Thank you card!

I couldn't believe it when a few days ago I received a letter in the mail and was the very happy recipient of a thank you piece of art.  The sender was the recipient of my 4 X 6 postcard exchange that I did through the Sketchbook Project.  How nice was that!!!  Her is Rachel's watercolour and graphite postcard drawing!  Isn't it lovely!!

I am very happy with my progress on my postcards for the swap.  I have finally completed the blue prototype and have to just find some creative lettering that I like to add my message to the front.

I would like to find more washi tape around but decided to use what I have although I don't really think it "goes" that well.  But really it will have to do as it is all that I have on hand in this colour and I might as well use it up.

The one thing that I learned from finishing this one is that I have to move the beads up more.  I ended up having to cover the ones at the end with the washi tape.  Bummer!  That is the reason that I do a prototype.  I am just not a very good designer/planner in my head; I have to use my hands and make one to find the flaws or make any changes that I think would look better.

I also decided that I didn't like putting the beads in the flower centres because there really wasn't enough symmetry for me.  I decided to move them to in-between the hand stitched crochet cotton which makes a clear and clean line.

With the photo above, I just wanted to show that I painted a piece of cheap paper with the peach colour in the ribbon and then stitched the beads on.  The soft gel was used as an adhesive and the ribbon attached to the postcard.  Then the washi tape was added for the final touch before the writing.

Postcard Swap-Prototypes

I thought I should show what I mean by junk mail postcards.  Here is one that I received in the mail last week.  I can recycle them in the bin or I can use them in my art.  And I am using an iTunes card to apply the first layer; gesso!

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Here is the finished prototype in pink!  Now I just need to check the internet and come up with some creative lettering for my message!  I don't have enough of the deep pink ribbon so I will have to make do with blue.

In the photo below, I am stitching the ribbon to a piece of paper that has been painted a peach colour.  As the photo above shows, I stamped this postcard using the same stamp but some different ink.  This time I used Staz On ink pad.  The Staz On ink will go on "anything" and it actually does STAY ON!!

The thread I am using is actually crochet cotton that I got at a charity shop.  I think it works well. 

Postcard Swap #4 Prototype

I think that I have got my next batch of postcards are all figured out.  I made up a prototype and I think it will do just fine.  I thought that I would change it up and not use my felting technique although it is still my very favourite!

I hand stitched the two pieces of organza together.  Then, I applied some acrylic paint on to some paper and it is the backing for the hand-beaded organza ribbon strip and adhered them together with soft gel medium.

I then applied a layer of pan pastels and covered it using my homemade stamp (yes, it is the erasure that you can get from the dollar stores) with pigment ink.   I made a pattern on the other side that I have used quite a few times but had not used this side yet.  Next was a wash of thinned down gesso; not too much just enough to lighten the stamp images.  I might even have to lighten it up a bit more.  For this prototype, I think that I will just have to use different ink to but on my letters and words, my message so to speak.

There is only one problem, I don't have enough ribbon to complete the 10 postcards.  So I guess I will have to figure out something else for the last few cards. The real issue here is; I don't want to buy anything else.

The last two stages are apply purchased washi tape and my message!  

A Blank Canvas

Oh boy!  What to do!!  I just never even thought about how small a 4 X 4 canvas really is!  I always find that a blank canvas is kind of daunting for me.  I think I am going to have to throw on some colour to get over that.  I might try some of my pan pastels for now.   Just not too sure what I am going to do; what medium I am going to chose.  I would like to do something interesting so I think I should stick with my felting/beading mix.  Regardless of my choice; I have until August 30th to submit but really I need to get this done sooner rather than later.

The people from the Sketchbook Project have very clear rules:  no glitter or glue and nothing that will "fall off" as they sort them I guess.  They are concerned about damage to other participants art work.

I participated in several other The Sketchbook Projects and I received a letter some time ago for the "50 Things" project.  This project swap was about writing down 50 things that we plan on doing in the coming year.  I received mine from a very nice lady in Alabama (I originally thought it was Alaska until I checked this morning!).  She had been disappointed with the 50 Things list she had received and appreciated my e-mail and the fact that I included my own.  We had many areas in common it seems!  So that was a very cool project and I hope that this one will be too.

My new friend has received her blank canvas as well and was wondering what I was doing with mine. Nope not a clue yet, still pondering!

Oh, that blank canvas is staring at me!!

Tagged and Swapped

I love these because I am recycling what would normally be garbage and making these cast offs into something useful again!

These will soon be gift tags!  I got this idea from Alisha Burke and you can find her blog on Google.  She is always doing something fun!

The red cover sheet below the tags will be another envelope for the next postcard swap that I have joined yesterday.  The swap is hosted by Shannon Ganshorn and you can find her on musingsonrealities.blogspot.ca to join up, there is still time left.  If you check back on my blog you will see some of the examples of my postcards and envies.  

I must get going because it is going to be a fabulously sunny day and I want to go for a walk and I have to get my junk mail cards painted up (you know that I like to recycle - right?!!) before I can start making my postcards for this swap.

Icy sculptures

I went down to the lake yesterday to see how thick the ice might be.  It is looking pretty thin and it is moving sheets of it towards the shoreline.

I thought that the icy sculpture looked like the shape of a flower.

It was quite cold at the shore as well and the glare off of the ice was blinding!  There wasn't much colour in the sky so the lens read the scene as grey and greyer than it was in reality.  The black areas especially at the horizon really were black to the eye as well.

Mixed Media Collage and Prototypes

I  have signed up to participate in another The Sketchbook Project challenge and I can't wait to receive my 4 X 4 canvas to paint.  I haven't decided if I will actually "paint" it per se or if I will make my painting a collage.

I have a bunch of old dress patterns "from back in the day" when I sewed more.  I got the inspiration to do this from a fellow Instagramer.  She was using the packaging in her altered collaged journal pages. My IG friend Carol had some real "vintage" dress patterns from 1950's that were really cool.   Since my patterns are not old enough to be cool, I decided that I would try and use the dress pattern  tissue in a collage.

I really like the effect and I am seriously considering using the technique for the 4 X 4 painting challenge. I found some tissue tape that I had purchased at a local art supply in the sale bin.  The reason it was in the sale bin is because the glue was dry so I just tore off what I could and applied it. 

I like the idea of adding text, of having something to say in my journal page.  I have to remind myself that it is okay to play like a child.  We have to remind ourselves that children live their lives "in the NOW" all of the time.   I think we need to return to that.  I think it makes it easier for me to make art when I get myself into this "childhood memories" zone.

What I used to make these:

-recycled paper substrate (from the recycle bin at work)

-recycled dress pattern tissue applied with soft gel medium

-stencil that I had purchased some time ago and never used

-wooden puzzle piece

-magazine page cut out using paper punch from dollar store

-recycled foil gum wrapper dot applied

-Text (in a different language ) applied using Magic tape from a cookbook  to make "artist" tape

-Micron pen and coptic pen

-oil pastel for smudging

I am planning on joining another postcard swap this month with Shannon Ganshorn and I think that I will use this as part of this next swap.

A little of this and a little of that

I worked nights last night and got up way too early this afternoon, early for me that is!  It was shortly after noon and that means I only had four hours of sleep.  That just isn't enough especially since I received a telephone call offering me another night shift tonight. Not possible, but thanks for the offer.

I have had a good day though as I have been surfing the net and playing with some mixed media.

I hope to have something better to show tomorrow before I head back in to work.

I stopped off on my way home to check the ice conditions on the lake and yup there is still a bunch of ice.  Doesn't look like it is breaking up any time soon.  We are going to need some really warm days for that to happen.

I stood for a while and contemplated  the sunrise for a moment or two but most of all I thought about going to bed!