Four Seasons, finished

The beginning is often difficult. It is hard to believe in something that is just about hundred stitches on a circular needle. I try to make sketches before I actually begin because it gives some hope that there will be a final product in the end. This time I had a lot to do. Lining, flaps and all. I know designing should be simplifying but this time I just had to put all the ideas in the one bag!

At my day job I do simplify, simplify, simplify. But this bag just needed all these details! And, because making these bags is not my day job, I can be as crazy as I want, eh?

I am so inspired by the queens of the 18th and 19th century. I pictured some noble women in their grand gardens carrying their treasures. They would be surrounded by the trees ... Trees! Why not make a bag showing all four seasons using the forms of a tree!

That's how this started.

I have been learning a new skill: spinning! My new spinning wheel is a beauty and truly wonderful. The yarn is not the prettiest possible but it's very dear to me! I am excited about the possibilities spinning can offer! Being close to fibers is just uplifting.

Zlightly Zetti challenge

A page for the deco booklet "Red And Black".

I am participating The Three Muses Challenge, this week's theme is Zlightly Zetti. This means you have to make something similar to Teesha Moore's style. I LOVE her style, of course, as I love everything that is overwhelming in details.

If you like Teesha's style and are looking for a great book, get Mixed -Media Collage by Holly Harrison. Great book, including Teesha Moore and other great collage artists, plus lots of reading and ideas.

Back to the little collage I made for the challenge. I wanted to include some humor in it, the woman in the collage looks a lot like me and well, aren't we all bit selfish at times! It's actually my aunt's face there, it's amazing how I never realized I look so much like her.

The upper body is from a print received with Somerset Studio magazine. The triangles in the left are motifs cut from Basic Gray scrapbooking papers. All the other elements are my own creation including the painted background.

Weird People

A page for the deco booklet "My Family".

There's no real Cousin Cathy and it's not snowing in Finland yet. I sometimes enjoy making these weird imaginary people by following Claudine Hellmuth's concept. You just need to paint the background, then cut a head and finally add some clothes from small leftover paper scraps.

This is the first time I participate Theme Thursday. The theme is script writing. I had a script stamp that looks a bit like crochet, especially if it's laid diagonally like in the hat.

Back to Claudine Hellmuth. If you consider purchasing her book, I would recommend the sceond one, Collage Discovery Workshop - Beyond the Unexpected. It is all about making weird people and does not require much skills, the concept is more about imagination.

New Envelope for the Vintage Card

An old postcard with a new envelope.

I love old postcards and collect them for my collages. I had to make a birthday card and came up with the idea of using both the original card and the copy of it. First I made an envelope using one of Elle's Studio free templates. Then I made the background for the card and fold it in half. I designed and printed the back side of the card based on the original picture. I use Adobe Photoshop for processing images.

Back side of the card and the envelope.

After this project, I am quite excited about envelopes. They can be great backgrounds for collage work.

Sarah Kay and Her Relatives

The front page of the deco "Sarah Kay".

I was a child in the 70s and teenager in the 80s. Sarah Kay was very popular that time. Now, when her drawings are making a come back, I find them so appealing, mostly because of the nostalgia connected to them. I could not resist buying a couple of Sarah Kay stamps in the summer and I still love to use them.

I also think there's a lot of patchwork style in Sarah Kay. I have been quilting for tens of years and find all those calico fabrics so sweet and pretty.

A small quilt presenting Sunbonnet Sue.

Here's a photo of one of the little quilts I made over 10 years ago. I find Sunbonnet Sue very similar to Sarah Kay characters.

Another character of the 70s is Holly Hobbie. She has been modernized nowadays but the original Holly Hobbie is definitely a cousin to Sunbonnet Sue and Sarah Kay's characters. Very cute, wearing cotton dresses and big hats.

Summer Memories

A page for the deco booklet "Summer Feelings"

As I am so inspired by scrapbooking at the moment, I wanted to make a deco page using an old photo from my photo album. First, I scanned the faded photo taken in 1972. There's me and the biggest carrot of the summer! Then, I decorated the page with the papers and cut outs from my stash. I used mostly papers that I have painted myself, some with watercolors, some with acrylic paints. Even if I do buy papers for my papercrafting projects, I find it difficult to get the similar strong effects and hues what hand painted papers can hold.

In The Garden

The front page of the deco "In The Garden".

I love tulips and this spring I had some exceptionally beautiful ones. I made a deco booklet where my tulips are at the front page. First I painted the background with watercolors. Then I printed some of my photos on the watercolor printing paper and made the collage. Home made polymer clay bead finishes this little booklet.