Pixie Dress Winner

by Jill Eudaly

artist and friend

My friend Jill over at Recycled Daze had a give away on her blog a few weeks ago.  The prize was her mixed media dress she created from recycled brown paper bags, tissue paper, twigs, fabric, and many other fabulous goodies!  

And the winner of this beautifully made artwork was me!!!!

Jill created this artwork as a response to a reader challenge in the magazine Cloth Paper Scissors and it was chosen to be published as well!!!

I decided it would look awesome against the green color walls in my dining room and that is where it is hanging!

Thanks so much Jill!

It will be quite a conversation piece!

sharing the inspiration and hard work of artists on this artist holiday,

hannah

Kindness Chronicles September

I have been blessed with many wonderful people in my life, both family and friends.

And on this month's Kindness Chronicles,

I would like to share about my very special friend...

Tanya

Tanya and myself in DC, back in 2010.

We have known each other about our whole lives, growing up together in the same church.  And over the years and miles between us, we have stayed in touch and our friendship has grown stronger.

I am sharing this on Kindness Chronicles because she is such a kind, thoughtful, giving and wonderful friend!  I am so blessed to have her creative spirit and artistic passion in my life to inspire and keep me going on days that my own creativity is lacking.

She has been living in Hawaii for about 4 years now and over that time we have shared our projects and artistic experiments over thousands of miles.  I decided to grab just a few of the many special treasures she has sent me and my family in that time.

This picture shows her many handbags both small and large, a burlap canvas she created, her photography skills, potpourri bags and a dishcloth she upcycled into an apron!

I love them all!!!!

As you can see, Tanya is blessed with such a beautiful ability to sew and create with burlap and fabric.  

Check out her latest design...

Burlap Pumpkin Pincushions

and this...

or this...

She creates beautifully handcrafted bags and such with Hawaiian burlap coffee bags and Hawaiian fabric!

For our distance apart is large, Tanya captured how we feel with this burlap wrapped canvas quote...

"No distance of place

or lapse of time can lessen

the friendship of those who

are thoroughly persuaded

of each other's worth."

Robert Southey

Such a wonderful quote!

Her latest package included my very favorite snack, Honey Roasted Macadamias!!

So yummy!!!

But one of my most favorite possessions from Tanya...

My pen bag!  It holds all my important "good" pens, an eraser and my very small pencil sharpener!

I use it about everyday and love the Hawaiian button she attached to the zipper!

She puts thought into everything she creates and her kindness shines through everytime!

Her website and etsy shop are:

website

etsy shop

I hope through this month's Kindness Chronicles we are reminded of the kindness of our friends as that saying goes...

"Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver 

and the other gold."

Thankful for my friends, both silver and gold on this artist holiday,
hannah

Lesson One - In the Stable

Read more about my new position at church as
Craft Consultant.





Lesson One

In the Stable

This lesson called for a baby Jesus craft in September, so my thoughts immediately went to the Baby Jesus craft from last Christmas.  But for Wednesday night's preschool, the crafts need to be simple and made with easier materials.  That is when I devised this version of Baby Jesus...

Baby Jesus laying in the hay

Materials list includes:

cardstock

scissors

regular glue stick

old maps

hot glue gun

ribbons

optional:

crayons, markers, colored pencils

Why maps?

When I read the lesson, I was struck by the detail of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem.
My thought went to maps and what great visuals they are for artists!

Old (real) map paper ready to be cut into hay.

I have provided the template for those interested in making your own.  

This template is for 5 Baby Jesus ornaments.  

Directions:

Cut template patterns from colored or white cardstock

(The "hay" could be a variety of colored cardstock.)

(The triangular shaped blankets could be on white cardstock for the children to color as they wish.)

Cut map paper to size slightly smaller than template provided.

Once all pieces (2 "hays", 1 blanket, 1 baby face, 1 piece of ribbon) have been cut and colored, it is ready to glue together in this order:

1.  glue map "hay" on top of cardstock "hay"

2.  glue blanket on top of map "hay"

3.  glue baby face on top of map "hay" with the baby face slightly tucked into blanket

4.  Adults - hot glue ribbon onto itself first then hot glue to back of cardstock as shown-

back of Baby Jesus ornament

Other options:

Make mini ornaments or a collection of them

Incorporate mixed media into the background or blanket

Trim the edging with a special something

Incorporate stitch lines

using maps for visual effect on this artist holiday,

hannah