Mindfulness (Somerset Studio)

Hello
To start this new week, I am winding the clock back to last year, to Somerset Studio’s Nov/Dec 2016 issue. One of the articles I was lucky enough to have published was centred around a collection of small canvases, all with a message relating to mindfulness.  The introduction in the article is where I speak about the motivation and what I was aiming to creating and how Christen Hammon’s Editor’s Letter in an issue of Somerset Life, was the springboard of inspiration for me.
If you read this post, you will notice that I share a simple presentation idea, this is because I saw the canvases as being suitable as gifts for anyone who might be needing to pause and breathe.

The RELICS & ARTIFACTS hand is only there as a prop.

All of the canvases feature a PaperArtsy Eclectica ESN sentiment. ESN are designed by Sara Naumann, for PaperArtsy and they are probably my most inked up PA stamps.

The sentiments are stamped onto various found papers, nothing fancy, regular papers from around the home.  I also stamped smaller elements either onto more found papers or directly onto the canvas, such as the numbers at the top edge of the Golden Hours canvas.

Simply embellished with crushed velvet ribbon, MOP buttons, rhinestones, etc.

Little layered elements such as the layered found paper which had some gold paint applied, the crushed velvet ribbon and the MOP button.

I was trying to achieve a timeless quality to them, a distressed effect, a timeworn look to the canvases, yet with a hint of old style glamour with my choice of embellishments and use of gold.

The details really are the tiniest of fragments.  Can you see how small those rhinestones are?  Three lined up on the velvet ribbon.

This canvas has numbers stamped onto the canvas to create a border effect before the layers were added.

I so love when ordinary papers and I do mean ordinary, can be given a touch of elegance by the addition of rhinestones or a sweet MOP button.   Funny how details like this can make my heart sing.

A cluster of the canvases, all with simple presentation and each topped with a stamped word from Darkroom Door’s Word Block Wellbeing. For me, Darkroom Door’s Word Blocks are indispensable.  I haven’t yet managed to own them all but some are great favourites, this is one of them as there is a beautiful selection of words which I’ve used on all manner of projects.

A swipe of Gesso highlights the texture of the scrunched paper.

Each word layered with burlap,

with a repeat of details appearing on the canvases.



For variation, one of the canvases is presented in a fabric bag, the mini easel also included.

Thank you so much for your visit. I hope it was a restful post to view and a chance to seek mindfulness during your visit.
Wishes
Lynne