There's a bit of craziness abound. Come on in!

A metal shrine, some fabric scraps, lace, beads, and milagros - carefully mix all ingredients. When finished, enjoy your art piece. I came across this shrine during our last trip to Santa Fe. The front glass door opens to reveal an interior that is approximately 3/4" deep. Perfect to display a small piece of artwork. The interior measures 4" x 6" - superbly suited to an afternoon's work.
Sorry about the bad pic, but this is really the reason I love my Bernina so much. The perfect foot for each and every task. Makes sewing 'sew' easy and fun. I used a #37 Patchwork foot and a #23 clear applique foot.
I prefer to audition my embellishments on the finished piece of crazy patch fabric. The crazy patch technique is easy to master, I promise. You start with a 5 sided piece of fabric and sew fabric pieces to each straight edge of the 5 sided piece one piece at a time. Click here for a quick tutorial. Also check out Judith Baker Montano's and Gloria McKinnon's lovely work! Thanks Gloria for the lovely inspiration while I was in Dallas! I certainly needed that jolt. By the way, the little silk cigarette silk is from Anne's Glory Box.

Here is the finished piece. I backed it with a piece of chipboard and then used Tim Holtz's
Tiny Attacher to staple the fabric to the chipboard. I love the rough look the staples add to the delicate stitching and laces.
A close up of the lady in prayer, the bead work at the bottom of the silk cigarette print, and the stitched ribbon.
French knots decorate the tiny lace addition.
French silk flower ribbon covers one seam while a button is attached with some embroidery floss. The silver mesh you see in the background is an antique piece of silver mesh. It's very delicate and doesn't lend itself well to clothing construction but is perfect for this type of decorative work.
And old buckle and strap from a pair of Brighton shoes.
Vintage buttons.
The finished piece. I had to photograph it with the door open so that you could see how lovely this looks as a finished piece. Hope you like it and are inspired to do something along these lines of your own.
Guess what??? It's my 200th blog post! I can hardly believe that. To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of the book A-Z of Thread Painting. Be sure to leave a comment on this blog, one per day for the next week. I'll draw for the prize on June 11th. Be nice and share this giveaway with your friends.

I've linked up with Romantic Homes blog to partake in Cindy's Show and Tell Friday. Stop by for a visit, you won't regret it!