Tissue paper sandwiches, did you say?

Well, if this isn't the prettiest flower in my garden I don't know what is?  The anemones have been blooming lovely, all jewel-like colours and fleeting beauty.  It's been a gorgeously sunny day.  I've done the boring stuff like the laundry, as well as picked apples and blackberries from the allotment and done my bit to keep my plot reasonably tidy.  Before I headed out I did mess about with a couple of crafty things though.  

I splashed watered-down acrylic paint over a couple of sheets of tissue paper, aiming to eventually rip these up for use in collages and art journaling.  I can't claim any artistic merit to them, but I'll add some stencils and printing stamps and see how they turn out.  

Because I enjoy scrolling through YouTube for interesting craft videos I came across one yesterday which also involved tissue paper.  It was about making Japanese style papers, and the craftperson - Louise Jannetta - showed a simple but effective technique where you lay a sheet of tissue paper down, then coat the surface with glue.  (I tried it using a diluted PVA and a wide, soft paintbrush.)  Then you use whatever you like - a scattering of glitter, some scraps of brightly coloured paper, a tangle of shiny threads - anything to add interest to the surface.  Decorate the glued paper however you like, then lay on top another sheet of tissue and more glue.  Like a tissue sandwich with the fancy bits of glitz being the filling.  You get the idea?  If I've not explained that very well, copy and paste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7cprzbmhTM into your search field and this should take you to the video.  

My efforts weren't 100% successful.  I tried using gold glitter as the 'filling' in the tissue sandwich, as well as torn up blue-green paper and some lurex fibre I'd found in a charity shop, buying it as I was sure it'd come in useful one day.  The effects are subtle, and the glitter worked the least well.  But I reckon I'll keep the idea in mind as autumn's round the corner and I can imagine how fab autumn leaves would look, pressed between the layers of tissue.  Also dried petals and grasses.  I've got plenty of calendula growing on the allotment, so could pick a generous bunch of flowers and dry the vivid orange petals.  Wouldn't that look pretty?  

Incidentally, this is the lurex fibre I bought for, I think, 50p from a charity shop.  It's always worth taking a chance on crafting supplies as you never know where your crafty wanderings may take you.  

These were also recent charity shop finds.  A Boden top in a really nice print.  A board book that I'll cover in Gelli printed papers.  Plus a stencil that was free as the lady behind the counter didn't feel she could charge me for such a flimsy little thing!  The stencil is a Christmassy scene, and I intend to use it on a roll of brown paper, using gold acrylic and maybe adding gold glitter too.  

One more craft related thing to tell you about - I've been sewing a few more blocks in the wonky Log Cabin design.  These eight mainly-pink ones have been sat waiting for me to do something with them, so I chose another half dozen fabrics and started making more blocks of the same size.  

I've only got a very limited amount of the green Batik material at the centre of these blocks, so won't manage to get eight out of it.  I'm hoping these blocks and the mainly-pink ones complement each other, though I'm still not sure whether to surround them with sashing or even have some plain blocks alternating with the Log Cabin ones.  Decisions, decisions!    

Right, that's all for now.  I have the rest of my P.G. Wodehouse book to read, then I've got 'The Silkworm' by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J.K.R.), followed by another of hers in the Strike series, 'Lethal White'.  They'll keep me quiet for a while, won't they?