happy (almost!) new year

just popping in with one last post for the year, to wish everyone peace, joy, love, and LOTS of extra crafting time in 2016! ♥♥♥ i also realized i still had a few makes from 2015 that i hadn't shown off on m'blog yet... tho they have been on my instagram, so sorry if you're getting a "re-run" lol.

these are both colorburst paintings* on fairly large bits of watercolor paper (approx 10" square). for each of them i did a sort of light pencil sketch, then filled in with color, then did the outlining with black upholstery thread and the highest stitch-per-inch count on my sewing machine.

i realize that constitutes A LOT of sewing; in fact the snowflake one used an entire freshly wound bobbin! but to me this sort of repetitive craft activity is really soothing; it's creative enough to be engaging but there aren't a lot of *decisions* involved, kwim? so it's almost hypnotic, in a way; and the week before xmas, time to sit and let my mind float was thin on the ground, so i was especially thankful for it! if you're wondering, "hey lauren, what does one DO with two 10x10" holiday-themed watercolor paintings, anyway??!" my answer is this:

...make custom gift bags! obviously, lol. :) i always attach my giftbag panels with 4 or 5 small squares of foam tape, whether they are sparkly kid-based ones that feature cupcakes and the child's name spelled out in giant letters, or grown up ones like these. this means that the recipient can easily save the art without having to keep the bag for all eternity. or they can leave it intact and re-use the bag. in this case, the bags went to my mom and aunt and they held the pinecone houses and vintage paper trees from the other day. so now you know.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE, 

DARLINGS!

♥♥♥

*one of my favorite ways to use color burst pigment powders is to pre-mix them in a deep-welled palette as fairly intense shades, then use them to paint and blend exactly like regular watercolors. they are quite seriously luscious... and a bit addictive, actually! ♥