New projects

Altered Book Project:

I recently finished this spread in a friend's Angel themed book. I was the last one on the list and all before me had used many quotes about angels so I decided to go with mostly art and keep it on the single spread, simple side. I had lots of fun with it anyway! i did lots of layering with tissue paper and text, layer of Gesso, a layer of color wash , some gold embossing and another layer of Gesso followed by sanding.

The spread is done mostly in shades of white highligted by the gold embossing. The color washes under the last coat of gesso were done using purples, greens and blues.

I just love this angel stamp. It is by Stampers Anonymous.

I used my sewing machine to sew the piece of paper with the handwriting onto the page. I love the added texture. I am really into texture right now!!!

Beach Pickings Necklace:

I made this piece while my daughter and I were on Cape Cod. I had picked up the shell piece and the stone on the beach that day and I was immediately inspired to create something with both of the pieces. As soon as I found the piece of wormy Wampum , I knew what I wanted to do with it. ( I have been picking up Wampum (ocean tumbled pieces of Quahog clam shell) for years now. I used to always toss the pieces that had holes or worm trails in them. I only wanted the really smooth " perfect " pieces. Well, not any more!! Remember texture is my thing these days. Besides if the sea worms have been at work, if one is really lucky , there will be a hole in the piece just waiting to be put to use !!!

The trails left on this piece of wampum formed a perfect Peace Symbol. I wrapped the sterling wire thru the trails to follow the Peace Symbol and used the hole that the worms had so kindly provided. From the Peace symbol I hung a sterling wrapped lucky stone and the glass heart at the bottom is one of my precious African glass beads. I am wearing this piece every day and saying a prayer that the world might begin to change . SIGH!!!!!

Here is an example of some of the treasures that i founsd on the beach during this trip. i also found 10 pieces of real sea glass at Nauset Beach. It almost seemed that someone knew that I was coming and placed them just for me to see! I picked up one white piece with a decorative ruffled edge, thinking that it was a piece of plastic that i would throw away properly. The waves deposited it right at my feet. I was so thrilled!!!

There is so much going on in the holey wampum and they are such treasures when holes are there waiting for me!!! Becca has developed quite an eye for spotting the purple bits of shell and prides herself in finding particularly beautiful pieces. the stones that I love are called Lucky Stones. They have a band of quartz or some other type of stone circling them. Sometimes there are more than one band and they bisect each other. I generally pick up as many Lucky Stones as I can and then we hand them out to favorite teachers and friends when we return home!!

Artist Earrings:

The idea for these earrings has been rolling around in my brain for a long time.

Several months ago I posted pictures of my paint brush necklace. I get quite a response from people when I wear that piece and I have been meaning to make some earrings.

Besides the paintbrushes, these are composed of bits and pieces of old costume jewelry and two different dragonfly charms. I love the way that they are both very similar but different. I will have to make more of these for my upcoming shows.