Monday Morning Coffee...

Hi ATA Friends, Caught this video on You Tube and was just reminded that we should approach everything we do with creativity and joy!

Be the artist you are in everything you do, all day long, live creatively and show the world all the possibilities..... and enjoy that Latte!  Happy Monday!

Collage Wall Art: Make Your Statement Extra Personal

So - my sister is moving - again.  And while I admire the fortitude it takes to move across the country once more, I am green with envy over the possibilities she gets to decorate different homes every couple years.  With that thought in mind, the next few blog posts will be about making your own home decorations - the (of course) artsy girl way!

While I admit that just buying your new decorations would be much easier - and I'm sure Diane would think so after spending hours upon hours unpacking boxes and cleaning her new home - I just can't get my arms around spending the money.  It could be my inherent frugalness...or I could just enjoy the challenge of making something new.  Either way, we have to start somewhere - so let's start with something fun and easy to do. 

I started by asking myself what would make the biggest impact - but look really artsy/cool.  Walls came to mind.  Now, I admit the easiest way to decorate a wall would be to hang some pictures on it - - but where is the fun in that!  Let's make something that tells a story.

I started with some pieces of heavy cardboard (used boxes for those of you who haven't figured it out yet!), that I then cut (with a razor blade) into irregular shapes. I traced the edge of one piece, onto a second so that they will fit together like puzzle pieces.  I then took some leftover paint I had laying around and applied a couple of coats to each piece, making sure it was nice and even. 

While it was drying, I looked through my boxes of extra pictures, funny cartoons, interesting arty business cards, etc....anything that looked interesting and that expressed something about your subject matter. Mine, of course, was all about me (lol) but you could do (Diane are you listening) each house that you've been in (hint hint), special trips you've taken or even one puzzle piece for each member of your family.  You choose.

After the paint was dry, I began to lay out the items in random patterns, overlaying some, trimming others into odd shapes, anything that suggests systematic randomness (is that even a phrase?).  You get the gist.  I cut out words from old newspapers and magazines to add to my creation.   Once my basic layout was complete - I broke out the Modge Podge and a sponge brush and started gluing the pieces on the cardboard.

Once I had the entire piece covered, I let it dry, then put another thin coat of Modge Podge over the entire piece.  I put it aside to let it dry completely while I worked on the other puzzle pieces.  Once they were all dry, I could really have some fun!  What could be more fun than this you ask?   Just wait!

Out of my magic box of craft supplies came squeeze bottles of dimensional paint, glitter, flat back rhinestones, googly eyes and a variety of findings, gear pieces, washers, miniature mirrors and anything else you could imagine.  With my hot glue gun ready to aim, I started with the paint and drew artistic lines through and around all the puzzle pieces, connecting them together without the use of glue.  I added sparkles with crystals, rhinestones and glitter on some, with more industrial hardware on others.  My mixed media art pieces took on added dimension.  Way Cool!

So - once the front dried - I wanted to give it some added dimension and raise it off the wall.  I had some foam blocks left over from an egg project which I cut and hot glued to the back of each piece in a number  of places, making sure that each piece was level, but not necessarily even with each other.  I hammered little nails in the wall and slide the foam pieces right over them so that each puzzle piece appears to float in the air.

Try it - it's a fun project for the whole family - and a definite conversation piece for any room!
~ Dani

Richly Textured Walls Not Just for the Rich... Faux Leather Treatment

Ok -- so I'm bored with painting walls.  Sponge painting, glazes, stripes, polka dots, clouds you name it - I've done it.  I want something different, that gives texture without throwing sand at the walls like on some TV shows we all know and obsess about.

I heard about this technique and decided to try it. It gives a rich faux leather look to your walls or whatever you decide to try it on. How, pray tell, do you do that you might ask?  With some thinned out Modge Podge and - wait for it - lunch bags! Yes, that's right those brown paper sacks we all loved to hate when children now have a much better use than holding our twinkies, ding dongs and bologna sandwiches.

Hint - Depending on the size of the space you want to try it on, you can also use brown butcher's paper.

Start by tearing (that's right tearing) the paper bags into various sizes, making sure you are only using one layer of bag.   Smooth out each piece, and lay flat, continuing until you have a selection of sizes and shapes.

Thin out the Modge Podge using a ratio of 1-1 (water to glue), and stir until thoroughly mixed.   Wipe down the wall or object to remove and dust or dirt - you want a clean surface.  

Cover a table or flat surface with plastic.  Take one piece of brown paper and apply a smooth, thin coat to the paper.  Allow the glue to soak in for a minute or so.  In the meantime - apply a thin coat of glue to your wall or object.  Take your pre-glued paper and apply to the object.  I reserved the pieces with straight edges for the corners and edges of my project so that it looked finished. Smooth the paper down, using your sponge or brush to make sure it adheres flat.  Any wrinkles in the paper will create the look of leather wrinkles - so it's ok if it looks kind of rough but you want to make sure it lays flat.

Continue in this manner, slightly overlapping each piece as you proceed. Cover the entire area you wish to finish and let dry completely.   Apply an additional thin coat of watered down glue to seal.  

This is a great effect and really looks like leather!  I tried it on a small piece of leftover drywall first and was pleasantly surprised.   I found that if I slightly crumbled the bag, then flattened it out with my hands, the leather wrinkles really showed up great and added dimension.  

I'm going to try this on a number of surfaces - will post the results so keep watching!
~ Dani

 Image: License

Some rights reserved by Lara604

Hand Colored Photos: Paint em and Scan em

I recently blogged about using MAC programs to alter digital images, but hand coloring black and white 35 mm pics the old-school way, using photo paints, is still the best.

 This seems to be, for me, the only real way to get the movement, and depth necessary to convey mood and drama in some types of photography.

Once the originals are painted, they can then be scanned in a high resolution and used as you would any digital image; to create cards, personalize just about anything, make decals, iron-ons, blow-up and frame or whatever else you can imagine. 

Here are some examples that will be for sale soon on our ATA Girls store envy site!

~ Diane

"Bond... HeatnBond...." TShirts, That Is!

I was working in my craft room the other day creating an egg for a class I'll be teaching in September.  As I was looking through the drawers of arts supplies that line the wall of my space, I came across a project I started and never finished.  We all have THOSE now don't we! - Admit it - come on - you know you do! 

Anyway, giving in to my need to do anything except what I'm supposed to do, I brought it out and decided to finish it.  What was it that so grabbed my attention you ask?  A shirt.... but not an ordinary shirt - nooo.  This is a shirt that I started decorating with handmade decals!  So out came the ironing board and the scissors and I put my mind to the task of completing it (at least until something else catches my attention!) 

This is a really fun, easy project to work on for any age - and with a lot of the schools on break - I thought it was a perfect project to share.  Enjoy!

You will need: Sharp scissors, Material with pattern you like, HeatnBond Iron On Adhesive (Ultrahold), Iron,
Ironing Board, fabric paint with a thin tip and a t-shirt of some kind.

There are 2 ways of making your own decals. First you use a large piece of the HeatnBond (the size of your fabric) and attach it to the fabric. Or second, cut small pieces of the adhesive paper, just a little bigger than the pattern you want to capture iron it on. Either way works great.  The second is the way I usually do it as it wastes less of the adhesive so you can make more decals.

Put the HeatnBond paper-side up on the material.  Hold the iron on the paper side of the adhesive for about 2 seconds to warm the adhesive. Glide your iron over the paper pressing down slightly.  Make sure to iron entire surface until the adhesive bonds to the fabric. Material will feel hot to the touch. Allow it to cool before cutting into pieces.

Cut out the patterns being careful to cut away whatever you don’t want included on your decal. Keep in mind – the more intricate the design – the more difficult cutting it out may be. You may want to keep a very thin border of fabric around your design as it is usually a good idea to seal the decal onto the shirt by sewing or outlining with fabric paint.

Place your new decals on the shirt in whatever decorative way you choose.  Peel the paper off the back.  Cover the decals and shirt with a lightweight piece of cloth or towel and gently iron until the adhesive bonds to the shirt.  Allow to cool, then outline with fabric paint and embellish with beads, more paint, washable glitter or anything else you might have handy.

~ Dani



Kick this process up a notch by printing your own artwork or photos onto iron-on material made for your ink jet printer!  Cut away the excess material to isolate areas of your artwork you like the best, then apply as any other iron-on to make cool T-shirts, totes or even dress up those Ked sneakers!
~ Diane

Going Postal: Make Your Own Tin Stationary or Card Gift Box

Ok -- so I admit it - I can start a project, get bored, and put it aside for another day.  My goal this month is to actually finish some of these projects - so be prepared - there's going to be a lot of different stuff coming atcha!

Warning -- Georgia - if you're reading this post -- STOP NOW!   LOL! (as if that would really stop her!)

I wanted to make something fun for a friend's birthday - and thought about making her a set of handmade cards that she can send to her friends and family for all occasions.  I did not, however, want to just give her a nice box of cards -- oh nooooo..... I had to come up with something fancy to put them in.   I had some leftover tile pieces from a mosaic project I started (and actually finished - how about that!!) and a small metal mail box I picked up somewhere to use in a centerpiece for a holiday party.  I broke out the epoxy, a ruler and a pencil and went to work.

First I laid out all the tiles I had, and created the pattern I wanted to make on the mailbox.  After playing with that for a bit, I used the ruler and pencil to create my guides so that the tiles would at least be straight and went to work.

The trick was holding each tile in place long enough for the epoxy to grab hold before letting go.  Too soon and they slid off the side of the mailbox, to long and fingers may be permanently attached.  You can cover the entire box with tiles if you choose (or have enough leftovers) or just do a pattern as I did.

Anyway - I think it turned out cute - and will be perfect to put all the cards in. Or maybe keep.. hmm will have to think about that.

So Georgia - in case you're still reading this post -- you may not be getting this as a gift.  You'll just have to wait and see.   :)
                                                                                                    ~ Dani

Everyone is a Photog: May 15th Project

Saw this news article today and thought it was an inspired idea! This person is calling everyone to take a photo of themselves wherever they are on May 15th. Images will be uploaded to a website, then to a book and into a time capsule for the future.  Read about it and PARTICIPATE... and let's think of an inspired project to get everyone else involved in as well.  Here's a link to the original story: "Photo project aims to capture the world in a day"
http://news.yahoo.com/photo-project-aims-capture-world-day-101751465.html








Image: Flickr: License

Some rights reserved by shutupyourface

Finding Inspiration...

Did you ever wonder where inspiration comes from?

The other evening I was folding laundry (yes, I actually do take time from my creations to do some real housework) when Leo (my other half) called me to come look out the window.  His comment was "Look at that - can you paint that?"   He pointed to a sunset so rich in color it was staggering.  Shades of blue from light to dark progressed from the horizon line, with bright yellow radiating from the setting sun. Orange and gold tones surrounded the bright yellow and extended across the horizon.  Looking further from the sun, streaks of pink and red ran across the sky with dark purple highlighting the wispy clouds.  No picture could have done this justice.

So... my question changes...what medium would you use to capture this richness.  Paint in oil or acrylic is a given, even though you'll never fully capture the vibrancy of the color.  Beads - the wealth of colors available might allow you to create a necklace or bracelet that reflects this collection of tones.  What about a landscape quilt? Fabulous material in rich textures and colors sewn together to create a wall hanging or bedspread. A handmade card created using a variety of paper in patterns that reflect the colors enhanced by glitter, embellishments and inks.  Even something wearable, knitted or crochet that reflects the tonal values of the scene.

What inspires you and how would you capture it?  Inquiring and crafty minds want to know.
~ Dani

Image: flickr:  License

Some rights reserved by paul+photos=moo

Mac App Art : Hand Colored Photo Look Made Easy

I used to love to do black and white photography (yep, real 35mm film and everything) and then hand-paint great images (and some not so great images) with photo paint to make certain areas stand out for dramatic contrast.  Although I still love my super dramatic Angel statuary series of hand-painted images, limited time and space for all those art supplies has made digitizing those efforts a necessity.  Instant gratification has its happy place in my heart (and portfolio) as well though, and I love some inexpensive Mac Computer Apps that make digital photo editing quick, easy and fun. A program that gives you that black and white, hand painted look is iSplash.  This App will take a color jpeg and turn it into a black and white. Then, you can use a "tool" to colorize sections of the image.



Here is the original                             Here is the iSplash version

The results are beautiful and print worthy. They can also be used to make personalized greeting cards, stationary, wrapping paper, or iron on transfers or anything else you want to do with your own photography.

~ Diane

Beaded Bracelet: Rainbow Pattern

I don't know about the rest of you... but I have a room-full of beads, buttons and other paraphernalia that just begs to be used for something incredible.  Looking at all of this wonderful color, I started running my fingers through the piles of beads and crystals looking for inspiration.  Something classic, yet reflected the springtime colors of the season.  Low and behold, what jumped out at me was a rainbow of crystals bordered by delicious creamy white seed pearls.  In just a short time, with a few materials, I created a springy bracelet looks great anytime.  (and no I won't make you one too! LOL)  I liked the bracelet so much, I wrote a pattern for it.  What could be better than making something from nothing at all!     ~ Dani
 http://www.etsy.com/listing/26612798/pattern-rainbows-and-pearls-bracelet

Quick and Easy Easter "Basket" with Googly Eyes

Ok - so I admit I'm an Easter Addict.   Not just the enormous amounts of incredible chocolate that hides in a variety of baskets and bowls, but the decorations themselves.  Is it because I'm a dedicated Egg Artist... or is my resemblance to the Energizer Bunny (or so my friends say) as I go hopping around at a breakneck pace trying to get everything done at once? The only time I slow down is when I near my craft room and something catches my eye.  Today I was lured by the site of colorful scrapbook paper and some googly eyes.  That's what I said -- googly eyes!

As I paged through pages of patterns and colors, I remembered a great little gift that a friend made for me one Christmas and that I changed (with some help from her) years ago for other holidays. Pulling it out of my files (translated means rummaging through boxes of cool stuff that could make your head spin) I decided to resurrect this cute Easter Bunny basket for this year.

By folding one sheet of large paper you can create a basket that can be filled with grass.  To create the bunny, take a piece of rectangular paper (I used white) and fold it around a large Hershey bar.  Attach the googly eyes to the front with a pink circle centered beneath for the nose.  Her years are oblong pieces of paper, with smaller pink pieces centered inside.  Cut a half circle for a hat and attach a rose and there you have it. The perfect papercraft Easter basket that can easily be mailed to your favorite person.  Who am I sending them to?   I'll never tell, the Easter Bunny would disown me!
                                                         ~ Dani

Color Your Eggs the Natural Way!

Use these natural ingredients to make beautiful colored eggs for easter.... or anytime!

Here is a brief list of ingredients and the colors they make.

Blue – canned/frozen blueberries, grape juice concentrate

Brown or beige – strong coffee, black tea, walnuts, dill seed

Orange – paprika, yellow onion skins, chili powder

Bright yellow – Turmeric, saffron, dried marigold flowers, dried goldenrod

Pale yellow – orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, chamomile tea, ground cumin, green tea

Light green – spinach leaves, combination of red cabbage and turmeric, red onion skins

Blue/teal – red cabbage leaves

Red / pink – grated red beets, cranberries or cranberry juice, raspberries, pickled beet juice, red onion skins, pomegranate juice

Violet/purple – purple grape juice, hibiscus tea, red cabbage and beet mix, violet blossoms with 2 tsp lemon juice

Experiment with combinations (for a pretty salmon color, soak the egg in the tumeric solution, then in cabbage).  Soaking eggs for different times can also provide different color effects - a short time gives the eggshell a pale tone while over night gives it a jewel like color.
                                                                               ~ Dani

Image: flickr:  License

Some rights reserved by Will Merydith

Get Eggy for Easter

Tis the traditional season for giving decorated eggs. Cultures everywhere have a history of decorating eggs especially during the spring season. A symbol of renewal and birth, eggs are the perfect item to give to anyone. With so many different techniques available – they can be the Artsy girl’s (or guy’s) dream.



Traditional dyeing for example is just one way to play with the incredible edible egg. Don’t just buy the artificial dyes to decorate your eggs. They can be dyed with natural items found in your own kitchen. Simply make your own dyeing liquid by pouring 1 qt of water and 2 tbspns of vinegar into a stainless steel or glass pot. Pick the ingredient you want to use for color and put it into the pot,. Add additional water and vinegar if needed to cover it. Bring everything to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. The longer you allow it to simmer the stronger the color. If the color isn’t quite what you are looking for, add extra ingredients and continue to simmer. Strain the liquid into bowl or jar and cool. Then immerse your eggshells into the liquid and let sit until it reaches the color you want. You can use everything from blueberries (blue) to Tumeric (bright yellow).



Eggshells can be painted, glittered, decoupaged, carved, jeweled, beaded and filled with incredible dioramas. You name it, it’s the perfect medium for any artist. For more information on different forms of decorated eggs, spend some time on the International Egg Artist Guild website at http://www.eggartguild.org/.



Happy Egging!