Happy Valentine Wishes

Before Blogger imposed its wrath on my life, I was reading several of my friends' blogs talking about their Gelli plates.   As many who read my blog know, I don't own one of those plates, and my craft budget isn't that rich.  However, I have a plexiglass plate that won't replace the Gelli plate, but will hopefully work in a pinch.

Note the broken mug I've kept around just for this very occasion.  I knew I wanted to use it for a Valentine or maybe a broken heart collage.

 

I know realized from before that I was supposed to roll the paint out on a plate, then place it on the plexiglass, but remembered only after I had already spread the paint on the plexiglass.   Oh look, I even have the plate ready for the paint.  Why I forgot is beyond me.

You are going to get tired of seeing this blue bed sheet, but it is quite useful for painting cotton.  I dipped the broken mug into the paint on the plexiglass and went to town, but, after monoprinting the fabric, I didn't get the results I was hoping for.  The design actually worked better on the used file folder than the fabric, which seems to have soaked up too much paint.

Not to be deterred, I made this art flag I intended for a friend who just had heart surgery.  I've already popped it in the mail in hopes it will bring a smile to his face.  This doesn't look anything like the art flags I have made in the past, mostly due to my dear friend Patty at Magpie's Nest, who explained how she made hers.  Apparently, I was making mine wrong, since I was adding strings to mine, and they obviously don't take strings.  Instead, art flags are strung on a rope or line which is then hung between two fixed points. 

Because my camera is so puny, I decided to scan this before I mailed it.  My friend is very masculine, so I didn't want to add any lace or frills.  I do, however, hope he gets the message!

For this flag, I used a piece of torn bed sheet, paint, hand dyed fabric, my broken heart mug, a black Zig pen, a white Zig pen, and lavender thread.

And while we are on the subject of hearts and Valentines, don't forget to join the Billion Rising To End Violence Against Women and Girls today.  It's the best way to show the world and your community your feelings about this injustice that affects one in three women worldwide, much of it from "loved ones."  In case you aren't familiar with this worldwide movement, or to read more about it, go here or type the words "Billion Women Rising" into your favorite search engine.  Since there isn't an event within 200 miles of where I live, I plan to dance in the street like I will suggest my friends and I do who are coming to tea today.

And please have a fun and safe Valentine's day!!

And then it rained

Some of you may have read (when I left you a comment) that after I got my computer working again (due to a wrong monitor cord), my electricity went out.  Sadly, you can't see the rain pouring down outside when I took this picture from my front porch, but the sun was shining through the clouds and the lightening was flashing.  It put a huge damper on my next door neighbor's birthday party they were celebrating for one of their children.  It also knocked out the electricity in my neighborhood. 

 

I was in the process of creating a few more art flags, but I needed electricity to finish them.  This is what they looked like when I put them away later that day before the electricity was restored.  Not much to show, but some progress is better than none, I suppose.  I hope you are having an electrifying day!

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My latest obsession

I've had this post finished for several weeks, even before I posted to Inspiration Avenue. In fact, that was where I got the idea to make the ones I showed on IA. Since I demo how to make them here, I didn't bother with the explanation several weeks ago.

Although I made these first, I had to wait until my friend Kathy, who is my dear art friend I recently spent time with in a Wichita hospital, received them in the mail. So here is how I make my latest obsession: art flags.

Supplies from left:
Fabric of your choice (I used pieces from two bed sheets my neighbor Sally gave me; both are blue)
Craft sheet or plastic to keep your table dry
91% rubbing alcohol (do not use 70%)
*Staz-on reinkers, color of your choice (I used Midnight Blue and Cactus Green)
Foam brush (stored with the reinkers and can be reused)
Mixing containers (as many as you have ink for, or clean one after each color)

*You must use a waterproof ink for this. Do not use color washes, or dye, distress, or pigment ink. This ink must be able to withstand the elements. That is why I use Staz-on brand. I suspect there are others, but this is the brand I use exclusively. And I have absolutely NO affiliation with the company, nor am I compensated to say this.

Also note that I don't buy these reinkers to re-ink stamp pads. That is because I have no stamp pads, except black. I use these to dye my fabric. I found it works even better than cold- or hot-process fabric dyes for small projects. And it is much, much quicker, too.


I began by pouring several drops of Midnight Blue to the lighter blue fabric. I allowed the ink to soak through the various layers of fabric until it reached all the way to the bottom layer. I soaked all of the fabric in alcohol with a foam brush until the fabric was completely saturated.

Note: Although I normally mix several drops of Staz-on and alcohol together, then apply the mixture to the fabric, this time I tried something a bit different by starting with the pure ink, then adding the alcohol to the fabric.

I allowed the fabric to dry, which took maybe 10 minutes. Of course, I took it outside and it was one of those over 100 degree F days we are so famous for.

I repeated using the green, allowing it to soak into all the layers, too.


Once again, I allowed these to dry. Alcohol dries much faster than water, so your fabric should be dry in no time at all.


Sew, sew, sew. Come up with clever words that either inspire you, or are proper for the person to whom you are giving the flags. Use all kinds of fabric scraps and ribbon that go with your design. Take into consideration where the flags will go. Make your ties long enough to tie to each other or around a single pole or tree. Remember, these will be outdoor art.


Here is another view of the three flags I made for my friend Kathy. Note how I varied the length of the various ties. These flags say everything I needed to say to make Kathy smile.


I wanted to remind her to laugh when she saw my silly project. At first I liked the length of the flag, but decided to add the colored wet wipe to the bottom. Also, after I made the "L" for laugh, it didn't really look right. That's when I decided to add the thin ribbon which I carried over to one of the ties. Note also how well I affix the ties on both ends. I don't want them falling off the flag before it is consumed by the environment.


Next, I want Kathy to heal. Note how I used the same fabric to write the words as well as the same Sharpie on all the flags. I didn't have enough lacy fabric to stretch the entire width of the flag, so I cut a small piece. I cut it wrong and had to remove a small piece, which I wasn't about to throw away. In my opinion, it was an even better embellishment than the length of ribbon/fabric.


Finally, I want Kathy to get well enough to shop because it's something she always wants to do whenever she comes to Wichita. Again, I used fabric scraps to make this flag. And I'm well aware the colors of the blues don't exactly match. But that's actually the real charm of these flags.

I think there will be a lot more of these in my future. Thank you for taking this art flag journey with me today. I will add this to my tutorials page, so you can easily find it.

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Inspiration Avenue: Turquoise and Lime Dreamy Teapot

That's what happens when you read a post, work on the challenge, then leave for several days. The challenge gets changed and when you visit to link up, you learn you can't play in the challenge. So, even though the rules were changed, I decided to use this as an Inspiration Avenue Challenge because I even hand dyed some fabric so I could play this week.



I'm on a new kick. I'm making art flags. I know some people call them prayer flags, some affirmation flags, and others call them art flags. I prefer to use the term art flags because that's how I think of them. They are to be placed outside in the elements for the world (and the environment) to take over and change them. Here is one I made for my friend Sally. There will be a total of either three or five, depending upon how enthusiastic I get over these colors.



Here's what this one looks like hanging on my clothes line. Yes, I hand dyed the green fabric which was originally an old bed sheet. I used the same dye for the lace, too. The turquoise was originally a blouse I bought last year at the thrift store.

So regardless of the fact I got the wrong challenge information, when I went to post my entry, I learned the challenge had been changed to teapots.


I quickly went to my studio because I already had some hand dyed fabric I could use. I sketched a teapot and sewed it. I have no feed dogs, so following my sketch was a bit difficult. I had planned to have this read "Drink," but my brain froze and I wrote Dream instead. The D is loose and it didn't scan properly, but I think you can see what I was going for. So here is my dreamy teapot that I will use as another flag for someone else to enjoy. I hope Shel likes my choice, even though the link to her blog was wrong.

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