Lacy fabric journal

Showing a few pages from my latest fabric book/journal on auction now on Ebay.
These books are a joy to create, and a great artistic journey, playing with all sorts of threads, laces, fabrics and techniques.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lacy-fabric-collage-journal-handcrafted-for-your-photo-and-journaling-memories-/161134830455?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2584626377

What has YOUR muse been up to lately?

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Lacy doll's dress

Recently I inherited a lovely doll, but did not like the garment she was wearing, so I put on my sewing cap and designed a dress using a crochet doily, a small napkin, and some gathered laces. I like it so much better, and she is ready to attend the upcoming ball.
Isn't she pretty?

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Journal pages for September 2013

These are a few pages I have been working on in my daily art journal. I try to use my journals for any new techniques I have read about or discovered whilst doing some other art project. There is no end to the fun involved!

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Numerical Angel

Another page from my art journal...Lots of collage and paint layers.

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Dryer sheet circles

These dryer sheets were painted with acrylics, some spritzed with color mists, then edged with glitter glues. The background is sprayed with color mist as well, and three images of vintage cars added. Some doodling, and washi tape.
More summer fun!

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Bird Language

The birds are under a layer of serviette tissue, with molding paste pushed through letter stencils.
I just cannot get enough of stencils - they come in so many patterns, and you can make them yourself out of plastic and a burning tool. These letter stencils are heavy paper ones from the Office supply store. Lots of spraying with mists done here as well. I am drawn to those as well...sigh.

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Facial Delight

I have been watching a lot of altering done with magazine images and thought I would try it.
Here is my attempt at this technique ( I started with a background page that had leftover inks and sprays) :

Since I am not a doodler, I found this exercise quite trying. However, trying and doing is better than not knowing....so there we are!
How much of this technique do you enjoy engaging in? Write and let me know via comments...I would love to hear your views.


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Treasure Life's Wonders

I have been missing from the blog for quite a while, but am still making art. Loving all the Pinterest images, and tutorial...so much inspiration right at your fingertips.
Here is a page from my art journal...I do try to indulge in some sort of artwork every day - it keeps me sane!
The gold rose is Viva Inka Gold pushed through a stencil.

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Purple for May AB Challenge

AB group Challenge for May.

The color choice and quote prompt is:

 

'When I am an old woman

I shall wear purple with a red hat

that doesn't go and doesn't suit me’

-Sue Ellen Cooper

Use purples, violet, lavender, fuscia, mauve, etc for your colors,

With perhaps a dash of red thrown in! Attach fibres, and other sewing type elements.

 

This is the third in a series of four.

Here is my page spread:

 left page

 right page

close-up of quote

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Face Drawing for May 7

This journal page started with a previous splattered background of stencils and spray colors.
I drew the face and continued on with the other elements on the page, but left her face with the original background colors. I really like to draw faces, but have not taken a class to learn about shading etc.

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More Katy Keene book pages

I am thoroughly enjoying playing with molding pastes and other caulking products to produce texture on these pages.
Here is page 3 of my Katy Keene book, the Gold page.
You can find the first two pages here:
http://sewinart.blogspot.ca/2013/03/chipboard-book-pages.html

I started with sewing tissue crumpled up and glued down. The process is the same as with the first two pages. After glueing down the image, I use Diamond Glaze or Clear Tar Gel by Golden to prevent the image from color spray damage. (I use a variety of colors of spray, mostly muted shades.)

I am currently picking out embellies for my next page!

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Crumpled kraft and coffee filter pocket

Here are a couple of pages I worked on recently. I started by crumpling kraft paper on the two pages and dousing them with school glue. I then cut a coffee filter into a rectange pocket for the pink tag.

Stamping with text, lady images, and postage stamps followed, along with more paints and Artbars.

 

 

Below is a closeup of the left page (my flash made it orange, sigh)

InkaGold highlights the crumpled paper.

 

 The right page:

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Ledger Art Journal pages

Here are a couple of simple pages from my ledger art journal.
Did I ever mention that I work in quite a few types of books? I love to experiment with a variety of substrates, and book pages can vary so much....such fun!

This background was made when I was trying out my new Inka Gold colors.
I did some random stamping, then made a mask from a postcard of a lady, then used a sponge to paint around her shape. I have wanted to try this technique for ages, and will do some larger masks in the future. I was considering outlining her in black ink - what do you think?
The butterfly is chipboard, and the quote at the bottom is "Friendship is the only rose without thorns".

 

A flower blooms once.



I drew her face on sewing tissue, glued it to the page with gel medium, then drew some more, and colored her a bit. I left the face unpainted. The base page was pre-painted some time before (as usual!).

 



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Agenda binder cover

I have a daily agenda, just a binder with a plastic cover, the usual things, that was calling for me to alter it.
I sloshed paint over it, then some caulking...made impressions into it. Sprayed it with paints, glued some pieces to it, added Distress crackle paints, bead gel, more paints and my newest favorites, Inka Gold pastes/paints. Love that huge paper clip from the dollar store!
Encourages me to work, right?

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Chipboard Book Pages

Here are a couple of pages from a chipboard book that I am altering/decorating.

The process is simple but each step takes some time for the drying process. (I leave mine to air-dry)

Start by adding gesso to the entire page, making textures at the same time. After this is dry, use modelling paste to create more texture – then gently push small embellishments in a pleasing manner into the paste. I have also used plaster gauze beside the Katy Keene image.

After this step has dried, spray or paint with your choice of colors – let dry after each color application, or they will mix, sometimes making a brown mess. (unless this is the effect you’re going for!)

After dry, use some rub and buff or your favorite wax paste to color the tops of the texture. I have used Viva Decor’s Inka Gold. I love this paint.

I have five pages for this book – three to go!

My sisters have suggested that I put them up on the wall, as a set of five – What do you think?

 

 

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Being Green





It’s not easy being GREEN.

 

The frog said that.

The frog also claims that a kiss from a princess will enable him to revert to his princely status.

This is the March Challenge on the Altered Books group on yahoo.

The color GREEN, tags, folds, windows/doors.

 

 

The three frogs, glued onto a folded page (three pleats)

 

The closed window, partially hidden

 

The frog's declaration

 

Open window with princess

 

The whole picture

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I HEART Paris

Here is another altered page in the Chocolate Diary.
The section under the heart is sewing pattern paper that I was using for crayon rubbings and embossing plates. They make nice background papers as they glue down transparent, if you use tissue. The heart is cut from thin quilt batt, painted with glue and embossing powder then heated. The Paris stamped square is painted with bead gel. It's not so easy to see in the photo....

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Send a Smile

I have added some finishing touches to my mixed media backgroung page that I posted here:
http://sewinart.blogspot.ca/2013/01/mixed-media-background-page.html

Here is the final page:

 

 

I added a quote stamp from Quietfire Design, "A Smile that you send out returns to you", and some other elements. A very simple page.

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Valentine Grungy Sparkle AB Spread

This is my attempt at a Valentine's page spread. I don't do Cute, so I went where my muse led me.
A few sparkly rub-on red hearts and two keys, background layers of pink, red, orange and blue paints and sprays, a Victorian lady playing a song to My Valentine, a LOVE quote - Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition. - Alexander Smith
And YOU HOLD THE KEY to my Heart, stamped.

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Blue on Blue Challenge

This month's Challenge on the AB Yahoo group is all about colour and textures.

The Blue that came to my mind for this Challenge is the song ‘Blue on Blue’ by Bobby Vinton.

I printed the lyrics of the song and began collaging strips and scraps of papers and text onto the page with the lyrics, along with some serviettes pieces and washi tape.
The next step was the blue glaze over everything.
The chipboard letters were covered with gesso, then textured paint, then a thin layer of crackle paste, and more paint to show the cracks. I did some paint dribbles, and other dimensional paint scratches, giving more texture. The broken heart seemed fitting!

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Altered Book Completed

If you are like me, you will be altering a variety of books simultaneously. I will pick up any book to work in, as I am not a 'theme' worker.
I have various sized books and journals, bound differently, with a variety of page quality.
Wherever the mood takes me - I work with it.
Well, I have completed an AB that I started ages ago, and have put the finishing touches on the last two spreads. Here they are, along with the jeweled cover:

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Altered Book for card album cover

I saw an album on Pinterest sometime ago, and thought I would try a variation of it for my favorite cards, given to me by special friends and family.
I gutted an old book, (keeping those pages for future collages) covered it with scrapping papers, and inserted binder rings with some bugel beads threaded onto them. I decorated the cover with fabric roses that look like dried flowers, and glued on a couple of embellishments. Top right one is made with Model Magic air dry clay, painted with acrylics and my new 'love' Inka Gold.
Have you tried this type of album?

 

a few cards added - I think it works well

I will make another for Christmas cards.

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Mixed media background page

I do like to play! Here is a page in a Chocolate Diary that I am altering. I have used a variety of mediums for this background - Gesso, Artbars, spritzes, mark-making tools, and my newest love, Inka Gold by Viva. These are luscious creams that are wonderful on any surface that I have tried them on....still experimenting with them! I got them at Joggles.com
I will add an image to this page, etc etc etc and post later.

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Kobo Arc eReader pouch

I had a small piece left over from the Stitch and Slash fabric that I crazy quilted. It was the perfect size for my new Kobo Arc that I received for Christmas. I added a small doily for a flap, and adhered a vintage brooch. (I love my Kobo!)

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