I'm So Excited... And I Just Can't Hide It!

This is a post I have been waiting to share for some time now.

It is about making something out of teabags, pressed leaves and flowers, bits and pieces of material, and some ink and glue.

I made a lot of them last October and sold them at local sales.

What are they you ask? Well I call them tea bag luminaries, as I put a small battery operated (no open flame please) tea light in them

and in the darkness they glow. I enjoyed making them so much that I decided to submit the idea to a magazine,

and August 1st when this magazine hits the shelves, my article on Tea Bag Luminaries will be in there! I have not seen the magazine yet, and because I live in such a remote place, the magazine is unlikely to hit the shelves where I can buy it for at least 2 weeks.

You can't really see it here, but when I blew this image up I saw it clearly.

It says TEA BAG LUMINARIES by Kim Henkel

Now how very cool is that! If any of you are somewhere that carries the magazine, have a look - I can't wait to see what it looks like!

Future Looks Inviting

I had a busy day today, but as I didn't have time to create yesterday, I knew it was essential that I do at least a bit of creating today. And this was the little piece that came out of me.

It is based on a drawing/painting I did a long time ago, but looks completely different this time around. I enjoyed making it, and now can happily relax and get some sleep.
The painting reads..... future looks inviting ........ I'm ready

Bits and Pieces of Creative Time

Over the last couple of weeks when I only have small bits and pieces of time to create I have been slowly making this piece of jewellry.
I have had it in my brain for a long time, so I am happy that I have found the time to make it. It is a bracelet that wraps around my wrist 3 times.

I have a very small wrist, so although I like bracelets, I can never buy them as they are always too big.

But I made this bracelet so that I can also wear it as a necklace.

I enjoyed making all the little bits and pieces of it, and have worn it as both a necklace and a bracelet this past week.

Yes More Botanicals!

I don't know what it is - perhaps it is because we are in the prime of flower season here in the Yukon - or perhaps it is just because I love plants - that my paintings on plaster seem to be of botanicals. But I guess when something just feels right that is what has to happen.
Here is the board with many layers of paint as the background.
At my messy painting desk.

I sketched on what I was thinking about painting

and did a bit of practice flowers on paper. And then I forgot to take anymore pictures until it was finished....

or maybe finished.... not sure yet, as these images were loading I walked over to my desk where this was sitting, and dapped on a bit more paint.

Time will tell.

A New Pocket Book

I try to create everyday - it keeps me happy. But working a full time job, and having a busy family life sometimes makes this difficult.

And a few nights ago it was quite late before I managed to climb the stairs to my little studio space. I didn't have much time, but knew I needed to create something. There amongst my messy pile of creations was a piece of coloured tea bag paper (used tea bags glued together and painted onto with waterbased inks). It was an experiment that wasn't going anywhere anymore, so I cut it into smaller pieces, and stamped onto it with my hand carved stamps. I thought I would add them to my bag of bits and pieces that are created when I only have little bits of time, that end up in various projects. That was all the time I had that evening - enough to keep me happy, but it was also inspiration for what I was going to do next.


I decided to put one of them on the front of this pocket book

This book is full of a variety of pages (different sizes, and most of them painted on or stamped on or decorated in some way).

There are bits and pieces (from my bits and pieces bag)

attached to a number of different pages.

I call it a pocket book, because both the front pocket,

and the back pocket is chock full of bits and pieces - some white pieces some decorated paper that can be used to write on or decorate this book.

What Happened to Those Trees?

A few posts back I showed a plaster piece I was making that had some trees on it. I struggled and struggled with this piece,
and reworked it and reworked it, and never liked it.

So in the end I painted over it all, and began again. I felt such relieve when I painted over it.

I carved into the layers a bit, stamped on it, and planned out what I wanted to do a bit more.

And this is where it ended up. I feel happy with this piece. A happiness that I never felt with the tree piece no matter what I did to it.

I really love the pieces that are on a cradle board, and need to get the dear hubby to make some more for me. He says he enjoys making them, as he feels part of my creative process.
(Lucky me!)

I really like the subtle bits of texture on this piece - but it is hard to show in a photograph.

I am so glad to be enjoying my plaster pieces once again!

Postcard Swap

Beth at Do What you Love, is once again (for the fourth time) hosting a postcard swap. I have participated in two of the four, and have signed up again. The theme this time is "bloom".

Here is the postcard I created the last time I participated. The theme was "home". I machine stitched around the mountain pictures as well as the smaller images.

And this was the first postcard I created to swap. The theme was "time", and I did some hand embroidery on it as well as some machine stitching.

They were lots of fun, and I look forward to participating again. If you feel like joining in, you need to sign up by July 27.

Plaster in a Grid

Another plaster piece. (Although I keep thinking I am going to move onto something different I don't seem to be able to yet. I keep thinking I better keep practicing until I am more sure of myself with this new medium)

This piece has a grid of plaster that I then carved little circles and lines into and drew and painted onto. It is not quite like I wanted, partly because my grid lines are too wide. But still an interesting effect.... lots of potential - I need more hours in the day to practice and play!

And if you are wondering what happened to these trees - well LOTS! Hopefully I will be done soon, and be able to share where this project went.

Layers and Layers

Layers and layers of work has gone into this piece..... and it is not finished yet.

It started off as a plastered covered cradle board that I added some paint too, and then sanded off some of the paint to make a distressed look.

I then transferred a copy of an picture I took a few years ago.

I painted over top of it, so much that my trees disappeared, so I drew/painted them in again. I added some more colour that became too much colour (but I didn't take a picture at that stage)
So I painted over the layer, and repainted some trees.

And this is where I am at now.... not finished, and again unsure where to go from here. I will wait to see what it tells me.

The Same....But Different

I am still working in plaster - but the process is somewhat different. Today, I worked on trying to transfer a copy of a drawing I did onto a plastered board that I added paint too.

I added some transfered text and bits of stamps to finish it off. This was a learning/practice piece.... There is definitely potential with this technique... my mind is whirring with ideas.

I also worked on this piece. It was supposed to be a cover for a book - but the mat board I put the plaster onto warped a bit, so not sure if it will work as a book. I am still working on the back cover, and then I will see if it will become a book. I continue to learn every day!

The cover of the book is stamped with a handcarved stamp I made a while ago- with the word 'finding' written beside her.

And here is a plaster piece in the very early stages.... I have an idea of what I want to do with this, but it will probably change along the way as I work on it.

This is the final week of my plaster course, but there is SO MUCH I haven't even tried yet!