BACKGROUND PAPER

I promised a step by step of the background paper that i used for the Japanese Doll.
Ihave also used it for other projects, and found it extremely handy to have around.

First i took some thick paper, size A4,and coated it with pva glue. I usually use about 3 different colours of tissue paper, and you begin with the darket colour first. Just rip and stick down randomly, leaving plenty of the white paper showing. Add a coat of pva on top, to make sure that it is all stuck down. I do this with every layer.
Let it dry before adding additional layers, as it makes it so much easier.

Again i gave another coat of pva, on top of the last layer, as well as on top of the second layer.This time i used torn red tissue paper, and stuck down at random. still leaving parts of white paper showing through.

Third stage,you used the mid tone colour of your choise. I used bright pink on one half of the paper, and orange on the other. This was because i intend to make two dolls, one Japanese, and the other african, so rather than make two separate sheets, i decided to do it half and half.

The third layer, the palest of the colours is used. This time i used yellow tissue on the bottom half, but on the top i wanted to knock back the brightness of the pink, so i used pale pink along with pale grey, and a bit more red.

With all the different layers, and layers of pva glue in between, this has given the paper a good thickness, so when applied to card, it is quite stiff, and useful for embellishment making.

The final stage i've used gold embossing powder, stamped on at random. There is no need to be precise at any stage, as it will be cut up. The randomness of it all, adds to it, i feel.

Tomorrow, i will show you a doll made with this paper, that i hope to have made by then.

Seahorse

Not much happening today, been feeling under the weather. But managed to produce one ATC today, hand drawn using prisma pencils, love em, and an ordinary biro.

Hope to have more to say tomorrow.

ATC's

Today, had some more beauties arrive with the post.
First off my friend Jinny aka chicken legs, sent me a large envie with some lovely stuff inside.
First an altered matchbox, with a hematite stone inside, to put inside my craft room. I've always felt uncomfortable in there, and have never really been able to work, so jinny, said that this will do the trick. It's a stone for protection, so hopefully will protect me from whatever is going on (or what has been going on lol)
She also sent me a small handmade book, which is adorable. On the front is the title Margaretand inside are handmade embellishments with words about friendship, "beautiful", not lol, me that is lol, the letter m, surrounded by doodling in a Zetti style (my favourite style at the mo) and all embossed and stamped. I'm truly honoured to think that someone would go to this amount of trouble just for little old me. Oh and a new pen, did you know Jin, that i'm forever losing my pen lol.
Last but not least a gorgeous ATC, loving it jinny.


In the next envie, i received not one but 3 BEAUTIFUL watercolour ATC's from Terryart in the USA> what a talented lady.
I left a comment saying how much i liked them and she said i could have all 3. ARN'T I LUCKY.
sure am. loving em a lot.This is the beautify of ATC Trading, you get to 'meet' fantastic talented people, and acquire great works of art.


So for letting me have her entire collection, i have just made a RAK to go with the swap to her. She has a 'thing' for crabs so here is Hermit Crab. Drawn with prisma pencils and biro. hope she likes it.


TUTORIAL - The promised tutorial, has had to be postponed,as i have been feeling really under the weather with this bloomin stomach bug that i've been suffering with on and off since Christmas.

ART DOLLS

I organise monthly doll swaps in our yahoo group, which i find really enjoyable. We only started in January 2008, and our first swap was the Dotee Doll.

This was one of the two dolls that i entered for the swap, i ended up making two as there was an odd number for the swap.
This one is Mop Head dotee, lol, after my photo.

Here is a link for you to see the entire swap, and boy there are some beauties
http://www.flickr.com/photos/margaretfield/sets/72157603536569831/
February's swap is the Button Fairy, for which i have devised a tutorial, as there wasn't one on the entire web.
Here is the button fairy i made for the tutorial, and as it is the very first one that i made, it isn't exactly how i would like. So another one will be made for the swap, and of course i will be showing the finished product here.

So carrying on with the theme of art dolls, yesterday i made one just for myself. I love the simplicity of it, and will be showing you a tutorial tomorrow. I call it simply "Japanese Doll'

TWO BEAUTIES

Well what a wonderful start to the day. The sun is shining, (it's blustery and cold, but hey it's dry and not raining), and
I received an envie from USA and inside it contained not one, but TWO beauties from a lovely lady named Vintagepix.
This lady i know from ATcards.com and also Flickr, and she is a very talented lady.

I am absolutely thrilled with both the ATC and the House Hanging (which i have fallen instantly in love with..
The ATC is a Faux Tintype, which she explains step by step on Flickr here http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagepix/2098427138/

I have a 'thing' at the moment for houses, in any shape or form. House shaped ATC's Shadow boxes, mini cardboard ones, wonder what this all means. Maybe it's because of my constant moving home in the past few years. lol

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT. cos i certainly do.

What a lucky girl i am, to have received these beautiful gifts all the way from over the Pond.
Thankyou Carolyn. xxx

Today, i'm getting on with altering a jewellery stand,one of those disgustingly attired torsos with wire for hanging your necklaces from. I'm going with a shabby shic look to this, one of my other loves lol, and the purpose of this is to hang my lovely dollies from the monthly doll swaps i organise on a yahoo group. MY LOVELY HOUSE HANGING WILL DEFINITELY BE ADORNING IT.

HARAJUKU

What have i been up to today.
First of all i have been researching stuff for my upcoming exhibition in Chesterfield. I'm thinking of doing paintings of Zetti girls on canvas, and have been trawling the internet looking for inspiration.
Found some really weird but wonderful fashion stuff going on in the streets of Tokyo, they're just waiting for me to Zetti them. mind you they look like Teesha Moore has got to them already LOL. Makes me wish I was young again (mind you would i have the nerve to walk around like that, i'd like to think i would)
Hopefully i will be able to use this look in my work. keep you posted.

ZETTIOLOGY

Once again, blogger has been a pain in the derriere, and wouldn't let me in. Fingers crossed this time, it'll work when i try to re-enter.

My latest 'craze' at the moment is Zettiology, and my heroine Teesha Moore. I have ordered several stamps from her and absolutely love her work. I have a growing collection of works my latest being a Zetti postcard for New Inspirations, group swap.

Love the wacky weirdness about it, and my love of colour is being brought to the fore.

I was kindly asked yesterday, from a Gallery/shop owner in Chesterfield, if i would like to exhibit there for a month in their shop window. WOULD I LOL.

So in April my work will be on display for all to see in Chesterfield, my birthplace.

I've decided to go with the theme Zettiology, but not quite sure if Chesterfield is ready for it. HAHAHA. Will keep you informed every step of the way (DID YOU HEAR THAT BLOGGER, I SAID EEEEEVERY STEP OF THE WAY). HAHA. we'll see tomorrow.