Daily Creative Sessions - Take Ten

Recently, I set myself a goal  -  daily 10 minute creative sessions. 

and this is what my 10 minutes turned into the other day.

Okay - this took me way more than 10 minutes to create, 

but that is how it started.  

The pages in this little book are pockets....

and inside the pockets are mini blank books.

At the moment only the pockets are decorated

..... eventually the mini books in the pockets will have something on them as well.  

During my next 10 minute creative session I thought 

I should make these at the visual journaling group I host on Tuesday nights.

So I created a less time consuming version to share if they are interested.  

If you haven't anything to do on Tuesday night 

and are in my neighbourhood  

- feel free to join us in the art room of the local school.... :-)

Winter Photos

Winter is on its way out 

but I had to share a few more of my photographs

from a beautiful winter day. 

Although I love winter 

I am happy that the days are getting longer, 

and the snow is melting. 

Onwards to spring and summer!

Cabinet of Curiosites

As part of the 'Art at the Dump' project

I drew and collaged this piece

on a paper covered piece of cardboard 

(paper and cardboard both acquired from the dump).

I used it to decorate the door of the 'Cabinet of Curiosities'

Inside the cabinet I added the pieces I created,

but left lots of room for pieces that community members were going to create.

I had fun playing with used light bulbs. 

 I added a hat and balls made out of egg carton paper pulp to this one,

and secured it to a block of wood with a furnace filter (found at the dump). 

The filter took a lot of work to clean up, but worked really well to secure the light bulb. 

This emptied light bulb is filled with feathers.  

The cabinet also contains bowls made out out egg carton paper pulp and

decorated with coloured sewing pattern paper,

corks decorated with hand carved stamps

and wooden blocks (found at the dump) decorated with collage and drawings. 

 After a day of community creating

where I was very busy helping so many people (mostly kids & youth)

create items for the cabinet, our cabinet was full.  

Some of the kids actually took their creations home,

which was fine as the cabinet still had lots of wonderful creations.

Art At The Dump

About a month ago I was asked to be involved with a project

to create art from what could be found at the local dump. 

Living in a small community, we don't have garbage pick up, 

everyone takes their own garbage, and recycling items to the dump. 

The dump has a separate metal section

 as well as a section with lots of wood bits.

Attached to the building that holds the recycled items

there is a free store where items that are not garbage are put,

 and people can take them if they need them.

It is actually a pretty busy place with people not only bringing items,

but also picking up items that they may need

- especially since the closest hardware store is 100 miles away.

I spent some time there and found this old medicine cabinet 

that I thought I could turn into something.

So I scrubbed it down, hammered out a few dents and gave it a coat of paint. 

I also found some corks, a box of dominoes, a roll of paper, egg cartons,

 some old sewing patterns, used light bulbs and some pieces of wood 

that I used as the bases to create a variety of little items. 

I added some ink, paint, glue and some drawings from my supply at home

 to complete the pieces.

I also made some little bowls by shaping some mushed up egg carton pulp around a ball I found at the dump, and decorated them with coloured sewing patterns. 

There is more to this story, 

as I also spent a day at the dump 

getting community members to make items 

that were put on the shelves in the cabinet that became

a cabinet of curiosities.

Pictures of how it all came together will be posted soon...... I promise.

A Bundle of Inspiration

 

 

I love the beautiful creations at Be... Dream... Play...

 This creation inspired me to make my own little bundle book.

 

 

 

I bundled some pages and sticks,

 a tea bag decorated cover

 and a strip of sewn fabric to create this little book.

 

 

 

The pages were decorated with splashes of walnut ink, 

 bits of ink

 and pieces of decorated paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tea bag cover is actually two tea bags glued together for strength,

with layers of paint, ink and stampings,

a photo I took a few years ago,

and finished off with a layer of wax.

 

 

 

A whole bundle of inspiration wrapped together.

 

(thanks eb)

A Bit Dotty

Not long ago I saw some lovely handmade cards in a store. The cards had small squares of paper that had been cut out of a book and the person had drawn onto them. Those cards inspired me to make this book. 

(I love keeping track of where inspiration comes from!)

 The book has a soft cover that I made with layers of paper, fabric and glue and is finished with a layer of paste wax. 

 

The cover is decorated with a circle I cut out of an old book that I doodled onto.

 

 and I liked it so much that I added one inside...

and then I went a bit dotty by deciding

 

 to add a doodled on dot

 

 to the centre of each of the 50 pages in the book.

 

 I haven't decided if I will just add a few typewritten words to each page, or if I will handwrite around the dots.... or if this book will go to someone else to do with as they please.