Corky Craft

My craft today is a bit corky. Yes, I made craft out of corks. I made a business card holder and picture holder out of corks. I like to occasionally go the Virginia Vineyards. We have over 225 vineyards and they are great, watch out California!! This summer at one of the vineyards, I asked for corks...Wow! Ask and you shall receive. They gave a big bag full of them. So I decided to make art out of it. There are so many cool things you can do with corks. I have so many more ideas for the cork, but my grand plan in the future is to make a huge wine bottle pouring wine into a glass.

How it's made

I used a hot glue gun to fastened the corks together. For the business card holder I wanted to hide the hot glue between the corks, so strung hemp string between the cork pieces. I  really like how it looks with the hemp string. I felt that added an artistic, nautical type look.  For the picture holder I also wrapped the corks with hemp string to make it looked like it's tied together. I used 22 gauge wire to make picture holder. I glued wooden embellishment letters with word "Family". The cork that is in the center, is a cork I cut into fourths with serrated bread knife, which by the way is the only cutting device I found that cuts through corks. Just in case, the pictures are not of my family, they stock photos. Enjoy my corky art.

Queen B - Shadowbox Mixed Media

Women who believe they should be treated like queens…they are right. Then there are women who are thought of as the ultimate queen…a Queen Bee. A term that could be taken negatively or positively. I like to think of it in positive terms. I like to think of a Queen Bee as a woman who is empowered, who is a leader, who has going on and does all backwards in high heels (kind of like Ginger Rogers). Ok, ok high heels not required, I personally don’t like them, but nonetheless, a Queen Bee simply kicks butt.  I decided to make a mixed media shadow box art honoring the Queen Bee.

Besides being passionate about arts and craft, period, I really enjoy creating shadow box art.  I like to alter deep stretched canvas, and deep picture frames and make them into a shadow box. So far I have not used a real shadow box.  For the canvas I do more of a reverse canvas technique to make it look like a shadow box. The front of the canvas becomes the backing of the shadow box, and the back opening is wood frame that the canvas is stretched over. I use that opening to hold the various artistic pieces and embellishments.  

How it’s made

This is a reverse canvas. In this case I cut the backing (originally the front of the canvas) and folded over and painted it with gold metallic paint. I painted the box with Martha Stewart purple pearl paint. I stenciled the "faded dot" design by Tim Holtz with textured paint. I decorated a woodchip board with scrapbooking designer paper and used various embellishments and used as backing for the box. I painted the chipboard purple, used glitter and stenciled a honeycomb shapes using textured paint. I added Prima swirl bling and pearls throughout the box.  I made the “B” out of clay and spray painted with glitter gold paint.

The crown is a pendant from the Landing Bead. The crown is a semi-circle shape, which was perfect for this piece, since I am only displaying the front. The pillow that the crown is sitting on made out clay and I painted with purple and gold paint and glued gold trim around it. The little platform that the pillow sits on is also made out clay. I wrapped a purple ribbon to give it a regal look. I printed a picture of Queen Mary, just love the image, the vintage look, her pose. 

On the outside of the box, I used various embellishments. The flowers that are not made out of metal are from Prima, Recollections and Spare Parts. The key is made out wood and painted gold. The clock, cameo, dress form, fleur de lis is made out metal. The top of box is covered with lace and used a pearl trim throughout the front of the box. The queen bee image located on the top right was printed from the internet on card stock paper. I glued a glass pebble over the image using Modge Podge Dimension Glue. I decorated lace around the glass. Hope you enjoy my Queen B piece.

 

Message in a Bottle

The first recorded messages in bottles were released around 310 BC by the Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus. Columbus put messages in sealed casks in case he did not survive his first voyage to the New World, he survived the trip, but the casks were never recovered (wonder if they are still in the ocean). Today we continue to be fascinated with messages. We use as symbols in movies, books, art and of course craft. I too am fascinated by message in a bottle and decided to make whimsical craft piece.

How it's made


I got these heart shaped bottles from Michaels, then I stamped a message on a red ribbon.  The ribbon is glued to the cork top. I used StazOn permanent acid free ink. I tried other types of inks like pigment inks, distress inks, and the letters bled, making the word look blurry. I used the tight knitted type ribbon, it absorbs the ink better. I tried stamping on satin ribbons with the different types of inks and the no matter what ink I used, it bled as well. I tied a nice silver ribbon with a key to add a nice touch. I also got other shape bottles and stamped messages on other color ribbons. I think these would make nice whimsical gifts that can be customize Valentine's Day, Anniversary, birthday or any to other occasion.

 

And a New Chapter Begins - Mixed Media

We all like the idea of beginning a new chapter of our life. We can't undo our life, but we can try to have better next time in the next moment, hour, day or year...and that's the cool thing about life. So this idea of new chapters in our lives inspired this piece.

I used CK and Company scrapbooking paper as the background. I like the paper's design because it has a fictional looking map and it went perfect with my intention of traveling, hence, moving on to different place in our lives. The hot air ballons and butterflies are made of different patterned paper. The basket is made out braided hemp string glued together. The flowers are from Prima and Recollections.

Let's make our new chapters in out lives a good one. 

Be Free. Be Free. Be Happy - Mixed Media

In my last post, I created a True Beauty Lies Within mixed media piece where I used a vintage woman. In this mixed media I used the same vintage woman, clock idea and vintage theme, using a different inspirational phrase. Couldn't help myself just like the vintage woman and phrase.
This time I used a real canvas. I painted Gesso over a painting that I made and ended not liking it (leave to us, to be our worst critic, right). I used a vintage looking scrapbooking paper as the background, to which I adhere Prima spiral bling. I also added an acrylic birdhouse and chandelier from Spare Parts (that's the brand name of the product). The vintage woman has a different lace design dress and headdress. Her necklace is painted using gold Stickles. I also used Stickles throughout her outfit and headdress, to accentuate her fabulous-ness.

Now for the clock. This time (no pun intended) I made the numbers out of polymer Sculpey clay. For the clock's background I used a red card stock paper and lace underneath the red paper. The center is a painted paper doily.  I used several types of Prima flowers. The tan flowers on the top side are made out fabric. The flowers on the bottom right are metal flowers from Spare Parts. I just love that contrast of metal, paper and fabric flowers surrounding the clock.
The phrase. I printed the phrase on paper made to look like linen (it really does, look closely). As for the frame, it made out lace. I surrounded the frame with miniature flowers from Spare Parts. The crown is a bronze necklace charm. 

True Beauty Lies Within - Mixed Media

So I decided to go a little vintage, not so much shabby, but mostly vintage. I like vintage photographs of women; there is some so forever beautiful about the women in these photographs.  All I knew is I wanted to do something creative around a vintage photograph. As I looked for photographs, a photograph of Lupe Velez caught my attention. She was a Mexican American spit fire movie star during the 1920s and 30s. This pose inspired the words for this piece. Lupe looks like she's posing for us, but thinking about something else...perhaps she’s thinking how she's more than just a movie star, but a real person who dreams, feels, hurts, laughs or that her true beauty really does lie within.

Now about the piece. I used a piece of cardboard as the canvas. For the background I used a vintage looking scrapbooking paper. It looked like wall paper. I used homemade texture paint with Tim Holtz Faded Dots stencil for the background. I also used swirly bling to decorate the background as well. Since I wanted to portray a room, I added a resin chandelier. I used real photo paper, then cut out the image. I used a resin frame a part of the room’s décor. In the frame is another vintage photo of a woman (don’t know who she is). This whole piece is a sort of self-examination of the self, the photograph of in the frame represent of the layers of the self.  I wanted to add a little bit of 3D to the image, so I used lace for her bra, mini skirt, and hat. I used pearls as a decorative accoutrement for her outfit. I used bling for her shoe buckles.

The clock has meaning, not sure if it’s artistically okay, but nonetheless it has meaning for me.  It represents that beauty is timeless. Is composed of layers, the bottom layer is made of red cardstock paper, then a paper doily which painted to be beige, and an image cutout of the clock numbers. I embellished the clock with fabric, natural color flowers from Prima (I love these flowers) and a fleur de lis. I used a vintage pearl chad as the clock’s center.

 

 

Be Yourself - Mixed Media

One of my many favorite quotes is from Oscar Wilde..."Be Yourself Everyone is Already Taken". Growing up, didn’t it seem like all the adults seemed to tell you to be "oh honey just be yourself" and somehow that would make our world much better...ah the pressures of being a kid and fitting in.  Somehow if Oscar would have told me that as a kid, I would have definitely done it with confidence because he dared to be himself. He was so much himself that it led him to many trials and tribulations in his life, as well as moments of great inspiration that resulted in him writing great plays, stories and poems. My favorite being ‘The Importance of Being Earnest”. He was a great writer born ahead of his time.  Now about this Oscar Wilde inspired piece.

I used a piece of cardboard box as the canvas. The background is made out scrapbooking paper, lace, drywall tape, paint and textured honeycomb shapes. I used homemade textured paint and honeycomb stencil. Also as part of the background, I peeled back some of the cardboard revealing the corrugated center that all boxes have to create a cushion. I like the corrugated look because it give this tattered wall look. Furthermore, I like to contrast the tattered wall look with lace, which I added to the torn edges. I stamped the text. I decided to create faceless woman out of paper, which I believe one could interpret their own emotions. Her dress is a mini collage made out of different pieces of scrapbooking paper and lace.  I used a little flower with a pearl in the center as a sort of buckle for her sash.  I used pearl trim to make her necklace.  I used Prima and Recollections flowers. The ribbons is made out hemp string.

Since Oscar Wilde was Irish, I say ” Slainte (cheers) to you Oscar Wilde!”

 

Dwell in Possibilities - Mixed Media

Hi Everyone! One of my favorite quotes is from Emily Dickinson's poem titled "I Dwell in Possibility". This phrase always inspires me. There are many interpretation to this poem. It sounds like she is comparing two houses to poetry.  The two houses could be thought of her real life (uneventful and powerless for a woman in the 1800s), and her dream life (where anything is possible). The two houses could also be thought of Poetry versus other type of prose. Some think it's a sad poem, some think it's a happy poem. I think it's a positive poem. I did a mix media to honor this motivational phrase. However, I chose to say "possibilities" instead, not sure why, but just liked the way it sounded.

I used cardboard back from a used up notebook as the canvas. I used K and Company scrapbooking designer paper and some bling as the background. I love ribbons…so I felt compelled to use for the lettering. I stamped the words on a blue ribbon. Wrapping the ribbon is a hemp string with a lock and key. The lock and key is meant to be symbolic that you hold the key and lock to your dreams. I added some flowers from Recollections with some pearls embellishments as the center. I also added some K and Company puffy sticker butterflies. As the layers I have an antique clock, more scrapbooking paper and burlap. Here is to you Emily….