Artwords - Water

The current theme for the Artwords Challenge is "water" and as this challenge site is open to any medium I am posting a photo this time for a change! This is one of my favourite bath-time photos of my sons Josh and Zach when they were little kids - about 6 and 3 (I think). Baths were just another form of play to them. I love the way kids seem to have an extra radiancy after a bath (and it isn't just because the dirt has been washed off!!)

It wasn't too long after this photo that we had a field mouse come into the house and we discovered the tiny little thing in the boy's bath. Josh refused to ever use the bath again and only had showers after that. It's funny the way things affect us all differently as it certainly didn't bother Zach.

Artwords - Home

What a busy week - I can't believe it was Monday when I last blogged!

This week's Artwords theme is "Home" so I am posting a piece I had published in Somerset Studio's "white" edition. It is based around a gel medium transfer onto canvas duck of a family picture (from the first Beth Cote Ephemera book). I then painted and stamped a text background and glued and sewed on a variety of laces and trims, adding some beading and a zipper. It was meant to represent the family in their home surrounded by their particular history/story (the text) and love (the lace). The zipper represented those things being private and closed off most of the time from other people (but able to opened and closed when sharing was desired on a wider level).

In terms of technique I found the canvas duck a fabulous surface for the gel medium transfer as I put it between layers of waxed paper and heavy books to "set" but the paper stayed moist and was very easy to rub off as a result. The canvas texture shows through the transfer. Using the canvas duck also meant I could machine sew on it which made adding the zipper a lot easier.

Artwords - Internalize

Well I am back from Perth - had a fabulous time and will write a "proper" post later this afternoon (my 100th post!!) but for now this is my submission for this week's Artwords theme of "Internalize". I want to post before the next theme is announced. It is a page I did in a Green Colour Journal exchange a while back and incorporates one of my favourite images. Contemplation seems to me to be a very "internal" sort of thing so this piece seemed appropriate for the theme given I haven't been around to create something especially for it.

Artwords - Candid (& Other Assorted Stuff!)

This piece is for the Artwords Theme this week of "Candid". Pictures of people sleeping are about as candid as I can handle so I thought I would use this favourite reproduction image (this one is from a sheet of decoupage paper). The texture in the background is created via dry brushed gesso over a crumpled decorator napkin glued to the canvas board. I have been a bit slack and just scanned the canvas and the big beads on the tulle curtains make it too dimensional for a good scan but the camera is not nearby.

Once again we had a beautiful sunrise here this morning. My camera is pretty basic but you can see how lovely it was. The second shot shows the sky reflected in a window - I love reflections - you turn your back on beauty and it finds a way to remain in your sight!

We had an even more spectacular sunset this evening. I think it was mainly the result of very interesting cloud formations but unfortunately I was driving Zach to soccer training and didn't have my camera with me. It was so dramatic that I saw one young guy pull his car over so that he could lean out the window and take a photo using his mobile phone.

I had a wonderfully creative weekend, especially yesterday, but I didn't get many pieces actually finished. It was lovely though to work on several pieces and to move between them as they either dried or I worked out "what next"! Sometimes you really get that flow happening. Then of course I kept going too late and botched a perfectly okay ATC by deciding it needed some last minute trimming (it is now seriously sub-standard in size and destined to be "converted" to something else someday).

Artwords - Numbers

This is my entry for this week's Artwords prompt. The theme is Numbers and these Altered Book pages were done some time ago as part of a wonderful round robin I participated in with a group of lovely Queenslanders! This was Marji's book and it was one of the relatively few times I have created a window between pages (mostly because I don't like the cutting part, especially in a book belonging to someone else!).

Artwords - Curl (& Harry Potter)

Artwords theme this week was "Curl" and this is my submission - referring of course to the curl of the lips! I love these shades of blue and I am finding I use more paint more and more these days along with canvas boards. The background text stamp is a favourite Non Sequitur image.

As you can see from the photo my son Zach did not appreciate me snapping this shot and I will of course be in big trouble if he sees this (fortunately he doesn't read my blog although he does occasionally look over my shoulder!). Yesterday the long awaited last Harry Potter book was released so as soon as Zach got home from his weekend job at Target at 1pm, he dragged all his bedding onto the couch (it was cold and wet here), made sure chocolates and a drink were handy and spent the next eight hours devouring the book. My job of course was to ensure adequate nourishment was periodically delivered. At 9pm Zach announced that it was an awesome read with some very intricate weaving of plots. He loved it! Now he will undertake the next read of the book which will be a nice slow read to savour all the details. There are some advantages to being able to read fast as he now won't have the ending ruined by anybody telling him before he finished!

The zipper pull in this photo was a present my sister Marrijane bought for me when she holidayed in Alaska recently (something about that place makes it seem to me to be so far away, which it is of course from Australia, but it sounds further than saying the US or Canada I think). I love it and I am thinking of making a zippered purse for my art pens just so it can be used in a way where I will see it a lot.

These two beautiful items (a shabby chic corsage and a sweet little felted brooch) were made by Carol (over by the Irish Sea) and accompanied some recent purchases I made from her Ebay store. It was a lovely surprise to receive such delightful "extras" and Carol's packaging and wrapping are just gorgeous - it felt like Christmas undoing them all.

Now to get back to all my works in progress from yesterday - I have several that should be dry and ready for the next step.

Artwords - Grunge

This is my submission for this week's Artwords theme "Grunge". I think it would have been better with a bit more variety colour-wise but I enjoyed doing the grungy bits with Peeled Paint & Soot Distress Ink Pads (using the edge of an old credit card as well as "direct to paper") plus an Autumn Leaves Flourish stamp. The rest of the stamps are all from the Time to Stamp "Photo Booth" plate (a very versatile plate of small photo images and a few quotes).

I've been working on finishing my beeswax ATCs and a few other bits and pieces but I'll post those tomorrow - I'm bushed and looking forward to an early night so that I can make the most of the weekend!

Artwords - Fabric

The theme this week at Artwords is "Fabric". This should be easy for me but all of the things I am working on are "in progress" so I am uploading a photo of a canvas I did for the Somerset Studio "Retro" theme some time ago. Colorwise it is quite consistent with yesterday's post!!

This piece uses fabric I have hoarded for a VERY long time. The first piece on the left is from a fabric sample that Nana Wilkes (my maternal grandmother who would have been a 100 this year) gave me in the 1960s to use for dolls clothes. The other two pieces are from fabrics I used to make clothes while I was at uni in the 70s - a hot pink caftan (the groans are audible!) and a psychedelic shirred top (even more audible!). I loved both of them at the time, needless to say.

This theme has had me reflecting on the part fabric and sewing has played in my life and then today I received in the mail a piece of needlerun lace from my Mum's 27 June 1953 wedding dress (how is that for timing!). I had asked for a piece so that I can create a special memento but to have it arrive on the 27th of June was special. This of course has led me to reflect on the young woman that wore that dress and who only dreamed of the lives (three) she would create and of the ongoing circle of family and love that has flowed from her life and love.

PS And before I get totally sentimental I should mention that I have been tagged for the first time as a blogger (by Sarah) and I am to list seven random things about myself and tag seven more bloggers. This requires some thinking and will need to wait until tomorrow!

Artwords - Centre

Last week's Artwords theme was "Centre" and I am just scraping in before the theme changes later today! I'm calling this piece "Central to my Outlook" as "carpe diem" really is central to the way I approach my life. I originally called this piece "Astrological Projections" and it was completed for a Somerset Studio project where I had to show a few different ways of using the carpe diem stamp. This one was on shrink plastic but the fun part was doing the torn paper and paint background underneath the transparency (which is a favourite image of mine and one I keep using).

I didn't do any art yesterday as I was cooking for a party but today is a play day and I have about six things I want to work on!! Dilemmas of the best kind...

Artwords - Exotic

This is my submission for this week's Artwords theme - EXOTIC! I just love this Stamp Francisco image of the veiled woman, my idea of exotic. This is a page in an altered book and incorporates a decorator napkin as a background over the text. I think purple and orange and purple, yellow and red are exotic colour cominations!

Wednesday Stamper (Flowers) & Artwords (Dwelling) & A General Progress Report!

I have been busy and have just realised that I haven't posted here for days! On Friday (day off work) I spent the morning catching up on washing and playing with my blue fabric inchies. These, of course, are not the things that needed doing first but as usual, the thing I felt like doing was not the thing that needed doing! Inchies are surprising addictive although I think I would find the paper ones too fiddly - especially the sticking down bit (I can get glue everywhere really really easily!). I have included a scan of one set that I have decided are finished. I am doing nine different "designs". These ones are based on the felt/blue fabric/angelina sandwich that I posted about last week and have little gold sequins and pink seed beads sewn on them.

Around lunch time, Mum and I decided to head down to the one and only craft shop to get some more yarns for the No-Knit scarf that Mum is making while she is up here. I bought a new Kai Wheel Cutter so I could have a wavy blade for cutting my fabric without having to change blades all the time. I also bought some pretty silver charms. While we were in the shop we heard that the only Bead Shop in town was closing down and that they had 30% off everything. Needless to say the two of us are bower birds who just love pretty beads so of course the next 90 minutes was spent (along with some serious $) at the bead shop. I now have enough seed beads for a lifetime of fabric inchies I think. Mum bought some lovely beads including some shell based ones and she has since designed and made a lovely necklace. She just has to sort out what sort of clasp she will use and it will be finished. After the bead shop we went to the fabric shop to get Soluweb (for the No-Knit scarf) and to the library to get some beading books so it was nearly 3pm before we had lunch. Headache territory!

On Friday evening, I picked Joseph up from the airport (he had been in Perth last week for work) and then Mum and I went to the opening of an exhibition at the Mining Hall of Fame. The exhibition was of artworks by Paul Trinidad (lino cuts, prints and dirt paintings) and photos of the Australian outback by Jane Poynter. None of the artwork was really appealing to me personally but it is always interesting to look at the way artists interpret their environment. The photos were interesting, especially the series where she had blown up tiny portions of photos that were on display and added poetry type text. We had fun trying to find the photo from which each of the detailed shots were taken. The Mining Hall of Fame also has a stunning mineral display which is always lovely to look at, so we did that while finishing off our wine!

Yesterday, in amongst normal domestic Saturday stuff I worked on some cards I am doing for a magazine and also did some more inchies (I would have been happy making them all day actually!). I pulled out lots of copper tissue mesh and wire and spent some time tarnishing it using Lime Suphur (as a substitute for the normal stuff which I haven't been able to get locally). Dreadful smell of rotten eggs of course which made for some predictable comments from my 16 year old son. I need to make my mix less concentrated I think as it was an instant reaction on the copper. I put some in a spray bottle and just sprayed it on one piece and that was a more subdued and controlled effect.

Last night I made a yummy Tuna & Spinach Risotto for dinner and watched an Andre Rieu DVD with Mum. Today I am finishing my cards before I make any more inchies!

This week's Wednesday Stamper theme is flowers and I am just not going to get a chance to make something specially for it so I have included a scan of a piece I did a while back in a Purple Deco. I really do love incorporating stamped flowers in my work but in this piece the stamping is text and postmarks. The lace has been hand painted with lace dyes which I love using.

The Artwords theme this week is "Dwelling" and again I am not going to have the time to make something so for this one I have included a scan of a double page spread I did in a House Shaped Deco for an exchange some time ago. I used the most beautiful shade (Green Gold) of Golden Paint for this page which includes a gel transfer of some Victorian ladies sewing in their parlour.

Next week I am promising myself that I will use the themes to make new pieces!

Artwords - FIGURES

This is my submission for Artwords this week - the theme is "Figures". I decided to use the number type figures as well as the human figure as a change from relying on text as my background.

I have painted a canvas board with acrylics and then added stamped images of the arches (Stampington) and the figure (Non Sequitur) on white tissue paper. These have then been lightly washed with Adirondak Color Wash. I have added two strips of recycled red tissue paper (it has red words on it but you can't see it in the photo) at the top and bottom. This was then all sealed with diluted PVA. The numbers (also NS) were then stamped straight onto the canvas as are all the crackle, text and splatter stamps that form the background (and which are not meant to be particularly noticeable given that I used gray and red inks!). The piece needed something else and the ric rac seemed like a novel solution - I am trying to avoid always doing the same/predictable things to finish off. The board is then edged with gold ink.

I actually loaded the photo to this post and checked the preview - seeing it that way changed my perception of it and I realised it needed ric rac on the bottom as well to look balanced. Quickly fixed and rescanned!

Now to work on my Wednesday Stamper submission...

Artwords - EYES

This is my entry in this weeks Artwords topic which is eyes. This was a page in a Bazaar themed journal exchange (I have cropped the scan a bit) which incorporates my love of all shades of purple and my love of fabric.

I have also included scans of another couple of pages i did in the same journal - all rather purple!


I drew the mehendi - time consuming but quite addictive but then I have always been a doodler! It was covered with fabric afterwards.

Tonight & Artwords (Botanical)

I've just got home from a night of stamping (a bit) and chatting (a lot) with my stamping friends Annie and Narelle. I was playing with the latest Oxford Impressions stamps (Bird's Nest), Annie was making a cute little purse notebook a la Cloth Paper Scissors (Issue 9) and Narelle was making lots of cards (she can stamp and talk at the same time, a skill that was not shared by the rest of the table!). It was fun and we talked about lots of products and techniques and things we are all going to try. Next week we are going to do a little canvas art workshop together so I can be sure I'll have something to show at the end of the evening.

Last night I finished my first paper fabric quilt (other than working out what I am going to use to hang it up) so I'll photograph it tomorrow and share it. I am pleased with it considering it was a learning experience. I certainly have a list of things I would do differently next time but it isn't too bad for a first effort. After seeing the article in the latest Cloth Paper Scissors, I now want to try that sort as well - much more like a real quilt in appearance.

The photo at the top is of a page is my entry for Artwords this week - the theme is Botanical. This is a stamped card that I painted with those delicious little pots of Radiant Pearls. This is my first go at participating in Artwords and although I didn't make this card especially for this topic prompt, my plan is to use the theme each week to try something different in future - or at least some weeks!