You Will Be Able To Collage By The End Of This Book

 

Title: You Will Be Able To Collage By The End Of This Book

Author: Stephanie Hartman

Publisher: Ilex Press

Publication Date: May 25, 2023

Length: 160 Pages

About the Author
Stephanie Hartman is a collage artist and the founder of Collage Club Ldn. She leads popular workshops celebrating the art of cutting and sticking and has worked with brands and organizations such as ASOS, Adidas, Toast, and the Royal Academy.

Collage Ideas and Inspiration
This book is divided into the following four sections;

1. Getting started
2. Paper-cut collage
3. Found imagery
4. Beyond the flat page

The author provides instructions and color photos for a variety of collage projects. There are "Artist Spotlights" that feature important members of the collage art community.

My Thoughts
This year is going to be a year of COLLAGE for me. I plan to read books about collages, watch online tutorials, and practice making paper collages. I have joined an online group where we will make and exchange collage projects in the mail.

I read through this book in one day and got a wonderful overview of collage supplies, paper collage techniques, and projects with found images. I plan on going back and actually trying out many of the techniques that were introduced in this book. There are step-by-step instructions for many of the collages.

The author stated in the title of this book that you will be able to collage by the end of this book. I agree that this book is an excellent introduction to get you started on the journey of creating collage art. The important thing is that you TAKE ACTION and use the skills that are presented by Ms. Hartman. Play and have fun!

MY RATING: 5 Stars Out Of 5

Collage Your Life; Techniques, Prompts and Inspiration - Book Review

 

Title: Collage Your Life; Techniques, Prompts and Inspiration for Creative Self-Expression and Visual Storytelling

Author: Melanie Mowinski

Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC

Publication Date: June 21, 2022

Length: 224 Pages

About the Author
Melanie Mowinski is a professor of art at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and founder of PRESS: Letterpress as a Public Art Project. She has maintained a daily practice of collage and creating with paper for more than 10 years.

Practice Takes Practice
Melanie Mowinski shares basic collage techniques with beautiful color photographs. She includes the selection of tools, materials, and adhesives. The book features 55 prompts to jumpstart your practice. The prompts feature basic projects that inspire you to exercise your creativity and uniqueness. 

There are profiles of collage artists that include their backgrounds and their artistic processes.

The last part of the book features instructions for creating handmade collage books and journals.

My Thoughts
Collage is my favorite kind of art so I tend to gravitate toward books like this. This is a gold mine of inspiration for collage artists at all skill levels.

The author believes a successful art practice takes "commitment, regular preparation and rehearsal, and focused attention on continual skill refinement." You should strive to create a piece of art every day. Practice takes practice.

If you commit to making one collage a day using the techniques and prompts in this book, I guarantee you will see great improvement in your process and the end results of your efforts. 

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital review copy of this book from NetGalley.

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You Are the Bee's Knees Collage Card

Click on image to enlarge.

"You are the bee's knees."

I wasn't sure about the meaning of this expression so I looked it up;

If something is said to be the bee's knees it is excellent - the highest quality.

Since my husband is a beekeeper, I decided to make a bee's knees greeting card.

I started with a blank Strathmore card that measures 5" by 7".

The background cardstock is from the Abandoned Paper Stash pad by Tim Holtz.

The collage elements are from the following digital junk journal kits;


The Bees Knees Digital Junk Journal Kit
By AWhimsicalAdventure on Etsy

Vintage Queen Bee Printable Journal Kit
By EphemerasGarden on Etsy

I printed the digital papers and elements on my HP Photo Printer. I use the HP Instant Ink program so I never run out of printer ink.

I featured the digital stamp "Bee Mine" from Mo's Digital Pencil. I hand-colored the image with Copic Sketch markers and Winsor and Newton Promarkers/Brush markers. I cut out the image, chomped the corners and attached it to a piece of black cardstock. I then attached it to the front of the card.

I will enter this card in the following challenge;
Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #282

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Altered Art Halloween Cards from Digital Collage Sheet

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This year I made the following nine Halloween greeting cards using the Digital Collage Sheet, Halloween Witches, ATC, ACEO sized, 2.5 X 3.5, Halloween Children (Sheet no. H39) Instant Download from Lisa's Altered Art Shop on Etsy.

I printed the collage sheet on a piece of matte photo paper that measured 8.5" by 11". I got nine unique pieces of art that each measured 2.5" by 3.5". 

I cut out the nine individual cards and covered each one with a thin film of Tim Holtz Distress Glaze. I wiped the glaze off with a piece of paper towel. This product left a beautiful satin finish on the surface of the cards.

I used cardstock from the Tim Holtz Halloween pack (2017) and matching Tim Holtz washi tape. The sentiments are from the Tim Holtz Clippings collection.

I used kraft cardstock for the base that measured 4.25" by 5.5". 

You may CLICK on each individual photo to enlarge.

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Handmade Tim Holtz Halloween Cards

I made the following Halloween cards with Tim Holtz patterned paper and ephemera. I had fun creating unique and unusual collage cards with the outstanding paper and die cuts that were available from Tim Holtz. I purchased all of these supplies from Michaels. Here are the supplies I used to create these cards:

Patterned Paper
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Paper Stash

Die Cuts
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Ephemera Pack
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Botanical 

Sentiments
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Occasions Small Talk
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Clippings Stickers

Stamps
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Cling Stamps

Here is a video that I made featuring some of the Halloween cards I made.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or tweet me @JanetteFuller.

Springtime in Paris Handmade Card

Paris in Spring by Sara Teasdale
The city's all a-shining
Beneath a fickle sun,
A gay young wind's a-blowing,
The little shower is done.
But the rain-drops still are clinging
And falling one by one --
Oh it's Paris, it's Paris,
And spring-time has begun.

I know the Bois is twinkling
In a sort of hazy sheen,
And down the Champs the gray old arch
Stands cold and still between.
But the walk is flecked with sunlight
Where the great acacias lean,
Oh it's Paris, it's Paris,
And the leaves are growing green.

The sun's gone in, the sparkle's dead,
There falls a dash of rain,
But who would care when such an air
Comes blowing up the Seine?
And still Ninette sits sewing
Beside her window-pane,
When it's Paris, it's Paris,
And spring-time's come again.    

I made this collage-style greeting card to enter in the Michael's Springtime in Paris contest.   Wish me luck!

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.                

Handmade St. Patrick's Day Card On A Budget

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I made some collage greeting cards to celebrate this "green" day.

 

DEFINITION: "Collage: a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope".

 

 

Here are some of the recycled and rescued supplies that I used to make these cards:

• Kraft cardstock blank 5" by 7" cards with matching envelopes. (Hobby Lobby - 50% Off Sale - Pack of 50 card/envelopes for $5.00.)
• Green/Crowns background patterned paper.  (Thrift shop find - Over 100 sheets of paper for $1.99).
• Shamrock Medley Rub-On Sheet. (Clearance at Hobby Lobby - $0.49.)

• Paper Studio Lucky Day Cardstock Stickers Sheet. (Clearance at Hobby Lobby - $0.42.)
• Green Paper Flower. (Goodwill - Large bag of paper flowers in a variety of colors - $1.99.)
• Recollections Mini Pastel Green Brad. (Michaels Clearance - 200 brads - $0.99.)



• Green Glitter Tape. (Walmart Craft Bin - $1.00.)
• Definitions from 1961 dictionary. (Goodwill - Old dictionary for $1.99.)
• Green fiber - (Pack of assorted fibers/ribbon - Antique shop - $2.99.)

Thanks for taking a look at my cards. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.





Handmade Birthday Card With Lots of Layers

January was a big month for birthdays. This is my last card for the month. I recently found a Fiskar's Paper Crimper at a thrift shop and was anxious to try it out.

What is a paper crimper? It is a gadget that makes any kind of paper that you run through it look "crimped" or corrugated.

I will be entering this card in Mo's Challenge #218 - "Lots of Layers". I used several different layers of paper and the cake in the image also has LOTS of layers.

I started with a blank kraft greeting card that measure 5" by 7".

I printed out the digital stamp "Tall Cake" on Strathmore Toned Tan sketch paper. I colored the image with Copic Sketch Markers.

I used a Fiskar's Corner Rounder on the image and stitched it to a piece of collage patterned paper (Collage Art Stack from DCWV). I chose the blue background paper from the same paper pack and ran it through the paper crimper. I then tore around the edges so the white core would show.

I embellished the card with the "LOVE" stickers and a mesh ribbon.

Thank you for taking a look at my card.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Children's Book Review: Dream Something Big; The Story of the Watts Towers



Dream Something Big [The Story of the Watts Towers]

Author: Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrator: Susan L. Roth
Publisher: Dial Books For Young Readers

Date: August 18, 2011





About The Author
Dianna Hutts Aston is the author of many books for children. In addition to writing for children, Dianna has established an annual Teen Writer’s Workshop for underprivileged Mexican teens and manages her non-profit foundation, The Oz Project.

The Towers
Between 1921 and 1955, Italian immigrant Simon Rodia transformed broken glass, seashells, pottery, and a dream to "do something big" into a U.S. National Landmark. Readers watch the Watts Towers rise from his little plot of land in Watts, California, through the eyes of a fictional girl. 

The story is illustrated with beautiful collages made from cut and torn paper, cloth, fibers and other "found" things.

My Thoughts
I had never heard of The Watts Towers until I read this picture book. I am astounded and amazed that one man could accomplish this task. Simon Rodia was a pioneer in reusing and recycling discarded items to create something new and unique. He worked on this project for over thirty years! I can just imagine what his neighbors were thinking.

The towers are now a National Historic Landmark and are considered an example of non-traditional vernacular architecture and American folk art.

This book does a great job presenting American history, art and architecture in a way that children will find interesting and fun. There is a section at the end of the book that shows children how to create their own Watts Tower from pipe cleaners, assorted beads and buttons, magazine clippings and foam shapes.

This is an excellent story of possibility and perseverance for children of all ages.
Highly Recommended.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I checked-out this book from my local public library. I {{heart}} my public library!

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Shakespeare Sonnets Collage Greeting Card

I have been experimenting with using old book pages to make greeting cards for a long time. Today, I chose a page from Shakespeare's Sonnets to make this card.

I applied a light coat of acrylic paint to the book page and used Craft Bond Rubber Cement to glue it to a blank card that measures 5" by 7".

I glued a piece of patterned decoupage tissue (DMD "Old World") to the book page.

I glued a piece of vintage sheet music to the right side of the card.

I used 2 small Victorian prints (reproductions) at the top and bottom of the card.

I applied the sea shell die cut (TC Travel from K & Company) to the center of the piece of sheet music.

Have you used old book pages for paper crafts or DIY projects? I would love to hear about it!

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Poem - Mixed Media Greeting Card

I recently found a big box of old sheet music and music books at an estate sale. Some of these music books were very old and very worn.

I chose a song named "Poem" from a music book that was tattered and torn. I used the title of the song and a small piece of the music. I then punched birds hearts and circles from the music (Martha Stewart punches).

I used a picture of a Victorian woman from a packet of illustrations from old public domain books. I glued all these items onto a blank kraft card with Collage Pauge. I then applied two applications of Collage Pauge over the top of the paper elements on the card.

When the card was dry, I highlighted the edges of the hearts with Stickles glitter glue. I then applied three silver glitter heart stickers (Martha Stewart) to the paper hearts.

I embellished the card with a pink rose sticker (Martha Stewart) and three tiny pink bows. I punched two flowers from a piece of  pink handmade paper and made the center of the flower from the sheet music.

I am going to use this as a birthday card. Thank you for taking a look at this card.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

 

Handmade Collage Valentine Card

Love is in the air and Valentines Day is just around the corner. I have been busy making handmade Valentines cards for some of my family members.

This is a collage. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas.
You do not have to be an artist to create a collage. You just have to have a good imagination and a collection of ephemera that could be used for your project.

I hope this will inspire you to create an original card for your sweetheart on Valentines Day.

This is how I made my Valentine collage;

• I started with a blank greeting card that measures 4 1/2" by 5 1/2". The card is red on the outside and white on the inside. I used a Martha Stewart Punch (Cherish) to punch the front edge of the card.
• I cut a 3 1/2" heart from a piece of patterned paper with foil hearts and from an old Bingo playing card. If you don't have scrapbooking paper, you could use a piece of pretty wrapping paper or a page from an old book.
• I found this picture of a Victorian girl in my scrapbooking stash. You could use a real photo that you sized to fit the card or a photo from a book/magazine.
• I punched a 1" heart from felt and placed it at the top of the Bingo card heart.
• I used a Martha Stewart button punch to make a button from a Bingo card. I put a red glitter heart in the center of the button punch. You could use a real button or a favorite sticker.
• The ticket "Adore" is from a package of Tim Holtz embellishments. You could use the text from an old greeting card or a handwritten note.
• I embellished the card with 3 pink butterflies that I punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I added some glitter and attached them to the card with glue dots. I added a small heart sticker to the side of the card.

There is no limit to the creative cards you can make with old paper, fabric, lace and embellishment that you probably have in your home. It is time to reuse, recycle and upcycle some of the items that might end up in your trash bin.

Happy creating!

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Operation Write Home Love Challenge

I made this collage "Love" card for the Operation Write Home Valentine/Love  Challenge.

This is how I made the card:
(1.) I started with a pre-made card that measures 4" by 5 1/2".
(2.) The red background is Tim Holtz "grunge" cardstock.
(3.) The collage cardstock is from "Vintage Collage Stack" by DCWV. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the bottom scalloped edge.
(4.) I dry embossed the circle of hearts on the cardstock with a Fiskars ShapeBoss (Circle Warmth template).
(5.) I colored the hearts with a ColorBox Fluid Chalk InkPad (Rouge).
(6.) I used a rubber stamp to make the love postage stamp and colored it with Copic Sketch markers.
(7.) I embellished the card with a Tim Holtz "Love" ticket, two pink heart brads and bakers twine.

Thank you for taking a look at my card. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Collage Greeting Cards From Old Book Pages

I have been thinking about different ways to recycle old books that are tattered and torn. Many of these are no longer useful as reading copies.
I made this collage greeting card this morning using a page from "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. This page was printed in the early 1900s and has a nice aged color.

I like to find pages that have inspiring quotations on them that the recipient of the card will enjoy. The chapter title of this page is "Artistic Attempts". I thought that was very appropriate since I was using the page to create an artistic project.
I also liked the last paragraph on the page;
"Very well, Amy; if your heart is set upon it, and you see your way through without too great an outlay of money, time and temper, I'll say no more. Talk it over with the girls, and whichever way you decide, I'll do my best to help you."
"Thanks, mother; you are always so kind;" and away went Amy to lay her plan before her sisters.

I tore off a strip of blue Mulberry Paper and attached it to the book page with glue dots. (I found the paper at Big Lots.) I then used a piece of flocked patterned paper that looks like fuzzy piano keys across the blue paper. I used a small piece of silver/white patterned paper right under the chapter heading (I found both sheets of the patterned paper on clearance at Hobby Lobby). I applied an embossed reproduction of an image from an antique card on top of the piano keys. I found the package of antique art reproductions (Artifacts, Inc.) on clearance at Michaels.

I think this is a creative way to recycle old book pages and bring some joy into a special person's life. Who knows, this card might inspire someone to find a copy of "Little Women" and read the entire book. 

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.