A Bunch of Envies, 2 Books, Some painting of paper and a bit of mischief from the new kids on the block

Hello Readers!

Thanks for stopping by! Go get a cuppa something good and settle in for a spell. This post is heavy on pictures and scattered with chatter. 

I've not done any artwork since the day before yesterday when I finished the greeting card book and did a few little paintings. My left arm is not cooperating at all! We'll see how long the chatter can last till the arm says no more! 

Envelopes have been on the radar lately. I have more of these in the works; both physically and mentally. I love doing these collage envelopes!

I have more envelopes than one person should admit to having. Envelopes of every size you can imagine. and if I happen to need one a size I don't have...not a problem! I will make one out of whatever is available to make one out of. My envelopes in this post are in a range of sizes. Some started out as business envelopes that I have a ton of or they are from my own mail. Envelopes sent with requests to return them. If I don't have to return it, it goes to the drawer with the other hundreds of envelopes there gotten throughout the year.

The collage envelopes start out with a large cigar box full of images cut from magazines and junk mail. There is no rhyme or reason to the images in the box. In another smaller cigar box is more smaller images that have no rhyme or reason either. I pick out a few concentrating on I know not what...might be the color, the subject, the shape...I just pluck enough of them out to cover the envelope and see what happens. I really don't start with a set end image in mind. Whatever lands is what happens. IF I'm going by a guideline, it's usually color related.

Sometimes I will add embellishments to the images with oil pastels, sharpie and / or white paint pen. 

Altered Envie 

Bluebird

oil pastels

3.5x8.5 inches

Altered Envelope

I love my mama

white paint pen 

4x8 inches

Altered Envie
Pink Keep Calm

4.5x10 inches

Altered Envie

Maple Leaf

oil pastels and white paint pen

3.75 x 7.5 inches

altered envie

Three Monkeys

oil pastels and white paint pen

3.75x8 inches

altered envie

mustache men

9.5x4 inches

oil pastels, sharpie and white paint pen

altered envie

pink with flowers 

white paint pen

4.5x10 inches

altered envie

rainbow canvas

the envie is made of duck cloth, painted with watercolors and splattered with gesso

5x7.25 inches

altered envie

the red car

white paint pen

4.25x9.5 inches

altered envie

green leaves silver

watercolor and glitter glue on plain white envie

4.25x9.5 inches when closed

altered envelope

zentangle alien

black marker on security envelope

4.5x10 inches

You will see more envelopes in the next post.

I finally finished the fishes you all looked at a few posts back. I did little more to the backsides of them than put a light color of paint on them and write my info with a black sharpie. Homemade gesso is very hard on the nib of a sharpie. That one will never be the same again! The roughening up the  nib took from the gesso should not only make it write less dark, it should make it so it's a useful tool in doing zentangles. We'll see.

Tilfin Lake Trout

Lake Jefferson Blue Spot

Lake Greenfield Trout

Lake Gerseler Bass

Cross Timbers Blue Snapper

Brighton River Red Spot

All names for these fishes are from my imagination. I don't even think there really is such a thing as a lake trout, let alone one that looks like these!

Post Card

Eyes

acrylics on recycled chipboard

4x6inches

I played around with color one day.

both are done on recycled chipboard, white from a shirtbox. I painted them in watercolors. Just a bit of fun with no intentions of actually making art. Just playing.

I kind of like the alien. I can't decide if it's a he or a she and are the purple spots on it's wings?  The green guy with a blue mustache kinda creeps me out.

post card

atomic blast

acrylics on recycled chipboard

4x6 inches

I did a couple of ATCs of atomic blasts too but I'll be danged if I know what became of them. Couldn't find them on this messy desk though I did try.

I haven't quite finished the greeting card book yet but it's well on its way.

It is missing a page or two cause I found the extra one on the kitchen table the day after I tied this one together. There was really no set rule as to how many pages it should have so it didn't really matter. I've no clue though what I'm going to do with that extra page. Guess I'll have to make another one of these?

I still have to finish the inside covers and do something to the front cover in decoration of some kind. I tied it together with some crochet cotton. This is the first of this kind of book I've ever made. The next one I may do a bit different in the decorating of the pages. My colors don't exactly compliment each other. It was an interesting book to assemble. Time to pass it on to another to put their own marks on.

Sparkly Pocket Book

5x5 inches

A look inside. It has six of these pockets in three different patterns of paper. An accordian style book. Easy to make! Fast to assemble. Many possibilities. I have another one pretty much like this one that needs to have its cover adhered. You'll see it next time.

Dog wants in. I'd forgotten the dog was outside!

I introduced you all to Lucky Tigger Murray and Tippy in a previous post. I brought them home last Wednesday much to the chagrin of Lola.

Miss Lola was a pissed off kitty that I would bring two new kids home and not consult with her on the subject beforehand! As I was on the hunt for the new kids earlier this evening, I found Miss Lola in the livingroom 'hiding' under the tiny chair Annabel had left in front of the coffee table the other day when they were all here. She is on guard duty.

The guard dog, Fred, is on break.

Lola has a helper in Guard Bear taking care of her post in front of the food bowl.

Guard Bear came in a box of junk from an auction a few years back. In the top of this box was old books, papers and such. Buried at the bottom was this hand carved wooden bear and some friends of his...a couple of horses and a colt. Bear used to stand vigil on the side of a flower pot but when the house burned, bear lost his house plant. He got a bit scorched in the fire himself. He now happily watches cats eat. Lola just thinks he guards her food bowl.

The new kids had been way too quiet for way too long. I found them in the laundry room with the door half closed. The laundry door stays open all the time! I knew before I even turned on the light, the new kids were up to no good!

They'd rearranged the counter in the laundry room.

My clean pajamas, which had previously been on the counter in a neat stack, were now on the floor behind the door, and atop the mop and broom.

Lucky Tigger Murray had to look to see what I was talking about when I asked why my things were on the floor. Tippy wasn't giving up her spot. I picked the pajamas up from the floor and put them in the drawer where they belong. 

all in all the new kids are settling in nicely. Lola has ceased whooping up on either of them, they can safely go wherever they please with Lola having her say about it and they all sleep in my bed at night with no disturbances. 

Life is good.

Especially for the critters in my house!

Thanks for stopping by and seeing the new creations!

Be good to one another!

It matters!

Peace

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Mug Rugs, A Monster and some Sea Critters

Hello Readers!

Yeah, I know, it's been a few days since I was here. Eleven of them, if we're going to get technical. I was kidnapped by the eldest son for that time and had no way to make a blog post. I couldn't take pictures either cause I left the camera at home. The boy and I were about 5 miles into our trip when I remembered it. He said he'd go back to get it, but I said it wasn't necessary. I now wish we would have turned around and retrieved it. It was necessary cause I didn't get one picture of the grandies or their parents! 

There were many missed pictorial events while I was off on my kidnapping. Fred dog was kidnapped too so I wasn't in it alone. Lil A loves that dog something fierce and she gave him many hugs and kisses and pats and talkings to while we were away. She also gave him a tongue lashing I won't soon forget. He popped her favorite play ball less than an hour after we arrived and she was not a happy camper about it! She soon forgave the dog though. Thankfully 3yr olds don't hold grudges for very long!  

It would have been nice to have gotten a few photos of Bub as well. Ten year old boy and two cats that were inseparable....I brought those two cats home with me. Bub came to accept that fact but he really wanted them to stay at his house with the other five cats they have.

Shortly after Fred popped Lil A's ball she demanded I make her a kitty. Three year olds are quite demanding sometimes even if they aren't meaning to be. I didn't get a picture of the little green fleece cat I made for her the first night there.

I got back home yesterday and took pictures of all the projects accomplished in the 9 days I was gone. I meant to do that last night but got lost in cyber space. I REALLY needed a good fix of the internet when I got home. There is limited, very limited time on the computer at son's house. I got online for a grand total of about an hour and 10 minutes in 9 days. Like a dope junkie, I needed a fix!

Pictures were taken this afternoon. I didn't get out of bed till almost noon! Those two cats I brought home with me were not welcomed with warmth from Lola cat. She was one pissed off kitty that I had the audacity to bring home, not one, but two more cats to invade HER territory! It was a noisy night what with Fred putting in his two cents every time Lola took a notion to hiss, growl, yowl and make a general nuisance of herself throughout the night time hours. It is hard to sleep when there's a cat war raging in your house! Thankfully Lola has settled down during the day. There's been no more fur flying, though the hissing and growling have happened when the new girls decided to eat out of the cat food bowl in the kitchen. Lola's guarding her food bowl. I gave them a bowl of their own in the bathroom up on the counter where the dog can't get to it.

I believe in due time....I'll give it a week at most...and peace will reign with the new girls and Miss Lola. Lucky Tigger Murray and Tippy will fit in nicely with the critter population here at Casa Donna!

I was a busy girl while away. I never leave home without somekind of art or craft project that travels. I took my big bag of fabric scraps and the needles and thread. I took the unfinished pink monster and bag of fiberfil. I took a book to cut up into collage fodder, a magazine that didn't get the same fate (though that was the reason for bringing it). I took the seed beads thinking I could make some fabric beaded fishes. (I did just that!)  I took the oil pastels which didn't get taken from their box because the 3 yr old took too great an interest in Grandma's crayons. What a mess that could of been! Can you imagine? A three year old with oil pastels? Grandma colored with Lil A's crayons instead. There are no pictures of crayon drawings either. I drew on the garage floor with egg shaped chalk with Lil A the last two days I was there. Bub was in on the chalk drawings as well. 

I was a busy girl! 

I'll quit rambling and show you all what was accomplished!

:)

Black Ellie Mug Rug

This one is a bit bigger than any other mug rug I've ever made. It isn't big enough to be a hot pot holder though. About 5.5 inches square, made out of felt, an old wool sweater and regular sewing thread. I started this one the last time the boy kidnapped me and didn't bring me home for almost 6 weeks!

Blue Velvet Ellie Mug Rug

I started this one during the last kidnapping also. The ellie was sewn to the purple fleece (which looks blue on my monitor. It looked that way on the camera as well. It's really a royal purple color though, not royal blue!) It has a light blue felt backside. I braided the ellies tail with embroidery thread. I used the braiding disk  

to do that. It's sewn with regular sewing thread and embroidery thread.

Hearts on Gray Mug Rug

This one is about 4x5 inches. It's sewn with three strands of embroidery thread and regular sewing thread. The red and yellow fleece hearts are atop black fleece, the gray heart and the backing are felt. 

I don't usually buy fabric to make these mug rugs or any thing else I make out of fabric. I found some fleece remnants at Wally World while I was in Hutchinson with the boy and couldn't resist them. I paid about $4 dollars for a big chunk of the gray felt, a big chunk of black fleece and yellow, orange, lime green, purple, green tinkerbell and red and yellow wuzzy fleece. Wuzzy is some kind of cartoon character. The three year identified it as such. The remnant was about 3 inches wide and maybe 40 inches long. Fleece is lovely material to work with as is felt!

Hearts on Burlap Mug Rug

I really like the effect the burlap gives but it makes the mug rug less washable. That burlap ain't never gonna look new after its first washing! This one is about 4 inches square. The hearts are felt and fleece, white is felt and black backing is fleece. It's sewn with embroidery thread and regular sewing thread.

Orange Starfish Mug Rug

Starfish is cotton material sewn around the edge with red and blue regular sewing thread. The yellow french knots on the starfish are crewel embroidery thread. Under starfish and on top of white felt is two layers of blue netting sewn on with metallic blue emboidery thread and around the edge onto the gray felt backing with embroidery thread.  It's about four inches square.

Purple Starfish Mug Rug

Not sure why that purple fleece didn't show it's true colors when the tinkerbell green fleece under is the true color. It's backed by gray felt, sewn with embroidery thread and crewel embroidery thread. It's about 4 inches square.

Purple Starfish on Yellow Mug Rug

That purple fleece again. The yellow is fleece and the back is gray felt. Starfish is fleece sewn with regular sewing thread, embroidery thread and crewel thread. This one is about 4 inches square.

These two starfish mug rugs came about after the starfish ornaments you're about to see. 

This one is about 4 inches square. White backing is felt. Green tinkerbell fleece. Purple fleece. burlap and yellow fleece. Sewn with embroidery thread and regular sewing thread. This one is my least favorite of all the mug rugs shown in this post.

Blue Starfish Ornament

Blue felt sewn with regular sewing thread, beaded with fake pearls and glass seed beads. It's about 3 inches across, has a loop of strong thread for a hanger. 

Green Starfish Ornament

Green felt, glass seed beads. Sewn with regular sewing thread. It's about 3 inches across and has a thread loop for hanging.

Orange and Gray Starfish Ornament

The back of this one is gray felt. Orange is also felt. Sewn with regular sewing thread, beaded with green, gold and white beads. It's about 3 inches across and has a thread loop for hanging.

RWY Starfish Ornament

Wuzzy fleece sewn with regular sewing thread, beaded with pink, red, white, yellow and gold beads. This one is about 2.5 inches across and has a thread loop for hanging.

Green Tinkerbell Starfish Ornament

Tinkerbell fleece sewn with regular sewing thread, beaded with blue and brown seed beads and gold bugle beads. It's about 3 inches across and has a thread loop for hanging.

Red Starfish Ornament

Wuzzy fleece sewn with regular sewing thread, beaded with a mixture of tiny beads. It's about 2.5 inches across and has a thread loop for hanging.

I ran across the idea of these fishes a couple of days before I was kidnapped for Thanksgiving and knew I was going to make them! I didn't know for sure that I was being kidnapped at the time. It worked out well though cause these fishes wouldn't be this far along if I hadn't gone to my son's house for Thanksgiving! I made an even half dozen of them but a blue one went missing before it got beaded. I've no clue where it might be...I'm putting odds on the toy closet though! :) That 3 yr old took a great liking to my fishes! 

They aren't done yet. I still need to glue the top fin and tails together and give them all some eyes and a hanger of some sort. Then I can call them done!

I have so many works in progress it isn't even funny. Some day I may catch them all up! These fishes will be done SOON! They're part of my ornament endeavor for the year.

If one had the inclination and the good eyesight to take these fish a step farther in their development, they'd be some mighty fine looking fish! I can imagine them totally beaded. I don't have the eyesight for it though...I'm also not that skilled at beading! I had a pattern for all of them but the green one. I just winged that one. What you do is cut out a fish shape...leave its tail and fins just the general shape so after you've sewn the body and stuffed it with fiberfil you can cut the tail and fins to match the fish. It's easier to line them up properly if all you do is cut them after the stuffing of the fish. They go fairly fast! If one got along with a sewing machine they could whip these beasts out by the hundreds, sans the beads. I can see them being made in any different kinds and colors and patterns of fabric. They'd make a great cat toy without the beads...or elements for a mobile...lots of possibilities with these little beasts~! I must hand sew mine though as I do not get along with sewing machines. 

FINALLY! I didn't think this pink velvet monster was ever going to be finished!

He's just a little fellow, only about 7 inches tall. For being so little he sure took his sweet ol' time coming to fruition! That pink velvet was a donation to my cause from Ma. She gave me a piece of burgundy velvet at the same time. I tried to make his horns out of that burgundy velvet but it frayed when cut and didn't work out so well for horns. I went with Tinkerbell fleece instead. His eyes are felt, everything is sewn with regular sewing thread.

I found these three lost sheep in the bottom of my traveling sewing bag. One of them was made by me, the other two were made by two little girls around 8 and 9 years old.  I believe the one in the middle is mine. They still need some magnets glued to their backsides. They were a fun find! I forgot I had taught those girls how to make these.

When my son kidnaps me I always take along something to do at his house. I don't own a television at home and I do not watch television at their house. I'm a very unsociable person. I'm civil to everyone who comes along, but I am not one who needs company to be content. 

The TV room at my son's house is separate from the livingroom there. I sit in the livingroom, alone (by choice) and do my own thing. I talk to the others in the other room if they ask me something or something is said on television that I have a comment on....Can't help but hear that TV! FIL keeps it loud enough the dead can hear it! The kids come through that room, play in there...it's full of toys! and do my own thing! I'm content with that! I have to bring things along with me though cause the extent of their craft items amounts to kids markers, copy paper and whatever broken crayons seem to be in attendance on any given day. Lil A changes things out on the hour! She's always a busy little girl! I need a few more materials than that for my creative endeavors!

My son always teases me that I've brought everything but the kitchen sink. I am never bored though! Never!

I have a lot of conversations with Lil A while sitting in that over stuffed striped chair in that room. She wants to know, "what you making, Grandma?" "Can I have a string?" "Can I put my things here, Grandma?" "Grandma, will you get me some milk?"   The questions never end! There's always something to show me and something to say and something to ask and something she wants! I gave that little girl a good number of strings during the time I was there. I took a baggie full of crewel embroidery thread in 2 foot lengths with me. Those were her favorite strings! She tied up every toy she could with those strings! 

I gave her a length of that metallic blue embroidery thread I do not like working with but used on the orange starfish mug rug anyway. The next day she gave it back to me saying I could keep that one! Apparently she doesn't like that thread any better than I do! 

I did enjoy my time away from home but like always, am glad to be back to my own abode! 

I have another project started tonight so expect some more finished art and craft in a few days time! Thanks for reading!

Be good to one another!

It matters!

Peace

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