Alcholol Inks

Next Saturday I have been asked to take two classes on alcohol inks at a local craft shop. My sister-in-law takes regular classes there and was asked to do one on alcohol inks but as they're not really her thing she suggested me. In fact we'll take the class together so it should be fun. The main focus will be trying the inks on various surfaces rather than producing finished products, however we are going to do a card and alter a mint tin. We made the samples for those and attached them to a board which is on display in the shop before I had a chance to take pictures. However I have done some other samples since as ideas for what people can do with the bits and pieces they take home. Here are some cards:

And a couple of ATCs:

And a couple of brooches made from pieces of coloured CDs:

Mother's Day Countdown

Once again Lisa Vollrath is offering free images on her website in a countdown from 1st to 11th May for Mother's Day. All she asks is that you post a link before you download. The countdown is here.

Take it Further - April

I decided to use the colour palette Sharon gave us for this month's challenge as the theme of change felt a bit too close to home at the moment. The colours aren't ones I would ordinarily choose but then the whole point of the challenge is to push me out of my usual range and subject matter.

These are the colours but when I printed them off they looked completely different so I'm not sure if the colours I chose were exactly those intended. I felt particularly uncomfortable with the burgundy and dark green so the green is just used for an accent and the burgundy is the velvet paper the canvas piece is mounted on.

A while ago I produced several pieces of canvaswork that were completely unplanned and just tried out different stitches and I've been meaning to do more like this especially after reading Jill Carter's book New Canvaswork. Looking through it again I was inspired to try drawn thread work on canvas based on this picture of a book cover by Jill:

I soon realised you can't actually just pull the threads out like you can with evenweave fabric because of the size so I had to cut the apertures and the resulting fabric wasn't terribly stable. Also I didn't want to buy any thread for this challenge so was limited to tapestry wool as it was all I had in the colours. So I didn't try as many variations as I would have liked to but I like the finished piece and it was an interesting technique to try. I covered a notebook with brown parcel paper and then mounted the piece on the front.

Thank You

Thanks to everyone who's left a comment on my Coffee Rings book - I'm glad you liked the rather quirky idea! The whole process of the Take it Further challenge and the supporting comments I've had on my pieces has been a real encouragement to me and a real help in developing what I do and 'taking if further'.
Blogging is such a wonderful phenomenon and blogland such a welcoming place.
Thanks!

Take it Further - March

At last here is my finished project for March's Take it Further challenge - Coffee Rings. Sharon challenged us to notice the little things and I decided to embrace the little things that annoy me e.g. coffee rings and explore the design possibilities. This picture shows the whole book made of brown parcel paper 5 and a half inches by 5. As an aide memoire I wrote how I did each page on a tag and I mounted the tags on a ring and incorporated it into the stitched binding. The wording is done on the computer and printed onto acetate.

I started off with actual coffee stains on paper and fabric and played around with various ideas and using rings and circles with other media. Techniques include stamping, stitching, beading, reverse applique, air dry clay, markal paint sticks, needle felting and embossing. The pages are just samples of techniques and ideas and any one would need developing further to become a finished project but I feel I have met the challenge by turning my dislike of coffee stains into a positive design.

Progress??

Yes, there is progress - very slow progress and nothing to show yet. My coffee ring book for the Take it Further challenge for March is nearly there - 2 more pages to finish and then put the book together. Maybe at the weekend....
All I can say is that I'd better find something quick to do for April or I'll never catch up!

No Progress

Oh dear, life does get in the way sometimes!

When Sharon posted the March Take it Further challenge about noticing the little things I had an idea almost immediately and started work on it full of enthusiasm. But though I still like the idea and what I have done so far I don't think I'm going to get it finished before the end of the month.

My immediate reaction was a virtuous 'of course I notice the little things' but when I thought some more I realised that was true but I don't always notice them for the right reasons. I am one of those people who notices dust, things put back in slightly the wrong place, things crumpled at the edges that shouldn't be etc etc. About a week earlier I'd noticed a scrapbook range which incorporated a coffee ring into the design and I knew I couldn't live with that on a piece of my work. However, prompted by Sharon's challenge I have decided to embrace the coffee ring! I spent a happy afternoon dunking my coffee mug in a bowl of strong coffee and plonking it on paper, kitchen towel, fabric etc. I have decided to make a small sample book using brown parcel paper showing different techniques developed on from the coffee ring. I started well but have ground to a halt the last couple of weeks.

I've been telling myself not to worry, I was having Easter week off work so plenty of time to finish it, but then I decided this really was the best time to paint the kitchen - after all I did intend to do it last summer and here we are, spring again. So the ceiling has had 3 coats of paint and still needs one more and then I have to start on the walls.....

Still, the main thing is not to get in a tizz - things will get done or not and none of it is the end of the world and at the moment lying on the settee and having a snooze seems the best idea of all!

In the meantime I did have an afternoon playing a couple of weeks ago and did some ATCs all using scraps from my drawer, something that always makes me feel virtuous!