love lives here

in my search to add a new twist to my artwork,
i decided to begin a new series that includes only the things i love to do.
i definitely love to draw, so i did lots of drawing....

and i love to paint, so i added some happy painting.

and i love to stitch, too, so why not add some stitching....on paper!
(it's not just for fabric anymore.... :))

and the result is a fun piece of artwork that includes all the
things that are near and dear to my heart!


here are some other pieces in this new series....

if you're looking for a way to add some creative zing to
your journal pages or art canvas,
think about the things you really love to do, and then add it to
your artwork.  you never know what you might discover!

xox


you can also see other artwork on instagram and FB!

{supplies:  strathmore 500 series 140 lb. CP paper,mechanical pencil,
daniel smith watercolors, DMC embroidery floss, needle}

inspiration rediscovered

i've recently discovered that

just when you think inspiration is your new BFF

and you're thrilled because it wants to hang out with you day and night,

it will turn around and go on vacation.....

a really loooong, extended vacation.

so long, in fact, that you start to worry a bit

and wonder if it's ever going to come back.

so while i was waiting.....and waiting.....for inspiration to return,

i decided to take my mind off of my long-lost friend

by diving into some of the stitchy-goodness

that i truly loved doing as a young kid.

and then i wondered what would happen if i mixed in 

some of the journal-goodness i love to do as an "older kid".

and as you can probably guess, by the time i was finished

with all of this kid-goodness i realized that

inspiration had slipped in through the back door 

and finally came home to my heart.

now it's time to follow it.

(you probably knew i was going to say that.... :))

{thank you, inspiration!}

{supplies:  design from a page in my art journal printed on kona cotton

at spoonflower, DMC embroidery floss, size 8 black perle cotton floss,

watercolor and batting for heart, 11/0 glass seed beads, 

colored pencil, embroidery hoop, needles, scissors}

inspiration monday

here's a great way to take a journal page and turn it into something new!
first,  look through your journals and find a simple design,
and then scan it into your computer.
(i changed my design to black and white for the transfer.)

then, following the directions on the package,
print your artwork onto a piece of sticky fabri-solvy by sulky.

now, just peel off the backing paper, and stick it onto a piece of fabric.
(here,  i've used a piece of cotton flour sack)

now choose your favorite stitches…..

and add all your favorite colors of thread and other fun stuff!

once you're done stitching, rinse the fabric in warm water
until the fabri-solvy dissolves.  let your fabric dry and iron it, if needed.
at this point, you can call it finished…..

or you can take it a step further and add some more color directly to the fabric!
here, i've used a watercolor crayon:  draw a small amount of color onto the
fabric and use a waterbrush, sparingly, to activate the color.  if you add too
much water, it will bleed out into the surrounding areas.
i added a bit of water to the color, and then i dried it immediately
with a heat gun to keep it from bleeding out.
continue adding as much color as you like…..

and reward yourself with a nice piece of chocolate
for taking a page from your journal, and turning it into
something that you can enjoy as a wall hanging or
maybe even sew it into a sweet little pillow!

to see a complete demonstration of the fabri-solvy, click here!

{supplies:  sulky sticky fabri-solvy,  cotton fabric,
assorted embroidery floss, orange seed beads, needle,
lyra aquacolor crayon, waterbrush}


✭✭✭

happy memorial day to all my friends here in America!
we remember all those who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms!
xox

the little moments

here's to all the little moments in life
that make our hearts smile!


{this page was created in my moleskine planner for the
week twenty-one DLP challenge to use embroidery floss on our page.
other supplies:  fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, pitt pens,
derwent watercolor pencils, 6B graphite pencil,
assorted embroidery floss, needle, washi tape}

creative threads

 my fingers got a little restless for something a little different,
so i pulled out my needle and thread and this darling sampler
by charlotte lyons.....i think it will be the perfect weekend project!

xox


{you can find this sampler here in charlotte's etsy shop!}

gingham birdie

i stumbled upon this sweet stamp set over at hobby lobby the other day, and immediately fell in love with this fabulous gingham birdie.  and the fact that i had a 40% off coupon burning a hole in my jeans pocket made the decision easy that this little cutie was coming home with me! 

 after we got home, it was time to get acquainted with each other, so i stamped the image onto a piece of scrap fabric.....

and then i gave him some much needed legs (they're long and lean, just like i wish mine were.....) and a wing that was a former tear-shaped shell button, along with a black bead for an eye.  but no gingham birdie is complete without a happy garden to wander in, so i stitched some colorful french knot flower buds to make him feel right at home.  

and now that we're good friends,  i might even show this little birdie where my chocolate stash is......well, maybe.....

hope you have a great weekend!

inspiration monday

there is no way i could ever choose a favorite art technique.  my list of art-loves is constantly growing, and sometimes i like to challenge myself to see how many of them i can use in the same project.....this time i came up with a fun "stitch-ionary" idea to house all of my embroidery stitches!  

the first thing i did was carve a little frame stamp.....

and then i stamped it onto a medium shipping tag using black ink.

then i got out my embroidery floss and stitched up a title onto a piece of muslin (i also used a black micron pen for the lettering).

the next step was to trim the fabric and then glue it down inside my stamped frame with a glue stick.  then i added some color around the edges of the tag using antique linen distress ink and a foam applicator.

the final step for my stitch-ionary cover was to add a piece of black and white gingham ribbon and a little tag down at the bottom.  

and here are some of my favorite embroidery stitches, showcased on their own tag using the same methods that i used for the cover.....and they're all held together with a simple 2" binder ring that i bought at the office supply store.....plus there's lots of room to keep adding tags as i go!   

be inspired by all of your art-loves and see how many fun projects you can come up with!!

my inspiration for this project came from my love of paper arts, stamping, stamp carving, lettering, watercolor pencils, and stitching.  

busy hands equals happy heart

there are lots of times when i have the desire to be creative, but my day only allows me about 20 minutes to be creative. those are the times where i'll pull out my watercolor pencils and putter around in my journal, or grab my camera and run out into the garden to see what's waiting for me there.

but then other times, my fingers will start getting that itch-to-stitch, so here's a quick way to keep the fingers nimble and the creative spirit satisfied:

take one of your favorite rubber stamps (if you have extra time, you can carve one....watch this!) and stamp the image onto cotton fabric. then embellish with your favorite stitches using embroidery floss, cotton threads, bead string, or whatever suits your fancy! it's easy and it's quick.....and when you're done you'll have a sweet little something to add to the front of a card or your favorite journal.....or place some fabric behind it, sew around the edges, add ribbon to the top and you've made yourself a cute little ornie......or place the fabric in a wooden embroidery hoop, trim the fabric around the edges close to the hoop, and hang it on the wall! have fun!

this project was created using cotton fabric, hand-carved heart stamps, ink pads, and cotton threads.

confession time

well, i must confess that i didn't get very far with my studio re-org yesterday.....as a matter of fact, if i'm brutally-honest-oprah-tell-all:

i only worked for about an hour.

i decided to make this mini doodle quiltie instead. my studio is still a disaster, but i figure that if i had taken the time to clean it yesterday, it would already be a mess today....so see how much time i saved myself?!

this mini rainbow is in my etsy shop here.

inspiration monday

i've been a little inspiration-challenged lately.....not quite sure what i want to do, or which direction i want to go in. so i decided to take a look in my overflowing box of partially-finished-projects, and this is what i found: a piece of curtain lining stamped with hand-carved flower and leaf stamps, and then decorated with a piece of rick-rack and some embroidery floss.

even though this was created several months ago, i'm reminded how much i truly enjoy working on projects like these. it's simple, it's colorful, it's cute, it uses lots of different techniques......and it makes me really happy!

if you're looking for some inspiration today, take a look into your creative past.....you might just find some artistic treasure that you've forgotten about!

meet paulette

if you haven't already met my sweet friend paulette at beedeebabee, please allow me to introduce you to her! you may have seen her flying through blogland, sharing her smile and spreading lots of sunshine around! and paulette is not only an angel in disguise, she's also a very talented artist!! using a goody bag filled with wool felt, sparkly beads, crystals, sequins and embroidery thread, paulette skillfully designs and creates beautifully stitched pins....straight from the heart.

tiny exquisite stitches were lovingly used to finish this cute little mitten....

this sweet little stocking.....

and this precious winter mitten!

paulette's warm, giving personality is evident in every piece of wearable art she makes! you can visit her here at her blog, and learn more about her artwork here in her etsy shop!!

three in a row....

tic-tac-toe, three in a row!  continuing on from yesterday's post, here is another piece of canvas that has been treated with gesso and then a light wash of watercolor.  the grid was created using a running stitch and black cotton floss.  each element has been created by hand, including the "tic-tac-toe buttons" in the center of each heart, which were made by taking a wooden disc, stamping a letter on with staz-on ink and then punching the holes with my crop-a-dile.  i really love doing these mixed media projects, and i've especially enjoyed all of the hand stitching.  which reminds me, my husband's shirts have been patiently waiting for new buttons, so i'd better do that today...

p.s.  who won the game, the x's or the o's? (click on image for larger view)

fruit of the spirit

i'm working on some new projects today, but nothing finished yet.  so, i'm posting another piece of artwork that is currently hanging in an exhibit called "Beauty of the Word".  this was created by transferring my lettering onto handmade paper squares, and then stitching the squares together onto a larger piece of art paper.  to add some dimension, i used skeleton leaves and heart charms within the blank squares.  the final result is somewhat like a paper quilt...and i loved every minute of it!