Upcycled Mixed Media Wall Art

Hi all,

Today I'm sharing a piece I did for the Creating With Joy blog, where we use Joy iron-on letters in our artwork and crafts.  Take a look there for my materials and instructions on how to create your own canvas.

Upcycled Sunflowers

I collect and re-use materials like cardboard coffee sleeves and the foil that seals coffee cans.  (And, a lot of other stuff!)  I like the coffee sleeves as they come in a lot of different textures.  I used three different textures here.  And, the foil is really fun.  It usually has a texture, too; and, it can be cut and bent easily.  The Joy Iron-on letters can be painted or dyed as you like and add a nice dimension to the piece.  So, save some of these fun materials and create your own fall art.  These materials are easy enough for kids to use, too.

(I am a member of the design team for Joy iron-on letters and receive their product with which to create my art.  Check out the Creating with Joy blog for more great ideas from our design team.)

Pretty Palettes: Wabi-sabi

Hi all,
Today I'm playing along with the Pretty Palettes inspiration on the Halcraft blog.  Our inspiration this month is wabi-sabi.  Here's the explanation from the blog post:

“Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It’s simple, slow, and uncluttered – and it reveres authenticity above all.” NobleHabor.com


Here are the beads that Erin Prais-Hintz chose for this challenge this month:




I love the colors and the mix of shapes and textures.  I already had the agates and the mixed rings.  And, I had some gears in my collections.  I also had a large heart pendant that I made in a class I took recently from Jen Cushman at an Art is You retreat.

Here the heart pendant:

I thought it fit perfectly into the theme with both the colors and the gears.  I had a lot of fun creating it and getting to play with materials such as Ice Resin that I don't usually use in my jewelry.

Here's my mixed media wabi-sabi necklace:

Wabi-sabi Heart Necklace

I had so much fun playing with this combination of beads and gears.  I probably could have kept adding to it for hours!
Here are some of the extras:  I added some ceramic beads, made a copper hook clasp and cut strips of old denim jeans to add to the necklace.  I pulled the threads on the edges of the denim and stamped them a bit for a little color.  

I think I changed the order of the components five or six times, but it's easy to do when they're linked with jump rings.  Right above the heart, I stacked and glued gears and beads.  The resin on my heart was a little sticky on one side, so I sprinkled some embossing powder on it and melted it.  I wasn't sure it would work, but it did!  Now, I want to try embossing powder everywhere! 

So, this piece is very experimental and sure to have its imperfections!  I chose the denim from a pair of old jeans to represent the authenticity of old-fashioned hard work and the wear and tear of everyday life.

For more fascinating designs around this theme, head to the Halcraft Pretty Palettes Reveals - one and two!

New Amate Studios pieces!

Hi everyone!

I'm really looking forward to the big Craft and Hobby Show this year. It's always exciting to see all the new craft materials and tools. I'm like a kid in a candy store!

Amate Studios will be there with new metal pendants to fill up with whatever you like. They've come out with some new shapes that are different from others I've seen. One is a shape they call a T-shirt. But, I thought it looked like it could be a Kimono, so I took some beautiful origami paper from Yasutomo and folded it around cardboard with some padding in between. I added a contrasting paper and some glittery gold Kreinik ribbon, and I'm really happy with the result. I can think of several things that I want to do with this shape. What would you create with it?

I am really liking padding the space inside the pendant trays and covering it with paper as in the Kimono, or with fabric, as in the Snowman shown below. He's got a stitched face and I tied a strip of plaid fabric around his neck before I glued the padded shape into the head-shaped form.
You can find the instructions for these designs on the Amate Studios website(www.amatestudios.com). Drop by the booth if you are at the CHA show and say hi!

Happy crafting,
Terry