My Latest Project from the Downtown Studio

A couple of years ago, I bought this frame at "Heart & Soul," a local store that carries some pretty fun stuff!  This frame was in a bin of damaged items....it looked pretty ragged,  but it did have a bird on it and you know how I am about them!  So,  I bought it for less than half price, took it home and there it has been for all this time.  You know how you INTEND to do something, but time just gets away?   Well, not too long ago, I took the frame to the downtown studio, thinking that would convince me to do something with it.  And, it did.  I had made some bird rubber stamps and wanted to do something with them...so, thinking I could accomplish two things at once, This bird collage just 'happened.'

I had to spend a bit of time getting the frame back into good shape...I lightly sanded it, then painted it with a bit of green paint...just to cover up all the dings and worn edges.  Then, I painted it with two or three coats of matte gel medium...just to give it a good finish.  We use painter's cloth as table covers in the studio and I tend to save all of them for one project or another, so the background for this collage is a piece of one of our used painter's cloths.  This piece is about five inches by seven inches.
I like all the reds and pinks and greens.  (Actually, I DID turn this piece over and use the other side of the one pictured here....and added a couple more colors, specifically, more red and green.)

I painted the tree, then stamped the birds on the branches.  They looked kinda sad until I put a little color on them....but before I could make sure they had wings, my daughter, Kelly, took a look and told me not to add another thing to the birds!  She's a minimalist and of course, you know, I will 'do something to death' if I'm not careful, so I took her advice and left the birds with just a touch of color.

Because I have lots of scrap paper around, I decided to cut the leaves from paper and sew them down with the antique sewing machine I keep down there.  I should say the 'seldom used' antique sewing machine.  I need to remedy that, for sure!  So, I just cut out some vague leaf shapes and sewed them to the canvas.  I did touch them up a bit with some oil pastels.  And, I felt there needed to be some kind of flower there...and a funky simple flower seemed a good idea.

There's some little musical notes there too.....well, the birds DO have a song!  I used a permanent pen for those.  

And, here you see the words I cut from old book pages.....touched them with a bit of that green paint, added a little bird nest with eggs from Hobby Lobby and it was done!  I like it.  Thought about keeping it at home....but, at this point, gosh, where would I put it....so right now, it's in the window at the studio downtown.  We are open this Saturday, as it is the second Saturday of the month...who knows, maybe someone will want to take some birds home!

So...what do you think?  It took me a couple of years to decide what to do with the frame...but I did finally decide on something.  One example, I suppose, of having things on hand when you do get an idea...and then, there's all that 'hoarding' of stuff until those ideas quit floating around in your head and actually land on something you've 'saved.' 

Hope you enjoyed the birds....now stay cool out there and take care....see you again soon.  pat

Some Flea Market Finds

I thought I'd show you some of my recent purchases from the local flea markets.  You know how I love to go in search of 'stuff.'  Now, I never go looking for something in particular because if I did, I'd never find what I was looking for.  I just go to walk around (I call it therapy) and see what finds me.   And, most of the time there is something that calls my name.  Not always, but often.   I did not find all of these things in one trip by the way.  Anyway, I thought I'd share these with you.



First, I must tell you that the two framed pieces in this photo are not stained, as you will see further down.  I was trying to take the photos outdoors in my backyard, as I did last week....and those 'stains' are the reflections of the trees overhead.  So, ok, I'm not a photographer...they'll look better in a minute.

This big frame called my name!  I walked off and left it trying to talk myself out of buying it....but later came back to get it.  Just couldn't get it out of my mind.  It's gorgeous!  I loved the scallops and the circles...and I knew I'd NEVER find another one like it....so, it left with me.  I've no idea what I will do with it...but, whatever I do, you'll see it when it happens.  Luckily for me, I don't put a deadline on such things, so you may have to wait a while.

Then, I found this little cup.  It's really pretty.  I know it HAD a lid, but, of course, it was gone.  No matter to me because at first sight, I thought it would make a really, really cute pincushion.  I paid $1 for it.  Notice the marks on the bottom...Germany.  I think it's special.

 Oh, I'm a fool for the embroidered linens!!!  And this little square tablecloth called my name also.
For $4, I wasn't going to go off and leave it.  I often wonder why vendors put such low prices on this kind of work.  I'm not complaining because a low price helps ME, but I always think of the hands that stitched these beautiful pieces.  All that work for $4.  Somewhere out in the universe,  I think there is some nice lady who KNOWS I have her work and consider it a treasure.

I've shown you three books in a stack in that first photo, but am only showing photos of one of them.  It's a dear little book about Abraham Lincoln and has lovely illustrations in it.  Here are two of them.  I love the cover too!  I have a Kindle.  I could read any book available to purchase on it, however, there is nothing like holding a book in your hand and turning the pages...feeling of it, smelling it (I like the weight of them).  I enjoy seeing stacks of books.  I must, as they are all over my house.  This one will be on TOP of a stack!

 Lincoln's little log cabin home.....I can imagine stitching a little scene using this illustration.  What do you think of that idea?  Oh...yes.  I think that would be a really FUN project!

On one visit to the new flea market in town, I found this illustrated poem.  If you click it to make it larger, maybe you can read it.  I just simply adore these old framed pieces.  Did I say I was a complete sucker for sentimentality?  And the watercolor roses are so sweet..who could possibly resist?

In the next photo, I tried to show you the tiny flowers on the frame, but I'm not sure they show up well enough.  They are a very faded pink and the leaves are green, of course, but the color is nearly gone.  Well, a cleaning might help the color, but on vintage things, I don't like to take a chance on ruining 'that look' so I probably won't try that.
Such a sweet frame it is!























Another $4 item was this 9" x 12" cross stitch sampler.  And isn't it true...we only really rest when we are HOME. 

 I found this iron purely by chance and had been looking for one for YEARS!  If you've ever tried to emboss velvet with a steam iron, then you know why I wanted one...there are no steam holes here!
The handle folds down too, if that should interest you.  I hesitated to buy it ($8), but only because it is electric and I figured at it's age, that might mean it didn't work.  However, the cord looked in really good condition and I figure the old navy man could fix it for me if there was a problem.  Actually, I was afraid to plug it in at first, but he reassured me it would be ok and it was.  Works perfectly!

 I thought you might want to see the name on the iron and also the stand that came with it.  Notice they are two different names, but both pieces work well together.   I'm really going to enjoy using this iron and feel lucky to have found it.

So.  Do you approve of my finds?  I wish you could go hunting and gathering with me...it would be so much fun and I bet we would have lots of laughs......and maybe run across some great flea market finds together.

I'll probably post again next Tuesday or Wednesday....my sister is coming here this Friday for a couple of days and I plan on enjoying her visit.  She lives in Texas (do you know where McGregor is?) and I only get to see her every once in a great while...so we will be talking our heads off this weekend.  Even though I'm ten years older than she....we enjoy our conversations.  The time will go by in a flash!  See you soon...take care out there.  pat

"The Pumpkin Shell"

And, now, for something completely different! OK, I know it is over a hundred degrees, HOT and HUMID.....and I'm showing you a collage that looks like FALL. No, I've not transported myself (and maybe you) to an alternate universe, although it isn't a bad idea....I'm simply showing you the latest project I have finished at the downtown studio.

It's a gift. At our guild retreat in September, I wanted to surprise one of my friends with a small piece of my work. It's an 8" x 10" collage. Late last night, I decided I'd post her surprise instead. I know she sometimes reads this blog and I thought it might be fun to REALLY surprise her this way. Of course, if she sees it here, she still has to wait to get it. Well, so OK, it's kind of a weird way to surprise someone, but, if she doesn't see it here...she'll still be surprised at the retreat. Did that make sense?

My friend has a farm. She has chickens and other farm animals. We were talking one day about such things and she told me she now has a little 'place' out back where she can work. I haven't seen it....like most of my friends....she does not live near me....but I knew she was pleased with it and so, I thought, I'd make her a little collage with the name of her place on it. Don't we all know how important it is to have our own SPOT? So.....here is "The Pumpkin Shell."

I painted a canvas, then embellished it with painted wallpaper and paper napkins. Then, I made the frame to 'match.' Did you hear me say I LOVE making these frames?? My friend's birthday is October 31, so that and the idea of pumpkins led to my color scheme for this piece. (Now, friend...and, you know who you are...I hope you like it!)

So, that's it for this post....hope you are staying cool out there...safe and happy too! pat

PS. Yes, I still have not managed to figure out how to show my photos in the order I meant to present them...hopefully one day soon that will happen!