Altered Sketchbook

 For a birthday present for a friend i decided to created something pretty and practical.  An altered blank sketchbook.  This book is about 12" tall and 9" wide and contains nice weight blank pages - full of promise!  She can use it to sketch, duh, or as a scrapbook for clippings, recipes, even a photo album.
I started with a background of painted deli paper in an orange and teal blend.  I originally was not even planning a focal point image of a face, but came across this serene Modigiliani and it was just perfect.
I added a halo of butterflies and even added a feathered and jeweled butterfly with a button in the center.
A few more bits of collage, dictionary paper, pinkie stamps, my favorite florentine pattern paper filled out the bottom nicely.

 In the inside cover i carried over the deli paper and a few more collage scraps.  A bevy of butterflies complete the page.

 Inside the back cover another pice of deli paper and a Modigliani nude - although i covered her up for modesty.

 And the back - just plain deli paper.  i figured that would be the most durable over time.

Here's another shot of the cover - bad shot with a flash glare spot - but the colours are more intense.
To see more faces with pretty things on their heads - check out my donation to the Marin MOCA altered book show.  Details HERE.

Craft weekend Teaser

Here are some shots of my craftastic weekend with Karen.

Advanced Altered Book Workshop...a whirlwind!

Yesterday's advanced altered book workshop at Liquid Marin, in San Rafael, CA was such a whirlwind that i forgot to take any pictures!  But here is a run down of what we did:

1. created a text block in a vintage book
2. painted, glazed and stamped three sheets of deli paper
3. crinkled, folded and inked three sheets of paper to make cool backgrounds
4. used color mists, from outsidethemargins.com to create colorful splatters on vintage paper
5. tried out walnut ink to add age and character to book pages
6. created a faux licence plate with foam letters and metal duct tape
7. created a copper leaf sticker with slug tape
8. added metallic touches to a modern art image with gold or silver leaf
9. added a tag to a book page with a slit and hidden pocket
10. added an image of a door to a page, cut the opening and added mini bradd for door handles
11. added an image of a window to a page, and created an opening to see beyond
12. cut out an opening for a gate printed on transparency
13. cut out a niche in the text block we glued at the start of the class
14. created a pop up with a large star gazer lily flower printed on matte photo paper
15. created a faux vintage photo from a modern glossy printed picture

phew - what a ride!  It was a three hour creative adrenaline rush!  I had fun and my students did too!  Hope to see you in the fall for more altered book classes!

Deli Paper Blitz

 

Last night i went on a blitz painting deli paper.  As you may know, this is my favorite medium for background paper for altered books.  Better to paint and get messy OUTSIDE the book, and glue the lightweight paper into your book.  Deli paper glues beautifully.  if you don't know, deli paper is thin paper sold in boxes of hundreds or even thousands at places like costco or the grocery outlet.  They come in different sizes - these were about 12" square. They are fantastically cheap, about $8 for a thousand sheets! And yes - they are used in deli's to wrap sandwiches.  Not to be confused with wax paper.  these are just plain and have a matte or dry side and slightly shinier side.  You can paint on either.

I created about 30 sheets of paper in about an hour or so.  Using three sheets at a time i squirted in rough stripes of acrylic paint and smeared and blended with my favorite expensive art supply tool - old credit cards.  Or in my case brand new credit cards as sent from the credit card companies in the mail.  As if holding an American Express card with "your name here" would excite me so much that i would instantly sign up for their program.  It did excite me, you know, but not in the way they intended, 'cus a crafty girl can never have enough art supplies!

I worked in a limited palette of reds, green, white and blues. Creating three more or less the same in one batch.  Moving them to another part of the dining room table, and then starting another batch.  It does not take long to run out of room. If you have space - you can put newspapers on the floor and lay them out to dry.  Or a clothesline would be cool!  But i just butted the sheets together - paint to paint, stacked them and hoped they did not stick together.  They didn't.  But i cannot guarantee that.  I am sure it depends altogether on the type of paint and how much.  I focus on scraping OFF all the excess paint with the credit card, so they will dry quickly.
After they were mostly dry they each got a final coat of silver metallic paint.  Just scraped on with the same credit card. A handy-wipe would have worked even better.  But that would have meant a trip back upstairs.  If there is one thing i can share with my readers - it is fast and easy tips. Work with what you've got!

So why?  Why did i spend an evening painting 30 sheets of deli paper when i could have been watching the 49er's trounce Arizona with my hubbie?  Because i created a slew of Christmas cards - and i don't have matching envelopes! You can see a mock up here of what the deli paper will look like when it is folded into an envelope shape around a Christmas card.  Cool, eh? I could stamp onto them at this point - or just add the address labels.  I could cut them out with an envelope template - or just glue them on and add a decorative sticker.  We'll see when i get to that point.  I'll be sure to share!
For more exciting deli paper posts click here and here and here and here.

Craft-a-pallooza...!

They came, we shopped, we ate, and we created. All in all, a terrific long weekend with my mom, my sister and my niece. It was their first visit to beautiful sunny Pasadena, and a welcome change from the encroaching Canadian winter.

Our first project was deli paper painting. We created dozens on 12" square sheets in random colour combinations using the technique i wrote about HERE. Each sheet has three colours of cheap acrylic paint applied/blended with an old credit card. Then they are glazed with a bit of metallic shimmer. And optionally some were rubber stamped.
Here are three sheets on a pink/orange/mauve colour palette.
Here are some pink and teal with stars and dragon fly stamps.
Here is a cigar box i covered with some of the deli paper. Deli paper glues beautifully just with a glue stick. My niece did one too - but i neglected get a picture.
Here is the inside of the cigar box. I left the gold/green/red label exposed because it coordinated beautifully (quite by accident) with the deli paper. Even the taped borders on the original box looked cool - so i left them uncovered as well.
Our next project was these glitter bird cards from a Martha Stewart craft kit i picked up at Big Lots for two bucks! Not sure why it was there in a bargain pile - they were one of the best designed and fool proof kits i have ever used. Each kit comes with 8 blank cards and 8 bird stickers, and 5 vials of glitter. Erica and i each made three birds - so easy, you just peel off a section of the bird - sprinkle on the glitter, and rub off the excess with your finger. Put the un-stuck glitter back in the vial. Peel another section, apply a new colour of glitter, etc etc.

Then you peel of the backing of the bird and stick it on the card. There is even a narrow border of sticker on the card to apply glitter for a border.
Our next project was to use all those beautiful deli papers as background for a Papaya-style collage. I did a workshop a few months ago with my altered book group using this same technique - you can read about it and see some great pics HERE and HERE. The funny thing was - i could not find my samples to show my sister and niece. So they created these amazing collages completely randomly. Well, with my guidance of course - but they just went for it.

This one is mine - i used a deli paper background, an image cut out of Vogue magazine, and applied stickers using the recipe i developed: radiating stripes from the head, flowers and butterflies, and hoopy earrings drawn on with a sharpie.
Here is Donna's. She was really nervous about placement - qranted her "head" was more challenging because of the hair. But she created a lovely collage with a floral headband, and floral necklace punctuated with butterflies. She added the word BEAUTY using a stencil i created. Her deli paper is so pretty - looks like water, almost like her image is a mermaid floating out of a serene lagoon. Definitely a Tahitian vibe.
And finally here is Erica's - WOW. Did i mention she is 13? She had the most stunning collage of the three of us. First her deli paper and a nice contrast of green to blue. Then she chose a striking face and off set it on the page. Then her choice of large pink flowers and bright blue butterflies created a fantastic headdress for this gal. And she did some nice hoop-y earrings and swirls. I hope they display their Papaya style collage proudly back home in Calgary, and think fondly of their crafting vacation in sunny California all cold winter long.

It's Greek and Roman to Me

I just completed two spreads in Carol's latest altered book. Her theme is Greek and Roman influences - from the planets to the gods to the alphabet. Mars, Diana, Cronus and various muses were already taken. So i chose Venus and Achilles to inspire my pages. My goal was to create rich depth with layering painted deli paper with other textures. I printed the images onto matte photo paper.
I chose Venus for her beauty and the mistique of her missing limbs. Check out wikipedia for the story of her discovery - it is quite interesting. the thong? well, a bit of humour is always fun in an altered book.
I chose Achilles because of my own serious ankle injury a few years ago. I too feel vulnerable there now. I like how all the various papers come together.
As always, there is a sign in page when you are participating in an altered book round robin. I had my friend Z over this week to help me organize the remaining papers that hadn't been filed when i cleaned out my craft room. She found a page from a story book about Orion, so that made a perfect sign in tag.

Deli paper note cards

Here are some notecards i made from the big batch of printed deli paper i made last week.
I just cut out the paper into 3 x 4 1/2 pieces and glued them onto blank notecards with a glue stick. Deli paper glues beautifully.
I plan to give them as thank you gifts, so i printed "thank you" on colorful tags and tied them onto a stack of 4 cards with vintage seam binding.

More Deli paper

Friday morning we got together at Z's house for a play date. 4 ladies gathered together at her kitchen island to make more deli paper!We used 12" by 12" paper Z picked up at Smart and Final. She told us they have all sizes from 4" square up to about 20" x 12"! Using an assortment of liquid craft paints, metallic glazes and some sparkle paint, we each made dozens of pieces of paper. I loved using white gesso to stamp with large foam stamps, to create a batik look.We also used stencils to create some effects.

Z has already put her supply of paper to good use. She created a card for me and used a piece of painted paper to accent the card, and made a deli paper envelope.

Deli Paper Play Date

I gathered together today with 10 ladies for a play date at the Art Bungalow, a new creative facility in Brentwood CA. This is the NORTHERN california Brentwood, not down in LA.
Anyway, we are all part of the California Art Girls, a group that started at the Art and Soul gathering last year. I joined after i attended Asilomar last spring, and up until now - we have been an online group, sharing artistic ideas and doing some swaps.

Today i demo'd how to make your own painted deli paper. The paper can be used in all sorts of art projects. It is often easier to paint on deli paper and glue it to a journal page or altered book. Plus it is always nice to have a stash of hand painted paper ready for a project. Here you can see a ton of paper drying on the floor.
To get started you need deli paper - usually sold at Smart and Final or Costco. About 1000 sheets for less than $10. Next you need acrylic paint. The cheap liquid craft paint sold at places like Michaels. A friend gave me about 150 bottles of the stuff - so i was anxious to share! You also need a very expensive art supply tool - an old credit card.To start select three colours of paint. i went with neutrals here - but they can be anything. Squeeze out three lines of paint on the paper. Then use the credit card to create three broad stripes. The slower you do this, the more each colour will be absorbed into the paper. Once you have spread the paint, you can swipe the credit card up and down and across to create patterns.

Once this thin layer has dried, apply a thin coat of metallic glaze with a baby wipe. Finally you can stamp random patterns with black ink. Another idea is to use stencils or texture mats to get patterns in the paint.Here are some more of the pages i did today, i did 4 at a time - using variations of the same colour family in each set. I made 28 pages in about three hours. The time flew by - it was so fun and relaxing. My friend Z. and I had to leave early so we did not get to see everyone's finished pages. But the results were looking great! Thanks Terrie for hosting us in your fabulous Art bungalow!