Leaves 201-220

Leaves 201-220 were made using heavy body acrylic paint and old paper towels. I found some old manilla folders and painted those with some heavy body acrylic paints that were just about gone. I enjoyed using up the iridescent gold, copper and silver.





I also had saved some paper towels that I had used to clean my brush from the You, Me and the Sea Retreat in Seaside Oregon. A few of the artist mentioned that I should keep them as they were colorful. I adhered those very paper towels to the manilla folders with matte medium that contained glitter.  The results were very unique! Inspiration from others is so powerful!

Leaves 171-200

Spring is in the air! The temperatures have returned to high 70's.  With everything in bloom, I spent some more time working on my leaves! Reaching 200, the tree is coming along!

 Using various pieces of fabric paper, painted paper and decoupaged scrap booking paper the leaves are all originals!

The Dutchess aka Fergi

This quilt was just a blast to do. It is for the Quilting Arts "Passages" reader challenge. I have had many rescue dogs pass through my home over the years. The Dutchess, Fergi, came with a buddy named Finn. (Please note the spelling of Dutchess is in reference to the singer's album, not british royalty.) They were such a mess. Found dropped off at a park and ride, they were very ill, malnourished, and weak. After some good vet care, good food, and a few trips to the groomer, they just blossomed. Both got adopted by amazing families. The Dutchess got adopted by a wonderful couple who lived very close to me. Lizzie, would bring the newly named Chloe to see me. She seemed so well adjusted and loved. The quilt was made using various fabrics and then heavy stitching with over 30 colors of thread. This is often referred to as thread painting.

The picture to the right demonstrates some of the detailed stitching. 

The picture below is the actual photo used to make the quilt. I usually blow up the photo to use it as a pattern.

The picture to the right and below is what my sewing area looks like as I get started.

The next few pictures show the actual art quilt in progress.

ATC 96 Pink Flower

ATC 96 Pink Flower was created on a retired manilla folder. Used for a number of years it had seen better days. The flower was done by a stamp. I had found some Perfect Pearls. This system is genius. It is like painting, but it is with a dry brush. First stamp or draw the image you wish to paint. They have a special stamp pad and pens for this. Then dip your dry brush into the powder "paint" over your image. Voila! This is so much fun as you can mix colors. It also allows for different colors within one image.

ATC 95 Fly to the Trees

ATC 95 Fly to the trees was made following a mistake. I had a piece of cardboard that I had painted and stamped. It is one of my favorite pieces. The cardboard was only 8"X 8". I was cutting up ATC cards and cut one too short. So much for measure twice cut once. I was so bummed. I then decided to use my sizzix die cut to cute out the bird of the remaining board. He has now been placed on an ATC!

ATC 94 Dragonfly Schematic

ATC 94 features one of my favorite stamps. It has a dragonfly with dimensions. It reminds me of old drafting scrolls. A long, long time ago, I worked for General Motors. I was responsible for checking out drafting prints from the drafting center. I remember looking at the beautiful detail that was hand written on all of the engine parts. Each component had it's own drawing. This has since been replaced by the computer design. Still an art form but not nearly as beautiful as the original drawing of each draftsman. This stamp is nostalgic to me. I use it whenever I can!

ATC 93 Mermaid

 ATC 93 features another mermaid. Just love these images. They also feature colors that I rarely use. I typically stay away from blues and greens.