challenges of my own

I haven't been taking part in many challenges this week, because instead I have had my own. First the huge circles, now tiny puzzles. Not overly tiny, though, maybe an inch and a half counting the extremities.

I worked on these three pieces several hours last night, and again in the morning. I was not happy. I don't own small sentiment stamps or rub-ons, and hate to run a full sheet of paper through the printer when I just need two words.

So I combed my Vogue with a fine-tooth comb, trying to come up with with love. With was fairly easy, love was cut from well-loved - a great word I would have wanted to keep for the future.
(I prefer Vogue to Marie Claire - their words are so much better! )
Btw, isn't that sentence just hilarious! Can't actually believe I wrote it.


I finished off all pieces with decoupage glue (like it said on the bottle). Is that stuff always matte? I hate how all the beautiful sheen and brayered looks lost their visual depth, and now seem flat under the glue. Should I rather varnish them, what do you think? Could I still put varnish over the decoupage stuff?



from top to bottom:
good(bye)
flat red paint, transparency, pearly gel paint, black stamping, German scrap, 30's girl face, laser cut butterfly, found words

with love, Paulette.
yellowed newsprint, old magazine, soft olive gel paint, partially rubbed away, found words, found images, golden gel pen drawn curliques

breakfast cocoa first (hmm?)
tissue, gold stamping, black stamping, bronze raised paint - this was a wonderful surface! Tissue curled a bit, this gave terrific depth to the piece, as stamps and paint wouldn't take everywhere. Unfortunately the looks got lost when I put decoupage stuff over it to finish it off waterproof! Note to self: must find another solution.
Cut leaves from a transparency, pasted & colorwashed them, restamped a few corners with black ink, put on found words and a found image.