More stencils!

Yep...more stencils...I only made two more this week...not sure how may more I'll make but I can see how it get addicting!  I just don't have the right supplies.  So here are my latest stencils...actually these are just the drawings...you'll see how they printed later in this post.

 I  stenciled over some of the pieces I stenciled in my last post.  The purple are was previously done.  I added the line stencil on top using white paint.  Nothing exciting....

Then I stenciled using turquoise and white...still nothing great but once it's covered with dye I think it will come out just fine!

Before....

After....I used one of the stencils I cut today and covered this piece with turquoise and white.

 

Before....printed with yellow, oranges and a dark sienna. 

Yep...should have left the print alone!  HA  But you never know, right!!!  

Actually, when I lay all of the orange/sienna pieces together they look really good together!  

Again, printing using the new stencil....

 

I stenciled the black paper the other day and today added some white.....and then!!!!

I added some magenta.....

This was another black piece I had stenciled so I added some more magenta, white and whatever!!  

I think both of these black pieces turned out the best.  But the orange/sienna pieces will also work well together.  

Just like a little kid fighting doing some game that they end up liking.....yep, that's me....this is fun! 

Oh, and I'm almost finished with my knitted top!  Woohoo!!!  

MIP - Month 2 - stencils

This month, in Hilary's online course, we are working on stencils...creating our own.  Confession Time! OK, so I thought, heck, with so many cool stencils out there do I really need to make my own. Maybe I wouldn't focus on this lesson a lot.  It's a cool idea and Hilary did show some great tips in her videos.  

I got thinking...after all, this class is called "Make It Personal (MIP)" so I purchased some Mylar and heat up my soldering iron (too cheap to buy a stencil cutter and too lazy to use Xacto knife).  I found some geometric designs on google and proceeded to cut them out. And guess what! It worked...they aren't the greatest but I am lovin the large stencil...you all know I'm big on the geometric designs.

Next up I printed using the stencils!  What a surprise!  

I really like this print!

I can see where this could be used in addition to some other stencil prints.

Next up I'll over dye the papers or maybe even print more stencil designs...but first, I have to heat up that soldering iron!  HA

Month 2 with Hilary

Month 2 of our online class with Hilary B. has started.  I'm playing catch-up because, of course, I don't have some of my supplies with me!  Go figure...this year I backed off bringing lots of art supplies so I needed to purchase or improvise!  I've done both! 


The supplies I have seem to fit quite well in the dog crates I have stored in the garage!  All my dyes are in the bottom crate and paints and other supplies in the larger crate on top!

I've also started two journals, one for notes from Hilary's video's,  she creates two each week, and another mixed media journal, for examples from our lessons.  My bud, Susan, gave me this cool journal for my BD, so I'm using it for note taking...already filled five pages!

Next up are stenciled/over dyed paper examples I put in the mixed media journal.

I showed some other designs I created on a post a few weeks ago.  You can see those examples here.
Actually, I didn't glue/paste those in my book.  I just cut the pieces up, arranged them and then took the pictures.  I didn't have the heart to attach them to paper.


But now, I'm brave since I have so many papers!!  The example above and this one are glued in my mixed media book!

Next, we are working with opaque paints and dyes/transparency on paper.  These are  opaque paints.

These are the same color dyes as the opaque examples above  (yellow, turquoise and magenta) except painted with dyes.

Next up we layer  transparency pieces on top of our painted papers.  The aim is to see how different they look - transparent vs the opaque papers.

This is another collage I made and then added pieces of painted and transparency papers.  Not that pretty but good to see use of transparency and opaque paints.


Hilary is so knowledgeable and has provided us so much information on the use of opaque paints and the use of dyes for adding transparency to our work!  Who knew!  I am creating quite a collection of different painted papers!  Some I think are so cool I am having a hard time cutting them up!  But I have a feeling we'll be making so many more papers over the next 10 months!  You can see the stack of papers on top of the container.

This month we're working on making our own stencils.  I have made freezer paper stencils in the past but we are using Mylar film to create our own designs.  Of course, I DO have Mylar film at home I use for mono printing...so what did I do...yep, had to buy some...now to decide if I purchase a stencil cutter or just use my Xacto knife....decisions...decisions.....

Happy Valentine's Day!

By now 60 recipients should have received their fiber Valentine from me!  This is my last year of making fiber Valentine cards.  I've really enjoyed the process each year but now that I'm up to 60, it's getting out of control!  And I'm sure I can find something else to occupy my art brain with! 

I have to thank Maryann from CedarRidgeStudio for the photo card/envelop idea.  Maryann has sent out some beautiful cards making her quilted fabric to place in the photo area.  I jumped on this idea for my Valentines this year....and next up I was totally inspired by Margarita from Margas Crafts!  I started on the fiber background back in August.  You can see the start of my background pieces here and some more of the process here.

Margarita does beautiful work and has several articles in QA and Simply Moderne' magazines.  I thought making hearts using Margarita's technique for incorporating magazine pages and foil would work great!  This is some of the pages I tore up to use in the hearts.

Next was using medium to seal the pages

Foil added

Then tracing all the hearts to cut out

I used different shades of reds and some blue fabric which I quilted then stitched the paper hearts onto.  Of course I had to add some beading, right!  Some I just embroidered but I don't think I have any pics of those!  You can sorta see one of the blue embroidered pieces in the first group picture.










I sent a card to Elizabeth and Jane here in Florida and look how Jane sent me a thank you for the card!  How clever!!!!  Thanks, Jane!!!

I'm quite happy with my fiber cards this year and for my last year!  Happy (early) Valentine's Day to one and all!!!  Now go eat that candy!!

Sister Time!

Another benefit of being in Florida during the winter months is the opportunity to see my sister, who lives about 2 hours south of us!  This past Monday I did one of my 'annual' 24 hour runs! 

And for those who follow my blog, I am wearing one of the shrugs I made.  I have two like this...just fyi!  HA

We always have a great time laughing and telling stories (sometimes the same story) of our childhood!  This trip was extra special as my niece was visiting her mom so I got to visit with Erin too!  What a delightful young lady (yes, Erin, I said "young lady"!).  Isn't she  pretty!!!  And has her father and mother's sense of humor!




Erin was on a working/vaca so she was busy on a video call but when she broke for her 30 min. lunch my sister had made PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps!  YUM!!!  After lunch, Erin went back to work in the computer/office room, my sister and I looked over a top she was knitting.  I think we worked for at least thirty minutes until we figured the pattern out.  I forgot to take pictures darn it!  But I was impressed when my sister ripped out at least 18" or more!!!!  Now that's a perfectionist! 

Erin was finished working around 4 so we started to get ready to head to one of our favorite Italian Restaurants, Caffe Italia.   We were meeting up with four of my sister and Nancy's friends. 

Anyway, back to the food!  They don't sell alcohol so you are permitted to bring your own bottle(s) of wine!  Go figure!  I just think that's so interesting.  They'll even open the bottle for you!
I had their lemon chicken (again)...it's called something else fancy on their menu but that's what it is.  Delicious....

My dinner!

An appetizer Candi ordered...hmmmm not for me but it was enjoyed!

You also get their family style dishes of vegetables and pasta, which is fantastic!  No pics of that...but I did take home my lemon chicken, which Bob and I ate for dinner!

Erin and Cyndi, who is a singer and appears at local establishments!

Cyndi, Nancy and Rebbecca

My sis, Lynn, Candi, Erin and Cyndi

After dinner we headed over to Candi and Lynn's house for a night cap...but I was the DD for the evening so I just had water!  How about that!  Even at dinner I only had a sip of wine...see I can be a good girl!







My sister and I already have put two dates on our calendars to meet up again before we head north.  Hopefully, we'll both be finished with our knitting projects for a show and tell afternoon!

Help! I can't get out of my coat!

No need to panic...although, I kinda did!  Sunday we had rain all day so when dogs wanted out I took them out front on the leash (figured they would go quicker).  I put my rain coat on and out we went.  When I came back in, I started to unzip my rain coat and the zipper fell apart in my hand!   This was me!

I was literally stuck in my coat!  The zipper wouldn't move up or down and my head wouldn't fit through the opening. 
I was laughing so hard...Bob was in the bathroom so I called in and told him to hurry up and pee because I was stuck in my coat!  Hubby came to the rescue and used two fingers to hold this special zipper so he could unzip it!  I can't believe the zipper fell apart in my hands! 

Hubby kinda repaired it using a safety pin and squeezing some other piece together.  I'm sure to replace the zipper will cost more than the coat!  Dang....maybe I'll just go around with a safety pin showing until I get home.  I have some jewelry findings I can use in place of the safety pin.




Making progress on my knitted top...

although, what I didn't realize that knitting side to side your stockinette stitch is sideways!  When you pick up stitches to add the length for the top, now the stitches are right side up!  I guess it's part of the design of the pattern but gosh...I'm a type A and things have to be symmetrical or just be a certain way....hmmmmmmm 
It's hard to tell but the yarn is an open weave or will be more when it's blocked.  I better like this bugger when it's finished!  I'm off to see my sister today for an overnight visit.  I'll take my knitting with me as my sister is also working on a top so we can knit together...in between eating!

Week Four - Hilary's online class

Working with designs using some of our stenciled and dyed papers this week!  What fun!  I did these in less than 15 minutes!  It usually takes me 15 days to come up with a design!  HA 

This was fun...I tried not to think about it too much...which you can tell...but really I like some of the designs.  These are all made of paper(s) and I used 2 1/2 different dyed/stencil papers. 

In addition to some design exercises, we're going to be working with different use of paints/colors this week....so much to learn but what a fun way to learn!!!