I am always fascinated about how unassuming household items can be recycled and put to good use. Like how an egg crate can be turned into an odds and ends catch-all, a plate rack turned into a mail and utility bills station, wine bottles as an ultra-modern vase, or pet bottle “bottoms” into a work of art. Really, the possibilities are endless! One has to be just creative and patient enough to do all these things. And since the mantra of majority of the human race nowadays is to “go green”, why don’t you try to look around your own home and …read more

The autumn quarterly issue of Altered Couture is on the horizon, and I thought that looking at Nancy Judd’s amazing recycled wonders a couple weeks ago might be just the inspirational push you need to get you going this time.  You’ve got two months before the deadline, but don’t procrastinate…you know how time can sneak up on you!

A hand-me-down sweater … a raggedy old skirt from the thrift store … a plain T-shirt … Using just a few tools coupled with your creativity, all of these items can be transformed into fantastic works of wearable art!  The publisher of Belle …read more

Altered Books have been around a lot longer than 10 years, but there’s a very special email group on Yahoo called the Alteredbooks group, which is having its 10th anniversary.  I’ve mentioned this group before as a wonderful resource and place of sharing for folks who are interested in this art form.
Well now my friend Corinne Stubson, who teaches book arts classes and has exhibited her books in art galleries, has decided to make a very special present for everyone in the group who wants to play.  We will each be creating a book page and sending it to Corinne.  …read more

Do you have old clipboards on hand that you’re not using?  They’ve become a bit battered?
Why not try some clipboard altered art or wall hangings.  They’re fun projects for children and adults.  You can hang them on your walls for decoration and to display memorabilia.
First paint the clipboard and clip, generally with acrylic paint, but you can try other types to see what works.  When it dries, stamp designs on it or leave plain.  Then attach items with glue or gel medium.
You can have a theme for your designs or simply arrange a miscallaneous display with items on hand.  The …read more

ArtTrader Magazine is a free web based publication!  Its specialty is altered art, and it has instructional articles as well as interviews with artists.   ArtTrader Magazine is published quarterly (January, April, July and October) in PDF format, and like I said before, it is available FREE!  All of the back issues are available too.   Each year a physical compilation book is put together for purchase.

There have been six issues published so far, and you can access all the downloads on the ArtTrader website.   When you visit, you’ll see that they’ve got an online store with materials for sale as well.

Don’t forget that there are dozens more wonderful books to stimulate your creativity or teach you a new technique…and the best of the best are listed in The Library. You can always find an up-to-date link to The Library in the “Pages” section in the right-hand sidebar of this blog!

Don’t forget that there are dozens more wonderful books to stimulate your creativity or teach you a new technique…and the best of the best are listed in The Library. You can always find an up-to-date link to The Library in the “Pages” section in the right-hand sidebar of this blog!

Altered Curiosities
by Jane Ann Wynn
Altered Curiosities is an excellent name for this book. Instead of starting with the usual list of supplies and tools that every altered art book feels obligated to include, Jane Ann Wynn jumps right into techniques. My kinda girl! Fearlessly, she plows into soldering and cutting apart small plastic animals, drilling, breaking glass, and cutting shapes into egg shells. This is not your average altered art book!
Just when you think your brain is going to explode with all the new ideas, Jane Ann plunges you right into the heart of the matter…storytelling. Assemblage without a story …read more

Basic Spirit by Isabel Besse
Isabel Besse emailed me some great additional tips to pass on to everyone! She wrote:
Hi ! I’ve been altering photos for quite a while….a couple of things I’ve found out….
The photos don’t need to be wet to sandpaper. Also, you can use a spritzer bottle to wet the photo (helps to control the dampness, and they don’t take as long to dry). You can also spritz with a bit of bleach diluted in water.
Take a paper awl to outline any images you like. I like to use gel pens or the …read more

Back when I was using a film camera, I managed to collect tons of shots that were…well, ok…but certainly not remarkable. Fortunately, I saved them. All of them. (Remember our motto here: don’t throw out anything! I practice what I preach.)
Anyway, I’ve learned a number of very fun and fairly easy altering techniques that can be used on photos, so if you have already thrown out all your duds, just have a handful of your digital shots printed out. Many techniques work on shots printed on either photographic or regular printer paper (like inkjet prints), but I like the way …read more