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 #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

No Time for Sewing

I couldn't sleep last night so I decided that I could put that sleeplessness to good use. My focus is still on clearing out my Dad's house so .. I thought that I could sort through some of my photographs and put them into "albums". I had forgotten that I had been to a fibre art showing in Toronto with my daughter.

It was a one woman show housed at a "gallery" that allows the exhibit to be viewed from the street. For the life of me I don't recall the street name. I didn't get any photo's of the beautiful fibre art but I did make a purchase of these beautifully sewn greeting cards. Very lovely!

I am feeling sad that I asked my husband to buy my a sewing machine for Christmas last (yes, LAST YEAR) and I have not had the time to even take it out of the box. Wow!!! How sad is that? I have a brand new Janome that beckons but I must snub my nose at it. That reminds me that I must take in my old lovely Bernina for a friend who wants some parts for her machine.