Mum's Vase

                                     (click on picture to enlarge)

This paper cut took forever to finish, but it was a labor of love. It depicts my mother's milk glass vase, which reminds me so much of my childhood. In it are hydrangeas from my front garden, my sister Carol's favorite flower.

I'm having some work done on the staircase in my house, so it's a pain getting downstairs to the ironing board, and I'm abandoning fused fabric for the moment and did this piece in cut paper. I used scrapbook paper, cutting the vase with an x-acto knife, and the rest with scissors. I'm really happy with the results - well worth the effort! 

Lazy Days of Summer!

Kristy has the right idea - when the weather is sweltering and the humidity unbearable, take it easy! 

I'm finally learning that I can't crunch out artwork on a time schedule and that timed challenges don't work for me! From now on, I will call my challenges "series" and will finish them as my schedule allows! But I do want to finish this last one. I'm working on my 4th tablescape and hope to have it posted by later today!

Tablescape #3

                                         Click on picture to enlarge.

I figured that this picture didn't need a title! Or, at least, I couldn't come up with one!

This is my third fused fabric tablescape this week. One observation I have on this process is that it is much easier to work on small pictures like this (most are under 6"x8") using cut paper rather than fused fabric. Paper cuts so crisply while, with fabric, there are always little frayed edges.

And I think I miss seeing stitches on my fused fabric appliques, although it is perfectly acceptable to do them without stitching. So, for my next picture in this series I'm going to work larger and include some stitching! Sounds like a plan!

Cozy

Here is my second tablescape in this challenge. In my house, wherever I sit, there is usually a warm furry friend sitting nearby and looking on. I assume it's the same with other cat owners! 

Kind of a cozy feeling!

The Manicure

Here's the first picture in my Five Tablescapes in Five Days challenge. It's done with fused fabric and I've outlined some of the elements with a very fine Micron pen. We'll see what is going on at the table tomorrow!!!

Five Tablescapes in Five Days

Another challenge to get me moving - this time, tablescapes! 

I'm a person who spreads out on any clean surface, creating chaos with whatever project I happen to be working on. Although I'm trying to improve my ways, I usually leave a trail behind me -  I like to call it creative clutter. Eventually I do a big clean-up and put everything back in its place, but my dining room table often tells the story of my most recent artistic pursuits! 

Right now I'm thinking about the impact our daily habits make on a tabletop - little vignettes that tell a tale of what we've been up to in the course of our days. 

Tomorrow I will begin a series of tablescapes in fused fabric.

To be continued...! 

The Letter

I get a small thrill these days when I see a hand written envelope in the mail, standing out amidst a pile of bills, advertisements and catalogs. Emails are great, but a note or card, written out by hand, has such warmth and humanity to it! I often keep a letter from a friend for weeks, because it seems too precious to simply toss away. (Hence, my clutter problem!)

This young woman, cut from cardstock and scrapbooking paper, is clutching a letter and looking dreamy eyed. Is she about to mail it? Has she just received a life-changing missive, a love letter, a rebate check? You decide!