Uh-huh, uh-huh! What I've been working on...

Squeee! Speaking to my fellow artists out there...don't ya just love when something shows up on your work table and you just fall in love at first sight? And it arrived easily, spontaneously, and with a flourish of fun! That's how I feel about this new little series I'm working on.

I'm really enjoying working on wood, using instinctive backgrounds (so fun), smudged graphite, pen... plus you can't beat a backyard adventure looking for little sticks!  Nature is the ultimate master of infinite creativity!  And I'm having a blast incorporating bits of it into my artwork!

Let yourself FLY! 

(I'll be listing in ETSY soon!)

Tag Sale Treasure! Funky Fly Curtains Get a New Life!

 

It is Spring Time already here in Florida. I think it is almost safe to plant some tomatoes. It's also a time when I am craving some fresh new looks about the house. I want to do projects that lighten and brighten and reflect the cheery mood that comes along with warm days, cool breezes, and sunlight that lasts well into the evening hours. 

Check out the above curtains that I recently SCORED at a yard sale. These curtains ARE Springtime in fabric form!
And all of this amazing fabric, for $2!!  

 I love this so much that I wrestled with cutting it up...I think I would LOVE these curtains in the studio...but in the end I went with my first inkling of using it for other projects...maybe an apron? or some short table curtains? or pillows? Or....chair cushions! I enlisted the help of my husband and got to work. First, we deconstructed the chairs. These were pretty easy, just a couple of screws, and the cushions popped right out. Then I placed the cushions on the fabric according to what design elements I wanted to line up on each seat, while at the same time, being careful to maximize my use of the fabric, so I can have some left for future projects!

All you do is cut squares, flip your cushion over and staple the fabric on! My husband was a huge help on this, and I recommend you recruit an extra pair of hands if you can.  You want to take care to stretch your fabric taut and then staple. Work on one side and then the opposite side and your fabric will end up laying nice and flat without too many weird puckers.  Don't worry, if you have some though. This is HANDMADE after all!  Once we got into a groove, the project went pretty quick and smooth!

 

I was able to cover these 4 dining chairs plus 2 smaller side chairs, with just one panel (with still some fabric left over).

BAM!

Check out this Before and After!!

For just a couple of bucks and some elbow grease, I am in LOVE!

My heart flutters like a butterfly whenever I see these!

Recycle! Upcycle! Use your creativity!

Are any of you working on some upcycling projects?  Feel free to share your blog links in the comments!

UPCYCLE! Old Frame Organizer

I'm embracing Tax Time this year...I know it sounds CA-RAZ-EE!!! But, I'm looking at it from a different perspective. Instead of fully dreading it, I'm choosing to see it as a time to re-inforce some resolutions that I made just a couple of months ago.  The ones about getting organized FINALLY, about staying on top of the finances, and growing my business. A couple of weeks ago, I had an epiphany in the Winn Dixie parking lot, as I discovered my $5 off of $55 coupon swimming in the bottom of my handbag...after I already checked out.
 Sad face.

The epiphany was this...
BEING UNORGANIZED COSTS YOU MONEY.
Plain and simple.

So as I search for the receipt for my $300 printer purchased last January, I'm am fueling my resolve to be more organized.

Which brings me to an upcycling project that I recently completed, that I love and makes me happy. Any time you can combine happiness with organizing you know that you are onto something that will actually work for you. If you don't like it, you won't use it. If the shoe doesn't fit, it will sit in the closet. No matter how cute it is.

I recently inherited a beautiful old frame from my dear friend, Lillian, as she and her fiance packed up a moving van and found that several bulky items just didn't fit.
BONUS!

This old wormwood frame actually came out of her grandmother's brownstone in New York. I love old things...they hold history and character and stories in their very being.

For this project, I started out by adding rows of D-rings up and down the sides of the frame (above).

Then I strung picture wire across to form about 5 rows across.  Next, I picked through my paper scraps for any pieces that coordinated, anything that jumped out. I listened to my Inklings here!

Now, let the glue-slopping begin!  You can use Mod Podge or matte medium or varnish or whatever you like to use for paper collage.  I used a heavy gel medium and applied my torn papers in a Pleasing-To-Me manner all around. Notice that gold fillet in the frame...love that. I'm going for a rustic, worn, torn, aged-look here, so I did a little light whitewashing after the collage had fully dried. Just apply a little watered-down white or beige acrylic paint, and then lightly wipe off with paper towel or cloth.

VOILA!
A handy-dandy paper mail organizer!

I used some mini-clothespins to hold the mail in place. I have tried an on-desk IN file, a clear plastic file velcroed to my file cabinet, and many other ideas for organizing incoming mail. None of them really worked for me.  A build-up would soon result, and I would end up forgetting to mail my physical therapy bill, or worse, my Cloth, Paper, Scissors subscription!!

Although I do quite a bit of this stuff online, there is still paper mail that needs to be dealt with, and this upcycling project is so simple and happy and most importantly makes me WANT to look at it to see what's there!
Maybe something like this might work for you. If you feel like it floats your boat, give it a try!  If you have any questions about it, please ask. I'm here to help!

Until next time, go out and BE KIND.