What a challenge!

Welcome to another posting from yours truly. Last weekend was an Ephemera Etc meeting, which as usual was great fun. At the end of the day they decided they didn't want a challenge this month as they were all very busy. This is when I decide to challenge myself to come up with 10 new pieces for the next meeting! I just love to push myself and see what I come up with.
Therefore you will not see finished projects for a few weeks but the start and progress of many...lets get on with it!

Two of the projects I wish to start involve fabric and trims which has been tea stained.

yummy, just tea bags and water.

Don't forget to stain some trims too.

This is going to be a removable book jacket,

Add  lace and colour panels.

Stitch all the panels down, using different stitches.

This is the start of the second piece . for this I need to make myself a paper pattern.

I am going to need to saw off the end of the coat hanger..., just a tad too long.

This is going to be a old dress peg bag!, I don't know why, I just had to make one!

The heart is the opening for peg retrieval.

Add lace and ribbon.

OK, now onto some painting,

This is going to be a stamp and stitch book.

Ten pages of 300 gsm water colour paper. First on Acrylic paint.

Let the paint dry between applications to avoid colour merging.

Next contrast and texture.

And some stamping with gesso.

Add some more gesso and paint with a roller. All ten pages both sides.

The next piece is going to be a mixed media canvas.

Add  fabric to your canvas,

lots of different textures.

Start to glue it down. I am using home made Mod Podge.

Add lace,

Once all glued down I covered everything in home made Gesso.

Well that is it for this week. I will keep working on these piece and indeed start some more, the creative juices are following well!

I love life, life loves me......

What wonderful weather we are having which is just fabulous to get out there are enjoy. I still have to create, but you can do that out side too. Grab your journals and a few pens and head outside, the park, your favorite coffee shop and sit and journal what absolute joy..., I am truly blessed.

Playing with fruit

I love these books that come out of Japan and the wonderful Gothic dressing up pictures.

Change their faces and re dress in collage...,

Add hats and other accessories..., what fun

Also working on a project set by The Ephemera etc group. A concertina book on the theme of houses. The size of project was dictated by the piece of material given.

My house template.

I used the card I had previous sprayed and painted.

Added text paper from a book, and some stamping.

some painting around the edges.

spot more stamping.

Added some punched out stars and hearts. Photocopied the house for future use, be that in greetings cards or other collage work.

added a couple of coats of gel medium. the houses are finished, but they needed something.

People, or little people, of better still house fairies!

for these children I used old photograph which I photocopied and cut them out. Added a tint of colour...,

And then some wings with glitter, of course!

HOME

IS WHERE

THE ART

IS!

Amen to that!

Well not as good an events as I had hoped, but you have got to get out there!

Hello you little darlings. Are you all melting? Isn't it glorious, don't moan your too hot as will be be Christmas day before you know it!
Did the fair In the Merchants Adventures Hall, which the lovely organizers said was the worst footfall they have had in years. So much so that they have cancelled the September show which is a shame, may do the Christmas one...., I will have to think about it!
 So what else Have I been up to? I was making all those books and journals, and what I really wanted to do was some painting and journaling....,

Water and ink

Plus paper and stencils,

equals lots of fun!

Add some gesso,

And black paint

Here are some pictures from magazines, ready for some collage puzzling!

Lady in red.

Girl with a bird house.

And bounce!

Now for some pen work.

Lots more work to do to these lovely ladies,but while I had the ink and stuff out I wanted to get started on the Ephemera ETC group challenge. This was to create a concertina book, on the theme of "House" out of some material given to us by someone along time ago!!!!! The material in question is quite strange, not paper, but like paper and qualities of fabric! I will let you know how I get on!!