Vintage Findings

A Lemon

Personal challenge ~ take a photo that is a lemon and try to make something wonderful with it ~ my attempt ~ it may not be wonderful but I am learning a lot about light layers of paint.

The photo is of a leather chair tucked into a corner of the shed at the Inn at Park Winters ~ a lovely chest is next to it with buckets of flowers, shells, and natural findings from the grounds.  What really attracted me was the window behind the buckets and the wonderful light coming into the dark shed.

Many layers later, this was the result.  Needs more practice, but I will start fresh with a different image when I try this again.  

You can click on the image to see it larger. . . 

So much for Experimental Tuesday :-)

Aren't these cooler temps great?  The slight overcast and the few sprinkles are just what we needed.

~Karen

I Need To Make a Mess!

I had the real need for a "messy" day today ~ but it turned out to be all digital. . .

Even making a "digital mess" was good for me. . . 

Happy Weekend 

~K

Spring is Here ~

Spring is here in all it's glory.  Flowers are poking up and spreading out, but so are the weeds.

These calendula/pot marigolds come up every year, sometimes in unexpected places. But their warm colors are most welcome.  The same for the camomile, it self sows readily.

I'm quite fond of putting things in place and keeping everything neat and tidy, so I enjoyed tucking these into the box frames.

William and Jenny have announced their engagement.  I could not be happier for them. Jenny will be headed to law school in August and it seems that William may be leaving for Galveston for that teaching job he has been hoping for. Plans should firm up over the next few weeks.

Until then, a mini celebration | BBQ with Jenny's family and ours this weekend.

Hope your day is full of good news, too.

~K

White Birch Trees ~ Version Two

Continued play with the same tree image, more paint, more texture, new look. I liked how the white paint could be painted under the sketched tree branches ~ a trick I learned from Marie Otero in a Journal Magic Class. 

Sunny and 60* today ~ just returned from a walk outdoors. Even if you are still burried under snow, I hope you had a bit of sun in your day.

~K

Vintage Play

Seems I've used a lot of processing on this one:  LightRoom, PhotoShop, and Corel. Hope to do more in this style. Not only do I get to use the programs I love, I get to incorporate vintage photos, ephemera, brushes, and texture.

Hope you are headed into a wonderful weekend.

~K

 

One More Collage ~

Long ago and far away, in a previous life, I used to make dolls. Sounds corny, huh? Each one was carefully handmade, stuffed with wool roving, and dressed in period dresses with vintage fabric from that era. The hairstyles were authentic to the period, as were all other embellishments. They range in size from 4" to 12" tall, so you can imagine the care and difficulty in stuffing those fingers. Faces were stitched and painted. Each one was distressed to get the true vintage feel. Sandpaper distressed the old fabrics very nicely, as well as tea to stain muslin. I sought out tiny lace trim for undergarments (yes they are fully clothed) and baby buttons. I get them out each year for Christmas and often felt bad that they lived out the remaining months of the year tucked away. But it delights the child in me to unpack them at Christmastime.

The top two on the right are hand carved.

The largest photo in this collage is a copy of the doll used in the Disney movie Tuck Everlasting ~ a doll had to be created to look new for the time period and more had to be made showing years and years of age and wear ~ you know, how one arm might get floppy from a child carrying it around and how the face gets smudged from too much loving.  I purchased the patterns from: Gail Wilson  She is AMAZING!!!

Some I've turned into angels ~ some have fabric wings others have wooden wings that I cut with a jig saw ~ others sit nicely in miniature chairs. There are more. Surely you know, they all have names.

And I suppose you now know what a "detail" kind of person I am.

Best to you and yours

~Karen

The Tacky Tinsel Tree

I am taking a few steps without the crutches secure in the immobilizing boot ~ what freedom to carry something in my hands! So I've picked up the camera and snapped more than a few images of Christmas. Still unable to drive, but I just might start cooking again :-)

Several years ago I was recuperating from a major surgery and knew that I would not be seeing anyone for 3 months. I used the 3 months to solder copies of vintage photos between glass. By the time I had soldered 100 of these little gems I was pretty good at it. I had taken a class from Sally Jean Alexander at her studio in Portland and used the time at home to work on the idea that I had. PA-LEEZE do yourself a favor and look at her work: www.sallyjean.com

I made simple photocopies of old family photos, reducing them to fit the glass pieces. Some are 2" x 2", some are 1" x 1". I bought a box of new microscope slides which are 1" x 3" and those worked really well, too. After adding words and a pretty paper or a miniature collage on the back, the paper photos were sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Copper tape covered all edges. Flux was added with a Q-tip and silver solder was added with my soldering iron. Fusing jump rings into place took some practice. To hang the ornaments, junk jewelry chain was used ~ found at Goodwill or flea markets, adding to the tacky-theme nicely.

Each year I adorn the Tacky Tinsel Tree with my soldered ancestors and vintage photos of my past. The tree is 4' tall and is very shiny, full of bling ~ no lights needed, it sparkles all on it's own.

I got the bug to photograph some of my collections from the inspirational work of Jennywww.flickr.com/photos/bw4444/ I adore her vintage sewing still life work.
Jenny, pretty soon I'll break out the miniature sewing machines for you to see, too. I can't go upstairs to get them yet LOL

Happy Holidays 

~K

A Vintage Christmas

Toy soldiers, an old wooden train, paper-thin vintage ornaments transparant with age (it is a wonder they survive year after year), the goose feather tree, the little crackled tea set, the sailors standing tall, and the Merry Christmas blocks ~ I wonder who held some of these things before I did.

I inherited most of my fragile, old ornaments from my Great Aunt Minnie (Mathilda). She was my mother's Godmother, my Grandmother Emma's sister.

In spite of all the senseless, dreadful things that happen in the world, I hope you find joy this season with those you love.

~karen

A Magical Place

The island in the sky ~ while off on adventures with my friend Mary Bailey we spotted an island on the way to Long Beach, Washington.  Instant photo-op.  I could see this island used in a whimsical way in my head right away.  Further on our trip we went to Oysterville where we found this charming cottage in the historic district.  Those elements set with the incredible cloud formations we shot all began perculating in my mind.

A few PhotoShop light rays, a moon, some stars, a ladder, etc. and it was all coming together. And roots ~ this safe haven, an island of one's very own, is just floating about looking for a place to put down roots.  

This is the lighthouse at Cape Disappointment at the other end of the penninsula.  The rain was coming, we had a good 15 minutes to shoot before running for cover.  A bit of toning and texture work ~ grunge brushes at a very low opacity of white, blending mode of linear light, then Filter > Stylize > Emboss made a great textured sky. I just need to remember that for next time I need a bit of texture.

Hope your weekend is wonderful and that you have a bit of sunshine.

~K

 

Daily Walk Around the Yard

Challenge work this week - FLOWERS.  So I thought a walk around the yard would fit the challenge. This incudes fruits and weeds, too.

Hope the weather is nice enough for you to be out in the yard.

~karen