infestation

vintage doll pantaloons nicely moth eaten.
sewn and burned collage.

so maybe i'll start a new group called 'termite art'
the outward expression of the inward horror of having your house eaten from the inside out!
i honestly couldn't believe how fast i whipped out this piece. wonderful to channel some of my frustration into something tangible. the burning felt very satisfying.

i am not a squeamish person. i was not the one tearing the house apart when the blow snake i caught and brought home escaped out of its cage. i have an extensive insect collection, i never scream when i see an enormous spider, and i even raised monarch caterpillars once.
but this termite infestation has me freaked out!
we have heard them at night eating the walls. at first we thought it was mice. i am actually sparing you the very gory close-up photographs of the carnage because i don't want my site tagged for censorship. oh yeah baby, no pretty pastel chickies on this post today.

peep.

feeling like spring today, thought i would drop by to introduce you to one of my favorite peeps.
i started a little series of easter baskets 3 inches tall using vintage trims, wallpaper, and hankies. i am inviting 12 ladies in my neighborhood over this month to dinner and to make a bit bigger version of these baskets for an easter gift. after i get the invites made and the kit ready i'll give you a peep.
happy spring, Julie

paper quilt 'flower girl'

i found this vintage hat last weekend. i usually get such a great price from the dealers since lots of these old hats are squashed and faded. i take them apart and use the flowers, leaves, net, and silks in my art work. this hat inspired the color scheme for a paper quilt submission that i sent off today.


i dropped it off at the photo lab for a large format scan and really missed the piece in my studio.
this is the second submission i have sent off in a month! the waiting part is the hardest. . .

a photo of my wool felt palette. . .

wonderland

i'll set up a tea party and we can sit in the sun on a threadbare quilt and drink lemonade in tall vintage glasses.
we can listen to the little girls with their dolls on the grass and remember wonderland.

one last valentine. . .

just before i put all the valentine things away i couldn't resist using the vintage image i found this year to decorate some little whitman sampler boxes. here they are all dolled up. after the chocolate is all gone some sweet vintage treats!
after checking out this gorgeous basket by Lilia i am definitely ready to start making things for easter!

black and white, then red. . .

what a great relaxing weekend i had!
i worked for hours reorganizing my studio, sorting through fabric and paper and making piles of things to trash, recycle, and list on ebay. i still have a ways to go and am hopeful for some shelves, but i am thrilled today. my studio looks very inviting with the southern sun streaming in reflected off a new blanket of snow. it is almost blinding, but great natural lighting for photography.

i went to a wedding reception friday and was out of wedding cards, so in about 2 minutes flat i made this tag for the gift out of little bits i had organized in a cool anthropology box on my desk just for such an occasion.
the black and white flocked paper was from target, i wrapped a big bow of pale grosgrain ribbon i just found at the thrift store (a whole spool!) then tied my tag on the gift. it was so fun to take my present to the wedding, everything was black tie fancy with red and pink roses.


also thrifting this weekend i found a mate to this suitcase. the little red train case i found up in salt lake and have loved storing my vintage jewelry bits in it. when i brought the big case home i was so surprised the color matched perfectly. i filled the big one with my wool felt collection. it is so much more fun to open up a cool suitcase and dig through for a treasure than to lift the lid on a storage box don't you agree. . .

tasty wool felt

i have always been a sucker for wool felt.
it simply drips with color, feels so soft in your hand, and sews like a dream!
i am seeing wool felt everywhere i look now. these tasty samples are from ornamentea, this very cool store that has stocked everything i would have picked for my own store.

these make-make kits were in the emmacreation booth at CHA. darling little felt purses.

and here are some gorgeous felt purse patterns from noni.

to celebrate sending off a big project yesterday i bought a lovely bundle of hand dyed felt pieces in spring colors and plan on sewing a bit tonight.

love, chocolate, and kisses

i love being a teacher on valentines day, sending home each child with their decorated valentine boxes stuffed full with cards and treats. i still remember sitting at my desk by the window making a big valentine heart in 2nd grade. it was as big as my desk and opened to hold valentines as they were delivered. it was covered with construction paper hearts and crepe paper ruffles. i think that i why i chose such a cutsey image for the valentine postcards i made for our exchange.
i made 10 of these valentines and sent them off to far away places like New Zealand, France, and Lithuania. I hope they all arrive.
yesterday i got a surprise valentine from laurie !
so sweet and the little bag of goodies were fabulous, i love the vintage cream and pink trim.
also this week a very cool valentine from lilia , it arrived in time for the day! the tag is amazing close-up.


wishes of love, chocolate, kisses and big heart shaped valentines for all. J.

suitcase dr suess style

i was junk shopping at my favorite antique mall and found an old doll suitcase and this 1959 dr seuss book "happy birthday to you". the book is quite worn, but i even like the red tape along the side. i have always liked the imaginative creations of dr seuss and was determined to try to cover the suitcase with seuss-land images.

after checking alibris to make sure that the book wasn't valuable i went to work planning the front and back of the suitcase and selecting the images i wanted on the sides. it took more planning than i excpected and lots of detail cutting of the creatures. i started with the front of the suitcase modge podging the background image, a full page spread, and then added cut outs over the text and anywhere the images looked fun. i even decopaged on the inside of the trunk over some of the worn white and blue star paper.
you can tell a little from the side view that you have to plan which edges will fold over to the top to keep the design flowing around the sides. some old train cases have this wonderful stitched edging that would break up the image for you perfectly.

to protect the suitcase i tried a very cool acrylic latex clear coat. it clouds a little and then dries clear. you can't over work the stuff though or it pulls up the modge podge. just brush in on thick and let it dry overnight. i did three coats over the outside and noticed the clear coat even looks great if you get a little on the hardwarde. the final finish is glossy and tough without any stickiness!


so maybe soon i can download everything from CHA for a full report. . .

a week with candice

at the beginning of the week my friend candice sent me this fabulous package . such a bundle of lovlieness!
the blue sash is tied around the greatest funky apron. the collaged card on the left is sewn paper and fabric and there is a stack of beautiful napkins tied with lace and secured with a rhinestone pin.
then our art group met at candice's house for a wonderful dinner and a whole evening with art and friends. when we arrived she had a table set up in front of the fire for us to work at. i had to wander around and look at every beautiful thing she has arranged in her home. a magical winter display set up in the entry and her office was filled with so many cool things to see. it was all so inspiring.
candice put together a little kit for us to get started on. inside was a gorgeous blue box with a page from a bird book, a collection of twigs and feathers from nature, and other lovely bits to decorate with. this is how four of them turned out.

this is only the second time our art group has met. already i feel such a connection to these girls. thank you to each of you, sherri, sue, candice, rena, and amanda for such an amazing evening! i really can't wait for macrame rings everyone. . .

birthday fairy

the birthday fairy is officially stopping by here to wish my sister kris the happiest of days! i am hoping you made it to your cabin retreat and celebrated both of your birthdays with a bit of chocolate vegan cake covered in festive candles.
a package is on its way, but i won't post a picture just in case you are looking before you get it!



the big flower on the left is quite the yummy flower i found at my fav antique store, a piece of grannys wallpaper is the background (still in her house also), the card i bought from misty mawn
and the tiny box has a surprise in it for the birthday girl! now you are intrigued.

the birthday fairy is the first of my attempts to remake the little vintage cotton figures that were orriginally made as christmas ornaments. i have sent away for some fiber samples to see if i can match the little ball of fluff i found at a vintage store. i love the color and the loft. i am also using vintage cotton pipe cleaners for the arms and legs.

meet the ickles

the boxes of fabrics i have saved for years are flying open and i am sewing everything lately.
i guess during my sewing-quilting phase i burned myself out on fabric, and now here i am again. full circle back to sitching again. i made myself a little pincushion, a tiny zipper purse, then i started making little stuffies based on sketches by marina and olivia. meet the ickles.
first was ik, then lil, and last . . .mim for liv. ik has a bit of a house with a view, lil sleeps in a hello kitty bandaid box, and mim has been roaming around the house. luckily she has a bell.

wool felt gifty

i am sending off a gifty to my cool sister-in-law today! i sat down to make something for her out of my box of dyed and recycled wool pieces and just finished it. i love how the different flowers turned out. the red is the best red i have ever found. it used to be a ladies coat from the 50's. very styling big buttons and large lapel. the tiny yo-yo is made from a vintage piece of fabric that has been waiting for me. . . the beads are the smallest i have ever sewn with and i was so happy to find a size 13 beading needle by clover that works beautifully. i am also sending on some of the amazing clover brand glass head pins from japan, my favorite!

snowman

before i put everything christmas away, here is our christmas card for the year. marina painted it!
its how i feel to be headed into january. some fun things to look forward to:
i am taking a metal clay class from Sherri Haab,
in a couple of weeks. i have already started thinking of ideas of what i want to make. then it is my birthday! i share the day with my sister kris-10 years apart exactly.
i am planning a day up in salt lake to shop and hang out to celebrate. our art group will be meeting again, our second ever meeting. oh and i am continuing a major cleanout of my studio. scheduled for today... continue to expose the carpet and create a walking path through the stuff.

all vintage

my friend Laurie, from california sent me the most lovely gift for the holidays. it was a vintage tin with presents inside all wrapped with aqua tulle.
there was a tiny bottle of mica flakes tied up with ribbon, the tiniest soft hanky with the smallest bullion roses embroidered on it, a card of blue and white vintage trims, and the loveliest vintage enameled earings.
i spent a while figuring out the photo editing system Photoline, a free download from the web, so i could colorize the earings for the photo.
then i doodled around with a new format and uploaded a profile picture. so, i may be here blogging for a while. . .

winter wonderland

i am still trying to decide if i want to blog.
i do enjoy reading other blogs and love the wonder and enchantment
to be found in the blogland, but. . .

i only have a tiny bit of time just for me. i have to decide what i want to do with it.

meanwhile these are photos of the tiny charms i made for our winterwonderland charm exchange.
me and 3 girls from art and soul.


and the pile of snow we have been enjoying.

florida still life

i spent the weekend in florida with my mom and two sisters. it was an absolutely perfect couple of days wandering the beaches, kayaking the intercoastal


waterways, exploring myaka state park and talking late into the night together.
with three of us snapping photos we have such great pictures of our trip. these are a few still pictures i took of the cool things at the house of kris and chris and of the treasures i gathered at the beach.