Junker Jane Style Art Doll

I've spent this Sunday afternoon playing with fabric and my sewing machine.  I wanted to have a go at making the Junker Jane style art dolls after making the ATC's a couple of weeks ago.  Now I have a stash of fabric which have been left over from other sewing projects and like most artists I hate throwing things away and in this I found some light cream/beige material to make the body.  I added some lace, buttons and a fabric flower which I painted with some acrylic paint.  The arms and the patch on the body are bits of canvas that I painted.  I used embroidery thread for the mouth using back and chain stitch.

The one thing I found with the body material is that it frayed which meant that it didn't hold very well when sewn up - hence the grey patch on the face and the odd stitching on the side.  It was a good learning process as I've never made a doll or any other kind of soft toy.  I think this one will be living with me so it doesn't matter if it's not perfect.

Junker Jane Style Artwork

I think I'm hooked on this style of work which is quite different to the style I usually go for.  I think the attraction is that anything goes and that it has a grungy "creepy cute" look.  I didn't know about the Junker Jane style of work until one of my friends from ATCsforAll started a swap and invited me to join.  To date I have made 7 ATC's and a paper (I used watercolour paper) art doll.  There is another trade happening as well on ATCsforAll which involves making cloth dolls in this style.  That is my weekend project.

These are the first 6 that I made.  4 are headed over for trading.  The 7th one isn't quite finished yet.

Artists Trading Cards.

Art doll.

FITW - Face In The World Collaboration

Starting another FITW (face in the world) collaboration with 4 other artists. This is how I have started mine. This will travel to each of the other 3 artists who will add to the face and when it come back to me it will be a complete face. Looking forward to the journey as we all work on each others faces.

Jigsaw Puzzle Collaboration

While I was at ArtDiego earlier this year I was part of a jigsaw art collaboration.  We were all given a whole jigsaw (35 pieces) which we decorated in anyway we liked.  These were then all broken up and mixed up so that each artist received a piece or puzzle from each artist.  I received mine this week and it looks amazing.  

Here is a pic of the puzzles before they were taken apart and mixed up.

Here is what I received back.

A big thank you to Jackie (aka Jazzie) and Helene for rearranging all the puzzles.

Self Portrait - Challenge

Have you ever been thrown out of your comfort zone?  Well that's exactly what happened to me when one of the travelling journals arrived and the theme was self-portraits.  Now those who know me know that I don't do "realistic" work.  It took me a couple of weeks of procrastination and nerves to pick up the journal and just get it done.  I chose a photograph that was taken by Martha from Ayala Art  - Martha came all they way up to San Diego to meet me when I was over there in February.  It was so lovely to actually meet her in person at long last.  

So here is what I did and I'm going to congratulate myself of achieving a not too bad selfie painting (I hope never to do another one too soon haha).

Martha and I in San Diego

Image on the left has been edited from the photo above

The final image.

Traveling Art Journal

Back in September 2015 Ayala Art (aka Martha) hosted another traveling art journal circle where a group of artists would send their journal around the world from one artist to another and each artist would make art in the journal according to the theme requested by the artist.  This time we have 11 artists in the group from the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Here are some pics of the art I have made.

My attempt at Frida Khalo for Ayala

My page in my journal - my theme is black/white and a dash of red

Woodland Girl

Happy New Year & Book Challenge

Happy New Year!!!  First post of the new year and a new reading challenge begins.  The aim is to read (or listen to) 52 books.  Last year I exceeded that and have 75 books on my list (some which were audio).  I don't know how many I'll read in 2016 but I'm sure going to try for 52.

Here is the 2015 list - 

1.Claiming Victory - Beverley Watts (kindle freebie) 3* because I liked the characters

2. The Next Always - Nora Roberts 6* I always enjoy her books easy to read

3. An Appetite For Revenge - Jennifer Jennings *3 being generous here 

4. Fractured - Dani Atkins 10* definitely worth a read keeps you guessing till the end

5. Fat Chance - Nick Spalding - currently reading 

6. The Perfect Man Sheila Flanagan - audio - 8* enjoyed listening to this one it was light and funny.

7. The Story of Us by Dani Atkins. 10* I really enjoyed this book as much as Fractured. The twist and the end is always surprising and I didn't even guess it correctly. Having read Fractured I knew the ending was going to be something else altogether.

 8. Summer Holiday - Penny Smith eaudio - 7* easy listening. Story was a bit far fetched but the characters were enjoyable.

9. Jack and Jill - James Patterson

10. Final Account - Peter Robinson 

11. Cross - James Patterson.

12. The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club - Duncan Whitehead *0 absolute pants luckily it was a freebie. Story is unbelievable and the ending is abrupt.

13. The Rectors Wife by Joanna Trollope - I'm going to give it 7** really good story and you could relate to the characters and the emotions that the story emulated. Worth a read/listen.

14. A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson -(audio) *7 really enjoyed listening to this book. 

15. Pop Goes The Weasel - James Patterson 10* (audio). I got really involved in this one. It had all the drama and intensity of a movie. The ending is left open as if there is another book/story to follow (I'll have to find out what the follow up book is).

16, A Necessary End - Peter Robinson (audio)

17, The Case of the Missing Boyfriend (book 1) - Nick Alexander

18, The French House - (book 2) - Nick Alexander

19, Me Before You - JoJo Mayes

20 The Case of the Missing Boyfriend and The French House by Nick Alexander - I thoroughly enjoyed both books

21 As good as it gets - Fiona Gibson

22 They Curvy girls club - Michele Gorman - enjoyable read about how a group of friends deal with losing weight, the impact on their lives as they move on with their lives.

23 Gallows View Peter Robinson - audio - usual story easy to listen to while working

24The Hen who dreamed she could fly - Sun Hi Hwang - hmm not sure about this one it was easy to read but really didn't see the point of it. Maybe I'm not looking deeper into the story. If it had been any longer I wouldn't have bothered finishing it. Happy to pass it along if anyone wants to read it.

25 There's more to life than cupcakes by Poppy Dolan - Easy read enjoyable.

26. Cupids Way – Joanne Phillip easy read/romance

27. Gifted and Talented – Wendy Holden –easy read

28. Mum on the Run – Fiona Gibson 

29. Baggage Claim – Amanda Tu - easy read

30.Kiss the girls – James Patterson –audio

31. Coming out – Danielle Steele – audio

32. The Confession – Charles Todd – audio

33. The Doris Day Vintage Club – Fiona Harper

34. A Walk In The Park - Jill Mansell.

35.The Unpredictable Consequences of Love by Jill Mansell (audio)

36. Echo Burning - Lee Child audio

37. Don't Blink - James Patterson.

38. I Alex Cross - James Patterson -audio

39. The Affair - Lee Child - audio

40. The Visitor - Lee Child - audio

41. Persuader - Lee Child - audio

42. A Place Called Here - Cecelia Ahern -proper book grin emoticon

43. Gone Tomorrow -Lee Child audio

44. Eyes on you - Kate White- gripping thriller audio.

45. Love from both sides - Nick Spalding (book 1 of 4) Hilarious laugh out loud moments and a couple of teary bits. Highly recommend it if you haven't already read this.

46. Love and Sleepless Nights - Nick Spalding - book 2 of 4 - just as good as the first one with laugh out loud moments.

47.Love Under Different Skies Nick Spalding 3 of 4

48.Love Among The Stars Nick Spalding 4/4

49.Postcard Killers - James Patterson & Liza Marklund

50. Deal Breaker - Harlan Coben

51. Take A Chance on Me - Jill Mansell

52. To the moon and back - Jill Mansell

53. Fairchild - Jaima Fixsen

54. Incognito (Fairchild book 2) - Jaima Fixsen - didn't find this one as enticing as the first.

55.Gone For Good - Harlan Coben

56. Just One Look - Harlan Coben

57. The Innocent - Harlan Coben

58 Promise me - Harlan Coben

59 Hold Tight - Harlan Coben

60 Long lost - Harlan Coben

61 Play Dead - Harlan Coben

62 ~Caught - Harlan Coben

63 Live Wire - Harlan Coben

64 Stay Close - Harlan Coben

65. First Sight  - Danielle Steel

66. The Tides of Memory - Sidney Sheldon

67. Unril You - Jennifer Mcnare

68. After You - Jojo Moyes

69. What Stays in Vegas - Beth Laborte

70. Love You Better - Natalie K Martin

71. Christmas at Tiffany's - Karen Swan

72. The One plus One - Jojo Moyes

73. Restoring Grace - Katie Fforde.

74. Crooked Little Lies by Barbara Taylor Sissel 

75. Bad Boy - Peter Robinson