Play Day

What a wonderful Saturday spent mostly in my craft room. I began the day working on a jigsaw puzzle, OK, so that's not really creative, but it was relaxing. And then I headed up to my craft room, I mean studio (sounds so much more grown up) and began to play.

I already posted my first project, a small watercolor in my art journal. My next was another small watercolor, this time for a card front.

I practiced free motion sewing and quickly learned that I need lots of practice if I'm ever going to complete a small quilt project.  I want to make some wall hangings, but believe me it may be next Christmas before I've mastered this and can actually do something I would be willing to show!

And then I decided to make another felt iPad cover. I made one several months ago after my iPad slipped out of my arms and shattered! Real bummer by the way! :-(





This is the beginning, some solid felt and beautiful wool roving and my fabulous needle felting machine. The next picture is of roving and embellishments to add to cover



And now the final pictures and I'm pleased.


Love the butterfly and all of the sparkle.  Unfortunately the sparkle doesn't really show up well in the pictures, but there's lot of it!  I especially like the three crystals for the butterfly body.  These are so much fun to make and easy too!



I can't remember when I've had an entire day that I could spend playing with my crafty stuff.  It was so nice to just do and not feel like I was rushed.  We all need those days and I'm so thankful Saturday was mine.

Here's hoping this inspires you to take a day and enjoy creating!



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Fuchsia - A One Color Painting

Late last year I got a really cool sketch book. Now I didn't understand how soft or textured the paper was, I just knew I loved the texture of the cover and that the paper wasn't typical. It was handmade with ragged edges and I loved it.

Love this cover - textured paper!

The first sketch I used markers and the paper was just too soft and allowed very intense colors (no picture). I used a few more pages with watercolors and they were better. I added a couple of drawings I'd done on other medium with brads and then today as I wondered what to do I picked up the book, flipped to a new page and with my Pitt artist pen I sketched a flower. I then picked out my Derwent Inktense Fuchsia (0700) pencil and decided to see if I could do the entire painting with just one pencil. Here is my finished page!




love how the heavy texture of the paper helped give dimension to the flower and shading with the one color and some white space worked.

Hope you enjoy my experiment in color.





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A Paper Kind of Day

I just love this paper making thing I'm into right now. I love using scraps and almost never knowing for sure what the finished paper will look like.

Would be kind of hard to make a set of matching papers, but who wants matching papers?  Not me! However, I made a solid yellow (see right) and I know how I made it, so I guess if if I ever wanted more than one sheet of yellow, that one I can do!  :) but mostly I just love throwing some scraps in the blender and being surprised.

So today I started with a white base, but, being the "imperfectionst" (my word) that I am, I didn't bother to rinse out the blender and there was some red pulp residue in it, so I quickly had pink. I poured it into the mold and then swirled some blue and green pulp around in the pink pulp and water and pulled it out to drain.











This is one side and this is the other and both of these pictures are when the paper is wet!







So another surprise when it dried. Can you believe how they change?  The color becomes so much lighter and sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't.

With this one I prefer the lighter color and I love how different the sides are, but yesterday trying to make a dark red, lighter wasn't the look I wanted. Oh, well a pretty pink was born.

Quickly changing gears I did a quick watercolor for the front of a card for a friend.  I have so many friends going through major trials right now, that I really need to do about four more, but that will have  to come later tonight.

So with this I will close my post, make the card and get it ready to mail and get back to paper making and flower  painting after dinner.  My sweet husband is having dinner out and so that means a quick something for me and back to fun!

See you soon with more surprises.




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Moose You So Much

Moose You So Much - available now

What a couple of days!  I'm learning that working in a store is hard work whether it's physical or virtual!  I've been filling up my little booth in KT Antiques in Katy, TX and my Etsy store.  One is filled with collectibles and the other has one collectible (Charlie Tuna) and rubber stamp sets.  I have plans for much more, but right now I'm concentrating on the rubber stamps.

As I try to make some much needed space in my craft room, I'm sorting through my Stampin' Up! stamp sets and placing them for sale in my Etsy Store.  I listed the first of the sets on Friday and sold one on Saturday - very exciting!  Now just about another 100 and I'll have some room.  :)

If you would like to check out my Etsy Store - my shop name is Bev Ann's Attic, of course, when you see it there, it's all together, so here's the link, BevAnnsAttic.

I just have about 12 items listed right now, but will be adding more each day, just as I also fill up my store in Katy.  

And during all of this, I'm also trying to make some paper, sew a stitch or two and paint on fabric and garden stones. Hopefully, I'll have some fun things to post soon.  Hope you're just as busy, but with more time to craft.  Check back soon to see what I'm up to next and encourage me by commenting below and telling me what you're up to.  What's going on with you in this new year?

Later,

Handmade Paper

Handmade paper - so much fun and so many possibilities!  I have wanted to make paper forever.  I have saved scraps from my cards and have lots of other scrap paper - how cool is it that this can be used to make all sorts of new paper.

On Facebook I follow such a fun young woman. You can check out her blog by clicking here. Mel specializes in mixed media ATC's, but the other day she posted a picture of a sheet of handmade paper that she made from Christmas gift wrap.  I had to know how!  I commented on her post and she quickly forwarded me a link for a kit for making paper.  I ordered it that very day and began my paper making.

I love anything that allows you to succeed on your first try and making paper is just that easy.  Don't misunderstand me, there's much to learn to make different papers and to make them well, but I do promise that you can make a piece of paper on your first try!

My first piece is a little thick.  You know the philosophy, if one is good then three or four is better.  Well, never mind the directions, I used as much paper as I wanted to make my pulp and I learned a lesson.  Yes, I made a new sheet of paper, but it's not what I want to make all of the time. Success with room to improve.  But, don't think for a minute that I learned that lesson on the first piece, no I have three or four very thick pieces.  I will use them for something,  (great for die cut machine) but finally I have reduced the amount of pulp and am liking my paper even more. I guess all thicknesses have a place.

I have made colored pulp to add to my white or light colored pulp and have it ready to go.  I've learned that you can add a minor ingredient and make acid free paper, perfect for scrapbooking.  I'm planning to add some lavender buds to some paper, they say it retains it's scent and I'll let you know if that's true, probably as soon as tomorrow.

In the first couple of days I experimented with flower petals and leaves, see example on left.  Today, it was just seeing the subtle change in color by using white or cream color base pulp.  I want to learn recipes so that I can make multiple sheets of the same (close to the same) color to use for invitations, table decorations etc. All I know right now is that it's just way too much fun and the cost is negligible!  After all, who doesn't have scrap paper - no more shredding, no more landfill, just a very green hobby.


Come see what I make tomorrow!