Mixed Media Artist

Today I want to introduce you to the second book that caught my eye for summer projects with the kids or the grandkids... Magical Forest Fairy Crafts Through the Seasons by Lenka Vodicka-Paredes and Asia Currie.  These ladies are awesome, and if you fall in love with their work, you'll be thrilled to know that there is another book simply called Forest Fairy Crafts  that you can snag as well. All the fairies, gnomes, and critters are made from felt, so the cutting and sewing part is super-simple.  It's the details that make the difference, and there are copious instructions given for how to make these delightful folk come to life.  The beginning section covers all the materials and techniques, and the first part of the project section suggests that you construct practice pieces: a fairy girl, fairy boy, fairy baby, and a basic gnome.  Of course if you're like me, you'll want to just skip ahead right into the projects!  Go ahead...the instructions are super-detaile

There are two books coming out this month that I believe are perfect for not only your own amusement, but also for doing projects with children or grandchildren!  I am very excited about both of them.  I haven't yet been able to get my grands hooked on fabric art (they do like to draw and paint though), but I can see myself just casually working on a cute little project when I'm with them, and letting nature take its course!  The first one is up today, and I'll hit the second tomorrow. The Big Book of Pretty + Playful Applique by Carol Armstrong looks like a must-have to me.  It has ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO of Carol's gorgeous, realistic designs.  There are four full projects included to help you practice doing these appliques, but I don't care so much about that as I do about the incredible number and quality of the applique patterns.  Just look at the lists below and you'll see what I mean.  Click on the pictures to get a larger image that you can read

Water Sprite Cyndi Lavin, 2018 Following in the tradition of En Pointe ,  Fire on High  and  Tempest , this piece was done using the wet into dry technique with  alcohol ink .  I used some discreet dots of ink near the top, and swirled them around a bit near the bottom before allowing them to dry completely.  Then, using 91% rubbing alcohol in a  squeeze bottle , I dripped the solvent onto one small area at a time, manipulating the running inks by blowing through a straw.  You can use a hair dryer (set on cool), canned air, or a  heat gun  (at a distance) instead, but the straw will give you those really interesting spots.  This is because of spittle!  It takes longer to dry than the alcohol, so the little dots end up having concentrated color.  If you don't like the dots, choose a different air source, because it's pretty much impossible not to spit on your piece!  :-D Originals and prints of Cyndi's work for sale This post contains affiliate links: Dick Bli

In July, this fun book came out that shows you how to take all your different fabrics and get them to play nicely together!  If you're like me, you've got cottons, wools, silks, upholstery fabrics, sheers, and more in your stash. Click to see an enlargement In The Art of Mixing Textiles in Quilts , Lynn Schmitt will show you to blend them together like a pro, including how to add great dimension to your projects by using different materials together.  There are 14 specific pieced and appliqued projects included in case you want some ideas to get you going! This post contains affiliate links: Amazon