Felted Postcard in Progress...

I will be adding hand embroidery to this postcard created on the embellisher machine. It was inspired by a bouquet of flowers I saw while standing in the checkout line a few weeks ago at the Acme. Bright orange and hot pink together always catches my eye... The background is made from torn strips of silk (from an old blouse), organdy and a little bit of wool roving on Kunin felt.

More Snow Dyeing...

I tried dyeing some PFD cotton in a jar with snow but the results were a little weak, so I overdyed it (still using the snow dyeing method) and got much more intense colors. I haven’t been rinsing off the fabric at all, just squeezing out the excess moisture by hand and ironing between two pieces of parchment paper until dry.

SNOW!

This photo of the backyard was taken today. The snow would be even deeper but much of it was compacted by the rain we had last night (before it snowed again).

Rockin' Robin...

Okay, is everyone singing, now? This shot was actually taken during the first snowstorm in January right outside my studio window. I grabbed my camera and made a quick shot before he flew away – all pleased with myself until I realized that I hadn’t turned back the exposure from the last time I used the camera. The photo was terribly overexposed. But I wanted to preserve the memory of that colorful bird perched in the holly tree with the red berries and the snow – so I used a couple of Photoshop filters and got this result. I think it resembles a vintage illustration from an old postcard. I am happy with this image and am thinking about printing it directly on fabric after I get my inkjet printer up and running.

Everybody’s Doin’ it!

Snow dyeing is my February Art Experiment There are directions for this process all over blogland. This is my first attempt and, if nothing else, it will serve as a little memento of Snowmageddon.” I used a piece of wet, slightly crumpled PFD cotton and draped it over a couple of inverted plastic bowls so the excess paint and snow could drain off. I used Dye-Na- Flow fabric colors. The first image is of the snow on the fabric with the dripped paint. The second is the final product. I kinda like it! When DH saw it he said, “Oooh, tie-dye!” The old hippie...

Waiting for Mr. Darcy...

DH and I are thoroughly enjoying the “Emma” series currently running on PBS. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I have been on a Jane Austen kick since last summer. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, so far, with the aim of reading all of her novels. I have them downloaded to my E-reader and ready to go!

I'm particularly inspired by the fashions of the Regency period and have purchased a few patterns to create costumes for my Ellowyne dolls. Here is my first attempt modeled by dear Pru. I think it really suits her. The fabric is just some old quilting cotton from my stash. Prints on dresses from this period were mainly small floral or fern designs.

Binky and Vince

I had to share this photo of Binky and his little friend, Vince (sleeping). Vince is one of the feral kittens we captured last summer. He has gone from being completely wild (His folder at the vet's office was marked "DANGEROUS.") to being the most affectionate cat we’ve ever had. He loves to cuddle with us and all the other cats. Tony, Vince’s brother, is taking a bit longer to tame but he is making progress. He doesn’t exactly love being held (like Vince!) but he tolerates it. He does enjoy a good belly rub – with much purring and kneading of paws in the air. And he gets along great with the other cats.

It makes me sad to think of all the potentially great pets that are destroyed because shelters don’t have the necessary resources or personnel to work with them.

“Nothing cures like time and love.” Laura Nyro