Miniature boxes

These boxes are so tiny! Only one inch! They contained microscope glass, but I had no use of that, so I decided to alter them. First I painted them with black acrylic paint, then added crackle medium, and then some off-white paint. After that I embellished them with puff paint, a heart, a flower, and a butterfly. And some bling, of course. I also painted them with shimmery finish, but my camera is not that good to show that.

Every box is different on the inside also. Here is the one with the butterfly on top:

And here is the inside:

A tiny scroll has a secret message inside. 🙂

And here is the one with the flower on it:

You can’t see it very well, but the heart is red, a little bit distressed with brown ink. On the inside of the lid there is a piece of vintage paper, blank, perfect for a love note.

The last one is a “Quote box”:

It says: “The highest form of art is the art that inspires the heart.”

I hope you like them. Have a great day! 🙂

http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/MadeByYouMonday.jpg

Weekend fun

And how was your weekend? Did you have fun? 🙂

Inchies!

I’m having so much fun at Milliande’s ,I even signed up for another swap, and this time it’s Inchies! The theme is “Fall/Halloween Quilt Swap”, and this is my first time making these. To be honest, I haven’t heard for them until I joined “The Needle Queens” group. And of course I had to give it a try. At first I wasn’t sure I would be able to make them, because they are so small! But as I started, it turned out to be fairly easy. And they are so much fun! So here are my first creations:

Only one inch! Can you believe that? Ok, you probably can, but I am still excited about them. I think I might make some more! Maybe a few for Christmas. Small ornaments! Or a brooch! Or even some to give to my friends! Sooo cute! Ok, ok I’ll calm down. 🙂

Here is another thing I’m working on. It’s a journal/album cover (we’ll see what it will be), and it’s made with recycled cardboard (of course). There is still some work to be done on the cover before I start making pages, but this is how it looks at the moment. I love how sturdy this cardboard is. Great to play with!

So, enough playing, it’s time to do some work! My loom is waiting! 🙂

Weekend fun

Sunday. Not my favorite day. Weekend is almost over, but there is one great thing waiting for me, and that is to go to Beer Fest with my hubby and our friends tonight for some good rock music and fun. Well, and beer, but just a little bit! 🙂

I’ve been working on “Trees” and “Layers” ATCs but can’t show them to you yet, because I will have to wait for Anna and Yvette to get them. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. But here’s how I wrapped them 🙂 This way you could wrap just about anything, and it so simple! Just some papers and a piece of ribbon.

I also made a Journal, and this one is just for me. Tea dyed fabric, handmade paper, some fabric scraps and beads.

Work in progress…

And here is another work in progress:

So, that’s what I’ve been doing this weekend. How about you? Did you have fun these past two days? 🙂

Two minutes bookmarks

These were so easy and fast to make that I couldn’t stop at just one. Nothing special, no big deal, just some scarps of paper and a bit of puff paint. Oh, and a stitch or two. 🙂 Well, you could make them without stitching, just use some glue. I still have a lot more scraps, so next time I’ll be making some cute tags and small cards, or even handmade business cards. So many ideas that take almost no time and no money!

And that’s another way to use leftovers and to play very late at night…ummm, who, me? No, I go to bed early! 🙂

What Art Means To Me

“What art means to me“

by C. Valentine Kirby

I feel within an impulse, perhaps that divine impulse which has moved all races in all ages and in all climes, to record in enduring form the emotions that stir within.

I may model these emotions in clay, carve them in wood, hew them in stone, or forge them in steel. I may weave them in textiles, paint them on canvas or voice them in song: but whichever I do I must harken always to the song of the lark and the melody of the forest and stream and respond to the color of the rose and the structure of the lily, so that my creation may be in accord with God’s laws and the universal laws of order, perfect fitness and harmony.

Moreover, I must make my creation good and honest and true, so that it may be a credit to me and live after I am dead, revealing to others something of the pleasure which I found in its making,

Then will my creation be Art whether I be poet or painter blacksmith or cobbler, for I shall have labored honestly and lovingly in the realization of an ideal.

                                             

 

New album

Hi everyone! I have been playing (again) with cardboard and paint, and here is what I made! 🙂

I hope you like it. Materials used for this album were almost all found around the house. I hope it will inspire you to make something your self. If you do, please send some photos, I would love to see them!  Have a nice day! 🙂

What made me happy today

Do you have those days when nothing goes right? That was the case with me this weekend. I started making a purse with some of my handwoven fabric, and it just didn’t want to cooperate. My seams weren’t straight, the fabric was stretching, it was a disaster. Then, I started making a cake using a recipe from the Internet, and again, no success. It will be eaten, no worries there, but it’s not as it should be. I also wanted to make some blueberry jam, and I burned it. Well, that’s because I was struggling with the purse, so I forgot to check on the jam! 🙂 Also, I tried sewing some velvet for a lady who wanted small velvet bags, and it was as if it was alive, wiggling under the needle and making my job a torture! I did finish them but after so much trouble that I don’t want to do that again! The only thing that turned out ok is this little loveliness:

Here is the back, open so you can see the leaves better. I used handwoven fabric, my hand carved stamp, fabric paint and stitching:

It perfectly accommodates a passport, or a bigger cell phone, but I’m going to use it for hankies. A lady should always keep her hankies in something beautiful, right? 🙂

This morning I stitched some velcro to it for closure, and that means it was finished today, so I will count that as a first thing that made me happy.

The second thing was a message I received from Monika – http://storiesofpearlsandplunder.blogspot.com/, who said that I am one of the few ladies (randomly picked) that will receive a bonus ATC in the “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” ATC Swap at Milliande’s. That was so nice to hear! I’ve never “won” anything before, so for my name to be drawn amongst six, was great! Thank you Monika!

And another thing that made me happy today was an envelope from Ireland! Helen Goulty hosted an ATC Swap themed “Unusual shaped ATC’s” also at Milliande’s, and two gorgeous cards have arrived!

Aren’t they lovely? The one on the right was made by Anne Trudell from Canada, and it opens up to show some beautiful flowers!

The other card was made by Deedee Forrester and it’s very shimmery. I loooove shimmer!

Both are very colorful and show so much creativity. Love them!

Helen Also sent me some postage stamps and lovely ribbons and papers that are so gorgeous! Thank you so much Helen! I didn’t expect extra goodies, and that was another surprise for me today! I will use them in my projects; actually, I already have a few ideas.

So, after a “not very successful crafting” weekend, some lovely things happened and now I’m smiling! To show you how happy I am, here is an embarrassing “cookie smile” photo of me (it’s never too late to go completely nuts!).

My Grandmother’s Works of Art

I have a box under my bed in which I keep treasures. That’s what all girls do, right? 🙂 And that box contains all kinds of treasures – Meda’s first toy and collar, my firsts (and only) novel never published, and some more stuff. But what I wanted to share with you are some things my Grandmother made, and since she died several years ago, I’m even more attached to them. It’s a pair of knitted socks, as I like to call them “Serbian style”. She knitted them when she was a young girl, I think at the time of the Second World War.

Beautiful needlework:

There’s still some basil inside to keep the moths off:

I also have a doily she crocheted. It’s made of silk, which my Grandmother and her Grandmother used to get from silk bugs. So, this piece has even more family history to it.

I’ve stiffened it with starch, and I have a beautiful round frame to put it in, so it’s going to be hanged on my bedroom wall and admired every day.

I like to think I inherited some of her talent for making beautiful things. I feel like her work still lives through mine, and that gives me some comfort. I miss her so much.

Weaving and sewing

I’m in love with this purse!

It all started by making the heart with some scraps of cotton and silk fabric. I loved it so much, and immediately had to attach it to something. So, I grabbed some handwoven cotton fabric, more silk, and voila! I think I might keep this one! Sooo cute 🙂 I just adore the fraying and unevenness!

And here is another purse, not handwoven, but I like it just the same:

I painted the fabric gray and black, and added some color by stitching with different threads. Easy and fun!

There is also a shawl that was finished about a month ago but I didn’t take a photo of it, so I finally photographed it, and now proudly present Autumn colors in Spring! 🙂

And now, let’s go make some more gorgeous stuff! What are your plans for the weekend? 🙂