I wish you a very happy holiday season and everything good for 2005.

Mica Wings

Perhaps it was the nature of the mineral that gave me the idea to do this.... Mica is formed in the earth in sheets and is translucent. The more layers, the darker it is. I thought it might be fun to try showing the different layers of wings by cutting mica into "wing" layers. Here is how I did it....

The first step was to stamp the wing on a piece of paper. This is Vickie Enkoff's rubber stamp #V153 wing.

Next I chose a piece of mica that was large enough to cover the stamp.

Mica is multilayered and the layers are easily separated. The idea with this project is to have additional layers show up darker, so you should remove about 3 layers to work on.

Holding the mica in place (and the camera!), I scratched outline of the wing in the mica.I also scratched the detail lines in the lower part of the wing.

I cut the wing out using scissors as it is much easier than using an exacto.

I chose another smaller piece of mica for the next layer of the wing and again scratched the outline and the details using an exacto.

Here are the two pieces of mica and the original image. I used a very small bit of glue to hold the layers of mica together. Because the mica isn't porous, it takes forever for glue to dry between layers!

Here are the layers together. Depending on the wing stamp decide to use, a third layer might also be interesting.

I added a bow to the top of the wing with a glue dot and then held the wing to the photo with another glue dot. I believe this woman is my grandmother's sister! (Have to check with Dad about that....)

Create without Limits!

Mica is available for purchase on the OCS page.

Draw your design out on a piece of acetate or a transparency. Cut out the transparency.

Place the transparency under the unryu, preferably on a light table, or a white sheet of paper, so that you can see the shape of your pattern.

Use a pointed brush that holds a fair bit of water and draw the outline of your shape. Make sure you don't soak the whole area!

Place your hands on both sides of the wet line and pull gently. The paper will come apart leaving a lovely fibery edge. Different handmade papers will leave different edges. It's the long fibres in the paper that make this one special.

Wet and tear out all the pieces you need for your design and check they will fit where you want them.

This watermelon just needed some seeds which I drew in with a felt marker.

This technique works well if you want a straight edge. Just line your ruler up and run your brush full of water along the edge of the ruler. Not enough water and the paper won't tear where you want it to and too much water will produce the same results!

Practice makes perfect!

Glue the unryu pieces in place with a gluestick. Try not to get any of those fabulous fibres curled under (unless you want them that way!).

Place a guard sheet over top of the glued down unryu and run a brayer over the top to insure a good bond.

Visit the Paper Joys Paper Sheets page to see the new Unryu Collage packages.

Make sure your Tyvek is laying on something that won't mind getting coloured! Slather the surface with clean water. Drop one drop of FW acrylic Ink on the surface of the paper.

Spread it with a brush (not one of your good watercolour brushes! Don't forget this is acrylic!).

Add another colour of acrylic ink. I used Indigo blue, Prussian Blue and Purple Lake for this sheet. Spread the ink and mix it in some places with the other colour.

Repeat with the Violet ink - one drop is plenty of colour - this stuff is intense!

Spread to your content! Try not to mix the colours completely, you want patches of true colour here and there.

Just in case you believe Tyvek is waterproof - this is the surface of my glass covered drafting table after I remove the Tyvek sheet!

Allow the sheet to dry.

Easy Card design

There is nothing quite as delightful as receiving a handmade card. Except maybe creating one!

Here is an easy, clean design that can be made in minutes. All you need is a card, a slide mount, some decorative paper and an embellishment to put in the centre of the frame.

I chose to use a slide mount to create a little frame and focal point of the card. I could have cut the slide in half, but decided to make a deeper frame and folded the frame and covered it with decorative paper.

There are an amazing number of ways to decorate slide mounts. (You can see a wonderful collection of them created by Patti Sandham in the April 2004 issue of byhand - scroll to near the bottom.)

A simple wrapping with decorative paper is fast and effective!

Cut a piece of decorative gold foiled star paper no larger than 3" x 3". Cover the back of the decorative paper with glue. I ran mine through my Xyron, but I could just as easily have used a glue stick (if my children hadn't helped themselves to mine!).

Mitre the corners like a good little bookbinder, as shown on the right, then cut an X from corner to corner inside the window of the slide mount.

Fold back the flaps you've created inside the window, then fold in the sides.

To adhere the slide mount to the front of the card I used double-sided tape.

Once you have made a frame, it's a good idea to put something in it! On the card to the left, I used a puffy star adhered with a glue dot. The card on the right took a little more time, as I punched a hole, set an eyelet and used a jump ring to hang a stretched star inside the frame.

The cards I used were 5x7" and I positioned the frame so the centre was 2 1/2" from the top edge of the card.

Simply done - and delightfully handmade!

Mini Eyelets Regular and Long
On the Metalworks Eyelets Page

On the Metalworks Brads Page

Update on plans for a retreat in the Alberni Valley!

This will be a 2-day workshop retreat to do the
Copper Book!
June 2005 - date to be set shortly

Although all the logistics have not been worked out, I will start serious organizing after the holidays.

This weekend will include
Copper Book Workshop including book materials
A goodie bag
Catered lunches, all day coffee, tea and snackies
Field trips
Spa evening (I hope!)
Shopping Opportunities (other than Quietfire Design!)
Fabulous Scenery (if it doesn't rain...)

And you'll be just over an hour away from the incredible Long Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

I am looking into accommodation options, but the final choice and bookings will be up to each individual as will the transportation costs to get to the workshop. For those who have already signed up you'll hear from me very soon in the new year.
If you're interested in coming to play (you don't have to commit yet!), please email me at retreat@quietfiredesign.com and please put Retreat in your Subject Line! Thanks!

I've had emails from Oregon, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and of course, Vancouver Island!
We're gonna have a fabulous weekend!

Hope to see you in June 2005!

Books to Inspire

I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw it!
What a fun read - excellent eye candy - and for those of you who want to make a shrine and can never find a box, Carol Owens provides instructions for making 6 different shrines with foamcore and mat board! What a great idea!
This book includes shrines made by artists such as Judi Riesch, Beth Cote, Karen Michel and Lynne Perrella to name just a few. I'm dying to make a shrine!!

Link for Amazon.ca customers
Crafting Personal Shrines

Link for Amazon.com customers
Crafting Personal Shrines

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Please drop into my other website: It changes every month!
http://nourishment.usana.com

While you nourish your creative spirit by reading this newsletter, don't forget your creative body needs nourishment inside and out!
Join my new Yahoo Group
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/nourishment/

See how I made out on the 5-Day High-Fibre Cleanse!

Holiday Collage Challenge

At long last, it's time to award the winner of the draw for the Holiday Challenge!
Thanks very much to those who took the time to play! Well done!

The winner is Anne Atkinson of Saanich, BC

Anne wins a $20 USD shopping spree amongst the byhandproducts goodies! Congratulations Anne!

This collage was created with the new Mini-Alters, stencils, the open-star charm and a sprig of holly from my tiny holly tree - poor thing, it finally has berries and I nicked them in the name of ART!

Here were the rules....
Assemble 3 or 4 elements to create a collage with a decidedly holiday bent.
The seasonal holiday is one of your choosing: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa...
It can be 3D or flat. (you could colour copy your creation and glue those on the front of a card, et voila, your Christmas card is designed!) Put out all your toys and rubber stamps and see what you can come up with! Here are some samples of what I had in mind, but it's up to your creative inclinations! Create without Limits!

Suzanne's Schedule

2005

If there is any information you would like to see in this newsletter, let me know. Each month I will email you to let you know the new issue is published. If you know someone who would like to receive notice of byhand, just have them email me and I will put them on the list. Bye for now and thanks for visiting!

suzanne@quietfiredesign.com
(250) 723-0321 Quietfire Design

The original title lettering of byhand was done with a Mitchell's Roundhand Nib, size 0, and Higgins Eternal Ink. Quietfire Design Rubber stamps were used to create the other designs.