Orb Inchie Mosaic

Yes, I was a little over ambious when making inchies for the swap at ArtFiber Fest. They were so cute sitting together on my table that I had to create a mosaic. Once again, color combos that I wouldn't normally use, but I like this one much better than my green and orange bookmark. I didn't have anything to mount them on, so I painted up a canvas. I used orange, green, and purple along with several layers of gesso. Here is the prosession of layers. In the end, I added a lot of gesso on top to mellow everything out.

While the Cats Away . . .

My husband spent last weekend turkey hunting for the first time. My mother-in-law gave me a break Saturday afternoon and took the kids for 7 hours. I haven't had seven hours home alone in much longer than I can remember. Despite having a rather cruddy cold, I had to do something creative. First I painted a bunch of watercolor paper. Very fun to just play with the colors. I had the entire kitchen floor covered with paper! These were also painted on both sides so I could use them for bookmarks.

While the paint dried, I tried my hand at embossing. My parents gave me a bunch of embossing powder and UTEE for Christmas, but I haven't had the chance to play with it. I wasn't having the best of luck using paper. My ink kept drying before I had the chance to add the powder. Instead of getting frustrated, I moved on to washers. I have some rather large ones that made a great surface for the UTEE. I stamped words into the hot enamel. I need to work on my technique, but I think this is something I definetly want to explore more.

Then I had all those papers laying around and the inchies that I have been working on. I had to do something with them, so more bookmarks and gift tags. (Okay, I didn't finish them all during that seven hours, but I got a good start and then finished them over the last couple days.) I think I am going to take them with me to ArtFiber Fest in June. The theme is "Orbs" so they will make perfect giveaways. Some people like to trade, but I don't want to leave anyone out who didn't bring a trade. I prefer to call them gifts. So if you are at AFF this year, make sure to come find me.

And for some reason, I just had to try orange and green -- not so sure about the color combination. I figured it couldn't hurt to try and it is always good to break out of one's comfort zone. I think I prefer orange and pink or orange and purple.

My Art To Do List for Today

I've been busy creating quite the pile of inchies for a couple swaps. Now I just need to put the backing on them. I didn't have any fabric that would work, so I quickly dyed some up in the microwave with some Rit dye I had hanging around. I love how it turned out and it was so easy! Judy Coates Perez wrote an article about it for Quilting Arts. I highly recommend you check it out!

I also need to put the backing on some ATCs for another swap. The theme is "music." I named these "Song of my Hidden Heart." The horizontal ribbons reminded me of sheet music and the round washers of notes. I really know nothing about music, but I guess that is also the nature of the songs hidden so deep within our hearts. Its time to learn!

Ready for More Reading

I can't help myself -- I just love making these bookmarks. My kids ask me what I am going to do with all of them. I don't know. I just love the process. I have some in my Etsy shop, but currently sales are a little slow. If I was organized and got out of the house without the kids, I could approach some of the bookstores around town. One day I will. I secretly dream of selling them wholesale, big time. For now I will just enjoy them and see where life takes me. (Plus, I just ordered more than a few books, so I am all set to mark my places.)

Day Dreaming at Twelve by Twelve and Other Fun Stuff

Forgive me -- family life has been a little busy and I haven't had the energy to do much posting lately. Back on April 1st we had our "Window" reveal on Twelve by Twelve. We left the same day for a quick trip down to sunny California, so I didn't get a chance to mention it over here. Make sure to pop over and check out everyone's wonderful quilts. Our next challenge is "Identity." I have some ideas brewing, but in a very chaotic state at the moment. We'll see what develops.

Most of my latest projects are half finished. I'm working on something for Art Fiber Fest this June. The theme is "Orbs" so I have been exploring circles. I'm usually very angular. It's good to explore a new direction. I've also made a few bookmarks and some note cards. I've been enjoying just playing without much pressure.