Billions and billions...

Well maybe not that many - but I sure do like a good score on buttons - remember this post!

Almost 2 years later I asked the same question in the same thrift shop "Got any buttons?" and I got the same response "Let me check the basement"...a few minutes later a shoe box, tin and paper bag appeared.

I have to say the tin was pretty cool - real Canadiana - so it has "landed" (LOL) in the cottage.

There were definetly some gems amongst the "billions and billions" but the REAL score was in the shoebox...which was completely full of button cards like these - complete and in lovely shape.

After some browsing on the Web and button guides I have, I think the Western Germany glass buttons are worth more then what I paid for the whole lot! So I'm feeling pretty chuffed (though I know Hubby still won't get it). All I can say is, one of these days I'll be on Antiques Roadshow and prove him wrong :> ... Jewels.

September Mail Art

Well September Mail Art has come and gone. As Leslie noted, it just gets better and better every month!

This month's theme was Poetry in Motion - pick a favorite poem and design your Mail Art around it. Beth made a lovely postacard with a wonderful oriental theme using a favorite haiku. The colours are delicious don't you think - and the vintage stamps are a nice touch. You can read how she made it on her blog.

Leslie went with The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Hers is also a postcard made with a collage of vintage papers. Quote "The image is "The Forest at Pontaubert" by Georges Seurat, torn in half to represent the choice of one or the other." Clever girl.

Then there was mine - which I made a couple of false starts on until I settled on my design. My poem is Hope by Emily Dickinson. Of course you have to use birds to go along with it! This is the front of my envelope.

Now I have been using this poem as a little mantra for a very long time - so you would think I would know the words by heart. I stamped the first 2 lines on the back of my envelope (the graphics are old wrapping paper)...

But as you can see by the little ATC I made to go inside, I have this thing about wings and feathers! LOL Oh well, I don't think anyone minds at all! Mistakes keep us humble, right? Next month - Going Gothic....Enjoy, Jewels

I Love Retro - ATCs

I was born in the 1950's (oops the cat is out the bag now). Which may explain why I love 50's (and 40's and 30's) ephemera...just something so cool about it.

So not surprising that I love to find old magazines and books from that time and use them in my artistic endeavours...this one has a little mantra I really WOULD like to stick to (wouldn't we all). The symmetry of the arm movements is way cool.

I had thrifted some old Bridge score sheets a while back - she just seemed to fit. Originally she was part of an advertisement for windows which explains her "looking out".

Somehow I think he might be Bridge Lady's Husband - don't you? What a handsome couple they would make - him working in downtown Manhattan and she, well, playing bridge all the time...LOL.

Finally - this gal just has that look (do you ever pay attention to the faces on those old patterns?). The trim is from the spine of a book cover and old wall paper in the background.

Anyway, I do love retro  - don't you? Enjoy, Jewels

Altered Book - Finally!

I had joined the "4 Artists 4 Ways" class earlier this year and was really impressed by Lenna's lessons on making an Altered Book. Unfortunately, I had a couple of false starts and did not come back to it until my vacation.

The book is "prepped" - kinda (pages are 5 1/2 x 7 1/2). I need to treat some of the pages using the different techniques Lenna taught...

If your interested, the "back drop" is a Challenge Quilt I made back in 2006 for our Guild - I called it McDonald Gothic (with apologies to the artist) :).

I did decide on a theme for my book. I realized I had a boat load of old dictionaries that I want to use up. I love some of the old words (and definitions) that we don't use often. So I've been browsing and found some "cool" words" and pictures to match.

This is my first page - the graphic came from am 1893 issue of The Century Magazine (I thrifted a bound copy of a year's worth of issues awhile back) which I used chalk to colour in (tip from Mary Green). She really does not have all those wavy lines in her face but that is how she came out on my scanner - I did not have much luck taking a picture of her either (any suggestions). Used that napkin technique in the background (I have a packet I have to use up, LOL) I've used before and stamping. The frame graphic came from a class I took with Beth/Karla before Christmas called a Romantic White Christmas. I already have 3 more pages lined up (in my head) so hopefully I can start filling in all those blanks.

I am waiting till last to do the cover as I have so many different things I would like to try - hopefully it will "speak to me" (ha, ha) at the end... Enjoy, Jewels.

September Memories 2

Last of my vacation pics that I will post - I know you all have better things to do then listen to me go on (and on and on) about how wonderful it was....but I need to look at these just to remind me I really was there just 2 weeks ago! We are a 15 min drive from the northern tip...

The week I was on my own I took the time to visit one of the many local Lighthouses - this one is at Big Tub Harbour and is looking pretty worse for wear. It was built in the late 1800's. One year we actually stayed at the Lighthouse Keepers house around the corner (in the days before we had a permanent place on the Bruce).

While there one of the many tourist boat rides went by - these folks are off to cruise around the islands

Looking out and...

behind...

Just up the road from us is access to the National Park - it is not a beach that gets visited much as it is too rocky to swim at - but it gives you an idea of the terrain on the Lake Huron side of the Penninsula

More visitors - at one point the chipmunk was chasing this young rabbit around my sceptic bed - not happy to share any food source. I also saw a grey heron and loons from my deck and we often heard coyotes at night (we never let Miss Gwendoline off her lead in fear she would become someone's lunch, LOL)

A creative way to use an old boat - the previous owners who lived there full time kept it full of flowers

One last look at the village harbour before I left - will look totally different when we go back in November!
Enjoy, Jewels

Experimenting

While on vacation (and thrifting) I came across a couple of packets of embrodiery transfers...

except these were absolutely stuffed with more then the original patterns!

There were all sorts of colour transfers...

which got me thinking (hmmmm) - could I "iron on" to paper instead of fabric?

Well you don't know until you try - and since I spent literally pennies on them I had nothing to loose... So here are the results - pretty cool, eh? There is a trick to it - the iron cannot be too hot, and you literally have to start peeling it off while the transfer is still warm (definetly a two handed technique)

But I love the results...which I then tried aging with an old "stain" (heh, you use whatever you can find in the cottage Mud Room (lots of cans of ancient paints that are highly suspect) - I really was roughing it, LOL)

My first try and I used it as the background for this ATC. I also used an old typed letter and a school photo...neat.

This ATC is a favorite now - the old magazine advertisement colours just go so well with the transfer in the background don't you think? Amazing what you can find, and what you can do - these were old transfers but they still worked and (I hope) got put to good use! Some of the larger pieces that I transfered can be used for postcards, book pages, mail art - lots to experiment with. I even tried transfering directly on to a page from an old book! Enjoy, Jewels

September Memories 1

I can't believe I've only been home a few short days - fortunately I have many happy memories of a wonderful break - I'll let some of my pics say it all...

Morning

and Late Afternoon

Water everywhere

Visitors (dining on expensive crackers)

And locals with a sense of humor

Sigh...

Vacation Week 2!

Sorry - no pics to post but have a tonne on my camera. Weather was wonderful first week here at the cottage and spent lots of lovely down time. Hubby left today so now I have a week to myself with Miss Gwendonline (who seems to be getting the most sleep then all of us). Planning to work on some "artsy" things including this months Mail Art project with Beth and Leslie. Looking forward to catching up with you all soon....Jewels