create' fabric journal.  I was thrilled beyond words when this journal was accepted into the Grand National quilt show in 2008.  The background is handmade silk paper that I created.  I included some interesting fibres and threads as well as the silk in it. Kirigami  is paper folding and cutting.   It's like when we were kids and made paper snowflakes.  I used one of these paper snowflakes as a resist stencil and applied two colors of purple paint to white cotton to create the mandala.  I then embellished the mandala with beads and sequins.

Thank you and another free kaleidoscope

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I have to say I am loving having a blog!  I have received so many nice comments about my art and my blog.  I squeal with delight just like a school girl when I get a new comment!  I will probably never grow up.  I don't want to - I'm having too much fun the way I am.  So fellow creators, keep the comments coming!  You make me over the moon happy when you do. I am posting this kaleidoscope for you to use in your art.  It's my way of saying thank you for visiting my blog.  If you do use it I would absolutely love to see your piece! 

To answer a few questions

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    These maple leaf sequins I colored with Sharpie markers.  It works quite well.  It does not rub off.  I have not tried putting them through the wash so I don't know how well they stand up to washing.   I must say that I like the alcohol inks better. These fabrics I marbled with cheap acrylic paints and shaving cream.  Okay, what's with the underlining again!!!  I wish I were more html literate!  The acrylic works just as well as the food coloring (see post below).  I would like to try Dye-na-flow as it is very fluid and I think it might move easier than the craft acrylics.  You absolutely must let the acrylic paint cure before washing the fabric.  I taught a class to my guild and one of the students (I love you Elizabeth) washed her marbled fabric right away and it all washed out.  Drag.  If you are in a big hurry to use the fabric you could always heat set it first.