Fox Bag in Crochet & Cross Stitch

do you like this bag?......i found it at crochetme, an interweave magazine, & they found it in the november/december issue of pieceworkmagazine.
for other bags look at madamerenard.
(raylee).

Playing with Paint & Crayons

to begin........i chose a 30cmx30cm canvas which had some paint on it already.

 when i paint i usually have a canvas or paper nearby so that i don't waste paint, the excess gets brushed onto something for later use.

1......painted canvas......

 2......randomly squeeze blues & green acrylic paint blobs onto the canvas.....

 3..........roll with an old foam paint roller......add more blobs of white & yellow paint......

 4.......spread with a palette knife......add magenta to the mix.....

 5........use a fork to drag through the paint, i just made lines all over the canvas.....let the paint dry....

6........roughly draw the subject, i used black crayon, then  with a white crayon rub over the negative spaces ....the crayon stays on the ridges leaving the paint visible in the valleys created by the fork......

 the green right wing with some of the original colour showing.....

& the left wing.....

7......i decided to add some yellow & white crayon to the wings........& a bit of yellow acrylic to the head & body , & some red crayon to the body as you can see in the first photo.

this could be a fun project for kids (of all ages) to try.
 i would love to see your creations if you try this.
please leave a link in the comment box so we can share your pictures.
(raylee).

Old Chairs - New Look

do you like this look?....... you don't have to spend a lot of money to smarten up old chairs.

 the chairs came from the tip shop & the calico from the op shop & the hessian was left over  from a previous project 

 i bought the spotted fabric draped over the chair on the left thinking i would recover the chairs the right way. but when i wrapped them in calico for a garden wedding i liked the look, so will keep the fabric until i think they need a change.

 the blue cushion courtesy of simonne. the picture on the drawers  is a collage from the 365 creative challenge 2013.

  liked this one so stuck it onto an old book cover & then onto a small canvas. still going strong with the challenge, thanks to ihanna for setting this challenge.

the paper flowers i made from rusty wire, book pages & paper doilies, & metal container, another garage sale find, & the table made from wall boards from one of our old houses we renovated a long time ago.these  have been previously  posted  on our blog, from way back, i can't remember when.

under the covers...... what the chairs look like ......really.

early morning sun on paper flowers.

i would like to say thank you to the graphicsfairy for some of the images i used to make the second wedding guest book recently. there are some photos on the previous post

a couple of links to some very impressive paper work: annawilihighfield

& papercouture.

.

for the wedding i wrapped & knotted the calico & tied the hessian strips around the chairs to keep it all together & finished the look with pieces of old lace tablecloths draped over the backs of the chairs.
 have i inspired you to try a no- sew new look for your old chairs?
(raylee).

Wedding Guest Book No. 2

(raylee).

Silky Oak, Jacaranda, Bougainvillea

 october brings some of  qld's most colourful blooms .

 there is nothing like rust .........it just goes with everything.

these photos were taken at gympie, qld.
thank you all for visiting........have a great weekend whatever you do.
(raylee).

Girls Dress Made from Doona Covers

   my version of the "pillow case"" dress....machine stitched from two different doona covers, a mauve gingham one with embroidered flowers & another one with  a popular girly horse theme that i used to put panels in the sides of the dress.

i cut a bias strip from the horsey one to bind the armholes & neck edge & to make two ties to thread through the neck binding & tie at the shoulders.

to finish i stitched on a white cotton doily. 

my sister told me about "pillow case dresses", not sure where she found them but

there are lots of tutorials for this dress........if you would like to make one , or more, they are very easy & cool for our summer, just have a look for "pillow case dresses".

happy stitching!

(if you make one please show & tell).

(raylee).

Colour & Texture Mixed Media - 365 Creative Challenge 2013

3.....

2....

1.....

1....

2.....

(raylee).

Alphabet Jewellery Hanger

do you have alphabet  puzzles the kids have grown out of?

here's an idea for the girls.........glue the letters onto the board, i used pva glue.

when it was dry i gave it two coats of white gloss spray paint.

the little knobs are just the thing for hanging jewellery.
you could put a hanger on the back & hang it on the wall.
(raylee).

Faces in the Mix, 365 Creative Challenge 2013

 collage of magazine pictures, turned up side down, with gesso over the top, written into with end of paintbrush, when dry some watercolour splashes & flicks added.
it says "don't leave brushes in the water" : they will fall to pieces, i should know better.

 image transfer of printed photo over acrylic painted sketch book paper, some of the paper pulled away, a glaze of magenta acrylic, collage text & gesso.

quick sketching with artline 200 pen on old book page while watching television, 

catching features from different faces as they appeared on the screen to make one.

 layers of acrylic over old watercolour , stamped with moulding gel, circles painted with watercolour, when dry a layer of gesso sprayed with water & left to dry. gives a cloudy appearance.

 another face collage with strips of painted paper stuck on, also some sticky tape which i removed after a glaze.
 then a layer of gel medium to form the texture.
 i used transparent acrylic paint glazes, gesso dribbles (the light bits) & more watery acrylic glazes.

(raylee).