Friday, November 4, 2011

Home Again and.....Busy....Busy...!

Hi There Blogging Friends! I am back in my lovely home after travelling 20,000klms on an amazing trip through the Top End of Australia and, the entire state of Western Australia. It is a blessing to have covered so much territory safely and happily and I would recommend an "Aussie Outback Experience" to anyone.



Although we have been home for a few weeks; we haven't had a moment to sit idle. The fine red dust of the outback is like baby powder and settles in and on everything you have with you, while travelling so........it has been clean, clean, clean and there is still more to do.



However; I have taken a couple of breaks to finish off my swap commitments with my USA friends at 'Roses On My Table' and; to also finished my October challenge with my own local Papercraft Artist friends. Here are some pics.....



The final doll for the 'Le Papiere' Dolls swap at Roses was a Christmas doll to hang on a tree. I made the first one to send..... then; I made this second one "just for fun". See how you can play around with the arms and legs...I love doing that!



The tag swap group at Roses had a Christmas Tag for December; here is mine....

Then; the main theme was 'Statues' and............as I started this one while I was travelling, I had to mock up a statue so; I was inspired by the Helen Reddy song "I am Woman" to create a statue dedicated to Women.

The final swap for the year for the Roses ATC group was 'Holidays' and.......as most Australians head for the beach during the hot weather over the Christmas season, I made mine as 'Holiday by the Seaside'.

here is a close up of one....that is some Western Australia beach sand in the bottom left hand corner.


Finally, my local group had the theme 'Anything French' for their October challenge, so; I decided to create some Paris dresses and put them on cards.







It's time to get serious now and return to my textile design work....I've pulled out some gorgeous fabrics and am in full contemplation.....well......it's a start.....isn't it??

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Paper Art Dolls are Fun to Make!

Oh yes Blogging Friends; I've discovered 'Paper Art Dolls' and have had a great time creating these two for a swap with some USA friends.

They are both about 10 inches tall. This is my 'Boo Witch'; she doesn't move but has a hanger on the back....






This is my 'Bat Witch' and she has moveable arms and legs, plus a hanger on the back...




If you want to get into making these little cuties; go here to the Roses on My Table site and join the 'Le Papier Doll Swap' group...you'll meet some nice people there.


On the travelling side; I came across these fabulous historical pictures, in a museum and they got me wondering "why don't all men wear hats like they used to"?????









Thursday, September 1, 2011

I've experimenting with ART!

Hi There Blogging Friends! For some time now I've been wanting to do some creative work that has "no rules" and gives you the freedom to dab with a brush, sponge, splash, sew, cut out, glue or do whatever fun thing you want to do with whatever is at hand or; with whatever just "tickles your fancy".

I've come to realise that this is what is called 'MIXED MEDIA ART'. Now; I don't know about you; but as a long time CRAFTER the word ART seems to be quite daunting and something like a "no-go zone" for people who dabble in craft.

Well; let me tell you that the ART world is open to everyone and I've found the perfect place to get in there and have a go.

The "place" is a group run by the very talented USA Artist, Cristina 'Zinna' Galliher and is called 'ROSES ON MY TABLE'.

Zinnia offers a supportive environment where beginners can take up reasonably priced Mixed Media On-line Classes with step by step video's and also participate with a whole group of arty people, either by building friendships to share arty thoughts and achievements or by joining in on swaps of; Art Tags, Inchies, Artists Trading Cards, Papers Doll Exchanges and Dotee Doll Exchanges.





This pic above is the site logo of Roses On My Table and you will find it HERE.


I loved the quirky style of the 'Four of a Kind' 0n-line class which is a great start for beginners; so I signed up! Zinnia shows you how to begin a design in an Art Journal then; transfer the best aspects to Canvas. I am in practice mode already.....

This is my first attempt with 'Two of a Kind' on Watercolour paper . Didn't opened the journal to layout my Four of a Kind ....I wasn't that brave...lol. However; I think I can move onto it now that I have an idea of how to handle watercolours, coloured pencils, gluing old papers on backgrounds, cutting and shaping the dolls and also using stamps and gesso to soften or create interest in the background.





I also joined the 'Tag Art Swap Group' too. The group works with a bi-monthly subject where members are required to send three completed tags to the co-ordinator and; after the closing date you receive three different tags back, which were completed by other members.

The subject for this round was; Ancient Cities. I chose 'Jerusalem - The Holy City'.

So; if you've been wanting to spread your wings and have some fun with arty stuff; pop on over to Zinnia's site , join up as a Member and take a look at the possibilities.


Saturday, August 20, 2011

7th Heaven!

Take me where the wildflowers grow

Fields of daisies white as snow;



Take me where the wildflowers grow

Secret wreaths where no-one knows;



Take me where the wildflowers grow

Carpets of pink and yellow glow;



Take me where the wildflowers grow

Then; Seventh Heaven I will know.


I'm there blogging friends !!!!

















Nature's gift of these beautiful fields of wildflowers is a sight to behold and; the bonus of sweet colourful birdies just tops it all off.



This is just the start of my adventure into 'Wildflower Country - Western Australia' so I'm at the tip of the iceberg!


After this journey through the wildflowers; like my little poem says; "seventh heaven I will know"!


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Anyone for Tea?

Hi There Blogging Friends! mmm....I love a cup of tea and; I also love to send my own design of Tea Pot cards, out to friends that like a drop of the liquid amber too.

The little pocket on the outside of the card holds one of my favourite tea's "Twinings - Prince of Wales". Do you have a favourite tea?...do tell if you do!






Here is a closer look at some of them....



















And; this is the little verse on the inside....







I've also been busy working on projects for my 'Papercraft Artists' group challenges. The first one is for our August challenge; a project using "inchies". This is the first time I have ever made "inchies"... 1 inch x 1 inch works of art and; I must say they were very challenging.

I did the layout on the top of a blank CD tin and dedicated it to 'The Many Strengths of a Woman'.











My next project is for our September subject challenge 'Travel'. I forgot to take a photo of it when I finished it, so here's one when it was wrapped in cellophane, ready to send to my friend Jenny at home.

I used several stamps in the project but the main ones are a Stampin' Up set which are fabulous for travel or journey projects.






Friday, April 29, 2011

Papercraft Treasures

Hi There Blogging Friends. Thought you might like to see some papercraft items I made recently.

A set of note cards and a tag are a really nice gift to give. So; I make two cards and a tag which compliment each other. The cards have a blank insert inside which is also in a complimentary colour to the outside. Here is a pic of a set below;




Each card is placed in a cellophane or clear plastic bag, with all the bag edges wrapped tightly around the card. Then; the cards are placed back to back and wrapped with ribbon, and the tag tied to the top as pictured below.





Below is a back view of the wrapped cards....





Here is a pretty blue set....



Following are two single cards I made at the same time...







And only last week; I made my first ATC for a swap with my new Papercrafting Girlfriends.

The subject is "Flowers"....hope you like my interpretation.




Sunday, February 13, 2011

Some Inside Info - 'Month of Love Booklet'

I've had some requests to show a bit of detail on how I made my 'Month of Love' Booklet so; here it is....

Firstly; decide on a colour scheme and gather items for consideration. I used two sheets of 12in x 12in Kaisercrafts 'Love Notes Collection' Scrapbooking Paper, plus a sheet of pink heavy card and grey light card from my stash. I also used the "Love Notes" stamp set and a couple of other stamps I had, plus some die cuts, stickers and bling from my stash; and some rub-on's in the pink colour.

I cut;

one; 12in x 8in sheet of Pink Heavy Cardboard (Brazzil) for the front and back cover
one; 12in x 8in paper sheet of 'Love Notes' spotted side for the outside front and back cover
two; 5.75in x 7.75in paper sheets of 'Love Notes' lacey side for the inside of the cover
one; 11.75in x 7.75in grey page light card for the pages

The images were then cut out and a stamp colour selected to ink the edges. I chose a teal green colour (Versacolour - Winter Green) as there was a small section between the couple in my main front picture in that colour which I thought blended well with the pink.

I find it best to use a fairly "darkish" colour for inking edges; black, chocolate brown etc are all good, but always consider other "brightish" colours, as they may also work well to blend all of your cutouts and pages together.

Only use a very small piece of sponge and if the dye in the pad is strong, put a disposable glove on, to keep stains off your fingers. I hold the image so the edge is looking straight up at me then; stroke along the edge with the inked sponge. If I want a bit more colour on the actual paper, I then point the edge away from me so that I am seeing more paper and stroke the edge gently with the sponge from left to right

I dyed some of my white 'Crinkled Seam Binding' with the colour from the stamp pad. I lightly wet my gloved fingers with some water, to spread the dye along the ribbon. Then; just kept padding with the stamp pad and squashing the ribbon up until I had the desired colour.


The next step was to "audition" my bits and pieces to see how they would look on the front cover. I laid some vintage lace down first then the ribbon around the middle mark and played around with the other embellishments until I was happy with my scene. The free digital vintage print (sorry cannot remember where I got it from) was the main star of my story and I found a line in a old song book "I'm with you once more - under the stars" to link it together. The hearts were stamped from the 'Love Notes' Stamp Collection and the bird and swirl were die cuts from my stash. The gorgeous bling tree was purchased at 'Scrapawhile, Taree and from memory the brand was Green Paper...you should see the range; its stunning!

Once the embellishments were decided upon, I set them aside and sewed the lace to the paper sheet with the sewing machine. The two side "silver" ties were glued to the back of the sheet also (not showing in this photo, but you will see them in the finished photo).

Then; double sided tape was applied to all edges and the centre of the back of the sheet in readiness for glueing to the main pink cardboard sheet later.


I taped a plastic ruler to my work mat on a vertical line. Then; I slid the cover paper sheet underneath it with one side of the ruler edge sitting on the exact centre line. All of the front cover embellishments were then glued in place on the right hand side, either with double sided tape or craft glue. I secured the branches of the tree with a few stitches from a needle and thread, plus craft glue at the base.

The last step for the embellishment of the front and back cover was to stamp an image on the left hand side for the back cover. It's not showing here; but you will see it in the previous post. The front cover was then complete and set aside.


The next step is an important one (sorry I haven't got a photo). One side of the 12in x 8in pink heavy cardstock is now needed to be prepared for the inside of the cover. I glued the inside cover papers; both measuring 5.75in x 7.75in to the left and right on the 12in x 8in Pink Cover Card.

The measurement allows for a quarter inch seam to be left down the middle of the sheet. This is the "expansion" gap which will allow you to fold your book easily.

All inside sheets must have this gap....take note of it in the next photo and in the one where I am sewing the book together from the inside. The measurement also allows for a one eighth border around the top, bottom and side edges.

To finish the front and back cover, I removed the double sided tape from the back of the front cover and glued it to the back of the prepared inside cover.

As you will see from the photo below; I then prepared both sides of my 11.75in x 7.75in grey "pages sheet". Pockets were cut from card and papers, layers were cut and layered with double sided tape, stamping and glitter glue was also used and tags were made from scratch or by using the Creative Memories Tag Maker.

One sheet was treated as four individual pages and the all important "expansion" seam was left down the middle. Also the side edges of pockets were also kept away from the seam to decrease bulk when folding the book..


Once the individual pages are complete on both sides of the 11.75in x 7.75in, they were "sandwiched" together with the cover.

Washing pegs were used to hold the two sheets of embellished work together.

A pencil line was drawn from the top to the bottom of the middle line and then sewn on with my sewing machine. This creates the spine seam. Generally a normal sewing machine needle will sew effectively, but if cardboard is thick; a "jeans" sewing machine needle is best to use.


After sewing the spine; gently fold the book over until it stays in place. I use a 'bone scorer' on the outside edge to press the spine down. A blunt knife handle can also be used.

My lovely 'Crinkled Seam Binding' was then wrapped around the inside middle, and out to the spine of the book then; tied in a bow.


Phew.....I hope my instructions are clear enough for you to have a go at making your own 'Month Of Love' Booklet. They really are easy, and are a special keepsake or gift.

If you do make one; let me know so I can pop over to your blog and drool over it...its bound to be pretty!

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