Gift in the Mail

I was lucky enough to win this set of tags by posting a comment on Teresa Yates blog. Aren't they adorable. Thank you Teresa! I am looking forward to using them!

Teresa was celebrating her 300th etsy sale for her shop Cedar Junction, which is a reminder to me that I should get my etsy shop up and going.

Metronome Assemblage

I have been working on several assemblage pieces lately and thought I would share one with you. I bought this metronome at a friends auction several years ago. There were so many neat and wonderful things at the auction but I have been t r y i n g to buy only what I am going to use. The eye on the pendulum is from a tattered 1800's book.

According to the dictionary "A metronome is an instrument containing an inverted pendulum, set in motion by clockwork, and having a sliding weight attached to the pendulum rod, by the shifting of which the number of strokes per minute can be regulated to measure time in music." I am missing the sliding weight.

The metronome was broken and missing parts when I bought it. This is a perfect piece for assemblage as I feel I am not wrecking any antique for art's sake. It also gives me some design problems to solve, of which I love the challenge. Making something look like it was always meant to be that way.

The top was missing, so I fabricated an etched metal one to which I attached a metal eagle (or hawk). Check out the previous post and see if you can find the auction winnings that I used in this piece. The little round plate above the wind up mechanism was missing. I found a brass piece in my stash that had three tabs, so I cut them off and filed it smooth and round. There was also a large corner piece missing, so I fabricated a decorative etched brass piece to cover it. The bottom panel was missing, so I cut a piece of wood from a cigar box to replace it. The bottom front panel was also missing but I chose to not replace it as I liked that you could see the inner workings without it. The decorative feet are from the same clock auction as the bird.

To balance the brass piece on the other side I made up this brass plate and verse "Time knows no boundaries, and with the beat of majestic wings I am transported." by Kim Rae Nugent.

Chest of Drawers

A few weeks ago I bought 24 empty drawers for $20. Now this is an excellent deal if you actually use them. Determined not to let them sit in the pile of possibilities I sorted through our scrap lumber to see what kind of chest I could build to house them. With the wood widths and lengths of 3/4" plywood that I had, a 3 x 8 drawer configuration was a possibility. Luckily my husband is adept at the use of a table saw ( One of the few power tools I am scared of) and I was able to talk him into cutting the boards for me. I started assembling the chest but I was having a hard time holding the boards in place while turning in the screws (Usually I hammer my projects together with nails but I was anticipating a lot of weight per drawer) Mark again to the rescue. Now to fill all of the drawers with my assemblage treasures :) Did I mention? "I love drawers!"

I'm Teaching at Peninsula Art School

August 17,18 & 19 I am scheduled to teach an "Interactive Art Book" workshop at Peninsula Art School in Fish Creek Wisconsin. I have heard many wonderful things about Peninsula Art School and I am looking forward to teaching there this Summer.

The class is based on my book "Interactive Art Workshop - Set Your Mixed Media in Motion". Pull tabs, spinning circles and textures aren't just for children's books anymore. I'll teach you how to bring sophisticated style, meaning and movement to your art by learning how to create books with interactive components. With demonstrations and exposure to a variety of samples, I will share my passion for the creative process while guiding you through color theory, working with a limited palette, composition and background techniques. Quotes and embellishments may be added as time permits. Expect to take home an original art book with several interactive features.



Come join the fun!

Pin for My Sister

I sent my sister Jodi a present.

Surprise Jodi! I can finally post something about her pin.

Featured are her chickens which she refers to as "The Girls".

The back view of the pin.

Necklace for me!

I finally finished my necklace last week at Jill's studio. Thank you Jill for all of your help! The necklace portion is actually made from a boxing jump rope that I found at a rummage for 50cents. It is actually about 3/8" thick leather. Jill had been using leather cording for some of her necklaces and this is what sparked the idea for me. (Yes I did share the leather cord with Jill :)

The image on the necklace is my husband's great grandmother. The key is from an assortment that my Dad had. I really have been enjoying this medium and hope to create many more pieces for family, friends and myself.