collages

i have been
having fun
with mixed media collage.
there is
just something about
mixing a bunch of
random items together
to make
something beautiful.
i love adding
the sketches on vellum
as the focal point.
i could do this forever.

wendy's mail

things sent 

to wendy

for may's sweet post.

scrap papers, washi bunting, tea, mini watercolor kit, ribbon, stamps, notepads, sticker, carved stamp

mixed media art

experimental tyvek pouch

washi ideas

who doesn't love 

this stuff?

i have quite a nice

collection of it.

and now 

i need to find

more ways to use it.

i have been doing 

a bit of experimenting.

when i have had
mint tins -
i have kept them.
covering them with washi
looks real cool -
but i'm not sure
what i'll use them all for
in the end.

this one 

i put a bit 

of gesso on first, 

because the tape 

is slightly transparent.

then added 

the tape,

and a magnet

to the inside -

to keep my needles in.

the small scissors 

i use stick nicely

to the outside -

keeping it all together.

anyone have any more ideas?

cute pouches

i've gone into
production mode,
making pouches.
i really love them.
they are great for gifts -
and i always have
people to give gifts to.
i am committed
to making them
with hand printed,
natural materials.
and though i didn't
add embroidery
to the pink one -
i think i would next time.
it is fun to match up
the fabrics,
and thread,
and floss,
and zippers,
to make them look cohesive.
i made these 3 -
and gave them to
alanna, katie & saige
and i filled them with
a bunch of goodies.
they seemed to like them.

a tulip

i finished 

another painting.

this was one of 

the canvases

that was started 

last year -

with the bloom true course.

it's not really 

'bloom true' style.

but, it is a lot of layers

and i am figured out 

my own style.

which is the point

of painting - 

after all.

i of course -

like it.

even the 

hot pink parts.

small stamps

i have been 

carving out some 

small stamps.

i love how quick

and easy it is.

i naturally,

am getting better at it -

with the practice.

and my ideas

are endless.

a love peek

i am working on
a little set of paintings.
my hairdresser -
who used to
come to my home -
has now built
a little shop
in her backyard -
and her walls are bare.
she asked me
if i'd be interested
in adding some color
to her space.
i didn't answer right away
because i
second guessed,
& worried,
& told myself i wasn't good enough,
& i didn't want to disappoint.
but,
i decided to do it anyway.
i am doing 12 -
6x6 canvases
brightly colored
in a love theme.
they are still a
work in progress.
hopefully next time
i will post
a picture of them
hanging on her wall.

cool stamps

along with the
mail swaps -
comes
different stamps -
from many countries.
russ gets almost
as excited as me
to see the
mail come
because
he is a collector.
but,
i enjoy them
because
they are like
mini works of art.

i have a bag
of old
worthless stamps
that we bought
long ago for $2.
i like to use them
in my own art
to add to
mixed media pieces.
so i decided
that everyone
could use a little
stamp love.
so now-
when i mail something
i am not going to
just get
the post office
to put that
boring.
little.
sticker.
with
the $ amount
of postage
on my packages.
nope -
i'm going to
pretty them up -
with my
cool stamps
all the way
from canada.

a lesson

with all the making

that i have been doing -

sometimes,

i make things 

that i'm not 

entirely happy with.

it makes me feel like 

i've wasted my time.
sometimes,
the great idea
in my head -
does not
translate well in real life.
these i am not pleased with...

 

i thought 

i had a great

idea for a print design,

but, no.

i am changing 

my attitude though.

i am learning 

from mistakes - 

and embracing that -

and i know 

what not to do next time.
i am also
learning to laugh at myself.
what do you do
when you 'mess' something up?

a swap

here is my
hand painted fabric
for the swap.
all finished,
and mailed out
last week.
i decided
to just go
with what i knew -
and hand stamped them all -
with one of my carved stamps.
it was my first & best idea -
but i kept
second guessing,
and trying
to come up with
something new
and so it took me forever
to get started.
i am
really happy
with how they turned out,
and i love the spring colors.
i hope everyone likes them.

 

and look...

i even found a cute use

for some 

ugly stamp experiments!