Mixed Media Artist

  CreativeDreamer I'm hosting another give away...this time for a gift certificate...come see! Eileen - The Artful Crafter The Artful Crafter's motto is "Helping Crafters to Be". To turn a phrase, today we have "The Artful Crafter – and Cyndi – Helping Crafters to Be-ad".   Tottie Talks Crafts Noreen indulged herself by adopting a new-to-her loom, and her cat has been helping her weave a baby blanket   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Beading Arts Want to get in on a fantastic giveaway? Cabbing Rough is offering a Kingman turquoise cabochon on Beading Arts!   Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy shows you her latest charity crafting project, some crochet washcloths for the Global Knit Haitian Relief Project. Eileen - The Artful Crafter Learn how to make an angelic mini quilted wall hanging.   About Family Crafts Learn how you can preserve your summer blooms by pressing, drying, or pounding your flowers.   Aileen's Musings It's Christmas in July and Alieen reminds us that the holidays will be here faster then a blinking twinkle light! Now's the time to start creating gifts to give and to sell!   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Snowbird, Utah Cyndi Lavin, 2010    With the temperatures still soaring in New England, I could use a little of this right now ;-)

Quilt National Deadline: 09/10/10 Art of the Quilt Deadline: 09/10/10 Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Miss Jeanne is the winner of this fabulous book, Tinwork !!  Yay for Jeanne!

StartTheDay shared a...well, I guess it's a car cozy on flickr.  Fun, huh? Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

One of my favorite poets, T. S. Eliot wrote a wonderful line in his poem Little Gidding that I just love: We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. This could well be one of the themes of my life. I am constantly coming back to what I've done before, revisiting it, seeing it with new eyes, and finding it much more worthy of my attention than at first I thought. This goes for places, people, art forms, and everything else I can think of. Gotta love Eliot. Materials: rusted spring, hand painted watercolor paper, poem written out on plain white paper.  Copyright 2010 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 , ...

  Creative Dreamer June's whipped up a birthday cake using marshmallow fondant frosting...and shares with you how to do your own! Eileen -The Artful Crafter Here are some more ideas from Eileen for decorating canvas tote bags.   Tottie Talks Crafts Noreen has been having a wonderful time with her grandbaby. She even has him weaving.... well not quite.... but almost...   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  About Family Crafts Now is the perfect time to get a jump start on your holiday crafting. Discover how you can make a fun and unique holiday gift for everyone on your list this year. Aileen's Musings If your anything like Aileen you have a lot of extra embellishments you haven't used. Stop by and see her Altered Embellishment video where Aileen gives you some ideas on altering them to fit your project!   Beading Arts You won't believe the goodies that Mama's Minerals in giving away on Beading Arts this week!   Carmi's Art/Life World Inspired by an antique find Carmi creates a new piece of wall decor.   Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Craftside's giving away 2 copies of the new book Sew Retro along with a whole bunch of beautiful fabric from the on-line store Sew L.A., a no-pattern tutorial on how to make a triangle tank top, a free Hennya (devil mask) print download, a how-to on drawing an eyeball and wings ...

Of all the many wonderful things we saw in Ithaca NY when we went to visit with Dani, this is one of my favorites ;-) Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Serendipity Quilts: Cutting Loose Fabric Collage Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric by Jane Dunnewold Collage Playground: A Fresh Approach to Creating Mixed-Media Art by Kimberly Santiago Serendipity Quilts: Cutting Loose Fabric Collage by Susan Carlson Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry by Peggy Krzyzewski and Christine Hansen Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series) by Carla Sonheim Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One by Deke McClelland Creative Sewing Techniques by Machine by Nancy Fiedler Yo-Yo Quilting: Showcase Your Creativity with Quick to Stitch Projects for Every Occasion by Jeanne Stauffer and Elisa Albury Adobe Illustrator CS5 One-on-One by Deke McClelland Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Tinwork by Mary Maquire focuses on projects for around your house. It is a fun beginner's book, with lots of well-shot photos to show you step by step how to accomplish the projects. You'll be learning to work with sheet metal as well as recycled cans with this book. This is the second in my series of four tin craft giveaways this summer!   ***Free Stuff Alert!!!*** Would you like to win a free copy of Mary Maquire's book?  Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered.  If you tweet or post on Facebook or other social spots about the contest, you can leave a second comment and be entered twice!  Deadline: July 27, 2010 Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Last week I told you about the Fontifier .  Since I got all excited about the possibilities all over again, I decided to look around and find out some more about font creation.  I found Photofont and thought I'd died and gone to font-heaven! Photofont says that they've bridged the gap between single-color TrueType fonts and Bitmap fonts that allow color and transparency.  They have free photofonts that you can download, and they show you how to load the fonts so that you can use them in your software programs.  They also have a tutorial that teaches you how to create your own!  Do-It-Yourselfers, take your marks!! If photofonts are not what you're looking for, here are some other posts I've had in the past with links to some great TrueType or OpenType fonts:   Skull font 300 very cool free fonts Text in stitches   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Perhaps you feel that there is no need for instruction in mixed media. It’s something that just comes naturally to you. Or on the other hand, maybe you’re just beginning to explore assemblage, altered books and other constructions, and you need a gentle nudge to get you going. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, there are instructions and projects in the links below that will challenge you to move beyond what you are currently doing. I guarantee it! Suze Weinberg’s Tutorials Her tagline is “Schmooze with Suze”, and her instructions are clear and friendly. USArtQuest Wonderful ideas and tips from collage artist Susan Pickering Rothamel. International Society of Altered Book Artists Online classes available to members of ISABA. Mini-Books, Flaps, and Folders Links to sites that provide how-tos on constructing handmade. Ann Baldwin’s Techniques Very generous information by a fabulous artist. Encyclopedia of Symbols Can be searched by words or gra...

  Beading Arts Cyndi has a copy of "Beading In No Time" to give away! Pop on over and sign up to win! CreativeDreamer The big reveal for the first ever Creativity Invitation prompt! I'm so pleased that we have had so many people join in! Come see what everyone did...and think about joining us in the July prompt! Eileen - The Artful Crafter Yikes! Eileen learns she can’t doodle. But she's detremined to improve. Tottie Talks Crafts You can win a copy of Debbie Bliss's fab new book: 'design it, knit it, babies'   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery See how Stefanie used the stitch doodle technique from The Big-Ass book of Home Decor to embellish a skirt with a jackalope. About Family Crafts Sherri has fond memories of making and playing with paper dolls when she was young. Perhaps that is why she was so excited to create these printable paper dolls.   Aileen's Musings Aileen is offering a crafty blog giveaway. She offers 4 different ways you can enter to win her Tic-Tac-Toe 3 in a Row Blog Giveaway! Hurry over and enter today!   Beading Arts Cyndi has a copy of "Beading In No Time" to give away! Pop on over and sign up to win!   Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi creates some glamorous shaker cards with her sewing supplies.   Cathie Filian Surf's up and Cathie has a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a beach towel roll up. It even has a secret pocket!   Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Craftside announces ...

When Mike and I went to Maine for a long weekend to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, one of the things we did was take a mini-cruise on a large sailboat out of Portland. I know nothing about sailing, so I can't really tell you anything much about the vessel, but I did enjoy taking some shots of the ropes.  Go figure! Copyright 2010 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 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.

Winter holiday gift art swap Deadline: 08/02/10 Stuffed Deadline: 08/15/10 Niche Awards Deadlines: 08/31/10 - professional,  09/31/10 - student Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

A number of years ago, I happened across a link to the Fontifier site.  Well, it was an eye-popping experience for me!  Fontifier allows you to create a TrueType font from your own handwriting...how cool is that?  And it's not expensive either.  The only problem was that I didn't know how to fill the grid to get the best possible results, and therefore my personal font looks kind of...off. Now Lifehacker , bless them, has a post on how to make sure your Fontifier experience is as good as it gets.  If you'd like to have your own handwriting font to use in Word, Photoshop, or other programs, read the tutorial and work through it with Fontifier! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Using the Felting Needle Starter Kit from Joann.com that I showed you in part one , I got to start on the fun part of my latest project.   Remember that the needle felting is going to be done through a layer of painted muslin and a layer of craft felt cut to the same size, into a foam block.  The foam block protects both your work surface from the razor sharp point and barbs of the needle, and it protects the needle from getting dull or bent.   Needle felting: 1. Place a thick piece of craft felt under the painted fabric and cut them both out into the shape you desire. 2. Remove small strands of wool roving from your bundle.  Place a foam block beneath the area of the fabric that you plan to work on, and use a felting needle in a straight up and down motion to "punch" the roving into place and secure it through the two layers of fabric.  I find it easiest to start near the middle and work outwards in all directions.  3. Chose a thick text...

  The Artful Crafter Read an artist profile of our own Creative Dreamer, June Crawford. Take a peek into another artist’s creative world. Tottie Talks Craf ts Recently, Noreen was given a lot of her mother's embroidery threads. As Noreen thought about how she could work with them, she discovered that magical beings were waiting to emerge from her mother's treasures and she was inspired to design a crocheted mermaid scarf... Twilight Eclipse Cupcake Idea Are you a Team Edward or Team Jacob fan? Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  I have four books on the topic of tin can art and metal art in general. At least two of them came to me from my daughter when she left tin behind in favor of stone, resin, silicone, and bondo.  Since they are just gathering dust in my library, I thought maybe some of you would like to have them.  So I'll be giving them away, one at a time, starting with this lovely volume called The Fine Art of the Tin Can by Bobby Hansson. Although there is a section in the beginning of the book that covers some very basic techniques, this is really more of an inspirational book than a how-to.  With a minimum number of tools and materials, you'll be amazed by the assemblages, sculptures, jewelry, and functional pieces the included artists have created from the humble tin can.       ***Free Stuff Alert!!!*** Would you like to win a free copy of Bobby Hansson's book?  Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered.  If you tweet o...

  Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter Turn your 'worst' traits into positives, Madge shares how in this post about The Tao of Success. Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Read a book recommendation (and not just because I am included!) Craft Corps by Vickie Howell.   The Artful Crafter Yikes! Eileen learns she can’t doodle.   About Family Crafts Have even more fun doing painting projects with kids by whipping up one or more batches of paint using free recipes.   Aileen's Musings Aileen is excited to announce 4 new videos uploaded. Stop by and check them out, and share them with your friends!   Beading Arts Cyndi wants to know: what does your work say about YOU?   Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi uses a stencil to silk screen this faux necklace t-shirt.   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Here's an opportunity to use your art powers for good (not that you ever use them for evil!).  If you've been looking for a way to make your art count, consider getting involved in Haiti Houses .  Started by two art teachers, the organization gives you the instructions online for how to make the tiny house pins and sell them.  You've got several choices of charities that you can donate the money to once your sales are complete.  Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

As the lazy hazy crazy days of summer roll in on us, don't forget about the opportunities that exist to take a class! Cloth Paper Scissors's Create is just one! Check out our list of different classes .  Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

I got to do some junking and antiquing when Mike and I visited my parent recently.  Fortunately for him, Mike got to fish while I was out doing it!  Here are a couple of the highlights of what I picked up in the photo above.  This little snapshot is one of the most exciting finds...the children from a small schoolhouse who are all Native Americans.  I have no idea where this picture came from as I found it in western New York state.  I really need to find a way to honor this picture if I decide to use it in my work.  Most likely I will use a reproduction of it and not the original.      Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

In answer to our Question of the Month , Rush sent me this reply: i think you are so right about what art cannot tell about you. my mother needs me to make simple, kind of cutsie cards. not much effort, a bit of time and my mom gets what she needs. i am not a cutsie-type person at all. here's an example, from my blog post Beat it to death : so, i do some stuffs for myself...more complicated and different materials...and NOT cards . here's one of my books : see more of my work at my flickr account .  Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals