Bring On the Altered Curiosities!

Last year, I was lucky enough to take a 'Tainted Toys' class from Jane Wynn at Artfest. So imagine my joy today to see that her first book, 'Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques & Projects' is being published ... and available for pre-order! Already ordered my copy, of course.

My 'tainted toy' from Jane's class, Artfest 2006 ...

Impromptu Art Class ...

One plus of working a 'straight job' is that you sometimes get good employee discounts and, while I don't need that many copies of [insert product here], I've found that my friends are often in need of stuff and that can lead to some fun barter situations.

In this particular case, I leveraged my bro-in-law's employee discount for Roberta Lee Woods, my artist-friend in Santa Cruz. Originally, the plan was product in exchange for a piece of artwork but instead she offered to give me a 1-on-1 collage workshop. Sold!

So, Saturday, drove over the hill and made my first attempts at collage.

To start things off, Roberta grabbed a piece of BFK paper and wet it down so that the paint would flow ... then it was my job to start making a big sheet of background paper ...



After ripping the paper into smaller sections, it was time to bring out the glue & paper bits ...

My first collage attempt:



And, after some encouragement from Roberta to work a bit larger ...

My second collage attempt:



Hmm, maybe I'll frame this one. Whatcha' think?

Retail Therapy ...

Sometimes, the best thing is to take a lunchtime field trip to the local record store. Luckily, what used to be Tower is now Rasputins and only 10 minutes away from work.






Today's purchases ...

Sufjan Stevens
'Greetings From Michigan The Great Lake State'



Hall & Oates
'The Very Best Of ...'
A friend pointed out they were popular at the same time as Prince and Rick James and it seemed like the perfect guilty pleasure purchase.

Mano Negra
'Puta's Fever'



Paul McCartney
'Memory Almost Full'
Because, well, just had to ... it's Macca.


Lavender Diamond
'Imagine Our Love'
This fits the 'random, unknown purchase' slot ... found it on the 'Rasputin's Recommends' endcap and caught something about them being reminiscent of AM pop while scanning the lil' write-up ... sold. Fit the "I need some Summer" bill.

DIY T ...

Last Friday, a friend & I went to the Vivienne Westwood exhibit at The de Young in SF. I had already been thinking about trying my hand at altering some Tshirts, but after seeing Vivienne's work I was more inspired than ever ... not to mention the fact that after seeing true DIY fashion that was worn by The Sex Pistols, Siouxsie Sioux and the like there was no way I was going to pay $$ for a faux punk T from the museum store. Instead, I bought a new pair of shears, grabbed one of the Ts I picked up at SXSW this year and sat down at the sewing machine ...

It started with the 'Generation T' book and some sketches ...



I decided to go for the girlie-T ... seemed fitting for T advertising a Japanese all-girl rock band, Gitogito Hustler ...





Then it was time to start cutting & pinning. I cut the bottom hem off - then cut two additional strips to use as "ties" in the side-rouching (found this technique in the 'Generation T' book). After that - sliced up both sides - including through the sleeves.



Next, time to pin up the sides and sew some channels in order to thread the T strips through in order to create the rouching ...







Then, some more trimming of the collar and sleeves before a few last-minute gathers ...





And, Voila! The new Gitogito Hustler T ...



Even wore it to work ...

Gabba Gabba Hey ...

First time this year that it was warm enough in the morning to drive with the top down ...

Driving usually requires music (as do most things in my life) so before taking off for the day, I plug the cassette deck adapter (old school) into the Zune (new school?), pop the cartridge into the cassette deck press the lil' arrow button to play.

Now, there's driving music and convertible music and Summer music ... today I hit on an album that I hadn't listened to in far too long and realized it fits the bill in all three categories: Ramones Mania. Not to mention the fact that 'I Wanna Be Sedated' pretty much fits the bill any time during the work week.

Today was a whole lot better thanks to Joey Ramone & the boys.

Random Quote

Overheard at Maker Faire on Saturday ...

"Babies are so cool now!"

Followed by the observation that they're not just about spit n' stuff anymore.

No T-shirt is Safe ...

Gettin' in the mood for Maker Faire...



I bought this book several weeks ago (always a sucker for new how-tos, reference goodies and crafty ideas) ... I flipped through the book immediately and even sketched how to alter some Ts purchased at SXSW shows this year.

But, it wasn't until tonight that the scissors came out.

Have to say, it's quite therapeutic to slice up a t-shirt on a Friday night ... a little late-night dose of craft plus it puts a nice point on the end of the work week.

Time Crunch ...

Working full time doesn't leave many hours for creativity ... even less when you factor in the complete lack of mental fire power and energy that exists by the end of the day. In addition to the standard day-job brain drain, last week I also added a business trip to the week. Well, at least I found the throw pillow in my hotel room a bit inspirational ... thinking I could use these colors in some future project. Lookin' for creative whatever, whenever.

Everyone should have one ...

In honor of Mom's Day - a post about Tupperware.



Last weekend, drove 700 miles round-trip for a Tupperware party. Now, not your everyday, run-of-the-mill Tupperware party, mind you ... No ... this was hosted by (Chef) Dawn, featured stand-up comedy by Sal and the Tupperware Lady was Phranc! Some of you might remember Phranc, the musician. Now, it's time to meet Phranc, the Tupperware Lady and Phranc, the artist. (I had a nice chat with Phranc about her artwork. It's amazing what this woman can do with cardboard.)

Not only did I pick up some very cool new expand-o-matic Tupperware bowls (really, the bowls pop out to make more room for stuff), I also picked up a pastry sheet to use as a work surface when I play with resin-based clay and other such mediums.

Tupperware ... for the kitchen and the studio!

More Tupperware Party Pics

1,000 sq. ft, 3,000+ cds ...

Work activity:
"Choose your favorite Movie & CD"

How am I supposed to choose just one?

Awesome Set of Tools ...

One thing I've learned, having the right tool makes all the difference. Sure, you can use a hammer, but having a pneumatic nailer will make your life easier (at least when moving beyond your standard picture hanging project in order to construct whole rooms.)
Tools to create ... same thing.

Working a 'straight' job, one of my ongoing challenges is finding time ... time to read from the ever-increasing stack o' books, time to write, time to create. In addition to the general "only 24 hours in a day" time challenge, there's also the issue of never knowing when you'll feel like creating something.

Enter the tool ... Scribbler!

I found out about this great lil' gem from ZeFrank thanks to a group post from Tara Finlay. Now, not only can I sketch something quickly and watch it magically get more creative before my very eyes ... I can also create something while eating lunch at my desk, during meetings (not that I'd ever do that) or before jumping into the traffic fray to get home.

Textiles, Too ...

I used to sew when I was a kid. Rarely did I use patterns - just grab some fabric, cut some shapes and go ... even made a shirt (or was it a dress) that way once. I usually stuck to simple rectangles and the occasional circle - but that's all I needed.

Growing up, I got away from fabrics & sewing. Partly a time thing, partly a fight against domesticity. But now I'm old enough to get over the domestic roadblock and realize that textiles just offer one more road to creativity.

So, stepping back into the sewing world, I just bought some fabric from the new Chocolate Lollipop line by Anna Maria Horner ... planning to turn this into a headboard and add a splash of color to the bedroom.

The Simple Life ...

Who would have thought that the Internet could bring me the simple life ... but that's exactly what it did. Ahh ... it's a good day that includes a new CD from Magnet. Of course, if it weren't for ye' ol' Web, I'd be waiting until the US release later this year. But, when it comes to certain artists, waiting just won't do. So, I simply went shopping in Norway thanks to the ever-shrinking world (and a good Internet connection).

If you're unfamiliar with Magnet - change that.

My intro to Magnet came last March when I saw him perform at the 18th Floor at the Hilton in Austin ... that's it. That's all it took. One 40-minute SXSW set and I was hooked.

Here's one of the pics from the show ...



A Simple Life ... and tomorrow's Friday ... it's all good.

Horseradish!

Treated myself to a trip to the bookstore tonight ... and this made the day worthwhile:

If writers wrote as carelessly
as some people talk, then
adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[
pasdlgkhasdfasdf.

from 'Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid'
by Lemony Snicket

Coloring Book ...

To keep my sanity, I really need to figure out how to do more creative stuff - and not have the "straight job" as an Artfest friend referred to it monopolize my hours. I'm also trying to figure out how to stop the piles of magazines from taking over my house ... enter the coloring book.

First step in the battle of the towering magazine - each night last week, I grabbed a stack of magazines, flipped through page-by-page and ripped out the few photos that caught my eye - mostly focusing on color ideas for future projects. Of course, while it's great to toss the bulk of the magazines, I feared I'd soon have a stack of torn images flitting about the house ...

So, today, while prepping for a stamp class I'm teaching next Thursday, I decided to cover a chipboard journal and make my own coloring book ... or, rather, a book to capture coloring ideas.

Most of the pictures so far are from 'House Beautiful' magazine ... a magazine I did not subscribe to - instead it showed up as a replacement for 'Budget Living' when that pub went *poof* (still can't figure out how someone could think 'House-look what an interior designer purchased for $5000-Beautiful' was a good replacement for 'Budget-I bought this at Target for $35-Living' ... but I digress)

Anyhoo, Voila ... the beginnings of the first few pages ... a bit of creativity and a way to get rid of magazines.

Found ...

Etsy! Ok ... I knew Etsy existed ... and I've perused briefly on occasion. But now with my newly ignited interest in found objects and assemblage, I had something to snoop for. Success! I just bought these found objects. Sure, some may argue how can they be found objects if I purchased them online - but heck, someone found them and I found them on Etsy.

Metal Head ...

Last night, walking through the driveway, G points to what's left over after replacing the brakes on my car and says "oh, should probably throw those out" ... I look and say, "No! Those brake pads will make the perfect backing for a small art piece" ... must look for more junk and break out the adhesives.

Part of Art ...

Just back from Artfest 2007 ... with an overwhelming desire to unearth rusty things and break out the power tools ...

One highlight - was able to see "the thank you journal" in person ... (read more about it here: tee's spree's: I'm speechless!!!)

It started last year when Deb put out the call to make an art journal for Teesha & Tracy Moore to say THANKS! for all they do for Artfest and art in general ... my little venture into the world of the art journal. The journal was delivered on March 9 ... so now I present my first (and, so far, only) art journal page.

So here's the page as it transformed ... I incorporated various "R" items from the Artfest Workshops I attended in 2006 ... Red Rosin paper, Resin clay and Rust ...

A quick painted image on red rosin paper ...












covered in black ...









Color for the backside n' border ...









A frame of resin clay ...









Rusted ...










with some 'R' thoughts of Artfest 2006 ...










and the aRt guy ...










Time for some journaling ...









My very first (and so far only) Journal Page.