Inktober 2024 - 25 Camera

Inktober 2024 Challenge

26 - Camera

This is the only prompt from the official list that I have followed.  I chose an antique wood camera for its height in this format.

Pencilled then traced with a black marker.  This mixed media paper has worked very well.

I mixed a sepia colored watercolor and added an overall wash to give an old feel.

Small Tin Needle Cases

I found a few small metal tins at the ReUse Center and thought they could be used for Needle Cases.

You can see the Lipstick Needle case I made earlier.

I cut a couple layers of felt just the right size to fit in the box.   For this one, it was 2 pieces of blue and white for the back.  I blanket stitched around the edge and overcast stitched the join. 

I am debating whether the felt needs more adhesion to the box.  I will have a discussion with my sister.

There's enough room for a few needles and several applique pins.

Here's a small Altoid tin which has a hinged lid which is a bonus. No lost lids.

I chose white felt for the front and royal blue for the back.  I added blanket stitch all the way around the edge.

I added a line of stem stitch on the right hand side. 

These are a great way to carry a few needles and pins for a needle work project on the go.

It closes securely and will keep the sharps away from the bag.

I debated whether I wanted to disguise the branding and decide to keep it just the way it is

UPDATE:

In September as I was working on these needle cases I decided to alter this tin with Alcohol Inks to change the way it looks.  I think it looks a bit more artsy now.

Alcohol Inks in blue and yellow.  Allowed to dry then sprayed with spray acrylic sealer and then brushed on coat of Modge Podge.

This black tin is just a bit wider than the Altoid one. 

I cut a couple pieces of felt in sunshine yellow and an orange and stitched all the way around the outside with blanket stitch and yellow thread.

I added a bit of an accent in green along the left hand side.

The hinged lid is a bonus and it closes securely to keep the sharps away from the inside of your project bag.

Oil Diffusers - One of a Kind - Set 4

 Daisy on Blue

This diffuser features a yellow felt daisy flower set into a cobalt blue glass holder.  

The yellow felt and the royal blue pompoms in the center are the diffuser.  Place 1-2 drops of pure essential oil in the center of the flower and sit back and enjoy some relaxing time.

This diffuser would fit into a sun room, next to a favorite chair, or a bedside table.

Glass Ink Well

This vintage glass ink well wit a silver plated lid has a navy blue felt diffuser inside the bottle.

The bottle will contain any stray drops and protect your furniture. 

Open the lid, place 1-2 drops of pure essential oil on the felt on the inside.  The lid can be closed when not being use.

This diffuser would sit incognito on a desk.  A small bottle of essential oil could be stored on the inside to be handy when one wants to use it and would be out of sight with the lid closed.

Tear Drop

A beautiful white ceramic holder with a tear drop shape.  The holder has a nice satin finish very smooth to the touch.

The diffuser are 2 wooden rods tied with a black thread.  There is a black felt in the bottom of the holder to catch any liquid which makes its way down the rods.

Place 1 or 2 drops of pure essential oil on the wood or the felt at the bottom to enjoy your favorite scent.

This elegant diffuser would look great on a bedside table, an end table next to a favorite sitting spot, or on a window sill near a cozy sitting spot.

I am super happy with how this year's collection of unique diffusers is coming along.

St. Pats Birthday Card

My friend requested a St. Patrick's Birthday card for her aunt again this year. You can check the ones I have made in past year!

I found a vintage St. Patrick's image of this lovely lass with a gorgeous green dress and a fan in hand.

I added the sentiment in the top left hand corner and printed it in color.

It was trimmed leaving a white border then adhered to a layer of green with 4 tiny lavender brads in each corner.

This was mounted onto a layer of lavender card stock then onto a white card base. I ripped the right hand side of this layer to be highlighted against the white. 

This lady is celebrating her 90th birthday.

Photo Blogging Challenge - The Written Word

Handwritten Word 

I did some calligraphy for a photo challenge early in August.

I used watercolor and a plastic nib pen which I have had forever.

I did quite a bit of practicing before I was happy with my letters. It has been years since I did any formal hand writing.

Vintage Word - These are some of the oldest books I own.  I did buy some of them for photo props because of their vintage look with the gold embossed letters and classic neutral cover colors.

Keys to Happiness was published by Reader's Digest in 1955.

Moonfleet by Faulkner I have read was published in 1952.  I should read it because I discovered today that it is set in Dorset England and is a mystery.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was originally published 1847.  This copy was published in 1974 for the Pebbles Classic Library set.

My written word 

I am still a pen and paper lady.  I use a small note book to track things I have to do which is always with me when I head out of the house.

Grocery lists are printed on the computer but crossed out as I put the items in my cart.

I don't have lists on my phone.   

I always carry lists of the photo challenges I am wanting to enter so as I travel around I can take appropriate pictures.

This is a recent hard cover dictionary I purchased second hand.  I have only had inexpensive soft cover dictionaries and this one feel like a "real" book.

The letters are not gold but just embossed on the cover.  I used a photo filter to highlight the letters to make them more legible in this photo.

The pages have watercolored texture applied to them which works really well.

Fictional Written Words

I read a lot in my 20's then life got busy and work was stressful and I got out of the habit of reading.

Since I retired I have taken up the hobby again.  I am loving it so much.

We have a book exchange within my monthly fellowship group - Welcome to my Kitchen.  We share books and good stories which is part of the fun.

I have found my favorite type of book is historical fiction especially England and France.

Sharing with P.J. who is hosting the Photo Blogging Challenge - Written Word.

Christmas Photo Cards - Craft Sale

I have been spending a good chunk of time working on still life photography as the weather outside is less conducive to being out with camera.

I filled a vintage hobnail candy dish with Christmas ornaments.  I chose a variety of sizes, shapes and finishes. Some were shiny others matte; silver, green, red were the colors I chose; and I had round, pinecone, stars and hearts for shapes.

I decided to make the silver heart the focal element.  Shiny surfaces are hard to photograph because your camera as well as anything else near ends up reflected in it`s surface.














This is a resin Nativity home decor item which I bought recently.  I loved the colors in it and it had enough relief to make it interesting.  It stands on it`s own.  I created a gold background which mirrored it`s warm tones and provided a nice bokeh effect.

I am not providing an insert in my photo cards to it`s nice to have the sentiment on the front.  I created on with a light sentiment but the one with the dark base is by far the best one.








I originally created this image for a Christmas card order a while back.

This is one of my stained glass Nativities with a tealight in behind.   I love the soft seamless background and how the pink is picked up on the bottom of the image.

I translated the image to a 4x6 format and printed a few in the different colors.

I have a good variety so they should appeal to quite a few buyers at the sale tomorrow.

Antique Mall Visit

I made a visit to the Antique Mall yesterday in search of some cool stuff and a few photos.

Found this Royal Doulton Toby Jug called the Poacher 1954.  There were several of them and they were well displayed.   At a price of nearly $50 I'm not sure how soon it will leave the shelf.

My Macro Monday challenge was green do I took a photo of these vintage salt and pepper shakers.  They were within the 3" limit.

These certainly are from the 50s or 60s and very classic shape and color.  The gold accents are really nice.

I ended up with another photo abstract from the Mall you can check out here.

I found the Lady Teddy all dressed up for a day on the town.   Her leopard print outfit I am sure is all the rage.  Pearls around her neck and a feather boa to finish off her outfit.

I love the button on her hat. 













Speaking of halts I found this gorgeous ladies felt hat in a light grey.  Very well done. Elegant and stylish.

There was a good variety of vintage glass Christmas Tree Ornaments in a variety of conditions. 

I noticed a lot of pink ones.  The trees used to display them also came in different styles.

This is my mosaic for sharing.

Mosaic Monday #2 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Tea and Lunch

I started by trying a recipe I saw on Jill's blog last week as part of Mosaic Monday.  These are Herb Scones.  I chose savory with basil, rosemary, oregano, and garlic.  As you can see that I baked them on my pizza stone which works really well and since it is very seasoned no danger of them sticking to the surface.  The recipe yielded 12 scones cut with scallop cutters.

Here's my collection of metal scallop/fluted cutters with really nice handles.  I have a set of graduated round ones in 3 different sizes varying from 2 inch at the smallest and 3 inches at the largest.

The rectangular ones are 1.25 inches by 3.25 inches.  They may be a bit small for certain things but it would be a great for shortbread.  A bit of research would suggest these may be from the 1940's.  I had to be patient and wait quite a while to get what I was looking for but these are excellent.  I had hoped to get square ones in the same set as the round ones.  I will keep looking.

I recently replaced a very heavy rolling pin with a vintage rolling pin which serve me well for many more years.

I made some Masala Chai tea which is the best I have tasted.  It is made by a couple of ladies in central Alberta - The Chai Wallahs.  A bit of honey and some cream.
I drank it from a large shallow cup in blue glaze make by IKEA.  I was thinking it would not be great for drinking but it turned out quite nice.  Update: It is a soup mug and not designed for tea.  Makes sense.

I had an egg cooked in my well seasoned cast iron fry pan.  You can see my restoration of it in this post.  it was certainly worth the effort.   The egg is cooked sunny side up which worked well with the place setting I put on my table.

I had the wonderful herb scones to soak up the wonderful yellow yolk.

Dessert was plain yogurt topped with a raspberry rhubarb compote.  Mom sent some rhubarb home with me on the weekend.  I added some frozen raspberries and a bit of honey and boiled over low heat until the rhubarb broke down a bit.  Nice change from bananas.



Here is the total table setting.  I place a navy table runner over a lace table cloth over a white solid table cloth. 

Still love my little square yellow dessert dishes and the yellow is repeated in the egg and napkin.

Sharing with the following link parties.

Bernideen's Tea in the Garden

Tuesday Cuppa of Tea hosted by Ruth

Share Your Cup #253 hosted by Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson

SYC - Couple of Weeks

I've been very busy doing craft sales, filling card and calendar orders and getting ready for an Art Show.  I have concerts, brunches and a community sing in my next few weeks.  Christmas gifts and cards have to make into the mix as well.

During a visit to deliver a card order to a friend I found this wonderful cut glass bowl filled with glass yellow lemons.  I love it!  It's right up my alley in color and medium.

It may take me a while to put something similar together.











My aunt collected these hydrangeas in the fall and they kept their color.  She had a great vase in a dusty rose color that really went well with the dried flowers.  I set up a bit of a vignette to capture the flowers.  Love it.

I was part of a tree decorating party at my aunt's house on Monday evening.  She has a lot of vintage ornaments and I captured a few.

I wish that there was a tree up a my house but not yet.  I have had too many craft commitments.











I captured these blue jays at the feeder in Mom & Dad's yard.  I guess it totally depends on the type of seeds you put out as to whether the jays come.  I vote to keep up the sunflower seeds to keep them coming.

I picked up this Tupperware cake taker at the second hand store.  I have a vintage one which I purchased just after high school but I find this one is better in the sense that the hand locks in.  The base is yellow so that was for sure a win for it coming home with me.


Sharing at Share Your Cup 227 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Share Your Cup #214

I took these shots at a small museum. I do not have any idea how old they are.  I am assuming they are good costume jewelry but again not an area I have much expertise.  I just thought the pieces were very pretty.

The first one I believe is moss agate and a quick search suggested to me it may the oldest piece. The silver and rhinestone on the right may be mid century and the blue silver one strikes me as 1950-60s.

The hollyhocks were wonderful on the grounds of the museum.  There were several colors and I have included a red one and a pink one.  The dandelion has good color against the dark background. The dandelion gone to seed is always makes for a good photo.

I was looking for a white placemat when I found this large lace doily which was rectangular in shape.  I think it would well for the few occasions I will need one.  Here is my snack today.  I did search out a few nice good quality spoons for my photography.  I have a couple of small drinking glasses in cobalt blue which works well with the blue french plates.  A cup of chamomile tea in the evening is what is on order to tonight.  All set against a heavy yellow tablecloth.


Sharing with Carol at Art and Sand for Share Your Cup 214.

Tea Time Photo Calendar

 

This calendar features tea related tablescapes which I photographed.   I tried to vary the colors, the layout and tea pots.  I have collected tableware that I like and mostly they all coordinate so I can mix and match pieces quite easily.  

The calendar features heart shaped teacups and saucers by Steeped Tea, white bone china teapot and tea cup by Royal Worcester, a clear glass Sophe teapot by Primula, Cobalt 365 mugs from Ikea, yellow Infusion teapot by Maxwell and Williams, white teapot from Stokes, earthern ware mug in warm blues from a local potter, Johnston Brothers Regency white teacup and saucer, golden yellow cream and sugar set by Chantal, and finally a vintage Sadler lamp shape pink teapot with pink roses & periwinkle forget-me-nots with gold trim.  It was my aunt's and my research suggested it is 75 years old.  

I see that some of my other tableware did not make it to this calendar so there is tablescapes to create for another calendar. 

You can find my calendars on the calendar page.

Christmas Bird House

I'm adding to my Christmas Card Count.

I started with a kraft card in the portrait tall orientation.  I added a strip of off white striped vellum and mounted it offset from the center. I selected the bird house die cut from the vintage K&Company Cardstock and Acetate die cut set.  I used Tombow Acetate Adhesive on the acetate greetings and adhered them below the bird house.

Choo Choo Train Christmas Card

I started with a die cut from a set of Vintage Cardstock & Acetates from K&Company.  I chose a black card to match the color of the engine which I laid in the landscape/wide orientation. I used a piece of off white vellum which worked with the vintage image.  I held it in place with 4 tiny black brads in the four corners. I then adhered the train die cut to the vellum.  I used Tombow Vellum Adhesive on the clear acetate greeting (it's red but scanned black) and adhered it below the train.  I used a thin black marker and added smoke from the chimney by hand.

Submitting to 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - May Stash Challenge - Dies or Punches.

Vintage Snowman

I started with the Vintage Snowman die cut from K&Company Cardstock & Acetate set.  I chose a green card which worked with the bow in the gift he is holding.  I searched my stash for a off white vellum which happened to have stripes.  I attached it to the card front with 4 tiny red brads in all four corners.  I adhered the snowman die cut to the vellum layer.  I used vellum adhesive by Tombow to adhered the acetate greetings placed below the gift.  I added an acetate snowflake in the top right hand corner held in place with a tiny red brad.

These die cut sets really facilitate the making of cards because all the elements coordinate nicely.

Submitting to the challenge at Holly Jolly - Traditional Colors.

Enjoy - Retirement

I'm attending a retirement celebration for a friend today.  I made a card to let her know she needs to enjoy the next stage of her life.  Time will be available for family, friends and fun.

I started with the hot air balloon which says Let's Fly Away and symbolizes leaving the current behind.  I found here at Altered Artifacts.    I trimmed it and inked the edges with a deep eggplant color.  I chose a page from the spanish dictionary which I trimmed then painted with Tim Holtz Victorian Velvet Distress Stain.  Dried it and then inked the edges with the same ink pad as the balloon.  I adhered the words then the balloon image.  I added a scalloped handmade paper circle in a brown.  I added a circle colored with the same distress stain as before.  Once dry I adhered it to the brown.  The greeting is vellum so I applied snail adhesive to all the back then placed it in the center of the pink circle.  Really happy with this one.

Neutral Blocks - Sketch

I started with a Stampin Up Whisper White card.  I selected 3 designer papers to create the blocks to follow the sketch.  I cut the pieces 2 inches tall and about 1.5 inches wide. I layered them from left to right leaving the left hand side not attached, I just taped them together on the back.  This adds a bit of dimension.  The DSP are Ruby Red and Sahara Sand from the Patterns Pack Designers Series Paper III.  The one on the right are the same colors with white and is from the Holiday Lounge DSP collection. These 3 were mounted on a piece of Sahara Sand card stock which was then adhered to the card front. I stamped the greeting from the Simply Wonderful stamp set in Ruby Red ink.  It needed something else so I added a vintage button which matched well with some white pearl thread through the holes held in place with a Zot.




I'm submitting this card to this challenge.
SU Fab Friday - Sketch

Card Challenge - Clock

Still another card for the CST Home Page Card Challenge.  It was to include a clock on the card.  I found some images of clock faces on line and printed them on vellum along with a greeting.
The clock face is vintage and the hands are just about the same size so a little harder to read the time.
This is a black card with script background designer paper.  The colors worked but the greeting gets lost in the background.  I punched the corners with my corner rounder. I added some definition to the hands from the back side of the vellum with a fine black marker to help with the readability of the time. Again a tiny black brad in the centre of the clock and some vellum adhesive behind the greeting.

Easter Blessings

Wishing you all Easter Blessings this Easter Sunday.  May you have a great day!

Card - Baby Girl

It's been a long time since I made baby cards.  These are for a little girl born recently whose parents have been affected by the flooding in southern Alberta.  I made them so they can be used for announcements, thank yous or other purposes as the mom sees fit.
I started with the baby carriage image from Antique Images. I found designer paper in my stash that worked well with the carriage. I printed some images on white card stock, trimmed down to squares and punched the corners.  I brushed the edges with chalk.  I put a piece of pink grosgrain ribbon across the DP and taped the ends to the back.  Then taped it to the white card front.  I mounted the carriage image to the card front with 3D foam tape.  I added 2 silk flowers held in place with a tiny white brad.  a white card. 

Challenge - Vintage Christmas

I made this card for the June Christmas All Year Round Card Challenge which is Vintage.  I found this image of girl with snow falling down at the Old Design Shoppe.  The colors were less traditional with subdued greens, teal and rose pink.  I put it on a muted green card. I embossed a pink layer with a Cuttlebug snow folder from the Winter Set which does the top left hand side.  I printed the vintage card on white and ripped the edges.  I daubered the edges with Tim Holtz Antique Linen.  I added 3 coordinating buttons in the bottom left hand corner held in place with Zots.