mixed media flower frenzy? yes, please!

i'm having so much fun with the sisters with heart in art instagram challenge, i can't even tell you how much! this week's prompt is "flowers, florals, botanicals". i did a sort of a funky art journal page, with a biiiiiiiiiiiig honkin' flower on it; but the challenge is open to EVERY type of art, so if you paint, draw, doodle, make cartoons, write poems, do hand-lettering or well... did i mention it's open to every type of art, lol?! and for that matter, you don't have to use the theme as literally as i have. i really thought i was just playing around while deciding what i was going to do and the next thing i knew, i was makin' this:

the center bit with the flower was actually a piece of scrap paper i was using to wipe the ink and modelling paste off while i was making a completely different mixed media thingybob. this one, in fact. i'm not sure if it's done or not. but i like what's there at the moment, so i'll probably leave it for bit and see what i think the next time i look at it. 

 

meanwhile, my favorite part of the BIG flower is the sewing. there's a lot of machine stitching. a lot. sometimes when i sit down at the machine i just get into a groove, and that's what happened here. it's very loose, as you can see. no hand cranking at all and all done in one go without stopping to break the thread. on cards i like the stitching to be pretty neat, but it's fun to just wing it sometimes!

my other favorite part is the circle of silver-flake-encrusted tiny paper flowers in the center. i found a ton of tiny flowers when i was doing my clear-out for the papercrafting garage sale up at paper anthology last weekend.* i thought about getting rid of the lot, but i actually still like them, and it occurred to me that i could be using them a) with a fairly free hand (b/c there are LOTS, ppl!!!) and b) i could be trying them out in less traditional ways. i feel i've covered both sections of that brief with this page; and i'm pretty sure the fine folks at making memories (who made+sold these refined and elegant blossoms) never saw this comin', lol! and thus i shall sign off contentedly for now. ciao, darlings! ♥

*it was awesome, by the way; in all respects! i sold a lot, i bought a few awesome bargains, and i had an absolute blast! if you live within driving distance of kenvil, nj, you should TOTALLY get on the list for the paper anthology newsletter b/c the garage sale is an annual event, and next year you'd know about it early enough to *sell* as well as buy, if you wanted to... just sayin'... :)