Arts and Craft Center

I've decided to condensing my large bookcase and small arts and craft cupboard into one big hutch. This way my goal is to have ALL of my art materials in one location instead of 3 different floors of my house. Talk about a pain when you get the urge to create.

I've been scouring around and finally found the perfect art base for the hutch. It's all wood and ready to be redecorated! Below is a picture of it now and then I'll post a picture when it is completed.

I'm still on the look out for a top piece that is a bookshelf or storage cubby cubes which ever I find first. Stay tuned...

Artistic Business Cards

I'm heading to the annual National Art Therapy Conference next week and realized I'm almost out of my work business cards. I don't want to stop in the office to pick up more and thought hmmm.... what better than creating some homemade business cards to bring with me to a creative arts venue.

The concept (birds) for the cards came from an artist I found online. (Don't worry I'm not selling my cards their just for fun). I used acrylic paper as my card stock and cut them to the size of regular business cards. Then I took some vintage music sheets and hand cut them to fit the card size. I used permanent markers to draw the images and edged each card with black ink. I put my info on the back of each card and of course decoupaged the front of the cards for staying power.

What do you think?

Updates

I found out a couple of weeks ago that the painting I created and donated to the Esty based fundraiser for Kenji's Light of Hope SOLD!

The ROCO 6x6 2011 Art Exhibit kicked off and my main art piece that I donated SOLD right away. Still available is the piece I created at the Art and Mimosa event and donated to the exhibit. You can check out that art piece and purchase if you dare at: http://www.roco6x6.org/6x6x2011.php?artwork_id=1326

Artist Trading Cards

A good place to check out other artist/crafters is www.reddit.com/r/crafts. Almost 2 months ago I found a thread on this subsection of Reddit that piqued my interest:

http://www.reddit.com/r/mailart/

I vowed to make some artist trading cards not really knowing anything about them. It sounded fun to create some pieces and also really neat to trade with others and collect some cards from artists all over.

I've been traveling for the past 4.5 out of 6 weeks and brought some simple materials with me (all sorts of paper, scissors, black permanent marker, pencil and glue stick) and collected things from my travels. I began creating some cards while traveling and now that I'm home I created some more and finished the others. You should be able to tell the theme: traveling! I think they turned out pretty well, but later while reading another subreddit I discovered I didn't make them the OFFICIAL size 2.5 x 3.5. Mine are a little larger (3.5 x 5). oops...oh well.

Anyone interested in trading an artist card please leave a comment under this blog on which you'd like (I'll title them all), how to obtain your mailing information and how to check out your cards. Once a card is traded I'll mark it as such.

"simple life"

"the adventures of travel"

"the beauty within us"

"It's all about the food" - Traded

"Emotions"

"Dare to travel" - TRADED

"Oh, the places you'll go!"- Traded

"Today is the day"

"Traveling with optimism"

"Treat yourself with flowers"

One Step Up From Garbage Picking

One step up from garbage scavenging is to shop garage/yard sales. If you have some vision then this may be another way to utilize your creative juices. I've found that this is another inexpensive way to find pieces to create art.

My sister was getting rid of two end tables in her garage sale and I was looking for end tables, so I confiscated them (free in exchange for my labor) and using a wood burner and some different size glass canister rims I etched shapes into the wood after putting on a primary paint color all over the surface. Then I painted inside the etched circles a different color and sealed the entire table with a clear varnish.

However, I decided I wanted a piece of glass to go over top of the tables for extra protection. I looked online and in stores for the correct size and shape of glass- which turned out to be very expensive therefore not an option. It turned out I didn't even need to be that patient- I searched craigslist as another option and within a day found the same end table with glass for $5 so I purchased it and then within in a week found another one for $8. The only problem was that I now had four tables and only needed two. To solve the problem I ended up using the same technique but different colors and used the two spare tables in my work office space which didn't really need extra glass protection.

Outcome: 4 usable unique end tables for a total of $13 and a few hours of labor!

Salvaged Art

I orignally began creating this piece for an art exhibit for staff and faculty to show case their artwork at the local college I work at. This is an annual art exhibit and the first one I've participated in. Talk about interesting- there was artwork that was amazing from many different professions and a myriad of art materials.

I wanted to create something from a piece of salvaged art and photographs I've taken from trips over my life time. It just so happened that I've been looking for a piece of artwork to hang over my bed for 2 years now and that is where this piece ended up finding a home after the exhibit.

We have a couple of unique salvage shops in our city and I while I usually enjoy a good garbage picking find, it was winter here and that's not a fun garbage picking time, therefore I ended up perusing the shops.

Historic House Parts: www.historichouseparts.com
ReHouse Architectural Salvage: www.ReHouse.com

I found this cabinet door with all all hardware on it for under twenty dollars. It was painted a horrible peachy color when I found it but I liked the 4 seperate glass panels all being framed in. An idea began to form of putting photographs in each panel. I love black and white prints and went through photoshopping pictures from trips. I sent them to http://www.scottsphoto.com/ which I love because they do great work! I painted the frame black then did a weathering glaze followed by a coat of off white paint. I took the hinges off and spray painted them black. The tricky part that took hours of experimenting was how to adhere the photographs. I ended up using scrap-booking photo corners on each photo and then very carefully and patiently putting a dab of super glue on each corner of the scrap-booking edges (not the actual photo). I measured first and then placed thick books on top of the back of each photo to help them adhere. I was planning to hang the artwork from the hinges but this didn't work out so I purchased frame hooks and hammered them into the back. I then went to a local craft store and purchased etching scripts (the words in black on each panel). I carefully cut the scripts, placed them on the front and using an etching stick adhered them onto the glass.

The outcome turned out lovely and fits in my room perfectly. The art exhibit went well and I received many compliments. My goal is to participate in it next year to help me to keep creating!

Etsy-based Fundraiser to Support Japan and the Igari Music Therapy Research Center

I'm participating in an Etsy-based fundraiser which started April 25, to benefit the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund and Igari Music Therapy Research Center in Miyagi Prefecture which provides music therapy and music education services to individuals with developmental disabilities and the elderly.

This is a cause I definitely want to take part in for multiple reasons. One being that my significant others brother, wife, and three children just recently moved from Japan (where they had been living for the past 10 years) to Houston, TX. And when I mean recently I mean February 2011- just missing the earthquake and tsunami. They have family who continues to reside in Japan and many friends who are affected by this tragedy.

My boyfriend and I have donated to the Red Cross already but this is something else that I can to help out. Especially as this cause is for music therapy services and I'm a Creative Arts Therapist. As time moves forward the services of Music Therapist and other Creative Arts Therapist will be valuable in the healing process.

Below is the link to the Etsy fundraiser store.

http://kenjislightofhope.etsy.com

You can also email Yoshiko @

beaudrillard@earthlink.net or maladynelson@yahoo.com

to find out further information on donating art related creations.

Here's the art piece I'm donating.