Paper Garlands and Dresses

This is so unlike me, but during the month of December I did not create any new projects.  After we returned from our vacation it was time to catch up on everything then Christmas came...very quickly!  I was too tired to craft(again, not like me because I am rarely that tired)! Usually, when that happens, I read a book or two.  I enjoyed the two books I read over the holidays, The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Claire and Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick.

I also took two on-line courses which I absolutely loved.  The first one was a 5 day online course by Christy Tomlinson along with other instructors. 

One of the instructors was, Margie Romney-Aslett's whose  blog I love.  While reading her blog, I learned she was teaching an e-course , Spark your Christmas:

Taking these on-line courses is just what I need sometimes.   There is always something new to learn . Best of all, I am inspired by these wonderfully creative souls.  Spark your Christmas did more than spark new ideas in my head,  it also inspired me to create my own version of the paper garland.  I love doilies and watching Margie create a garland using paper doilies and crochet doilies was just fun. 

So, this past week, I have taken time to create a new project.  One of my favorite paper lines is from My Mind's Eye, Lost and Found.  Years ago, when I first started collecting  vintage hankies I created an origami style dress using the vintage hankies.  I sold most of them and then focused on the felted wool items I now create.  However, this past year as I shopped at numerous estate sales in search of vintage linens, buttons and sewing notions, I would come across the vintage hankies.  Recently, I started purchasing the vintage hankies thinking, maybe I should make those origami style dresses.  Instead of folding paper, I ironed the hankies to create this:

I also created some paper dresses using my favorite papers from My Minds Eye:

 

 Margie's paper garland inspired me to create a paper garland using the same paper line so it could also become the clothesline for my paper dresses:

I love working with felted wool...but, I also love working with paper.  I am in process of creating paper garlands and coordinating paper dresses from all the different Lost and Found paper lines by My Minds Eye.   I just finished many hankie dresses using lace trimmed embroidered white hankies embellished with vintage buttons:

Christy Tomlinson's e-course also introduced me to another mix media artist...Jeanne Oliver..more on that tomorrow.