Sew good

Time for a little sewing, both by machine & by hand.

I used

Sew this page

I did an inkjet image transfer onto adhesive backed canvas, using matt gel medium.

The image of the girl sewing embroidery is from the Graphics Fairy.

I hand stitched the canvas onto a piece of cotton backing using red thread.

The fabric was then added to the page over the background image.

Leftover thread was wound around the reel

For my next page I used

Wrap something with this page

&

Hide a secret message somewhere in this book

I folded the first page, stitching around three sides to create a pocket,

which was then adhered to the second page.

Stitched Pocket

I decorated a tag with offcuts of Scissor Sisters patterned paper (no longer available),

a copy of the photograph I used earlier in the journal

& a butterfly that was laying around.

Front of Tag

Back of Tag

The secret is now hidden on the back of the tag, which is tucked safely in the pocket.

Meet & Mingle

The poem I have chosen for this week's altered playing card
for Waddington Weekly, is by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

First craft project using my sewing machine

Nothing in the world is single
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet & mingle

Ranger's Glossy Accents

Adding more dimension with Glossy Accents.

Eternal Love

I have again combined two weeks of challenges & prompts

from The Documented Life Project.

We have started a new month, which means a new theme.

February's theme is Layers you will love.

The Art Challenges are

Week 6.  When not to stop

Week 7.  Covering up good stuff

& the Journal Prompts are

Week 6.  "Don't stop 'til you get enough"     

Week 7.  Going undercover

"Eternal love shines in my eyes"

Taking inspiration from the song lyrics, I created a hot wax covered heart tag as my focal point
& the quote for my page is a line from the song.

The background is blended Distress Inks (broken china, fired brick, mustard seed, spiced marmalade  & peeled paint), first sprayed with a fine mist of water, then with a spray of Gelatos (Snow Cone).

The first few layers

I used Perfect Pearls (Green Patina) mixed with water to splatter over the pages.

Then I scribbled around the edges with the Uni Posca white paint pen.

White gesso circles

The next layer is a strip of printed vellum, then circles stamped using the bottom of a Gelatos stick dipped in white gesso & then I added printed text for the words from the song.

The tag is made of two components; the base tag & the wax covered heart,
both shaped from thin cardboard, which had been coated with white gesso.

A corner of my Heart

The heart was created using hot melted beeswax, with papers layered & burnished
with Perfect Pearls (Heirloom Gold, Green Patina & Blue Patina) as a highlight around the edges.

The shine from Perfect Pearls powder

The wax & Perfect Pearls were buffed to create a glossy, yet incredibly textural finish.

The butterfly image is from Crafty Individuals.

The tag base was covered in old sheet music paper, coloured with Gelatos (Snow Cone & Margarita Mix), layered with tissue paper & sheet music vellum, to tie the two elements together.

Base of tag

I also added white circles to tie the tag to the page background,
then sprayed a fine mist of Gelatos (Snow Cone).

The back of the tag was covered in sheet music, a strip of tissue paper
& another butterfly image from Crafty Individuals.

I added a thin layer of white gesso over the papers, so I would be able to journal on top.

Space to journal on back of the tag

So with just a few elements from 7 Dots Studio, one being used as a pocket for the tag to sit behind
& ribbon for the top of the tag, I think my piece is complete.

Pocket for tag

My art journal is a place to play, to experiment, learn, but mainly just to be creative,
which is what I love to do.

Tag secured in journal pocket

When I am old

The next poem I have chosen for my Waddington Weekly altered playing card is by Jenny Joseph.

The original image of the roller-skating girl is from Lisa's Altered Art,
recoloured appropriately to match the quotation,
with some added bling & lace trim.

A Four Letter Word

My page for today had to be about

Love

I used

A page for four-letter words

to create my Valentine Day page,
using images from the Graphics Fairy.

Just a Duster

The words on my Waddington Weekly altered playing card are taken from a poem by Gavin Ewart. 

Mini Tag

Below the surface

This is the last challenge for January's Theme of facing the blank page.

The Art Challenge is

Week 5.  Under Paper

& the Journal Prompt is

Week 5.  What lies beneath?

For my first challenge I used book pages torn from a novel by Jane Austin called
Pride & Prejudice.

It is a story of how Love overcame these obstacles.

I began by writing my thoughts in watercolour pencils, then sprayed with water so that the colours ran into each other, but the background was to pale.

The next day, I decided to collage with book paper, then colour the background with chalks. The background had the subtle colouring I was looking for,
but the printed text gave it more visual interested then my first attempt.

I cut two hearts & a frame from the book
& printed out a romantic image, together with the page caption.

Finally, I added some doodling, elements from 7 Dots Studio & a little tape.

Thinking aloud

My next pages for February is a double-page spread,

This space is dedicated
to internal monologue.

I used my head, cut open, with my thoughts flying out.

My thanks to Michelle Ward for the head & label template images.

My thanks to the Brave Girls Club for the inspiration card, birdies

& their daily emails.

from The Brave Girls Club

Promises

Time for another Waddington Weekly altered playing card.

The words today come from a poem by Robert Frost

"The woods are lovely, dark & deep
But I have promises to keep
& miles to go before I sleep"

What do you want to say?

My first page for February is

This page is a sign.
What do you want it to say?

I was inspired by an image from the Brave Girls Club.

It jumped out at me as the frame was similar to the one I had used on the front cover.

I cut the frame out & inserted an image from The Graphics Fairy.

It is attached to the page using a Tim Holtz ring fastener from his idea-ology range & blue twine.

The background paper is by Glenda Waterworth.

The little bird is from Mary Green.