Catching up on over due work

OK, so this project isn't as over due as the last AB, this one is only a year over due! YIKES! Scarry... the poor recipient had forgotten about my owing her work in the last Round Robin I participated in! Thankfully, last July when I was to work in her book and we were going to be out of town the whole month, I discovered that she had her "book" more of a box of mini books she had made for each participant. So I just took out my mini-book and sent the whole box on to the next person with the intention of doing my work upon my return. However, that obviously didn't happen and I just recently rediscovered my mini book while cleaning out my studio. Well, today, I did it! It is completely finished and I"m so happy to have it done! Angela's theme was "your Muse: what inspires you" kind of thing and it threw me so bad because I just don't really get the whole muse thing. So, today, I decided to just go with the flow and work more intuitively, so that's what I did. I just used images that I love, colors I love, and there's nothing that inspires me more than the One who created me and knows me better than no other... Jesus. And creation inspires me... so I created. The little book is about 4x6 in size. Here's my stuff:

This is the cover. There are a few layers here and the photo doesn't capture them well at all. The over itself is a swatch of upholstery fabric. Then, hot pressed watercolor paper is adhered to it. Next, I have layers some Bible text, then a vintage image of Jesus's face printed on vellum, then, a transparency of a woman's face. I stitched all of this onto the watercolor paper with french knots. The image of Jesus is subtle but looks very cool IRL the way the two faces mesh together. The word reads "Thine".

The left side of the spread contains my favorite scripture passage: Jeremiah 28: 11-14. The right hand side is layered with hymn text, Bible text, glazes, a transfer of a church from a photo I took in Oceanside last summer. And then, the transfer of the woman's face. I was sooo disappointed that the transfer didn't turn out well. However, given that I haven't done transfers in, uh... well, I can't remember the last time, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. All of the backgroud text refers to seeking God and "seeing" so the gold text reads: I will lift up mine eyes.

These pages are layered in foreign Bible text, English Bible text, hymn text, layers of glazes, rubberstamped images, used tea bags, and then transfers. I was thrilled over the transfer on the right side. It turned out really well. There is also a cross charm on that page. All the gold text reads: (left) tender mercies, cherished (right) Hope, His beloved.

This last page is layered similar to the others. I used the actual image in this piece and the gold text reads: He who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.

On the right, I just journaled my thoughts about the spreads. I hope Angela will be pleased.

Prayer pillow obsession

OK, so I can't seem to stop making these little things! They are addictive and so calming to do. The possibilities are endless for them. I keep trying different materials and methods and so far, I have enjoyed working with wool felt the most. It was the easiest and did not require a sewing machine. Fran had gotten a bunch of this gorgeous dyed lime green wool felt for an online class she is taking however, she's very allergic to it so guess who lucked out!!! :) And it's one of my most favorite colors! I love the hand of the wool felt. It is well behaved fabric! LOL! Now wouldn't a large bowl or basket of these little things look awsome? And they feel good in your hands too!

The patchwork type pillow was made from scraps I had already stitched together. I love that metal leaf bead! The third pillow is made from hand-dyed velvet. It is made into a small envelope sealed with an alcohol ink dyed bamboo bead wrapped with wire. It's a bummer that the photo doesn't really show the coloring in the velvet.

more fiber art

Well, after cleaning up my mess from working on Karen's book (part of my plan to keep my studio somewhat functional) I decided to make some beaded prayer pillows. I heard about them on a yahoo group and then did some research on the web. I love the idea of them. The "rule" is that they can be any small size/shape and must contain a small paper on which a prayer is written and must contain at least one bead. Did you know the word "bead" actually means prayer? Isn't that cool?! Anyway, here are 3 I did this afternoon. I swear I did not choose a color scheme... it just turned out that way! The green and tube pillows are made from more of the vintage kimono fabric. I love these two pieces. I'm hoping Katie will be bringing some to sell at Art Unraveled! The one with the woman's face is from a polyester man's shirt I snatched from Goodwill! I went right to work cutting that baby up! Isn't it wonderful? The images on the shirt are fantastic!

Home and creating

Well, I am home from our trip to Vegas and have felt like I had a hangover from sheer exhaustion. My body is still sore too! We didn't really go for a vacation but for Chuck to see a Dr. there but I did take the boys out one day and I'll talk about that later. I am just so glad to be home and Phoenix is so much prettier than Vegas!

A couple of years ago, I participated in my first altered book round robin with a storyline theme. Each participant was to start her own book with art and written story which was then added to by each participating artist. Well, as it neared it's end, my dear friend, Karen Campbell was the last one with my book and I was last with hers. We decided to take a little break and not worry about the last mailing deadline since we knew who had each other's book. Well, that "little break" turned into almost 2 years! Yes, those deadlines are a good thing, I'm thinkin'. They are highly motivating! Anyway, Karen had the opportunity to sign up for a mini-RR using an existing RR book. She wanted to use this one that has been in my possession for an ungodly amount of time. The first mailing for the book is July 1. Well, there's a deadline for me! I knew that there was no way I wanted to send this book off without having worked in it only to have it sent back to me in a few months to stare at me again! So I got a firecracker under my butt and spend all day yesterday and this morning getting my work done in this book! It had now been mailed to the first participant of the new mini-RR! YIPPEE!! I'm done! So, ya' wanna' see what I did?

First, let me give a little background... the book has an underlying theme of Opera with the main character being Saddie, who creates costumes for the Opera's and the man she is in love with, Emil, who produces the productions. The book Karen started with is about Opera's and I decided to stick my part of the work in just before the chapter on 'Madame Butterfly'. I took the main characters to Japan on a buying trip for fabric and for Saddie to consult with a seamstress there about the construction of the kimono, etc.. I love doing oriental stuff. Maybe it's just the simplicity of things in the culture or maybe it's the memories I have of living on Okinawa. Either way, I love working with oriental things.

I decided to insert a pocket in the center of my spread using a sheer Japanese handkerchief I found in a thrift store. I added some bits of vintage kimono in with it as well. Before adhering the fabric, I painted the pages a base white and then stamped them with Japanese text. Then, using fusible web, I adhered the handkerchief to the pages. The pocket was added in by cutting down existing pages leaving tabs which the edge of the pocket was inserted between. Then, the tabs are glued shut. I stitched them using french knots which I also added to the pages. My initial writing for the story was put on a transparency and sewn to the left page with french knots. On the right page of the spread, I added sewn charms. Inside the pocket is a small booklet which I collaged having the very center of the booklet be a swatch sampler of vintage kimono fabrics sewn in! I purchase vintage kimono fabric remnants from artist Katie Kendrick. http://katiesvintagekimono.com/ In the pocket, I also included a Japanese postcard. The sign-in tags that Karen provided are slide mounts with a selection of small transparencies. I covered mine in Japanese text. I selected a transparency of a car and the put a map behind it of Japan.

Here are photos of the spread as well as the booklet.

This page featuring "Midori Ichiro" has a fold out page of vintage handwritten Japanese text. It is written on handmade paper and I've been hoarding it for a very long time. It's beautiful!

Here you can see the text page folded open.

The sign-in tags that Karen provided are slide mounts with a selection of small transparencies. I covered mine in Japanese text. I selected a transparency of a car and the put a map behind it of Japan.

Journal clasp reworked and a special gift

Well, I got the journal clasp problem solved and it works. Not my original first choice but it works.

I also quickly made a little carry bag for Sam's Pokemon cards from a discarded cut off leg of a pair of sweatpants! It has a velcro closure and tabs to pull it open as well has little handles. Maybe now the cards won't be scattered from here to kingdom come at any given moment.

And look at this amazing, gorgeous vintage door knocker with patina done the natural way! Fran gave this to me! It's it just beyond belief? She got it off a door in her old house in Kansas! She hadn't intended to give it to me just yet but I happened to spot it on a shelf and gasped LOUDLY while grabbing it and screaming wondering where she got it! LOL! Sorry to spoil your surprise Fran but oh my, I am so in love with this piece and am looking for a special place to hang it! Thank you Fran!!!

Hand dying and other stuff

So, does anyone else use their hand for a paint palette? And I thought you might want to see what hand dying really looks like! LOLOLOL! This is the way I do things anyway!

Argghhhhh

Well, this morning, I picked up my new journal and realized I was going to get really frustrated using it because any pressure on the cover at all caused the "cool clasp" to pop open with the book spilling open. So, I thought maybe a pair of pliars would do the trick to tighten the clasp. Wrong.... it broke it! So, another idea was to stitch a piece of twill tape and velcro to slip throught the front part of the clasp. But that won't work because of the thickness of the velcro. So, I just took off the back part of the clasp with twill tape and am now going to the kitchen sink to dye up another longer piece of twill to match and will then sew it on to loop through the front clasp and tie. Not my first choice since a tie is not as clean of a look as what I'd planned but sometimes you have to change plans. And I just want this journal done because I want to take it with me when I go out of town on Monday! To the sink I go....