Thursday, 1 November 2012

collage cards

I'm super busy at present, I'm working on a journal commission that's a gift so I can't show it until my client's gifted it. I've also added some fabric collage cards to my Etsy store. These make ideal gifts as they can be framed and hung on the wall. I love making them, just adding little bits here and there from my fabric scraps, stitching and beading. I use lots of my hand dyed laces and fabrics in their making.

I'll be holding my second two day fabric journal workshop starting November the 10th so I'm busy putting fabrics together for page kits. I'm also working out details for some up coming workshops.

Tomorrow I'm visiting Elizabeth for a felting session, I need to make some journal covers. If you visit her blog you'll see some of the wonderful work that her school students have created, great stuff.







My thoughts are with all of the residents along the East coast of the US. We certainly know here in Australia what devastation can be caused in such a short time. Take care.

Thanks too for all of the welcome visitors and comments left on my blog, I appreciate you all.





Monday, 22 October 2012

New stamps on Etsy

I've finally added some new stamps to my Etsy shop. I hope to list some hand made fabric collage cards this week too.




SOLD



This is little Charlie, my how he's grown and such a mop of fur.

Thanks again for visiting and your kind comments.


Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Journal completed

I mentioned in my last post that I'd almost completed a journal to go in my Etsy shop. Well it's now completed and I'm delighted that it will be winging it's way to Maggi in the UK. I will be working on another one shortly to go in my EtsyThank you Maggi. I'm so glad my journals sell as I love making them and each sale gives me the challenge to keep going.

Here's some photos of the journal.


the cover


the spine


side view


I always add little sketches that I draw on the inside of envelopes, I love the way the patterns on the envelopes show through the drawings.


fabric page with hand dyed doily


another fabric page


I always add semi blank pages now so that the owner can do their own thing


I still have to add the occasional graphic though


as well as prints of my artwork

Thanks again for visiting and your lovely comments.


Monday, 1 October 2012

Pages

I'm back full swing into creating fabric pages for my next journal going into my Etsy shop. I taught a two day fabric journal workshop over the past two Saturdays and have really been inspired by what the wonderful students created. The first Saturday we made the fabric pages and the cover, then last Saturday we created the papers and put the journal together, almost, we just ran out of time. There is so much work involved in creating one of these books. I'm hoping to get some photos to show you when I next catch up with the ladies. I'll be teaching this workshop again in November. I've managed to create a few more pages in my daily journal too.


this is one of the pages that will go into my latest journal. the bottle is cut out from a disposable plastic plate that I use for a paint palette, the label is a paint swatch that happened to be named 'pink gin'


daily journal flower page


daily journal - not sure what these are, they just evolved from the paint splodges on the page.


daily journal - seeds

Thanks again for taking the time to visit and for commenting.
Happy Creating.


Monday, 24 September 2012

Meeting the Master of Grand Design

I've been a great fan of the TV show Grand Designs, (my favourite show), for quite a few years now, seeing each episode at least once. Over the weekend, I had the good fortune to meet the fabulous presenter Kevin Mcloud. He was presenting Grand Designs Live at our exhibition centre in Melbourne. There was an enormous reception for him, apparently per head of population his show is more popular here in Australia, than anywhere else in the world.


I have some more fabric journal pages from earlier journals, I'm working on one at present to go into my Etsy





I'll also have some hand made fabric cards in my etsy soon too


and jewellery - a button, a circle of metal from an old tin and some very tiny pieces of tin all set in resin


Thanks again for taking the time to visit and comment, I really do appreciate your kind words.



Monday, 17 September 2012

Roller stamps

As I mentioned last post I've been busy making roller stamps. They are so easy and cost next to nothing to make, but first I thought I'd show you the cover I'm in the process of making, as part of the demo in my Fabric Journal workshop. I seem to be obsessed with old metal tins and have even added parts of them to the front cover as part of the decoration.


the cover in the making, I still have to add the spine and the binding.


these are the things required to make the roller stamps - toilet roll centres, thin adhesive backed foam, you can use other thin foam (no more than 3mm thick or it doesn't bend as easily) and glue it down with gel medium, pva glue or mod podge - small scissors and a foam paint roller (the toilet roll tube fits over this and acts as the roller).


these are just a few of my completed rollers - cut the foam into simple or intricate shapes with small scissors - the circle one on the end was made using the foam that was removed from the centre of the rings in the second roller from the left - DON'T wash them, the more you use them the more the acrylic paint helps to seal them - one sheet of foam will make quite a few stamps - you can use the pre-cut shapes found in craft stores but they are usually thicker and don't stick as well, I would recommend re glueing them before you stick them down - if you have any problems with the ones you cut staying down, just add a little more glue


these are the results of the stamps in the above photo - I use acrylic paint with mine.


as I worked in my studio, last week, I looked out of the window and saw this lovely rainbow, by the time I found my camera it had started to fade, but I love the effect the sun had shining on the top of the tree. Looks like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. On clear days I can see the bay just over the hill, it really is lovely.

Thanks again for visiting and your lovely comments. I hope you try the stamp making, it's very addictive and costs next to nothing.


Friday, 14 September 2012

More Pages

I've been busy getting ready to teach my fabric and paper journal workshop this weekend at home, so the only art I've done has been in my daily journal. I've slowly been scanning some of them into my computer. Here are a few of my earlier pages. I work on a few at a time going back and forth between the pages.




Thanks for dropping by.

I hope to show you some roller stamps I've made in my next post, so easy to do.