Sorry I have been away so long!

Well,it is about time I get back into my blogging. So much has been happening. I have changed direction and I am making new art. It is mixed media on canvas panels, stretched canvas and aspen wood. I am having such a great time with all the papers, paints and especially gelatos! Here is one of my earliest attempts...

I will try to post more each week. Tomorrow will be busy with 2 granddaughters coming over and helping me shop for Easter. Almost the entire family will be here. It will be so much fun watching all the little ones look for Easter eggs! Happy Easter to you all and I hope you have a special day with those you love!

Bunny Kisses

Bunny Kisses

I can’t believe Easter is around the corner. It is already February and it seems like it has been a really long and cold winter here in central Minnesota. I am so anxious for spring. As I got started on my new art I began with some canvas panels I picked up at the craft store. I picked pale lavender for the background and added a little white paint on the surface. I wanted a very soft appearance so I am using light colored papers for the bunnies. After gluing them down and letting it dry I outlined the shapes with a black gel pen and added squiggles and lines.

The gel pen usually dries pretty fast, but I like to let it set for a couple hours to give it plenty of dry time. I should probably mention that I painted a little more on the canvas before I glued the papers on. I added yellow and a darker purple paint that I applied with my fingers.  

For shadows I like to use Gelatos. They have such a creamy texture, and blend so well on painted canvas. I rub them in with my fingers, and if I need to remove some, I use baby wipes. They are very forgiving to work with. With a purple gel pen I added a heart shaped nose and black for the eyes.

I am almost done, but I felt it needed more, so I painted them in a garden of flowers and added text. I sometimes print words on cardstock and glue them on the surface of the art. This is the last step I do, along with some glitter for sparkle. Now my fun time is done! “Bunny Kisses” is for sale in my new Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/177408363/home-decor-mixed-media-art-painting?ref=shop_home_active_16 Take a peek and visit often! Thank you for stopping by!

Here is just a little bit of the art I have made lately!

Well, after much work and trial and error I think my blog is working again. After my last post, I could not get any of my photos to download and post to the blog and I could not type anything either. I have changed my browser (and alot of other little things) and it looks like that did the trick. I sure hope so, because all this was so frustrating. But I do have lots of new art to show you. I also have opened my Etsy shop... https://www.etsy.com/shop/juliekarsky

Please stop by and see all that is new! Have a great Wednesday!---Julie

I am Back!!!


After taking a long break from blogging I decided to try some new artwork. I haven’t been doing a lot of sewing lately, because I have really started to enjoy working on mixed media art. I will be posting some of the new things I have been making. I am experimenting with different surfaces ranging from stretched canvas to canvas panels. My husband, Joe, picked up some aspen wood, and we cut it into different size blocks. I am really enjoying working with wood, also. So, here we go with my new artwork for 2014! I hope you enjoy it, and please leave comments. I would love to hear what you are thinking!

Sydney’s Baby Quilted

With my newest little granddaughter here, I knew I had to get her baby quilt finished

 

I had some pieces left from another project, and it was just enough to make this darling quilt

 

This fabric was from a Daisy Kingdom line that I got for $1.00 a yard when it went on clearance. It is actually dress fabric for little girls. I cut apart the striped fabric that was meant for the skirt of the dress, and incorporated it into the border.

This little quilt is for Sydney, our latest granddaughter, and since she came into the world early she is very small. I avoided using cotton batting by Warm and Natural, since it would be a little too much weight on her, so I used a polyester batting by Morning Glory. It made the quilt so light and fluffy.

This batting was so nice to hand quilt through. I pieced yellow sashing strips and used a coordinating fabric for the blocks.

Here you can see a close up of the adorable fabric I used. It has little paper dolls all around the border.

The newest addition to our family, little Sydney! She is our tiny angel! What a beautiful gift from God!

Victorian Crazy Quilt – Block 16 Buttonhole Stitch

I am sorry for my long absence, for all my dedicated followers please do enjoy this months Victorian Crazy Quilt block

Well, it is time again to post another block from my Victorian Crazy quilt. This block was named for the buttonhole stitching I did around the outside of all four sides. I just love this stitch. You can do so many other variations as long as you know this simple stitch.

I always try to make the center of the block extra pretty and add something special to it. Here I started with the feather stitch and added long gold bugle beads.

Did you notice when I stitched these blocks I did not color coordinate fabric with threads. By using contrasting colors of embroidery threads, your stitching is going to stand out even more instead of blending into the background.

I embroidered a simple flower in the right hand corner of this block. I wanted to add a yellow stone to the center.  You can see how I had to stitch it on in several places from the center hole in the stone to keep it secured in place.

The cretan stitch is another favorite of mine. By adding 4 long straight stitches to each side in red and cream threads, it really changed the look and made the row suddenly wider and more complex.

I think my favorite part of this block is the yellow and purple flowers. Instead of stitching leaves on the stems, I added silver bugle beads.