Collage Mixed Media Project

Ideas for Summer Projects
Summer break is almost here! I will have more time to create! If you are looking for a summer project to work on, a collage with mixed media is a fun project!

Mixed Media Collage

Today I thought I would share a mixed media project that I created for fun and as an example for a student project at school.  We often use old donated magazines in the classroom. This project is a mixed media collage, using magazines and acrylic paints.

Arkansas Home Theme
Since I create my little clay houses and clay house tiles, I decided to go with a Home theme and Arkansas theme to create a house with a fence and tree.  I used a stack of one of my favorite Arkansas magazines (At Home in Arkansas) to cut out Arkansas details, words, maps, and colors to put together to create my image.

Supplies I used:
Canvas Board
Old Magazines
Acrylic Paint and Brushes
Drawing Paper
Glue sticks
ModPodge

After cutting out words, patterns, colors and shapes out of the magazines, I began arranging the pieces that I had. I went back to the magazines when I needed additional colors and images.
I created a house shape with strips of magazine cuttings adding some details with paint.  For example, I decided to create a tree and needed some leaves but I did not have enough so I cut leaf shapes out of green paper to create the rest of the leaves. I wanted an owl in the tree so I drew and painted a little owl on drawing paper, cut it out and glued it into the tree.

The sidewalk on the bottom edge of this piece was made up of map pieces and words pieced together. Cutouts of flowers were also added to create flower beds.

ModPodge was brushed on top of the entire piece after I was finished adding pieces. This helps to seal the pieces of paper to the surface.

I am featured!

...in an Etsy Treasury...

Etsy Treasury

Set of 3 Heart Home Clay Houses

A big thanks to Oakleafhollow , a fellow Arkansan on Etsy!

AND....

...as I mentioned earlier, in At Home in Arkansas June issue.

A sweet friend of mine found a copy of the magazine in another town and brought it to me! Here is a picture of front cover and my hearthomes! I'm pretty excited to be in print! You can probably tell by the goofy grin!

Magazine Feature!

See this in: At Home in Arkansas

This picture is featured in the latest issue of the magazine At Home in Arkansas featuring 12 Arkansas artists who sell on Etsy! I'm heading out this afternoon to get a printed copy. I hope you will check it out! When they contacted me about featuring something from my shop, I sent 3 items for them to choose from, and this is what they chose. It is listed in my HeartHomes shop on Etsy. The 3 HeartHomes were some of the first little houses that I made. They were really fun to make and I have listed several tiles that are similar, but on a tile. So, I guess I better get to the store to pick up a copy of At Home in Arkansas! I'm very excited about being in a magazine!

Congratulations to the other 11 Arkansas Artists on Etsy!

~Beth

Ups and Downs...

Up...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you get some good news one day that makes you feel great, then a couple of days later nothing seems to work out right? Well...that is way things have been for me for the past week.

Well, I haven't decided whether I should celebrate, but I'm very excited that an Arkansas magazine is going to feature Arkansas Artists on Etsy in an article and I am one of the artists that they want to include! Well, I shipped my items to them today, but I don't want to get my hopes up, or too excited, because the way things have been going, I don't want to jinx it! I will give more information when I know its going to print with my name and pictures of my art in it!

Down...

But since I got that good news, I decided to make some new pieces to send to the magazine. Well, normally the clay tiles that I made take a while to dry completely. Well I tried to rush it and unfortunately that did not work out. The tiles were very cute! I was really proud of them! But when I opened the kiln, my excitement changed to disappointment. The tiles were broken into pieces. That means they weren't completely dry when they were fired. So, I will have to redo them, but unfortunately it will be too late for the magazine article.

Up...

The kids came home for Easter weekend. My daughter brought the dogs. The new puppy has grown alot since the last trip! He's still an active puppy, but he is becoming more loveable and a little more calm. My daughter volunteered to cook a meal Saturday for us and the in-laws. It turned out very well. The lasagna rolls and the chicken rolls (not sure what they were called) turned out very good. It was the first time she cooked both recipes, but they both turned out excellent! I'm getting very used to others cooking for me! My husband has always had certain dishes that he cooked, especially Italian dishes (he's part Italian), but since he is home more at night, he has become the main cook around here and it is OKAY with me! Gives me more time in the studio, which is always good!

Down...

This weekend, I was simply walking down the hall when my knee popped and locked up. Well that has happened before, but this time it started to swell up...alot. It seemed different this time. So I went to the Doctor today and he seems to think I tore some cartilage. I'm not sure how long that will take to get better. The up to that is that it doesn't keep me from doing my art! If I was a jogger or a leg model or something, I would be up a creek! haha



Well enough babbling for today. I'm not complaining about the ups and downs. The ups are definitely appreciated and enjoyed. And the Ups are so good after experiencing the downs! So I guess they all balance out. I took some pictures of some new pieces that I will be listing in my new Etsy shop. But I want to get more things finished before I open up the new shop or post them. So I will leave that for another post.



So how do you deal with lifes ups and downs?
~Beth