Valentine's!

Fiber Delight! Valentine Postcards is a new workshopI'm teaching at Joggles just in time to create some homemade love for those special folks in your world. In this modern age of instant technology it's incredibly special to receive a card via post, and when it's handmade it's a treasure to cherish! The workshop teaches fun techniques anyone can learn and requires no special skills to sign up and each card can be sent through the mail with no envelope to your Valentine!

Twleve different designs will be taught using fabric, paper and assorted bits and bobs of embellishments incorporating stitching, fusing, painting, dyeing and distressing to name a few techniques. I've had a blast building this class and can't stop making Valentine postcards! If you prefer, work your designs into a quilt or a mixed media journal and keep these treasures for yourself. I'm finding myself very attached to these little creations and wondering how I'll ever be able to mail them away. I guess one will do anything for love! C'est l'amore!

Valentine Workshop

In this technological age it's sad that old customs like Valentine's delivered by post are considered rare and special. Folks used to handmake all their Valentines and send one to each of their loved ones. "Valentine Postcards" is my new mixed media workshop at Joggles beginning January 18, 2011. Each lesson will focus on several fiber based postcards adding tetures and techniques to dazzle your Winter Blahs. This workshop will guide you to create a dozen unique cards, and if you choose not to send them each will be suitable for framing, working into a one-of-a-kind quilt or handmade book. No matter what you choose to do with your creations, each Valentine will be full of fun creative techniques and lot and lots of love. I hope you'll check it out at Joggles and join me for some fun!

New Workshops!

New Workshops begin November 16th at 2 sites! Faerie Couture begins at Cloth Doll Artistry and Lady Zen at Joggles. Both projects could make wonderful holiday gifts so if you are looking for something special check out my classes. These will be my last two workshops on line this season so I hope to see you in one or both workshops! Happy creating!

New Family Member

We welcome to Skeelhaven our newest FK (Feathered Kid) Beaker, a grey and white cockatiel. Beaker came from the same bird rescue as Pellenore, who we selected in December) and they are actually just about the same age, which is 18 months because they are brothers! Their expected life span is 12 to 15 years and they share a cage as tiels are social creatures. They so far tolerate each other but have not bonded as best buds quite yet and are still trying to determine who is "Top Bird." It's taken a few days for each of them to begin singing again, and relaxing with each other, though Beaker is a sweetheart and loves to be pet when we are one on one. Pelly never liked fingers much so we hope he'll learn from Beaker. Right now he watches us pet Beaker with caution and seems to stand by to protect Beaker in case the dreaded finger inflicts the pain he imagines it will, but hopefully he'll catch on. Pelly hasn't wanted to snuggle with me since the arrival of his new "brother" but they will each sit on one of my shoulders, play pin ball with me or hang out in the studio together while I work. The cooler temperatures of late have been ideal for them to share a perch in the front window and watch the world together with a gentle breeze in their faces, as they are in the photo above. They also adore the screened in back porch. I think it will all work out wonderfully and am thrilled Pelly is no longer alone in his cage.

Another New Workshop!

Fiber Face Collage has just officially been finished... just in time, too as the last lesson was posted on Joggles today! But the class will run again September 15th at Doll Street. Here are some finished photos of faces created for the class and put on fabric journal pages. Above are Cate and Jasmine, each created from photos.

Rose and Celeste are above. Rose is created using all printed fabrics and Celeste actually wears fake eyelashes!

Jane and Bonnabell are next. Jane is a flapper and Bonnabell is just a beautiful chick.

Viola shows techniqes for making wild faces with unusual skin tones, where Ako shows Geisha style makeup.

This last one was the original piece and not completed the same way. The fabric colors show through the face a little but I loved the pattern and include it in the class as well. There are 10 face patterns, as well as instructions on how to create a unique face from scratch or from an existing photo for your fiber arts. I had a blast creating this class! Join in on the fun at Doll Street. Look for Creative College.

Faerie Couture

I just finished samples for a new class! Faerie Couture will feature not one but TWO projects; the Faerie of Light and the Dark Faerie. From layered painting to create faux marble on a mannequin through layered and distressed costumes and wings these two pieces are a blast to create! Faerie Couture will premier at Joggles October 19th. Additional workshops at Joggles this session include Altered Fabric, September 22 and the new mixed media Lady Zen is scheduled for November 16th.

Fiber Face Collage

I've been working on collage faces made of fabrics for an on line workshop I'm teaching called Fiber Face Collage and decided to include how to do a collage based on a photograph in the lessons. I created 2 from photographs. The first, which is above, I call Jasmine and she was a beautiful face I found on the internet and fell in love with. She'll get a curly fabric as hair later. Here's her original photo.

Next I used a photo of a friends beautiful daughter, Cate. I loved the pink and blue tones in the photo and hand dyed the skin tone fabrics with Dye-Na-Flow. Her hair is create with 8 different prints including calicos and batiks.

Here is Cate's original photo. Cate is currently on a trip to Atlanta so I can't wait to hear what she thinks about this piece using her as my inspiration. Her mom loved it!