Rusty Swap Pages

There's something about being in an Art swap 

that can get you thinking outside the box. 

Often you are given a subject or color or

 material to work with that you don't normally

 use.  Very good for making your brain

 look for alternative solutions.

Elizabeth has received her Rust Pages

from me, and has asked me to post 

them. Above, painted card stock,

scrapbook paper, fabric, and brass ornament.

Collage and pocket with tag. I used

text and images from a vintage book,

fabric, magazine scrap and a vintage button.

Paint is either acrylic or gouache in

Burnt Sienna. Please pardon the blurry

scan. The 3 dimensional quality of the

button causes that, but I felt you'd still

get a better view than from a photo.

Assorted papers, brass label frame, thread,

washer and tiny key. Acrylic paint and 

permanent marker used to 'rust up'

the metal washer.

Corrugated cardboard, book text,

computer generated text, acrylic 

paints and gesso.

My favorite page! The old truck is from a 

roadside photo that I took with my phone in

2015. I think it was at a truck stop in Kentucky

or Alabama. This old gem was just sitting 

out front as a decoration, I guess!

Watercolor and Sharpie pen on 

watercolor paper.  The license plate was

drawn and painted from an image on the 

internet. The license plate is definitely

my favorite part. The metal clip prompted

the painted swirls on the next page...

Acrylic, assorted papers, and computer-

generated text:

"Patina- a surface appearance of

something grown beautiful with

age or use."

Of course, there was quite a bit of

coffee consumed while creating

these pages, and while creating 

this post... Linking up with Elizabeth

for her T Tuesday T party...

drop by for some inspiration and

a cup of tea. (or coffee!)

Translucent Coverage: Torn Fabric

The Documented Life Project 2015~

The Journal.  One challenge this month

was to use vellum, which I didn't have.

But fabric I do have!  I think the very

sparkly translucent fabric I used on this 

page is organza, but I'm not sure. It's very

difficult to see in the scan above. A

loose stitched 'flap' covers two layers

of fabric, adding sparkle and mystery.

There are rows of vertical hand-stitching,

but I don't think they're visible in the scan.

Click on the photo for a better look...

Above, the organza has been lifted to

reveal the cotton fabric that has been

painted with a simple floral design in

watercolor. It echoes the designs in the

printed fabric beneath it. I drew around

the flowers in permanent Sharpie marker

for more definition, since the watercolor

naturally faded and bled into the fabric.

I also quilted around the flowers a bit 

to connect it with the floral fabric beneath.

When lifting all three layers of fabric,

journaling is revealed beneath...I 

like the initial splattered and swirled

watercolor background, but it is 

difficult for me to leave it alone and

not overwork it...

The facing page:  I drew this little

flower from a bouquet my husband 

brought home to me. It is 'pen direct to

paper,' (no pencil sketch first) and I rather

like the pink background showing through

the leaves of the painting. The bouquet

survived a night in the car, as my husband

forgot to bring them in to me when he

got home from work! Since it was in the 40'sF

that night, they were a bit wilted, but 

perked up when I put them in water!

A very nice surprise...

Here's the coffee mug I am having

my morning mocha in today...

linking up with Bleubeard and Elizabeth

for T Tuesday.  Enjoying my flowers,

both real and stitched. What are you

enjoying these days?

Fabric of Our Lives

The fabric of our lives 

is woven by those with whom

we choose to spend our time...

The Documented Life Project 2015-

The Journal,  Week 18.

The challenge was to use fabric

on the page...one of my favorite

things to add to a collage!

Of course there had to be stitching

and painted papers too...and

I'm enjoying finding diagrams

to add to the mix.

Linking up to Elizabeth's

T Tuesday blog party...

visit Altered Book Lover blog

to see what the group

is sharing today.

Layers of Documented Life

The Documented Life Project~the Journal,

is focusing on Layers this month.  Above,

the art journal spread for pages that were

to have five layers (or more) built up to

create the final art piece.

1.) I began by adhering different types

 of paper to the pages, including 

vintage book text and illustrations, 

ledger paper, and 

security envelope designs.

2.) A thin layer of gesso paint went on

next. I left the illustrations 'as-is' 

 just because I liked them that way.

3.) Now some fabric bits, more book text,

and a scrap of painted paper.

4.) Acrylic and watercolor paint were

added, and some small bits of embroidery.

The colors contrast with

 the black and white illustrations

The final layer is Sharpie pen.  I try to

repeat motifs from elsewhere in the 

composition into the pen work. The flower

drawings are repeated from 

the fabric scraps.

The words that came out

onto the page point up the

difference from the 'sweet' colors

and vintage illustrations.  

"In 2015 it seems that there is nothing left

to privacy any more...from television

commercials discussing our most

intimate bodily functions, to Tweets and

internet posts--nothing seems to be

off limits or Too Much Information!?

When did we trade our Dignity for money

and a consuming desire for attention?

(she said as she prepared to 

post her art work on-line)"

Linking up with Elizabeth's

T Tuesday party, and sharing yet 

another coffee cup drawing...

Wishing you a lovely St. Patrick's Day

with lots of Irish Luck, shades of

green, and sunshine!

ArT Journal Pages on T Tuesday

Week 30 of The Documented Life Project:

Make your page 'Smash Book style.'

I added bits and pieces of my week

into the collage, and scraps

of painted papers.

What do you do for fun?

I draw, paint, cut and paste in my journals!

I find it Therapeutic...

Joining Elizabeth of Altered Book Lover blog

for her T Tuesday link party.  Above, a detail

of a larger collage that incorporates  a green

tea package and a little sketch of a tea bag.

What do you do for summer fun?

•  ♦  •

Re-Posting a Favorite: T is for Tuesday, Q is for Quilt

Elizabeth invited us to look for 'buried treasure'
within our T Tuesday posts of the past, so I
am sharing an old favorite about the quilt I
made for my daughter and son-in-law.

I began working on this quilt in the summer of 2012...

A gift for the newlyweds, which they'll be lucky to receive

by their first anniversary in 2013!  (They did)

When I'm working on a quilt, I am careful to keep my

coffee cup (or any beverage) far away from the quilt!

The pattern is called Merry-Go-Round,

which I completely hand-pieced, and
 also hand-quilted..

It has bright happy colors, and includes many fabrics 

from the bride's past:  vintage fabrics from the bride's

great-grandmothers' stashes, fabrics from clothes 

that I sewed for her when she was little, and many

fabrics from the numerous baby quilts I've made.

I set the quilting frame up in my parents' home, as 

they have a bit more room, and it gave me an excuse

to go visit them and quilt!

My quilting stitches aren't exactly perfect,
or even tiny, but I tell myself that it's
 part of the 'charm of hand-made.'

I do attempt to keep them uniform in size.

In the block above, the red gingham was a dress that

I made for my daughter when she was in grade school.

A couple of the fabrics are from my maternal grandmother's

scraps, and one is even from a guitar case that I 

made in high school.  Yes, a quilted fabric guitar case.

Weird, I know. But I liked it much better than the

black 'cardboard' ones that you buy.  (I used

pre-quilted fabric on part of that guitar case, wasn't up to

hand-quilting in high school! and no, I don't

 really play guitar any more)

The cable quilting designs are marked in pencil and

then stitched.  The triangle and rectangle shapes are

just 'eyeballed.'  So they aren't always perfect...

It's challenging to get your shoulders, arms and hands

to 'turn' in the right direction to follow the quilting design.

I find I have to pace myself so as not to get sore muscles.

Many quilters have their quilt tops machine-quilted these

days, but I really enjoy hand quilting.  I don't exactly know

how many hours I have in this quilt. At least 500 hours, 

at a guess.  If I kept an accurate track of how long it takes,

I might never make another!

Here's how I have my morning 'mocha' coffee...

to your coffee cup add 1 heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder,

a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of vanilla, sweetener to taste,

(I use any Stevia sweetener)

and a splash of fat-free milk.  Yum!

Visit Bluebeard and Elizabeth at

Altered Book Lover

to see what others are doing on Tuesday!

Perhaps they are having Tea on Tuesday,

instead of coffee, like me...

•  ♦  •

Documenting Life- Week 21 Challenge

The Documented Life Project

Challenge for Week 21 was to 

add stitching to your page.

I thought of Shashiko stitching,

so I chose blue cloth with contrasting

stitching...

Other materials include watercolor,

handmade paper, painted brown craft paper,

and embroidery floss.

Thanks to Elizabeth K. of

of Altered Book Lover blog

 for the handmade paper!

Week 22 of the DLP is to 

"draw, paint or sketch a house."

Time to get busy...

Documented Life Project

Week 17 prompt:

"Draw or photograph your favorite shoes.

Add it to your page."

Sharpie pen drawing of my favorite

black "booties," with watercolor wash.

Collage includes words from a magazine,

washi tape, hole reinforcements,

dots punched from magazine,

and fabric.

I was not sure about this 

prompt at first, but the page did

turn out better than I expected...

  I originally wanted

to keep the page in all Black & White,

but when the hot pink lettering

came to light, I figured

'why not?'

Love the stripy fabric, 

and polka dot fabric

  which I bought at a local flea market.

Feeling pleased that I am keeping up

with the Documented Life Project

weekly challenges, and enjoying

them so far.  The Facebook group has

over 6,000 members.  That is pretty huge!

What has been really great is the

encouraging and generous sense

of community in the group.

Visit Art to the 5th blog

to find out more about the project.

It's never too late to join!

♦  ▲  ♦