I'm Back!

I'm back from the Buffalo National River, the only national river in America!  Arkansas is one of the most beautiful States and this river is gorgeous.  Imagine canoeing in a crystal clear aquarium.  That's the Buffalo!  Camping here was nice, too.  It was also a lot of work!  It was worth it, though.  I am pretty sure I lost at least10 pounds in sweat!  I also and got a bit of a suntan, which has proven my theory that tan fat looks a lot better than super white fat!    

If you ever get to the Buffalo, be prepared for going off grid during your entire trip.  Zero cell phone service, zero internet access!  The first day was pretty rough, trust me..especially for a city gal like myself!  Thanks for hanging with me while I was away.  I have so many emails to respond to and so many blogs to catch up on, which is what I'm going to do after I hit the shower!  Did I mention the campsite had no showers?  YUK!

While I'm getting five days of grime off me, please have a look at the first dress posted for June's Dress Up!  I know the Asian theme is going to be great!

Tootles!      

June's Dress Up!

I cannot wait to see all the Asian inspired dresses!  Go on...link up!  Please leave a comment after posting your link so I know there's a new dress to view!

Thanks for participating!!

My Rubens Inspired Dress & Artful Bag!

Ok, first, this was a hard challenge.  The dresses Rubens painted were usually ornate and frilly.  He seemed to either go all in decadence, lace, and frills or nothing..ladies in various states of undress...in all their glory.  Anyway, I managed to finish my dress, which is based on Portrait of the Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, 1606.

My photo didn't turn out great.  I painted card stock shimmery silver and white and then accented with strips of gold and red glitter paper.  Honestly, I'm glad May is over because I am really excited about June's theme!

I finished my bag for Frosted Petunias Artful Bag Challenge.  I used a piece of stationary paper to create a summer clutch.  I even used a real snap for the closure!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Tootles!

Drumroll......The Theme For June's Dress Up Is....

Asian art!  Isn't this painting, called, Young Woman With a Lily, just gorgeous?  It was finished in 1943 and painted, in oil, by Vietnamese artist, To Ngoc Van.  I guess I have been inspired, of late, by Asian themed images and fabric for the little bags I've been sewing.  Asian art is very wide ranging.  Don't just think Japanese and Chinese.  Travel to Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and Korea...even India!  Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing.

I can't wait to get started!  I'll have the Simply Linked link up at midnight on June 1st!  

Let The Summer BEGIN!

First Magnolia Bloom This Season

Well, it's summer, officially, I think.  It's Memorial Day weekend..the start of the swimsuit, flop flop, and tanning (or baking) season!  I'm ready for BBQ, swimming, and boating!  I am so ready for my VACATION!  My vacation begins NOW and I am going camping, canoeing, and hiking (maybe not the hiking)!  I'll be off the grid for a few days...no internet, no phone, no signal.  I'm actually a bit anxious about all that, but I'm convinced it will do me good.  I need good right now. 

I've been busy at work and gearing up for vacation, but I've finished a few more bags for my "soon to be opened" Etsy shop.  I used the same image transfer technique using the gel medium for the front images.  I used beads on the peacock bag and embroidery thread on the others.  What do you think of them?

"Make Up" Front

"Make Up" Side View

"Make Up" Back View

"Peacock" Front View

"Peacock" Side View

"Queen For a Day" 

Before I go under the radar, I will post about June's Dress Up 2011 theme.  So, stay tuned.  I think you'll enjoy the theme...  

Tootles for now! 

The Age Of Wisdom?

From The Graphics Fairy

So I've been a part of the Over 40 scene for a little over a month now.  I'm still not feeling the wisdom.  Quite the opposite, really.  Instead of ah ha moments, I've had ah what? moments.  Sorry, no epiphanies yet.  I haven't given up hope, however.  I am fairly certain I'll have an Oprah moment sometime soon.  In the meantime, I'll keep plugging along at work, home, and in my sewing room!  

The last bag I made is just a simple clutch or wristlet.  I've used the Japanese ladies image I used on a toiletry bag, but I embroidered on it a bit differently.  I really like this image and it transfers to the fabric pretty easily.  I used a really pretty Asian inspired fabric for the back of the wristlet.

  
My thoughts and prayers go out to those in the path of the mighty Mississippi.  Please keep all those in mind as that powerful river, and its tributaries, crest in the coming days.

I'm off to my sewing studio!  Take a moment to check out May's Rubens Inspired Dress Up dresses.  They are fabulous!  Have a great weekend!

Tootles!

A Necessary Tutorial Update and More Bags

You know it's Spring in the Mid West when the temperature fluctuates 40 degrees up and down in a few days!  Another big clue is observing the Wal-Mart crowd.  Half in shorts, flip flops and the odd muscle (loosely said) shirt.  The other half clad in winter coats and scarves!  Last weekend we turned on the A/C and I got a sunburn.  Today I donned my heavy coat when I went to work and am now wishing my husband would not have turned off our gas!  Damn you, Al Gore!

I got a bit of sewing done since my last post.  I'm hoping to have my Etsy Shop up and running by the end of May.  Fingers crossed!  Here are a few of the bags I finished this week:

"Pin Up" Bag

Close Up of "Pin Up" Bag

Close Up of "Kimono" Bag

After printing both these images onto transparencies and then transferring them to fabric for the bags using gel medium, I embroidered certain areas, like the pin up gal's shoes.  The other day I was trying to explain to a friend how to transfer images to fabric.  I told her to read the tutorial I had written.  I was mortified when I clicked over to review my tutorial and realized that I had left out an important step in this process!  I had totally omitted the part about applying the gel medium!  So, if you've read my tutorial and wondered...what?  I've written up and hopefully explained how to apply the gel so you can achieve the best results!  Remember, this process is is not perfect...and that's what is so great!  You will never get the same results twice!  In other words, the resulting image on your fabric will not look like you printed it directly onto the fabric via a computer printer.  You are transferring a printed image onto the fabric by hand.  Therefore, even if you use the same image twice, they will not turn out exactly the same.  That's what makes whatever you make with your image so unique!  

Hope you all have a fantastic (and at least sunny) weekend!
Tootles!