FREE PHOTO

I've decided to add a free photograph every once in a while. I love free things, especially photos. I found this one at a consignment shop which has also been a great place for rusty items. I loved this photo. Looks like the teacher with the children of one family since they all resemble each other. I especially like the little girl. You can tell she has mischief in her eyes. Adorable. Please, feel free to use this as you will. I'd love to see the results of work done with this photo. Since I own it, I still have the right to use it as well. Have fun!

Matchbox, Doll and Dominoes

I decided to alter a small matchbox. The front is The Blue Lady and the back is the butterfly. It was fun. I may do it again if it sells. I have no need for pretty matchboxes but maybe someone does.

I tried altering a domino. I had an incomplete set of old Dragon Dominoes so I tried it. The first is decoupaged and the second is fiber adhered with gel medium. I dry brushed gold paint on it.

Here's the back of the fiber art domino. You can see the fibers from the sides as they cling to the back. Kinda cool. The dragon shows up well with the dry brushed paint. Both are on eBay.

I made this little baby a while ago and didn't like how it looked with the background so I cut the background off and here's a little doll! I added the purse to make it look cute. Bald is beautiful.

Four Years and One Baby Ago

It was four years ago this month when my daughter got married. I asked her to send a copy of the cross stitch I did for her and her husband for their wedding. This was enough to make me stay away from cross stitching for life (well, almost--I've done some very small things since.) It took me four months to complete it with my working 3-4 hours a day and a 15-hour a week college teaching job. Needless to say, I didn't do much more than that in that time frame. She does love it and it hangs in her daughter's room now. Hope I'm around for her wedding.
My daughter is not a decorator. She doesn't do knick-knacks or cutesy stuff but she does love paintings and impressionist paintings are her favorite. She was looking for an inexpensive poster of this painting and because they were watching their budget, they decided to hold off. In the meantime, I thought I could reproduce it using my style of quilt art. This is the result. I'm so concerned with copyright laws, I considered not showing this, but I've noticed impressionist works everywhere. Who does own the copyright? Anyone know? The paintings are old enough to be in public domain, but they hang in some museum, right? Oh, well, it hangs in her personal living room museum and she didn't pay for it, for which she's very happy. I'm happy, too. I think it turned out well. Everthing is yarn under tulle except the people made of painted muslin. If this breaks the copyright law, let me know and I'll remove it from my site.

Works for Mid May

This piece is called "Regarding Roses." It is ATC size, quilted and includes the use of three old handkerchiefs, tapestry, old buttons (green, pink and cream), and a copy of an old photo. On Ebay.
I love looking for "things" but I have way too many of them--more than I can use. I've put these things on eBay.
Life is not all "regarding roses." Sometimes things happen. In my Things of the World Series I've added this piece, "Trusted--Treated." You add your own story. ATC size and on eBay.
This is not a duplicate. I made this one measuring 7" x 7 1/2" and edged in black fabric bound over a specially-made artist frame. This one goes to the youth auction at my church Sunday for missions. The youth go to World Changers where they pay money to sleep on a gym floor and help needy people with construction of their homes in lower income sections of large cities all over the US. This is similar to Habitat for Humanity. The kids come home with their eyes opened to the needs and how they can be met. This money helps the ones who have money problems themselves have an opportunity to do mission work. I call it "Winter, Be Gone."

Bindings Hurt

Yes, I'm binding my grandson's cowboy quilt. Finally, today, God willing, I will be done! Bill quilted it in about 50 hours working maybe 1-2 hours a day, bless his giant heart. It would never be done if it depended on me to quilt it. He says the same of me--we'd never have quilts if I didn't piece them. I think we make a good team. We should since we've been married 39 years. Though we see things from totally different perspectives and can't understand each other's modes of communication, we have made it thus far and will, through the act of commitment, make it to the end. Why do wonderful things hurt? Our quilt is wonderful, but it hurts to bind it because binding is not creative, is boring and endless. Some things just have to be done anyway.

New Art Quilt Today

It was time for a small art quilt. I made this one this afternoon and put it on eBay.
Two weeks off have made me very art-making hungry. My art cards did not sell on eBay last week so I was disappointed and discouraged. I thought they were beautiful, but that's me. When I'm discouraged, I turn to art. It makes me happy. Hope you like it too.

I made this fiber art quilt for my niece's wedding last month. I got the inspiration and sketched it out on paper then did my clipped yarn fiber art technique and hand embroidery. I figure it took me about 7-8 hours to do it. She seemed to like it. My daughter wants one now--probably not. I did a Paula Vaughn cross stitch for her wedding and it took me 3 months. She wins! The quilt above measures about 9 1/2" by 12" not including the frame, an antique one found at an estate sale--I LOVE OLD FRAMES!

I made this fun little art quilt that measures about 8" x 12 1/2" from the top of the wood to the bottom of the quilt. It took a long time to get it done. I'd pick out things, put them together, look at it, move things around again, add new things, remove things again, blah,blah,blah, finally it's done. The label says: "There's a little Bohemian in all of us." Do you agree?
You can find it on eBay here:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320111953211&rd=1&rd=1 until May 14, 07.

MORE ALTERED ART!

These ATCs/ACEOs (Artist Trading Card/Art Card Editions and Originals) measure 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" and are on eBay today until May 14, 07. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320111954864&rd=1&rd=1 and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320111956384&rd=1&rd=1.

Life Causes Artist Shutdown

After I made these ATCs/ACEOs I was immediately in love with them. Unfortunately, no one else was because they didn't sell on eBay. On to ETSY with them. There's got to be someone who has the same taste as mine out there! I don't know if I should continue with them, but I keep making them. Oh, well, my family knows what they're getting for Christmas.

One wonders about altered art. Why do it? What good is it? Who buys the stuff? All these questions and more rattle through my brain. That's not the problem. The problem is - I'm hooked on altered art! I can't help myself. Once I started, I can't stop! Who's to help me from this terrible fate. I'll have a house full of art that no one likes. What' s to save this poor wretch of an artist? This one bit the dust on ebay and now adorns my wall. :( ----:)

Productive Week

This lovely lady is made from a royalty-free print on muslin, 4 kinds of yarn, ribbons, lace and fake hair. She is about 14" long. A little break for me. She's on Etsy (http://sallylsmith.etsy.com).

After the horrible shootings this week I was inclined to make this altered art ATC. I used background images from a public domain site. The pictures are actually paintball photos but they look very ominous so they work for the effect I wanted. When everything around us is falling apart, this is the only thing that is constant. She is on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320105074783&rd=1&rd=1

I found a beautiful box for 50 cents at a sale and made this piece of altered art using a picture of my model to make this prayer box. I tried for the crackle finish but didn't quite get there. Maybe next time. It measures about 4" x 5". This is on etsy (http://sallylsmith.etsy.com.)

This altered art piece uses transparencies (package tape over professional copies and newsprint), junk watch face, old button, old library index card, lace, leaf, stamp, and copied photo. I used an old brass protractor for the hanger. It measures about 4 1/2" across and is about 5 1/2" high with the protractor another 2 " above that. This is on ETSY (http://sallylsmith.etsy.com).

Another Work Today

I made this Artist Trading Card (ATC) measuring 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" this afternoon. I put it on eBay this evening. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320103823665&rd=1&rd=1
I've named it "Dawning." I love this time of morning and the same shadowy time in the evening. This card is made of clipped yarn covered with tulle and backed with cotton fabric. I've hand-embroidered the shadows.

New Little Quilt For Sale

I'm selling this finished product of my blog tutorial on Etsy (http://sallylsmith.etsy.com.)
I started another little quilt today but I'm dropping everything I pick up today and my head is splitting so experience tells me to stick with uncreative things. Tomorrow is another day, God willing.

Grandchildren Keep Me Busy

I just finished this little blanket for our tenth grandchild. I've made a cross stitched thermal blanket (because of the little squares that are ideal for x stitching) for the first ten g-children and this one is the last I am going to do. The last name and year are blocked out intentionally. The next one for g-child no. 11, Laura, will be a small crib quilt.

Another grandchild's quilt--Last Christmas we presented Ian, our seventh grandchild this quilt. I used parts of the patterns in a Quilt Magazine (sorry, it has been lost in the shuffle since then),

maybe you can recognize which one. I made a collage of fabric on the strip behind Ian reminiscent of the US starting on the right with the Statue of Liberty and ending with the Great North West, with fields, farms, roads and deserts in between. I pieced it and Bill quilted it. Ian was very pleased.

Catching Up

Close-up of Etching

I've been working on this piece the last few days. I photographed a young lady at church with a beautiful face and eyes and am using her in a few of my pieces of art work. We exchanged a piano lesson for a photography session. I'm using a lighter background color than I have been using. Even though green is not one of my favorite colors, I think it does this idea well. Take a look at the close-up for the detail of the etching. This is going on eBay this week, hope-hope.

It's been a busy few weeks. First the birth of our 11th grandchild and helping the family and second the finishing of this quilt for our 9th grandchild. It's ready for Grandpa to quilt now. Yes, my husband's Grandmother taught him how to quilt when he was knee-high and he finds it relaxing and enjoyable. Go figure. I actually do not like quilting and am not good at it. My arthritis doesn't help either, but I love to do the piecing. This quilt has a partner on the big brother's bed that we finished last year. We've been making a quilt or two (on good years) for each of our grandchildren and we were down to two more quilts until we found out that two more grandchildren were on the way. Oh, well, busy hands...

New Granddaughter

We've spent a busy week helping our daughter-in-law and son with their brand new baby girl, number 6 child for them, number 11 grandchild for us. The only art work done this week was altered art with my 5 grandchildren and "studying" a past issue of Somerset Studio. Sold only one item last week, my "Coming Storm" ATC, on etsy. I will try to get busy when I get home to make another one to put on eBay and possibly make a little quilt as well. I'll be resting as much as my work schedule will allow the first part of the week, but I have to finish a cross-stitch blanket due my 10th grandchild this week as the priority item. We've spent the last part of this week visiting our daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter number 10. Pictures of the altered art my grandchildren made will be on the web as soon as I get home.

Three Items on eBay and Etsy Today

I ran into the most wonderful Victorian Album last week at an Antique Mall. I couldn't resist. This is one of the pictures I love. I used an old book cover, ephemera, gel medium and paint to create the design. I put stiffened point d'Venice lace on the top interlaced with gold cording. The butterfly glued in the middle and looks like it's about to take flight. I'm using the same technique I used on the back of my ATCs last week. On eBay today.

Another picture found in the Victorian Album. Love this baby and mother, a theme for many Victorian pictures. I used some wired beads to make the hanger, gel medium, ephemera, paint complete the piece.

A closed up of the altered art on etsy today.

An old book cover, some wire mesh, gel medium, acrylic paint and a cute baby picture bought at an antique store go into this altered art piece on http://www.sallylsmith.etsy.com.