Slow Stitching 2025 - Week 3

This is week 3 of the Comfort Coverlet Slow Stitching 2025 project hosted by K3N Cloth Tales. 

I continued to work on this January piece by adding the frame.  I used 2 strands of green embroidery floss with a running stitch.

I stayed 1 inch away from the outside edge to allow for assembly later on.

I added the seed stitching in the four corners with ecru pearl cotton. 

Inktober 2024 - 17 Bird on Branch

Inktober 2024 Challenge

17 - Bird on Branch

I penciled in my branches and bird then applied yellow and orange watercolor wash inside the border.

I traced my pencil markings with a Micron black marker then did the frame as well.

I wanted the composition to go beyond the border.

Christmas Card - January 07

I made a card for a friend who celebrates Christmas on January 7th based on the Julian calendar.

I decided to make her a special card for her Christmas day.  I searched the internet for Christmas cards and downloaded one which I thought worked well.

I needed to add a bit of width to the image so I added navy bits on each side then I was able to print it on 4x6 photo paper. It had white borders which I did not want to keep. Before I trimmed it, I used the photo to create the embossed frame for the photo onto the 5x7 card base in SU Groovy Guava.

Once trimmed I adhered the photo into the frame and it was perfectly even.  That worked well.  I used to make these embossed frames a lot earlier in my card making.

I added a full insert on the inside to cover the embossed frame and that was it.

She really liked it.

Stained Glass - Sunrise

I've always wanted a stained glass piece for my window and thought it would be a nice retirement gift but it did not happen.  So I decided that I would pursue the idea and see where it led.  In my mind I see a colorful image casting beautiful colors on the wall and ceiling, almost sparkly.

First, I had to decide what image did I want?  Sunflowers are a favorite but I chose a sunrise as it represents a new beginning, hope, and a look to the future.

Second, research as to what a piece would cost, which window would work best, and would it do what I wanted.

Third, a trial run - how? I found a site that provided a video on how to create a piece of faux stained glass art and a few steps with easily found supplies. At Art Emporium the Faux Stained Glass video used basic school glue and acrylic color to make an art piece.  

Frame-  I found a white frame in my stash that did not have a mat and was quite large measuring  16.5 inches square so it likely would not be used in my photography.  It also had words on the glass that I removed with a razor blade.  Cleaned the glass thoroughly.

I needed some original art now so I browsed online sites with stained glass sunrise projects and after looking at hundreds I started to have an idea what mine would look like.  I did not want the pieces to be too bulky or too simple.  Remember I want lots of color.  

I drew the first sketch - sun off center, water and hills in the foreground.  I did not want straight lines like in the little one drawn below the sketch. 

This one was drawn at 7 inches square.

I traced it onto not the best watercolor paper and used my Stampin Up Watercolor  Wonder Crayons to color it.  I loved the colors but I stumbled with getting a variety of shades of green in the hills.  Of course, a real stained glass piece will not be a shaded as this one.

I asked a few folks for some feedback. 

I recognized that I had a hard time drawing the secondary rays on the left hand side.  Someone suggested that I copy the image and put then flip it so I could roughly follow what I did on the right on the left.

The hills were too similar and did not have enough pieces.

Ok, I can work with that.

So with that feedback I started on the second sketch.  This one was also at 7 inches.  

I now had light yellow pieces on the left hand side as well and more pieces in the hills.

I marked out the which rays would be Orange, Yellow and Light Yellow.  I wanted green blue and blue in the sky pieces.

Happy with that so lets move on.

Now it had to be enlarged to fit the frame I described above.  The glass could not be removed from the frame so I would have to be painted and leaded in place.  Because of that I chose to keep the design from going all the way to the frame.  That meant I did not have to touch the frame with the leading.

I enlarged it to 14 inches square and decided to put a frame around the edge which would leave about 1/2 inch between the wood frame and the lead frame on the glass.  Excellent.

Another suggestion was made that I paint it in the colors I was planning on using in the final piece just to be sure I was happy with it and still had a chance to adjust if needed.

So I traced the 14" piece onto some Bristol Vellum heavy card stock which was leftover from an art class I took years ago.  It had to be pieced together just like the sketch was earlier, to be large enough.

I sampled the liquid acrylic colors I had and made some selections.

The colors chosen are listed below:

Nick Bantock - Chrome Yellow, Deep Turquoise, Prussian Blue, Sap Moss Green, Chartreuse

Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Inks - Flame Orange, Rowney Blue

 

Here's the Bristol Vellum piece all colored in. The yellows in the first row of rays are not all the same color.  I was just enjoying the process.  

I will be able to mix colors in the final product as well.

Of course, it will be more watercolor in tone than a glass piece will be.

I am happy with the hills this time in shape and color.

I used a Sharpie black marker with a fine tip to do the black leading on this piece.

Now I can get ready to transfer the image to the glass in the frame.

I placed the frame over the painted piece of Bristol Vellum and taped it carefully in place.  I will be putting the black leading on the glass surface on the inside of the frame. 

I chose Pure Black by Folk Art for the acrylic paint.

I reused at glitter paint bottle with a fine tip.  The black leading is mixed 1 part black acrylic paint and 4 parts white glue.  Test it to be sure it flows nicely so you can easily draw your lines.

I traced the black lines on the glass following the  drawing above.

You will see from the photo on the left that I put the art on my light table so that I kept the composition in the same direction as the original so when I flipped the frame back to the front it would be same as the original art.

Once the black leading was applied it needs to dry completely before you paint your color.  The video recommended overnight.  I painted my lines in the early morning and by the late afternoon they were dry and I could move on to the color.  The fun part was beginning.

I used some condiment cups to mix up my clear glue and acrylic color.  A cup for each color.

I applied the glue with a small wide craft brush and made sure I rinsed thoroughly before moving to the next color.

Then I followed my color chart from earlier and painted the sun and up then from the horizon line down to keep my hand and fingers away from my finished work.  

I let that dry over night.   

I discovered that I missed the top right most space when I was painting.  I did paint that several days after it was hung.

The next morning all was dry so I put the eye screws in the top middle of the width of the frame.  I chose wire to ensure it could carry the weight.  I have a second curtain rail so I slid a hanger onto the rail and screwed it tight. I then placed a carabiner between the wire and the hanger.  

I hung it in the window and waited for the sun to shine.  It took 3 days to have the sun shine and for the colors to be on the walls of the living room.

I was not anticipating it being so random as to when I would see the colors sparkling.

Of course, looking out it looks really nice but when the sun shines it is great. 

Another down side is that the sunshine only shines for a limited time through the window and the stained glass.  So I have to be around and paying attention to see the sparkle for the 10 minutes it is on the wall before it moves off the the book case.

In this photo the image is half on the wall and half on the side of the book case.

It took over a month from start to finish.  

The costs in materials was minimal. School glue on sale in early September. Liquid acrylic I already had. And my time.

Thanks to the artists who provided feedback and support during the process.

This was a great learning experience. Drawing, mixing colors, and sticking with it.   The biggest thing I learned is that I want sparkle all the time or when I need it not just when the sun shines in the window.  I am so glad I did not invest hundreds of dollars to learn this lesson.  I will enjoy it when the sun shines.

So, I have started another project to get the sparkle all the time or at least when I want it!  More to come on that project in days to come.

Photo Cards - Owls

At my show last week I had a request for cards with my owl images.  I created cards with my owl photos.

I was not able to trim the images square so the final images turned out to be 3.75 x 4.00 inches.  I adjusted the frame on the white layer and made the frame in a corresponding color.  After checking quite a few options for an element below the photo I ended up using a star border from from Creative Memories.  The card color now shows through.  I mounted the white layer onto a dark brown card front then the photo was adhered in the frame.

Several cards are on their way to the gallery today as well as some replacements for tea and owl calendars which have sold.

Christmas Card - Felt Reindeer

The focal element of this card is a brown felt reindeer.
I printed a border and greeting onto cream card stock.
The reindeer was a bit large for the card front so I adhered him with a large red brad for his eye.
I added a Zot under his tail to keep him in place.
I trimmed a bit off his from legs and the card was good to go.

Sympathy - Vintage Floral Frame

I made cards for the family who lost a daughter, sister, wife and mother this week.

I chose a vintage window frame with floral branches from the Old Design Shop.

I filled the frame with the sentiment.  I colored the frame with several Stampin Up colors. I chose Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, Bashful Blue, and So Saffron.

Once printed I fussy cut the frame then mounted it to the front of a card matching the color in the frame with 3D foam tape.

Mosaic Monday #10

I bought a navy table cloth last week.  That rounds out the colors I think I need.  I have red, white, navy, pink, yellow plaid, and yellow damask.

I love the ribbed texture on this one and it washed like a dream.  No tag so I'm not sure what it is made of and so no idea how stain resistant it will be.  I will enjoy it.













This glass pepper shaker came home with me this week. It was missing it's partner so I got it half price.  It has a stick of Torre & Targus so I assume it has never been used. It is a challenge to photograph so I will have to work on it.

I found this barn board frame for a song at the thrift store.  I will be framing one of my photos in it for my craft sale season.














With the changes that took place on Blogger September 29, 2016 which we had been advised for several weeks, I lost all my blog lists. 

My Favorite Blog List, Card Challenge List, Favorite Places List, Techniques, Digital Sources and others which I don't remember because I was counting on finding here on my blog.  Shame on me for depending on the internet for securing information I would like to access regularly or only occasionally.  The Blogger Forum says they are working on it.  They may return or not.  Sad for me.  Live and learn.

Our city finally has a full ring road that allows travellers to bypass the center of the city and carry on east, west, south or north. It opened Saturday and I used it yesterday.  It is wonderful!!!!












Submitting to Mosaic Monday hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.

Baby Boy - Customized Giraffe Frame

My sister requested a frame for her grandson with the colors grey and yellow.  I had a good quality metal frame in stock so I have put together a frame for her.  I made a similar one for my nephew's baby boy.
The frame is not standard size at 13.75"W x 10"T which meant cutting a custom mat.  I chose a medium grey linen card stock and cut it to size. I measured 1.5" from the edges and penciled in the hole on the back.  I cut it with an x-acto knife and metal edge ruler.  The opening is 10.75W x 7.00 T.
The letters were cut with the Cricut from the same card stock.  The cartridge I selected is Base Camp which provides a basic roman letter.  It is not mono spaced so more calculating had to be done to determine the size of the letters.  I cut the name at 2.25 inches. The date was cut at 1.75 inches.  I chose a piece of yellow card stock that matched the frame nicely and adhered behind the grey mat.  I then adhered the letters and numbers with quick dry adhesive which has a very small pointed applicator which works well for small pieces.
I found the giraffe graphic on CLKER.  I changed the colors to suit this project.  I decided to have a Dad, Mom and baby giraffe.  I placed those to leave room for the heart. I placed a line on the bottom to give the images context. I sized the image based on the space available in the middle and I color printed the central panel on a piece of vellum 4.25x 11 then clear embossed it. I punched the heart from the same card stock and adhered it.  This has adhesive behind it to stick it to the yellow card stock.  The ends were tucked under the grey mat and taped down.
The glass and backer were added and it was placed in the frame. It looks great!!!

I was asked to update the vellum.  This is the final version after a couple of versions.

Share Your Cup #209

Sunflower Tile Framed

You will see my original plan on this post.  I was not able to get the existing tile from the frame so I just purchased another frame.

I removed the print and glass from this one.  I painted the back board with Blue Velvet acrylic paint so that the tiny gap between the tile and frame would not show.  I also painted the edge of the tile with the same paint.  I then dry brushed the same paint onto the frame to create a distressed look.

I am happy with how it turned out and it is hanging in my kitchen.

I have had the small blue saucers and the large plates for quite a while.

Yesterday, I found salad plates and cups to match.  I was very happy.  They will allow me to create tablescapes with more pieces. They work very well with my Myott The Hunter salad plates which are just a bit smaller.  The white plate with scallop edge is IKEA. 

Here is a few flower shots taken after completing my photo shoot for the 2017 Tea Calendar.  I had gathered flowers for the calendar shoot and when I was done with that process I said to myself  "I should take some shots of these lovely flowers."  So I did.  A white aster, a pink rose and a deep raspberry zinnia. 

Sharing with Carol at Art & Sand for Share Your Cup #209.

Share Your Cup #207

I headed out to the Wetlands after a visit to a gallery for my aunt's show.  It was at sunset which gives all things a wonderful glow.  There were very few birds in the water because it was way passed feeding time.  No pelicans, but everything is green and lush.

I worked on art work for an art calendar which will be for sale later this year.  I designed the owl myself using a couple patterns from the internet.  I then printed the pieces onto the back of designer paper and/or card stock and cut the pieces by hand.  The eyes are .75 inch and .5 inch circles. Small triangles for the beak and the feet. I designed the branch then printed it on a 6x6 of background paper which only had texture and no pattern.  I paper pieced the owl then adhered him to the background ensuring he sat on the branch.  I added googly eyes.
I made 12 of these for my art calendar.

I received the bouquet of flowers from a friend at church.  She prepares one every week for the sanctuary and I was the lucky girl to take it home this week.  Thanks Cheryl.





 


 

This is a shot from the tea photo shoot I did at my sister's house a few weeks ago.  The calendar is nearly ready to go and this one did not make the calendar so I am sharing it here.  This is a married bone china tea set.  I brought my tea cup and my sister the tea pot. The tea cup pattern is Serendipity by Royal Worcester.  The teapot is Mantles Knightsbridge. I will have to get the pattern.

I found a frame recently to show how my Alphabet Photography works while I am at craft sales this fall.  Very happy with this and it will provide a visual for the buying public.  

You can check here for the details for purchasing letters.

Share Your Cup #207 hosted by Carol at Art & Sand.

Baby Boy - Customized Frame

I made this frame for my nephew's baby boy who was born recently.  We are having a shower for him today.
I started with a good quality yellow metal frame.  I cut a 20 x 24 inch sheet of Mi-Tentes card stock in navy blue down to match an 11x14 inch mat I had, leaving a tiny border around the center opening.  These 2 layers were adhered together with quick dry adhesive.  The opening is 9.5 x 7.5 inches.
I cut the letters with the Cricut and the Storybook cartridge.  This alphabet is great because it is mono spaced so figuring how large the letters needed to be was very easy.  They were cut at 2.25 inches tall from the same card stock paper as the mat.  I added the the date of birth which was cut at 2.00 inches tall to get more elements into the space.
I added a central decorative element of owls on a limb.  The clipart is from CLKER. I colored the owls navy. I duplicated the image and reversed the one on the left.  I printed it onto vellum then clear embossed it.
I chose a sheet of Stampin Up Daffodil Delight which matched the frame perfectly.  To it, I adhered the letters of his name along the top, the date of birth along the bottom, the owl vellum and the red heart punchie between the large owls.  I adhered the yellow card stock to the mat.  I cleaned the glass and reassembled the frame.  Super happy with the finished product.  Photographing it was the biggest challenge.
I always get a book for new babies and their parents.  Reading is important. 

Artemis - Baby Gifts

The baby shower for Artemis is today but I am not able to attend.  I delivered my gift on the Easter weekend so Mom could bring with her when she goes.

The frame is the Creative Memories Black Mini Everyday Display, 8 x 8 inch magnetic frame.  It  provides 4 matching magnets, 2 mini clothespins, canvas-like white fabric -- great for thumbtacks, push pins, etc., an easel for tabletop display, a sawtooth hanger for wall display, and a clothesline ribbon.

The book I chose is the hard cover edition of God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren.  I love the wonderful watercolor images.

You can see the card I made for Artemis here.

Sympathy - WC & Tree

A simple sympathy card for a dear friend Bev who lost her Dad this week.  It`s such a hard thing to lose a parent even when we ourselves are not so young.

I found this great piece of watercolor paper in my stash.  I decided to use it and created a frame for it.  I felt it needed something else besides the sentiment so I added this great old tree graphic from CKLER.  I changed the color to Wild Wasabi to coordinate with the colors at the bottom of the watercolor piece. I think this works well.

I need to make more of this paper. It`s such fun and a great resource for all kinds of cards.

Card Club - Feb - Photo Frame

We are meeting for card club today. I teach at 2 locations - Senior Centre in the afternoon and the church in the evening.

This card features one of my photos which has been trimmed to 3.75 inches square. The white card stock frame is cut with the Stitched Square Frame die by Die-Namics. The photo is adhered to the frame then that layer is adhered to the card front.  The greeting was trimmed to the banner edge with scissors then adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.






I have a variety of photos and card colors in the kits prepared for this class.  With a collection of photos I can make a card with a gal with flowers and I had airplanes and hoodoos for guy cards.

Mat for Cross Stitch

A friend received this tiny cross stitch art piece representing the colorful historical houses in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland.  The original frame had fallen apart and she wanted to preserve the piece of needlework.  Knowing my paper craft skills she asked if I could make a mat to frame it into this new 2.5" x 3.5" frame.  I selected a black textured card stock.  I cut the piece to the size of the frame then with the motto of "measure twice cut once" I penciled the cut out.  After checking, I placed it on a cutting mat with lines across so I could cut very straight. Once cut, it frame the bit of art nicely.  I taped the fabric to the mat.  I cleaned the glass on both sides, slipped the art, the spacer and the backer back into place.  Voila!!  Restored to bring joy again. 

Shower - Baby Girl Shadow Box Frame

I attended a baby shower for my nephew's daughter today.
I designed the personalized square in the center with all the pertinent details for placing into a black shadow box frame.  The information was color printed on 8.5 x 8.5 inch piece of Stampin Up Whisper White.  I chose Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, and Rose Red as my colors as well as a bit of Basic Grey.  I added a length of Pretty in Pink 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain in the space I had allowed on the left and adhered the ends to the back.  I punched 3 Sweetheart hearts in Pretty in Pink textured card stock.  I added 3 large buttons and 3 small buttons in the same color held in place with Zots.  The hearts were adhered with 3 D foam tape.  The 8.5 inch printed square was adhered to a piece of pink paper from the Petals & Paisley double sided designer paper set which was trimmed to 10.5 inches square.  This was then adhered to a piece of 12x12 Pretty in Pink card stock. It was mounted inside the shadow box the the back put in place. I added a length of the same ribbon to the back hangers and knotted it to hang the frame on the wall.

The mother requested books instead of cards so I chose the Velveteen Rabbit with a nice pink cover. This is one of my favorite children's book.