Mixed Media Artist

  Creative Dreamer June is about to begin a new project, one that will have a give away at the end. Before starting though, she invites you to review the journal tutorial page on A Creative Dream... and then on to a new journal! Eileen - The Artful Crafter Come along for a virtual visit to Caracas, Venezuela, where Artist Patty Sucre decoupages and sells beautifully-crafted trays, boxes and other wooden items. ¡Que maravillosos!   Mixed Media With Nathaniel Hawthorne Quote Cherie takes a favorite quote and old picture to create a mixed media page.   Oreo Mini Cupcakes A mini cupcake maker, some mini Oreos work together to make a fun mini treat.   Beading Arts The Bead Journal Project is just whizzing by this year, and Cyndi is finally caught up!   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week at Craftside there is a tutorial on how to make recycled silverware journal handles, a chance to win a copy of 1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes along with a recipe for fondant, an interview with the author of The Urban Biking Handbook and an inspirational quote and art from Camille Kuo. Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy has some important news about a very popular knitting loom. Eileen - The Artful Crafter Look at this cute coffee can recycling project. It also uses craft stash scraps, so it’s both eco-nomical and eco-logical!   Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery See bling I designed inspired by Margot Potter's latest book New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry and win a copy for yourself! The Crochet Dude™ Drew reviews the Knook - a kit that teaches you how to knit with a crochet hook! About Family Crafts Now is the perfect time to get a jump start o

My friend Carmi is a whiz with resin, and she thinks up the most amazing things to do with it!  Just take a look at this pin that she made, shown above.  That metal filigree piece is actually made from a piece of crocheted doily, resin, and Gilder's Paste.  If you don't have access to the paste, Rub 'N Buff would most likely work fine too!  Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Collages (Heinemann Read and Learn: Start With Art) by Isabel Thomas Art Saves: Stories, Inspiration and Prompts Sharing the Power of Art by Jenny Doh Create with Transfer Artist Paper: Use TAP to Transfer Any Image onto Fabric, Paper, Wood, Glass, Metal, Clay & More! by Lesley Riley Count Down Calendars: 24 Stitched Projects to Celebrate Any Date by Design Collective Raw Art Journaling by Quinn McDonald Digital Art Revolution: Creating Fine Art with Photoshop by Scott Ligon Quilt National 2011: The Best of Contemporary Quilts by Lark Books Maverick Quilts: Using Large-Scale Prints, Novelty Fabrics & Panels with Panache by Alethea Ballard Quilting Designs from Nature by Lone J Minkkinen Beautiful Wildflower Applique by Zena Thorpe Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups:  alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat. ~ Alex Levine Image: WikimediaCommons, Anette B. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

I seem to be doing an awful lot of wearables here on Mixed Media Artist these days!  Must be because the lazy hazy crazy dayz of summer are here, and I can't seem to peel myself off the swing on the front porch.  Tisk tisk...so LAZY!! Anyway, I bought this cute little (majorly cheap) dress at Walmart recently, but it was a bit dull for my tastes.  The stripes looked like they had been bleached.  I'm not sure if they were or not, but they gave me the idea to bleach them a bit more and paint them. I used some gel bleach to make the strips just a little whiter, and then laundered the dress to make sure all traces were removed.  You want to make sure that the garment you're painting is clean anyway, since you'll be heat-setting the paint, so this step does double-duty! Paint away and have fun.  I used full-bodied acrylics thinned with water.  I didn't even bother with fabric medium, because I wanted a thin watercolor look to the stripes, not something op

Book Necklace Cherie works on a necklace idea for book lovers. Eileen - The Artful Crafter Look at this cute coffee can recycling project. It also uses craft stash scraps, so it’s both eco-nomical and eco-logical! Laura - Taz's Corner More Altered Book Musings... Vanilla Cupcake Recipe A great cupcake recipe, use it as is, or as the base to create your favorite flavor.   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi has a week of posts about the Chicago Craft and Hobby show. Connie Gee's Designs Quilts are Connie's favorite subject to stitch and she's got a comfy one for you to stitch this week.   Craft Buds Mary and Lindsay went to the CHA trade show in Chicago this week, and show off some crafting technology along with some pretty fabric flowers and stamped metal jewelry. Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world This week at Craftside there is a vintage pattern for a knit sweater, an interview with Kate Bingaman-Burt featured in the 365 book, a Steampunk ring from 1,000 Steampunk Creations, and news about a new graphic design website-RockPaperInk.com, and call for entries.   Crafty Princess Diaries A storage cabinet seems to be the answer for storing all her craft club gear, but this isn't an easy decision for the Crafty Princess to make.   Eileen - The Artful Crafter Who doesn't recycle

  Becky Hobden , maker of Kawaii earwarmers I am not going to pretend that I understand this, but Japanese Kawaii is a viable craft trend right now.  It roughly translates into "cuteness", which kind of makes me want to go rust some more metal, but hey!  It's a free country, right?  If you think this trend may be for you, try visiting Etsy and searching on Kawaii...you'll get an eyeful, alright. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

A room without books is like a body without a soul.      ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero Image: WikimediaCommons, Marcus Gossler Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

This little project is so easy and fun that you probably don't even need my instructions!  I like to wear my hair up in the summer, a LOT of the time, so I started making these as a way to feature my ever-growing collection of buttons .  Start with these items: A hair elastic (preferably in some bright non-serious color) A fabric flower with a hole in the center (I made mine from a strip of old lace trim, following the instructions here on Beading Arts ) A shank button (large enough to make a nice flower center and not slip through the hole) A jump ring (not pictured, because I thought of it later!) Originally, I was going to sew the button to the elastic band through the hold in the center of the flower, but I decided to use a jump ring instead, because then I could change the button if I wanted to!  If you wanted to use a non-shank button, you could definitely sew it on, maybe using some embroidery floss in a fun contrasting color.  This post contains affilia

  Beading Arts Cyndi shares the instructions for making a freeform peyote stitch necklace. Now the piece just needs a name! Butterfly Coloring Pages Linette played with different ways to create coloring pages.   Eileen - The Artful Crafter There are probably as many art journal techniques as there are artists who keep visual journals. See which ones Eileen chose for her first art journal page.   Experimenting With Mixed Media Cherie plays with mixed media techniques for a picture.   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Aileen's Musings Aileen's been creating in the kitchen again and offers you a printable White Lemon Tea Cake recipe card. Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi paints two tiny canvases which she glazes with resin.   Connie Gee's Designs A thought-provoking project to stitch and share in the floss colors of your choice.   Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world This week at Craftside there are two free clip art images and a paper 3-D letter idea, a tutorial on how to sew swag curtains without a pattern, a recipe for smoked salmon and goat cheese scrambled eggs, info on Craftside at the UK Knitting and Stitching show along with Dawn DeVries Sokol's doodle camp.   Eileen - The Artful Crafter Take a few moments to peek into the world of another artist: Scrap Girl and SG Product Designer, Brandy Murry. You may find some inspiration to help you grow in your art.   About Family Crafts This week's craft challeng

Great White by Ptolemy Elrington Last week I confessed my fondness for metal creatures.  Over the years, I've had the privilege of profiling several masters of the art form here on Mixed Media Artist .  I'd like to remind you about a few of them that really made an impression on me: Christopher Conte Ptolemy Elrington Boris Bally Molly Friedrich Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

24 hours in a day...24 diet cokes in a case...coincidence? Image: WikimediaCommons, My100Cans Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

In the most recent issue of Cloth Paper Scissors (July/August 2011), Teresa Stanton has a brilliant article called "Wearable Art Cuff" that I used as the inspiration for a new fabric cuff, steampunk style.  To build the basic cuff, you simply need strips of fabric and a sewing machine, or you could even do the stitching by hand if you'd rather!   I recommend you pick up a copy of the magazine for Teresa's clear instructions.  Below is a list of the various beads, buttons, and do-dads that I used for my cuff.  I make most of my bead embroidered fabric bracelets in a different fashion, and you can find the instructions for those at the link, but this time I mostly used Teresa's instructions, and really liked the way the edges are left free and ragged.    Materials   Watch parts, gears, buttons Gear charm (Earthenwood Studios) Seed beads Glass flowers 4 mm round accent beads Black Nymo O beading thread Embroidery thread Tools Pins Scissors B

  Mo(o)re Gourd Whimsies Fourth of July Picture Frame with paperclay Beading Arts Cyndi has a fabulous copy of 30-Minute Rings to give away, Come and enter to win! Eileen - The Artful Crafter Take a few moments to peek into the world of another artist: Scrap Girl and SG Product Designer, Brandy Murry. You may find some inspiration to help you grow in your art. Estate Sale Chairs: Finished! Cherie has finished the final step in her estate sale makeover. Laura - Taz's Corner My Altered Book - "In The Zone" Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  About Family Crafts Want to get a jump start on Christmas crafting? Check out these Christmas in July crafting ideas! Aileen's Musings Aileen's gal pal Christy offers up some scrumptious journal backgrounds, and how she achieved each one! Carmi's Art/Life World There is a new give-a-way for a jewelery mold that Carmi wants you to know about! Connie Gee's Designs Connie shares a free chart based on a saying from Pearl Bailey along with some memories related to the late, great singer. Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world This week at Craftside there is a fun tutorial on how to fold an origami fractal geometric, how to create Audrey Hepburn eye makeup, draw and paint Pin-Up Girl lips, two American Flag themed art quilts and Los Angeles Swap-o-rama info. Eileen - The Artful Crafter There are probably as many art journal techniques as there are artists who keep visual journals. See which ones Eileen chose for her

Some of you already know that I have a particular fondness for metal assemblage.  Not that I do it...I tend more to collect it!  One of my favorite pieces is this little beauty from Joe Pogan : Well, now I've found another metal artist to love: Andrew Chase ! You need to visit Andrew's site...he's got lots of cool stuff besides the metal critters! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

2011 Breast Cancer Quilt Auction Artisan Search 2012 Deadline: 08/29/11       The Illustrative Beader: Beaded Tapestry Competition Deadline: 08/31/11       2011 Breast Cancer Quilt Auction Deadline: 09/01/11        Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

RAM disk is not an installation procedure Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

The Fourth of July seems like the perfect time to tell you about the odyssey that my daughter and husband just enjoyed together: they drove from our home just outside of Boston to the site of Dani's new job in Portland Oregon!  Yup - from sea to shining sea, minus about 20 miles ;-) A cart that Dani created for the play The Merchant of Venice with some actors standing in the way! Dani's internship at the Shakespeare Theatre Company just ended and her new life in Oregon at Michael Curry Design is about to begin.  In between there was corn...lots and lots of corn.  And some mountains.  And some other neat stuff.  I'm sure that Dani will be posting more about it over time, so I'll just leave you with these samples:    It says Quaker Steak & Lube Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Laura - Taz's Corner "ICAD Challenge" - Index Card A Day Challenge Beading Arts Are you clear on your goals for your artsy blog? Cyndi has rounded up some articles that are sure to help! Eileen - The Artful Crafter Here are a couple of ways to make hybrid cards to match a gift. Gift baskets of all sorts make lovely eye-appealing gift packages. Coordinating the elements is easier than you may think.   Homemade Coasters Cherie shows how to make some fun coasters with your own pictures.     Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery See how to make an American flag motif 4th of July decoration from Christmas ornaments on a chain link fence. About Family Crafts The current make-it-over craft challenge is aandprint crafts! Do you have one to share? Aileen's Musings Aileen has reposted her tie-dyed deli paper background technique and some freebie fractal backgrounds.   Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi experiments with a transfer technique on resin clay.   Craft Buds Learn how to sew a messenger bag for your little guy or gal with this tutorial. Also, visit the giveaways page for a chance to win an Accuquilt fabric cutter and three dies.   Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world This week at Craftside there are 4 pattern adjustments from the book Tailoring, a cute doll purse pattern, recipes for vegan bacon cheeseburgers, homemade vegan bacon bits and a Nectarine and Nasturtium salad with a simple summer vinaigrette.