Postcards, painted papers and what bit me???

I've been spending a lot of time gell printing. Cutting up prints, gluing them down, cutting them up again. I had in mind to make a stack of postcards, but wasn't massively impressed by my results. I mean, they're okay, but they're lacking something. Not sure what.

I know lots of people add lettering to their collages and handmade cards, along the lines of 'hold on to your dreams' and 'be kind'. But I'm ambivalent about those additions. Maybe I've seen too many cringeworthy 'Live! Laugh! Love!' style messages emblazoned on everything from kids tee shirts to coffee mugs and even peoples kitchen walls. The wording can seem too cheesy for my liking, but each to their own. It'd be a boring world if we all liked the same thing.

I've also been making a stack of painted papers. The sheets of lightly coloured A3 are being cut and folded into individual small booklets, then having cardboard covers added. Like this green one that's been completed and is ready to be used as a mini art journal.

I've the beginnings of an idea about making several of these, and also making a list of prompts, so I can set myself a challenge. I'd pick one of the prompts from a list of shapes (things like a circle or hexagon, oblong or star), pick a prompt from a list of colours (lemon & lime, autumnal, blue etc) and a prompt from a list of objects (eg: feather, leaf, dress, seashell). Combining those three prompts I'd fill a mini journal. At the moment I'm thinking of doing that as a challenge during September. Let's see how that plan works out.

I didn't just paint individual sheets of A3 sized paper, but I added blocks of plain colour to the pages of this A5 sized sketchpad, a cheap 'n' cheerful buy from Lidl. I added a gell print to liven up the cover. It'll make an inexpensive journal too, or maybe a scrapbook/'gluebook'.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the title of this blog post - 'what bit me???' - I'm desperately trying not to scratch at insect bites on my legs right now. Some creepy crawlies must've found me a tasty morsel to sample while I was out blackberrying, scrabbling around in the hedgerows. The last time I'd an insect bite and couldn't stop myself scratching, I ended up needing antibiotics. The bite had become infected, my arm swelled up and I had to make an emergency doctor's appointment to get it sorted. So, lesson learnt, no scratching, but oh boy! It's hard not to.

Oh well, at least I've a freezer crammed with blackberries, and they didn't cost me a penny. Swings and roundabouts, eh?

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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

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HOW TO MAKE: these decorative birds

I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're ...

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