Christine Kelly - Gentlework

name:  Christine Kelly
name of your business: Gentlework
city and or country you live in? Shropshire, UK

when I was a child I wanted to be?
A star of musical theatre.

I wish I’d never worn?
I have no regrets – it all made sense at the time.


5 things on your desk right now?
My nana’s pincushion in the shape of a hedgehog, dried seed heads from nearby woods, a cup of lemon and ginger tea and an overflowing landscape of vintage fabric, threads and haberdashery.

favorite guilty pleasure?
Buying vintage doll’s beds.

I’m very bad at?
Relaxing

favorite movie of all time?
The Wizard of Oz

do you collect anything?
Yes, most things. I have quite a lot of vintage cream woollen blankets, mostly picked up in charity shops…mother of pearl buttons….old mending threads….feathers and twigs picked up on walks – you get the idea!

what’s your strangest talent?
I do a Lesley Phillips (British film actor) impression that makes my husband laugh a lot.

if you got a free plane ticket to anywhere, where would you go?
The Merry old land of Oz.

how did you get started?
I don’t ever remember not making things, Gentlework is just a continuation of that.

go to products that relate to your craft?
Vintage french linen, careworn fabrics and faded book pages.

how do you get inspired or stay inspired?
Inspiration comes continually and from all places, but often from nature, a walk in the woods with my dog, Sparky, always bears fruit. 

 

how/where can people find your work?
My blog, Gentlework and my Facebook page

Thank you again Christine for sharing your talent with us!  We are truly inspired.
now carry on,
paula

Heather Murray

name: Heather Murray

name of your business:
Heather Murray Art and Maud Starr Art

city and or country you live in?
Chatsworth, Ontario Canada

when I was a child I wanted to be?
an artist

I wish I’d never worn?  My square jeans (they were 3-d ..sewn in the shape of a cube on my legs!) worn on a trip to Yugoslavia in the 70's

5 things on your desk right now?  
My beloved matte gel medium, scraps of original text ephemera, brushes galore, my water bottle, vintage images of children, women

Smiles are Best currently for sale on Etsy

favorite guilty pleasure?
potato chips
 
I’m very bad at? 
being punctual

favorite movie of all time?
Frida

do you collect anything?
I collect old watches and clocks and occasionally vintage chicken themed pottery.

what’s your strangest talent?
Presently my strangest talents are skills developed in Roller Derby.

if you got a free plane ticket to anywhere, where would you go?
India..  a fascinating, complex  and beautiful country

how did you get started?
Although I have been creative lifelong I really got started in 1999 when my daughter was  8. I suddenly recognized that I could break away from conventional training and high realism painting to collage and mixed media as a form of expression. I started with journaling and recognized the therapeutic value of art and how crucial it was to my life balance and identity!

go to products that relate to your craft?
I am not attached to particular brands  of art supplies but my key products are matte and heavy gel mediums, acrylic paints, china or marking pencils, gesso and canvas or wood as substrates. I enjoy hunting for unusual vintage ephemera, photos for my work and love the distressed quality of the "real thing"..

how do you get inspired or stay inspired?
I underhand now that creating art is essential. I also work in the field of social work/ mental health and it provides a counterbalance to this work. Having a studio outside the home helps to keep me dedicated-when I arrive there my only purpose is to make art! I can also leave my mess behind and close the door! :-) Developing an online presence (blog, shop, classes ) also keeps me centered and tuned in to continuously evaluating and growing my craft.

how/where can people find your work? 
My blog -  My Ephemeral Imagination
my etsy shop:  MaudstarrArt 
Take an online class with me at The Trodden Path or check out my Facebook page for current works.

Maisie May currently for sale on Etsy

Thank you again Heather for sharing your talent with us.  We are inspired by the beauty.

now carry on,
paula

Big Top

I am leaving for the airport in just a few hours to fly to New Zealand for the Autumn Escape Event, but I really wanted to do a blog post before I left.  I will need to limit my words, which is something I'm not used to around here, but I hope you will stick with me till the end to see the final result.

I purchase a little pressed wood panel from Michaels - found it in the wood cut outs department for about $2.50 I think.

 I painted a base coat with Gesso

 Then a coat of Peacock Feathers.

 Next a haphazard coat of Mowed Lawn.

 And lastly, another haphazard coat of Shaded Lilac.

I went back over the paint in a few places in a horizontal motion.

 the end result of the Distress Paint layers.

I picked up this great set of number stamps at JoAnns - the numbers are about 2 1/4" tall.  Cute and just the perfect size for this project.

I made a puddle of paint on the craft sheet to pounce the stamp in.  Not too much, shouldn't be soupy on the stamp and no, I didn't use a block.

 I just stamped the board in random places and let it dry.

Once dry, I sanded away a bit of the paint to reveal the background.

I grabbed the new Stamper Anonymous stamp set - Big Top and some Ranger watercolor paper for the next step.

 I cut the watercolor paper to fit the stamp I wanted to use.

Then used Distress mini's to create a color pallet on the craft sheet.  Added water to the mix, then swiped the watercolor paper through it numerous times to get a wonderful layered look.

I stamped the card with jet black Archival ink.

Back to the board.
I added some paper ephemera with Multi-Medium.

 Then a little ink around the edge.

 I decided I need to mask something off so I used the Arch Frame to create the mask shape.

 I taped it down with tissue tape.

Then used the Harlequin layering stencil to create a pattern over the mask.

 Can you tell where i'm going?

The elephant needed a circus tent, right?
I used a Stabilo pencil for the lines and filled in the flag with a bit of paint.

 Add the elephant with Multi-Medium over the tent.

 Then add in some details...stamps

Tissue tape...

 Large Mirrored star colored with Alcohol ink - Mushroom....

and a few Remnant Rubs.

 If I would have had the time I would have added a few more details but I'm still happy with the way it turned out.

As I said at the beginning, I am leaving for New Zealand and then on to Australia.  I hope to be posting on Instagram (luckyday) and my Facebook page so stop by for a bit of the journey.

Next week I have three artists (from Australia, Canada and the UK), that will be sharing their artwork with you.  I know you will like it and I am SO very grateful they were willing to share here on One Luck Day.  Thank you in advance girls! (you so want to know who it is, right?)

now carry on,
paula

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