“A Loose Woman Imitates The Little Prince” for StencilGirl & Impression Obsession Blog Hop

The moment I saw Seth Apter’s science fiction looking rubberstamps I had to have them. They suggested the Out of this World is the theme. Starry skies and science make me feel delighted, scared, and hopeful all at the same time.

However, the project evolved and surprised me. I’d picked out  StencilGirl stencils I wanted to use with the stamps months ago and then three new ones leapt into the fray!

I was a massage therapist for 2 decades and it seemed to me, in my little microcosm, that women over 50 lived easier in the world, body and soul. Hence, Sue Pelletier‘s Loose Woman series of stencils for StencilGirl Products speaks to me. (Apologies to Sue if she saw her creations as younger!) I used the small ones and you can see them in a video HERE.

This little canvas celebrates ME though a riff on one of my favorite books of all time, “THE LITTLE PRINCE” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is always a good read when I need perspective in my life.

By the time you read this blog post I shall be 50 years and a few days old. I’ve been regaled with wisecracks, comments and questions:

70 is the really hard birthday!
50 means you are just beginning your creative journey!
50 is the new middle age.
Would you like to join Senior Circle? (Don’t even get me started…)
Have you received your first mailing from AARP? (Yes, 15 years ago and I was highly insulted!)
I’m younger than you are!
Do you feel old mom?
and fortune and friends smile upon me, too many well wishes to count!

I think, if birthdays ending in 1 through 9 make us reflect on the year behind and the year ahead, those ending in 0 make us look at who we are against the journey of all we wanted to accomplish. I’d like to say “within the journey” but I seem to push back more often than not. Represented on my canvas by the (hopefully) extinct volcano.

Rabbit was my nickname as a child. The Rabbit is sitting in for The Fox.

My Flower under glass represents all the characters and stories swimming in my grey matter. A daring 50 years young woman might accept the responsibility and remove the glass… Seriously, my personal goal for the year is to write my way out of my novel “BRAMBLES”.

It was enormously difficult to choose a planet from among Seth Apter’s Solar System and Roundabouts rubber stamps for Impression Obsession; each one is so interesting. I did not even have to put the stamps on a block to stamp. The lines and details stamp impressively clean on the no-fray (slightly bumpy) fabric in the photo below. The more I look at them to more ideas I get.

Here are the steps for my mixed media canvas: A Loose Woman Imitates The Little Prince

1) Paint canvas background and add a critter silhouette at bottom looking up.
2) Stamp the largest of Seth’s planets on fabric (I used non-fray fabric) with Staz-On ink and cut out the planet.
3) Figure out where the place planet, volcano, flower, lone star (below planet) and loose woman.
4) Stuff planet with cotton and hand stitch to canvas with thread that matches the ink.
5) Stencil Loose Woman #2 because I liked her long hair and she is a lady leaping.
6) Stencil flower using Eastern Leaf Lotus Flower Repeat #L421 stencil and use iridescent paint to cover like a bell jar.
7) Paint volcano and small green Baobab tree seedling.
8) Paint her hair (or you could embroider) with rainbow strands.

Astronauts on the Loose Cards

A good friend of mine, Christine, hates the waste of envelopes. My boss, Mary Beth Shaw, has taught me to use them for art journaling. Recycling some envelop insides for clothes and making cards seemed like a good compromise.

Instructions:

1) Paint (be sure to add some shimmer!) and stencil the background. (Warped Holes has some smiling, tumbling alien faces in it!)

 Stencils used: Loose Woman #1, 2 & 3, Mary Beth Shaw’s mini stencil from December 2013 StencilClub, Lizzie Mayne’s Warped Holes S181 and Twist Lattice S152

Sue also designed a Loose Woman set exclusive to StencilClub July 2013 (You must be a club member to purchase the club set.)
2) Play paper dolls with me! Stencil each Loose Woman on a card.
3) Fussy cut paper patterns for boots, oxygen tank, and top of astronaut uniform (I adapted the window part of an envelope for the helmet.)
4) Glue clothes on woman, detail boots andeach breastplate, then glue woman on the background. 
5) Stencil and stamp envelopes.
6) Address to another loose woman.
7) Go forth and impress your local postal clerk.
Optional: There are Star Trek stamps and planet stamps available right now! Live long and prosper!
Tip: If you do not plan to mail these astronauts across planet Earth, you could also embellish with other 3D bits you’ve got handy in your studio

May your friendships be many
Your birthdays be fine,
Your travels be carefree &
May art allow you to unwind!

Yours loosely,
Carol

Please be sure to check out the other fine projects in this blog hop:

GIVEAWAY
StencilGirl Products will be giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to TWO lucky winners!
Impression Obsession will be giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to TWO lucky winners!
Visit the fabulous designers from both teams and comment for
your chance to win 4 great prizes during the hop!

September 26
StencilGirl Talk
Seth Apter
Mary Beth Shaw
Jeanne Streiff
Daniela Dobson
Kittie Caracciolo

September 27
StencilGirl Talk
Mary C. Nasser
Gwen Lafleur
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal
Karen Amidon

September 28
StencilGirl Talk
Janet Joehlin
Carol Baxter – You are here!
Laura Fulcher
Jenny Gropp

~***~
The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to WIN!
(One comment per blog please.)
You have until Friday, September 30th at 11:59PM Central Time to leave your comments.
Winners will be announced on
StencilGirl’s Facebook page on Sunday, October 2nd.