One thing leads to anther …

As I mentioned, I spent some time yesterday playing with PSP – but couldn’t get any images onto the blog because I'd saved then as PSP thingies not JPEG thingies …

So after a bit of head scratching – here’s one I made earlier.

Bet you’re glad its not brown – I know I am.

 

 

 

And that inspired me to get the embellisher out and do this.

See the connection?

It’s a fleur de lis because it was easier to cut freehand.

The background is an old dyeing experiment – a piece of wadding. It was narrow so I had to piece it. The black felt is beginning to break up a bit which I like.

And I finished this. Mmm – I’m more excited by the one above … But doing this in cream got me away from feeling it all had to be brown – so that’s a good thing.

 

 

 

Today’s brown image is another beach scene -  taken on a sunny day. Do you remember when we used to have those?

Fame at last

- not for me. Go here and scroll down to the bottom – Skye, a.k.a. Ronaldo the Wonder Dog.

The final is at the Hurlingham Club. Mrs Cheddar has to get a very posh frock. I think Skye will probably be equally stylish in her Man U. collar.

On a much more mundane level – some of my creative efforts. As mentioned I made black prints of some of the tile stamps.

 

 

 

 

And then in an effort to try to come to terms with Paint Shop Pro, I played with the scans. Which involved rather a lot of bad tempered muttering, rising at times to loud swearing.   At the moment I can’t work out how to put the results of my efforts here – I suspect it has to do with how I saved the images – but that can be tomorrow’s little effort.

Instead I'll show you  what the stamps look like after a bit of use …

 

 

 

 

And the inverted scan.

Some interesting patterns there – I always like stuff that comes good by accident. Why I like dyeing, I think. And you can always overdye what doesn't work …

 

Today’s brown image is another photo from the Hillier Gardens. Now this one could almost make me like brown.

It might also be interesting to play with it in PSP …

What I did in the holidays

Today is a public holiday in the UK. Guess what the weather is like? Yep - cold and grey. However the weather cannot get me down - up until 2 years ago the August Bank holiday preceded the return to work - not any more!

Following long established tradition here at Cheese Acres – we stayed at home. Wensleydale did DIY – and I played with my white book. I am now officially whited out – if only because the book is full.

So here are some edited highlights.

The cover – the tag was part of the packaging of one of Cheese Minor’s birthday presents. Hope he doesn’t want it back. [Babybel and her granny both find the packaging as interesting as the contents.]

The other side of the tag.

The last few pieces – some inspired by Jackie’s wonderful work.

http://dogdaisychains.blogspot.com/

No prizes for spotting that the button wasn't sewn down when I took the photo - it is now!

There is also the obligatory C&G wrapped pipe cleaner, and, as promised, oversize crossed corners stitch, worked in torn silk habotai and the plastic wrapping from a catalogue. I had said I would try plastic but I was too lazy to get up to look for a bag so I reached into the waste bin [kept at my elbow for easy discarding] and took the first plasticky thing that came to hand. [Yes, ‘Yuck’].

I cut it into half inch strips and provided I avoided the joins it stitched quite well. I also discovered that if gently stretched it became a thin, slightly lumpy and quite strong thread – which I used in the tiny sample, which is silk paper over canvas, inspired by a piece in Jill Carter’s book ‘New Canvaswork’. If I repeat the exercise I will use a larger gauge canvas as I struggled to get the stitches in the right place through the silk paper.



Some completed pages - these are the little bits of paper left over when you tear pages out of a sketchbook. Of course then you have to be sad enough to unwind them from the coil binding ...







I haven't forgotten about the pots - hand made stamp and ribbon stitch.





On her journals course Sharon Boggon suggested making paper cuts - here's what happens if you make them from an illustration in the newspaper. I can see this inspiring black work.




More newspaper - cut into narrow strips. More blackwork?


I have also been trying to teach myself Paintshop Pro. I have an elderly version uploaded at some time by one son or another – not sure which one. I bought a book – but it was written in computer speak. [So few IT books are written for Luddites with no previous knowledge.] Then some time ago I bought Maggie and Clive Grey’s CD version of their book on my elderly version – but did nothing with it apart from print it out. [Yes – I’m a scaredy cat – I don’t mind admitting it!]

I had bought and played with a couple of cheapo programs that had less scary names – but with Mggie and Clive's help I have decided it is time I got to grips with the grown ups’ version. And I have had fun. I won’t say I’m an expert – I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface of its potential – and it does things I don’t want it to and I don’t know what to do about it – but I have done one or two things I like. And if I can find where the **** program has put them I’ll show them to you …