poppies and other flowers

I did say the other day that I liked my dragonfly stamp on a blob of paint here and thought it looked like a poppy.  So, I made another stamp for the poppy centres and used it here on some lutradur circles sewn down with a french knot.  I thought the background fabric sort of suggested stems (artistic license)
After I had done this, though about what it would look like with some clear embossing powder over the top.  Of course I would have to use cotton for those poppies, or even paper!

Yesterday, I made a lot more flowers!

I borrowed the die cutter from out art studio.  This one is a big one.  I have only a teeny weeny one.
I recently bought a new die to use in the big cutter that I thought would come in very handy.

This is what it cuts.  It's a Tim holtz die.
I cut lots of paper ones

And I cut lots of lutradur/rainbow spun ones

I also tried out some fabric, too.  I found that with fabric, it is best to have paper top and bottom of the fabric whilst cutting (even lutradur), so I made even more paper flowers out of scrap paper at the same time.
When fabrics such as organza have been stiffened (I use dilute PVA, just like making fabric paper, but without the paper), they work extremely well, and some work even without stiffening, but sometimes some threads are not cut - one or two and when you remove the flower, the thread pulls. 
anyway, I think I will be making a big batch of stiffened satin and organza very soon. 

I even cut some thin foam and ended up with a stencil and some stamps!

The only probelem in using dies, is the waste.  but you know me, I will be recycling the paper bits into my journals and artbooks and the fabric ones.....  Well I have a few ideas in store for them.

But now I have flowers to last until.....at least next week!

Poppies and time to regroup

Today's ATC is one of my favourites so far.

Cotton background, batting, card.  Straight stitch, chiffon circles attached with beads or  folded.
This ATC took less that half an hour and, well, I love it.  I am a bit of a dimensional flower addict.

Finally, the stress of the last two weeks with two projects due is over. The first, my Tangled Textiles Challenge, I showed here.   The second, which I will still have to wait a week or so to show you, is also finished, and  what a relief!

Now, today, is time to regroup, and get my routine up and running again.  I will return to my normal posting format in the next day or so, probably tomorrow, depending on how much I get done today - so off I go.

recycled mixed media

I have finally finished all of the blocks for my recycled piece.

This is the first set, which have in order from the fabric up
plasterer's tape (grid), sewn down with scrap thread
Chewing gum foil flower blanket stitched down
flower made from scraps of entrapped fibre film
plastic washer painted with green nail polish sewn down
black transistor with the eletrodes poking out in the centre for the stamens.

Here they are closer up.
Here is the next set.

These are constructed from.
plasterer's tape (grid), sewn down with scrap thread
Tyvek scraps and tea bag flowers cross stitched to opposite corners
Small straight stitches across the opposite diagonal
Large to medium circular disks couched down (painted with nail polish)
Medium washer with smaller washers or rings around it (painted with nail polish)
Coloured LED for the flower centre

And here they are close up - there is a lot more variation in this group.
And the next set.

These are constructed from.

plasterer's tape (grid), sewn down with scrap thread
A plastic disc cut from plastic packaging and painted with nail polish.
Two different coloured and oriented chewing gum foil flowers
A black  metal gripper or crimp used for wiring
A grey wire crimp that I have painted green for the centre

And there they are close up - this group is actually my favourite.
And the last set.

These are constructed from.

plasterer's tape (grid), sewn down with scrap thread
 A circle of dyed batting blanket stitched down
A plastic flower cut from plastic packaging and painted with nail polish.
Four springs painted and tied into petals
A painted washer with a scallopped sort of edge again painted
A few french knots in the centre and some tied thread in the corners

And here they are close up.  You can click on them to see a bit closer.

I really enjoyed making these and the challenge of making them from scraps and rubbish was fun.

I do enjoy making little fiddly things like this in the evenings.

Now I just have to decide on a background and arrangement.  I have a few ideas but I'll just let them play around in my head for a little while before I decide.

Oh, well, that's one project out of the way, just a few hundred to go......

Recycled collage

Forgive me if I have been remiss in getting back to everyone who has commented in the last week or so.  Needless to say, I will try to catch up on the computer stuff, but it is soooo hard to fit in when the creative juices are flowing.  And at the moment, they are!

OK, let's get the business out of the way.  There were five commenters (both here on blogger and at the hive) and I numbered you in time and date order.

The winner was number 4  which is Connie Haskell from creating the hive, whose address I have, so I will be sending six fat quarters out to you asap!


Now down to the creative stuff! 
Remember last Monday I was beginning a collage made from recycled bits and pieces.

This is my desk, whilst I was sorting out what I might use

And here, I am brightening up a few of my bits with nail polish.

Here are the raw materials I started with.  Beginning at the top right, are circles cut from clear plastic packaging and coloured with nail polish, going clockwise, next are some flowers from the same source as the circles, some more flowers cut from some free motion scraps, then some angelina scraps, then teabags, some rings cur from a spring, some black clasps from some machinery, some small washers, some crimpy flower like washers, some plastic rings, some led lights, some led holders, large plastic and metal rings, flowers cut from vinyl, flowers cut from gum wrappers, flowers cut from coloured tyvek scraps and lastly flowers cut from foil packaging.

I think you might all have an idea of my theme, now.  Lisa you were right with the money!

Here is a more complete layout idea - at least, this is how I have bagged them up for sewing.

Here is the first block sewn.  I have put some red whipstitches along the edge of the plasterer's tape and some tied blue thread in the corners.  I attached a circle of dyed batting from my felting scraps with a green blanket stitch.  Next came a flower cut from plastic painted with nail polish.  The red petals are made from tiny springs that I have painted, then sewed the ends together to form a loop,  and the flower centre is a small blue coloured crimpy washer.  I have put a few french knots in blue in the centre (perhaps they should be orange?).

Here is the second block.  On this one I have put some half cross stitches in blue across the diagonal on the plasterer's tape, then added a tea bag/tyvek flower on the other corners with a cross stitch.
Next, I added a plastic ring, secured by alternating red and blue stitches.
The flower in the centre is made from one large washer with six smaller washers arranged over the top of it.  In this picture, there is nothin in the centre.  I took the centre out to get a good scan.

Here it is with the centre in, an LED from some old electronic parts.

Since the blocks are generally in sets of four,  I have more of each of these two, in other colour combinations and then another two sets to finish.
The blocks are about 3 1/2 inches, so the whole piece will probably be about 16 inches square, depending on how much space I leave between the blocks on the backing.
Oh, and I forgot - the thread I am using is from one of my waste bags from embroidery, so even that is recycled!

Congrats Connie, I'll be heading to the PO tomorrow, which is craft group day at our community house and hopefully I'll have another giveaway before Christmas!