What I'm Working On

I hosted my art group's meeting last month and we did postcards. sounds boring. :) But they are a lot of fun.  They were based on some I saw that Roxanne Coble (by bun) did on Make it Artsy.   Mine are a bit more involved and full of color-not just on one side.
I really like the mark-making/doodling part.  I usually have some on hand ready to add all the lines and such when i go to visit my parents.  Everything fits in a nice box and travels well.  I can sit at the table and
play without having to bring a lot of stuff with me. 

Now i am working on some door hinge books~will post some pictures soon!

Current Art

school days vintage photo transfer on cradled wood panel

In the last year I had checked out a book by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare from my library at least twice. I ended up buying a copy for myself.  Meanwhile...a friend had a copy of Somerset Workshop that had an article on Sarah's technique. (she did some art with her own spin on it) which then inspired me to do some too.  I still want to try one that has more the look Sarah gets but in the meantime, i'm having fun.

FISH-
I used a vintage photo of my mom as a little girl. My grandfather loved to fish-pretty sure he took her to land this one.  Blew up my photo and made a transfer.  The background was inspired by something i saw on pinterest by Joan Fullerton who does beautiful work. I went for the drippy look more than texture since I was adding my transfer and not transferring onto my substrate.
This one is done on plywood.






The girl with pink is done on a little canvas board.  She still needed something-a friend suggested she needed to be layered on another piece-so that is what she will get. (this photo is taken on the backside of the FISH (the plywood was an unfisnished project-but the side i never finished looked good with the canvas so i'll make something along those lines color wise.

 Did this piece on a wooden house I got at michael's this summer.
It's about 6" tall.  Transfer image is one i found on pinterest~went with a halloween theme.  (below is picture of the sides/top of the house) painted stripes then gave it a charcoal wash to age it.  Still may do more to the sides (vintage text circles)  or not. 
 So that is what i've been up to when i can fit time in for art~

On a Roll...

While in the middle of cleaning my art room (which is put on hold again) I started making some fabric collages. Here are a few-in progress.  Some estate sale finds-fabric, lace and buttons helped motivate me to get back to this ~ I intended to finish some i had started years ago-but ended up making new ones.  I also intended to make mini's.  These are turning more into "mediums."

when you wish upon a star...

 I will post more as I get them finished.  They will probably end up in my etsy shop.

same image, different style...WIP

I think this one is done.

still needs "something"...

Current Obsession

Fun pink ribbon

After taking an online class where we made a fabric scrap tie to close the book and seeing /making paper ribbon with scraps, i'm now obsessed with making "fabric ribbon."
Part of my "use up what you have" mentality.  I'll admit i have bought a few new fabrics/tulle to match what
I have when I don't feel there is enough variety.  What can i say?  Fabric is addicting.  I've been playing with fabric one way or another since i was 5 or 6.  My mom used to work for Stretch & Sew, World of Fabrics and taught sewing.  I can remember in the early 70's-the "make your own lingerie" fad came about.  The local paper wrote an article about my mom-"Mrs Moody" (never once did they use her name.)  I can remember some women coming to our house (maybe for a class) and i was messing with some scraps making a flower. (gathered fab)  My mom would make them for house shoes.  I remember hearing one of the ladies ask my mom if I knew what I was doing.  (I think she thought i was just messing around "copying" they actions of my mom.)  She told them "yes she does."  So there.
  Back to now~I can't seem to stop making my ribbon.  I recently used a piece to wrap a baby shower gift-it got passed around the room because some people wanted to look at it more closely.  I made it so that it could be hung as garland after used for wrapping.  Below you'll see a sampling of some of the rolls~

This is my "floaty" style

The silver/gray was added to a baby shower gift-you can see a peek of it.

Christmas colors

Purple for an art friend

Christmas with a vintage twist (the green and touch of pink)

Another Christmas style-this one was for my mom

Colorful roll

Two on left were from a book tie-made more than needed.  Two on right were the silver/gray

Curious Bundles-the class

I recently took Susie LaFond's  online class-"Curious Bundles."  I have long admired her work-and here was an opportunity to see her process.  It was well worth the cost.  I've made my first "bundle" as she calls them
and am hooked.  I now have a great way to use fabrics i've been hoarding for years for that "special" project.  In her class you learn 3 different books and some extra techniques to use in your books.
   I can't wait to try it all.  Here are some pictures of my first bundle.

section of bundle-

bundle with blank pages-each pocket can hold loose journal pages or art

pocket close -up

close up of bundle. 

Screen pocket

another section with blank pages

 I really hated to cover all my fun fabrics with the pockets so i added some screen pockets. I "outlined" them in coordination fabrics and sewed them on-so you get a peek of the art or fabric.

inked and stitched

here is bundle spread out with decorated pages ready to journal or play on

 Looking forward to more inspiration from this class!

Little Bit of Art

I haven't felt very artistic since january.  I've wanted to work on something, but just couldn't start anything-just stood at my table and looked at all my stuff.  Then decided to clean.  I got my fabrics organized and all shelved-started rearranging some of the items on bookshelves-things that needed to be done-but not creative.  At least i was among my "things."  This week something finally hit me and I worked on this flower piece.  It's for my art meeting this weekend.  I made one, tonight i will start on the other 3.  They may vary a bit in color but will be similar-our theme was "spring" or "eggs"-you can tell which one i picked.  
     I also started cutting down some of my rusted metal "stuff" that i got several yrs ago. Antique barbed wire, old fencing, metal pieces.  Cut some things down to "usable" size. Some pieces i cut ended up become this funky metal house. I haven't decided yet what i will mount it on-what kind of background, but something needs to be behind the window.   

the whole house.

Here is the piece-layered with paper and paints.  I painted stripes on the sides-black and white and each side has one colored stripe.  Each side has a different color.  Had fun just slapping paint down to see what came of it. 

Halloween Burn project

At least that is what I'm calling it. I saw this technique done on craft wars some months ago and decided to give it a try in my own way.  It just screamed "halloween" to me so i cut my wood in a rough tombstone
shape with a hole in the middle and taped away.  Next came the burning. 
Once I was happy with the look i painted them white (spray paint) and added a black wash.
The tape melts and creates drippy, raised and textured areas.  In person, it looks like bones almost.
The hole was cut out with the intention of adding a mirror with an image in it. Pretty cool effect 
Disclaimer: If you are in my art group and swapping on sunday-look no farther or you'll spoil the surprise :)

after burn

white paint before the black wash

finished

detail

more detail

New Art in the Works...

This past monday i went to visit my friend Greg in "almost hill country." Here is one of the longhorns and the new calf that was about 3 days old when i got there. cute, but still wild.
Greg warned me that the ranch would be getting rid of all the scrap metal, so if i wanted some better come and get it. So i did. He had saved me some rusted old fence-looking material. Today i started cutting one of the pieces into parts to make art. Here is what they look like now-stage 1. will post more as i work on them.