My first try with GIMP

I had a little go for the first time with the GIMP program [which is free to download], the background was originally a photo of a big brown toad! The lizard was one of my older drawings which I placed on top. I can't remember what I did exactly as I was just messing about but there were 14 layers. I also wanted to get rid of the grey area round the edge but it wanted to remove other parts to so I left it. I've a lot to learn but I do like the resulting background.

Handmade Rolling Stamp

This is another rolling stamp from my collection. To make a similar one, draw the design on paper first to make sure the pattern flows correctly at the top and bottom i.e. where the join will be [measure the tube by wrapping the fun foam round it to get the correct length]. Then draw the design onto the fun foam, cut it out and stick it around a large stiff card tube [I used UHU or use the sticky backed fun foam].

Below are some of the papers I made using this stamp.

TAST week 18 Wave Stitch & a Rose

Take a Stitch Tuesday [a bit late this week]. The stitch is Wave Stitch and I did two samples. On one I have stitched one row of wave stitches and then stitched over them, slightly to one side in a different colour [DMC perle threads]. As usual I have put my samples in an altered book. If you would like to join in here is the link.

A photo I took of a rose in my garden wasn't that good so I thought I would 'mess' about with it

Giant - Illustration Friday

my drawing for Illustration Friday - Giant Butterfly

Doodle using ink, felt tips, brush pens

Sketch Book Art

Embroidered Vintage Cards

My daughter is getting married in August and as she likes vintage cards I thought I could embroider fabric prints for wedding invites. The original card is above- lower right. I tried different fabrics, some look terrible - the printer wasn't working too well anyway [they like to be used often or the heads dry up] and it just did not like printing on the fabric at all. I think I got one almost perfect print from all that I did. In fact it longer to print one than to embroider it. Some have come out with lines and some with black blobs or patches. Because they took so long to print I thought I would use them to experiment and embroider the flowers in different colourways and different thicknesses of thread to see which we preferred. But in the end I attached them to card and used them, they didn't look too bad when they were on the card. Prints of them [the pinks & lilacs with yellow] looked good too.

The printer is working much better now. If I don't use it every other day I try to remember switch it on so that it goes through its cycle [then switch off], it seems to keep the heads working.

Moss

We saw this gorgeous bank of moss [I think it used to be a wall next to a stream] earlier on in the year in Scotland. I have moss growing in my lawn, a lot of it and I was thinking perhaps if I left it, it would spread and become like one of the prized Japanese moss gardens. Unfortunately it has wisps of grass sprouting and lots of weeds too so I don't think it will ever look gorgeous. The weeds are spreading quicker than the moss. It's very springy to walk on it when I cut it [the grassy bits] with the lawnmower.

link to Japanese Moss Garden

Repeating fabric patterns

These are a few of the designs from a college degree project I did a few years ago and were designed for fabrics. They are all to do with the theme of games and they are repeating patterns. They were digitally printed onto fabric at college. Click here to see the repeat of the pattern above.

click here for pattern below

The last of the Tag Book & Illustration Friday [Satellite]

handmade book using recycled envelopes and packaging decorated with doodles, vintage postacards, found images, tags

below - before decoration

the whole book

Illustration Friday - Satellite

My idea for this subject is satellite tagging, for tracking animals. I do admit that my tag on the frog does not look at all like a satellite tag. If you want to see what they really look like - google 'satellite tags'

Tag Book [p47-49]

the doodles on the page above were inspired by a '50's' design

handmade book using recycled envelopes & packaging decorated with doodles, recycled greetings cards, vintage postcards, tags, found images

TAST, Mixed Media Sketch

Take a Stitch Tuesday [link]- week 17 - Sword Stich. This was an easy stitch [pink thread], I've included a french knot [brownish thread]between each stitch . The background fabric with other stitching is a part of a sample I did at college.

mixed media sketch - pen, watercolours & handstitching

Art Quilt Update

The textured circle above is made from string which was painted. I threaded the string thru a very large eyed needle and made a raised spiders web wheel stitch, or whipped wheel. Some perle thread stitching was also added together with beads.

The picture below is a bit bleary, but the flowers are some lovely pale peachy coloured sequins stitched onto plastic canvas [maybe rug canvas?] before being applied to the quilt.

Can you tell what the discs below are made from?

Spiders web seem to be the thing at the moment.

I have actually done a lot more to the quilt since I took these photos, & I have very sore fingers today. Not only is the fabric quite stiff in places from the paint but I keep stabbing myself with large pins or the needles and I have lots of little cuts from clearing up a broken bottle that broke into smithereens which contained wine [sob! what a waste] which was going all over the place. Me being clumsy I'm afraid & I hadn't had a drink either.

Tag Book [p43-46]

Handmade book from recycled envelopes, packaging etc decorated with doodles, found images, tags, vintage postcards etc

Alliums and Sky

We went to London, just for a night to visit our daughter who lives there and on Sunday we went to Greenich Park. In a garden at the Royal Observatory there was a lovely display of alliums, I've never seen so many of these beauties together [with an equal number of bees].

On the way home the sky was amazing, with lots of beautiful patterns. The pictures were taken in a moving car through a dirty window, so they are not the best quality. Trees and the like kept getting in the way so I didn't get the ultimate shot. The lower right hand side in the photograph below looked like a monster about to gobble something up.

Rusty Tray

Something from my garden again, not a flower this time but a rusty old tray - fabulous textures and colours

Tag Book [p40- 42]

recycled envelopes and packaging made into a book, vintage postcards, bits of greetings cards, oodles of doodles, magazine images, playing card [above -made into a tag], decorated tags, printed vintage envelope

TAST week 16 and Vintage Wallpaper

 Take a stitch Tuesday this week is Italian Knotted Border Stitch. In my stitch book it is called French Knotted Border Stitch - have you noticed how many different names there are for lots of stitches?

As usual I used DMC cotton perle5, but in a variegated colour, looks very pretty. The photo shows very clearly where I stitched in the wrong line ! need new glasses or can't count?

Does anyone remember wallpaper that you had to trim before hanging? A friend found some in a set of drawers she acquired. Glad we don't have to do that now. A great find I think tho.