A Crafty Week in Review

I kept eyeing my handmade papers and wondering about how I could use them.   I like recycling materials, especially junk mail envelopes, but my handmade paper is not very flexible, and while it wouldn't be expected to be as flexible as regular paper, I wonder if  there a way to decrease the stiffness some.  Definitely need a good book on the subject; there are so many things I'm curious about.

One of my original thoughts was to use the handmade papers as backgrounds for some of the stitched leaves from the last couple of weeks.  Auditioning the leaves on the papers was satisfying, but then I wondered about other options.

 I had a couple of thank you notes to write, so I cut some pages down and folded them into little note cards.  Ended up choosing 3 leaves and adhering them to the folded papers, then wrote short notes inside expressing my gratitude.

Yep, I tried this, but boy, is it easy to tear a leaf!

I cut up some under paper from painting and sewed two little envelopes, adding a few details and marks along the way.  Popped the "thank yous" into the finished envelopes and sent them on their way.  There is one note card left, and I may make some more.

 I also made some tiny gift tags.

These might be good for Christmas gifts

if I add some Christmas-y embellishment.

Collaged postcard 

with a leaf 

and some birch bark

and sent it to Jacque.

I wish...

A Little Bit of Everything

Tags

front

 backs

 front

 back

more leaves and some birch bark

Incoming Mail

from Bryce Eleanor

from Penne

 beautiful stamp

from Connie

beautiful setting for a stamp

postcard from Cheryl  :)

from Melanie

Thanks to all of you for making my mailbox (and me) very happy!

Leaf Stitching

More leaf stitching

while watching Billy Bob Thornton

and William Hurt

in the first season of Goliath.

magnolia leaf,

stitched and rolled

hibiscus--

the vintage tatting thread was too stiff

Persian shield,

turned from lovely purple

to almost black

 birch, 

less than 2 inches

without the stem.

More experimenting with threads and yarn. 

 More leaves being pressed under stacks of books.  

Inspirations:

Francoise mentioned Alice Fox 

in a comment on my last post,

and Fox's work is one of the inspirations 

for this new project.

Another is Suzanne Bauer,

who (who knows how)

manages to crochet on leaves!

and Hillary Fayle

also does beautiful work!

I would love to have some of the gorgeous fall leaves

in all of their glory,

but colors are still rare around here.

Each fall, the words from Shelley's 

Ode to the West Wind

echo in my thoughts--

especially his description 

of autumn leaves as

"yellow and black and pale and hectic red."

source

I'm also playing with birch bark.

Years ago, I stitched birch bark for postcards,

but I can't locate the pictures.

When I made Augustus, I used birch bark for his book. 

I machine stitched the birch bark and

added in hyacinth bean pods 

and faded day lily blooms.

Still holding up after 5 1/2 years,

although Augustus met some serious damage 

from the evil Triad of felines

and has gone to live with Amelia

to avoid the bad cats.

There is something soothing about working with natural materials.   

Final Countdown to Halloween

I found this cartoon on Jackie Long's blog and had to smile!

Bryce Eleanor and Jonathan
proudly displaying their awards 
after the Academic Pep Rally.

I love B.E.'s new glasses.

Lately, I've been trying my hand at leaf stitching.

There are some beautiful examples across the blogosphere,

and I have been experimenting...

carefully.

Such a fragile surface.
I'm learning, but it is a slow process.

I love the green circles on the leaf  on the left

and tried a cut out for the one on the right.

(punched out a star, then 

added it back on in another position).

This is all new to me and so a lot of trial and error.
Playing with different needles and threads and number of strands.

The cut outs on the hibiscus leaf below were already there--
something was chomping on it.

This one tore even more easily.
Each stitch tended to rip a little.
I gave up on it, but am keeping it to watch it continue to dry.

I have more leaves in progress 
and more being pressed beneath books.

Outgoing Mail

Using a pic of one of the La Calavera Catrina dolls 
I made last year and Picmonkey, 
I played with one to see what would happen.

The pic I used below was before I added the skull necklace, 

but Picmonkey let me alter and add elements--

the spooky sky, the red rose, the text.

Then I added it to an envelope.

To Prim Paws

the back--using one of Naomi's stickers.