Buttons Decorated with Sketches

Penelope Harris brought her button maker to our retreat last weekend. She knows how much fun I had creating these one-inch buttons from my printed sketches. I could become very addicted to making buttons. Check HERE to see photos of the button maker and how it works . The only thing stopping me is the cost of a button maker. I have DH looking on eBay to find one at a good price. Did you know that you can make pins, magnets, mirrors and more...?

Accordion Book Faces

Last weekend, several friends spent a wonderful time journaling on Guemes Island. One of my at goals for 2010 is to improve my skills at drawing and painting faces. Judy Wise encouraged me to make an accordion face book. I collaged, stamped and drew on the background, copied faces on tracing paper to learn proportions and then painted the around the faces.

Painting faces takes lots of practice!

During the year, it will be fun to experiment with different techniques to become more adept at depicting faces.

Photo Shop Online Course with DJ Pettitt

DJ Pettitt offers an online course using Photo Shop. I've wanted to update my skills and learn to use more techniques and program features. The program contains so many tools that I feel like I'm just skimming the tip of the iceberg. Here are the layers as I ordered them bottom to top. Each layer has an adjustment layer and/or filter.

Layer 1- crumpled paper-

Layer 2- view from Anne Amie Vineyard-
Layer 3- peony photo from The Peony Place

Layer 4- close-up peony photo-

End result with all layers and adjustments-

Peel & Stick Wallet-size Pogo Polaroid Prints

Today, I played with something I've wanted for a long time- a Pogo Polaroid printer. It's small, easy for travel. It makes peel & stick wallet-size prints of photos directly from a digital camera. I first saw one used last year at PLAY when Fran Meneley brought hers and showed us how it worked. A friend just bought one online from Costco for $49.99 with nine packets of paper. This no-ink printer uses special Zink photo paper to get the print. Many EBay vendors sell the paper.
I received the printer and camera as wonderful gifts from DH. He knows what I like.
Here's a journal page using a couple of the Pogo prints. Mexico is on my mind for several reasons. I received two Mexican-themed gifts- a Huichol mat from Jean's Puerto Vallarta vacation and a sewn Frida Kahlo wall hanging made by Cynthia.

On my night stand is Barbara Kingsolver's new book The Lacuna. I'm traveling vicariously through history with Harrison Shepherd, the main character, to Mexico in the 1920's and '30s with Frida, Diego & Trotsky, WWII in the US and post war McCarthyism.

The Mexican stories make me want to take another trip South.

"Remains of the Day" Shabby Journal Pages

I finished sewing deorative paper, painted paper used as table protector, fabric, postcards, security envelopes and other ephemera into my 'Remains of the Day' shabby scrap journal. Go Here to see the journal cover. The pages are chock full of pockets and other surprises. I like the look of the pages but it sure takes time to sew everything onto them. This style book would make a great travel journal. Check out Mary Ann's Lisbon travel journal Here. I'm going to use this one to keep a log of my life as it unfolds this year.

Quilted Cat Portraits

My friend, Marianne, has two wonderful cats. I wanted to create a quilted cat portrait of them for her birthday. They like to sleep on her bed. The background pieced fabric represents her bedspread.

They also spend a lot of time outdoors in her beautiful garden. The second sheer layer of fabric represents their enjoyment of her garden.

Obsidian thinks she's the Queen, regal and knowing.

Frankie hunts, sleeps and eats. He spends more time outdoors exploring and overseeing the estate.

Here' the composition that I created to feature them both together. Played with their photos in Photo Shop and gray scaled it to get a better idea of the values.
Since Obsidian is sleek and black, she's made of ultra suede. Frankie is furry and thus felted onto Lutradur. I machine stitched their expressions, eyes, whiskers, outlines, attached a quilt binding and sleeve for hanging. This is the second pet portrait I've made. Go Here to see the other one.