Steampunk Book #2 - Front

Steampunk Book #2 - Front, a photo by VTpicturesPPP on Flickr.

Here is a second Steampunk book, this one uses modeling/molding paste on a paper mache book base. Three layers of acrylic paint, finger-painted on,  make it look like real wood. See more on my Flickr page.

Steampunk Book #1 - Front

Steampunk Book #1 - Front, a photo by VTpicturesPPP on Flickr.

I had a great time making this Steampunk book, starting with a blank wooden book box. Both front and back, as well as the spine, are decorated.  There is a hidden drawer at the book's spine. Visit my Flickr page for other views.

Cherish the summer

for

Winter is coming.......

Taken by driveway cam, February 2013

and I am not ready.

Rainy Days

We've had a wet summer here this year.  So many days have had stormy weather that I've lost count.  The rain on my studio window inspired this little watercolor painting, now a card.

Updates for Bertseesabox

I've been really busy today, adding dozens of solid pewter beads and some new hand-dyed silk ribbons to my ETSY shop, Bertseesabox.   Whew!  Ironing ribbon for hours in the heat makes me wilt.  Time to stop and call it a day.

Get 15% off at the Etsy shop between Aug 5-25.  Enter the coupon code 15OFFINAUG at checkout.  Be sure to use the code exactly as shown here, all caps and no spaces, for the discount to take effect.

Back in the Studio

It seems like it has been a year since I had some decent studio time.  But the last two weeks have allowed me to grab two full days for the studio, and I've had a very relaxing time.   I'm planning a lot more studio time in the next few weeks, now that I've caught up with all the stuff I postponed while on vacation. 

A friend gave me a gallon zip-lock bag of quilting scraps.  She knows I really enjoy working with scraps, and they are always a challenge for me.  This time, I made 31 strip-pieced postcards first.  This is one of them:

After finishing them, I had some small scraps still leftover, so I made some crazy-patched postcards from those.  Both the strip-pieced and the crazy-patched ones are machine embellished with Superior Threads' Glitter Hologram.  I used a about 1 1/2 spools for these cards.  I love this thread.  Used correctly, it stitches like a dream -- no kinks, no shredding, no breaks.    Here is a picture of one of the crazy-patched cards:

Today, I needed some invitations to a party, so I rubber stamped some watercolor paper and hand-painted the stamped image.  I made 16 of these:

Isn't this just a delightful stamp?  It was a fun way to spend this rainy afternoon, with Tropical Storm Andrea making its way through the region.