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.

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.

Green postcard - What was I thinking?!

I an beginning to get very nice messages from my fellow participants in the postcard swap; I had asked that my recipients let me know when they received my cards. I always wonder if they make their way and I am glad to get nice e-mails from my fellow swappers.

I should have posted this earlier but I simply forgot, so I thought I would rectify that today!  Hmmmm, I'm just finding out it isn't so easy as I thought on mu iPad.  I need to work on this a bit and figure stuff out. I guess I'll have to drag out my laptop to finish this post.

I thought I had taken lots of photographs of the postcards that I made and it would appear I was very much mistaken.

Bummer!

In this snap, I am just needle felting the roving to the organza.  The addition of glass bead embellishments will be the next step.

Handmade eraser Stamp

I am hoping that you noticed the wonky marks on the handmade artist tape that surrounded the postcards.

I used a cheap white eraser from the dollar store to make this one. They come in a package of four usually so they are extremely economical! 

It was really fun to make and although you can't see it there is a different pattern on the opposite side"

Music and more about Postcard Swap V.3

I love to listen to music when I am creating my art and I came across this woman sometime ago from another artists blog.  So here I am.....I am sharing the beautiful voice of this woman too.  I don't use this video, I just went to iTunes and purchased several of her songs to appealed to me.  Again, perfect music for making art; well, for me that is.







My next favourite song is Nadir (Synchronicity) and then Forrest Veil.

 I must admit up front that visually posting these photo's of my art here, I find these postcards a bit too "hot",  too visually over-the-top.  However, in real life my eyes didn't see it that way at all.  So, I will of course all be in the eye of the beholder.  I hope everyone who receives them thinks so too.

The organza is a bit difficult to photograph because of the the nature of the fibre; the glare effects that it creates with the lens of the camera.

 I don't know how the flower motif was created really, it just sort of "happened"! I really liked it.



I photographed this one sitting on it's envelope.


Here are the envelopes all in a nice neat pile!  All ready for mailing!  I hope to be able to get to the post office today to do just that.  I hope all of my participants will forgive me but between work (today is my one day off for this week) and the stormy weather, I haven't been able to get there.

This is my constant lament though so bear with me for the next challenge!  At least I hope that Shannon is willing to host another challenge.  I love to participate but I am somewhat of a procrastinator and then of course I never chose something that is easy peasy either.

These are time consuming because I have to make everything from scratch, right down to the hand made "artist tape"that is the finishing touch.  I don't have a cookie cutter process and probably never will because I would get bored doing that.

I am really glad to be able to re-cycle my drop sheets from other projects.  I had figured that I would have to put them in the burn pile since I had hung on to them way too long.  So, I hope everyone does appreciate the colour if not the oddity of the craft!!

Two of Hearts and Postcards

A few months ago, I joined the 3rd International Postcard challenged hosted by a Canadian woman from British Columbia.  She does a fabulous job of hosting the challenge!  In fact, I am beginning to receive my postcards in the mail!  So thrilling!  I have had to send mine out late once again but with working and snow storms...I wasn't able to get them mailed out on time.  However, I am a firm believer that late is better than never.  One of my cards will be going all the way to Australia!

I made this years postcards completely using some hand needle-felting on organza.  I hope the recipients will enjoy the tactile nature of the cards.

I thought that I should post about Valentines Day tomorrow!  After I finished the postcards for the International Postcard challenge I began working on something for Valentine's Day.  Just something simple again but with the theme of "two hearts beating as one".

I thought that I would show the "needle" that is used to force the wool roving into the organza fibres.  I also decided that I would use some beads as an embellishment.  Not too much, just a few well placed ones.  I could actually re-do this photo so you can see the beads but I just don't have the time.  I think the glare can be overcome enough that the beads are visible.

I need to continue working on my camera skills and I have added this on to my "50 things" to do list.  It is a challenge that I joined via the Art House Co-op, and the Sketchbook Challenge.  Currently, I am at number 33 on my list of things that I want to do in the coming year. I have to submit my "50 Things" by February 22, 2013.

This means that one of the items on my list are getting things done early or ON TIME!!

Postcar #3 Part 2-Rose Collage

First, there was a bunch of rose flowers on our florabunda rosebush!!!! My hubby has the green thumb in this family.  I like to take photographs and that is about it!!!

I had a chance to grab some petals that had fallen off in the wind.  I put them on a release paper sheet, actually re-used the wrapper that our photocopy paper comes in at work.  I often drag them home to use for art projects!!  The girls at work think that I am odd, but that is okay with me!

I didn't wait for the petals to dry; I just applied gel medium on them right away.  I think I used fluid matte medium to be exact.  I coated one side and then the other.  I did dry some others that I had picked and I will see how them are in a similar project.  I think I rather like the petal this way since they are not exactly flat and creates visual texture.

You can see them on the right edge of the photo below.  I just used more gel medium to apply them to the postcard.

So for this rest of the postcard I used:

• applied black gesso to a re-cycled junk mail postcard
• re-used a sewing pattern and seam binding from past projects
• bingo sheet
• paint colour swatch
• painted and glittered dryer sheet
• stamps made from around the house items

I also used one purchased lace patterned stamp that is in behind the sepia coloured dryer sheet.  In addition, on the top left you can just see a piece of paper cut from a magazine of something looking like  zebra's.  The image was distressed so not much of the image is really left but just the right amount for this project.

Although it had been my intention to stamp FUN on each postcard; because they were fun to make, I decided to omit that from this one.  I like a bit of busy or should I say "organized chaos" but there is a point of no return.   I just knew that I wold not be happy.

Oh, I just wanted to mention that I got a nice comment from a woman out in the worldwide web!  Nice comments are always great to receive.  Who know that a woman from the U.S. would  1. find my blog and 2. take the time to comment!!!  Thanks to all who do, I appreciate it!

Postcard #3 - Winter Scene

This card started out with an image I cut from some junk mail that keeps arriving here.  Some of it actually belongs to my dearly departed Dad but I continue to get rid of as fast as I can.  I did find some income tax receipts in some of the letters he gets but most of it is junk mail from charities wanting money.  I must remember to not allow my name to get on any of these lists otherwise I too will be inundated with their requests.

I really love the process of "image transfer" using gel medium!!!  When I saw the picture, I didn't really have anything in mind but knew that I had to use "mixed media".  I belong to a fibre arts group (kinda sorta really since I can't go to many meeting due to my shift work and therefore I am not involved in their current project).  I like to add fabric and other fibres due to the tactile nature of fibre.! We can not help ourselves; we just want to touch it!!!  I think that it is a natural human response.

I started by placing the small gel transfer in the centre of the postcard and painted around it using artist acrylic paints.  Then I covered the postcard with sheer curtain fabric that I had in my stash and placed the image transfer overtop.  Then I added silver lame` fabric and glued it and the gel image down with gel medium.  I used some acrylic paint to take the shininess off of the metal foil I used to keep the card together and the fabric from fraying.  I surrounded the image with thin bead of glitter glue to insure that it doesn't get caught on something and separate it from the card.  I think it would survive a trip through the mail as is but I'm not so sure so I think that I will pop it in an envelope.

I can see now that I need to a add some more charcoal glue to meet the edges.  Hmmmm, I seem to have forgotten that.  I think that taking a picture of you art helps to see flaws that you can't see with your own eyes.  The camera lens is very unforgiving but helpful in this way!

I can't for the life of me figure out what has made the gel discolour so!  When I first completed the transfer process it did not have the greenish-sepia tinge on it.  So I just can't fathom why it has done so here.  None of the other gel images that I have made for this project have discoloured at all.  Strange, but it is what it is!

For this card I used:

140 lb watercolour paper
acrylic paint
gel medium - gloss and matte
curtain sheer
silver lame`
glitter glue
matte 3D glue
metal foil

While I was half way through the process, I was reminded of a photograph that I had taken a few months ago!  I was driving home from town and got a few snaps from the dash of my dear Dad's old Sonata.  I have to say that I am diggin' my new used Camry though!  I totally appreciate the heated seats.

Life's constantly changing

Life constantly is changing! My life is inextricably intertwined with my dad's and I realise how much it is now that I am cleaning out my dad's house. It has finally been sold! It is strange to me to realise that where he is now in his life is where I someday soon, will also be. I will be a loved but also a burden to my own daughter. Even saying that he is a burden sounds so selfish but I am struggling to juggle my own life and my dad's too. I do wish that I could share this with another sibling but since that is impossible I am forcing my dear hubby to help out! Isn't love grand!

Somehow I will have to try and avoid some of the pitfalls of aging. The way I see it is that being an involved and social person is so very important, especially being able to maintain one's own independency both mentally and physically. So having said that, I WILL go for a walk today before I go into town to box up more of my dad's life. I am amazed at how little feeling he has for much of the memorabilia. Here I am oohing and aaaahing over some old picture of mom or a receipt for a painting that has adorned their walls for decades; he on the other hand, could care less. Strange how many of the gifts that I bought mom for christmas and birthdays are now coming back to me. I guess I will have to let my own daughter understand their importance so that she will not in turn view them as superfluous articles of little or no value! My daughter is very much a minimalist due to the fact that she too lives in a very small house. However, I have to determine what items have sentimental value to me and those that my mother also valued. Like the cross that has hung up over the doorway since I can remember. I know that it will sound so strange but it was from my grandmothers casket. She was being buried in Montreal and the grave-digger told my mom to take it because it would be gone before the final burial. I don't think my daughter has any interest in this type of religious iconography and neither do I really. I can't explain why I need to keep the cross that was meant for burial of a woman that I only recall meeting but once.

It is hard to compartmentalize my mom and dad's married life; a life that has been long and full! I am trying to decide what to keep, what to throw away and what to sell!

Here is a picture of one of the presents that I made for mom that is coming home to me! It was made too many years ago to count on a weekend (back in the day when I worked normal hours) with a bunch of girls from work. We gathered together in her basement to clean and paint our "dolls". The dress was made of lace and the hair was fashioned from dog hair; everything was soaked in "slip" and fired in a kiln. I made another doll and her dress was made from a soaked J-Cloth!!!