Tea Bag and Petals Made into Cards

I have been playing with making more cards with petals and leaves showing through cut out areas in the cards. They are fun but time consuming.

And I need some advice....

some of them I have left just as they are...

and some I have drawn around with a rough "frame on the inside of the cut out, as well as the edge of the card.....

and ones where the petals were not quite so defined I drew in where they may go, and scribbled some words around them

or stamped a word over top the cut out...

my question is which way should I do them?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

The Great Leaf Project

For quite some time now, I have been thinking about getting some weather worn leaves to use in my creations. Being spring here in the Yukon, I thought I would collect some leaves that had over wintered, and see if they had decayed somewhat over the winter and be weather worn.
But the leaves that have overwintered here are not decayed yet, as decomposition takes a long time in the North. The leaves I gathered were brown and actually rather boring looking, and so I collected a big pot of them and boiled them for a few hours, and then wiped the dirt off and dried them...... the picture above is how they looked at this point.... still not what I was envisioning.

After a night of sleeping on the idea, I decided to add a small amount of bleach (I actually never to rarely use any bleach, so it was a hard decision for me, but in the end decided to use about 1/4 cup for my leaf project) and an equal amount of water in a tray, and lay some leaves in to see what would happen..... the brown leaves started changing, and after a few minutes became lovely colours.

Using a fork I moved the leaves from the bleach water into a bowl of clean water and washed them off.

They were then laid out on the towel to dry. After they had dried for a few hours I then ironed them flat.

The leaves now have a wonderful colour and pattern to them.

Before I got rid of the bleach water, I put it in a yogurt container with the last handful of leaves I had, and let it sit for a few hours. These leaves were the result of that process.

I had a huge pot of leaves, and after a number of hours of work I now have a huge pile of these lovely leaves ..... the next question was what to do with them. I am sure they will get used in a number of ways, but for tonight.....

I decided to start by using them in these cut out cards... and that is the story of the great leaf project!

Lovely Four Day Weekend!

I had a four day weekend this past weekend, and had a lovely time not doing the house chores that I thought I would.... I have made handmade paper for many years,
and on Friday I went into the local school to make paper with the grade 2 and 3 class. They loved it, as did I.

Saturday I spent time at Kluane Lake, sitting outside and doing some drawing....

I finished my drawing on Sunday, and made a few cards with prints of my last two plant drawings.

I also started working on what became a bigger than expected leaf project.... that I finished on Monday.

Stay tuned for more information on the BIG LEAF PROJECT in the next few days....

Practice, Practice, Practice

I continue on in my quest to learn how to draw. It is a slow process, but I usually enjoy it and find it quite meditative.
This drawing started yesterday as I sat at the edge of Kluane Lake. The ice is beginning to leave the lake, but there aren't leaves on the trees yet.

Perhaps that is why I have such a desire to draw leaves and plants lately... I think I am more than ready for the leaves and flowers to appear. I finished this drawing at home today. . . . . . It was a long process, it took me over 5 hours to finish this drawing. I continue to practice and learn.

Tea Bag Transfer Book

I made a few more tea bag transfers of bits of drawings, and made them into an accordian book.

Here is the front cover,

and close ups

of all of

the pages.

I added a bit of text transfers to each of the pages as well.

and here is the back cover.

As usual I can't decide if I like the book wrapped up like this, or spread open to show off all of the treasures inside.

Tea Bag Transfers

I have been playing with tea bags again..... I decided to try transfering some of my drawings onto tea bags. I love the combination of the pencil drawing with the tea stained paper.
I am not sure what I am going to do with them yet, but they have been fun to make.

This one I decided to put a transfer a bit of text onto it as well, and then attached it to a piece of material. Again not sure what it will become, but my brain is whirling with ideas.

A Gift of Time

I recieved some exciting news today that made me smile. It reminded me to never stop believing.... and I haven't. (Believe is the word I choose for 2011)

.......The exciting news can't be shared right now..... maybe down the road.

I have been itching to do some more drawing, but this type of drawing takes me so long, and I haven't had big chunks of time. Yesterday I gave myself a gift of time, and did this drawing. Yes there were chores that didn't get done, but this drawing did, and it made me smile. Sometime (perhaps not soon) I want to try painting it as well. I love the look of old botanical drawings - and this is based on one I saw recently.

Mother's Day Gift

For many many years now, we go to Crocus Hill to celebrate Mother's Day. It is one of the first places that we see signs of spring. The day was cold and windy, but myself, with my dad and my oldest daughter,

my niece's dog that we are dog sitting,

and my mom and youngest daughter had a great time

flying kites, (and only one kite was eaten by the spruce trees)

having a picnic lunch and enjoying the afternoon together.

I couldn't have asked for a better gift.

Getting Closer...

I have been very busy in all aspects of my life lately. When I began this painting, the numbers that surrounded her represented that busyness. The to do lists, the dates and appointments, the fears and accomplishments, and the minutes and hours and days that rushed by. When I looked at her again, she almost looked relieved as the numbers seemed to be pouring off of her, and I realized that all of the things we do daily help us grow....

and so I added some stitched leaves that I coloured in with pan pastels after I they were sewn on. Is it finished?.... I don't know - time will tell.....But I do know that it is closer.

Unfinished Face Painting.

I decided it was time to paint a face. I haven't done that for so long, and I usually enjoy it so much.

Here is a drawing I did some time ago, but I hadn't painted her yet.

And here she is.... Although I enjoyed painting her, she is not finished. I don't know where she wants to go from here, and so far she hasn't told me. But every time I look at her she says "I am not finished yet" I hope she tells me soon. Sometimes I find it hard to be patient.