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!

I

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!  

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.

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!

2nd Postcard Swap - #2

I love making these little pieces of art!  I love to see how I can mix different and disconnected things and put them together in a pleasing manner.  Well, I guess that really is in the "eye of the beholder"!!!!

I especially like to recycle, re-use or re-purpose from around the house:

For this FUN postcard I used.

Again, I tried to lay it out to find a good design or at least see what "pleased my eye"!!!!  I like things that are busy; it might be my ADHD coming out in me even after all this time.  I like to have lots to look at and try and figure out how it was accomplished.  It always makes me laugh when I start I have a vision of what my "right side up" will be but in the end that changes.

I used a recycled card from our junk mail!  I applied layers of gesso; black on the one side and white on the writing side!

My embellishments are: slice of old unwanted book, leftover seam binding from my sewing days, paint chip card, purchased washi tape, cut tissue paper, and my absolute favourite - painted dryer sheet with added glitter!

I also added punch out flower shapes from some unwanted magazines, and painted orange bandage "paper" tape.  My around the house stamps were soda pop bottle lid, a piece of corrugated cardboard from a hot coffee sleeve and the "not so pointy" end of an old paint brush to make the dots.

Yes, this was fun to make!!!

2nd Postcard swap #1

OMG! I haven't blogged for over a month! Wo what the heck have I been doing??? First, I went on holidays in the Thousand Islands with some old time friends (lots of fun!), then I was recruited by my union to get back on the Executive to assist with bargaining our next contract with our employer (hard times are a'comin"!)  Now...I'm working night shift and there has been lots of overtime in the mix - past, present and future!

I think that this is one of my favourite pictures from the Thousand Islands and it is all about the juxtaposition of the people and objects - the very large objects, those ocean going ships.

I had to laugh when I saw that I had taken the above!  When I took it I was only actually "seeing" the ocean freighter; when I saw the snap on my computer I then saw the couple fishing on their little boat and the people on the white speed boat almost overtaking the ship.    As it turns out, there was much more going on than I had initially realized!  Love when that happens, when the composition of a photograph makes itself!


Below is a snap of some "artist tape" that I made.  I do have purchased washi tape but it is expensive and I live in the boondocks and it is not always available!  I have to drive an hour to find some and that just doesn't happen very often. I used "paper tape" that you find in the bandage isle in your drugstore, dollar store or department store.

I painted them up with acrylic and used some glitter paint on some of them as well.

I tried to set up a n appealing design prior to glueing everything down with gel medium.

I have to admit it!  I am a recycler, re-user and a repurpose type of gal!  I still think that you can make lovely creative things regardless of the tools that you use.




I used some found lacey ribbon, a strip of a page from an old unwanted book, paint chips, painted dryer sheets, left over netting from another project, around the house mark making stamps!!  I used a corrugated cardboard from a hot coffee sleeve, the not-so-pointy end of an old paint brush (from my university days) to make dots and a cap from a soda pop bottle to make the circles.

This postcard for the postcard swap really was fun to make!  I do enjoy experimentation.  Each postcard I make I like but then when I make the next one; I like it better.

Blue Cheer - Mixed Media B-day Wishes

I have made another postcard for a good friend of mine who will be having a birthday this week.  I sent the postcard via express post but it will still take two days so she will be getting it a day late.  Oh well, I just couldn't be helped.

I call it Blue Cheer, the title of this project is not solely because of the song (okay so they were a one hit wonder!!) Summertime Blues.  It is because we will be going out on her boat in Lake Ontario again this summer.  So much fun and the view on the water is breath-taking; I never tire of the 1000 Islands.

In the snap above you can see it up close; you can see the netting over the organza, the sparkly fabric (I found it in the sale bin and I would expect it is used for skating costumes and such like).  I did a bit of embroidery work and of course my beloved beading.  I put the two fabrics to get using glitter glue for something else different in this mixed media piece.

  I knew that I had a blue button somewhere in my stash and I knew that I just had to add it.  But where?? I decided that it would be an abstract representation of the sun.  I sewed the button on and used slivers of organza to add more texture.

I made the horizon off-kilter reminiscent of being on the boat in a windy stormy day with the waves getting higher and higher.  I hope that my friend can see my vision.

I had a very "fluid" plan in my mind when I started my creation and I am quite happy with the results.  I hope my friend enjoys her card as much as I did creating it!!!

Mixed Media Fibre Art Card

I made a fibre art card last month for a friend's birthday, that day has come and gone so I thought that I would display it here.

I have been enjoying myself very much making these small art pieces.  I used:

• glass beads
• recycled onion bag netting (painted)
• sequins
• metal sewing notions - black and silver snaps
• embroidery floss
• cheesecloth
• acrylic paint
• molding paste texture medium
• purchased embellishment
• Strathmore watercolour postcard

I didn't really have a "plan" per se and it just could be that is why I like it so much.  I could have made it so much more but really I like the simplicity of it just as it is.

I am really glad that I choose to join the international postcard swap in January of this year as it has taught me to work smaller and to experiment with these small art pieces.  

Wet Felting Experiment

This isn't just about experiment with wet felting, it is also about recycling!  It has been so unseasonably warm that I just wanted to be outside and doing something that I thought would have to wait until early summer!

I saw somewhere else on the internet that someone re-used dry lint and used it like wool roving.  Of course, I don't know where that little tidbit is and I can't remember exactly what she did.  However....I thought I would just "try" it anyway and see what happened.  It is an experiment anyway so if it failed I would just try another method, or process.

I bought a wood reed placemat from the dollar store.  I purchased the least colourful one in case the colour rubbed off.  I'm not so sure it would matter since the lint is so dark anyway

I got my tub of soapy water - just ordinary dish detergent and sprinkled it all over the lint.  After I had tried my first bit of rolling, I then realized that I had forgotten something!  I had forgotten the plastic wrap!  Oh no, it turned into an icky blob!!!!!!!

I had to start over from scratch.  Don't forget to pour some soapy water over the sandwich and rub with your hands to get all of the lint inside the sandwich nice and wet.  Pour the soapy water overtop as well, the soapy water helps to make your fingers slide over the plastic a bit easier.

As you can see in the picture above adding the plastic wrap and making the lint sandwich was better but not quite right either.

I really to do wish that I had kept a link to the website or blog where using lint in felting was used!  If anyone finds one please add it to comments! 

So, I started over and added a layer of lint, added the netting, then another layer of lint overtop.

Lots of rolling action and voila!

Netting added

 Rolling, rolling, rolling on the placemat sandwich and......

more rolling to get the friction needed to get the lint material felted to the netting.  I then turned the "sandwich" upside down and rolled it as well and again turned the sandwich piece clockwise to get the movement and friction at a different angle. 

It seems to be working!!!  It looks like the lint is fusing to the netting.

Okay, so here is my "felted sheet" waiting to dry on the placemat.  Not sure when I will get back to it but I will report back on how this experiment has gone.  I am wondering if it will be strong enough to add embellishments without  falling apart!

If I do this again I will add threads and other miscellaneous fibres to the mix as I think it would help stabilize and strengthen this new "fabric" sheet.   No, I think I will change that "if" to "when" I try this again.  I will have to collect more lint though, it certainly does use up quite a bit.  I just re-used a plastic freezer bag and left it beside the dryer.  Unfortunately, the ways things are going there won't be as much opportunity to put stuff in the dryer, I will likely be hanging my clothes out on the line with the recent arrival of weird but wonderful warm weather!

There is a give-a-way at a blog that I follow so I am trying to figure out how to link to her blog so that you can see it and enter too.. so go and see Shannon to enter


http://musingsonrealities.blogspot.ca/2012/03/have-you-entered-giveaway-yet.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Postcards-Added Embellishments

Here are two more photo's of some changes that I made to two of my cards.  Although I was bound and bent not to make any changes, I broke down on these two.

The brown needle-felted card was only slightly embellished using some glitter glue to accent between the dark "frame" and the paper background.  I think that it is a definite improvement!

When I posted this one, I didn't really like the way I had applied the interference paint on the one side.  It made my eyes go to the spot right away.  I had to change that!  (because I can).   Since these two were done with acrylic it was fairly easy to make some changes that I think improved them both.

I'll be looking forward to doing this swap again.  In fact, I am going to be making up some more now (or rather as time permits!).

Postcard #10 - Pink and Blue

Okay so it has been a few days and I haven't been on line due to a really horrid Rogers tech who didn't know what he was talking about and got me to trash some vital applications from my dock on my MAC.  Luckily, I called Apple and they showed me how to retrieve the app and put it back on my dock from Time Machine.  I have never had to do that before and since I didn't have the internet I couldn't google how to do it either.  I can't understand Rogers not keeping up with the new technology that is not PC related.  Apple is not going anywhere soon so there is no reason that their product development division should keep their heads in the sand by not making their products MAC compatible.  I was told that their product was not compatible with Lion.  I know that they advertise that the new Rocket Stick system requirements is OSX 10.4 or better.  The "or better" is a bunch of hogwash!!!  I mean really, the new Mountain Lion operating system is coming out this summer!  Get with it Rogers!!  Love my time machine and love my Apple Care protection plan!!!

Here are some photo's of my final postcard:

I used a recycled paint product from Tri-Art paints called SLUDGE in a blue shade.  It is the left over paint from their processing plant.  I like to use it under anything that I need a dark base.  I use it on things like picture frames and such like when I want to cover over what was and make something black.  You get the idea! 

I dyed the fancy ribbon pink the same as the left side.  I used screen printing paint since it was the only thing I could find that was the right colour.  I liked how it didn't make the fabric ribbon stiff and I didn't have to apply fabric medium to the paint. 

I think that I like the fact that I decided to leave the painted cheesecloth loose on the card.  In addition, I didn't paint the metal foil either!  This time I like the shininess since there is only a little bit of sparkly stuff on this card so the shiny factor isn't overpowering. 

I think that I might have added more bead and sequin embellishments but I have finalized it and am relatively satisfied with the results.

Here is a close up of detail

I think that these photo's show the progress sufficiently!

For this card I used:

-Strathmore watercolour postcard
-screen printing paint
-recycled paint
-organza and netting
-cheesecloth
-beads
-sequins
-metal foil

Now, I just need to get the cards stuffed in the envelopes and the addresses completed; then the final walk to the post office!!!

Postcard #9 - Painted Lace & Twigs

OMG! Is it just me or is time ticking away a lot quicker than usual.  I had hoped to get all of my postcards mailed out by now but I'm not quite finished.

I can't believe how late I woke up this afternoon!  Why is it that when I am working and need to sleep I can't?  Why is it that when I don't need or want to sleep in, I do??!!  I think I got to get off the sleep deprivation shift work roller coaster sooner rather than later.

Okay....this picture shows how I was "thinking" I might put this postcard together.  I had painted two different types of lace ribbon that I found at a charity shop.  I had "made" quite a few thread wrapped twig "buttons" and had arranged them on the card.

As you can see this is not what actually ended up happening.  I thread wrapped another twig (yup debris from the maple trees that fell on my deck) in a variegated thread.  I had ironed some pleats in the transparent turquoise coloured organza and then beaded that down with monochromatic coloured glass beads.  I finally did use the embroidery floss above but not until the end.

I like leaving the frayed salvage edge on the fabric piece and I didn't finish off the edges of the pleated piece either.  The thing I had difficulty with is applying the twig button embellishments.  They were not as easy as I had originally thought.  I'm just glad that I was able to save this postcard from the garbage but at first I had thought that I had really made a dud.

I applied the fabric to the postcard using matte gel medium.

As you can see my "design" was not well planned in advance....I had a notion of what I wanted but the final design just sort of happened.  I wanted the embroidery floss to be in the card and had not really factored that in.  

I hadn't really thought about it much other than I wanted turquoise and orange and it took me a while to see the boat and sky with clouds that this card finally became.  I had wanted to keep everything in balance; the "sky" is one third and the water is 2 thirds of the card.  My "boat" takes up half the card and it meets edge to edge so I think there is a balance there as well.   If I was to do this again, I think I would add more turquoise beads to depict the ripples in the water.  Of course, I didn't think of that until I had already finished off the card. 

I think now that I might like to make another one but use a creamier orange colour and just dull it down a bit.  I think I have some lighter coloured orange thread around is my old sewing box that might be the ticket.

Again I applied acrylic paint to the metal foil finishing tape to dull down the shiny gold surface.  I do quite like the abstract nature of this postcard and was happy to see that it "finished up" quite well.

For this card I used:

- Strathmore watercolour postcard
- acrylic paint
- paint dyed lace ribbon
- organza
-glass beads
- embroidery floss
- thread
- wood twig "button" embellishments
- metal foil

I think that is it!  Very pleased