Monday 28 November 2011

more mixed media

I've now caught up with the last two assignments for the Mixed Media Workshop - lucky they have Thanksgiving in the States, (and didn't post a lesson last week) otherwise I'd still be playing catch-up!

Anyway, the one for 2 weeks ago was to create an abstract collage using a shape - I decided on squares (although a couple of rectangles managed to creep in!).





















And last week's was a beeswax collage - luckily Robin's mum had bought me a lump of natural beeswax years ago - I knew I would use it sometime!!  I didn't really have any of the other recommended tools (apart from a heat gun) but I at least managed to produce something!




















This is smaller (5" x 7) than the other canvas. I knew what stamps I wanted to use & for it to have a vintage, grungy & distressed feel - I definitely had moments of distress when it wasn't going right! - it's the first time I've ever used beeswax, so it was a great 'learning curve' for me!  Very Tim Holtz, this one - I used his stamps, distress inks and alphabet die! (link to his blog).
I don't really know about this one - I like the design, but what I don't like is that the surface should be smooth & level (apart from the holly texture & the die cut letters), but it isn't - I shall have to practice some more! (and maybe get a different heat gun which isn't so 'blowy', which was one of my main problems - it moved the melted wax around too much, so some parts were hardly covered, and other parts were too thick!).

Talking about Tim Holtz, every year he produces 12 Tags for Christmas, doing one a day (starting 1 December) & posts them onto his blog - can't wait to see what he does this year - so looking forward to his inspiration!

And I'm hoping to do a "White Christmas" themed 'something' for the Chocolate Baroque challenge (see sidebar) - I've got a couple of weeks to get it done!
Back soon!     Kay

Friday 18 November 2011

Xmas pudding cup cake card!

Thought I'd use my cup cake dies for Christmas, hence this card ...



















And a "reindeer & trees" card (in different colours)!






















It's the next guest market at Watford Market tomorrow... & I've decided to offer to personalise the cards, with names (Mum & Dad, Granny & Granddad etc) and/or greetings, "while you wait"...

More soon!

Kay

Wednesday 16 November 2011

pink taffeta!

Here's my finished first project on the mixed media workshop course. I didn't change a lot since I posted, but I added some ric-rac instead of the silver trimming, and some 'flower' ribbon, a large flower made from mulberry paper, & the words 'pink taffeta' at the bottom.

On to the next one now, which is another collage, but this time it has to be abstract ... I think I'll be using squares ...

More soon!

Tuesday 8 November 2011

making Christmas cards? this early?!

So, I've been making Christmas cards!  In October/November!  Unheard of! (I'm usually making them in December, ready to send off 1st class as I've usually missed the 2nd class posting date!).  But Watford Market has got a guest market which I'm doing (first one was on Saturday), next are November 19th, December 3rd & December 17th, so I though I'd better make a start!  Here are some of my new cards...

stamped


stamped & coloured

















stamped, stencilled background



stamped
















die cut















And not forgetting a few new(ish) birthday cards! 
die cut



die cut


stamped on card & paper

stamped & coloured













More soon (when I've had some more ideas)!



pink taffeta dress!

I found the "pink taffeta dress" photo!  It was taken at a friend's birthday party in her garden with her dolls - we must have been about 7?
















My favourite dress, so sad when I grew out of it!

So anyway, I decided to use part of this as a focal point of my first assignment for the Mixed Media Workshop course I've just started, a collage with a gel transfered, photo-edited photo.  I had a 'slight' problem in that we haven't got any photo editing software on the computer apart from that in Word and Paint!!!  Anyway, I selected just me, played around in Word with contrast and brightness, erased the background in Paint, and ended up with

 which I reversed for the transfer.

I had a "happy half-hour" looking through some of my old children's books to find some images for the collage background - The Children's Wonder Book (fairy, folk and classic children's stories) and The Baby's Opera (nursery rhymes illustrated by Walter Crane).

I've not finished the canvas yet, it needs a bit more, but here's what I've done so far;


& I think I shall add the words 'pink taffeta' somewhere...

Back soon!

Kay

At last, another blog post!

Well, its been a few weeks since I blogged last - I don't know where the time goes!

Firstly, piccie of my final Mixed Media course assignment - theme - corrugated cardboard & recycling:

So, I used the back of a washing tablet packet (tore most of the top layer off to expose the corrugated card), I stamped the gentlemen and butterflies on scraps of the cotton from the previous week, the pale green ribbon had become stained with ink, but the colours worked with this!  I printed the photo onto photo paper, and as the words on the gentlemen stamp didn't show up very well, I stamped these again onto the scrap from cutting out the photo - so I think I did what I could to recycle!  The photo is of my great grandfather (Dad's grandfather) who collected butterflies as a hobby.  I remember my grandma had a couple of his butterfly displays in her flat - I've no idea what happened to them.

(An aside: my family have now just about given up trying to persuade me to throw away scraps of paper, card and materials!)

The altered book course has also finished now, though I've still got to do the final assignments (altered book clock and altered board book!).  And I haven't finished the book itself yet; although I started out trying to "theme" it to the book itself (a copy of Homer's Illiad), I've ended up using it for trying out techniques - though I'm determined to do at least a couple of "themed" pages before I'm finished!
Anyway, here are a few of my pages;


pages with gesso, & gesso used with stencil, then coloured



beaded window



pop-up page, with large tags in pockets

I'm quite pleased with these, although I must admit I still have a little problem altering a book which then can't be read!!

Anyway, I'm onto another online course now, Mixed Media Workshop, so I'll be posting more very soon!

Back soon!

Kay