Queen of Flowers II – A mixed media collage

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This week flew by and I am just now getting the chance to sit down and visit with you. How has life been treating you?

I wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the sweet and encouraging comments left after my last post. It’s always a bit scary to share my artwork – so please know that I greatly appreciate the support! Art is such a core part of me. When I actually take time to do it, I am amazed at how it fills me with happiness and peace. I was so pleased with the last collage that I did a second one. I snapped pics of my progress with my phone to document the evolution of the piece.

Similar to the last project – I started by collaging bits of vintage ephemera to the inside of an old book cover.

Enter my muse (another Anthropologie model) who I painted over, inked her face and hair and added scrapbook papers for her dress. You can also see in the upper right hand corner I added some pink acrylic paint to start balancing the color composition.

The last details were added to complete her, including a sweet antique Australian stamp (a little shout-out to my homeland!), a jeweled crown and of course a bird. Gotta have a bird.

I stamped the cover of the book with this chickadee stamp and added the word “fly”.

So there you have it, another little collage project that I was able to complete in a couple of days during Claire’s naptime. So much more fun than folding laundry!

I have just listed prints of this collage and the last one in my Society 6 shop too!

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

Ivy

 

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Queen of Flowers – A mixed media collage

Hi all! How have you been? I’ve kinda gone off the radar this past week because I have been desperately trying to fit in some creative time to paint, draw and just play with my plethora of art supplies. I have been taking Jeanne Oliver’s latest art course and I can’t get enough of watching her videos and learning new techniques. There is something about watching her paint that makes my hands itch for my own paint brushes. Often, I find myself day dreaming about my next piece so it gives me great pleasure to finally spend some time creating in the tangible world!

Mother’s Day weekend was the catalyst to actually getting my hands dirty and creating. I found myself alone in a hotel room with nothing to do. So I made a cup of tea, flipped on the fireplace and got out my collage box. (I assembled a small box of collage materials so I can easily pick up the box and go anywhere with it. Highly recommend doing this!) And so the her majesty was born…

I began the process by layering vintage paper elements into a patchwork onto the back of a vintage book cover with Liquitex Matte Medium.

Then I glazed the background with sepia and cream acrylic washes to unify the papers.

Using a model from an Anthropologie catalog, I found my muse and glued her down. Then using various pieces of scrapbook paper I created her gown and painted over the model to create my own girl. A die-cut crown was added to confirm her royal status and I inked over her to add definition to her form. More strips of scrapbook paper in deep pink balanced the piece. The sweet bird was printed onto tracing paper and then added. A few pieces of washi tape completed my composition.

Lastly, I stamped a tree image on the back of the book cover. It kinda smudged but I rather like that it is imperfect. :)

I had so much fun creating this that I started a second one. I will share that one with you soon. Who knew the back of an old book could provide such a great canvas for some art – plus the size is manageable and approachable.

Thanks for letting me share this process with you. Please let me know about any creative projects you are working on. I would love to hear about them!

Have a fabulous day!

xo,

Ivy

Claire and the Peony

Hi friends. How are you all doing? Happy Friday. I hope your week has been lovely. It was my second week home alone with Claire while Chris was at his new job and I can honestly say that it went much smoother. Seems like we are finding out own rhythm and schedule. I do miss being able to pop into his office and say hello but I’m adjusting.

The peonies I got for Mother’s Day are in full bloom and are truly glorious. So I thought why not pair my favorite flower with my favorite baby girl…

Claire bear will be 11 months old in two days. I can hardly believe it. Almost a year has flown by and she is desperately trying to walk.

She is enamored with flowers (like her Mama) and always tries to grab at them when she gets the chance.

She was surprisingly gentle with my dear peony and I am happy to report that no flowers were injured during this photo session.

Thank you, Claire for being such a good little model for Mommy.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

Ivy

Etsy Love : love and peas creations

Hello there! How’s your week going so far? Hope all the Mamas out there had a beautiful Mother’s Day! My dear hubby sent me up to Skamania Lodge for some alone time to recharge. So sweet! I came home on Sunday to warm hugs, handmade cards (by Grace), a bouquet of peonies (my fav) and veggie lasagna for dinner. Needless to say, I felt completely spoiled. I even got to complete a small mixed media painting – which I will share with you soon!

Today, I wanted to share with you a sweet little Etsy shop – loveandpeascreations – owned by artist, Jenny Blair. I just adore her stunning work! She combines mixed media illustrations with wonderful hand sewn elements. (Oh, how I wish I could sew!) The blend of paint, pencil, fabric and thread creates gorgeous texture and color. Have a look for yourself…

I’m in love with this bear. Go here to see the process of this piece on her blog.

I discovered her work through the latest Artful Blogging! What a delightful find! Go here to explore her website and view her full portfolio.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xo,

Ivy

Sydney Love…

Hello there. I’m sharing more pics of Sydney today. My experiences there were completely amazing and I can’t even express the joy and gratitude I felt. Pictures do a better job than I can with words…

the stunning Harbor.

a stormy sky over Palm Beach.

a magical tree at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

feathers in the grass at Circular Quay.

  the beauty of the Opera House.

G’day.

a beautiful morning at Balmoral Beach.

gazing up at the Ferris wheel at Luna Park.

a dear friend’s charming beach cottage.

a cake made with love to share with friends.

bug-hunting with my best friend’s daughter.

exploring Manly Beach.

sipping bubbles while…

gazing at this lovely view.

my last day.

coming home.

It was bittersweet to leave the place where I spent most of my childhood days but coming home to my family was wonderful. I got to see my old friends and their new lives. I got to meet their children and visit their homes. We shared many laughs about the old days but the best part was seeing how they have all grown into amazing, beautiful and successful women. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for dropping everything for my visit, showing me a fabulous time and welcoming me into their hearts and homes again. I felt truly blessed to be surrounded by their grace and love.

Have a lovely rest of the week and thank you for letting me share these with you.

xo,

Ivy

Artful Blogging Feature

Hello! Hope your week is off to a great start!

Today, I wanted to share the news that the new Artful Blogging is out and my blog is featured within its beautiful pages! I’m overjoyed and very humbled. I’ve loved this magazine for years and this past January I declared to the universe that  – “One day, I will be in this publication!” It sounded so bold then and I hardly believed it but today I am so very proud to be listed among the amazing blogs in this issue. It’s an extra fabulous bonus that Claire’s portrait made it to the front cover!

As soon as I heard the magazine was out we ran over to Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy. It is a total trip to open a magazine and see your work inside. It is especially wonderful to see the portraits I took of my children!

This issue is brimming with beautiful blogs and gorgeous images. Check out these lovely blogs that caught my eye…

The Simple Life

Two Tarts

Timewashed

Now go out and get yourself a copy or you can order one here. Make a cup of tea and enjoy all the beauty within!

xo,

Ivy