Getting Started...

A blank journal page can be daunting.  I like to build up background layers.

matte gel medium used to adhere torn book pages and wine label to the journal page

layer of gesso brushed randomly over top

blue acrylic paint applied with hard brayer then rubbed off with baby wipe

yellow acrylic paint applied with old credit card

orange Neocolor II crayon added to white edges; wet brushed

Next week I will post showing the progress of this journal spread.

For more inspiration, go to Pink Saturday.

How To Be An Artist

On Monday, a friend and I attended the Artist's Studio Tour sponsored by the Naples Museum of Art.  I love this event.  The artists on the tour are extremely talented and their mediums ran the gamut.  It is so much fun to see where each artist works.  Some studio spaces were tucked into a small corner while others had huge spaces with wide windows and lots of light.  Most of the artists had wonderful gardens too - tons of inspiration all around.

In Barrett Edwards' studio, I saw the neatest little frame print on the wall and Barrett let me take a picture of it.  I recreated it in PSE and share it with you here.

I framed this and it now hangs in my studio!

Go to Pink Saturday for more inspiration.

Say It With Flowers...

Here is an easy way to make a fabric flower.

Cut five circles from scrap fabric

Finger press in half;  baste stitch with strong thread near the fold line

Add each petal as above then remove needle and pull both ends of thread together; tie a square knot.

Place a small square of felt on "back" side of flower; sew beads on top of flower going through the felt on back to hold everything in place.

I used the flower to adorn a hand made thank you note.

Go to Pink Saturday for more inspiration!

Sew Happy!

I am a big time believer in Janome sewing machines.  Janome machines are work horses that just don't quit.  I have 3 Janome machines - at least I did until now!  I read about the new Horizon 7700 and just had to get one.   I sold my Janome 6500P on Craig's List; traded in my Janome 6600P for the new Janome Horizon 7700.  It is a beautiful machine with 11" x 4.7" of work space to the right of the needle - oh my!!  The machine is too big to fit into my existing sewing cabinet, so I had a new one built and gave the old one away.

I ordered a set of k-legs from Westchester Sewing Machine Co. The grey legs are perfect for my studio space - very industrial!  (My dear husband, Richard, assembled the k-legs.)  We called Jim Hall of Creative Cabinetry Corp. in Ft. Myers, FL to fashion a 20x60 formica piece for the table top.  Jim then cut a 12x27 rectangle in the top and made a shelf (using the cutout) to hold the new sewing machine.  (The new table setup cost approximately $225 - a good deal less than sewing tables I've seen on line which are much shorter in width.)

The metal drawer units are from Ikea.  I store thread, machine accessories, etc. here.

One of the many features I like about the 7700 is the free arm.  We placed the acrylic table top that came with the machine (sans legs) over the cutout.  I simply remove the acrylic table top when I need to utilize the free arm - a real time saver.  Before I had to haul out another sewing machine to do free arm sewing.

I just love my new set up and am looking forward to learning all the new features of the 7700.  This is going to be sew much fun!

Go to Pink Saturday for more inspiration.