Cards from the heart

My six-year-old daughter and I just finished valentine cards for her classmates.  I'm pretty happy with how they turned out considering we only used supplies found at home, and my daughter was able to do nearly all the steps of the project on her own.  

The first step was assessing our stock of craft supplies.  We gathered together some cream cardstock, crepe paper streamers, cutting and hole-punching gadgets, and an alphabet band stamp.

After brainstorming a basic card design, we started cutting strips of crepe paper streamers and gluing them onto paper.  (We used regular white copy paper as a base, but paper with printed text would have been fun, too.)  We made a total of three letter size sheets and let them dry overnight.

The next day, I made a heart template that my daughter used to trace onto the backside of the streamer collages.  We were able to cut nine hearts from one sheet.

While I cut the cardstock into quarters, my daughter used a decorative scissors ("clouds") along the edges of the paper to create a scalloped look.  We then glued the hearts onto the cards leaving some space at the top for the stamped message.

Initially, I wanted to stamp "Je t'aime" on the cards, but my daughter's vote was for "I heart you." As my daughter stamped the valentine message onto the cards, I detailed the edges with a small hole punch.  (Another decorative touch could be two purple lines sewn alongside the edges.)

We made twenty-seven cards altogether.  Now to start on an entirely different set of cards with my other daughter!

Smitten with Elisa Strozyk's wooden textiles

Wooden Blanket.

I'm in awe of Elisa Strozyk's amazing art, particularly her collection of wooden textiles.  I love how the wooden blanket and wooden carpet can transform from a two-dimensional piece to a three-dimensional work.  They are fluid, flexible, and even functional.

To create a wooden textile,  Elisa takes hand or laser cut wood veneer pieces and adheres them to a fabric backing.  Her craftsmanship and attention to detail are truly impressive. 

Wooden Carpet.  Photo credit: Sebastian Neeb

My love of portrait photography

In addition to drawing and painting, I like taking pictures, particularly of people.  Here are some of my more recent favorites.

 

I really enjoy black and white photography, especially working with film.  The first photograph was taken with a vintage camera, a Minolta Autocord. 

To read my post on how to take black and white portraits of kids, go here.

The alluring, imaginative world of Dan-ah Kim

I Hunt You

I love art that makes me look at it for a long time.  Such is the beautiful work of Brooklyn artist Dan-ah Kim.  Each piece she creates is like a story in itself, with heroines traversing through fantasy woods, fields, waters, and skies.

Dan-ah's art reminds me of the short French novel, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.  There is the common theme of celestial elements, but I realize it's more than that. Like the book, Dan-ah's art is a weaving of childlike innocence and the mature matters of the human heart and mind.

Stars Under My Control

I've Found Refuge In You

Tired Spirit

Findings of a Voyager

My red table

  

My favorite piece of furniture in our home is the red dining room table.  It was made by a friend of ours, Tim Stevens.  A few years ago, I called Tim in a panic after our wood dining room table was damaged during our kitchen remodel.  Tim has superpower building skills, and his specialty is working with metal.  So I asked if he could build me a red metal table, and two weeks later, this is what he delivered.  

After the remodel and the dining room table experience, I became a huge proponent of custom made items.  A lot of people assume that custom furniture is way out of their price range, when in actuality, it can be more affordable than buying a piece from a retail store like Design Within Reach.  

 

Our custom wall mounted pantry is another favorite of mine.  It was built by a local craftsman using materials locally sourced.  I had looked into purchasing cabinetry from a few independent lines in the Pacific Northwest, but choosing to work with a local, creative cabinet builder was surprisingly the least expensive route. 

If you're currently shopping around for a new furniture piece for your home, consider working with a craftsman in town.  I wouldn't go to the Yellow Pages first.  I would ask around at local home building supply centers, which is how we found our cabinet maker.  Home decor and furniture shops that sell locally made items also are likely to have a great resource list. 

To read my tips on designing custom pieces for your home, go here.

A kindred spirit

Artists naturally gravitate towards art that is similar to their own.  Case in point, when I found Belinda Kemp's art on Etsy,  I became an instant fan.  There's a familiarity when browsing her works.  Although Belinda has a style that is recognizably her own, I definitley "get" her work.  I especially love her abstract landscape designs.

full moon with yellow birds

round 5am

3 blue trees

early morning garden

I love it when artists post pictures of their work space.  Here's a snapshot of Belinda's art desk.  

You can find more photos of her work area on her Flickr page. 

New work: more patterns and landscapes

This ink and marker drawing was inspired by Oregon's beautiful landscape- the waters, the mountains, and the ever-changing skies. Oregon has always been my home, so I decided to keep the art work for now (see how I framed it in yesterday's post).   

I finished another drawing this week called Desert Sky.  I've really enjoyed playing around with patterns and landscapes.  I'm currently working on the drawing shown below. It's been slow going for sure.  It's a little bigger than the others, so the detail work has taken a lot longer.  I was planning on adding some stars at the top.  I'm undecided about adding a sun in the lower half of the picture.  Any feedback?

I'm also still working on birch panels.  Here's a little media media work using a picture I took at the Oregon coast.  It makes me happy, so I'm calling it Happy Rain.

Framing art is as easy as 1, 2, 3

Showcasing art, particulary smaller drawings and prints, doesn't need to cost a fortune.  Here are three simple steps on how to frame art for your walls.

STEP 1  Find an artwork that you really love.  It can be a print, an original drawing, a photograph, and even a card.  Browse these sites for some great art pieces: Etsy, The Shiny Squirrel, Little Paper Planes.

STEP 2  Find a mat and a frame for the art. If the artwork is not a standard size, like 5" x 7", you can still get a mat custom cut for an affordable price.  I had one cut for my drawing for $8 at a local art shop.

The hardest part of the mat process is choosing a color.  An off-white (anything from cream to light gray) is always a good choice.  I chose a light gray mat for my drawing.  Make sure to look at the mat sample in the natural light to get a more accurate idea of what it'll look like in your home. 

You also want to have a frame picked out at this point, so that the mat can be cut to size.  Even though the dimensions of my art work is 9" x 12", I wanted a frame that was a little bigger.  At the art shop, I found an 11" x 14" metal frame in black that was perfect. 

STEP 3 Frame the art!  Now that you have the mat and the frame, all you have to do is assemble the pieces together.  First lay the artwork on a flat surface.  Place two pieces of tape at the top and bottom so that the sticky side is facing up.  Position the mat over the art and press down.

Before putting the matted work in the frame, wipe the glass clean on both sides.  With the frame face down, place the mat and art work onto the glass.  Secure the back and voilá!

Choosing a frame and having a mat custom cut took less than 30 minutes. And the total cost was under $25!