CHA (friday)

 

my demo layout for ice resin

 

Suze is always a full of smiles and fun! and a i phone whiz! 

(she always teaches me something new!)

 

Traci and Kecia are always dressed to impress!

 and here I am with my little miss featherweight, who at a healthy productive 76 years is still turning heads!

(I hope I can still keep up with her when I am 76!)

CHA (friday)

Just completed...

Layers of fabric and resin paper sewn and stitched onto a acrylic backing... I will have this with at CHA to view and I will blog more about it next week.

Just completed...

Packing this now...

 

 

Getting ready for my demo at CHA this weekend at the ice resin booth.

Packing this now...

Desk view...

Working on my demo project for CHA this weekend. I will be showing how to tint and sew on resin paper.

Desk view...

Desk view...

Gift wrap... The first layer.

Desk view...

Desk view...

Working on some bead segments to attach to the hearts.

Desk view...

Desk view...

 

Collecting bits and pieces so I can sit on the couch and watch a movie as I put these together.

Desk view...

Desk view...

 

adding some sticks to the mix.

Desk view...

Messy view...

Lots of sewing going on today!

Messy view...

Desk view...

The lay out...

Now its time to attach all the pieces.

Desk view...

Just stitched...

Just stitched...

Stitching this now...

The Stitching is done... Now I need to compose the details to go around this. 

I have a vision on surrounding this with layers of some kind.

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”

~Gail Devers

Stitching this now...

stiching this now:

adding some more color now, this was a hard step because I liked the way the piece looked before I filled it in, but I wanted to push my self to add more details. I now see the spots that I need to highlight more to bring this piece to its full potential.

stiching this now:

Stitching this now...

going to add a different color thread next.

Stitching this now...

desk view:

these are almost done but  need some hand stitching...

I am laying out the next batch for the next group.

“Love is not written on paper, for paper can be erased. Nor is it etched on stone, for stone can be broken. 

But it is inscribed on a heart and there it shall remain forever."

desk view:

Desk view

Cleared out this mess...

So I could sew some words onto fabric,

To make my hearts for the mixed media heart exchange.

“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.”

~James Earl Jone

Desk view

heart exchange... (please read if you want to play!)

Its not a secret that I have a thing for hearts...

I had been toying with doing a heart exchange for Valentine's with a few people but just keep putting it off so now you have me in the midnight hour still wanting to do this so if you want to play and exchange mixed media fabric hearts with me and agree to mail your 4 hand made mixed media hearts out to the other four players (for a total of 5 hearts if you want to make one of yours for your self)  By January 24th (see this is the catch I want a fast turn around so we can enjoy them before valentines!)

now if you agree to the time line then all you need to do is replay to this post (on my blog not via face-book) and leave me your email address in your post (or promise to email me at ruthrae@gmail.com with in 24 hours of being picked or your space will be filled)

The hearts can be made in any style you want to create in the only rule is that its hand made by you!

I am excited and can not wait to exchange mixed media hearts with the first 8 people to reply!

(there will be 2 groups of 5 and I will be in both groups)

The Heart exchange in now filled!

heart exchange... (please read if you want to play!)

teaching...

I will be teaching my only west cost workshops this year in Reno, Nevada February 13th and 14th  in this cute little pickled tink cottage.

On the 13th it will be all about Modern Romance with Velvet & Lace  

as I show you how to create a versatile piece of jewelry that can be worn as a necklace or wrapped around your wrist to become a bracelet.

on the 14th  I will show you how you can create your own mixed media sewn Legacy Keepsake album

please follow this link to sign up.

teaching...

Flea market trip...

I must have been channeling my inner seamstress this weekend at the flea market:

As I scooped up this little needle case as the words "for art work" was just to perfect!

And then I picked up this little zippered pouch full of more sewing goodness!

And how can any one ever pass up brilliant time loved buttons!? 

(I never can!)

Oh and for the book lover in me I could not pass up this little celluloid covered gem.

But I must fully admit that I have had my eyes out for just the right back Victorian  mourning dress for  quite some time.  so when I noticed this one, I just knew that my search was over!

The inside hand Stitching of the caging is truly amazing!

And I can never say no to tattered hand made laced bodice:  This one was extra special as it had been worn so much that it had been mended in many diffident spots.

I had so much fun collecting all my new inspiration.

Flea market trip...

The Truth...

When I share with you a desk view or a peek at what I am sewing  on my blog you have about a ten percent chance of ever seeing the project in its entirety any time soon as a vast amount of what I do is made for use in some kind of publication, it can take any were from a few month to a year before I can fully share the end results. I came up with my "desk view..." and "sewing this now..." as my way to share my process as well as a way to keep up with blogging.

I Made "Meadows of Devotion" last summer, I knew it was going to be used in Somerset Studio so this pushed me to go a little more mixed media and less fabric. Sure I was going to stay true to my style and stitched most of the project but I use mostly papers and paints.

I have been working more on expanding my work into a place that I am still a little unsure of, however I do know that this piece  has led me towards that direction some how. I will be teaching two workshops this year  Exploration into Mixed Media in Arizona and Personal Exploration in Connecticut. Both of these workshops will be based on the progression of my new direction of combining more hard and soft surfaces together.

I hope you will pick up a copy of the January/February issue of Somerset Studio to read about how my parents love and devotion inspired me to create "Meadows of Devotion"

 

"I have come to think of nature and love as not only an offering from above, but as something that can truly nourish the mind, body and soul."

(thanks Mom and Dad for your inspiration!)

The Truth...

Desk view...

Some how the paper parasols will find a way into my little window box!

Desk view...

Desk view...

Desk view...

Sewing this now...

Sewing this now...

Going out to new home...

I just made this garment bag to slip this little altered dress in...

We must all never forget to follow our own inner light.

Going out to new home...

mixed media paint box

I am pleased to be included in this new book

Mixed-Media Paint Box: Weekly Projects for a Year of Creative Expression


Play and create All Year Long!

Inside you’ll find:
+ 52 projects and techniques, one for every week of the year, to inspire a weekly dose of creativity.
+ Tips, hints and suggestions from some of your favorite authors, including Ruth Rae, Claudine Hellmuth, Chrissie Grace, Bernie Berlin and Margot Potter.
+ Step-by-step instructions for jewelry-making, assemblage, journaling, collage and a variety of painting techniques to incorporate into your own art.

you will find a jewelery project from my first book:
A Charming Exchange: 25 Jewelry Projects To Create & Share

And a sewn mixed media painting from my fabric book:

Layered, Tattered and Stitched: A Fabric Art Workshop

Discover inspiration and new ways to express yourself every week inside Mixed-Media Paint Box, what a fun  way to start out the new year!

mixed media paint box