birds of a feather

Do you ever have a project that you get stuck on...
you get so far and then inspiration runs out...disappears...adios...

As indicated from my last post, this does happen to me...but I seem to be on a streak lately of picking up old projects and finishing them...the power of a deadline!

This time, the inspiration came from a fellow online artist...Dutch Barb...who is a member of my bestill52 online class...when I saw one of her recent posts, I had a eureka moment...and was motivated to action...

Two years ago I made some plaster of paris eggs...I hollowed out a couple of eggshells...very carefully...filled them with plaster of paris...very carefully...and then set them to dry for several days.  I had half of a shell that I coated with plaster of paris on the inside...hoping to get an empty shell to fill with something later.  After the plaster was completely dry, I removed the outer shell and I had eggs...after a little sanding to smooth out the edges...but now what...

When I saw Barb's photo on Flickr, I knew that this was the inspiration I was looking for...I went to work...gathering materials...





The eggs...

The feathers...

The glue...

I knew that I was on the right track because I had all my familiar tools...glue, water, scissors, brush...plus the added beauty of feathers...I was set to go...

Next up...the end result...

Running a close second

After my obsession with string...thread comes in a close second...it must be a fiber thing...
though I have to admit that I have little affinity for yarn...

I have plenty of wooden spools of thread...in an array of colors and tones...I've had these large cones for some time...I think they were my mom's...she did a lot of sewing in her time...she had an elaborate system of eye-hooks and dowels rigged up so she could use these larger spools with her old Singer machine...she worked in the costume department of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater when I was young...I think she acquired the large cones of thread then...

In any event, I have no Rube Goldberg system for use with my machine...so I've been thinking what to do with them...and suddenly I had the eureka moment...displaying photos or notes!

I gathered up supplies...pretty simple...
a wine cork and a display pin for each...
wine corks were easy to find...the pins were in my stash...

I figured that I would push the wine cork up into the top of the cone and then stick the display pin into the cork...since the cone is pointed, I trimmed the end of each cork so that it would fit as close as possible into the top...after I trimmed off the excess cork, I added a thin layer of adhesive to the outside of the cork (Amazing Goop being my adhesive of choice) and pushed it into the nose of the cone...I used a large metal nail setter and a hammer to persuade the cork to fit as tight and snug as possible...and then I stuck in the display pin...









Finished!

The easiest solutions are often the best.  
With my large collection of sewing paraphernalia, these two cones fit right in...

and make me smile...

Joining the groups over at Knick of Time's Vintage Inspiration Party and Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk  ...inspiration abounds...

One thing leads to another...

It all started back in November...creating recycled gift items for my holiday shows...

I was using the Spoonflower fabric samples of my photographic collages, making them into sachets...

I also had some transfers of my artwork that my friend Kate of Full Circle Studio had printed for me on her commercial press...using this one in making a pillow...

That little bit of sewing re-ignited my desire to sew...and prompted me to make an artist smock with my vintage mattress ticking, using one of the Spoonflower samples as a pocket on the smock..




So now I was hooked...what else could I create using these samples...but there was a problem...I was running out of samples...then I had my eureka moment!  I had purchased a large stack of transfer paper at a garage sale during the summer...

Once I found the stack of transfer paper, I sewed up another artist smock, again with my photographic collage printed on fabric for the pocket...this smock is the test model for artist Jody Cain of Latitude Studios...wanting a test run on how they wear in the real world...

















At this point,  I was firing on all pistons...couldn't I print onto fabric and use the fabric in different ways...cover design for my recycled journals came to mind...here's how I did it...

These were the two types of transfers in the stack I bought...after working with both, I liked the results from the HP paper better...it seemed to be a smoother print

There's an explicit instruction sheet included in each packet...I arranged my images in Photoshop on 8-1/2" x 11" document - the same size as the transfer sheets...I wanted to make use of every inch of paper...and most important...DON'T FORGET TO FLIP YOUR IMAGES HORIZONTALLY! This is especially important if you have writing on your image...always wise to perform a test run on blank paper before printing on the transfer sheet...though I only paid a couple of bucks for my stack at the garage sale, I am assuming that this paper is not cheap...don't let any scraps go to waste!  Here's what my printed transfer sheet looked like...

Once you've trimmed the images and heated up your iron (with no steam or water in it!) you are ready to go...I decided to use a lightweight muslin as my fabric...I pre-washed the fabric and then tore it into pieces to correspond to the size of the image...
I purposely wanted the frayed edges...

An aside...I have several pairs of Fiskars scissors...the pair with the ribbon tied on is my fabric scissors...used only for fabric...never paper...the ribbon is a quick visual reminder for me which scissors is which...

In transferring the image to the fabric, you need a flat, firm surface...I used a scrap of birch plywood which was very smooth and even...placed on my work table, I knew that I could press down heavily...don't do this on your ironing board - its not strong enough!

Once you are done ironing (again - follow the instruction sheet on time needed) you just peel off the paper...and voilà! 

The image of the daisy was placed off to one side of the muslin...in the open space I stamped the word grow...



















The acorn image was sewn onto a cover of a mini journal...

while the daisy transfer was used in the creation of a recycled garden journal cover...

And for those whose curiosity has been piqued...garden journals and artist smocks with my unique photographic collages will be available at my booth at the Vintage Market at Swan Trail's Farm, March 28, outside of Snohomish, WA...get all the details here...



And speaking of one thing leading to another...

I haven't forgotten about my blog...it's just that I've become very enamored of Instagram...so visual, so inspiring, so quick and easy to share photos...it has become consuming...but in a good way...check it out...you'll see...

Unconventional gift wrapping, part 1

You might remember (if you follow my blog) that the Southern Man had a nasty run-in with a tin can lid this past summer...due to an uncooperative can opener, the sharp, protruding edges of the lid gouged his finger...but after a trip to the emergency room and two months of healing, all is fine...

But...just to be on the safe side, we bought one of those can openers that is supposed to leave a clean cut edge...and yes, indeed it does. 

And then one day I noticed that since the opener cuts the edge of the can below the lip of the lid, you are left with a lid that sits securely on the can...my mind started racing...the eureka moment hit...

How easy would it be to turn these cans with their accompanying lids into little gift containers...
I gathered up a collection of empty cans...

See how smooth the rim is...no ragged edges here!
















Next I compiled a selection of coordinating papers...some vintage wallpaper, some papers from Cavallini & Co...  I'm not much into buying "new" art supplies, but the quality and design of the Cavallini & Co. products are first rate...its my art splurge...

Finally I rounded up supplies and tools...

and then I went to work...

My idea was to cover the cans with decorative paper with the crowning touch of a knob on the lid...after its time as a gift container, it could be used to store any number of things in one's office, studio or work space...

I measured the circumference of the can as well as the height to get the measurements for the paper to cover the outside of the can...

I used heavy duty double-sided tape...adhering it first to the can, around the top and bottom edges and one strip along the can seam...the seam is a good guide to use in ensuring that the wrapped paper is laid down straight... 

Once the can was wrapped, I added washi tape along the upper rim...

Next up...covering the lid and the bottom of the can...
I worked with a variety of vintage papers...old dictionary pages, french book text, vintage graph paper...even a scan of an old photo...
I used my circle cutter to get a clean cut edge...but first I did a trial run with a piece of plain white paper to ensure that the circle would fit...no use in using up precious vintage stock!  

Once I had the correct size, I glued the paper circles to the lid top and to the bottom of the can...
There was a major benefit in using my circle cutter for these paper circles...there's a pinpoint made by the cutter in the exact center of the circle...which came in handy when attaching the knob in the middle of the lid...I knew exactly where to punch the hole for the screw to hold the knob...




I used a variety of old knobs for the lid tops...searching in my metal banker's box of assorted knobs and pulls yielded a good supply...just needed to find shorter machine screws to attach each knob securely...and then...finished!

the tuna fish can was narrow enough that a length of wide washi tape encircled the can perfectly...

Pages from old books, run through a paper shredder, provide the filler for each can...giving a cushion of protection for the gift inside...

























Short or tall...plain or fancy...the possibilities are endless...
and it all starts with a simple tin can...and a little imagination...