Fire and Ice Show - Entries

The Fire and Ice Show is a member show in which the brief was contrast.  We could do Fire or Ice or both or another theme that dealt with contrast. 

Life is Better with Friends is a embellished fabric collage art piece. 

I chose five different birds which I cut out by hand from colorful fabrics. The birds are hand appliqued to a navy cotton background.  I used a variety of stitches to capture the raw edges, add tails and eyes and wings. A bit of cheesecloth creates a cloud. We need a sun as well.

The pink bird faces her friends and is grateful to have them near.

It is wrapped over a 9x12" stretched canvas with a deep edge. I hand stitched a backer of the same navy fabric.  Update: SOLD

Make a Wish is a needlework piece framed in a black wood frame.

There are three dandelions and as the seeds are blowing away. 

Folklore suggests that when you blow on a dandelion puff, your dreams and wishes will be carried on the wind, eventually coming true. This enchanting belief has made dandelions a symbol of hope and the power to manifest our deepest desires. 

The contrast of white stitches on a black background worked with theme for the show.

It was framed in a white shadow box frame.

Update: SOLD

End of Day is a 12x12 inch photograph mounted to board.

This was taken one day in August when I decided to take sunset pictures.  As it happens, I was a little late to the game and had to chase the sunset across rural roads trying to find a good composition.

I would have to find a composition, find a safe place to park, grab the camera, head across the ditch and take a few shots all the while the sun is just disappearing.

I was miles from home when the sun completely disappeared and I had to drive home in the dark in unfamiliar area west of where I live.

It was a good couple of hours of photography time.

These will be hanging on the wall at the Spruce Grove Art Gallery until the beginning of January 2026. 

Oil Diffusers - Travel Case - Last One

One last one diffuser before my life gets turned upside down.

Blue felt with a dandelion seeds blowing in the wind.

Green for the seed heads and white thread for the fluffy part.

Again, with a clear travel case and a hook to hang if needed.

There is a felt drop on the back where essential oil can be place if one does not want to place it on the front.  In most cases essential oil evaporates completely leaving no trace but some may stain the felt.

I am starting to pack things up so that the floors in the storage room, laundry room, kitchen and bathroom can be abated for removal of flooring which contains asbestos.  

Simple Sentiments - Photo - Set 1

I made some cards with my 4x4 photos.

These are Aspen Leaves taken at Elk Island Park in the fall.

I chose a Stampin Up Summer Sun A2 card base, scored in half and folded.

I then cut a 1/4 sheet of Brocade Blue with the Tim Holtz Cameo Frame die.

I had to trim the photo to 3.5 W x 3.75 T to fit within the score line on the die cut.  I adhered the photo with double sided tape.

I added caplets in warm gold yellow at the top and bottom. This layer was then adhered to the card front.

I added a quarter sheet insert and a white envelope.

This card features a Dandelion Seedhead with tiny water droplets from a misty morning.

I chose Winter Wisteria as the card base and Lovely Lilac as the frame layer.

I added iridescent snowflakes embellishments held in place with purple mini brads on the right and left hand side.

A quarter sheet insert and white envelope.

This card is a photo of a Palm Leaf I took at the Muttart Conservatory.  The sunshine through the lace curtains when I photographed this card makes it extra cool.

The A2 card base is SU Garden Green.

The frame layer is Gable Green.

I added leaf green star brads on either side of the frame diecut and adhered it to the card base.

A quarter sheet insert and a white envelope.

This is the very textural center of an orange Dahlia taken at the St. Albert Botanic Park.  Love the water drop in the right hand corner.

The card base is SU Ruby Red and the frame layer is Dusty Durango.

I added red caplets on the top and bottom of the frame layer.  These are easily installed with my Crop-a-dile.  The layer was adhered to the card front.

I quarter sheet insert and an ivory envelope and it is ready to go.

Note: I had to replace the photo on the card because it end up with double side tape on it.  I replaced the photo with tulips which works just fine.

Seniors Week - June 7-13 2021 - Card Donations

I worked on more cards for the Seniors Week Project.

I started with the yellow and blue layer which I made last summer.  It involves making a marking tool with old toilet paper rolls to create dandelion flowers.  

That layer was trimmed to 4.00 x 5.25 inches. 

I placed a piece of blue rick rack across the bottom third and taped the ends to the back. This layer was then adhered to the front of a medium blue card base.

I added a color printed greeting punched with the Stampin Up Decorative Label adhered with 3D foam tape.

This card was created with a 4x4 photo reused from one of my photography calendars. 

I trimmed the 4x4 down a bit to leave a bit more of a border. 

I added the vellum sentiment which I adhered to the photograph with gold flower sequins held in place with orange tiny brads.  This full layer was then adhered to the front of a yellow card base.

These cards are reusing a small card I made for a Stampin up party I held years ago.  I had leftovers and they just sat. 

The accent layer has a Tango Tangerine base with Tempting Turquoise designer paper.  I added an accent strip in orange punched with the Stampin Up Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch. 

The tag was stamped with the Too Terrific Tags set in Tempting Turquoise on Whisper White. Layer onto Tango Tangerine with a Tempting Turquoise grosgrian ribbon held in place with an orange tiny brad. 

The Whisper White layer was embossed with the Swiss Dots folder and trimmed to leave a small border. It was adhered to the turquoise card base.

The stack is growing!

Exchange Cards - June

I am really late on these cards. 

I started with the Dandelion paper I made a while ago which features navy, ultramarine, and turquoise with white pearl as colors on a yellow base.

I ripped the right hand side. 

Wrapped a piece of white seam binding around it on the left hand side and tied a knot.

I added pearly sequins to the center with Bling Zots. 

It's great that the paper can be used tall or wide. 

For this card since it mostly has one flower I added the seam binding to the left hand side to fill in the space.

Pearly sequins for the center of the flower again held in place with Bling Zots repeats the white pearl in the paper.

For both cards I used the navy card base but I had selected a turquoise and medium blue as well.

Quarter sheet inserts work for both of these.

These are off in the mail today.

Happy Birthday - Dandelions

Birthday card for my sister.

I used the Toilet Paper Roll Dandelion paper I made recently.

Mounted it to a turquoise card.

Added flower sequins in the center to coordinate with the pearl white paint on the paper.  Adhered with Zots Bling.

Added a Stampin Up Modern Label punchie with a Word Window greeting.  Adhered with 3D foam tape squares.

Toilet Paper Roll Dandelions

I am wanting to do something different for cards so I researched Toilet Paper Roll Dandelions and watched a few video tutorials.

I cut the toilet paper roll less deep than most of the videos and got flowers over 4" wide.  That is pretty large for cards.  I have decided to just decorate a 12x12 sheet of designer paper then just cut it up into 6 pieces and just go with what I get.

I chose dark, medium and light blue acrylic paint.  I used QTips to make the centers.  Then I spattered the whole sheet with pearl white acrylic paint. 

The toilet paper roll gets soggy very quickly so you need a few ready ahead of time.   Maybe a couple for each color.  I guess you could cut both ends which would make them last a bit longer.

Recent Photos

This is a flax flower at the community garden.  

Love the gorgeous color and delicate various shades.

This is a name tag provided at a family event this weekend.  The person in charge wanted to make a tag that would not end up in the garbage. 

A piece of white fabric sewn to bright fabric.  I cut pieces of lycra fabric in super colors strung through the holes. 

The names were written with permanent markers.  This one just fit on my wrist and made it totally visible.

This is the seed head of the Yellow Salsify plant. 

It looks like a giant dandelion.

The seed head measures about 4.5 - 5 inches across.  They are gorgeous and wonderful when intact.

I saw the flowers in the river valley a couple of weeks so I know to keep an eye out for the seed heads.   They showed up a bit battered with all the rain we are getting.  I say flowers out again so I will have to wait a bit for new seed heads.

This is one seed from the seed head of the Yellow Salsify plant.

The seed was set against a white background and lit with a warm light.  I wanted to capture the ring of light around the center of the seed.

This is an alternative image for the Flickr Macro Monday challenge - Patterns in Nature. 


You can check my Flickr Photostream for my recent photos.

Photo Blogging Challenge - My Choice

I found this Grey Shrike-Trush Grey Catbird near my home this month.

It is a new one for my Bird Photo List.  When I saw the red just below her tail I quickly assumed it was a Robin.  But the beak was not right as it was dark and a Robin beak is yellow.

So, the research began.  With the internet things are so easy to look up and I quickly found that it was a shrike and not a robin.






 

 I visited the Clifford Lee Nature Sanctuary this month.

It has wetlands and boardwalks through the forest and along side the water.

A road trip was undertaken as it is a few miles out of the city.  Well worth the visit.

There was a tussle between two Canada Geese and you can see the wings and water flying!

Oil on Water is an upcoming challenge so I decided I should get started early this week as there is some set up required.

I searched the web for some tutorials.  This one by Visual Arts Photography is the my choice to base my set up on.

Once set up then you can easily change out the background and keep shooting.   I use scrapbook paper, game boxes, and colorful advertisements.   Anything colorful will work.

When I used the Blokus pieces with great primary colors I was happy with the results.

This shot is a paper tole sheet.

I am working on getting a great photo for the a show later this year.

One of my challenges in May was water drops so I set out with my water bottle to find a sunlight dandelion.

We have huge forest fires burning here this month and there has been very little rain hence bringing my own H2O.

Love this shot against the blue sky.

I found this flower on one of my longer walks this month.

It is a Pasque Flower.   I love the purple color and the texture on it's surface.

It is quite a large flower but I like the bell shape of the it.


May's theme was our choice so I shared some of my favorite pics from May.


Sharing with the Photo Blogging Challenge hosted by PJ.

Recent Photos

There was heavy dew on the ground yesterday morning so I thought I would try to find some sunlit dandelions which should look great.

I did find some in a good place.

The fluffy ends of these dandelion seeds seem different to me than other years I have photographed them.  Maybe it is the moisture on them that makes them appear fuller.

I did manage some bokeh in the background from the other droplets of water on the grass.

There were not a lot of full ones and in this shot you can really see the individual seeds.

The crab apples trees were in full bloom. 

Gorgeous pink blossoms in beautiful clusters.

I managed to isolate this one a bit and it says SPRING to me.

The morning was gorgeous and I can go out walking with out an extra jacket. 

Great walk on Sunday morning.

This beautiful tree was found on my walk downtown one day this week.

Of course, I was attracted to the gorgeous color and variations in shades of the blossoms.

There were 5 or 6 of these apple trees lining a very busy road.


Great to see the river valley just below with the bridge going across toward the Conservatory on the other side.

As I took photos of the area I suddenly saw a shape that intrigued me.

Always on the look out of birds I saw this tail and had to investigate.

Aw, it was a robin and she is sitting on a nest!  Are there eggs or baby birds in there.

After waiting about 10 minutes I was rewarded by seeing Robin Dad show up with food.

Look at those precious hungry mouths just waiting for food.

It was a really special few minutes that morning. 

Amazing sight right next to traffic.

I finished the last bit of hand stitching on this quilt last night.  It is finished!

This features mostly Stampin Up 100% cotton fabric. It features Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, and Crumb Cake as colors. I added the striped fabric in similar tones.  I created the accent squares with solids in Cherry Cobble, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake.

I sewed all the 2.5 inch strips together planning on a JellyRoll style and then changed my mind and cup the assembled strips into 9.5 inch squares.

I used a Crumb Cake 100% cotton fabric for sash between the squares as well as the back. I used flannelette sheeting as batting.  The 5 rows of 4 squares were quilted to the backing as rows.  Then the rows were assembled as the backer was larger than the front squares.  The seams were ironed to one side and I top stitched along the seams which gives each square 4 seams.
My final analysis.  I would use a wider sash, less strips per square, and a wider edge binding.  I love the solid accent squares. I have found a Quilt as you Go assembly tutorial which I think will work better for me so I will let you know how it goes on the next quilt. 

The challenge on Flickr Macro Monday is Superstitions. 

I took this photo yesterday for "Step on a crack, break your mother's back."  There is a limit of 3 inches.  I found,  with out a foot this was not as effective as it could be.

Check out my photostream to see the photo I submitted.

Sharing with

Angie at Letting Go the Bay Leaf who hosts Mosaic Monday #29.

Mersad who hosts the Through My Lens 193.

Mosaic Monday #2

I'm sharing a few things which have happened this week.

I took the dandelion photo last night for a challenge on the Flickr Group - Macro Monday. I went for a walk with a friend around a man made lake in the evening and the sun caught this flower making it sparkle.  You can find my photo here.

The London box I found at the Re-Use center when I dropped off my donations last week.  It was in pristine condition and it reminded me that several of my Blog friends visited England this summer.  I think I will fill it with small note cards and give it away.  I love that it looks like a suitcase.

Photo calendars are projects I spend much time on throughout the year.  I am always with my camera in hand and snap shots for creating these 4x6 photo calendars for the fall craft sale season.  I decided bring more of a focus for a couple of the ones I am creating this year.
 
Tea Time features tea tablescapes.

 


I created Owl Art through the process of paper piecing for this one.

Check out my calendar page for details.


 

I'm sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday #2.

I created my mosaic in Photo Elements with my own watercolor background.

Macro - Dandelion

I took this photo the other day.  I just love getting inside the dandelion.  This time I just caught one of the seeds in a perfect circle.  There was a fine dew so it provides some of the sparkle on the outer edges.

Submitting to
Macro Monday 2
I Heart Macro

Mosaic Monday - Nature Mix

I chose a mixture of nature photos this morning.  In the top left hand is a speckled rock I found in a retaining wall with a nice green leave sprig in the top left corner which provides a bit of contrast.  In the center, the fine dew on the multi leaf sprig was delicate.  The red elder berries in the top right give a nod to the dare I say it the Christmas season. Bottom left, is the black mature seed pods of Cicer Milkvetch which I found very intriguing.  Center, a purple sweet pea bloom and last the spiky looking dandelion again covered with very fine dew.   These were placed on a photo of vines on the rock wall to which I applied a filter to try to separate it from the photos on it.

Submitting this to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.

Cards - Tab Closures

I made a couple of cards for my exchange group.  A Stampin Up Card Base Pop 'n Cuts XL die has come my way and I didn't know it created a card which closes with slits and tabs.  That was a super surprise. I've done some research and there are interesting projects to come.
For these cards I cut the double sided card stock with the card base then folded it in half.  For the blue one I used Make a Wish Dandelion paper from Pebblesinc.  I cut a SU Lattice Die in white and adhered it to the card front in the tall orientation.  I punched a couple of SU Five Petal Punchies in deep brown then 2 small white Five Petal punchies and adhered them onto the brown ones.  I added a bit of a centre with a marker.  These were mounted with 3D foam tape. I added a greeting in the bottom right hand corner with a SU Modern Label punchie in white stamped with a stamp from the Small Script Stamp Set. I punched a brown punchie same card stock as the flowers, cut it in two crosswise and offset them to the back of the greeting layer.  This layer was then adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

 This second card was cut with the same card base die.  I used this map card stock with a deep red on the back side.  I cut the Tim Holtz Camera Mover & Shaper from the same card stock but with the red in front.  I cut it twice and then layered some pieces from the second onto the first so I would have map accents on it.  I used a strip of white card stock which I put Distress Stain in Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs to help it coordinate with the card stock.  I then cut the sentiment with the Stampin Up Little Letters dies and adhered them onto the colored strip.  I ran the edges of the strip into the dauber of Gathered Twigs stain.  I adhered the strip to the card front. I wrapped the card front with several layers of kraft twine and knotted it on the front. I then adhered the camera to the left of the sentiment with 3D foam tape.  Note the card is being used in the reverse manner from the first one hence you only see the red tabs showing through the slits.  Very versatile die.

Dandelion in the Sun

I took this photo on my walk this morning. The weather was perfect not too hot not too cool.

This is a dandelion in full seed.  The shot is taken from the underside. I love the way the sun highlights the fluffy white seeds.  The white clouds in the sky provide a repetition of the white.  The sun through the green spikes looks great.

I'm submitting it to:
Macro Monday 2
I Heart Macro

Cards - Nifty Notes

I've revised my Nifty Notes to make them the standard size so they can be mailed.  They are 4.25x5.50 with white envelopes.
This set is new with some of my wonderful watercolor backgrounds.  The graphics are images from CLKER which I have manipulated and create white negative spaces against the color.

Card Club - March - Embossed

A super simple and elegant card. The embossed layer was created with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I made 2 different designs so I could double them up in the Big Kick machine. The challenge was then to find stamp ink to match card stock. I put a pop dot under the circle greeting to add a bit of dimension to this card.