Art Journal Page 2

The Language Of Disease Is Pain

I found this phrase in an ad from the 1870's. I can totally relate to this and I know many of you can as well, so it inspired me to create another journal page.

Made of old cardboard, antique papers, tissue paper, paint, ink, stamp, modpodge, vintage torn lace, magazine scraps and scrap book paper.

I don't follow any sort of rules or learned techniques while creating these pages and I use whatever I have on hand in my studio which is a hodge podge of junk that I've accumulated over the years.

These pages are a meditative type of thing where I just get lost in what I'm doing.

It's more feeling than thinking which is what I need. I have a tendency to over think everything and this is a way of letting that go.

A temporary distraction.

Hope your day is painless!

Karen

Easy Stringing

A few weeks ago I visited Allegory Gallery. It's a lovely little gallery, a sweet bead shop, and they have an Etsy shop too.

www.etsy.com/shop/AllegoryGallery

While I was there I purchased this sweet clay owl.
The plan was to use some copper and beads from my stash to make a necklace.

I guess I'm out of practice, because I couldn't get my fingers to do what my brain was thinking. I just could not get the copper wire to bend the right way.

So instead of doing the wire wrapping technique with beads on hand, I ordered some clay beads with larger holes from www.etsy.com/shop/AtHomeInTaos
Love their beads!

I strung everything on a leather cord. No wire required…

Keeping it simple.

Have an easy day!

Karen

Holiday Craft Project With Fiber

Simple Holiday Project

To make this I wrapped yarn around heavy craft wire securing with a little hot glue as I went along.

I twisted the yarn covered wire around a large knitting needle to make the spirals.

I crocheted and stuffed a few simple balls to hang from the spirals.

It is snowing outside as I am typing this.

The very first flakes of the season.

karen

BLUE

Blue is such a calming color.

I love this little trinket jar.

It was made by my stepdaughter Anita as a gift to my husband.

Great job Anita!

We love it!

I picked up this lovely blue woven textile piece at a thrift shop in Maine last year.

It's old, has great texture, and I love this shade of blue.

Blue denim will always be one of my favorite things.

I've started a crazy quilt made from some reclaimed jeans.

And practice samples for some textile jewelry.

How do you fight off the winter blues?

Keeping busy with creative projects works for me.

Thanks for stopping by!

karen

Creative Need

I became creative out of need.

I was hand sewing clothes for my dolls by age 5 and making a lot of my own clothes by age 12.

I couldn't afford the things I wanted , so the only way to have them was to be creative and make things for myself. My mother was my greatest  inspiration growing up, as well as my grandparents (my mom's parents). I remember my mom sewing things for me with an old treadle sewing machine, refinishing furniture and incorporating recycled materials into our home. My grandmother was an amazing fiber artist and my grandfather was always making something out of nothing.

Although life was kinda tough back then, I am grateful for that creative lifestyle that is with me still.

I don't think I would have this creative spark within me today if life would have been easy then and I can't imagine life without creativity.

I've come a long way and I no longer NEED to make the things I want.

Now, I want to.

My day doesn't feel complete if I haven't done something creative and if I create something by repurposing or recycling, that's even more satisfying.

I've made a few Valentine cards by recycling parts of old cards and scraps of pretty papers that I've saved.

And some card holders made from wire and repurposed shakers.

The bows were made from torn strips of recycled sheets.

I like these so much more than store bought ones.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have been creative if life had been easy.

How about you?

Karen

See Through Blue

Last night I just couldn't stop working on my new obsession of jewelry making.

Most of what I put together were failures, but I kinda like these earrings with the see through, hollow, blue beads. They remind me of little blue lanterns.

Today I must leave the jewelry making zone and get back to reality.

 Laundry, cooking and cleaning : (

Hopefully I can squeeze in some creating time along the way.

Hugs

Karen



Gathering & Making Supplies

All summer long I've been gathering supplies for creating and decorating.

Winter seems to last forever here and I wanted to make sure I have enough things to keep myself busy without having to venture out into the cold and snow.

I'm always inspired by antique lace and happened to find a real bargain on this bunch while in New England last week.

I'm always looking for unique buttons and beads for my projects and handmade ones are my favorite.

My brother had given me a box of antlers a few months ago and my sweet son-in-law was kind enough to turn them into buttons and beads for me. Some of them were made into handles for my jute baskets as well.

I've been crocheting flowers to use in some projects too.

These ones are quite large and are made from cotton and jute.

In the upcoming weeks you will see these supplies again in finished projects.

I am so inspired by the blogs I visit and I'm always searching for more.

I hope some of my ideas will inspire you as well.

Have a wonderful day.

Karen

Creating Space In My Creating Space

I need all this stuff!

It inspires me.

And then there are all the supplies.

You've got to have them or you can't create.

It's so difficult to fit it all into one room...okay, impossible.

I'm working on at least knowing where everything is.

These are all empty so I can use them for more storage.

This is an awesome display unit that we found on vacation.

It's a great place for storing small odds and ends.

U is for UMELECKY

I just had to throw that in there: )

Storing the small objects in old glass jars makes it easier to find things.

 I picked up this shelf for just $2 at a garage sale.

This is part of the sewing area.

The armoire is filled with  vintage linen and lace.

A large jar with a rusty lid holds old wooden thread spools.

And the ladder which came from a barn not far from here, keeps my grain sacks organized.

This salvaged door with a chicken wire insert is a good place for drying herbs and flowers.

The white enamel pot is more storage space.

Random drawers make great organizers.

Closets with shelves are key.

I can't show you the other closets.

They aren't ready for public viewing at this time: )

Those are my daughters eyes.

She gave them to me years ago.

She enlarged a photo of her eyes and put one in each picture frame then connected them with a piece of thick wire.

All of my stamping supplies are going into a big wooden blueprint cabinet.

It's not ready for public viewing yet either : )

Right now all the stamping stuff is in boxes in the middle of the floor.

Then of course there's the nonsense that you need just for inspiration.

You know, the stuff you need just because.

Stuff that you've had forever and you just can't part with.

I bought this old typewriter in a thrift shop about 25 years ago.

It doesn't do anything but take up space, but I can't imagine my space without it.

Then there are the current projects.

These are the beginning of some fabulous pin cushions that I will be carrying in my shop soon.

I picked up some antique velvet, vintage linen and lace, silver plated spoons and antique hat pins at the flea market today and can't wait to get these started.

If you're wondering what this all has to do with making space in my space, well...I took a truckload of stuff to goodwill and have only gotten started. More on creating space in my creating space next week, providing there are no crisis or unexpected distractions.

Does anyone else out there have trouble staying organized?

How do you keep your space under control?

I'd love to hear your ideas.

Thanks!

Karen

Skeleton Keys and Hand Stamped Tags

I've always had an interest in altered art and art journaling, but never really took the time to do much with it. This year, one of my goals is to explore more art related projects.

Something different from my usual crochet.

Due to my addiction of collecting everything old, I think altered art and repurposing used, thrifted items is the perfect thing.

I've made a bunch of coffee stained, hand stamped tags and put them together with some old skeleton keys, and I'm really excited about how they turned out.

I plan to use some of them in future projects and have some for sale as well.

You can purchase the keys with tags at:

http://www.reconsidered.etsy.com/

and the tags with ribbons in sets of three at:

http://www.umelecky.etsy.com/.

Have you tried creating something different lately?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I hope you all explore something new and different today on your creative journey.

Hugs and laughter!

Karen