Hickydorums: 07/17/09

Friday, 17 July 2009

Oops! Forgot!

You remember me saying I was in an Altered Corset swap? Well, my book got lost (we are each doing a record of the progress of our corsets and each person adds photographs of their contribution to each one) so I had to set to and make another one this week.

In an attempt to ensure this new book does not get lost I decided to make a bag for my corset (title: Viva La Diva) and put a pocket on the front solely for my book.

Yesterday we had been to Ormskirk to see Chas's aunty so when I got home I was full of enthusiasm and got some material out and made a bag. Now I am no great stitcher so it does not bear scrutiny but I was rather pleased with my effort. It is a long bag (the photograph makes it look a different shape as it was taken on the table) and I have put some rubber stamping on it.

The fastening for it is actually two suspenders on the "lid" which fasten together with two buttons stitched on the main corset.

The pocket fastens down with velcro but as I had only the sticky stuff I thought I had better stitch it on my mother's ancient sewing machine. It looked a bit of a mess so I put some lace over the top to hide the stitching.

I really enjoyed doing the stamping and have written a couple of comments on as well, including one inviting people to "Graffiti it". I wonder what they will think when I hand it to them tomorrow. Hope my corset is at Paddy's so it can go in.

One or Two bits

I did a collage a few years ago at Kars but it fell to bits. It wasn't very good as the paper we used and the glue they gave us did not seem to work, so today I decided it looked far too tatty and needed redoing. I pulled it to bits! It is still quite similar in design to the original one but much better constructed.

I first of all painted the canvas with Peach Bellini (Paint Dabber) and then stuck a piece of scrapbook paper over the top leaving a small margin round the edge. Took some more scrapbook paper and added torn bits in various places. Some of it I scrunched up as I do like texture on my pictures. Then I kind of dry-brushed some gold paint on but using my Gold Dabber to do it, a little Espresso and the base was complete.

Two bits of Melt Art in the top left corner plus a key from 7 Gypsies, a tiny piece of ribbon, the charm used for the two Melt Art pieces, some wool and more ribbons and it was more or less complete except for the photograph. The photograph is a copy of one I cherish. It shows Chas's Great Grandmother with his father sitting on her knee. I think she is an absolutely beautiful lady and will always cherish this photograph.

This now hangs in my stamp room next to my beeswax collage I did as a sample for my very first beeswax workshop - do you remember it Paul?

The beeswax collage below has a photograph of me when I was seven taken as a bridesmaid for my cousin Ken and Audrey's wedding in the bottom left hand corner. The other photograph is one of my mum and her older sister Caroline taken when she was a child. Love the clothes they are wearing.

Now my memory is having to work on this one but by the looks of it I painted the canvas first of all with Stewart Gill paints and then stuck some paper on which I had bleach stamped. There is a piece of bandage soaked in beeswax by the side of me, all scrunched up (remember I like texture), some plastic net behind my mum's photograph and a skeleton leaf at the top right hand corner with another one below it.

Then there is a bit of Glitterati by the side of the photograph which leads to a metal charm saying "What one loves in childhood stays in your heart forever". (This has special meaning for me as when I lost my mum I had "And into my heart forever" inscribed on the memorial stone at the crematorium. I so loved my mum and miss her still despite the length of time she has been gone.) Two silk flowers with beaded centres and a strip of lace down the right hand side complete this canvas.

Amazing that the whole thing is held together by beeswax and has not needed touching in a couple of years or so since it was first done.

Think I have been having a bit of a collage day as I decided to finally attack something which my friend, Lynne, had given me a couple of months ago. In truth I began it earlier in the week (because it is simply corrugated card so the recesses in it had the raw wiggly edges showing) as I started sticking pieces of torn paper towel over it to give it more body and cover those raw edges.

Today I painted it bronze and then went over it with some gold acrylic paint. Painted the recesses with black acrylic paint to show up whatever I decided to put inside it. Not happy with it I then added some utee with bronze Pearlex added and some with gold. Then I stamped with my Hero Arts Italian Poetry Background stamp to give an impression in the utee.

I have added the following to the recesses: a piece of Friendly Plastic which has been pushed into a mold and a Domino which I have decorated and wired;

a style stone - stamped and decorated; a shrink plastic butterfly, and finally a paper cast head coloured with Rub-ons. Wonder what Lynne will make of it when I show her!