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Are you a fan of Artist Trading Cards? You are invited to a live swap at the Art for ALL Conference, Friday at 8pm! Bring your mail art to share (ATCs, inchies, 4x4's and art dolls are popular with this crew), or some of your collection to show off. Please make sure any items to trade are clearly labeled. For information about the conference, please visit: http://www.atcsforall.com/artforall2011.php
If you haven't traded mini art before, but want to learn more, just come and visit! You'll meet painters, mixed media and collage artists from around the country!
Being sick this week, I totally spaced out getting a headband for my daughter to wear to perform in the church choir this weekend for Easter. With a face like this, how could you NOT make her look her best? (that's your teaser pic)
Then, inspiration hit, and I made one!
This isn't really what I would consider a beginner project though, so make sure to set aside plenty of time, and have supervision while you use the scissors.
First, get some apples at the store, and cut the tags off the bags. like this!
At this point, you'll probably need a break. Make a snack!
Tie the headpiece securely around the head of whoever will wear it. This is my model, Sophia.
You can use the contrasting colors as accents, and tie it on in a variety of ways! Look at how shiny it is in the light!
Even like a little veiled hat!
This is one of my favorite ways, cause it looks like a red poppy flower!
She was so excited that she couldn't stop looking at it!
Thanks for checking it out! Please DO NOT copy this to market it in your shops, as it is my original idea. C & C Welcome!
Okay, so I'm going to talk fast, cause it's uber close to deadline.... first: teaser pic!
The thrift yielded this NASTY gem: an old-school grandma wooden wall calendar....you change the little numbers and dates every month. Loads of stickers (vinyl!) and other misc wooden embellishments, as well as needing some glue and TLC:
Calendar: $4, including wooden tiles Scrabble game: $1 (score!) Bag of beads and misc buttons: $1.50! Random measuring tapes, paint, ATCs from my own collection. Sushi eraser, dino and Broken Eiffel tower keychain, .25 cents each. Easy math....7.25 total spent at the thrift.
A few befores of the stuff I used:
I sanded it, ripped off a few shelves, fixed the drawer and gaps, and started in with the paint. Black and red seem a good choice, for a fun neutral backdrop for all the art I want to put in it. I painted the number wooden tiles black as well, so that I could later attach letters and inchies. I sorted through the scrabble tiles, buttons and beads to find enough to spell out a wee artsy phrase "life is art", (which can be rearranged to art is life!). I had to cut the backs off the buttons with a sharp blade! I also added in a '1' (from a calculator my 4yo broke), I used it as an 'i'. The typewriter looking wooden keys are from my stash...I've been too scared to use any!
In progress shots:
ALL DONE!
And a few close ups for eye candy:
It's to hold 4x4 pages, ATCs, INCHIES!!! and other artsy bits (including the important dino eating sushi at the Eiffel Tower....) All ATCs and 4x4 are by me. The 4 inchies on the bottom shelf are from trade (red SNARKY was from Altered Mommy, my FIRST inchie!). This will mostly hold traded items in the future, but figured it should show my own work for the challenge.
25 mixed media ATCs for my Advent calendar. Mostly recycled/upcycled papers, combined with paint, inks, tissues & textures & other random add-ons[/b].
sneak pic money shot:
I cut 25 ATC sized (2.5x3.5") cardboard from cereal and cracker boxes (I love to use upcycled materials as much as possible!!!) and laid them out on a canvas. It took a bit to figure out a layout for a TREE shape, but I got it. I numbered each card, starting at the bottom left and working upwards.
I used paint, inks, scrap papers, tissue, textures, a bit of scrapbooking stuff (paper, stickers, rub-ons) and some of my 'ransom collage sheets' for the backgrounds, central images and numbers. Each one is unique, but ties in some of the same colors as the others, for a rusty, aged textured look.
A few cards I'm more fond of:
When it was done, I put each card in a plastic sleeve, and glued them to a canvas (22x28") that I painted.
For each day, you pull out the ATC and read what is on a small tag attached to the back for the daily surprise or treat! You leave the tags hanging out of the slot when the cards go back in (like ornaments!) so you'll know which days have past. I actually don't have all the tags on them yet (I can do a few each day this month, to keep ahead of the dates) cause life is busy, ya know? ha ha. I just taped the ribbon that the tag hangs from to the back, so I can change them each year and rearrange them. I glued an envelope to the back of the canvas, I can just grab whatever tag is appropriate for that day to tape to the card.
Examples of what's on the tags: It's hot cocoa and Christmas story night! Let's all go to Nanna's to see her tree! We are popping popcorn and watching Rudolph tonight. Family holiday puppet show! Christmas cookie baking night! You get to open one small gift tonight.... Check your stocking for a little treat! It's Mommy's birthday, let's go out to eat!
Here's a bit of what it looks like with some of the tags 'ornaments' hanging down!
I haven't posted in awhile (I was too busy swapping!) so I thought I'd pop in and show a bit of what I've been up to in the realm of paper crafting goodness. I'm still into using lots of recycled bits, of course, and re-purposing stuff into new stuff...the upcycled route.
Here are 6 mini art pieces I recently finished. They are each 4x6", on matboard (scrap). The focus of these was to explore various textures; I LOVE when you can really FEEL the variety of different areas in one crazy tactile mess. Each piece incorporates smooth, soft, rough, bumpy, etc. etc....in some way or another.
used on the set: (each art piece contains some of these) mixed media, including: matboard, cupcake liner, tulle, mesh ribbon, tissue paper, paper napkins, fabric, thread, glazes, glues, staples, transparencies, lava gel, micro beads, leather, paint, paper doilies, textured cardstock, paper scraps, walnut ink, candy wrappers, corrugated cardboard, handmade paper, church bulletins, watercolors, misc. inks
My favorite place to go shopping for furniture is the curb. Seriously! People throw out all kinds of great stuff.
I found this dresser (classic style, but cheap quality), and the drawers all worked just fine, so I snagged it for storage in my studio. It has been sitting, sadly, ugly, but functional, for the 9 months we've been here. Not anymore!
I used 3 different types of spraypaint for the makeover. Flat Black, gloss black, and gloss red for the handles.
Before:
It had some webs on it too, yummy! don't look at that UGLY flooring, I hate it! I want to do something to temporarily mask it, since we can't afford to replace it yet....but hubby won't let me paint it since he thinks it will be harder to remove later. It's faux wood peel and stick. The good part is that it doesn't matter if I get paint on the floor. ideas?
back on topic!!!
First, after removing all the handles, I spray painted all the drawer fronts flat black. I used 2 coats, just to make sure I got all of it covered. (edges first!)
When done, I used one of these IKEA placemats as a stencil of sorts, and sprayed the gloss black over the top.
One of the great things about using cheap or free furniture, is that you dont' have to stress it if you screw it up. This thing is fake wood grain paper on plywood, it can't get any worse!
Here's the pattern as it emerges:
And the handles, before plain boring bronze, needing coats of a glossy modern red: but I ran out of paint right away. BUMMER!
So, me and tornado (in our ugly paint clothes) go to the hardware store for more.... and he need to try on a hat.....and then throws a crying fit cause he can't have a toy...WHY do they sell TOYS at the hardware store? Is NO WHERE sacred? Srsly. Sigh...........
finally, home again, and glossy red handles are done!
Both together, back inside:
and, the whole thing: if you look TOO closely, you'll see that I didn't paint the top of it yet; I didn't want to take all of my stuff off the top! Unless you are underneath it, you won't notice though. It has a nice piece of teak set on top anyhow.
And, the whole pretty wall now:
A happy little 2 hour makeover for $6!
My studio is always changing and improving, and this one little thing makes me want to do more....next, paint the sewing table RED!
We just bought our first home, will be moving in 2 weeks. I can't pack EVERYTHING, so I've resorted to refinishing stuff we have around the house. Black is my fave go-to color, and it has REALLY perked up some old thrifty finds.
Before and after pics of each piece:
I have 2 of these chairs, $5 finds from thrift. STURDY, but not cute. and AFTER:
and we have 2 of these, smaller for the kiddos. also $5 thrift finds: before: and, I made QUICK and simple slipcovers, only about 30 minutes for each chair. I can't believe how totally simple it was! after: these come off easily to toss in the washing machine (preschoolers necessity!)
old desk, something that my MIL bought ages and ages ago, and her kids have worn it pretty well. Before: I then sanded the DICKENS out of it, then used a can of Ebony stain.
Yummy! I didn't want to sand the legs, so instead I just rubbed them with the gloss black paint, so the wood grain shows through and it looks to match the rest of the top.
I also updated the brass handle, with a quick brush of turquoise craft paint, then sanded it to shine it up, and then a quick coat of poly to seal it. and after:
This is my makeup table for the new home, I can't wait! It just needs a coat or 2 of poly to seal it all, to make it really shiny, smooth, and wipable.
I also painted our nightstand and mismatched bedside tables: I LOVE how shiny the glossy paint looks when the table lamp reflects off of it! this is also a MIL hand-me-down
this one shows the before and after of the side table, all in one:
I made this lady for a monochromatic collaborative journal, my color to feature was turquoise!
Background is 2 canvas panels, and a random scrap of board. I gessoed them and painted a wash of 4 turquoisey colors, then painted the form in acrylics. All the stripes are strips of paper: art, scrapbooking, cards, even a few paint chips. Those were collaged on. I finished her with a bit of watercolors and colored pencil.
I bought these overalls for 50cents and transformed them into a purse, only adding thread. All purse parts were salvaged from the overalls!
Teaser pic: my 4 year old holding it, for scale!
The 2 straps attach with their buckles in the center (see the pic with my daughter's face), and still have their slides, so it is fully adjustable, strap can be 17"; up to 29"; long. All pockets were relocated to the body of the purse and re-stitched on. The body of the purse is all one big piece, one of the legs cut to square.
Mosaic of the whole process, starting with the BEFORE overalls, to the AFTER leftover bits:
A few more big AFTER pics:
I wish I could say I took photos throughout or could give instructions, but basically I just cut stuff off and sewed it 'til it made sense.
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(that's your teaser pic)
like this! 
