March Quilt Blocks

At the beginning of February I showed you some quilt squares I made for the Craftsy Block of the Month Class. I hadn't worked on it again and since the April video will be up soon I figured I better make my March blocks. They looked scary to me but they were really fun to make. The first one is a foundation piece string block.

 I would love a whole quilt made out of this square!

Next is the Broken Spider Web block. By the way, the Block of the Month class actually teaches two blocks each month.

                         
I like this one too but not as much as the first one!

This is a free class so if you enjoy sewing it's a great way to be creative and get a quilt out of it too. At the end of the year all the squares will be put together into a quilt. I like having to keep on a schedule so it actually gets done. Not like the quilt I started two years ago that is still sitting in a box in the basement. I really should get that out! I was doing great on it then found out I hadn't cut some little squares out that I needed and that was the end of my progress. Holy Cannoli, that's lazy!

I assume you can still sign up for it and it really wouldn't take you long to catch up so give it a try.
By the way, this adorable fabric is Strawberry fields by Fig tree Quilts for Moda. I love it!

I hope you are having a creative week!!

Going Up?

I found this Second Floor Challenge over at Balzer Designs. The challenge was designed by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and Nathalie Kalbach.  It sounded right up my alley because I want to try new things but never get around to it or I am just scared to try. I always see new online art classes that are available but I don't have the moolah to spend on them.

This is what Julie Fei-Fan Balzer says about the challenge:

• Every few weeks we will issue a challenge (just something to spark some creativity - sometimes starting without a prompt can be very intimidating).
• Your assignment is to take that challenge and make some art.

• Here's the most important part: at some point you need to "take it to the second floor."  What does that mean?  It means trying something vastly out of your comfort zone.  Doing something that might not work.  Experimenting with a crazy idea.  It's all about pushing yourself.  If it works, awesome.  If it doesn't work, awesome!

Did you catch that part about "If it doesn't work, awesome!" ?    Remember this as I go on.
The first challenge is to use gold acrylic paint. Sounds easy but seriously, the paint is ugly.
I decided to go to the books I already have to find a project. I opened up my Collage Discovery Workshop book by Claudine Hellmuth.  I found a cool project that uses Vaseline and paint.

 So I started with these old 70s plaques and put some paper on the back and a photo.

I don't have a pic with the images on them but next I coated the paper with some gel medium and let it dry.

Then I covered parts of the picture with vaseline. Then came the gold paint.

When the paint drys you wipe off the vaseline and the paint come off those spots.

No likee!!!!!!! I wish I didn't waste those two images. Then I tried to wash off the vaseline so I could try again and I totally destroyed that second image with the little girl.  I was done with that attempt. I'll try again someday without gold paint 

I remembered a transfer method I saw on Jewels' blog Just Tickety-Boo . She got the idea from a book called Image Transfer Workshop by Darlene Olivia McElroy.  I haven't read the book but Jewels painted an image and then painted a background and smooshed them together (giving the short version) and let them dry. Then she wet the image and rubbed it off. Cool! I'll do that with gold paint.

Not cool! I used an old pattern envelope and I can't get to the image without rubbing it completely off.  Too bad, that would have been neat.  Maybe I used the wrong kind of image. 

Maybe I should have bought the book and read how to do it properly.  Tee hee!

So to get this challenge finished I just decided to do a collage and used some gold paint as a stencil. 

Now I'm supposed to share the things I learned. 

1. I don't care for gold paint. Actually I knew that already.
2. I learned that trying new things is good and I shouldn't get upset when the new thing doesn't work. How else do you learn?
3. I need to enjoy the process even if the experimenting doesn't turn out pretty. The joy should be in the creating and not felt only when you love what you made.

Have a creative week and give the challenge a try!!!

Paper Doll

I saw this adorable paper doll on The Graphics Fairy and I had to make her.

I cut two of the center piece and covered one with green bias tape. Then I glued down some pink rick rack to look like boning on her corset.

I used a scrap of vintage tulle and some old sequins to make her a tutu.

I glittered up her hat and shoes and also the flowers on her top.

Then I glued the outfit on top of the doll I made with the movable joints. I kept the glue at the top and down the center so it would stay on without interfering with the joints.

Then I hung her on my bulletin board so I can enjoy her while I work. I can't show you that because it is too messy.  She was very fun to create so I hope you try one too! Here is the link again at The Graphics Fairy.

Have a creative week!!!!

March Collage Challenge

I'm so happy it's the 1st of the month so I can participate in Mary Green's collage challenge. I haven't had enough creative time lately so today I was excited to work on some collage. The challenge is to use at least part of each of the three lovely images that Mary provides.  I wanted to try something different this time because I usually think I am too literal with the pieces. Is that the word I want? Like I try to make a picture with the pieces and everything has to be used correctly? I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right but, whatever, I wanted to try something else. I was inspired by this project on Gingersnap Creations. Samantha Read used a background made with different rubber stamps and then cut the background into strips. That is what I did with the Three Little Kittens music page. I printed two of them and cut strips that were 1/2 inch wide. Then I glued a strip right side up and the next upside down creating a pattern that would frame the lady.

Then I used two of the third piece to create patterns that would ground her. I'm happy with the way it turned out. It may even be my favorite challenge entry that I've done.

Make sure you check out the other entries here. It is always so fun to see what everyone else creates with the same images.

Thanks Mary for having these challenges and thanks for being such a huge creative inspiration to me!