Friday Foibles!

 

This week I got the idea to make a heart piece with a wooden heart, I had. I painted the heart in beach colors and then tried to add a paper heart with decoupage. That didn't work, the paper started bubbling up and then ripped as I tried to flatten it. So, I put another paper heart on a piece of cardboard paper to keep it stiff. That held on but just didn't have the look I wanted. So, I just used rug tape to adhere it, then added a cloth heart with tape, so later I can redo it and make it into a summer piece. Maybe even using tape so I can replace the items each season. 

This is what I had in mind when I made it. What I did, with a little photoshop magic to add flowers and items that aren't really there. Happy Valentines.

We had cold weather last weekend, so we just ride around and look for birds, I can shoot from the car. At one beach, I spotted a common eider and a group of Horned larks. One of these days I will get them, when they stay still.

At another beach I caught a Long-tailed Duck. The birds seem to give me that sideways look.

A Great Heron decided he didn't want his photo taken, either, so I just caught him before he flew off.

And I got lucky, when I saw the Belted Kingfisher, sitting on a telephone pole. I had to be sneaky and shoot from the window, so he wouldn't fly off. They are a large bird, he looks small up there.

Yesterday I woke up sick, and Bill came home sick. Since it was early, we decided to drive around the beach areas on the island. I got some pieces of glass, while I walked a bit and spotted this Song Sparrow, hiding in the bush.

At another beach, I spotted a group of Brants. They come down from the arctic to winter in our bays. And again, I get that look.

On the cove side, a Coast Guard ship, goes by the lighthouse in Newport. It was nice to get out, but today I had to rest. I guess we caught what the kids had. We have a nice weekend coming up, so hoping at least to get out for some rides. I hope this finds everyone well, and enjoying a spell of nice weather.

Friday Finishes!

This week I wanted to try something new and fun to decorate with. Also, my walls are a mess, so anything I can cover them with, is a bonus.

The first piece I made was a vintage halloween game board. I found the design on the internet and printed it out on card stock. I usually do that at night, to give the ink, time to set. Then I painted a board and antiqued that. I used antique decoupage to put it onto the board, and then more on top. Another good reason to let the ink set, you will have to press out any bubbles that form under the paper. An old credit card is great for smoothing it out.

I sprayed it with matte spray, once it was dry, then added jute for a hanger. You can also find nice boards at the craft stores now. I love how it came out, something I saw in a store, but for me it was cost free, since I had all the supplies.

Then I made two more with vintage postcards. I love the look of old postcards and there are a lot of sites that share them.

And this is where they went, behind my halloween tree. I also found some fun pumpkin bells and more vintage tags to add to the tree. Not the best photo, looks much better in person.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We have another nice one, so I am hoping to get to the beach and lower tides. Last week the kids were all sick and I guess we all got it at the same time, since I got the same thing. But, I still got out and enjoyed some time at the bay, a beautiful view of the bridge and sailboats, from a new spot that we found.

Friday Finishes!

This week I have been busy with new projects and trying new things. I enjoy experimenting and seeing where it takes me.

I wanted to try two photo transfers with two different mediums. I am still not pleased with the results, but they didn't come out too badly, considering I am using an ink jet and it is recommended to use a laser printer. I also used my laid paper, which has ridges on one side, so I printed on the smooth side.

The first is a sailboat photo, that I took from Jamestown, looking towards Newport. I used heavy gel medium, and I think the heavy is what made it harder to work with. I had to smooth it out a few times to get out the bubbles. I also had to be more careful when I removed the paper, or part of the design would come off too. There was also some slight bleeding, so a little antique medium was applied.

The second piece is another one of my photos, an old one from a kayak trip. I used the glaze medium and it seemed to work better, but it does bleed out some color, always seems to be a red. The design adhered to the board, so that it looked like it had melded into the canvas, so it was easier to get rid of the paper without taking any of the design. I also think my prints come out a bit dark, so maybe lightening them up would help and make it look more aged.

I do think I like them better on the framed canvas, but the smaller hard boards are easier to work on and great for practice, since they are cheaper. Next I will have to try some on wood.

Another project was the Stitch of the Month Club pattern from Kathy Schmitz. I really enjoyed doing this one and used DMC 115 to get a variation. The color tends to run longer with one shade, so I cut off a long piece, then recut and mix the dark and light in two strands to get this look.

And yesterday I was in the mood to paint, but my brain wasn't up to finishing the angel. So, I found a fun design from Artist's Club. This is a free design by Sharon Bond. The club is an online store for painting patterns, lots of free ones and PDF patterns for sale.

A Valentine for Nick. I added glitter to the word love and the heart eyes have glass gel in them, so it shines when you turn it to the light. I also used the glaze finish, which leaves a wonderful glassy shine, but hard to get a good photo with it.

He loves things that I make so it was fun to do. Last week he asked me if I could help him paint some rocks he found. I used to teach kids how to paint, so it will be a fun project to do together.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Finishes!

This week I am still experimenting with photo art and one type I tried is, attaching the photo, face side up. I had Bill cut out a piece of wood, but it is thicker than I would like to use. I like the thinner slat boards for art like this, but I wanted to test it first, before I do anything on good woods.

I like it in one way, but not sure if it is the thick wood, but not thrilled with how it looks. I think trying it on a white slate board, would look nicer for this technique. It is fun to try my photos in art, though.

With this one, I used decoupage to adhere it to the wood and then a coat, over the piece, then finished with a glaze medium. I also aged it a bit before I glazed it, with antique medium.

Another test was with a butterfly photo. I used the glaze medium this time and when I pressed the photo down, the colors started oozing out, so not the best medium to use. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see their was a nice print underneath.

I also used regular printer paper, which is thinner, so that may have left a better print but it was a pain to get off, the paper adhered with the glaze, so I had to be careful not to rub the design off. Overall it worked nicer than the first one with decoupage. I do think a heavier paper is nicer, so I will see if I have one without ridges. I will also try a heavy gloss gel medium, that I have. I have plenty of mediums, so fun to use what I have, to save money as I experiment. Most people seem to use the gel in this method, so hoping my heavy will work. I will also try the glaze with a heavier paper, I do like how it came out, overall.

As Michelle mentioned, most tutorials use laser printers, I am using ink jet, so you will get more color bleeding with that, but it lends to a more artistic look. I am also using cheap mini canvas squares, so not the best surface.

Another little project was a pillow I made, using a design by Ginger of Primitives by the Light of the Moon. It is a free design that she offers on her blog, along with others. I used my colored pencils and was not pleased with the look. I was trying to blend and make it look more like watercolor. I added some extra stitches, so I think that helped cover the flaws.

I did hear about using blending stumps, they look like fun to use and not expensive, so I will try those, on my next colored piece.

This design would be fun to do in punch needle too. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday Tries!

I am doing an extra posts, since I have a few things to show you and new things for Friday. I finally finished my lighthouse and not too happy with how it came out. I used a photo that I  took of the Point Judith lighthouse, so my first that I did on my own.

I used Teresa's technique for a paper background and antiquing, but the paper didn't seem to show through too well and the crackle did not work for some reason. I even got the brand she uses, so not sure what I did wrong.

Even if it is not what I was hoping for, I still enjoy practicing and learning and find it relaxing to paint.

I also got an idea, I had to try. I get distracted to easily, lol. I wanted to try a photo transfer on canvas. I used a mini canvas and reduced the photo to fit. I used Modge Podge by applying it to the canvas, then you put the photo, picture side down, onto the canvas. Once it sets over night, you use a wet sponge to get the paper off and it leaves an image.

As you can see, I didn't transfer a few pieces of the photo by the white spots and in some areas the design started to fade and mix colors in other areas. So, another experiment gone wrong, but It may have been the paper I used or the canvas, so will try again. It is fun to do and easy, so by using junk canvas or cutting out some wood to try, I keep the cost to a minimum.

I tried adding a bit of color and then antique medium to cover some of the flaws.

We had a slight warm spell on Sunday, so we got out on the beach for an hour. The tide was just going out and with the wind, the waves were coming up to high, so it was hard to find much glass. But I did get some nice pieces of driftwood. I put it in soapy water with a little bleach and now they are air drying. They lighten as they dry, but I like the darker sections too, they will be fun to use in projects.

I hope you are all enjoying your week and enjoying time to create.

Primitive Easter Eggs and More Moki!

Yesterday I needed a sewing break, so I made a new type of egg.
I had the plastic eggs that I got and wanted to do something with them, so I thought, why not try decoupage with them.

So, I took both the large and small plastic eggs and sanded them a bit to roughen the surface.
Then I Took out my scrap box and cut up pieces of fabric in varying shapes. I used a paint brush and brushed on some decoupage, then placed a piece of fabric on the egg, then brushed over the fabric with the decoupage again. You want the decoupage to soak into the fabric. I kept doing that, until the egg was covered.

Once they are done, I set them on wax paper to dry. When they were dry, I coated them with a mix of decoupage and walnut ink to antique them. Then dry again. Then I lightly sanded them to give them a worn look and reapplied walnut ink. I wet the brush with a dab of water, just enough to make the walnut coat lightly over the egg. So, if you would like to try your own, it is not hard and can be done with dollar bags of eggs. A great way to use up those small scraps. Or you can use fun prints and let the kids have some fun too.

My eggs were the type you open, so you can use those. I also had tabs on mine, so you do need to sand that piece down so it doesn't stick out in the cloth. Also, if you can get plain ones, that is best. Mine had painted designs which uses up sandpaper faster, since the paint goes onto the sandpaper.

The photos isn't great, flash always makes things look shiny. I need to make some prim chicks or something to add to the bowl.



Moki was in his cute mood today and has been running around with his toys and trying to get Casey to play with him.



Even Casey can't resist Moki's charms and in rare form, gave him a big kiss;)