We’re talking a lot about taking classes this month, but here’s a great couple of reasons why maybe you should think about teaching classes too!

Debe Friedhoff sent me the following note…I can’t wait to see what Debe comes up with next:

The mermaid clock was for my hostess in Florida, who invited me to teach ALTERED ART (as if) to the middle school students that were participating in the MAKE A DIFFERENCE program.

We had a wonderful time, and I enjoyed the students one on one, and they “got it” and ran with it!

My other clock is a fantasy clock, and it is just as I pictured it when I started collecting my bits and placing them in a special bin because I knew they were an interesting “match”… for some reason last Saturday was a “good day for art” and I had 7 hours .. and now I have a new clock.

Here is my latest excuse for not doing house work.

Next I am jonesing to do another altered shoe, and start on my “scrap book” of my adventures of the past year.

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Debe’s new clocks…and why you too should think about teaching…

Dee writes:

• It’s was really pretty easy, since I didn’t have to spend hours rehabbing a regular keg- simply used a 5L Heineken consumer keg
• Rather than buying a lamp kit or parts, I simply used a “junker” lamp and recycled it for parts
• I painted and placed a based on the bottom, ran the electrical through the keg, and wired the switch…. and voila!
• I wasn’t crazy about the lamp’s the shade and above; so, while still using the original shade, I nailed a couple of Heineken bottle caps to a yellow golf ball to top it off!

If you’d like to contact Dee to swap lamp stories, you can email him!

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Dee Henderson’s new project

Patti was gracious to allow me to share the results of her recent experiments:

You can read Patti’s thoughts about the piece on her blog, Treasure Barn. The original post with instructions for image transfers using acrylic medium is here.

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Image transfer by Patti Koosed

Do you have an idea for a technique that you’d like to share? Step-out pictures would be helpful, but may not be necessary as long as you’ve got a good shot of the finished item and can explain how to do it simply and clearly. I’d be happy to post your project here, along with links to your website(s) and blog(s) if you have them.

So let’s talk! Email me at cyndi @ b5media.com with your ideas. (remove the spaces!)

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Do you have a skill you’d like to share?

Joni’s Things

My name is Joni Owens. I was surprised, and excited when Cyndi invited me to share some of my collage pieces with her readers. I love working with all sorts of odds and ends. I have had no formal training (the only art classes I remember were way, way back in I think the 4th grade), creating art is something I have done all of my life in some fashion, thanks to early efforts by my mom. I love the “no wrong way to do it” part of mixed media work because some of my things occasionally get way out of hand.

I love color, but also the quiet, calming sense I get from working with pale, washed out off whites, muslin, etc. I create according to my moods. I am constantly pouring over magazines and books admiring the work of others. To me this is kind like my daily “art candy”, keeping my brain working on new things. The pieces Cyndi suggested we use for this came about in phases. I purchased some 4 x 6 acrylic frames, the type with the cardboard box the inside to hold your photo. I was working at the time on a 4 x 6 canvas with an Egyptian theme and I wanted a deep, shadowbox type effect without a wood edge. Using only the frames I started to accumulate a number of the cardboard box inserts. At first I just used the inserts as a simple collage base, that was the start of the Pearls and Quilt pieces. Then one day IT hit me, mount them on an 8 x 10 background and cover them with a frame. On my blogsite I have photos of these pieces before the final phase. They are listed under the title “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.” I liked the frame plain, unadorned and simple, yet on the side – well it needed a little something.

Pearls

So I decided to use bits and pieces of torn paper to cover the sides and edge the fronts. I wanted them to look like you were peeking into an opening, or scene (I used to do a lot of miniature/doll house work). To get the effect I wanted, on some pieces I glued coordinating papers inside the edges of the frames on others they were placed face down on the outside and a second layer facing out on top to finish the frame so that if you look at the inside edges the background wraps around and I wanted the front to look like pieces had been torn or had fallen away over time like torn, peeling wallpaper, so one could get a peek inside the frame, like time being torn away to reveal a treasure. For me this is a constant evolving process.

Sometimes I have to yell at myself and say “No, No, No!!!! That’s enough, no more STOP!! It’s Done!!!!
I love working on new projects and trying new technics. I keep wanting to do more. I also love the making jewelry and I have rigged myself up a crude loom to try my hand at weaving. My small (LOL) workspace has taken over the dining space (never used anyway – sold the table) in my cozy little townhouse. My son is convinced that eventually it will push everything else in it’s path out the door. The way I have it set up wraps around the perimeter of the area and creates a wonderful “nest” space of working materials and tools.

Gift

My life took a major change two years ago when I found myself out of work and health issues have rendered me disabled. Waiting, waiting, waiting on a disability hearing, I spend my days keeping my 21 month old grandson (my true love), child of my oldest son and my beautiful daughter-in-law. I make and attempt (with the help of my 26 year old son, who lives with me) to survive on the $80 a week I earn from that and whatever I can sell at our local flea market (not a real good outlet for my artwork – people ooh and aah but rarely buy). Sometimes I’m challenged by what I don’t have to work with (take the lemon seeds and make lemonade). I decided when possible I would allow myself at least $5-$10 occasionally to “go wild” at my favorite local thrift shop and craft shops (hit the sales aisle!!!). When the crowd thins at the flea market on Saturdays, I start checking out the ground area around my table and any vacant ones close by and have found rusty, broken, bits & pieces that will be incorporated into something someday. I am not beyond picking up interesting rocks, sticks, moss, fallen flowers, leaves, rusty stuff when rambling around during travels. I always keep a good supply of shells, beach sand, one never knows what one may need.

My dad always teases me and says that I will take anything anyone throws out and well, in most cases he’s right. I have a friend who is more than willing to stop, jump out of the car with me, and grab whatever treasure someone has set on the curb for trash pickup, when it’s something one of us desperately needs (artists don’t need much of any excuse anyway, just a reasonable excuse)! I look at an item and try to think of what it could be, not what it is. Sometimes that gets me in trouble.

I live where my roots are the deepest, in upstate South Carolina, in the county where I was born, 15 minutes from my birthplace, where the majority of my ancestors settled, lived, worked, and sleep in its ground. I can’t imagine being anywhere else and despite tough times can’t imagine my life any other way. I have a difficult time (getting better) when people call me an artist. I’m learning to see myself that way, slowly.

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Mixed media art by Joni Owens

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When I was approached to write an article describing ABC_Alteredbookclub, I was both honored and contemplative. We just celebrated our fourth anniversary and I was amazed at everything we have accomplished in the altered arts world in such a short time. Writing this article forced me to realize how much we have learned and accomplished in the past four years, yet how much the artform has changed over time.

To celebrate our first anniversary, we created an ABC book that we donated to ISABA. We altered both upper and lower case letters and I glued them into a book. Sadly, it was only one book and we had nothing tangible to keep for our hard work.

Upper case S by Jackie Smith. Jackie incorporated the names of all the players over a photo of sisters. She added to the digital spread with a game tile and fancy ribbon.

Probably our most notable accomplishment was the tip-in book we sent to Carol Duvall. Started in 2002, it appeared on her show in 2004. Many ABC artists contributed tip-ins to this book that Carol actually wrote back in the mid-1970s. Here is a direct link to the page

Artwork by Michal Austin who paid Carol tribute ala Andy Warhol.

For our third anniversary, we decided we wanted a remembrance of the event, so we opted to make fat books. Although fat books were all the rage in 2006, it was the first fat book swap on ABC. The theme we used was the number 3 or ABC. We have such a creative group of artists and we received many wonderful entries from several countries. In the end, the book was truly “fat” when it was finished.

This completed book was bound by Kathy Turnquist.

Suzi Clough carved her own stamp to make her anniversary square.

This year was no different. We decided that 4 X 4s were the perfect way to celebrate our 4th anniversary. Our fat book, which is in the process of being swapped and distributed, also has many wonderful entries.

Dianne Carey was inspired by Lynne Perrella when she made this 4th year 4 X 4.

ABC has several daily and weekly events. TODs, or topics of discussion are posted to run Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday. Wednesday Whack is to get your creative juices flowing with thought provoking, sometimes philosophical questions. Other times we simply discuss various organizational solutions.Other regular features include Sunday background lessons and our ART pARTy. Although this is not a new concept, we limit entries to whatever was created during that week. We leave the entries posted on the site for two weeks, so members can see our diverse art interests.

Speaking of diverse art interests, a feature we started in January was Materials Monthly. Each month we feature a different material which is intended to get you reacquainted with the supplies, tools, and materials you purchased for these projects, yet never put them to use. It is a great forum for sharing ideas about a given material that you may or may not know anything about, along with the supplies, tools, and techniques associated with it.

This first attempt at polymer clay and Lazartran was created by Elizabeth Kertz for the April Monthly Material (polymer clay) challenge.

ABC is a social club, and like every social club, needs lots of people to split the work. Our group is no exception. We have a fantastic group of moderators who keep ABC running like a well oiled machine. In alphabetical order, these mods include:Cindy McMath keeps our files and photo areas cleaned out. Cindy is probably our most “published” and well known moderator. Her work has appeared in Somerset, Cloth Paper Scissors, Stampers’ Sampler, and a number of special publications from Stampington & Co., including several of the Somerset Gallery series, the Anthology of ATCs, and Somerset Weddings. Her work also appeared in the Collage Cat Zine (no longer published) and Artitude Zine. She is also a featured artist for ARTchix.

These beauties from Cindy McMath show we have not forgotten that altered books are at the heart of our art.

Dawn Regelman is in charge of birthdays, the ABC deco RRs, and various other chores.

Dawn might be called the Queen of Zetti. She continues to develop her Zetti style, which we all love.

Elizabeth Kertz is in charge of TODs, approvals, and Sunday lessons. Her papermaking article has appeared in Beeksnees Zine (no longer published) and her Freebie articles have appeared in ISABA’s newsletter.Halle Gustafson is in charge of the Art Party, archiving TODs, and approving new members. She recently received word that an art piece she submitted will be published in an upcoming edition of Somerset.

Halle is well known for her puzzle pieces and for ARTing members with her unique mail art.

Jackie Smith is in charge of the ART group. ART is ABC’s acronym for Act of Random Thoughtfulness. Now doesn’t that sound a lot classier than RAK? Same thing, classier name.Theresa Pillow is in charge of changing the homepage art on our three sites and approving new members.

Theresa always uses many techniques and embellishments in her work.

If you are new to altered art, want to explore a new medium, want to share art techniques, or just enjoy the company of a bunch of caring, sharing collage, AB, assemblage minded members, please join us at ABC_alteredbookclub. And thanks again to Cyndi for showcasing our little altered book club.

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Wonderful art from the ABC_AlteredBookClub

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 “souffle” type of pens to outline.

“Copic” markers (though expensive) are great for photos.

Someone once suggested dipping or soaking the photos in Drano. I haven’t tried this yet though !

Have fun !
Isabel Besse

Well, I have used Drano, and it allows you to smear the colors in quite an interesting fashion! These are great tips, and I really appreciate Isabel taking the time to send them. You can see more of her work at her blog, Sometimes I Wonder.

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Follow up on altered photos

One of my online friends from the Bead Journal Project has experimented with Speedball Speedy Cut Printing Block rubber, and has come up with an excellent fish stamp! Timaree, aka Freebird, read my grid stamp post awhile back, and mentioned that she’d been playing with the rubber stuff. You can read about how she made it and see what she made with it on her excellent blog, Freebirdsings. You can also follow her adventures with the Bead Journal Project!

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Carved stamp

Carolyn posted a comment after I shared the instructions for making a grid stamp and told me that she had used the technique to make a unique card. I was thrilled that she was willing to share both her process and the results with all of us.  Thank you so much, Carolyn!
Carolyn created a pattern first:

This is the pattern I used to cut out the stamp, not the actual card I made…since the verse was long and had several long words as well, I felt I had to plan more not just cut holes and hope they work.

Here is a picture of one of the finished cards. I ruined one by writing toooooooo big, which can be a problem. You could probably get around that by using the computer and using lighter colors to sponge the background paper.

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Carolyn Reed’s grid stamped card