Mini Mixed Media Art

For the last three months I have been organizing a swap on Craftster called The 4x6 Art Swap. In this swap, participants make a 4x6 piece of art to send to a mystery partner. Not being tied to any theme or specific material is really freeing. The variety of different mediums used is astounding. Here are the four pieces of art that I have created. Being new to mixed media, I was worried about starting a huge project, so these mini mixed media art pieces have been a great way to play around and test out new techniques.

When creating this piece I used my new Dylusions spray inks. The colors of these inks are so vibrant, but I wasn't too careful when I sprayed them on, so I looked like I choked a rainbow for about two days after I was done. The text is stamped on to vellum and distressed and the butterfly is chipboard that I colored with Distress stain and embossed.


This piece started out as a collage of packing material, candy foil wrappers and tissue paper. On top I applied alcohol inks and texture medium.


I used rub-ons for the birdcage and a mix of alcohol inks for the blue on the bottom of this piece.


Besides having my favorite Mythbuster's quote, this piece has felt, hand dyed fiber, texture medium and embroidery. I absolutely love this piece of art.

Spinning Yarn Should Be An Olympic Event

If the Olympics can have rhythmic gymnastics or what ever that sport with the dancing horses is called, I think that spinning could definitely qualify as an Olympic event. In fact, they used to award Olympic medals for works of art inspiried by sports. That is a tradition they should bring back.

Like most of the world, I've spent the last two weeks glued to the television, enthralled with the Olympics. But I didn't just sit there idly- I took the opportunity to spin up some fun new yarns.

Off The Deep End

346 yards- 100% Merino

Mmmmm... squishy

R-O-W-D-Y

70 yards- Merino,Bamboo,  Mohair, Firestar

Definitely looks Rowdy

Look at all that texture!

Shifting Focus

Well, hello there.

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Eric and I are back in Wisconsin, trying to re-acclimate ouresevles to living in the United States. It's been an interesting process to say the least. For me, I think the reverse culture shock was amplified by a multitude of  factors; being jobless, missing my friends in Thailand like crazy, and generally feeling lost and purposeless. Plus the food here is so bland! I felt like The Observer pouring pepper and hot sauce all over my food ( Bonus points for those that understand that reference)

After six months though, things have definitely gotten better. I found part time work, we reconnected with friends we have here, and we are about to move into our new home. Pro tip- if you don't have awesome in-laws that will let you crash at their house for six months, I would advise that you don't try to buy a short sale home. Thank you Tim and Becky!!

The last six months have been a time of reflection and adjustment. This applies to this little corner of the interwebs. I thought about just abandoning the blog because I am pretty sure the only people that read it before were family members who wanted to keep tabs on what we were doing. But, I really enjoyed writing the blog-  I was torn...

So, the blog will continue- although with a shifted focus. I am not exactly sure what that will be yet, but I envision it being a place for me to showcase our creative endeavors, things that amuse me, and the trips we take.

I have already made a few design changes and I am currently working with the awesomely talented Emma at QuirkieCraft to redesign the header, which I am I am stupidly excited about.

I hope you continue reading and if you have any suggestions or words of encouragement- I am always happy to hear them!

Creativity Soothes

Flood wall along Rama IV

Flood themed painting on a wall near Khao San Road

As I walk along the sandbagged and barricaded streets of Bangkok, I love seeing images like those above. Instead of seeing concrete flood walls as a barrier or a hindrance, some people see them as an opportunity to be creative.


For me personally, when times are tense and everything seems to be going wrong, I always seem to find solace in being creative and expressing myself. My form of expression usually turns to something fiber related, and this time was no exception. 


During the height of the flood, I would sit in my apartment, constantly checking Twitter and other news sources about flood information. Knowing that I needed a break from that, I spun the yarn below. The methodical focus needed to spin the yarn helped me relax and take my mind off everything that was happening.  It's brown, blue and green colors remind me of the river that so drastically changed my life.

I call it "Screw You, Chao Phraya"