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Showing posts from November, 2009

Artist date to the Museum of Russian Icons

The Vladimir Mother of God I had the opportunity to visit the finest collection of Russian icons in this country, right in my own backyard practically! If you live in New England, or will be traveling here at any time, I highly recommend a stop at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton MA. The brainchild of Gordon Lankton, the collection is truly breath-taking. Mr Lankton began collecting the icons during business trips to the Soviet Union. In the beginning, he could find them in flea markets for very little money...that's how out of favor they had fallen during decades of communism. How many generations does it take before the worth of an object is forgotten? Thank heavens Mr Lankton recognized the beauty and worth of these gorgeous pieces. John the Baptist , circa 1450 The oldest icon in the collection Icons are referred to as having been "written" rather than painted. I would suggest that if you can visit this museum, you sign up for a docent tour...you won'

More artsy links!

A Creative Dream Toys for strangers to love... Arts & Crafts Examiner Do you need a gift idea for the favorite crafty person on your list? Here are a few fun ideas for your holiday shopping. Gadabout Media DIY Win your own set of 13 great rubber stamps and ink pads from Ford Cares & Martha Stewart Omnimedia! Hankering for yarn Noreen's been making fun Christmas ornaments. Here's the link for a tutorial on how to make a tiny 'Bog Coat' from origami tree. Perhaps Santa's Elves would appreciate a new coat or two? The Artful Crafter Make some romantic mood light candles with decorative tissue paper and decoupage medium. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals
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Artsy blogging round-up!

The Artful Crafter Whatever the holiday, make cute pop-up place cards to organize the dinner table and delight guests of all ages. The Impatient Crafter Madge is ready for Christmas so bring it on! Check out this retrolicious frame she designed for iLoveToCreate About Family Crafts Does your family have any creative Thanksgiving traditions. You can read about other people's Thanksgiving traditions and then share your own. Aileen's Musings Aileen invites you to join a creative challenge with her called the Erosion Bundle Project. Take a peek at her pictures and find out exactly what erosion bundles are! Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Craftside's got yummy pumpkin cookie and biscuit recipes, an inside peek into Bead Quilled Jewelry, eco friendly recipes for casein glue and an all-purpose cleaner, and starting Monday- The 19 Days of Holiday Goodness Giveaways starts, answer each day's question and you are entered to win a free book every day

Artist profiles - part four

Seedy Ladies , by Chris Tessnear Five more fabulous mixed media artists for you to visit! Such a variety of work and working methods! I find it fascinating to learn more about what makes other artists tick, don't you? If you'd like to share your work here, please let me know. Email me at cyndi @ mazeltovjewelry.com (remove the spaces) and I'll be delighted to have you do your own profile! Chris Tessnear, mixed media Karen Campbell, mixed media Donna Royer, art quilts Christopher Conte, metal assemblage Terry Jankowski, encaustics Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Book review: Beading on Fabric

Beading on Fabric Larkin Jean van Horn creates the most beautiful quilted and wearable pieces you’ll find anywhere. In this excellent book, she explains many of her award-winning techniques. The book is spiral bound to lie flat…how smart is that? Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Recent publications: November 2009

Layered, Tattered and Stitched: A Fabric Art Workshop by Ruth Rae Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage by Elizabeth Siegel The Complete Photo Guide to Paper Crafts by Trice Boerens Mosaic Renaissance: Millefiori in Mosaics by Laurel Skye 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew by Garth Johnson Enchanted Adornments: Creating Mixed-Media Jewelry with Metal, Clay, Wire, Resin & More by Cynthia Thornton Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Make It From Scratch carnival

This issue of Make It From Scratch is filled with food and fun! You can find it at Frills in the Hills . Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Teesha Moore videos on YouTube

Teesha Moore has a whole series of instructional videos on YouTube now, covering some of her techniques for backgrounds, collage, penwork, and lettering! Here's a sample Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Free themed fonts

Somehow, I feel you can never have too many fonts! Just wait until you feast your eyes on these wonderful fonts …themed to movies, music, games, and more. Oh, yeah, and they’re free. Even better! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

More artsy links!

Arts & Crafts Examiner Designer Minoo Hersini shares her unique fall centerpieces, perfect for your Thanksgiving entertaining. Gadabout Media DIY Do you have a pair of blue jeans with a hole? Don't throw them out - it's easy to repair them! Creative Dreamer I'm sharing a post from August when I was experimenting with creating hand made books. I wanted to see if I could create a round one, and these are the result. Hankering for yarn This week, Noreen has made a video tutorial about how to work with the charming little vintage looms, 'The Magic Looms', that mysteriously always have a photo of a crocheted Granny square on the box. This is odd, because the looms couldn't possibly do that, but they DO create delightful squares. What were the manufacturers thinking? Ah well, the magic lives on... The Artful Crafter Say “Happy Anniversary” to Totally-Creative and win a free 1-year subscription! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital
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Artsy blogging round-up!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Sweater Surgery attacks t-shirts and cuts them up into some cute gathered tops with the help of Generation-T Beyond Fashion . The Artful Crafter Check out Eileen’s latest craft finds: lots of free stuff and free advice – well that’s usually free, isn’t it? LOL. About Family Crafts Do you play with clay? If so, please take a moment and share your favorite stories, projects, recipes, techniques, and more. Cathie Filian Cathie has lots of Thanksgiving recipes, crafts and family activities posted. Plus tips for a smooth Thanksgiving! Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Over at Craftside you can enter to win a Mixed-Media Doll by Linda O'Brien, Co-author of Who's Your Dada?, download a free intricate leaf paper cutting pattern, get a fun how-to on making a paper cupcake and a pretty pair of fall leaf earrings. Crafty Princess Diaries Mix up altered books, glitter, and teenagers, shake well, and voila! You have a fun

Mixed media artist: Nicolette Anderson

Artist: Nicolette Anderson Blog & Website: Nickieblog Nicolette's Creative Lettering I have always been a creative person, and I come from a family of very creative people, from artisans, to writers, to performers. I strongly believe that creative activity is as important as physical activity to a healthy body and mind. I try to create something new every day. I have always loved to draw, and have loved creative lettering ever since I took my first calligraphy class as a teenager. However, I prefer to be “freer” with my own lettering. After connecting with others in the art community, and receiving positive feedback, I have come to embrace my own whimsical style, and have featured it on my popular art blog, Nickieblog , which has had almost 150,000 visitors since I started it in five years ago. I also teach online creative lettering classes through my blog, and my lettering website, Nicolette's Creative Lettering . Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage ,

Art Trader, issue 8

Art Trader , issue 8 for Fall 2009 is available for downloading now! It's free, and you might also want to think about writing for them if you're so inclined :-) Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Calls for entries and submissions

Hand Embroidery Network: Winter Wonderland : deadline 12/01/09 More than fiber: a creative approach to material : deadline 12/15/09 Altered Couture : deadline 12/15/09 Art Doll Quarterly : deadline 12/15/09 Mother Earth Art Doll : deadline 12/18/09 Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

The Cave of Lascaux

I will admit to having a complete fascination with the cave, even though I’ve never seen it. The French government has a website that will take you on a virtual tour of the cave , since it is closed to the public. You can read the story of the cave and see the paintings. You can also read about the project to build a replica of the cave so that tourists will once again be able to view, if not the original, at least a close facsimile. I didn’t know why the cave had been closed in the first place, but it appears that it has a lot to do with the fact that the tourists have to breathe! The carbon dioxide levels are a great deal of the problem, since cave air doesn’t circulate as well as that above ground. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

The finished Pear Quilt

It's finished, it's finished!! I'm really happy with how it came out too...I think it's a good companion piece for the Tomato Quilt . I got the edging finished by hand, with an embroidery floss blanket stitch over top of the machine zig zag, and large seed beads. Now that I've finished a second one of these, I feel like I've worked out some of the kinks in my process. Below, I've listed the steps that I took. No measurements or exact details, because these quilts are springing from my own warped brain. If you want guidance beyond this simple 1...2...3, I suggest that you take a class with Jane Sassaman . I have not ended up following her methods completely, but that's my fault, not hers :-) 1. Sketch. 2. Create paper pattern, including margins where needed. 3. Trace onto sticky side of interfacing (this will create a fabric piece the same orientation as the pattern). Trace onto non-sticky side to reverse the pattern. 4. Rough cut out

More artsy links!

Arts & Crafts Examiner The latest Twilight Movie is coming out soon - celebrate the launch with these fun New Moon crafts. Creative Dreamer June is offering a free file for a card she designed to anyone who checks out her blog! Gadabout Media DIY You don't need any fancy gadgets to make round yo-yos - Chloe shows you how with this easy tutorial. Hankering for yarn Noreen has designed a gorgeous new Celtic Interlace necklace that gives a whole new way of looking at spool knitting! The Artful Crafter Make a pretty fall triple wreath wall hanging for your own wall or as a housewarming gift. With a little imagination, you can adapt the design for Christmas or just about any other occasion/season. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals
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Artsy blogging round-up!

Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy reviews a new book full of unique and earth-friendly ways to wrap your gifts this holiday season using scarves. Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery How to make a Sweater Surgery Light up Christmas tree inspired by The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life. The Artful Crafter Eileen shares directions for some lovely polymer clay Thanksgiving napkin rings. You have a choice of one embellished with a cute clay turkey or a more formal looking ring stamped with a fall motif. The Impatient Crafter Madge makes a festive Patchwork Paper decoupaged letter for your teen's bedroom door in this week's post for iLoveToCreate . Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love Make cool, graphic wall art using Ed Roth's Stencil Decor kit and a little imagination! About Family Crafts Come play along with this Make-It-Over craft challenge! What can you make out of candy? This is a great way to use up any left over Halloween candy. About.com Cross Stitc

Food and art...my favorite combo!

Apple Tree Some of you know that I also write about food and cooking gadgets...a couple of things that I'm as passionate about as art. Certainly you must have noticed that the last two quilts centered on food: my Tomato quilt and the Pear quilt . Well, I got all excited when I met an artist on FoodBuzz who combines these loves all the time! Thanksgiving Turkey I'd like to introduce you to Lisa Orgler and her delightful blog, The Lunch Box Project . This is a year-long "diet" that Lisa put herself on: to create a playing card sized piece each and every day of 2009! Prints are available at Lisa's etsy shop. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

We've got a winner!

Thank you to all of you who signed up to win the book Woven Treasures by Sara Lamb! Lucky number 14 was the winner: Rush8888 :-) Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Call for entries: The Dream Rocket

The Dream Rocket : deadline 02/10/10 The Dream Rocket is a project in which students, teachers, schools, individuals, groups and organizations will create and submit over 8,000 "Dream Theme" or "Visionary" quilt panels that will be sewn together in Huntsville, Alabama. This historical 30,467-square foot quilt will represent dreams from all over the world. During May and June of 2010, (60 days) this quilt will completely wrap the 363-foot vertical Saturn V Rocket which stands in front of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® in Huntsville, Alabama. You have to reserve a panel to participate, so don't delay in contacting them! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Magazine review and giveaway: Totally Creative online

Totally Creative magazine is a relative newcomer on the scene, but I think it already shows a lot of promise. The sample issue that I saw contained articles by several artists whose work I know and love, including the fabulous Barbara Matthiessen , who wrote an extensive tutorial on creating multi-layered surface design effects on fabric. I also found an article by my friend Beth Wheeler , who shared a felting project. So what you'll find are professional designers, whose names you'll know from other magazines and books, who've created projects in all different media and for all different skill levels. Sound interesting? There were no wearables in this sample issue, but there may be some in other issues. Covering a wide variety of craft media, the issue that I saw was organized around the season and its holidays. There are projects to do with the kids, lots of home decor and gift ideas, a book and a product review, and a directory of online resources to help you actua

Quilting the pear quilt

It's actually time to do the quilting now. I chose to cut my quilt out in roughly the shape of the core. This photo is at a bit of an angle so the shape is a little distorted. I also rough cut out the batting and backing layers, bigger than the top. My final step before beginning to quilt, which I did by machine, was to add some clusters of beads in the open spaces. I failed to take a picture of this step, but you can trust me on it that this is the time I like to add the beads, so that the thread ends will all be hidden inside the quilt. Machine stitch around the large shapes: Straight stitch around the edge and then add a few rows of zig zag stitch to secure all layers: Just one more step to go now: blanket stitching by hand and adding the beads all around the outside edge. Copyright 2009 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including t
Aqua Blue Orchid Collage T. Chiu 16x20 Fine ... Buy From Art.com

Artsy blogging round-up!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Over at Craftside there is a free Japanese wave print and a how-to make pocket ATC with it, Latte Art, a sneak peek into Pam Sussman's studio from Lynne Perrella's new book, a call for entries for a cake decorating book, and good questions to ask yourself to help for a business/design plan. Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy is super busy and "somethings gotta give!" Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style Two very different quilts from the same pattern and Linda shares the story of them both along with a story on getting one of the quilts published in McCall's Quick Quilts. Mixed Media Artist Have you ever wanted to learn how to weave? Cyndi's got a book giveaway going on that could help you out! Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Two fun necklace designs featuring charms made with a Faux Scrimshaw polymer clay technique from the book Enchanted Adornments by Cynthia Thornton . The Artful Crafter Make som

Question of the Month: Art shows?

Question of the Month: Would you ever do an art show where you knew you wouldn’t sell anything? Recently, I did exactly that! Our town has been holding an arts fest for a couple of years now, called Art Smart. Local artists, musicians, teachers, and organizations are invited to participate. It’s the only “show” that I do anymore, and even though I sell very little (sometimes nothing) at it, I still like to get out there once a year and hear what people are thinking. Why do a show that you know doesn’t cater to your target audience? I love my town and I love the people. Sometimes that’s good enough. How about you? If doing shows is important to your income, can you imagine doing one that you knew would be a selling bust? You can leave your comments here, or if you’d like to share a picture of your show booth and a link to your site, email me with the details at cyndi @ mazeltovjewelry.com (remove the spaces). Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photo

Oblique Strategies

Here is a handy online version of Brian Eno’s creativity tool. Concentrate on the problem you are trying to solve, and hit this link . If the brain booster that appears really doesn’t help you, hit refresh and try again! For more information, including its history, read about Oblique Strategies here . Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Giveaway: Woven Treasures by Sara Lamb!

***FREE STUFF ALERT***FREE STUFF ALERT*** Woven Treasures: One-of-a-Kind Bags with Folk Weaving Techniques by Sara Lamb Have you ever wanted to try loom weaving? Do you already do some weaving and would like to try more styles? This lovely book by Sara Lamb may be just what you've been looking for: an introduction to loom weaving that will take you from the most basic beginner steps through more projects that grow in complexity as you make your way through the book. Sara teaches seven different handmade bag projects to guide you through the entire process, from concept and planning all the way to personalizing and embellishing. There is an excellent materials and equipment section in the beginning of the book, and along the way you will be treated to information on the history of folk weaving techniques. Is it time for you to learn to weave? Just leave me a comment below, and in a week I will randomly pick a winner to receive this exciting book! ***FREE STUFF ALERT*** Technora

The Bonefolder - Fall 2009

The new issue of The Bonefolder is online and available for downloading. Not familiar with The Bonefolder? It's an excellent online journal for book artists and bookbinders! Visit the link and see all the back issues too. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Stitching away...

I can share the next few steps in making my pear quilt with you now! Plan the layout: Blanket stitch all the pieces down to the background fabric. I used three strands of embroidery floss for this. Add embroidered details like the branch and stems: Copyright 2009 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals