Unlikely combinations

You wouldn't ordinarily think of pairing rusty pin nails with fine silk thread...but then I like to think that I'm not ordinary...thus the tag line of my blog (and my business) "creative combinations of everyday ephemera"

I often find that I stumble upon an idea...in this case, a creative process...and then I see how many different ways I can use that process...in particular, using thread and nails to define a boundary...

Since I never like to throw anything away...I have been looking for months at a box of MOO business cards that I ordered...which I had screwed up my contact information...but I had 100 skinny cards...with my collage images...suddenly I had a eureka moment...what if I make a collage out of the cards...

I sorted the cards according to theme and/or color, looking for striking combinations...then I set out to have 6" rectangles cut out of 1"x6" pine boards (I love the guys in our Lumber dept. at work...always willing to help me out with my creative ideas!)

I painted the sides and back of each rectangle a solid dark color...and then created a layered paper design for the front which would be the background for each mini-collage.  Since the mini-collages would be digital copies, I made the layered background different for each collage, using original ephemera...so the recipient wouldn't be getting a total original piece of art...but they wouldn't be getting a total reproduction either...instead, a combo of both!

I wanted a way to frame out each mini-collage...to make it stand out a little more from the background...so I hammered a small wire nail into each corner...and wrapped a length of silk buttonhole twist around the outside perimeter of the collage, securing the ends of the thread with a knot at one of the corners...

 

I think it adds the finishing touch I was looking for...

The type of this dictionary page was a little too intense...a layer of gray tissue paper tones it down...

I looked for papers that would relate to the collage subject...a geographic listing of towns is well suited for this travel motif...

 

And an old French letter is a great match for this collage...

Thirty of these mini-collages will be part of my booth at the upcoming Farm Chicks show...June 1 & 2...there's a giveaway going on over at The Farm Chicks blog for free tickets to the event...deadline to enter is Sunday night, April 21...so get over there right now...I want to see you at the show!