Arches for Debby

I''m sorry to say I totally forgot to check this weeks' theme on the Gothic Arches challenge (it was mermaids). I will have to try and do better on Sunday when the next one is announced. But instead I have been working on my arches for Debby. We're doing an exchange on the Ohmygothic Yahoo site, swapping with a different artist every month. I know what Debby likes by now as we have been participating in numorous swaps together by now and she is also one of my fellow Colour Groupies. The first one has vintage brown and orange colours and is made on a background of delicious brown velvet which has been machine stitched. For the image I turned to the work of the painter Velasquez with this delightful portrait of a Spanish infanta. Isn't she pretty? I just know Debby will love her. She was printed out onto self-adhesive cotton fabric (from Crafty Computer Paper) and applied to the velvet background. I added a vintage flower and a crown (both from Lost Art Creations) and also adorned her dress further with beads.

I added the text: A smile stole through her tears and the arch was finished with a satin stitch using gold thread.

For the other arch I turned to the photos I took some days ago of the orange and pink flowering rhododendron in our garden. I printed this out onto the same self-adhesive cotton, cut it into the arch shape and adhered it to Timtex cut into the same shape. The image is from an antiqe garden statue I came across on one of our garden visits and it seemed to be made for Debby who loves vintage children. I added the bird transparency (from Divasdeste) by stitching it on. I remembered one of my favourite quotation: What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare? I'm trying to spend as much time as possible in the garden during the summer, and simply follow that advice! The quotation was stitched on and surrounded with green size 11 seed beads. This arch was finished with pink satin stitching.