Valentine Post Cards

I made these Valentine Post Cards in January for my family.  They are created to look like postcards, but I actually mailed them in handmade envelopes because the embellishments would not stand up to postal handling if they were sent as postcards.  I had rubber stamps I used to achieve the postcard look, and I used a digital download from Etsy to make the faux postage stamps.   The wallpaper embellishments are Tim Holtz, and I picked up the cute wooden hearts in Hobby Lobby.

Sappho Journal Published in Winter Art Journaling

Lately I've been trying my hand at creating journals. This summer I submitted this Sappho journal to Art Journaling magazine, and I was pleased that they included three pictures of the journal in the Gallery section of the Winter issue. One page has a picture of the journal front cover, and the other page has images of both the front and back inside covers.

The journal cover is a repurposed gift bag front the Getter Center in Los Angeles. The journal is tied shut with a piece of very soft antique ribbon. Sappho was a Greek poet, and I thought the image on the bag reflected Greek theme. 

Later on, I think I will also include pictures I took in addition to the images that appear in the magazine. That will give you a look inside the journal.

 

 India Chindi Rug Deconstruction

It's been a long time since I've written in my blog.  I know the main reason is because I have to transfer photos from my iPhone to my computer.  I thought it was very handy to be able to use the Blogger app on my phone, but Google did away with it. 

*****************

I belong to a group on Facebook where some of the members were talking about taking apart India Chindi rugs.  The amount of amazing fabric you get from one $4 rug is phenomenal.

I bought my rug from At Home for only $4, and it was pretty easy to take apart.  Mine didn't seem to be as dirty as a few of the women mentioned.  Afterwards, I washed the fabric on the hand wash cycle in my washing machine, with mild detergent and fabric softener.  I hung them on a drying rack to dry.

Here are a few pictures:

 

Mixed Media Cards

I created a few mixed media cards using images cut from a vintage fabric remnant, a foreign stamp, and pieces of pearlized lace.

Valentine Cards

             
    I created a set of Valentine cards from various scraps that I sent to my Peeps.

My First Junk Journal

Garden Junk Journal

Front Cover

Here is a little flip through video of my first junk journal. It is a garden journal that I created for one of my sisters who likes to write in topic specific journals.

Full video on YouTube

















I kept it simple for my first journal, and there is only one signature that totals 28 pages. There are 16 blank pages that she will be able to write on.

The pages are all from a huge register book from a church dating in the 1920s that has has pages with very nice penmanship.

The graphics are all from a garden book this same sister gave to me a long time ago to cut up and use. The paper is like newspaper, but somewhat thicker and more durable.

The postcard on the cover is dated 1901, and the message is written in beautiful handwriting on the front.

I picked up the rose ribbon at a quilt show just knowing I’d use it for something someday. Here I used the ribbon to add strength to the edges of the cover, and to hide the binding stitches on the spine.

The cover itself is from a thick textured red paper that I dry brushed with white & charcoal chalk paint.
That was fun, and now I think I might be hooked. 😊

Inside front cover and first page

Middle of journal showing thread binding

Inside back cover and last page

Back Cover

Salt Box Shrines

My sister and I enjoyed a craft day together during her stay with me. 

I cut an article from a 2008 Stampington magazine

titled: Salt Box Shrines by Linda Warlyn

We had the same stash of items to pick from.

Mine turned out mostly pink.

My sister's turned out mostly blue.

This was a very fun craft day!

Triptych Art Exchange

I realize I almost never blog any more, but I realize it is because Blogger no longer has an app they support.  I had gotten used to taking pictures with my iPhone, and then I could write a quick blog post on the run.  Those days are gone!

I've gotten more involved with Facebook, and I've joined a few art groups that are fun and inspiring as well.  I participated in a couple swaps not long ago, and this is one of them:

It is a triptych that needed to hang.  I made mine using rusted fabric, old Russian stamps, and vintage lace, ribbon and of course a button.

My partner made hers from paper that she echo printed, bird stamps and letters, lace and of course buttons.  I love it!  I'm hoping to try echo printing on fabric when the leaves turn colors this fall.

How is that for a better late than never post?  I'm going to try to do so much better, and in fact, I've emailed a few pictures to myself that I'll blog about soon.  Until then I'll take a look at what all of you are up to.

Road 2 California Quilt Show With Baby Sister

My baby sister and I go to the quilt show every year. It’s held at the convention center in Ontario California. There were a couple of spots marked to take selfies, and here is my attempt.

Summer Trip With My Sister

My sister and I took a driving trip this summer from Kentucky through Iowa and South Dakota and into Wyoming.  We were on the road for 17 days, and we had a blast!  She and I lived in South Dakota as girls, and it was great to go back to see some of the places we live, some relatives and we were also able to attend a school reunion for the last school we attended in South Dakota before moving to California.

Heading out on our adventure

My picture with Frank Fritz from American Pickers - supper nice man.

We visited Antique Archaeology from the American Pickers TV show in Le Claire, Iowa

We visited places where both our ancestors and our family once lived, and went to an all school reunion for Sinai, SD that was held in Brookings, SD.  It was great to see classmates from so many years ago!

Chruch where our parents married in Woonsocket, SD - We swan in this lake with our cousins many times as kids.

Falls Park - Big Sioux River and falls in Sioux Falls, SD where we both were born.

Rainbow after storm passed in the Badlands, South Dakota

We had a wonderful time at Mount Rushmore - spectacular!

My sister at dinner in Wyoming town.

There is a 1.3 mile trail that circles Devils Tower in Wyoming - easy hike.