Welcome!

Thank you for visiting artful embellishments. This is the third year for this blog and I am so happy to keep publishing. I started in 2011 and began with a quilt of the week, this lead to the leaf of the week for my newly designed paper tree that is located on the wall of my garage in 2012.......2013 is going to bring a lot of excitement and positive change. As a personal challenge for 2013, I plan on designing a artist trading card each week to be featured on the blog.
With so many interests, there will be quilting, art quilting, leaves (and more leaves), as well as experiments in thermofax screen printing, fabric dying, and tons of DIY recycle projects. I may even enter that altered fashion scene. To a happy and healthy 2013, may we all find happiness in those things we create....thank you for stoping by artful embellishments.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Flower Power! This thermofax screen is just a blast. I started with purple and teal paint. After letting that dry I was used white paint with the background stencil. This is one of my favorites as it has random designs all over the screen.  I then added the yellow sunflowers.  This one I liked some much, I will trying this combination on fabric.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

What a hoot.......

Saying I love birds and owls is an understatement. I absolutely am fascinated with them in artwork. Remember the owls in the basket from earlier this summer?  This journal page was done with thicker acrylic paint, partly because I didn't like the way it came out with originally. I love the colors of orange and blue. The start contrast really pops. When I first dragged the thick bodied acrylic paints they actually turned a muddy brown. I then went over the mud with fresh blue and orange. I really like the thick texture that arrived.  I then used silver and white screen print paint for the cloud image. It was topped with the dusty gold for the owl.  I like how the text from my notes is sneaking through all of these pages......

Running with Scissors

Running with Scissors is one of my favorite sayings. A company for mixed media supplies actually named themselves Running with Scissors. It is the image that is conjures that makes me smile. You would think I would think of injury, and mayhem, but instead I think of a rebel running happily along with scissors. Totally going against the grain.  This screen print is a bit more simple than the las two as their is only one screen. I decided to do pink and green acrylic colors as the background after watching an episode of love it or list it on HGTV, one of the designers wore these two colors and I thought to myself, "She would totally run with scissors." The screen was done with silver silk screen paint. I love the iridescent quality of the paint. To going against the grain, in whatever fashion makes you a rebel........

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Go Fish!

Go Fish! This is a project that I started this week. I took my notes from my Art and Appreciation II course from my first half of the class. Yes I managed to fill entire sketch book in just 7 weeks. With my previous post, I had vowed to recycle and to create more art! So here it goes. I have started to paint over my notes with acrylics. I am going to use this experiment to learn how to blend colors and to test color combinations. A definite weak spot for me. I am then going to try out all my snazzy thermofax screens. This will allow me to see what they look like on paper prior to using them on fabric!  This Go Fish experiment started with three acrylic paints, teal blue, purple, and mustard. I then added a thermofax screen print of circles in gold dust and then the skelefish from Lynn Krawcyzk. I just love that fish and am excited to use in a fabric project!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Donation Time!!!!

I am really getting into the sewing and embroidering! I am already working on next years auction items for the 2013 Howl at the Moon Auction. Here is one tote bag set that I have put together. I made the tote bag out of bright fabrics. It is filled with dog toys and supplies. I have embroidered two towels, and one hat/scarf set to add into the mix. Can't wait to put more of these together!

Leaves 58-70

Recycling is really something I wish I did more of. Yes I put my recyclables out at the curb each week, and I do use some recycled materials in my art, but I think I could use more. It would be more challenging and very rewarding to think something was kept out of a landfill.  So this week I took some fabrics from old clothing from a local thrift shop. I used my accuquilt cutting system to make bigger leaves for the tree. Similar to the sizzix, but bigger and designed for fabric. What I have found some awesome is that either of the machines will do fabric or paper making them ultra-functional. These leaves didn't get embellished as I thought they looked pretty funky in their own right. I really like the ones from the polyester leisure suit.  I can't believe anyone would wear orange polyester, but boy does the fabric make some snazzy leaves.....