Magazine previews

Recently we received new stock of two magazines from my favourite publisher Stampington, Somerset Workshop and Sew Somerset.

I have found some excellent workshops in Somerset Workshop to date, I try to do some of the workshops to learn new techniques when I get a chance. One that intriqued me in the latest Workshop was Romantic effects with paper, paint and mediums by Rachel Emilie Jackson. Rachel is from Wirral, England and her style is similar to Beryl Taylor who also originally came from England.

Rachel creates lovely soft colour backgrounds using coffee, paints, paper text and clipart, pva glue, gesso and pearlescent paint. The emulsion paints that she buys from hardware shops we have not been able to find in Western Australia but find the Golden fluids mixed with water and softened down with white paint give the same results. If you have purchased this magazine please note that the instruction on page 12 number 7 states to attach ephemera with a glue stick, this is incorrect, should be pva glue. Glue stick will not create a crackle effect. another tip is do not overwork the gesso. We also found that Golden heavy body pearlescent paint gave the same effect as pearlescent tinting medium.

above is my sample from playing with this technique, I think it will make a nice soft background for a vintage book.

this image is from Sew Somerset, The Sewing Book by Caterina Giglio. this will be a future project I would like to try, love the soft pages using a mail order catalogue. lovely old vintage sewing pattern images and tissue, sewing ephemera, paints etc. love the uneven hand stitching in soft embroidery threads.
another project that has caught my eye is this, A year of stitching, by Hanne Matthiesen, minimal sewing on this project, just love those soft colours, see the lovely pink clothes hanging on a line below a branch on a snow background. Oh and the simplicity of the step ladder in a bare bones room, of the natural colours. this is another I will do. Do you get the impression that my favourite colours are the soft whites and washed out pastels.

just to fool you I also love these colours, lovely earthy colours. An altered Fabric Adventure by Kristin Steiner. How yummy is that flower on the cover love the vintage looking button in the centre. that dirty blue is the perfect contrast for this fabric collage book by Kristin.

last but not least is this lovely bag by the lovely Heather Crossley from, none other than Australia. Some of you would have met Heather at our Art Retreat in March. Love your bags Heather. I love the soft feel of fabric journals and of course this media opens all the possibilities of using all the wonderful vintage fabrics and ephemera we love to collect.