Getting Ready for Open Studio Day

I had been planning on giving a virtual tour of my creative space. When I discovered the theme of the Fall 2009 issue of Studios is Open Studios, and they are kicking it off with a virtual tour,I decided I had to participate! Stop back here on Saturday October 3rd and I'll have a tour of my studio for you.

I love what the great people at Quilting Arts and Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazines share -- and I am really looking forward to seeing all the great studios shared through their inspiring Fall issue of Studios!

Winter Wonderland

I had so much fun creating the mixed media sparkling snowmen from the December Cloth Paper Scissors magazine cover! I used part of my Christmas vacation from work to make five sets of three each of these unique characters. They were grouped in festive form down the center of my very long table on Christmas Day -- and then I surprised each of my 5 daughter-in-laws by having them choose a set to take home with them.

One of the things that made them special was being able to incorporate some of my grandmother's old costume jewelry into the making of their hats and necklaces.

Altered Mixed Media "Recipe" for Wedded Bliss

I belong to a great online group -- FabricinAlteredArt -- and I just completed a project for a swap of altered mixed media recipe cards based on an article in "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" magazine for May/June. This was a really fun project!

With two sons getting married in the last couple of months, I had provided each bride with a recipe book of family favorites and included a pithy page of marriage advice for husbands and wives from one of my 1883 books, "Our Home."

It was perfect for this project! I took the quotes, copied a graphic from another vintage advice book and, along with antique lace, ribbon, and confetti, made the cards, front and back to the 4"x6" dimensions of a recipe card. I also transferred a ghostly image of a turn-of-the-century wedding onto Lutrador and glued it down over some fancy white brocade fabric. Then I stitched the front and back together, encasing them in vinyl with a fun fiber edge. I'm pleased with how they turned out. Now, of course, both my daughters-in-law want a copy of this version as well. I'm including a picture here. The advice I'll save for another blogging day as I got inspired for another mini book! -- Judi