We have a winner! Congratulations to Eva Marie (meinthirdperson)!! Send me a message to claim you gift. Thanks to all for comments and likes on my posts!

I’m running a contest from May 1st to the 30th. In order to particpate for the drawing on the 31st, you must:
1) subscribe to my YouTube channel (if you’ve not already)
2) like, comment on and share at least 5 videos
3) invite at least 3 friends to also subcribe to my channel and to like and comment on at least 5 videos.

Please tell your friends to write in the comments that you referred that person. The subscriber who invites the most new subscribers and posts the most comments and shares will be the winner. Important note: I will only see that someone subscribes if they make that public. Be sure to click on the bell icon, too, so you get notices of new videos. Thanks for helping me grow my channel!

Today’s creation is another sweet tea bag charm, using a stamp from the Graphic 45 “Princess” collection. EnJoy!

Winning Prize! Secret Garden Pocket

Princess Tea Bag Charm

Here is a photo of the prize I’ll be giving away this evening. I’ll post the winner tonight!

Winning Prize! Secret Garden Pocket

Secret Garden Pocket 2

Tomorrow I will be reviewing comments, likes and shares for the past 30 days, and shall do a drawing at 10 pm PST for the winner of my giveaway! So get your interactions posted on this blog now!

What is the giveaway prize? I will make a special post in the morning to show it off. Gotta have a little anticipation!

This evening I made 3 more teabag collage ornaments, so very pretty! The two photos show each side of the two larger ones; the middle collage is blank on the back.

Three Teabag Collages

Three Teabag Collages 2

I made the litle collage here while listening to a presentation on the air scrubber technology that I sell; it’s awesome! After that presentation, I had time to warm and eat my dinner before getting on my Artists of Toastmasters weekly gathering for an evening of creativity and conversation. We spoke about our plans for going forward with art, and next small steps we can take to get us there.

Later this evening I made a little notebook from a cardboard tube that I had ironed flat and painted gold, and finally decided what to do with it. Used up some scraps to decorate it, and made pages from brown packing paper that I also ironed. EnJoy!

NOTE: Only 2 day left before the drawing of all those who engaged with my posts for the past 30 days, and the winner will receive a surprise gift! Invite your friends to subscribe and join the fun, too! So get your comments posted, share and invite friends before the 27th!

Special Day Collage

Tiny Scrap Notebook

Tiny Scrap Notebook 2

Tiny Scrap Notebook 3

Tiny Scrap Notebook 4

An art group that I’m in is running a fun game, where we answer a question each day for 12 days, and earn “currency” to spend on goodies in celebration of the 1st anniversary of the group. Today’s challenge was to decorate an envelope in under 10 minutes. Hah!

I decorated this envelope with lovely Christmas papers from Stamperia, and made a tuck spot on the front. I cut out a printed shape that I’d glued to red paper for a tag to go in it– and then that tag DISAPPEARED!!! I kid you not. I looked all over my desk several times–even cleared it of scraps and cleaned off the glue stains– searched the trash, looked all around the room, nada. I think the dang house fairies hid the tag, and they haven’t given it back! SUPER annoying! Anyhow, I finally broke down and made another tag for the front of the envelope. I will say the 10-minute time frame was too short for me; it took nearly that long just for all the fussy cutting and gluing! Not counting the time for the card I had to make to go inside the envelope, and the time spent searching for the missing item…. Anyhow, here it is. EnJoy!

Kitty Christmas Envelope

Kitty Christmas Envelope 2

Kitty Christmas Envelope 3

Kitty Christmas Card

Wow! Day sixty already! Good for me for doing this. Good for you for reading and encouraging me on my journey. Thanks!

Today we had sunshine again, so I hung my laundry out to soak up the fresh air. Also, the maintenance crew finally came and cleaned up my patio, hauling away masses of pine cones and needles, oak leaves and other debris, along with my dried out Christmas tree! ahhhhh. Clear space is lovely!

I left working on art too late, due to some other distractions, and I realized I’m too tired to make something new, though I did attempt another collage (didn’t come out as I wanted). So I’m happy to share this beautiful doll that I made some time ago. EnJoy!

Francesca

This was one of those days wherein I did not seem to get much accomplished. However, a friend came over around 4 pm and we spent time talking, walking, eating a yummy dinner, and sharing poetry of Rabindranath Tagore and Hafiz. We also sang and danced a Sufi dance together, and sang along to a recording of another. What a lovely afternoon and evening!

After my friend left, I added some tiny seashells to the front of the Ocean Blues folio I made the other day, and decided to make a collage/charm from an empty tea bag! I layered natural (unbleached) cheesecloth, a scrap of linen, and a sticker from the Botanical Tea collection that I had adhered to cardstock. I stitched the ribbon loop together, then glued it into the opening of the tea bag and took a couple of cross stitches to hold it in place.

I also tacked the center of the layers down before covering with the bird sticker, and I sewed the ribbon rose and the bits of lace in top left corner, too, as glue was not sufficient to secure these elements. I did use E-6000 to glue the pearl in the center of the lace flower. I also decided to glue another tea bag to the back of the collage to cover up stitches and give it all more strength. I want to make more of these now! EnJoy!

Ocean Blues Accordian Folio Updated

Bluebird Tea Bag Charm

What a day this has been! I spent ages making a slideshow with Photos, importing it to Keynote and then trying to add voice-over; not easy or obvious! Then I thought I’d try iMovie, but every time I imported the video, that application quit. Arrrgh! Decided to go walk off my frustration, since there was a break in the rain anyhow. Later I talked with a friend who suggested that I make the video with Zoom, so I did a screenshare and recorded just my voice while the slideshow was running and ta-da! Now you can watch that video right here.

I also made another little collage with some scraps of paper, lace, pearls, a butterfly and ribbon, just for the joy of it. EnJoy!

Follow Your Dreams Collage

We have more rain tonight, yippeeee! Making things nice and green around the neighborhood.

Today I decided to tea-dye a bunch of papers and some scraps of fabric to use in my art making. I also received a gift of a package of natural (unbleached) cheesecloth. It’s good to prepare materials for future creations!

I did finish my pocket letter for the swap I’m in, though I’ll have to show photos after my partner receives it so she’s surprised!  So I will share another little collage that I made a couple of days ago but did not post. EnJoy!

Reminder:  Just one week left before the drawing of all those who engage with my posts, and the winner will receive a surprise gift! Invite your friends to subscribe and join the fun, too! So get your comments posted, share and invite friends before the 27th!

Tea Dyed Papers

Tea Dyed Fabrics

Tea Bag Collage

Today I set myself some tasks: to finish one UFO (Unfinished Fiber Object), to use up two items from my stash of boxes, and to work on a pocket letter for a swap I’m participating in.  I did some tasks, omitted one and added two others! (I did work on the pocket letter but won’t show it until I’ve sent it to my partner.)

First, I wanted to use an empty almond milk container, and attempted to cut the sides down so I would have an even edge for making another container. However, the bottom does not lie flat and it was difficult to make each side the same height! So I gave that idea up and took the carton apart, instead. Evened up the edges and decided to make an accordian folder, with room for writing inside. I have to find some of my tiny seashells to embellish it with.

Ocean Blues Accordian Folder

Ocean Blues Accordian Folder 2

Ocean Blues Accordian Folder 3

Ocean Blues Accordian Folder 4

Almond milk carton

Next, I borrowed an idea from the book, Layered, Tattered and Stitched by Ruth Rae. She showed how to make a gift wrap by stitching some music paper between two layers of wax paper. Mine is not quite big enough to wrap anything, so I may use it for a pocket in a journal. I also made a tiny collage using scraps of paper and an empty tea bag that I cut and opened out.

Music Page with Wax Paper

Tea Bag Collage

My last project was to sew a small bag from some scraps of a very thick, felted wool sweater. I stitched the seams with four strands of crewel embroidery yarn, then stitched a pink heart in the center front with thicker wool yarn. EnJoy! 

Felted Sweater Scraps

Felted Sweater Bag

Felted Sweater Bag 2