October 31, 2011

classes and another animal art doll

floral wedding canvas

shadowbox frame

Owlbert Owlingford



With moving house and a few other distractions I have been fairly quiet but I am happy to let you all know that I have some classes coming up if you are in Sydney.

On the 19th of November I'll be teaching the wedding art canvas, the class will be at
 Fred The Needle in Penrith, from 10:30am to about 1pm.
On the 10th of December we will work on creating a vintage shadowbox frame. The kit comes with additional pieces to create wearable embellishments and time permitting I will demo the construction of some pieces to adorn cards or the frame we make.
For more information or to book in call or pop in: 2/29 York Road, Penrith 02 4721 8833 

I thought I would also share a pic of the second owl art doll I made...it was made as a gift for a store owner...she loves owls! I am actually working on a third but am thinking I might make it female..."Owlizabeth"






October 21, 2011

Art Doll Swap #2...Professor Owlington

looking rather dapper, Professor Owlington will be flying international tomorrow to his new home

he began as a simple form...a plain calico doll blank, from there he evolved


his eyes are metal buttons, swarovski crystals inbedded in hot glue and all backed with Prima printed flowers.

his colouring comes from Lumiere paint, Lindy's Stamp Gang Moonshadow Mist and a black Sharpie fabric marker


Swarovski bling on his spats...because all the most fashionable owls are wearing them like that


his cape is from a samples book of haberdashery fabrics that I found at a salvage yard

his replica eyeglass and silver plated chain add real charm. His texture comes from...PVA...yup woodwork glue!
The lovely little bow and pearl are from a chocolate Easter rabbit...I knew they would come in handy



I am currently hosting two swaps on Facebook...one is an apron swap and the other is art dolls. The art doll swap is now on to our second theme..."the animal in me", I chose an owl because I feel that I have had so many experiences the last few months that I have become so much more wiser than I was before. This doll is Professor Owlington...and I am so happy with how he has turned out, I really hope my swap buddy likes him.

October 17, 2011

Pretty Little Posies in my hair and a Christmas Star

JD holds the multi layered posie to show the size...he didn't mind doing that as long as people couldn't see his face...because "...only girls hold flowers..."

torn and tattered soft tulle adds a touch of feminine whimsy to the project


I love over-sized hair accessories and the posy is easily placed in to my pony tail...methinks it would be divine in an up-do


with Christmas looming and the shops displaying decorations I thought this year I would create my own tree topper


it's all about glitz and bling right?!



The Posy:


Christmas Star:


October 16, 2011

Mixed Media Apron...my swap project

finished apron


mixed media, repurposed half apron


mixed media flowers created from various surface materials


layered colour and effects

I really enjoy hosting arty swaps and one of them is an apron swap. I had so many ideas about this project and when we moved house and I was pulling weeds in the back yard and discovered an old black apron half buried in a garden bed, I decided it was destined for greater things. I washed it and hung it on the clothes line to study any holes or damage...I was really suprised to find that the only damage was some bleached areas from the sun and exposure to the elements. I used a  6x6 Crafters Workshop stencil (Cosmic Swirl TCW156), deColourant, Lumiere paints for the background, and a variety of experimental materials and varigated threads to create flowers. The Thread Studio has a great range of fun and fantastic products for projects like this.
Tomorrow I am off to the post office to send the apron to my swap buddy, I hope she enjoys it.




October 15, 2011

Wedded Bliss 12x12 mixed media canvas...it's NOT a layout

the picture is a bit fuzzy because it's small and I can't be bothered retaking a photo right now because I want to finish my apron swap project


texture created through layering...PVA is my friend!



I can't give away too much detail because I am pushing it as a future class but I will tell you I used nearly 120 1.75cm flowers from Green Tara. My project is a 12x12 shallow back canvas...are you shocked I used the front?


Green Tara 1.75cm flowers:
black (CODE: FDV016BL), red (CODE: FDV016R) and white (CODE: FDV016Wh) 1.75cm paper...well worth it I think.

WOW/RW "Raspberry Whirl" flourish

Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Stains and Colorshots

 


October 14, 2011

catching up and a card


I thought I'd share a pic of a class I'll be running next year...it's a card!
I know I have been pretty quiet of late but I am still unpacking from the move...I have so much stuff that I just can't find a place for, it is so frustrating to go from renting a large house to renting a small house. I don't have a studio any more, so it's back to the kitchen table for me and my crafty stash is in just about every room in the house...yup even the kids rooms have crates of my stuff. I am working on a few projects too! I finally had a play with my new Brother ns50 sewing machine yesterday while working on my apron for the international swap I am hosting through Facebook. I am really excited about 2012 because I have been asked to teach in New Zealand! I have a few friends over there and I really hope I will get to catch up with them.