Group Postcards

Today I finished the main stitching on the overall heart design. I even like the way the stitching looks on the back!


I covered everything with contact paper and sticker hearts before adding some metallic paints. I used a small roller for the teal and a brush for the purple.


Then, I removed the stickers. I will play a bit more with this before cutting into 6 postcards and embellishing further.

Constructed Heart #30

The heart may not be "constructed," but the frame was. I have always enjoyed batik and have wanted to try gutta resist art since I first saw it on an episode of Carol Duvall. I finally bought some for myself and here is my first attempt.

Though I was pretty sure I had no breaks in the gutta, there are many areas of bleeding. Also, as it dried, the lines disappeared making it hard to see where to put the dye. Also, I wished I had a different variety of colors. However, despite its imperfections, I am quite satisfied with my first gutta resist dyed piece. (It is just over 20" square).

Constructed Heart #28

I used the same techniques as yesterday to deal with another emotional day. What were the odds? The last day of school before vacation brought news of a student's sister perishing in a crash on an icy road. The first day back to school brought news a sister of another student has life-threatening injuries from a crash on an icy road. Lightning can strike twice! But for me, the love of Christ staves off the darkness of despair we may be tempted to feel. Through Christ I can face any difficulty. No, these accidents didn't involve my family or loved ones, but I do get emotional with all events in my "community." My prayers are with the families and for a miracle for my student's sister today.

Constructed Heart #27

Actually, it is more painted than constructed, but since this is what I made today it will have to do! This is Lesson 1 for my Celebrate Your Creative Self group. We used contact paper as a "resist" to maintain areas of white. I painted my designs with metallic Lumiere acrylics (blue, purple and teal), the dry brushed gold metallic over the top. I like the colors and textures of the paint.


The white is a bit stark for my taste, but I have some fabulous contact paper scraps to play with!

Constructed Heart #26

More packing tape and metallic paint. Wanted something different than a hanging heart, so covered the lid of a plain heart box.

I've had some fun this week, foraging for fabric. (I've been debating over whether it was "hunting" or "gathering." I've decided that foraging is a better term.) I love to hit the thrift shops to find stuff for my art. This week one store had bins and racks of fabric that were just 49¢ each. I got some great wool (including red and deep purple) and some awesome buttons. Yesterday I got another vintage scarf - with cafe chairs all over it. I also got a suede jacket to cut up - after just reading an article on making metallic painted baby moccasins. Another 49¢ find was a gold silk pants/shirt set. Can't wait to play with dyes and make a scarf. Do you forage, too?

Constructed Heart #25

Just days before Christmas the sister of one of my students had an accident on an icy road and died. Any death is difficult, but a 24 year old young lady just days before a holiday is particularly difficult for family and friends. My heart and prayers have been focused on the family. This heart is dedicated to my student and her family.

The dark colors and words common in tragic situations reflect the "darkness" that we feel during such times. The dry brushed silver paint makes the blue/black look like cold, hard metal. Yet in tragedy there is hope and time heals all hearts. Metallic teal and words of hope and love are spreading up from the bottom of the heart. I pray the family will feel the healing presence of God and that rays of love will help heal their pain. We never forget a loss, but we go on with the strength of our loved ones.

Constructed Heart #21

My daughter's friend was admiring my Peace heart outside, so I made her a tiny replica to take home with her.

Constructed Heart #20

Okay. So where's the heart? I decided to liberally interpret the concept of "heart" yesterday. (Actually, since I made the "rules" for making the hearts and they are just for me, I am free to interpret them in any way I want.) :-) It is art. It is constructed.

I work with the most amazing people. They come from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, experiences and opinions. We can have some great "discussions" in which there are few agreements. From the outside it would seem we have little in common and are unlikely to be friends.But we are. I am fascinated that we are so closely knit - even with new faces joining the staff. I can only surmise that it is our unified commitment to providing the best education for our students that binds us together. We can set aside our personal interests (at times) for the good of the kids. I am blessed to work with such a great group of individuals.

Most of you don't know that one of my creative mediums is food. My younger daughter and I cook competitively and invent recipes. This little creation was in honor of my colleagues. We have had a tough year with many changes and challenges. Yet they continue to put the students first and support each other. I wanted to invent a new holiday recipe and dedicate it to them and name it in their honor.

The delight pictured above is a Panther Holiday Dipper. It consists of apple-chipotle seasoned ham bites and a special cranberry-ginger sauce (made from fresh cranberries). - a bit of heat and spice, familiar holiday flavors and enough of a twist to make it uniquely theirs.

My heart is definitely "in there."

Constructed Heart #19

Most of the time she teaches writing to ungrateful teenagers. Though a few are writers themselves, most teens don't relish getting their nouns and verbs to agree nor all those other rules of English. She also teaches drama to students with a wide range of abilities. Tonight is the closing night for "The Outsiders." She puts her heart and soul into her work and into our students. She is an amazing lady who doesn't always have the time to devote to her own writing talents. This "Writer's Heart" is for Gayle. The small journal is attached with hook and loop tape, so she can read quotes about writing or jot a note of her own.

Constructed Heart #18

Tonight the wood cut outs and wire got into the act. I'm also working on another heart that has taken multiple days, so I'm not getting too bored with the repetition.

Constructed Heart #17

Sincere flattery? Or is my craft foil just jealous because I adore my wool felt? At any rate, it refused to be embossed tonight and insisted it needed the faux embroidery and buttons. Who was I to argue?

Constructed Heart #16

I love my wool felt. Just made a quick freehand heart and twisted some wire for a hanger. Stitched it together with blanket stitching and lightly stuffed with fiberfil. Had to add some buttons - I love the aged ones, especially shell ones.

Constructed Heart #14

I decided to try the beeswax again today. This heart ornament began with a heart cut from a scrap of a tissue box. I added the ribbon loop and sandwiched between two tissue paper hearts. Next came the doily and scrapbook paper heart. I added some mica powder and gold alcohol ink, but while noticeable, don't add the shimmer I was hoping for. I love old buttons, so added one on top of a scrap of lace. The heart is topped off with a couple more roses cut from the scrapbook paper. A touch of nostalgia.

Constructed Heart #13

I actually started this heart a few days ago, but realized I couldn't finish it in just one day. I purchased a 2' x 2' square of plywood, cut the shape with my jigsaw and sketched out the ideas. It isn't as nice as I had hoped, but not bad since painting is not really my "thing." I much prefer sewing or other fiber crafts. But we did need something for our lawn and since I'm making hearts anyway... It needs a bit of touch up on the edges and some kind of sealer to withstand the elements. For now, it will have to stay on the porch to be protected.

Constructed Heart #12

I was hours into a heart today when I realized I wouldn't finish, so back to the craft foil. Tried to color it with permanent markers and it looks okay. Next time, I need to borrow my friend's alcohol inks in all those jewel tone colors! That will look sharp!

We had a couple dozen snow flakes today - very tiny and melted on impact with our windshield, but we'll take any snow we can get. I know, many of you get too much snow in the winter, but here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon we can go years with no snow. And I love to build a snowman just as much as the other kids.

Constructed Heart #11

After admiring the mica powders on the clay heart, I wondered if I could make translucent polymer clay look like opal by mixing in the mica. It didn't work too well. There was some shimmer, but not much. I wound up dusting a bit of mica on the surface and it will make a nice pin, once I add the pin back.

Constructed Heart #10

Still fighting a cough and remnants of a cold, plus I've been very tired today, so I looked for something quick and easy! I grabbed the air-dry clay, rolled out a small slab and cut a freehand heart. I rolled small balls and placed them around the edge and poked through the ball and slab with the end of a paintbrush. I used the open end of a metal paintbrush to add texture to the middle. Then mica powders were brushed over the whole thing. Not all the balls adhered well, so will have to be glued once dry, but I love the look of the mica powders.

Constructed Heart #9 and a half

This was a total experiment. I've been interested in caustic wax collage, but haven't done anything about it. I've also dabbled with my soldering iron and never seem to get things to work right.

Well, I bent the wire and managed and ugly blob of solder at the join. I then layered some of my Christmas tissue paper, a Christmas tree charm, some threads, glitter and a shell button with hot beeswax. I stuck it in the freezer to harden and voila! Not great, but not bad for improv.



As long as I had that soldering iron hot, I decided to use my new glass slide squares. I layered music (with "heart" and some mica powder and used foil tape on the edges. I couldn't get the solder to work, but at least it is cute. (a "bonus" heart for today)

I must learn what I'm doing wrong with that solder. I use flux, heat the iron... and the solder just balls up and dribbles off, not sticking to the wires. I'll get it some day.

Constructed Heart #8

This isn't a happy heart, but it has hope. It is dedicated to my neighbor, Haley, as she recovers. Monday she was hit by a vehicle and the officers told me it appears her husband ran her over after a fight. I can only imagine. My heart and prayers are with her.

When I began hunting for inspiration for constructing a heart tonight, this was not my initial choice. I soon realized that my first idea would take hours longer than I had or was willing to invest tonight. I'll save that for the weekend. So, I looked high and low at my treasure trove of "stuff" and settled on this... packing tape (the old fashioned paper kind).

I bent some wire, scrunched paper around it and held it in place temporarily with blue painter's tape. I covered the whole thing paper mache style with strips of tape. (I bought a bunch of it at a rummage sale for a quarter - I read an article on how to make a dress form using this stiff tape and I can't wait to make one!) Some strips were cut in half lengthwise to fit the contours more easily.

A coat of red paint to start, then dry-brushed white in a criss-cross pattern reminiscent of gauze bandages. Highlights of gold speak of hope.

Constructed Heart #7

Wow. The photo actually looks better than the real thing! This 5" heart is made of craft foil, "tooled" with a dull pencil. (I find the metal embossing tools snag and scratch and feel yucky, so I prefer the pencil. I think the graphite helps it glide a bit better, too.) The large wrinkles were a "happy accident" and I like them. I finished it by experimenting with my new gold and silver alcohol inks. Didn't look great (wish I had the jeweltone set), so washed over the whole thing with brown Dye-na-flow. Done. Time for bed!