Princess Bubbles Creates

 There isn't a ton of beading on this mandala.  I took a mixed media approach to this one and I love it!  This fabric started as a cleanup cloth.  Granted I stopped using it to clean up messes once it got to a pretty point.  I added transfer foil and then another bit of paint to make the transfer foil less obvious.  I added more transfer foil for some in your face shine.  There is also some permanent marker and then the beading.  Using the hoop as my frame makes for an easy finish.  I have used up most of my supply of hoops now and should probably order some more.  The ones I have remaining are rather small. I am linking to https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

It has been bitterly cold and I have stayed in the house stitching.  With this current lockdown, we have been trying to do something outside with our granddaughter on Sundays.  It is so lovely to see her even if for a short walk or tobogganing.  This past Sunday, no way.  Just too cold.  Call me a fairweather grandmother!  Instead, I went through some stitching kits.  Kits are a great way to learn a new skill but I rarely buy them any more.  Still, I love silk ribbon and I wanted something mindless to do.  Turns out it they weren't completely mindless.  I had to modify them, I had to make them my own.  It is next to impossible for me to follow a pattern.  It just isn't in me anymore!  These pieces are pretty and I will incorporate them into a crazy quilt at some point. I am linking to https://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

 I have been studying art and healing for quite a while.  It is utterly fascinating to me.  Before knowing the science behind it I instinctively was drawn to practising art for therapeutic purposes.  Last month I finished an Art and Healing course through Coursera.  I love going down the rabbit hole of research on my own so there wasn't a lot that I learned through this course.  There were a few nuggets that were not related to visual art.  Dance, writing and music were discussed and I was glad to gain more knowledge in those areas.   This week I took part in an Art & Healing workshop via Zoom.  I was curious to know how it would be run.  Well, poorly is how it was run.  I was annoyed and disappointed.  I did enjoy doing a page of circles in my art journal though.  It isn't remarkable artwise but that is not the point.  My art journal is a sacred space for me to create without concern for it to look good....

 I painted this dupioni silk a while ago.  I have now started stitching into it.  I have decided I will use only silk threads.  Can you say luscious?  Silk on silk, love it!  I have added many french knots in the lower left.  I am pondering what stitches will be next.  Do I continue with the stitches I know and use all the time?  Do I use this to practise learning new stitches?  I think new or rarely used stitches are in order.   I am linking to https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

 Yay!  Finished!  I am happy with this one.  The fabric definitely did all the work.  My wonky piecing is not so noticeable now that I have added beads and sequins.  Honestly, I could just sit and look at this one for a time.  There is just the right amount of sparkle. I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

 My mother wasn't much of a cook.  But somehow she managed to make some meals special.  She had a table cloth that was used so much it had to be patched.  I now have that patched and worn table cloth.  I don't use it on my own table but I have cut it up to use in my art.  I have used it my crazy quilting and now I am using it in my lap book.  There's that theme of redemption in my work showing up again.  I want to use the good parts to make something beautiful.  I have a certain fondness for the old and worn.  I always have had.  Even as a child my heart went out to objects, pets, and people that seemed to need my love. I covered the book with a piece of the table cloth and added a few more pieces of fabric.  I will add more collage components to this eventually.  I cut up a pretty pink napkin that I found at a thrift store.  It is the same style as the table cloth but seems like it was never used.  I am leaving ...

 I am pleased with my beading progress on this mandala.  Going through my stash to find just the right bead is a relaxing part of the process for me.  With the huge stash that I have, I think it would be impossible to not come up with something that works! Who knew that all my crazy hoarding would be just the right thing for lockdown.  When I hear people speak of being bored I am so grateful that that is not the case for me! I will keep puttering at this one as I am not quite ready to call it finished.   I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/