Family history in a collage

I am all fired up and inspired by Leah Piken Kolidas' challenge for September.  Creating with history as the theme.  So, I have already posted a tutorial on how to make a depression/war-era trivet.  I have also created a collage using photos of my grandmother as a young woman in the 20's.  Here is the result with details.  Enjoy!

I call it Lemon Pie. My Nana made the best lemon meringue pie.

Detail

Detail

Detail

 

I am trying to build my art around the three things I like:  Drawing and painting, sewing and all thing vintage.  Mainly this is a paper collage with photo transfers on to cloth as well as the addition of vintage laces.  The ground is thick hand made paper with a deckle edge.  I really enjoyed putting this together.  It started as one thing some sort of grid collage and it evolved into this.   Enjoy!

A vintage craft

Hello!  Yes, it has been a while since my last post but dare I say the cliche?  "Life happened!"  Anyway, it did but I am back and making the effort to share.  As the title of this post states, I am going to share a vintage craft.  Yes, a tutorial. The inspiration came when I walked into a store that carries vintage items for the home as well as one-offs from our crafty and arty community.  I found a vintage trivet made from cotton fabrics of about the late 30's to 40's and bottle caps!  It was adorable and showed signs of being loved and well used.  Well, as we are all being 'green minded' and try to recycle, reuse and reduce our carbon footprint, I thought this would be a great little craft to figure out and use to make gifts for my friends. Here is the result of my trial and error of replicating what I saw:

Finished product.

Supplies:
Bottle caps - Wash, rinse and dry if you don't want a 'yeasty' odor to linger.  Note:  Because I used caps from non-twist bottles I had to pick and chose the ones that were the least dented.
Fat quarters of your favorite stash fabric.
Needle, thread (I used quilting thread), scissors, paper for a template (I use freezer paper).

Tutorial:
Create a template.  A circle that is larger than the bottle cap.

I layered all the fabrics and pinned template with one pin.

Showing the 4 layers

Cut out your circles.

Turn and use a running stitch around the folded edge.  Yes!  It's making a yo-yo.

Gather the thread slightly to get it started.

Place the cap top side down into the yo-yo.

Finish gathering over the cap and tighten.  Lock the stitching.

A completed cap.

Arrange your caps how you want.

Run threaded needle under the open edge to outer edge where you want to attach to the next cap.

Insert needle into the edge of the next cap and begin buttonhole stitch to secure the caps together.

Buttonhole stitch in progress.

Close-up of the attachment.  Finish off stitching then run needle through towards one of the cap openings and snip.

Once all the caps are attached in the pattern of your choice (diamond like mine, hexagon or other shape), your trivet is ready to use.  You could cut a felt shape and glue to the bottom of the trivet to protect the stitching and soften the contact between table and trivet.  Your choice.  I left mine as it is.  It became a gift for a girl friend who likes vintage and loves to cook.

I hope you can use this tutorial to your advantage.  Please let me know how yours came out and if you have any comments or suggestions on how to do this craft in a better way, please share with us all.  Cheers.

July - Creative Everyday Theme: Blue

One of my blogging groups is Creative Everyday - Leah Piken Kolidas' website http://creativeeveryday.com  She gathers like minded folk around being creative everyday and encourages us all to exercise our talents and share them.  She provides themes to stimulate those of us who are looking for a direction to take off on to and for those of use who are blocked or sluggishly procrastinating getting into our studios.  In anycase, I finally have gotten past my block and thank you Leah I produced something!  The theme being blue I did a collage using phototransfer, rubber stamping and adding type.  Here is my first effort in a long time.

"Awake, O north wind...Blow upon my garden, let its fragrance be wafted abroad." - The song of Solomon

My summer vacation has begun with blue skys and warm days that have been long awaited.  Given that California has experienced the coldest and wettest year so far and last summer was a precursor of it, I thought this collage spoke of clear summer days with lazy clouds and winged spirits free to soar.

Finding inspiration

I have been at work finishing up before vacation starts at 4:00 tomorrow.  Yippey Skippey!  I have pretty much completed wrapping up things before I leave.  With that said, I have been...dare I say it?  Surfing the net and finding so many talented and exciting folks!  My goal for doing this?  I want to re-kick start my creative life.  No more putting things on hold.  No more putting my creative life on the back burner.  I am struggling with how self focused that sounds but frankly, I have been a pillar of salt for everyone but me.  So, finding balance is what is I must achieve.  It is my Capricorn nature to be of use to others - my practical nature puts business before pleasure.  However, there is a side to us that is down right mischievous and playful but we often lock it up.  Open the door and throw away the key!  I am out and ready to shout to the world I am a CREATIVE person and I will live it, dance it, sing it, love it and enjoy it.

Okay, who did I discover in my wondering around in the electronic ethers?  Well for starters: http://annekata.blogspot.com This is a great site with tutorials and all but unfortunately she has stopped blogging.  She will be keeping her site up for reference.  If you are into creative handsewing - check her blog out.

Then there is, http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/ I love vintage clothes and styling and this blog is loaded with images and ideas.  She provides tutorials for sewers and crafters all with a vintage lens!


Through MollieMakes Magazine http://www.molliemakes.com I found, http://cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com/ What a lovely site - all things bright, sunny and fun. 

I have been inspired by these wonderful people and hope to let the juices ebb and flow naturally.  One thing I am working on is a studio space in my house.  I am all over the map in my house when I am sewing and crafting, baking and drawing.  Too crazy for me when I start tripping over materials, bags, the cat and all.  I like things to be organized and methodical so I am trying to reorganize my house so that I can have a permanent space for being creative.  I checked out: http://www.home-designing.com/2009/05/craft-room-home-studio-setup where I found some other links and ideas.  I have a small 10 x 10 foot square space - my dining room is open to the living room and kitchen.  It has two walls on is all window.  No carpet but hardwood flooring.  Though I have been planning to convert a corner and wall in my living room, I am thinking more and more that the dining room (where I usually end up anyway) has better lighting, no carpet to stain or mess up and space to house furniture, et al.  What will I do for a dining room?  Well, the living room is big enough that I could set up a double drop leaf table that can be whipped out for dining at any time.  I can't seat more than 6 at my table in this small place anyway so dining entertainment is limited.  I hope to post pictures of my pre and post organizing and decorating as I go.

I think good lighting, organized materials and a table surface at least 31" from the ground is the start of a good studio whether sewing, crafting or whatever.  What do you think?

Summer time and the living is easy!

Hello, hello!  I have returned as the crow flies.  Work has over shadowed my life but I am free and easy.  I have a job, so I am blessed.  I am enjoying a well earned vacation and I am simply dying to get back into the groove creatively.  So thank you for hanging in there for me.  Will post soon. 

Happy Valentines Day a day early!

Love comes in many ways and forms.

Best wishes for all the love

you can fill your heart with.

Here's to love and its capacity to

build HOPE which in turn builds

Optimism which gives over

to JOY.

Valentine's cookies I made for my family.  I haven't made sugar cookies with icing in years.  What gooey fun!  The entire kitchen is covered in a layer of flour dust and the smell of freshly baked goods.  Yum!

Full Moon

The full moon has been spectacular this week!  Here is my impression - a simple rendering.