Tuesday 5 March 2013

Happy March!

Can you believe that? Well yes I can. Trees are budding, the snow drops look fabulous and the crocuses are just popping up. I am so looking forward to getting into the garden this year, didn't get much chance last year with the weather as it was.
A kiss from one Cherub to lots of others. x
However my garden looks rather like a building site at present due to the garage transformation. It is so worth it, but I won't be doing open gardens this year, too much going on. However Andrew, my gentleman friend will be taking part in York Open Studios and using my house as his venue. Please check them out and see all the fabulous artist there. Also there is a link for an article that The Yorkshire Post did on me and my arty home last year, take a look. They have a face book page too. Andrew is using my venue due to the fact that I am close to the center of  York and his place is out in the sticks! I, and Artefact will not be open on those dates, but I will have my own open studio in July.
http://cognoscienteblog.blogspot.co.uk

As I mentioned things are really moving with my new teaching studio,
New door!
That door now leads into my potting shed and green house, which will be demolished later and studio extended.......,  how exciting.

Taking about exciting, I started Effy Wild's, Book of Days Journal class. What a wonderful, honest and talented lady she is. The course is great fun. My home work for this week was to create a hand made journal.
Step one
I took some stiff calico and 300 g s m, ( 140 lb ) water colour paper. This was all cut to the required sizes, then I glued them together with Gel Medium. Next I stitched on the sewing machine. I just needed to have a stitch element to my journal. I didn't follow Effy's class to a T, but I am sure she won't mind. After all art is for the individual, you need to do what is right for you.

Sewing with the machine
Next I began to paint my cover. I drew on a face, then coloured the back ground, with KoH- I- NooR dyes. Then I added dylusions ink, sprits throw stencils  Rubber stamps were added. When the back ground was completed I finished the face, using Neocolour II crayons and acrylics paint.


Then I made five signatures each containing three pages. These where stitched into the book. Added a ribbon as the closure.
I have changed that ribbon, for a matching green one.
White ribbon, becomes green ribbon.

I am going to have to add beads at some point.

Yummy
I am doing some more journals, but more on that next week. Also I have been playing with fabric , which is a passion of mine, one of many. You may remember that I played with a cotton spool last week and I mentioned that the electrician left some interesting stuff in the skip. Well here we go,

Don't they look so sad?
Poor, neglected, cast aside. Not any more they were rescued from an uncaring world, strengthened and painted.

Extra card added
Glued with gel medium, where would we be without pegs?
White cotton was tea stained.
Images were transferred.
Fabric was stitched
Images were added and beaded
Spool was decorated.
Family Album in fabric on a spool.
See you all, I hope next week. xxxxxx

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