May : Prayer flags banner finished

Creating my book for May turned into a banner of prayer flags and I'm loving it. These 'pages' definitely fulfil the brief of being a monthly creation on book pages that is small and gorgeous, mixed media and stitched. I chose my words early on and stamped them on fabric with permanent ink

Next was to create my bases of book pages topped with organza and I took the opportunity to stitch some little elements too

Then it was over to intuitive layering 

First I made piles of papers, fabric and trims that could be included

It all came together very easily after that gathering.  Enjoyed the play again of making tyvek beads

and including old lace pieces and lovely sari ribbons

 It was a joyful and heart-led project. This is the entire banner followed by close-up shots of each word flag. 

Looking forward to a new project creating my book for June.

Journal 52 : Week 21

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE.
#21 : Frolic Had to wait a bit this week until ready to frolic. Chemo is hard - on the body and on my mental state. The weekend was challenging but I was very lucky to be able to have my mum come and stay - that helped...a lot. As did watching these 2 delights together

This week I've been struggling with wanting to work from home but not being well enough until I realised I had to let that go and focus on resting and replenishing.
Inspiration for this week's card : gorgeous blues in both those viewing pleasures and I found a blue "frolic" to use instead of my usual dictionary word which is extra fun. I also had a lovely serviette with blue butterflies on my work table, some ribbon from a recent gift of baking and frolics should always be accompanied with music...Using the 5 of Clubs for my base card as work through my 5th treatment cycle.

Haven't been able to make art for a while. Feels so good to be able to do that today. The card is a bit messy and imperfect - just like me 

These are the 4 cards I've created in May.

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE 

Journal 52 : Week 20

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE.
#20: Bliss In the PDF Effy asked "What brings bliss among the ruins? What gives you comfort?" This weekend we were finally able to see people outside our bubble. Saturday was the first time I've seen and hugged my closest extended family since March. It was amazing to see them and then on Sunday I was so lucky to be gifted an amazing quilt made with love by the 7 members of my quilt house group. We were meeting weekly before Covid-19 and are talking about hopefully resuming in June. They are my bliss inspiration this week. 

I love my positive plus quilt and am staying optimistic and happy through my fight with breast cancer in no small part due to the love and support that I have from so many lovely friends and family. See more about the quilt HERE.

I decided to begin with a 7 💗 card and background paper and tape that was around my parcel. 

I love the meaning behind this one and am happy that although this isn't my best art card it captures a special feeling that will instantly reconnect me when I look back later.

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE 

Journal Jam 7 : Positive Plus

Effy Wild is sharing a weekly Journal Jam live session (Mondays 12noon EST). I'm now having to watch replays since she has rescheduled the time = 4am Tuesdays NZ Time! Since we moved to Level 2 in New Zealand last week I will normally be at work at the old time now anyway. Doesn't stop me playing : here's the replay for last week so you can have a go too. This is what Effy created from the prompts that follow :

Add Squares of paint in any colour (roll the dice for the colour 1. Red, 2. Blue, 3. Yellow, 4. Green, 5. Purple, 6. Orange) Began with squares for Journal Jam 6 - learned my lesson there and I want to keep it light this time so first covering my background with white gesso and then rolling a dice for colour : 4. Green. Used a stencil of squares in a square and thought it would be fun to use 2 different greens

Meaningful phrase or song lyric Great idea of Effy's to scribble song lyrics with white paint pen so part of the background layering. I decided to add asemic writing using Faber-Castell Pitt pen which is permanent and waterproof once dry. 

I won't be able to read it later, but I used words from a favourite Victoria Erickson poem

Quickly draw a flower Black ink applied with a Fantastix applicator. You can rinse them out for different colour use later. 

Add love hearts A good opportunity to use one of my hand-carved stamps. Still looks very much like background but happy so far that I'm in a more comfortable place than I got last time!

Draw a face Knew this was coming because of seeing Effy's spread before I started but tried not to let what she did influence my responses. I positioned a face based on those hearts coming down her forehead. Drawn in with stabilo, activated with water and sprayed with workable fixative. 

Effy didn't draw any more prompts so let's just see where this goes....got to this by Friday. I know the face and flower need work but do I need to add anything else?

And then I had my very special Positive Plus quilt delivered to me yesterday and I was able to add tape from the wrapping (perfect colours!) and 7 +s (one for each member of my quilt group) to finish my spread. That poem above is even more apt. 

This spread has so many layers of meaning now. In my experience it's worth waiting to be properly inspired before you move forward when stuck.

Special Gifted Quilt

I am feeling very loved and very lucky today. My quilt house group made me a quilt and it was delivered today 💜

Most of the group gathered back in March with fabrics they'd selected, and constructed my positive plus quilt top in a sewing day together. Then we went into lockdown. One of them quilted it with a gorgeous spiral pattern 

and now that we have moved to Level 2 and are able to move around, it was able to be delivered to another to attach the binding by machine and add the label before delivering to the last member for the final step of hand-stitching the binding to the back. Every member of the group was involved. If you click on the photos you can see the stunning quilting in more detail.

The back is almost as cool as the front!

I am doing so well. I was diagnosed with breast cancer just before Christmas via a routine mammogram. I have two more rounds of chemo to go - one tomorrow, and one more mid-June, followed by a surgical consultation in mid-July. I love my positive plus quilt and am staying optimistic and happy in no small part due to the love and support that I have from so many lovely friends and family. This is me taking delivery of my very special quilt today.

Hope you have some happy creative times this week.

Journal 52 : Week 19

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE.
#19 : Memory Knew immediately that I wanted to honour my memories of my lovely Dad whom we farewelled early February 2018. Inspired by my most recent Journal Jam (will share how this turns out soon) 

I  began by gluing paper to my card and then painted a layer of white gesso before adding the first prompt : Add squares of paint in green. I had covered a few words with clear gesso instead so they may remain visible.

When looking for a heart stamp for a later prompt on the above spread I found one I had carved of a heart within a heart = perfect. And I wanted to add a pearl to symbolise the preciousness of memory. Had the stitched leaves (perfect colour-way!) and old lace on my worktable with my prayer flag banner project. Here's the completed card

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE 

Creating a book a month : May change of direction

This was going to be a post where I shared my progress on my stitching roll. 
Follow this link to find out more about Anne Brooke's gorgeous stitch project with tutorials on YouTube. 

This past week I haven't felt very well and I've spent more time looking at other people's work than I have creating. It's been frustrating but I'm feeling better today. What I've realised, though, is that no matter how much I love looking at the examples of other people's stitching rolls on Instagram, it's just not spinning my creative wheels at present. I'm not going to do something which isn't sparking joy at present so I've packed this project idea away for another time. 

While I love to create with fabric and stitch, my greatest enjoyment happens when I add paper to that mix. One of my favourite mixed media fabric projects from the past was my gorgeous fabric banner which I created in 2014 and even taught as a class. It sits above my computer desk in my studio

Since I had such lovely gatherings and colours for my stiching roll, I'm going to use them but change my project into a banner of prayer flags. I'm letting it fit my Creating a book a month project since they are supposed to be : small and gorgeous, mixed media and stitched, and it's going to be created using old book pages as part of the base AND it's what my heart needs right now. Beginning with some paper gatherings, stamped words, using organza and stitch to sandwich paper and make some little elements. 

It's going to be an intuitive process and I'm excited again💜

I was partly inspired to begin by seeing Kasia Avery's fun Prayer Flag project. Mine will be nothing like this, but you can sign up for FREE HERE.

I also found a delightful banner inspired by Kasia's lesson here. It was featured in Somerset Studio in 2017 

Wishing you a creative week. May you be inspired to do what you love