Lace purses and a winner

Today is the 28th. Sorta crept up on me. Still, it’s the 28th, and the day to announce the winner of the blog giveaway.
This is so fun! This little lovely will go to a new home today!
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I also wanted to tell you about the new lace purses I’ve been making. Now these could be a serious addiction…
This one has already found a new home, and just went on a cruise. There's something missing in that picture: oh, yeah, it's me, I"m not on that cruise. :-((
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This one is a small canvas bag with a zipper. I have used doilies and two pieces of very old from my collection. I’ve added a pearl necklace for that little something extra:
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This next one is larger, built on a base of cream man-made leather. You can see the detail of colored ribbon binding, with a small chain and a key.
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It has a large flap, and you can see the laces under the flap, with a few vintage buttons.
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This next one is a large hobo bag, or carpet bag, which I made from scratch, using upholstery fabric and trims.
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This is a little drawstring bag, made with hand painted doilies and a fabric flower. The back is decorated with doilies, vintage laces and a small earring.
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The little white one is the very first one I ever made. I was really happy with how it came out, obviously, so I made a few more…
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But hey, enough talk about purses. Let’s talk about a winner. IMG_1010 resize

And the winner is….
drum roll…
Kadee Willow of Kadee Willow blog. Congratulations Kadee.
Make sure to go visit Kadee’s blog and check out her beautiful photography.

Round Robin books and a Lace journal

Busy time of month when the Round Robin journals come in.

I have completed several, which are now on their way.

In the Kindred Spirits Round Robin, I finished Gloria’s book. Her theme is Vintage Shabby Chic. Here’s what I did:

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The girl is actually 3D, and each butterfly is highlighted with clear embossing powder.

I grunged and aged the page too.

 

Next is Eileen’s lace book in the Vintage Round Robin. Her theme is Vintage Accessories. Her book already had gloves, glasses, so much good stuff, but… it was really missing a boa. And everyone knows life goes better with a boa. Here’s the front cover:CIMG6996

The left page has a red rose, and lots of lace.

 

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The right page is the lady with her boa and her jewelry, checking herself in the mirror. Soooo romantic!

 

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And finally, the last Round Robin that left yesterday is the Medieval Lace Book. I had Liz’s journal: Medieval Gardens.ON the left page, I embroidered a medieval design from BeadsEast, on a background of faded pink velvet.

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On the right page is a picture of one of the last Medieval gardens in France, Chateau de Villandry. It happens to be 10 miles from my home town, so I know it quite well. Liz loves rust, orange and green colors. All fall colors. So I added some chestnuts, and some flowers in that color range.

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The outside cover is striped velvet that I decorated with machine stitches in all sorts of colors, as well as ribbons and flowers.

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And of course, the latest bracelet, because I wouldn’t want you to think I’ve stopped beading… This one is headed to my hairdresser’s salon. Because in Palm Springs, there is  a market for such a masculine cuff. Now to find a rock star…

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Recognition and exposure

One painting in a new series I painted early in the year is being featured in a Treasury on Etsy. That’s like… a big deal! Top right!

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The whole series is titled: “These city walls”. It’s 22.5 x 23.5 abstract painting on unstretched canvas. It is modern, abstract.
This painting represents urban decay. This original painting is called Papers.
It is an original.
It consists of antique collage papers, stencils, acrylic paint.

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The next one in the series is 11 x 15 abstract painting, original, on hardboard, ready to hang. Edges are painted black.

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Detail:

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This one has found a home in Australia:

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This next one I love. It’s very hard to photograph it right. It’s on Arches watercolor paper, 24x30. “Tsunami”

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Details

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This next one is on black paper, 18 x 18:

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This one is on black paper too:

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This one is on harboard, 8x10, titled ‘Sunrise”

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This next one, Waterfall, is SOLD!

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And this last one, on hard board, 11 x 14 is “Sunset”

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Lace page tutorial AND a giveaway

Here is the promised tutorial on how I put together a lace page. Now there are many ways to create a beautiful page, and you will add your own touch to your creations. This is just the way I do it. Here is the finished page we will be making: IMG_0898
Start with a piece of heavy fabric, such as upholstery or canvas as your support page.
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Next, position a piece of lighter fabric which will serve as a background for your image. It’s most likely it will disappear after you’re finished with all the embellishments.
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Check the size and position of your image, which you have already printed on fabric.
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I like to use scrim, or cheesecloth. You can age it in coffee or tea, or leave it natural.
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Next, I add a doilie from my collection. I put it in the back of the fabric background, behind the image and scrim.
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At this stage, some would probably want to start sewing. I start testing the embellishments I might use, so I can sew more pieces at once. I  let the colors from the image guide me in my choice of fabrics and flowers. Here, I’ve added a fabric flower, a piece of velvet fabric from an old scarf, and a piece of letters on fabric. I have a soft spot for any script on fabric.
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I’ve decided to add another piece of lace at the bottom. It’s actually a linen handkerchief that was lined with lace.
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I’ve added a bit of khaky lace on the left, gifted by beautiful lady Suzy Quaife. I have a soft spot for that lace.
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I like to frame the bottom of the image with a piece of lace and a bit of decoration. It keeps the eye traveling within the picture.
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Following that same reason, I cut a piece of doilie and add it to the right side of the image.
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Here’s what the image looks like:
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I’ve added another piece of doilie at the bottom, because… more is better, right? Then it’s off to the sewing machine to capture all the pieces together. I like to use a contrasting thread, but using a matching color would work beautifully too. I sew around the image, then I sew around the background fabric. That way, most of the laces and doilies are captured at once. I tend to add some stitches on the bottom lace, just to be sure that everything is tacked down.
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Now, I go to my stash of embellishments, starting with the buttons.
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I admit to glueing the buttons down, and some of the embellishments. Sewing them on would probably be more ‘proper’. A trick to keep your ever fabulous and wonderful Aileene’s Tacky Glue flowing: store it upside down in a bottle or, as I do, because I’m French, in a champagne glass. A French woman should always have champagne around. Or at least a glass of champagne…
I like to use Tacky Glue because it dries rather fast, and it dries clear. And in my experience, it really holds lots of heavy embellishments. Hard worker, that glue.
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I like to decorate with buttons, as you can see on the pictures.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Do leave me a comment, and email me if you have questions.
If you don’t have all the lace you need, or no pictures printed on fabric, you can find a complete kit, all ready to go following these instructions here.

And just because it was Valentine’s Day, and because it was my birthday, and really because I feel like it, I’ve made a little heart to give away to one of you. Just leave me a comment, and I will draw a name on February 28, since there is one this year!!!!
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