Inktense Fabric Painting - Sunrise

I decided to invest in Derwent Inktense ink colors for coloring fabric. My sister and nieces have had them for a while.

The come in different formats - pan, pencil and blocks.

I chose the pans since I do  some watercolor and they were the least investment should it not work out.  I also went to Delta Art and bought the Inktense 2400 Outliner which is a black drawing pencil not is non soluble so it will not run when you paint over it

My sister and niece have experienced the color seeping into other areas of their embroidery when painting with water.  Several videos I watched suggested using aloe vera gel instead of water to activate the ink. 

I drew my composition on a piece of cotton with the Outliner then painted. I had some pure aloe vera gel in my fridge so I decided to give it a try.  It works very well. 

I just a small brush for my edges and concentrated ink.  I used my regular watercolor ceramic palette and blended colors as I wanted with the gel. You do have to rinse your brush in water when changing colors.  The seeping you see on the roof of the house was a result of my not drying my brush after using water to rinse so it was too fluid and so it ran.  

I set the painting with my hot steam iron.  I ran it in water after the setting and the color did not run at all. 

Yes, this is a winner.

Art Show - Open Arts Reception

Well, it was quite a night.  We have 140 pieces in the show and we had a great number of people in attendance. The food was good, sorry no pics.

I headed to the reception with no idea what was coming. The email with the news arrived after I checked email this morning.

All three of my pieces placed!  Wow, what an amazing thing.  I hit a cord with the judges. 

You can find my submissions post here. 

First and Honorable Mention in photography and Honorable Mention for my watercolor!

I met a few new people.

You can find all the art in the show and in the gallery at this link. Allied Arts Council - Spruce Grove Gallery. There are links for each category.

Here's a few of my favorite pieces.

Recent Photos!

My Mom lent me this book.  It was very interesting to see a peek into the life of girls in London in the 1930-40's.  The poverty, the slums, the violence, prison time and the desperate measures taken to survive.

The sisters are Kathleen, Peggy and Eva.  All very smart but used their intelligence in much different ways.
















I was intrigued about what the place the lived in looked like.  The grimy streets of Lambeth, nestled beside the river Thames. A couple of photos from the internet.

The war time was very terrifying.  Shelters, black out curtains, the sounds and smells of bombs and warfare.


In the end, stuck together and were still a close family after the war. 

I was over to my aunt's for supper after my art reception on Saturday. 

She is a great cook and obviously has a green thumb.  Check out that Christmas Cactus.

The cyclamen was a gift which has flourished in the last year.

The amarylis is wonderful.  My Mom and sister also have these wonderful flowering plants.

It was a great visit with a couple of my aunts and uncle.  We crossed over with her kids which were over for a birthday party earlier in the day.

Family and exercise are important to  this lady.

I won a prize in the Juried Members Show.

I placed 3rd out of 49 entries.  Not bad me thinks.

This  is is the winning photograph.

It was taken at an antique mall here in town earlier this year.

This was my entry into Flickr Macro Monday this week.  The theme was April's Fools. 

I put a sticker to cover the optical sensor on the computer mouse which made it not very functional. 

You can check my photo stream at SMDPics.

I am sharing with Thru My Lens  #185 hosted by Mersad

Juried Member Show - Accepted Submissions & Winner

These 2 photographs were accepted into the show.  The reception was held today.

Silver Roaster
15 x 15 inch frame
Double White mat
8 x 8 inch Color photo

This photo was taken at an antique mall in town. It is a stainless steel car book end. Again, taken for a Flickr Challenge of circles.  The circle of headlight, wheel, and wheel reflection.

It was a Winner!  I received the third prize ribbon and some cash.

Who Are You?
14 x 14 inch frame
Black mat
6 x 6 inch Color photo

This photo was taken at the John Poole Wetlands in Sturgeon County. It is a Wilson Snipe.  He just looked at me while I took many photos.  It was in the setting sun golden hour and the light was wonderful.  It was a great experience.

I was so happy that I bought the camera with a great zoom.

The reception was great. 

Blog Give Away Winners - Updated

Today I am announcing the winners of my Blog Giveaway.

A couple of my give away winners did not respond so today I have selected 2 replacements.

Carol from Art & Sand

Jeanie from The Marmelade Gypsy

Margie, Jann, Carol and Jeanie, I hope to post the photo calendars into the mail tomorrow.  Keep an eye for them.  

Enjoy them all year long.

Sylvia 

 

I had 7 individuals leave comments on my Blog Giveaway - 2018 Goals post.  Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your 2018 goals with me. 

I used a random generator to pick 4 from the 7.

That means that the winners are:

Margie from Tea in the Valley

Jann from Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson

Debbie from Debbie-Dabble Christmas

Pam from Everyday Living

I have sent emails of congrats! Looking forward to sending those calendars off soon.

Blog Give Away Winners

I have received contact information from all the winners and the calendars are on their way.

Some of the plans shared include work a little less, play a little more, on going exercise, time away from the regular routine, and time for hobbies like card making, gardening, and sewing. 

Thanks so much to those who shared with me.  

Charmaine, British Columbia, Canada 

Diane, Ontario, Canada 

     

Lorrie, British Columbia, Canada

Susan, New Brunswick, Canada

Maggie, Normandy, France

Afternoon Tea & Cool Tool

I set up afternoon tea with my yellow tea pot and a few coordinating accessories.  A vase of flowers, a generous mug, a textured plate work with this place setting.  I still have the lace tablecloth and navy runner on the table.

The teapot is by Maxwell & Williams Infusions. You can read more about it in this post.  I`ve had it for almost a year!

The holiday baking is all gone so I am having a few Citrus Cranberry cookies with my cuppa. 





I have a few very pretty yellow and deep pink carnations in the yellow vase.

The tea is Bengal Spice which I rediscovered over the holidays.  My aunt served it a New Year`s dinner and my sister has served it in the past.  It`s a great tasting herbal tea which is what I need in the afternoon.  I can have it with out sweetener or milk. Served in a yellow ironstone mug hits the mark.

These teas are part of the blog anniversary win at Tea in the Valley.  Margie included the Orange Spice Tea and the Exotic Berries Black Tea as well as small containers which hold Chocolate Rocket and Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait tea.

I will feature some colored images from the tea coloring book on future posts.
I have several envelopes to try as well. A tea cork coaster was also included.

This is a cool tool I purchased over the holidays.  It is a brush designed to clean a steel drinking straw but I bought it to clean my tea pot spouts.  It`s sold through Norwex.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #25 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.

Tuesday Cuppa Tea host by Ruth at Antiques and Tea Cups.

A Winner - Holly Jolly Christmas Card Challenges

My Three Wisemen/Kings card was a winner at Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge.  The sponsor is Lacy Sunshine Stamps and I 'm waiting to see what I have won.  I'll update once I know.

Made my day!!!

Here are my selections
http://lacysunshine.weebly.com/store/p1139/Melanie_and_Benny_Boo's_~_Holy_Night.html

http://lacysunshine.weebly.com/store/p1203/Sammi_Boo's_Hot_Cocoa.html

http://lacysunshine.weebly.com/store/p1813/Emmi_Lou_Boo's__Snow_Day_Fun.html

Looking forward to combining these with my decorative papers.  

Winner's Badge

I just found out that my card was selected as the winner over at Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge!  The challenge was hosted by Cindy.

The challenge was Heat Embossing:
http://hollyjollychristmaschallenge.blogspot.ca/2012/07/heat-embossing.html

Here's a link to the card I submitted.
http://www.smdgreetings.blogspot.ca/2012/07/card-challenge-embossing.html

Check out Holly Jolly Christmas Challenges for inspiration for your Christmas Cards.  Start today!