Small journal

This is journal #3 in a smaller size. It was so easy to put together that I made it as an additional small present for a friend of mine. I added a small tag done from the same fabric paper the journal is made from. I just sewed a small pocket from silk paper onto a sturdier page in black.

Felted brooch

This is a felted brooch I made as a birthday present for a friend of mine. I felted velvet and organza onto black kunin felt, then added some Oakshot fabric and specialty yarns. Afterwards I stitched the outer border and some knots and added some seed beads. Next week I will take a class with Sara Lechner and hope to be able to really use my embellisher afterwards.

Textile leaves

Just returned from an incredibly intensive class with Elsbeth Nusser-Lampe. I think I never learnt so many techniques in two days. We worked with painted Tyvek, Vliesofix, gold foil, we quilted and stitched like mad. Everything was very carefully demonstrated and explained, there were many examples to look at including inspirational material. Elsbeth Nusser-Lampe had two books and two leporellos with her to show different ways to bring our work together. Now I have to decide to do a book or a leporello. At present I tend to the latter form since this is one I never did before. On the other hand all examples are made as a sandwich with background, so finishing them and then binding them to a book would be as easy. Besides I would have to paint and perhaps stamp my Pelmet in order to have a decorative background for the leporello binding.....
I you have the opportunity to attend a class with this artist, jump to it! It is so revarding.

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Wind object

Just unpacked the wind sculpture we bought during a trip to Bavaria. Two ever so slightly rusted raven that are now flying their endless circles in our garden. Both my husband and me immediately fell in love with this sculpture. These birds look very absurd especially since most of the time they are flying backward....

Autograph book (Poesiealbum)

I was incredibly lucky to buy this autograph book at an ebay-auction. Normally they are extremely expensive, especially when they are as complete as this one. Entries start 1888, and the book is completely filled with poems and the like, some even on both front and back page.
The script is the so called "Sütterlin" style which I myself learnt during second grade. This was a short project which was supposed to help us improve our handwriting abilities. However it is very difficult to read the entries because I don't remember all the letters, it is too long ago and I never used it except during those few months at school.

Sunshine

This seems to be only form of sunshine we get at present - sunshine in a pot!

Sketch journal

The second journal of the online class with Sue Bleiweiss is done! This is what really lured me into the class. I had seen sketch journals in Sue's Etsy shop and loved them at once. I would have ordered one but didn't like the colors or the fabric of those she offered.
Now I made one of my own and I am really happy with it. The inside fabric (of the pocket) is a Stoll Weber-fabric (I absolutely love what she does with fabric). The outside is a piece of Sherryl Khan-fabric I bought last year in Berlin. The photos don't show the color of the inside background fabric correctly: It is a very deep dark purple (Oakshot fabric).
The closure is a piece of bark I treated with UTEE. I particularly like the outcome of that experiment.

It's spring, it's spring, it's spring.....

I wonder if I say it often enough it will actually happen. The photo was from Monday noon. In the meantime all the snow has turned to water. And more water is coming down from above.... It doesn't get light all day. Normally I don't care much about the weather, but this kind of weather drives everybody over the edge.
The only consolation I have is the online class with Sue Bleiweiss. Making her journals really brightens the day. My second journal is finished and I will post the photos with the next post.

Journal #1

This is the first journal I made in an online class with Sue Bleiweis. After finishing the journal itself I was not very satisfied. However tonight I woke at 4.00 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. While tossing in my bed I began thinking how I could improve the journal. First of all I did not like the way the linen yarn from sewing the signatures in showed on the backside. So I decided to hide this by adding vintage buttons to the spine. Then I thought of the stamping I could add as well as the tags I could make to go with the journal. After playing around today I am quite satisfied with the outcome. I now really like what I did and do not only think of it as something done just to learn a technique. At last I also added some German scrap papers. I love these because they remind me of my childhood where we collected them and glued them into small books. There are not many occasions I can use them today so I jump to the opportunity.

Decay

I am fascinated by decay. Things getting eroded, rusty things, wood or color with patina, really anything that shows the time it has endured. These pictures show one tree stump in various stages of decay.
Aged things are much more interesting than new things. They show wear and tear, you can see what the weather did to them if they are outside. Look at stone eroding - perhaps I am in love with these processes because they show that nothing is really forever. So who am I to complain that my life, too, will come to an end...
Don't get me wrong: I am not morbid. I wasn't just diagnosed - this fascination with decay and old age has been with me for decades. I love the faces of old people: They tell of joy and sorrow and the struggles they had during their life. These faces are by far more beautiful than those of any model.

Easter Monday

Would you believe it? Icicles about 5 inches long! The birds are really in need of a flight controller the way they are flocking about. I have to refill the house at least twice a day.

Happy Easter!

Yes, it is Easter! Although you would not believe it looking at these photos, would you? This was the sight that greeted us this morning. Seems we have now more snow than in the whole previous winter. Oh well, of course Easter is very early this year, but snow at the end of March? Okay, we are not actually snowed under, but.... You can tell that I am looking forward to warmer times, more light, more sun, and yes, less snow!

Inchies swap

These are the inchies from a swap with Janet from the inchies-group. Janet sent me paper inchies which were something new for me. Those I sent back are just plain fabric inchies. It has been some time that I last made these small items and was quite amazed how well it went - seems I didn't forget how to make them :-)

Spring

At last - the almond trees are in blossom! Although my favorite time of the year is autumn I love the almond trees. There are about 15 of them, not very tall, along one of the streets I have to drive through when heading for our neighboring town. These fragile clouds of pink impress me every year. Alas, this beauty can only be admired for a few days. This year, however, they are taking their time. It is rather cool and damp and the blossoms seem to last longer than in other years. At least something to help me ignore that the time for wearing sandals and short sleeves is still in the future.

Driftwood

Tomorrow is my father's birthday. This is the birthday card I made for him. But since I am going to visit him I did not send it *g* but rather framed it. It is a highly three dimensional piece done with silk paper, fabric, silk hankies and silk throwster waste as well as some hand dyed cheesecloth. The embellishments are partially hidden in folds and I couldn't resist putting some UTEE on it. It looks like being washed up on the seashore - okay, apart from the gold thing....

Inspiration

Aspergos was the Hellenistic town in Turkey with the great amphitheater. It was quite a climb up there but worth while - great view of the mountains, too.
I like the carved stones. Perhaps I can turn these into a quilting design.

It's all about structure

Would you believe that these are all details from palm trees? And not even from different sort of palm trees but from one. I saw these in Turkey and wondered how different the trunks looked. It is all defined by the way the leaves are cut off in order to give the tree a nice top. At least that is how I think it is, maybe I am totally wrong. If somebody cares to inform me...

Heart swap

These are the hearts I received during the swap with the art4card group. Isn't it really fascinating what people can do with the heart shape in mind! I love swaps because this way you get an insight into other artists' work; there is such a large variety even if the general idea is the same.

Turkey

Returned from a trip to Turkey. The photos you see here were made in Perge, an ancient town or rather the remains of an ancient town. The time of the year was really perfect for this kind of visit since there are not many tourists around (you should visit there in summer, or rather not!). So I was able to shoot photos without any humans on it. These columns are so awe inspiring - erected several thousand years ago and still so beautiful.