Hi Everybody!
It's Wednesday already, where do the days go?
Hope your week is going well. The weather has cooled down after the big storms at the weekend, and it's mostly a mix of clouds, sunshine, some rain - which we badly need - and wind. And I feel better and can breathe again properly.
For Michele's challenge at Tag Tuesday, I have one more tag, a hybrid one. I used digital images from Serif and a photo of my mother as a child. The cross stitch was also added using a digital airbrush - that was fun! And no mess to clear away afterwards:
Recently at art group I had leftover colours on my palette, so I scraped them all onto an A2 (17" x 24") sheet of heavy paper, added some gesso and then pushed the colours about with a brayer. I added some splatters of black China ink:
Back home, I made large circles and painted them with diluted, transparent acrylics, so that the background stayed visible:
I wanted to use it to cover a bargain journal, 12" x 8 1/2". I got it for 3,99€ because the covers were a bit dirty. It's medium quality paper, and will make a nice on-the-go art journal /calendar for the coming year:
Then I set about making a cover for the journal. I folded the excess paper from the top and bottom back and then cut it off:
This left me with 2 long strips as extras:
I used wide washi tape in turquoise to cover all of the edges of the cover, and folded the parts which will be the flaps on the cover:
Then I started doing my crazy sewing round the edges. The machine kept refusing to sew, the thread broke time and time again, and I was frustrated so decided to leave it till the next day to prevent myself from beating the silly machine with a hammer!
After cleaning and oiling the machine, and talking nicely to it for an hour or so, it behaved better, and I was able to finish the sewing and make 2 bookmarks from the left over strips:
Now I like it!
I am trying to make more usable art these days.
I am linking to Paint Party Friday
Some pics from yesterday's morning walk:
The leaves are falling:
Clouds and sunshine:
One of my fave views to the old customs house:
The fire brigade boat coming in to land (It was probably time for breakfast!)
Lots of seagulls bobbing along the Rhine:
The crows and seagulls always enjoy picking over the ploughed fields:
Have a great day, take care,
and thanks a lot for coming by!
Good morning Val! Glad I caught this post before I go out. It's rainy and blustery here today, so need to wrap up well. Love the wonderful tag, your mum was so sweet (back then!) and you looked so much like here as child. Great book-cover, too, love the cool colours and circles, very well thought out. Great photos, as always. Have a lovely day, hope you have something fun planned. Hugs, Sarah
ReplyDeleteOh I like that tag. That's a sweet photo of your mom and some pretty flowers. And I the journal cover too. I agree, it is so much better now.It was really boring before, but it's hard to miss a good bargain, especially since it works even better now than it did before. I can't believe how may leaves have fallen in that photo. We have lots of signs that autumn is coming too. Happy Wednesday. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteLove that tag and your gorgeous artwork...impressive...lovely photos.xx
ReplyDeleteThe picture of your mother could've been a picture of mine. I reckon little girls all over the world had a similar haircut in the twenties.
ReplyDeleteSeeing your pretty book cover reminded me of being in school. The first thing I always did is cover all of my textbooks to protect them. Only I used heavy brown grocery bags to do it. I bet you made pretty book covers for your texts. :)
We were only allowed to use brown paper at school!
DeleteThe tag you made with your mother's picture is so sweet.The cross-stitch on the bottom looks like a row of kisses. I like the cover you made for your journal and how the blue you used is the same shade as the original cover. I love that shade of blue. Deep sigh to see the leaves falling and the plowed fields. Where did the Summer go?
ReplyDeleteWHO knows?
Deletewaue, super nice photos as always, and may i thank you for still visiting my blog i really appreciate it
ReplyDeleteBeautiful usable art, great idea. Love the red boat against the Rhine. I also have my 2020 agar day book bought.
ReplyDeleteAgenda book I meant to say
ReplyDeleteI love the book cover... and the photos of your world ~ thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat tag is amazing. I wish I had your digital skills. The photo of your mother is beautiful and the way you incorporated it amid the flowers shows you have a grasp of flower arranging, too. It's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWonderful cover for your new calendar. It turned out great. I sometimes have trouble with my machine going through too many layers, too. The washi tape can be sticky and cut my thread, too. I've even had needles stick in the washi tape, thus cutting the thread.
Your photos were great today. The fire boat in the harbor and the gulls in the fields were my favorites today.
It could be that the washi tape was the trouble maker - whatever, I hate frustrations like that when I sew! I changed the needle afterwards as it was decidedly sticky!
DeleteA beautiful tag Valerie, it looks so textural I thought the flowers were die cuts.
ReplyDeleteIt was great seeing the papers evolve into fabulous book covers and 'waste not want not' the bookmarks are lovely. Gorgeous photos from your walk, thanks for sharing.
Avril xx
You've been busy. I especially love the gorgeous tribute to your mom and the journal with matching bookmarks. Purrfect.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Cute tag, and I love the cover you made for your journal Valerie!
ReplyDeleteAlison xx
I love that perfect book cover, and how nice that you had enough to make the bookmarks. The book itself was quite the find even as it was, but now it'll be a joy to use :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love sitting on one of those benches enjoying the view :)
It's a great place to sit, it's so relaxing just to look t the water and ships....
DeleteWhat a lovely tag and the book cover is wonderful! I'm glad your sewing machine decided to cooperate eventually. Your photos are also lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Lisa, good to see you around again!
DeleteYou are really creative, Valerie. You made a BEAUTIFUL book cover and fabulous bookmarks. As for the problems with your sewing maching, every time this happens to me I get really angry!!! Back to your photos now to tell you that they are wonderful! Hugs, my dear friend.
ReplyDeleteYes, things like that make me angry, too, it's so frustrating!
DeleteEek! Quite frightening to see 2020 on the diary!
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your art and photographs. It would see Autumn is here.
All the best Jan
Oh yes, time is flying!
DeleteA super post Valerie and I have a picture in my head of you talking to your sewing machine, poor thing threatening it with a hammer.
ReplyDeleteThe journal cover looks lovely fantastic colours and a super way to use up the paints.
Its a beautiful tag as well.
Yvonne xx
Actually I swore at the poor machine, but did talk nicely to it on the next day!
DeleteYour new journal and bookmarks are fabulous. I love them both, the colors, the backgrounds, the use of the dots and of course the stitching. So glad you got through it -- definitely worth the effort and one of my favorites of your projects!
ReplyDeleteOOhhh I love this cover Valerie !! It´s wonderful, and the colours and the circles are so great ! Love the bookmarkers too, grat idea ! My sewing machine doesn´t work fora while, and don´t know if I´ll repair it one day, or buy another one. Gorgeous photographs from your walks, thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI wish you a very nice afternoon, big hugssss, Caty
I think your book cover looks amazing in the final version - and so cool to have the matching bookmarks... and all that from some leftover scrapings of paint... the magic of art! The arched panel is really pretty - a touch of spring colour to balance the autumnal look of the photos.
ReplyDeleteAlison x