I pinky swear I will!

I've been a little bored lately. (in case my kids are reading this please read to the end before you text me chastising me for using the word bored)

The studio is going great. Classes are AWESOME! And I love working with kids. My class room rocks!

-but-

 The rest of the place is like - eh. I like the artwork and the jewelry but it could be so much more. I am pretty bored with it. The energy isn't there and you can tell because I hardly spend any time up front.

I was skimming through my blog list and popped into Jennifer's blog.

OH WOW! 

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!!
Now how do I get people to get it?

I am an artist. I make things out of stuff other people throw away. My favorite source of materials are curbside, thrift store and re-cycling center.  I know there are other people out there like me. People who like to look at something and see POSSIBILITIES!

I promise you if I can get this going I will offer classes for adults too.

Pinky swear.

New York Styles 1916-17

This is my most recent find at my local thrift store. There are 393 pages of fashion items you can order from the National Cloak & Suit Co. of New York City.  Dresses, hats, shoes....men, women, children...bridal veils, undergarments, and household dry goods. It has been such fun to look at the pages of this book.

I am not sure what I will do with the book but for now I will savor it. Spend time peeking into the world of fashion during World War I.

Fabulous Bags and Earth Day

The first time I became aware of Earth Day was 22 years ago.  I was visiting my sister in Philly and everywhere we went there were signs for the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. So Earth Day was a topic of conversation for us as we explored the city together.

I've been trying to do my part to be environmentally friendly for over 35 years. In my class room I try to stay away from art supplies that are toxic. I don't wash leftover paint off the pallets. I let it dry and then peel it off and throw it away. Sometimes those pieces of dried acrylic paint end up in another art project thus staying out of the landfill. I don't use paper towels but washable rags for clean ups in the studio. There aer live plants in the studio to help keep the air a little cleaner too. I also frequent thrift stores for things we can use in class instead of always buying new. So many people discard so much stuff- unused paints, slightly used pastels, artists brushes, paper- the list goes on. Anyone who is an artist can tell you that supplies are expensive and when you are working with children they get consumed quickly. This thrift store mentality on my part has helped me stretch my art supply budget by quite a lot.

This of course has spilled into my art making as well. I am drawn to vintage jewelry and old glass and crystal beads. I will often pick up a vintage strand of beads, break it apart and incorporate them into a new necklaces using a mix of trend colors and sterling silver. Or I would buy an old wool sweater felt it and make mittens or slippers out of it. Storage was a problem in my first house so I used old suitcases to store seasonal items like Christmas decorations and then by stacking them would also have an end table by the sofa.  Little did I know that what I was doing was going to become a part of an art/lifestyle movement. I don't like calling what I do recycling- to me that means that you are taking something cutting it up, breaking it down and totally making something different out of the raw material- like soda bottles into jackets. What I do is re-purpose or alter an item. Give it a new purpose and extend it's life. So what does this have to do with Fabulous Bags? Well....

The Octagon contacted me last month about having a trunk show. They love my Fabulous Bags and thought a workshop plus trunk show would be great fun. I agree! So on June 25th I will be in Ames (one of my favorite destinations in Iowa) all day doing what I do best. Sharing my creative talent with people. When it says all materials provided they mean it. I have a confession to make here- I have about 75 vintage handbags stashed away at my house in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. These are all thrift store finds and aer in two very large tubs in the studio. What each bag has in common- besides being vintage and a thrift store find - they all stand up on their own. So the bag can be used as an actual handbag OR it can sit somewhere and make a statement. 

What's so great about a Fabulous bag? It still fits even if you gain 5lbs!

What HAS she been up to?

I realize I have been MIA- missing in art I like to call it- lately. Between teaching classes and kids home on spring break and fighting with my depression I have not posted much of my work lately.

So- good news- I have been working! Just finished these today.

This is a journal/album that I recycled. I used these wonderful papers made by my friend Shari. I keep trying to get her to sell these papers on Etsy. They are so unique! Her process involves gelatin printing, textures, rubber stamps, stencils and anything else she can find to make it all come together.  At our Art Retreat last month I got to try my hand at Shari's printing process- what fun! I just don't have the same feel for it that Shari does though. I love her papers and am lucky enough to receive some as gifts every now and then. The original book was just a photo album. I kept the original clear pocket pages and added in some lavender and purple card stock paper. I like journals where you can tuck items into it and write on the pages at the same time.

This little piece was the 3-D challenge from last month's Art Retreat.  Again it's an up cycled item that I picked up at my local thrift store. Using the papers I designed in the gelatin printing session of the retreat, some sea shells and a few clay fish beads I created this treasure chest fir for any mermaid! This box measures about 3" x 5" and the drawer pulls out. Sorry this picture washed out a little on me.

And finally- I saw an altered spoon for the first time as I was blog hoping the other day. I love altered art and as soon as I saw it I had to try for myself. I used a vintage serving spoon- measures 9" long and the bowl holds 1/4 of liquid.  I have been fascinated with all things Alice and a spoon needs a tea party right? I had this vintage image of a young lady and her dolls having a tea party from my favorite place to get images- Altered Artifacts-

a couple of brass crowns, a clock face and the words "tea time" in glass alphabet beads and I was on my way to altering my first spoon.

All of these items are available in my Etsy shop. Now, I need to figure out what I want to do with this pile of rhinestone jewelry and a travel case that needs some TLC....

great idea but....I DISLIKE cutting glass

A couple of years ago those glass balls with the long tube for watering your plants were all the rage. I thought they were pretty cool too and bought some to put in a vase like a bunch of flowers. The colors are so pretty with the sun shining on them. I have noticed that a lot of these babies are showing up in my favorite thrift store. I have this bright idea of what to do with them but can't seem to get my bottle cutter to work for it. I want to cut off the tube and put a piece of felt over the opening so the ball can sit on a table....or in a bowl.

The Dremel tool is not the answer ( yes I wore safety goggles) so....anyone have an idea on a safe and easy way to cut these off or would be willing to cut them off for me I would love to hear from you. I really do not like cutting glass. I will do it on a flat pane of glass - if I have to- but I will go out of my way to avoid it.