Glorious Fabric and One Funky Tree

I have some new fabric. Well, it started out dyed orange and black, except the dyes were old and spent. I knew this when I dyed it, but I thought I'd see how it turned out anyway. It was not attractive in the least. So when the little fabric round robin group (that formed due to a trade on Surface Design, and stayed together through 3 rounds of complex cloth, and counting!) decided to continue with another round, I grabbed that pale peach and gray fabric and overdyed it with blue and gold. Here's what I sent along...And here is the glorious fabric I got in return! Isn't it fabulous? I need a new handbag, so I think that's where this piece is headed. The circles are huge, and the bubble wrap stamping is so cool. I can't remember everything they did to this piece, but I never thought I'd love it as much as I do. You can still see bits of the peach peeking through, which actually lends a really nice effect. Go figure! So thank you, ladies, for my beautiful fabric!

And about that Funky Tree ... you may recall a few months ago I shared a photo of a fiber leaf that I was sending to the International Fiber Collaborative for The Interdependence Tree Project. Well, you HAVE TO go check out the tree. It is amazing! Be sure to click on the photo to see a larger version. You will be blown away. In August it will be on permanent display at the Earlyworks Children's Museum in Huntsville, Alabama.

I received some beautiful art in the mail this week and I hope to get it photographed to share with you next week. Thanks for stopping by!

puzzled

Just a quick little photo today ...

I'm doing a swap later this year with a small group that I belong to. We are making pieces for an advent calendar ... I have day 12. I decided that I needed to take a little break from my other commitments and work on something different, so I made my pieces. I used puzzle pieces from and old puzzle. I coated them with black gesso, then added a pink and gold tissue paper to the top. On that, I added some pale green crackle paint. I painted the edges bronze. I'm pleased with how they turned out, and that's one more thing off my list!

This project has got me thinking about making advent calendars for my neices and nephews for Christmas, using recycled and repurposed items. If I manage to actually do it, I'll be sure to post a picture. I think it would be fun!

I'm thrilled that my collage sold during Collage Mania. The event raised over $18,000 for the ACS. I believe the grand total for the last few years since Virginia Spiegel began Fiber Art for a Cause is near $200,000. Isn't that amazing? My collage will be on its way to Tennessee soon!

Collage Mania Happening NOW

You have less than 3 days to acquire a beautiful piece of original art for a great price and all to benefit the American Cancer Society! Collage Mania is going on but only until Thursday at 5 pm CST. Please head over to the Collage Mania Website and take a look at all the beautiful pieces that are available. My piece is on page 31!

See you there!

Old News

Or at least that's what I used as a base for these ATCs I made yesterday ... They are for a swap on the Fiber Art Traders group called "Recycle Spring". I am keeping the one on the lower right with the red flowers and trading the other three.

The requirement for the swap was to use recycled materials and not buy anything new. Works for me! I decided to try something a little different and I'm pleased with the results. I hope to work this into a larger piece sometime. I took an old newspaper (a few days old ... truly headed for the recycle bin) and tore some of the articles into small bits. I collaged them onto my Peltex base and painted them. Once they were dry I stitched them by using up all the bobbins of colorful thread that were left over from projects gone by.

The moose in the upper right is from the top of the wrapping of a wine bottle. The three red flowers (lower right) and one larger flower (lower left) were punched from a soda can ... scraps from another project. The large flower was colored with alcohol inks.

Around the edges I couched some yarns from a rope toy that Rosi destroyed in about a day. On the back (which you can't see) are scraps from an old map. And finally, because I could not resist, each piece has a recycled spring on it - some were painted and others were colored with alcohol inks. I could not help but to truly "recycle spring".