Anything but Rectangle or Square

This is my entry in the Create byhand weekly challenge.
I was wanting to send a RAK and this fit the bill for the challenge as well.
I cut light chipboard with the Wizard using the dahlia and star nestibilities. cuttlebug embossed and put on lots of ranger metallic paint dabber and metallic rub on paste. I painted the center with twinkling h2o's, stamped with the quietfire flourish, then with the create without limits stamp and clear embossed that and then tried to hold back.
The RAK recipient is a digital friend and I don't know how much flash she would wear.
The backing is hand made royal purple felt, and the pin back can be used as a brooch or a necklace. There is some stickles glitter glue on it too.
I was glad to get this done with all the excitement of opening the Black Mountain Yarn Shop and another major snow storm and upcoming trip to Taos.

Gift Card Holder

This is my entry in the Created By Hand Tuesday Challenge-gift holder.
I got this template from Gina K over at Stamp
TV. They have a video most Wednesdays that jump starts my creativity. For the background of the patterned paper I used twinkling H2O's spread on my craft sheet ,sprinkled with Schmincke dry gouache, rich gold. I laid heavy white cardstock on the paint and let it dry. Stamps are Quietfire butterfly and flourish
I used Brillance Galaxy gold for the flourish and thumped the butterfly stamp with various colors of brush markers. The holder
backing is a heavy card stock from stash. I wish I had run it through a n embossing folder for more interest. Next time.
I love the way this presents a gift card, or here a gift certificate for the new Yarn shop(shameless hint)Black Mountain Yarn Shop Please leave a comment

Grand Opening Black Mountain Yarn Shop

My new home away from home, The Black Mountain Yarn Shop, is almost ready to open Wednesday January 27. We will have a Grand Opening Saturday, January 30, with demo's. prizes, food, and surprises. Even I don't know what the surprises are. Coame and surprise me!.
I'll be teaching technique classes- the first one is The Mystery of Gauge. Soon to come- Yarn anatomy 101, using double points, knitting in the round on 2 circulars, knitting 2 socks or mitts on 1 circular, and I hope to soon be able to teach spinning and some small loom weaving, and dream on, have a space for paper and book arts- paper IS A FIBER!
We had a staff meeting yesterday and I can't wait for you to come in and meet the shop girls, , Jeanine, Priscilla, Robyn(that's me) and owner Donna.
We are specializing in classic yarns and natural fibers and Locally spun and dyed yarns.
All questions and suggestions are welcomed. Please ask us anything and let us know what you want from BMYS.
Yes we want to sell yarn and supplies AND we want to serve the community.
This blog accepts praise, kind thoughts, good vibes and cash donations.
leave a comment

Waiting for spring

I am blessed to spend time creating with young friends. Today Kayla-age ten-gifted me with these watercolors paintings. I knew the Byhand Tuesday Challenge would inspire me to use them.
The background is a christmas card-I've had enough snow this winter to last a life time.
The sentiments-Wishing and Please Come are versa mark stamped and heat embossed with Ranger superfine embossing powder . I used the Quickie glue pen to stick on the tiny punchouts.
I'm ready and wishing-Please come Spring!

Expanding Heart

I used the template from the Quitefire project of the week for this card for my dear friend Chris. She is truly a woman with an expansive heart.
I traced the heart on a piece of handmade paper and ran it throught the Wizard with the heart cuttlebug embossing folder. I added a tab on the left so i could attach it to the pink cardstock.
I used Glaze and Stardust pens and the heart stamp I carved myself.

Gratitude

This weeks Tuesday Byhand Challenge is "gratitude with pocket".
I woke to a grey and steely sky knowing it was snowing somewhere( soon here) and filled with gratitude for my warm house. I pray a lot for people and animals out in the cold. I'm grateful for shelters, inner and outer.
I haven't seen my bear since before thanksgiving and hope he is safe and warm in his den as this bear is in his pocket.
The background is versa magic chalk ink
I used a Pilot Parallel Pen available through, Quitefire, to write gratitude with watercolors.
Stamps I have collected along the way.
Click on the pix to get a larger image.
please leave a comment

Loom Love

This week I had the pleasure of assembling a Beka cherry 36" eight harness loom.
The loom had been in storage and was delivered to a neighbors light filled spacious basement for her niece.
It was love at first sight and as it took less than two hours from start to finish, I think the feeling is mutual.
Aside from the wood being dusty and dry, all the parts were there and only the friction break needed some jerry-rigging. The rachet teeth on the front beam are small enough to finely adjust tension
The loom is well proportioned, lovely to look at and has the simple tieup system of Macomber wires and the smooth operating jacks of Schacht looms and enough weight if you want to weave rugs.
The customer service folks at Beka informed me this loom was sold to Muggins Barn in Franklin, NC January 31, 1984. Leave a comment if you know anything about Muggins
There is also an element of studio envy.
I'm longing for a community studio space where I can enjoy my own beautiful and finely crafted fiber tools and share my love of fiberarts.(shout out to Leslie Owens, Nice Threads, for loaning me her beautiful eight harness loom-she is a fine roommate{the loom }).

Heavy Metal

This is my first entry in the Ranger link monthly challenge.
This was a hard one to start with- couldn't get a handle on the theme
the background is distress reinkers-faded jeans and fired brick. I cut the bus and trees with spellbinders dies and soda cans and put AI inks on them and then a bunch of stickles. I doodled with the inkssential white pen and dabbed some silver metallic paint around.
i was going for a psychedelic look- it's a little hard to see in the pix
I'm keeping this post simple to make myself feel better about the last one.
leave a comment please

Green, orange and pockets

I just spent an hour doing this post and it looked fine in the preview, and as you can see it is a mess. anybody know what I am doing wrong? I know it has to do with formatting and i don't know what I am doing wrong? I had pix on the left and right of each card and text inbetween and now it's all over the place. arrrrgh.

This months Byhand ATC swap spoke to me. This is the most fun I ever had making ATC's and while I feel sad to part with them I hope they give as much enjoyment to the recipients as I got creating them and, I can't wait to see what I will get.Shout out to the USPS.

Tisket a Tasket

embossed with a cuttlebug folder

paper collage,cloth pocket
stardust pens
the letters come out of the pockets!

Chrysalis

Butterfly stamp Quietfire
--they come out---

embossed with a fiskers plate
stardust pens
paper collage

ART ART ART

background is watercolor
on a silicon sheet and press
water color paper into it
removable card in back pocket

Are you wearing green?

fabric collage

stardust pens

Leave a note
embossed with cuttlebug folder
paper collage pockets with note inside

Carrots
versamark resist with pan pastels
removeable carrots in pockets
stickles

I hope you enjoy viewing these and join in the next swap.
I'm learning something new everyday about creating these posts and am open to suggestions.
There must be some way to do this faster than I am doing it.

Please leave a comment.

Be Free

This weeks By hand Challenege is, "Free".
I feel very free when I sing.
why do butterflies signify freedom?
The background is luminescent japanese water color
Stamps are Quietfire (still can't seem to embed a live link? help here please)
Flourish versamark stamped and pan pastels on top
Star dust pens on the message.
here is the link to the challenge-or it's in the sidebar.
created byhand challenge

Star of David

I was just asked for weaving draft for a Star of David. I wove this as a challah cloth of a wedding gift a few years ago for a cousin. The original draft came from handweaving.net and I mess about with it till I was happy with the result.
The fiber is Tencel woven at 24epi and 24 ppi, woven on an 8 shafts. I changed the tredleing to a birds eye twill for the body of the towel.
I love weaving for worship. I made tallit for two of my nephews and look forward to weaving one for my niece in the near future.


I have the draft saved as a word doc-I wish it was a WIF, and can't figure out how to get it on this page.
leave a comment if you can help with that.
I'm new at this and I'm teachable.

The Fabric of Peace

More from the past...last June I completed a quilt block for an international peace quilt sponsored by The Regional Center for Women in the Arts in West Chester, PA.
My daughter had made me some blocks of mother and child a la Mary Cassatt,and they spoke peace to me. so I pieced them into this block.
From their website.
"The Fabric of Peace is an on-going project begun in 2008. Women artists from around the world are creating fabric swatches which will be assembled to create a quilt. The quilt will be displayed in the United States and abroad. The Fabric of Peace is a positive statement by women, connecting our shared interest in keeping peace in the world."
I mailed it off to them and never heard anything. If you know anything about this project please leave a comment.

felting with Leslie

I had the great pleasure of spending a joyful, creative Tuesday last week, 3D wet felting with Leslie Owens- co-founding member of Fiber Action Cooperative.
I arrived with 2 towels and lunch and left with finished pair of corridale wool slippers for my daughter.
Leslie's studio is comfortable and she has a great selection of colors and embellishments to choose from.
I have wet felted before and Leslie's teaching technique and style both simplified and sophisticated the process and i was thrilled with the result.
Leslie demoed a 3D box for the coasters the group made the day before and another participant made a slip case for one of her hand crafted books so we all learned from each others discovers and mistakes.
Lunch was enjoyed on Leslie's sun filled porch.
Vitamin D, great conversation and fiber.
Who could ask for more?
Check out Leslie's upcoming classes at her web page-Nice Threads- link in the sidebar

http://web.mac.com/leslieowens