wow, not sew much but...

I can show white stuff.  Not too exciting but I am sewing the curtains for my fabric shelves.  They'll do double duty as design walls.  I got better rods but the Rooster needs to make the last box for the top of the third bookcase.

A different kind of worktable. This is the dining room table.  The gate-leg table turned out so well, I decided to try this oak one.  In my haste I made a mess and my dsil re sanded it for me and I tried again.  Much better and now it needs some wax.

The ground itself has become a work table.  The rain has been causing some delays but progress is being made and mostly by my tenacious Rooster!

Then a nice cover for the worktable and it was time to get messy as we worked on a series of backgrounds.

We had the room to spread out and work on half a dozen pages at a time.

Fun!

And some more fun!

White for starters

The neighbours south of the border have sent us some more white stuff! 

This is NOT conducive to good lambing.

But the snowy downpour didn't really matter as I was not going out. I was also not even going to commit to put pen to white paper and make a written plan; I was just grabbing the vacuum and starting on my housework as I have a lot to catch up on.  I'm just doing the next thing first!  lol

I did get the table stained.  Dark walnut didn't do it but ebony did!  Now I noticed while vacuuming that the table leaves show their underside when they are down, which is most of the time.  :(  I shall up end the table tomorrow and give them a quick coat on their undersides.

With the main floor restored to whatever normal looks like these days and the laundry started, I shoved the vacuum into the first room after I sucked up the bigger dust bunnies on the upstairs hall carpet.  Stage two is tomorrow.  The playroom is such a mess so I have today to do all my wet stuff.  I shall continue cleaning and then do dry stuff tomorrow.

Margaret Applin's class ends this week and as I save the lessons I've been reviewing and there were a few things I forgot.  The last and third journal we make is an 'everything' journal and she gave us 12 page starters with a variety of techniques for overcoming the white page.  Here are three that I forgot and am now trying and I will be developing them later.

Doing this mixed media art work is just so much fun.  I am sew glad that I have the Finish A Long to keep reminding me about my 'other' projects.

:)

wow- good, Better...

Yesterday  I machine quilted the scrappy yellow lap quilt.  I am in a hurry to finish ufo's for the finish-a-long.  But it said, "not good, not finished'!  Sew.. 

I want to use my binding attachment.  While I was waiting for my great dealer to get back to me on the instructions I carried on...

I got it all the roosters done.  I flipped it over and one section could be better.  Not sure why the tension in that section is off.  I need to listen to Nina better.  I now recognize the sound of an almost empty bobbin and I bet she sends out some kinda moan when she is struggling!  lol

Elizabeth phoned because of Internet problems and we had a lovely chat and then she gave me a couple of web sites.  NOW, I remember why I got the binder at the last Bernina sale.  whoo!  Easy and cute says the video.  So I shall be dragging all the sewing stuff back on the worktable.

I have made up an ABC, and a DEF schedule for Creativity 101.  It starts with A for arrival and some creative warm ups.  Then a Downtown time  (or dessert time) in the middle and we'll Finish up with FUN!
I don't know about my gals but I need the structure!  lol

During coffee with the painters we chatted about what kind of options I had for painting the hutch.  I had filled it with an assortment of accessories that I use throughout the seasons.  I'd like the hutch to look better and showcase the various seasonal decor.  Top is funky fall, middle left is summer cottage, middle right is simply spring. and the bottom is traditional winter!  ???  I do know that the white knobs are definitely going!

Before I lay out the binding fabric I took the time to do some more pages for Printing the Journal  with Margaret over at Joggles.  Serious fun and I'm getting better!

I hope that good and even better things are happening at The Needle & Thread Network.

Sew much to do...

but so much fun!

Played some more with the March backgrounds for the calendar pages.

Snow is in the forecast and I got a new stencil!

Bizzardy but despite talk of the anniversary of the BIG one in 1966 it is not too much of  a worry.

This week starts with Daylight Savings time.

St. Patrick's Day starts the week off and the winter equinox is midweek.

Palm Sunday darkens down to Good Friday which leads to....

Ressurrection!

Now back to the present and my sewing!

Backgrounds

These are my backgrounds for the month of February.

It is very cold and I don't imagine imagine we'll see anything of warmth until March.

But if any warmth shows up I will be definitely adding it to the pages.

I'll be reckoning up things for winter and getting ready to embrace spring.

It is kinda tricky making a plain enough background to support whatever the month will bring.

But spring always gives a promise of something exciting happening.

Think cool!

It's a hot one here. 34 degrees Celsius yesterday!  And my second story studio is even hotter.  But you can't keep a wanna be artist down!

So I am switching from the warm colour palette for my calendar pages to a cooler colour run.

But first:

Sherry and I can't quite remember how we connected but we have been visiting for some time.  She blogs over at Createology.  She is very talented and has helped me with my beading endeavours. But she surprised me with this lovely hand made journal for my birthday.

It is almost too lovely to use and contains various papers.  But I know she means for me to journal in it and I have been wondering what especially I should use it for.  I have decided that I will write about my blogging journey and include some special people and happenings in it.  Thank you, Miss Createology! 

This is a good start on a background.  I luv my new triangle stencil.

I should have quit before I did the last bit on the right hand side, a perfect pearls technique.  The upper left is embossing.   But I'll fine tune the pages when I actually do that week's pages.  This is all just the background and the next layer will begin to pull it all together.

This page is more finished and has a better cohesiveness to it.

Cool, huh?

Backgrounds

To start, I gesso most everything.

I've been told that gesso is a good primer and stops buckling.  I'm doing most of these backgrounds for my calendar journal which comprises manila folders so that's what I'll be illustrating.

I use acrylic craft paint and this is the second layer.  Too thick I think!

I tried to drop alcohol on and I'm wasn't impressed.  I tried the alcohol ink and it was a bit better.  I spritzed with water and that was more exciting.  I think I need to study inks or something!

Now I'm already learning that spreading acrylic with a plastic card works pretty good but if I want texture a dry brush on a few drops works slick!

Then I shook some watered down acrylic unto the pages.

I did this several times and the last time I also added some dots to the lower left page with the end of the brush.  I'm kinda into dots!  These were a little thicker and as each new layer should dry I decided to go ahead and try some bubble wrap on the right page.

That turned out pretty cool!

Then I brushed acrylic onto a stamp I'd made with a foam circle glued to cardboard.

 

I want to point out that the left hand background was started on another day.  My calendar pages are two page spreads and they should somewhat relate.  So I am using common colours and shapes to tie them together.  I'm not really wanting matchy matchy, though.

Ink:  I was up for trying ink again!

I removed the wrapping from my pen and nib and dipped into orange ink and wrote a day of the week.  So far so good. I decided to outline some circles.  This could have been edgy but...  I was raised in the school era where you had to master the straight pen before you could load up with the fountain pen and it was a few years before they allowed ballpoint.  It is like riding a bicycle.  You never forget!  lol  I may have to find a caligraphy book.

A few stamps. 

The yellow is going to be too subtle but Burnt Copper stands out.

Back to acrylic.  Who knew that toilet paper rolls were so cool!

Or the side of a plastic card!

My next try was to stamp first.  I also collaged some bits of torn paper which I adhered with gel medium.

Then I added first one colour of acrylic and then the other.  These are dry brushed.

Then I stenciled on some glimmer mist onto the left page.That is the positive image.  I flipped the stencil onto the right page and pressed the stencil down so the negative image would be on the right.  No waste!  This page is not finished but I am learning that they don't all need to be done in a slam bam manner!  lol  Let's just say I'm thinking!  ;^)

Now that turned out so well that my first journal page is not looking so cute anymore. I should have done more thinking!!!   I first viewed the adding of many layers to cover up previous layers as a bit wasteful!  But not everything goes as planned and that is why there are paper towels or baby wipes available to remove, soften or blend.  This time I won't even batt an eye!