Graphic 45 2014 Final Audition

Once again I am absolutely thrilled to have made it to the finals for the Graphic 45 2014 Design Team!  In the video below I have chosen to take you on a tour of three projects that I think represent me as a designer including assemblage, mixed media and book making.

Since the Botanical Tea Printer Tray is new, I thought I should also post a few pictures of that.  I made this project just for this audition, so I would have a little something fresh and new.

The spring theme is perfect as the weather finally slowly turns.  It has been nice to get outside and catch a few rays of sunshine. There are additional bits of embellishments within the peice that have special personal meaning to me.  I love this aspect of assemblage and collage.  

I even saw a few real spring blooms on my walk today, a sure sign it is really on the way!

I just adore all the details inside of each cubby.  I was sure to even cover the tops and sides of each box to ensure that the patter repeated itself consistently.

I could not resist adding a few eggs to the mix, as they were perfect for this theme.

Thank you as always for stopping by!  No matter what the outcome of this audition, I have to say it has been a great year Graphic 45, and I have immensely enjoyed the journey.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Spring Cubby

Spring has "officially" sprung finally in Kalamazoo, Michigan!  The sun is out, the birds are chirping and even thought it is chilly, I have a few windows open to welcome some fresh air.  I thought I would celebrate by showing of this fun spring assemblage I recently made for Alpha Stamps.   

This Masonite cubby has 35 small partitions that are one inch square.  I have filled them with all kinds of delightful treasures that remind me of the season at hand.  As I assembled this piece I tried to keep a tighter color palate that was outside my usual range with blue, yellow and pink.

One way to make your pieces unique is to alter your elements along the way.  Above, you can see where I added colors to my bee with liquid pearls.  Also notice on the resin flower towards the top where I used gilders paste.  It works great on all types of surfaces beyond metal such as resin and wood.

I just adore all the cotton spun mushrooms I used throughout the piece. I am not sure why I  obsess over these, but I truly love them.

Lots more altered metal elements down on this section.  The bunny is colored with a bit of alcohol ink to add some depth.  

Overall this piece is probably much smaller than you would ever imagine in real life.   Even though it is small, it is packed with all kinds of spring fun though.

Cheers, 

Rhea

Altered Eggs

I was really inspired by these paper mache eggs from Alpha Stamps.  The first one I made is a bit quirky, but fun nonetheless.  This winged egg has lots of Tim Holtz hardware and a few filigree to make for a slightly steampunk look.  I originally cut a hole in the front to try to do something inside of the egg, but it did not work, so the window was added instead.



The second project that I finished is a hinged egg with a few surprises inside. 



The outside is simply colored with distress stain in silver.  I cannot rave enough about those stains.  Simple decorations were added by way of stickers and tinsel.



Inside the egg there are two little spring nests.  I absolutely love the tiny bunnies, which are actually brads.



Opposite is a more traditional spring nest with a brass bird and tiny eggs.

Perhaps posting of spring and Easter-ey things will help it to arrive a bit sooner in Michigan, boy am I ready!

Cheers,

Rhea

Feather your nest

I am so excited to be hosting a swap in my Art Charm group.  The theme is "Feather your nest" and the idea is to create art charms inspired by birds, wings, trees, eggs, nests, houses, feathers etc.  A perfect genre for spring.  Sign ups open tomorrow and we will be swapping in groups of fifteen.  Anyone can participate as long as your part of the Yahoo group and you follow the swap guidelines.  Check it out if you are interested!  The group was founded by the authors of Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry.  Both Peg and Chris are amazing!



I have been scouting for materials for this swap ever since I read one of the swap previews.  I love how the owners of the group let us know what is coming so we can find good deals. 

I found these cute little birds on clearance at a big box store.  I wanted to jazz them up a bit so I decided to play with my favorite new product from Alpha Stamps, Guilders Paste.  This is a wax based medium that can be used on wood, metal, clay, ceramics etc.  It is very easy to apply and adds great color and depth.  I highly recommend it to my Art Charm pals, as this was a quick way to make my charms stand out and make them unique.



Now, I knew I wanted to also have some egg charms to trade.  I searched high and low in my local stores, but could not find a true egg shaped bead.  I almost picked up some pearls, but the shape just was not right.  Then I had a flash of insight and headed to the floral department.  These little plastic eggs were super cute.  I used a candle to heat up my head pin and poke holes and make them into a bead.  It is so fun to find a way to alter a product and use it outside of the intended purpose. 

These were so super simple to put together, I really did not do any construction.  I actually forgot I had all these wings, but when I was seeking some other stuff in my crafty mess I came upon them and knew they had to be a part of this swap.  Again, I wanted to add some interest, so I dabbed on a bit of pearl color acrylic paint.  Sometimes simple can be a good thing.



This looks like a great beginning of a wonderful swap.  I think a charm bracelet may be on the horizon. 

Cheers,

Rhea