Faux Tape

I have to work this weekend, but the bright spot to that is that I get a weekday off when that happens.  So, off I went to Louisville this week to visit Gaye and see what she brought me from Stampaway (yes, I know Stampaway was two weeks ago.)  What fun to get a bag of goodies.  I had especially requested some tape from Coffee Break.  I'll explain why later.  Here are some of my goodies.

(Yes, Mike, I realize I forgot to pull off the paper backing on the parts of the mini stamp before I assembled it.  I noticed it after the fact.  But I was so anxious to put the stamp together that I got ahead of myself!  Plus I like to think mine is unique now, not that I'm incompetent!)

Gaye was showing me a technique while I was there, and I immediately confiscated her sample to put in my stencil journal (which I had brought with me to show her).  She gave me some flowered envelopes, and I immediately cut one in half and put that in my journal too, making a pocket out of it. The blue swirly package tape is also hers.  A true friend lets you use her stuff like that, you know, when you are overcome with a journaling urge.

The reason I wanted more tape is that I have been playing around with making my own faux washi tape.  Oh, I still love the ones for sale, and will not stop buying anything that strikes my fancy.  But it's also fun to make your own.  I simple gather my tape and some tissue paper, put the tape on the back of the tissue paper, then cut along the edge of the tape.  To use, peel off the tape backing and there you have it. 

I have also experimented with scrunching up the faux tape to make it look more like masking tape or crepe tape.

I have stamped on painted papers and used that as well.  The black and white piece is one Gaye stamped.  There is no end to the possibilities.

Last but not least, I spied something on Gaye's counter.  It was a miniature refrigerator. The date on the back says 1987.  My picture of the front of the little fridge was overexposed, so unfortunately I can't show you that.  But check out the rest of it. 

We agree it probably had more "parts" to it in its past life, but here's what it has now...

It had a pocket on the back that held scissors.  The pineapple is a little stapler.  The celery is a pen.  The butter box is a sharpener.  The cherry cake is actually a retractable tape measure.  Two small drawers hold vegetable paper clips and a steak which is really a magnet.  The larger freezer section is a tape dispenser.  It was the cutest thing ever.  I'm still not sure what the connection is between office supplies and a refrigerator, but that's neither here nor there!  I just never know which will be more fun when I go to Gaye's house -- her latest art projects or her yard sale finds! 

Check please

"Why are you painting the pages of your checkbook register?"

"Because.  Because I saw THIS."

Texture

I was going to label this "Texture Tuesday" but it's not Tuesday.  I could wait til Tuesday to post this, but I'd forget by then!  Actually, I have mostly been piddling here and there, and have not done anything special to show.  But I did come across a bag o' stuff that I was sorting and putting away.  Cool stuff in the bag o' stuff, which came from Gaye of course, and some of her excursions to see what other people are getting rid of.

For some reason, I'm seeing all these things on book covers.  And I'm seeing that black lace used on a sun print, which I'm sure I'll get around to doing sometime in my lifetime because it's on my to-do list.  I think.  I need to start a new list, and the first thing would be to find my to-do list.

Earlier this month, I had good intentions of entering a calligraphy piece in the state fair.  I decided to play around with background pieces to have something to work on.  On two, I used a dropper to make marks on black paper with white acrylic ink.  On the other, I used a folded pen to make black marks on paper, then added a walnut ink wash.

Unfortunately, that was also the week the heat index was around 110 degrees every day. Combined with the humidity and my current air conditioning "issues", it just seemed the inks and paints would never dry properly.  I lost interest and went away, to the room of air conditioning, where I took long naps.

I love fall.  I love spring.  I love winter.  Summer... not so much.

And then there were two

Last weekend, I sewed the tapes onto the other stencil journal I had started.  I had put it aside so I could stencil some more of the wide tapes.  I wanted to spray the word Journal on the tape.  But I never got around to doing that... and I was SO antsy to put this together.  I went with the plain black cover and used the tapes I had already sprayed before.  Love it! 

A Little Carving

What patience this must take.  Do you see the alphabet?

More about Dalton Ghetti here.
  wow

The night was steaming hot...

There was a fan in the corner of the room, slowly turning back and forth.  Its subtle click, click, click was hypnotic, and, combined with the hot still air, made her drowsy as she tried to focus on the papers spread over her desk.  Maybe another scotch would help.  The ice cubes clinked in the glass and started to melt immediately. When would this heat ever end?

Okay, back to reality.  I saw a link on a couple of other blogs for a web site called "I Write Like" -- you paste a sample of your own writing and it tells you who you write like.  I pasted something from one of my previous blog posts, and apparently I write like Raymond Chandler.  He used to write those old detective novels (The Big Sleep is one).  So how about I write all my blog posts like a detective novel?  Here's the link for I Write Like.

A few people asked about the translucent cover on my stencil journal.  This is what I used:

These are Avery plastic dividers.  I saw them in today's WalMart sale paper, a pack of 5 for the "sale" price of $2.50.  You can see my pack was of 8, and I'm pretty sure I only paid $2 or less, but I don't remember where I got them.  I think it was Big Lots, but there is no guarantee they will still have them if I go back.  My stencil journal is about 5 x 7, so I cut the covers to that size from these page dividers.

I still love that little journal and can't stop picking it up.  I have started adding bits from daily life to it.  The main reason I'm posting pages here is because of the t-shirt in the lower right corner.  Finally, a name for us shorties... we are Fun Size!!

I think I am going to like adding things to this book.  No worries about writing a lot in it, just adding little bits here and there.

Love Love Love

Stencil Love.
        Journal Love.
               Tyvek Love.

I finally actually put some of my stenciled pages into a book.

I spray painted some Tyvek with the same paints I used on the pages, and used the Tyvek strips as my "tapes".

There are many places with instructions for sewing on tapes, but the book closest to me was LK Ludwig's Creative Widlfire, so I used her instructions.  I adapted her 3-tape instructions for my 2 tapes.  However, if I were to go back in time, I would add 3 tapes.  I think they would be more stable for my flimsy cover.  The cover is another page divider for a 3-ring binder, cut to the size I needed.  It's a little thin for a cover, which I don't mind because I wanted the translucency.  But three tapes would have held it better.  I still have much journal love though..

Mini Books and Tags

Last week I gave a program to teach a mini envelope book, and it turned out to be so much fun. 

There were lots of pockets to fill and I learned that I could make a tag "tab" out of just about anything.  I used scraps of paper, circles folded in half... even a smaller tag attached to make a bigger tag.  These are all just under 4 inches square. 

The two at bottom left started out as page dividers for a three ring notebook.  I just cut to size for the size tag I needed.  Love that!  I used up a lot of little bits and scraps of paper, fabric and yarn by the time I was finished.   It feels great to use up leftovers like that.  Go Play!

Paper Art

I am guilty, guilty, guilty.  Yes, I have drawers of absolutely beautiful paste papers and marbeled  papers, some I have made myself and some that were purchased.  I am inspired by what these artists have done to put their papers "out there" and not in a drawer!  I especially like the idea of putting them on the wall.

Bookworks

Rollover Minutes

Blogger has some new backgrounds that I want to play with, but right now it's on the list of "things to play with when I get more time".  Someone keeps stealing hours from my day.  If I find out who you are, there is going to be heck to pay.  Someone must be stealing them, because I haven't been using them and they keep disappearing.  Maybe someone will invent "rollover minutes" for real time, not just cell phone plans.  Wouldn't that be nice?  To rollover extra time from one day to another day....

Meantime, I went to Big Lots to look for some cool envelopes Gaye told me about.  Naturally, my Big Lots didn't have the same thing hers did.  Of course, that didn't stop me from spending an hour of my life there and dropping a bunch of $$$.  They did have Krylon spray paint for $2 a can, which made me happy.

I have a two page signature where I am testing writing materials over spray paint.  White gel pen on spray paint - not bad!

I had forgotten I put some Inktense watercolor pencil on some of the circles.  I meant to add water before I took pictures.  Someone stole my attention span before that happened.  I forgot until I saw the close-up picture on my computer screen and wondered what the green was in the circles!  I must go play now...

Playing and tweaking

Hiding in Plain Sight

I like being sneaky.  When it's for a good cause, that is.  So when I posted back on July 6 and had a picture of some unfinished book pages, little did my friend Paula know that her birthday gift was right there for her to see.  You just have to look under the stenciled pages and painted pages.  But there it is.  Her Fish Book!

It was late for her birthday, but she finally has it now.  It's another one I made in the "Remains of the Day" style.  I used pages from post office magazines, old security envelopes, fabric, odd papers, photos, and some shopping bags from the stamp store that used to be in Louisville (very cool brayered paper).  I loved the book and so did she.  She doesn't know how close I came to keeping it for myself!  I'm content to use one of the photos as a screensaver for now.

For more of the book, see the slide show here. 

Back to School

I started to title this "to be young again" but decided I didn't like the sound of that.  I don't really want to be young again.  Well, maybe I'd like parts of me to be young again!  I do wonder if the youngsters these days realize how much great stuff they have access to.  I love the Back-To-School sales.  So much cool stuff there for artists.  Like this:

This is a mini-curtain for the school locker.  It has a magnetic strip at the top for hanging.  I have already been taking it apart and using the "tags", which is what they are to me!  (Available at Target)

This is an ad for back to school shoes (I don't know what store). 

I'm so sad.  Why are the Cat in the Hat shoes wasted on kids.  If they came in my size, I've have them today!

And scissors...

I don't even need to say anything else about the scissors (Target).


Speaking of school, you remember the Periodic Table, I'm sure...  Have you ever seen one in calligraphy?

I was the only bidder for this in a recent fundraiser.  No other geeky calligraphers out there?  Go figure.  I can't wait to frame and hang this!
(Calligraphy by the late Ann Van Tassell of Blacksburg, Virginia)

Happy back to school shopping!

Possible Cover

So here's what I'm thinking...

...for now anyway...

The wide twill tape was sprayed in a previous play session, just as an experiment.  I think I may spray the black matboard and spray some more twill tape and give it a go.

More Pages Please

Yes, I'd like some more spray painted pages please.  I spray a little here, and a little there, and suddenly I have more.  I think I have enough for a book now, added to the other stack I had. 

I love these lasercut scrapbook pages.  They came in monthly kits from Paula's Kit Club and I forgot I had them.  Absolutely great for sprayed designs, plus they are the standard 12 x 12 scrapbook page size, so you can cover a large area.  They would ordinarily be too flimsy, but once they have a few coats of spray paint on them, they are getting sturdier all the time!

Paula's Kit Club has been in danger of going under, and if you like to support small businesses, go on over and check out the goods. She has jewelry kits too.  I keep trying to drop my membership, but she always has great themes lined up for future kits.  Always quality stuff, too.  Even if you don't get the kits, she has great collage sheets and other leftover doodads!