Chunky Page Swap

A while ago I decided to start swapping again with the Surface Design group and joined in with their Chunky Book page swap.   My first page was May's and the theme was flowers, this went to Inge in Germany.  The background is handmade fabric paper with ribbon, lace and rickrack and flower sequines.  I stamped the background also with leave stamps I'd made mayself, they aren't very good but were an addition I wanted.  My funky flower was a double layer of fabric (different on each side) bonded together and with a smaller version in the centre.

My second swap is with Cathy in the States and the theme for June was Birds.   This again was on handmade paper fabric.  I cut out a swallow shape out of painted transfer paper and ironed it onto the background.  I then stitched the outlines in a blending tone of thread. I then couched threads onto the background to represent reeds.   My tree, bird and flower head are all made from recycled metal (drink cans).  This was also one of my experimental metal and stitch samples.  The eye of the bird appeared when I heated the aluminium.

I've been making several samples of metal with stitch for a workshop I'm taking next month.  I've rather got carried away with collecting the empty drink cans.  My dh, sons, his friends are all struggling valliantly drinking the contents so I can have the empties.

I've only just managed to photograph some of the samples so will upload them tomorrow.