Am I back or not?

Well, clearly I've fallen off the face of the blogosphere.  I'm back.  Today, at least.  I'm not going to make any promises for now about what's next or when I'll be back.  I'd like to get into having a blog routine but we'll see what happens.

I haven't stopped making things over the past year.  The circle journal project finished up in maybe April or May but I've made a number of...well, random things, as per usual. 

These are the last of the pictures of the circle journal pages I made.

This page was pre-stamped with...I think it's a Suzi Blu image.  I pretty much just colored her in then added the hearts, bird, doodling and quote on the right side.






This next page was based on a girl I drew after taking a fun online workshop called Whimsy Girls by Megan K. Suarez.  Check out her blog for more information: http://meganscreativebliss.blogspot.com/

 

book club circle journals

Catching up on the past few months of circle journals.  This first one "wish you were here" was for a travel related journal.  I made the paperclip with wire & made a faux polaroid picture using one of my vacation photos that I manipulated in Pic Monkey. I made the title using Photoshop. 

This next page was for a journal about dogs.   The sentiment is mine: "I've always thought I'd love a St. Bernard that remained the size of a puppy."  Perhaps I could justify a small St. Bernard (I love them!) if it were to be the size of a shoe box?  For this page, I used scrapbook paper, the yellow paper has a bit of gesso & some sort of spray on the bottom over a stencil, inked the edges of the paper & called it good.

I may have a new circle journal page at the end of the week.

update

Alright...time to dust myself off & get back onto the horse, so to speak.  I burned out on trying to do a full project every day, even though some were really small.  For a few days after day 10, I kept thinking I would get back to doing it.  Nope.  I would have liked to have finished the full month but I didn't. 

Lesson for next time?  Maybe do a little more preparation in advance or do some sort of project where I add to it every day.  I saw a really cool 30 day embroidery project where someone made a grid and added a complete new square of embroidery every day.  I really like that idea.  Maybe even for art journaling or doing an inchie to add to a page each day?  Hmmm...still time to think on that one.

Even my work in progress ended up underneath some other bits and pieces.  I will get back to it/her.  I have a few ideas for her, yet.  I'm hoping to get a little work done on this project by next Tuesday at the latest.  Hopefully a little sooner.

I made this skirt for my daughter. I put together some ideas from a few different girls skirts I came across on Pinterest.  It was one of those projects where I wasn't quite sure how it would come out so I made sure not to get her hopes up but we were both happy with it. It was simple but still took a little planning since I'm still new to sewing.  I ended up making her a reversible headband with the same fabric on one side and bright pink on the other using this pattern from Happy Together Creates.   

We're doing a  few projects in book club.  For our swap of the quarter (trimester?), we're doing a prayer flag exchange.  I've started but...well, I better get moving on it since it will be really hard if I wait until the last minute.  We're also doing a circle journal.  For now we're each getting someone else's journal/scrapbook to take home for the month and do a page in it before bringing it back the next month.   This is the page I made for Elena's journal.  I used the song lyrics from Japanese Bowl by Peter Mayer. Here's the song along with Peter's explanation.  Worth a listen! 

How I did it

To the chipboard background I applied a mixture of 3D Crystal Lacquer and some of Terri Sproul's Shimmer Powder in aquamarine.  That created a really nice shimmer & some of the grayish-black areas in the background.  I stamped the diamond pattern (note to self: next time use Stazon or heat set with embossing powder).  I did a tape transfer of the song lyrics and applied that with...I think with Crystal Lacquer or some sort of medium.  Added a bit of tape the the lower right corner.  For the winged heart, I used chipboard pieces I had in my stash.  I painted them and brushed on a bit of gold Perfect Pearls to the heart. I cut the wing on the right side and then mixed some gold Perfect Pearls into some 3D Crystal Lacquer.  It served as both an adhesive to the wing and also as a medium for the gold. 

works in progress

 

Just popping in to share some work in progress.  

These are based on what I've learned & played with from Suzi Blu's Mixed Media Girls (the book of the current cycle for the Creating Outside of the Book book club).  I haven't copied her designs, I've played with the ideas and tried to focus on some basics.  I've pretty much thought of drawing as something that's just not my thing & that I'm not all that good at it.  Seeing the other gals from my book club bringing in absolutely amazing pieces of art they drew and painted in classes with Suzi Blu, I figured I'd give the book a try but wouldn't put much hope into it.  I have to say that I'm truly surprised by my results.  We don't have symmetry or any sort of perfection but that's okay with me.  I'm just happy that my girls don't look like a poorly done Picasso imitation.  You know what I mean?

Wabi-sabi shabby tote

Stopping in to share something I made last week.  Our Creating Outside the Book club members were each given a tote bag in April and were tasked to decorate them to use to bring home our monthly kits.  I had so many ideas from dying it to adding ruffles and more.  I came across some bits of fabric I had picked up at a previous meeting and went from there with the imperfect layers, embroidery floss and buttons.   Despite having a sewing machine I love, this one seemed to call for some hand sewing.  It's intentionally wabi-sabi  in a shabby chic/primitive way.  What do you think?