Here is one way to make several pieces of art that can be displayed in a group.   Start with the number of pieces you would like to display.  Select the substrates, perhaps, gallery wrapped canvas, canvas board, even an old book cover would look great in a vintage group.  Mix them up.  For this group, four colors were selected to work from:  Blue, Turquoise, Parchment, and Rust.   Go through your background collage papers and see which ones will fit into your color scheme.  You may also want a couple of backgrounds just painted and/or textured.   Then select the focal images, ones that will coordinate with the background colors.  Lastly, pick out several embellishments, such as rusty bits, laces, ribbons, even twigs.  Since you are using the same color palette, you can move the pieces around till you find the most pleasing layouts.

All images used in this grouping are from Paperwhimsy Collage Sheets.

Here are some close-ups to see the details a little better.

Most of you know by now how much I love the fiber bundles.    Sometimes, it’s very hard for me to separate the fibers, and this is one of those times.  After I had the bundle untwisted, I layed it on my art table and walked away for a few minutes.  When I came back, for some reason, it looked like the perfect size for a necklace.   Since I really didn’t want to untie the fibers to string beads, I had to figure out some other way to add embellishments.  I had recently seen some handmade paper beads, and decided they would be perfect, because I could wrap the paper around the fibers to make the beads.  By cutting long triangular pieces of coordinating paper approximately 4-6 inches, I started wrapping the the paper around the fibers.  Starting with the widest part of the paper, I made one complete wrap before I started gluing the paper.  This would ensure no glue got on the fibers, and the beads could move freely.  And, if you change your mind later, they can easily be removed.  To get a “bead” look to the paper, cover with one coat of Glossy accents.  You can also add glitter or rhinestones, or anything to add a little sparkle.  Add a bead at the center bottom, and it will be a great base for a dangle.   This is truly a beginner project,  but has a lot of impact.  Let me see what you can come up with.

With all the gorgeous new flowers and yummy new fibers and ribbons, I thought it would be fun to add them to a paper collage.  I used a painted canvas board as my base and just added some decorative paper. The collage image, is not a new image, but is newly colorized.  Gale has updated several of images by giving them a bit more color.  And to me, they seem like brand images.  I love them!  After attaching the image, I took several of fibers from the Stef Francis collection of fibers and wrap them around the canvas.  I used just a few drops of fabric glue to hold the fibers in place.  Added a bit of vintage to frame the image, and finished off with lots of flowers and velvet leaves.   A small ribbon bow was all that was needed.  The fibers really added a nice bit of texture, and something out of the ordinary.

Brand new this week are some great digital tags, Digisheet #100 and #101.   With great spring colors, and ready for you to add wonderful embellishments.  In the above set, I added images from Digisheet #095.  I attached the images to the tag with brads to make a little pocket.  All that was left was to add a few pretty flowers and leaves.  Punch a hole in the tops, and add some of those yummy new fibers.

For the tags below, using the same Digisheets for the tags, I added the fish from Digisheet #74. And for a great glitter opportunity,  I dry brushed a little bit of perfect pearls on the fish, and some of those great colors of glitter, and finished the fish with a little rhinestone eye.   Punch a hole in the top, and asome great fibers and/or ribbons.

Here is quick little Tussie Mussie just in time for giving those little May Day treats.  Start with an 8×10 piece of felt, cut in a triangular shape for a cone.  For a little added strength, I cut another cone shape from cardstock to line the felt cone.   Shape into a cone, and glue or stitch to hold.  My first layer of trimming was some of the new Stef Francis fibers.  I just created loops and stitched around the top of the cone.  The second later was a vintage piece of lace, and then some coordinating paper flowers which I stitched on with buttons in the center.  Ad a pretty ribbon, fill with goodies, and give to someone you love.

Over at the Paperwhimsy forum, a Tussie Mussie swap is just getting started.  If you’d like to join us, jump on over and register, and let us know you are there.  We will be thrilled to help you acquainted with the forum.