atc's done!

This month's swap at Chriss' Artist Trading Club features the peeled paint technique and is hosted by Gaby Bee.

I finished my atc's and these are my favorites out of the bunch:

.... now to decide which one I should keep for myself .....

hmmmmmm

p is for ......

this week's inchie is brought to you by the letter "p" and the challenge blog Inchy by Inch.

P is for ... plant

something everyone is quite busy with at this time of year

I started with an Inchie Arts  ivory inchie square;

adhered a scrap of flowered paper;

decoupaged some pressed fern leaves;

glued poppy seeds to the edges;

added the word "plant;"

glued a dried hydrangea piece;

and then dipped the whole business in hot beeswax.

The Inchie Arts inchie square was the perfect thickness for the poppy seed edges. At first I thought of using beads, then I thought of glitter - but none of that seemed to fit with the natural colors. The poppy seeds are such a pretty faded purplish gray color. The way I did it was to first dip the edges of the inchie in white glue, and then dip the edges in poppy seeds. I used a generous amount of glue which dried beautifully and evenly without the matte board warping - and then dipping it in the hot beeswax insured that nothing will fall off. These archival quality matte board inchie squares can take a lot of "abuse" and still hold their shape :)

Thanks for looking! Have you tried making an inchie yet? (wink)

a spot of T

I am a little teapot short and stout

here is my handle

here is my spout

when I get all steamed up

then I shout

tip me over

and pour me out

***

I apologize for getting that song stuck up in your head :)

but this teapot always makes me think of that song

and having kids around

we sometimes break into song

and the matching hand motions

for any number of silly songs :)

you're never too old for songs and the matching hand motions!

... (off the subject) and the delphiniums have officially exploded now!

***

... for more lovely spots of T, visit the blogs listed in my sidebar "Tea on Tuesday Blogs"

checking off the list

Making a list has helped me with my projects.

The weather has also helped.

Like this weekend - perfect knitting weather - cold and wet.

This is my attempt at Komi knitting.

(Click HERE for the flickr group)

It's a Russian stranded knitting style that uses a simple geometric pattern and usually only 2 colors.

I was going to make mittens, but changed my mind and I'm making a bag.

This is a strange color combination, but I'm liking it more and more.

At first I was like, "Oh no, I really have no sense of color at all!"

The two colors are almost the very same tone.

The effect is really really subtle.

Kind of scary subtle when you want the pattern to show.

Here's the same photo in black and white:

Isn't that so weird how the pattern completely disappeared?

I have so much to learn about color ....

but I don't think I'll add that to my list.

I like the happy accident that comes with ignorance.

image transfer

I watched a 

Claudine Hellmuth video on YouTube 

and learned that successful image transfer needs:

goo,

heat,

or 

solvent.

In the video, she uses "goo" in the form of metallic paint.

I've already got a painted surface

and I don't want to hide it,

so I used a clear goo.

Typically, I think Golden Gel Medium would be a 1st choice,

but I haven't got any.

I used Mod Podge.

I know it's not a very cool or trendy material to use, 

but it's cheap and it's what I've got.

I'm so happy with how it turned out!!!

matchbox swap

Bad Penny at The Linen Shelf

hosted a fabulous matchbox swap

I just received my package yesterday

(happy mail!)

Melissa at Little Messy Missy

(beautifully decorated with bits of nature - including sand from Monument Valley and Amish birdhouse gourd seeds)

***

Pat at Ooglebloops

(lovely handmade paper with rose petals, a gorgeous vintage button, teeny tiny ric-a-rac and fridge poetry magnets)

***

Jo at Fiddlesnips

(tiny little seed packets and a beautiful quote packed into a wonderfully rustic and earthy matchbox)

***

Hope at Pixie's Ponderings

(a vintage photo of best friends enjoying a summer day, a beautiful seashell and a fun beachy matchbox)

***

Jan from Jan's Arty ATC Journey

(like something straight out of a springtime garden, spring blossoms and a bird on her nest)

***

and Bad Penny from The Linen Shelf

(understated elegance of white on white, linen, lace and a shell button .... all with a bit of whimsy and fun on the inside)

***

Thank you Penny for hosting such a wonderful swap!!!

I will treasure my matchboxes :)

color combination

here's the color combination I used for my peeling paint backgrounds

thanks for all the great feedback

now I'm stumped for what to put on them

I don't want to cover them up too much

maybe a transfer technique

or stamped tissue paper

I'm open to suggestions :)