Boring Flower Photos?

I saw some beautiful raindrops today on my way out.

I didn't want to take flower pictures - they are the most difficult thing to really *capture* in my opinion. Instead I decided to take some photos of the raindrops with the flowers as their backgrounds ;-)

It's Been a Busy Week!

Just a short post to tell you about what we've been doing these past seven days!

We removed the carpet in our dining room and hallway to make way for a new hardwood floor. This is my monkey scrubbing the floor with bleach. Our kittens had a couple of "accidents" and we wanted to get rid of any lingering smell before the new floor goes in.

We're now down to a plywood floor which feels great on the feet but is littered with nails and patches. It will be nice to get the new floor laid down.

What are your summer projects?

A New Experiment

A few days ago I told you about an artist that I've been stalking admiring, Elizabeth Cherry Owen.

Click here for that post.

I set out some fabrics that I like together, then I got to work.

Here are some pics of what I've been working on - so fun! :)

I LOVE the swirly stitching and blue-toned buttons :) This part is my favourite.

Here is a close-up of some of the stitching that I did!!

And here it is in its entirety - it's about 10" x 30"

Don't Be Alarmed!

As you know, I am a religious blogger, posting new musings every weekday without fail.

In the upcoming weeks, however, I may not be as reliable. I am away for most of July, and starting next week will have less time to dedicate to blogging.

My summer holidays start at the end of June, and while I am planning to explore some great art, I may not blog about everything that I'm doing regularly.

Don't worry though! I'll still keep all of you lovely people in the loop regarding any big discoveries!

In the meantime, enjoy summer and step out of your comfort zone. Try an new craft or work your way into a new colour group.

xo,
Shannon

Planning Out a New Project

I've been dividing my time between stalking and drooling over Elizabeth Cherry Owen and her incredible artwork.

I honestly spent over 30 minutes marvelling over her work and feeling more and more inspired. It's mixed media taken to a whole other level!

Please! Have a look at her site and tell me you love her art!!! You won't be sorry.

http://www.elizabethcherryowen.com/

Here are some photos of my own preparation for a piece of work inspired by the amazing Elizabeth Cherry Owen.

Can you guess what colour I'm leaning towards...? :)

I'm thinking that a mixture of patterns and solids will work well.

And different textures too!

I Organized My Fabric Cupboard!

The title says it all! I spent a few hours this weekend folding, sorting and organizing my fabric cupboard!

I'm so happy with how it looks. The cabinet is a $20 craigslist find and the wooden box holding the fabrics was on the side of the road!



This wooden box makes me swoon! I carefully folded all of my smaller pieces of fabric and lined them up so that I could see them all. Perfect for grabbing a pattern or colour that I need when I'm making journals!



I love this photo. the fabrics are so lovely and the lace just adds a little touch of femininity!

A Fat Fabric Journal

And when I say "fat", I mean luscious, voluptuous, and full of life!

I watched Teesha Moore's Fabric Journal series and couldn't help but get started on my own!

Here is the first video if you're curious - her journals are so beautiful and whimsical! She remains a huge inspiration for me.

I showed my friend sue the pieces that I was working on (just simple "pillow" as Teesha calls them, and she requested a custom journal right away!

Here is a shot of the pillows that I made and stitched together for Sue's journal:

Different fabrics and colourful threads really added a great whimsy to the project.

I added buttons for some different shape and texture.

Here is the cover with all of my signatures. I used a hammer and nail to punch the holes into the signatures.

I made signatures of 10 sheets - here is a close-up of the stitching that I used to fasten the signatures into the covers.

Here is the front cover.

This is the spine once I had sewn in all of the signatures.

Here is a close-up of the stitches of the signatures to the fabric-pillow spine.

Here is a glimpse of the edge - nice and fat!

And here is the front cover. I stitched a tie strap onto the back cover so that the journal could be help close with wrapping.

I have another journal of the same style that is now for sale in my etsy shop! Blues and greens and buttons and beads!!! :)