Paper Planet

Paper Princess Christmas Card

2011-12-21T15:00:00.000+11:00

Each year the members of Paper Princesses draw a name out of the hat to determine who we make a special Christmas card for. This year I have Gaye to make for and this is my card.

Special Christmas cards and Congrats

2011-12-16T20:27:00.006+11:00

The first was for a friend who won a national award with her employer yesterday. The next bunch are 9 I made for my husbands' clients. The tall one is for my boss from all his staff, and the next is for my parents and the tree cards were my previous US swap cards.

Christmas cards

2011-12-16T20:11:00.004+11:00

The first card was for a holiday swap I was in. The next are a few I made for friends and family locally and the stamping Santa were for my US friends.

Get well card for Mary

2011-11-20T15:40:00.002+11:00

My dear friend Mary has also had recent surgery and I made this card for her.

21st Birthday and With Sympathy

2011-11-20T15:33:00.002+11:00

My dear friends Marilena and Marlene, neither of which have a blog, have shared with me a card each has made and designed. I have reproduced these using my own stamps and papers but the design is all theirs.

Get Well card for Gaye

2011-11-20T15:24:00.002+11:00

I bought this stamp recently after my friend Kasha received it for a birthday gift. I had to have one also and desperate to use it, decided to make our friend Gaye a get well card following recent surgery.

Birthday Bags and Tags

2011-11-20T15:06:00.003+11:00

I made these bags from painted brown paper sheeting. Layers and layers of paint using various techniques and stamping. The painted sheet was then covered in clear contact and a bag pattern and straps were cut from this.I've then sewn them into handy carry bags for the birthday girls, Judy and Marilena to that contain their gifts and is usable afterwards as well.

The tags were made firstly by stamping in layers and glueing a paper serviette at the bottom, a die cut branch and little girl image fixed in place then wax ironed over top and buffed for a lovely shine, as inspired by a recent project in The Craft Stamper.

First attempt

2011-09-03T11:42:00.004+10:00

Well, a while back I started the Bella Donna online class with Jodi Ohl, from her Roses on My Table workshop.

I used what supplies I already owned rather than buying more gear in hopes of and getting use out of supplies sitting around my craft room collecting dust, so my efforts look different to Jodi's.

However, I will try again soon and hopefully achieve an end result similar to the class sample, still using the same supplies used before. I think it was really all in my technique rather than the supplies that made the difference.

Marlene's birthday art

2011-08-23T06:42:00.002+10:00

This canvas was covered like Kasha's below, using the back as the front to allow a window space. The wing of the owl lifts to reveal a nest. There is a discreet hanger attached on the back to allow almost flush hanging.

Wax was used to finish.

Kasha's birthday art

2011-08-22T15:33:00.003+10:00

This canvas was covered on the front so I could use the back as a window, hence the back is the front and front is the back! Beeswax was applied all over to finish. The theme was fun and perfect for my dear friend Kasha.

Birthday art wrapped

2011-08-20T20:16:00.007+10:00

I made these gift bags and used some of the transparency I made to frame the lovely vintage photos. Inside, the gifts were wrapped with old music, map and dressmaker pattern papers.

Here are the birthday girls, Marlene and Kasha on the right.

Card for Dad

2011-08-02T17:39:00.004+10:00

My father turned 75 last week. My brother and I gave him a hot air balloon ride from Byron Bay Ballooning. Here is the pull out pocket card I made to insert the voucher.

My Bird Swap Mobile

2011-08-02T17:30:00.004+10:00

With some found sticks I assembled a mobile and attached all 9 birds. This was quite a challenge to get them to hang straight and balanced, but it looks great hanging in my stamp room.

Recent cards

2011-08-02T17:13:00.002+10:00

Here are a few I've made recently for friends.

Altered CD Case

2011-06-25T21:27:00.003+10:00

Recently we celebrated Paper Princess Margaret's birthday. I made an altered CD Cover using my favourite themes of birds and chairs.

Birdie Swap

2011-06-25T21:14:00.001+10:00

My dear friend Kasha organised a birdie swap that consisted of nine participants. This was my contribution and gift presentation. The bird consists of two layers of cardboard with wire wrapped in between for the hook. Then this was covered in vintage text and music papers before stamping the swirls over top. Finally, wax was applied for a smooth and soft vintage feel.

Waxed Cube

2011-06-25T21:09:00.003+10:00

This cubed key ring was altered for a monthly art exchange. Sorry, but I didnt have glasses on when I took this photo or I might have noticed the image was blurry. Such a bummer to need glasses now for reading or close up work.

Birdie Door hanger

2011-06-25T20:47:00.002+10:00

Something I made a while back. A door hanger for a monthly art exchange group. Wax has been used over the top.

40th Birthday guest book

2011-03-18T19:46:00.004+11:00

I made and bound this book for my friend and colleague Deborah for her surprise 40th Birthday party to pass around and allow her guests to write something meaningful for her.

I used a coptic stitch in sage and stamped the front of each signature with various lovely vintage images, like bird cages, a lovely filigree heart, a tree, butterfly flourish, chandelier etc.

She loved the book and has it has become a wonderful memento of the occasion for her.

Playtime with Kasha

2011-03-04T12:47:00.005+11:00

Last weekend I enjoyed a wonderful visit to Queensland to catch up with my arty friends. During my stay with Kasha, we found time to play and made these cards using some new stamps. We thought it was time they got inky! The houses are from Crafty Individuals, the wording from Hero Arts and the the others from Art Journey. Thanks Kasha for a lovely weekend with you.

Serviette card.

2011-03-04T12:38:00.004+11:00

These were made using a lovely serviette I came across and are my latest cards to swap with my dear US card swap pals. The disk stamps are from Inkadinkadoo and the centre letter from 7 Gypsies. With some leftovers I made an ATC using a lovely stamp from Alpha Stamps.

Quirky Birthday art for Gaye

2011-02-15T21:19:00.003+11:00

I'm not sure what Gaye really thought when she unwrapped this quirky doll, but she was sure fun to make. She is probably almost 30cm (12 inches) high and her "backbone" is a vintage tradesmans' rule that my friend Judy bought for me at a local market. The face is a jar lid, the middle is a belt buckle, with the round centre a children's game piece. The rest are bits and pieces I've been hoarding for some time and finally came in handy.

Next US swap ready to go

2011-02-15T21:09:00.002+11:00

Well, I just had to play with some new stamps and decided to use them together in the one card. The background consists of Dressmaker tissue paper adhered to dictionary paper, then gesso applied over top. Finally, a thin layer of Golden fluid acrylics swipped across in pinks and golden tones. A tab was added as well, since it arrived the same day and just had to be incorporated into the card somewhere. This was such a fun quirky card to make and just adore my new supplies.

New Years' US card

2011-02-15T21:02:00.002+11:00

This was a fun quick card and I made several of them, most with Australian bird stamps. These all flew to my very dear US card swap pals who many have been exchanging with me since the mid 90's. The leaves were coloured with a green metallic gel pen.

Waxed Christmas Cards

2011-02-15T20:56:00.003+11:00

The card on the left was made for my mother, and the other for my friend at work. I applied wax with the iron for a smooth vintage look and feel.

Christmas Tree hanging house

2010-12-16T18:50:00.003+11:00

Another group I'm a part of decided to make a 3 x 3 inchie for each other to be used as a Christmas decoration.

I decided to assemble mine in the form of a house.

Christmas card

2010-12-16T18:38:00.003+11:00

This is my general card for this year. I love my new bird statement stamp by RedLead

Christams card for Kasha

2010-12-16T18:29:00.003+11:00

This year I drew Paper Princess Kasha to make a Christmas card for. The decoration can be removed and hung on the Christmas tree.

Below, is the back of the ornament.

Bright star and Reflections

2010-12-16T18:22:00.006+11:00

Made these two blocks this week. Reflections for my boss Lisa, which seemed to suit the year that was for her, and Bright new star for Deborah who I work with.

Nest card

2010-12-03T19:33:00.002+11:00

My new Paper Bag Studios unmounted stamp sheet arrived and just had to use one of the houses somehow.
So I came up with this odd bird nest themed birthday card for Annette Husband.

Chairs

2010-12-03T19:27:00.004+11:00

Chairs are becoming so popular lately in collage sheets and rubber or clear stamps.
Kasha and I decided to challenge each other with some chair art. This is my little hanger.

Wax creations

2010-10-29T19:53:00.008+11:00

I've recently received my new encaustic iron and some wax to play with. Have been playing with them the past couple of weeks and wish I bought them long ago.

First experient was to wax ironed a seriette onto a card, and also the centre image. The black netting was also melted into the wax and onto the serviette background. This card was made for my dear friend Marilena for her birthday earlier this week.

Then I thought I would try a simple canvas, applying wax to the sides, top, bottom and of course the front. Using my new iron, I found it easy and a lot of fun. The photo used is a relative of a dear friend of mine, Judy from Toowoomba. Not sure if it's her Mother or Grandmother. Isn't she beautiful.

Then I decided to make something for the Art of the Month swap that was due using the wax. I love birds still so came up with a free standing bird and was happy with the results.

Legacy

2010-09-10T07:38:00.004+10:00

The background in the centre was started some time ago during a technique demo. Once home, I decided to make use of it. A few additions to the background, a lovely vintage photo mounted in the centre with the lower half covered in crackle paint to aid in the vintage look. All mounted to an antique book cover with some other bits inbetween. All ready for sale at the fundraiser that was later cancelled. Oh well, next year perhaps.

Memories book cover art

2010-09-10T07:24:00.002+10:00

This was my first in the book cover art series and made back in May with the intention of selling it at a local artists fundraising event, which was later cancelled. I decided to make another similar for Kasha's birthday in July.

Birthday art for Kasha

2010-09-10T07:15:00.004+10:00

Making this little piece was enjoyable and the old book cover was perfect for what I had in mind. This was my second of its type and hoped Kasha would like it for her birthday. Mounting art on old book covers adds so much interest.

Playtime

2010-06-17T11:59:00.004+10:00

A couple of vintage style hanging art pieces made for fun. One was made using a wonderful photo of my friend Judy's grandmother. What a beautiful lady she was.

Birthday art for Marlene

2010-06-17T11:50:00.003+10:00

This hanging was fun to make for my Brisbane friend Marlene for her birthday. She received the most wonderful and inspiring art from fellow art group friends on the night.

More book pages.

2010-06-17T11:34:00.004+10:00

Here are the next pages for our lovely group, Page Dwellers.

Page 2 is Zetti plus Ribbon, Page 3 was Man or Boy plus a cigar band and Page 4 was to use any Oxford Impression stamps and some metal embellishments. Sadly, only two pages remain for this swap which has been so much fun.

Little Art of the Month

2010-06-05T15:31:00.004+10:00

For May I had drawn Kasha to make for in our little monthly art swap group. This hanging was made using various fabric strips sewn together. The centrepiece is a lovely old vintage style image with a stamped transparency, that I had made sometime before, then sewn over top. This was then mounted onto an old book cover.

Some open weave cloth and then some lace was then added to the bottom of the background fabric piece, before gluing the book cover centrepiece in place. Various embellishments finished it off.

Birthday art for Margaret

2010-05-06T20:33:00.003+10:00

I made this canvas for Paper Princess Margaret for her birthday late April.

Page one of 2010 book

2010-05-06T20:24:00.001+10:00

This the my first page for our latest little book for a small group I'm a part of. This month's theme was to use stamps from Paper Bag Studios and a number or letter.

May US card swap

2010-05-06T20:15:00.004+10:00

These cards are made using a brass stencil and embossing on card for the background. My dear friend Kasha taught me this technique. These were a lot of fun and hope the girls overseas like them.

April Art of the Month

2010-05-06T20:04:00.004+10:00

This month I had Julie to make for. Last month it was Julie's turn to make for me and I was so fortunate to recieve the most gorgeous arty cat. Have a look at her blog to check him out. Anyway, knowing Julie loves cats, I made a hanging canvas and the cat was slightly raised in different levels.

All wrapped, ready to go.

US friends April card swap

2010-05-06T19:59:00.001+10:00

My latest card swap.

Art swap for March

2010-04-08T08:02:00.000+10:00

A little late getting this away for March, yet again I have taken on more than I should for April. So hard to say No!

Collage in a box

2010-04-03T16:34:00.003+11:00

I picked up this shabby little box frame at a second hand store. It had a piece of glass at the back with an ugly butterfly stuck to the centre. Once home, I pulled it apart, sanded and aged it a bit, adding some old bits of paper here and there. The back glass piece was transformed as I added my own simple collage as inspired by a recent class I took with the lovely and talented Jen Crossley. One photo is hard to see here, but it a tintype photo of two boys.

Shabby flower effort

2010-04-03T16:21:00.006+11:00

Well, I had a go at making one of those fabulous shabby flowers as per Roben-Marie's instructions posted on her wonderful blog March 17th, but failed miserably when it came to the centre flower piece. In the end I gave up and attached a button instead. I think the glue has a lot to do with the success of these centres but have not been able to locate it here as yet.

Koala

2010-01-23T17:46:00.002+11:00

This Koala lives around our home and the farm joining the rear of our property. I heard the loud grunting/mating noises last night and knew I would find him nearby today. Turns out he decided to spend the day in the gum outside our bedroom window, just 5 metres from the house. The bark below him is naturally that way and not a mess made by him.

Hanging for Gaye

2010-01-21T20:21:00.002+11:00

I made this hanging some time ago and only recently sent it to Gaye.

Latest card swap

2010-01-21T19:51:00.003+11:00

This simple card was a lot of fun to do though still keeping with the vintage style I seem to have trouble stepping away from. My card swap buddies in the US will receive one of these soon.

Altered Light Switch Cover

2010-01-08T17:05:00.003+11:00

This is my 12 days gift that I somehow managed to get made in time before our holiday later November. I picked up a dozen light switch covers from Bunnings in a throw out bin and decided this was the starting point for my 12 days art project. The cover is covered with alcohol inks first and when dried, stamped with a text stamp in black in patches. My husband made the backs for me which I could collage for the inside. Clear lacquer covers the image and various fibres, paper and lace complete the little project.

Italian holiday over

2010-01-08T16:52:00.002+11:00

Our five weeks in Italy was wonderful and though we have only been back a week, the planning has commenced for our next European holiday though we may only visit a few places in the north of Italy next time.

12 Days ready to go!

2009-11-21T12:56:00.003+11:00

Here are some of my gifts wrapped and ready to go for a wonderful small group I'm part of. This was so much fun last year and looking forward to what everyone came up with for this year.

Marilena's Birthday Art

2009-11-02T19:50:00.003+11:00

This year we decided to go with a recycled art theme for Marilena. I chose to collage two jar lids, joined together with wire and beads and fill with resin. The lids were also painted and given a green patina finish on the outside.

Judy's Birthday Art

2009-11-02T18:31:00.002+11:00

This house shaped wood block was made for our lovely art group member Judy for her birthday. Each of us had a house shape to work with which needed to include a photo of one of her family members, fabric, stitching, nature and certain colours. This is Judy's mother at age 6.

Sept card swap

2009-10-22T18:19:00.003+11:00

This is my latest swap for my card pals. I swiped the calico fabric with gesso and when dry used various distress inks to dye the fabric and later stamped the tree in the centre. I prepared the fabric a day before my surgery, so that I only had to cut pictures and use glue to finish the cards while I was recovering in the following weeks.

House page 5 Numbers and Birds

2009-10-22T17:53:00.002+11:00

This was a fun theme to play with but was not well and recovering from surgery, so felt I could have made something more exciting had that not been the case.

Correspondence Page

2009-10-22T17:46:00.003+11:00

Page 4 of our house page swap was themed Correspondence. It was great to use so many rubber stamps on this one.

Vibrant flower

2009-10-22T17:41:00.002+11:00

This plant was growing under our verandah and produced the most gorgeous bright pink flowers.

Fab Blog Award

2009-08-18T19:22:00.004+10:00

Thank you Debbi for thinking of me and awarding me a Fab Blog Award. I'm not strongly opposed to such awards so decided to accept and pass on as others have done, who may choose to accept or not.

In accepting the award, I need to list 5 obsessions and 5 blogs I love to visit. I could really do 25 of each. One only has to see my stamp room and then my house to see of course I'm an obsessive person. I have collections all over the place. Fortunately, or not, my husband is similar.

5 Obesssions.

1. Buying and collecting rubber stamps. I say collecting as the vast majority of my stamps have never been inked and yet I keep buying. The thought is that one day I'll need it!

2. Buying food. My kitchen pantry is full, the second pantry in the garage is almost full. My three fridges and two freezers are constantly full and all are continually replenished. I have 4 hungry men to feed so feel compelled to buy lots of food.

3. Watching UK TV shows especially murder mystery. My current favourite show is Monarch of the Glen which is not a murder mystery but rather humerous.

4. Being creative. Sometimes I feel quite desperate to find creative time almost to the point of panicking like needing oxygen to breathe. I find it balances me.

5. Solitude. No where near enough of this, but I really enjoy it and need it at times, but most of the time I need to be with my wonderful husband and 3 sons.

Now to choose 5 blogs to receive the award in no particular order.

Kasha Rolley - A very creative person and dear friend. Love her style and photos of trips abroad.

Gaye Todd - I just love Gaye's grungy style and admire everything she makes and is another dear friend.

Sue Smith - Sue's work is wonderful and inspiring. Love the use of fabric and stitching mixed with the paper.

Gaby Braun - Lovely paper arts and many free images to use.

Viola Erdmann - A wonderful mixed media artist with an amazing collection of laces and fabrics and ability to use these to make stunning works of art.

Donations for The Art of Nursing

2009-08-14T19:53:00.004+10:00

A friend recently asked if I would make something suitable to donate to the inaugural The Art of Nursing Exhibition. Funds raised from the artwork created are to help the survivors of breast cancer in our area. The art is primarily a collection of works created by nurses. Though I am not a nurse, but working in health, I was eager to offer something in hopes of helping to raise money and supporting this event to be on Friday 21st August.

I decided firstly on a hanging fabric collage and painting in the style of DJ Pettitt as learnt from a class I took with her in March at Melbourne, Australia. This is my first attempt since then and I found it enjoyable though disappointed that the background collaged papers are wrinkled despite my attemps to flatten and so these show up on her face and neck.

Not sure whether the painted hanging would be suitable, I decided on doing something different with a 5 x 7 inch canvas and using pink tones. This was also fun and quick to make. I do hope someone likes them enough to buy them and raise money for this worthy cause.

Out to Lunch

2009-07-30T10:41:00.001+10:00

These are our three sons joining us out for lunch one Sunday in town.

From left Simon 20, Luis 14 and Dominic 21.

Magical Trees

2009-07-30T10:36:00.002+10:00

Kasha's birthday gift was to decorate various blocks of timber she provided to choose from. The theme was Magical Trees and colours of black, white and red. The tree image was stamped on acetate and I then burnt a hole in the centre for the bird to pop out of. This was later hammered into the block of timber and the other bits were added on top. There is some pearl mica glued on the inside of the tree to give that 'magical' appearance but this is hard to see.

Keeping Watch

2009-07-30T10:13:00.000+10:00

This hanging was made for a special friend overseas.

"Oh dear, how do I explain this"?

2009-07-30T10:10:00.000+10:00

This is a partner to the previous hanging which will hang beside the other as well in my art room. I made one almost identical for Marlene for her birthday last month.

It is the Beautiful Bird which gets Caged

2009-07-30T10:06:00.001+10:00

One of the latest hanging pieces I've made recently. My husband insisted that I keep this and hang in on my art wall which was a lovely compliment. It measures a little over 6 x 9 inches.

Latest Card Exchange

2009-07-30T10:01:00.000+10:00

These are two of the latest cards I've made for my swap pals both here and in the US. There are eight altogether and each have different birds, fairies and coloured flowers.

Birdie ATC

2009-07-30T09:57:00.001+10:00

This is an ATC I made for my friend in the US.

Italian Influence

2009-07-30T09:42:00.004+10:00

This is my third page for our Page Dwellers group themed Italian Influence. I used an Italian themed serviette for the background and a few rubber stamps. The title for my page is "Style is Eternal".

Great Giveaway

2009-07-01T15:08:00.003+10:00

Check out Magic Moonlight Studio. This is a lovely site full of free clip art and Blanca is currently running a cool giveaway competition.

House page swap

2009-07-01T08:23:00.004+10:00

Here are my first two house pages for a swap I'm involved. Magical Trees was the theme for the first month and By the Seaside the second. With five in the group and 5 monthly themes, we will end up with a glorious fat house book.

Art of the Month

2009-07-01T08:18:00.003+10:00

This lovely felt brooch was made my the very talented Samm Menzies. I was lucky to have drawn Samm for the month of March and has been a lovely piece to wear this winter.

Art received

2009-07-01T08:13:00.002+10:00

This gorgeous card was made by Annette Husband and given to me for my birthday. Annette drew this picture more than 20 years ago. There is so much depth in this piece of art and I find something new each time I pick it up. Thanks Annette.

Gift for Mary

2009-06-08T15:04:00.002+10:00

Here is the hanging piece I made for Mary which was intended to be in lieu of a Birthday card, but in the end, I decided to make her a card as well.

Birthday card

2009-06-06T20:30:00.003+10:00

Two days ago I had finished a little hanging piece for Mary's birthday which was supposed to be in lieu of a card, but decided to make this simple Asian style card for her as well today.

Mother's Day Hanging Canvas

2009-05-09T20:09:00.005+10:00

Kasha kindly demonstrated a lovely background technique from Kelly Rae Roberts' wonderful book, Taking Flight, at our last PP get together. This was a lot of fun and today I decided to add some pictures, paper and embellishments and give to my Mum tomorrow for Mother's Day in lieu of a card.

Birthday Art from the Paper Princesses

2009-05-08T21:19:00.001+10:00

Here is the wonderful canvas I received for my birthday from the Paper Princesses. Each created two panels which I later glued down to the canvas I prepared prior to seeing what they had made. There were a few added embellishments added to the canvas background to fill in some empty areas. The theme was Rustic Vintage. It all came together beautifully and is proudly displayed in my lounge room for all to admire.

Tenterfield's Giant Cork Tree

2009-05-08T20:57:00.002+10:00

This cork tree was brought from England in 1861 and is believed to be one of the largest specimins in Australia.

Autumn at Tenterfield

2009-05-08T20:42:00.003+10:00

I love the Autumn colours which are unlike what we get here at home since our climate is not as cold.

Beppi on Pyramid

2009-05-08T20:40:00.002+10:00

Here is my husband Beppi, standing on the rocks of the pyramid to show the size.

Pyramid at Ballandean

2009-05-08T20:35:00.001+10:00

We came across this pyramid on our way to Stanthorpe and was built by a winery to attrack visitors.

The Paper Princesses

2009-04-30T20:49:00.002+10:00

Here is our group while celebrating Margaret's birthday.
From left back, Kasha, me, Marilena, Gaye and Judy with Marlene and Margaret seated.

Birthday Art for Princess Margaret

2009-04-30T20:11:00.005+10:00

The birthday art project for Margaret was to decorate a large shipping tag in bird theme, mainly on one side and decorate two small metal hanging birds. The colour scheme was pale pink, sage green, with some black, cream and burgandy.

I kept one bird quite plain only adding some foil to highlight some areas and some beads to hang from below. The other birds is covered in a serviette, then painted over with a transparent gold glaze and some more beads as trim.

April AOTM for Debbi

2009-04-30T18:36:00.005+10:00

This month I decided to alter an old coaster for Debbi Baker. The gorgeous Tim Holtz tree stamp was perfect for this project.
A few bird images and a cute girl from Lisa's Altered Art were glued over a base of various vintage papers followed by a coat of lacquer. I hope Debbi finds the coaster handy.

Monday class with DJ

2009-04-20T21:01:00.003+10:00

DJ is an amazing artist and teacher and the class on the Monday was thoroughly enjoyable. This is a different style for me, but have found it has opened up another avenue for creation and expression. I'm keen to practice more of DJ's style of painting and hope one day to be able to take more classes with her. Thank you DJ for your generosity and inspiration.

This painted girl was a different style to that shown on Sunday and involved a layered paper background on which to paint on first in a painterly effect. This was mounted to an old book cover that I covered with various pieces of fabric and lace, then glued to another book cover belonging to a 1963 Atlas. The black lace was a scrap I bought from my Aunt a week earlier while at her garage sale. The three crochet flowers were from one of her hankerchiefs I also purchased and cut up.

Painted Lady

2009-04-20T20:48:00.002+10:00

Finally, I've managed to complete the Face Painting project from the Sunday class with DJ Pettit held in Melbourne at the Creative Soul Retreat in March. Having never painted before, I was amazed how DJ was able to teach us her technique and translate that to each of us resulting in a lovely painted face. From the photo I took of DJ's final mounted picture, I was determined to complete mine and managed with what little fabric bits I have here to obtain a similar look. I'm quite happy with the result. The photo here makes her face look a little patchy of white marks, but in fact, she looks better than this shows.

Thank you card for Jacky

2009-04-20T20:38:00.002+10:00

This is a quick Thank You card made for Jacky who showed unexpected kindness for which I am most grateful. On arrival at Melbourne airport in March, Jacky was there to greet us and took us around to a wonderful shop before delivering us to the Creative Soul Retreat. Included with the card were a few bits and pieces I thought Jacky would enjoy using in her papercraft projects.

Bernie DJ and Stephanie

2009-03-21T15:47:00.006+11:00

Here is the lovely trio from the USA, our tutors for the Soul Arts Retreat held in Melbourne. These girls were wonderful ladies with endless energy and creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes I took with Stephanie and DJ and sad not to have been able to also include a class with Bernie. There was simply not enough days to squeeze everything into and hopefully one day, I will be enjoying one of Bernie's classes too.

Tiny House swap

2009-03-21T15:42:00.003+11:00

These are th 50 tiny houses I made for the Sout Arts Retreat swap held in Melbourne 14-16 March 09.

Chunky ATC

2009-03-21T14:40:00.004+11:00

I enjoyed creating on this little block of timber. This was inspired by the the wonderfully talented and creative Audrey Hernandez. Many thanks to Paper Princess Judy and her husband Kurt for sourcing and cutting these little treasures out for us.

Birthday art from Mary

2009-03-21T14:30:00.006+11:00

I wanted to share the lovely hanging I received from my friend Mary for my recent birthday. The girl on the paper has been transferred with a matt medium and the main background is the PVA crackle technique featured in the Feb/March Stamper's Sampler. Mary always does such lovely art and the wonderful and generous gifts that accompanied this made me truly spoilt.

Art 4 U

2009-03-21T14:06:00.005+11:00

Following my project for the February AOTM for Kasha which was an ATC size canvas, I felt there was room for improvement and more enjoyment to be had, so as I often do, I made another! Please let me know if others do this. Thankfully there was a just enough of the tassle left over for a 4 inch square canvas which was big enough to add some bits down the side.

March AOTM for Gaye

2009-03-21T13:52:00.005+11:00

For Gaye this month, I made a canvas to go with her recent blue and green nature themed canvas collection made by the Paper Princesses group for her recent birthday. These will be hung, grouped together in a random fashion as each is a different size also, so hoping this one will fit with the others nicely and hopefully tie in my first effort which was a little overcrowded and seem not to fit as well. I have stuck to the butterfly theme which is one of my favourites and the colour is similar, in an attempt to tie in my first canvas.

February AOTM for Kasha

2009-02-15T20:58:00.004+11:00

The Art of the Month swap has started again for this year. This time I was to make something for Kasha. This little hanging canvas is about the size of an ATC. The vintage picture has a stamped acetate overlay sewn over top then glued to some phone book paper. The canvas has been painted with orange, rust and gold paints then stamped. The lovely tassle trim was a gift from another friend, Margaret and finally some rusty bent wire attached to the top completed my project.

Mary's Asian pocket

2009-02-15T20:14:00.006+11:00

This pocket was made for my dear friend and neighbour Mary to hold some little gifts.

Gaye's Birthday Canvas

2009-02-15T20:07:00.002+11:00

Here is the canvas I made for Gaye's birthday. Each of us in the group had a different shape and size canvas to make with the colours to be green, blue and rust. The theme was up to us, but something each of us is known for and in vintage style. Included in the canvas is some wire, beads, rusted paper, painted lace, resin coated vintage music paper and an antique typewriter key as well as little words that I often like to add.

Angela's 50th

2009-01-30T09:48:00.007+11:00

A dear friend recently celebrated her 50th birthday in style in France and then south England for about 5 weeks with her husband. To her absolute surprise, he closed their Bangalow restaurant, so that their three adult daughters and son could be flewn over to Paris without her knowledge, at his expense! They were sitting in one of Paris' finest restaurants waiting for when Angela walked in for her special birthday lunch. What a way to celebrate your birthday and what a romantic and generous husband and father he is.

Anyway, this is the card I made for her to accompany the language translator we gave her ready for her next European holiday.

On this card I have used some rusted teal paper that Kasha sent me and some resin coated dictionary paper from a play day with Gaye. The image is one from Lisa's Altered Art.

12 Days gifts opened

2009-01-30T09:44:00.003+11:00

These are the wonderful gifts I received. All were so diverse and a delight to open.

12 Gifts

2009-01-30T09:43:00.004+11:00

The twelve packages I received sitting patiently waiting for me to open them each day.

2008 Christmas card

2009-01-30T09:32:00.008+11:00

The Christmas card I made for this year. The background is one I learned from Isa Norris. First, smudge cream card with denim and butterscotch dye inks. Then spray a combination of Walnut ink and Gold Perfect Pearls and heat to dry. Stamp some Christmas images in denim and butterscotch ink and dry again. Overstamp with a flourish image using Versamark and brush the Gold Perfect Pearls over top. Overstamp again with the flourish stamp using black dye pad. The Santa is stamped on ochre paper and I used bleach to highlight the beard and greeting. I then stamped Believe with back ink and filled in with a gold gel pen. Finally, I taped the ribbon across the card, glued the Santa in place and painted gold a Grungeboard star and glued in place.