Crocheted Mary Jane Shoes

Posted on | June 24, 2010 | 11 Comments

Catching up on some saved tv shows with the family. So while watching an episode of “So You Think You Can Dance”, I crocheted a pair of shoes for Rinoa using worsted weight yarn and jute for the sole. (I got the pattern on Etsy.) I made a pair for my 1-year old niece as well and it’s on its way to New York. Mica’s is still in the works – saving that for another episode.

The Great Big Stitched Postcard

Posted on | June 23, 2010 | 1 Comment

It’s nearing the end of the month and I’m scrambling to finish some projects for swaps that are all due this week.

“You Are Worth the Time” Altered Postcard

This altered postcard is for the Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap hosted by Beth Nicholls in the UK. I’m sending it to Cat Conidi in Australia.

The inspiration behind this postcard is this video. (If you haven’t seen it yet, please take the time to watch it – it has a very powerful message.) My vision for the design is to compare creativity to a seed which needs time and nourishment to grow. The time it takes to cultivate and nourish it is well worth the fruits that it will bear and flower that it will bloom. (I actually added a flower on the top right corner but I wasn’t able to take another photo.)

And for that altered tin can I made for my Mixed Media Art group, I wrapped it in music sheet and wax paper as shown above to give the recipient a more delightful surprise. (This idea was inspired by a project in Ruth Rae’s Layered, Tattered, and Stitched.)

Mixed Media Technique: Singed Art + A Very Funny Story

Posted on | June 22, 2010 | 6 Comments

In the cover of my Nostalgia Art Journal, I’ve incorporated some burnt book pages. Burning is an interesting way to add an aged, weathered look to art projects. I like the unpredictable results I get from burning paper.

The scheduled brownouts in my hometown when I was a child gave lots of opportunities to play with a candle as a creative tool. (Not that I have pyro tendencies or anything.) Until now, I use a candle, placed near the kitchen sink, to burn paper for my projects. So far, I haven’t set off any of our smoke detectors yet – but I do warn my family when I’m doing my burning so they don’t get alarmed when they smell smoke.

Bird’s Nest Altered Tin Can

Here’s another project where I incorporated singed art. It’s an altered tin can for a swap I’m participating in this month. For this project, I experimented with scraps of fabric. It’s fascinating to see how different types of fabric react to burning. I like how most of the fabric I used just curls up and ‘caramelizes’ under heat.

Speaking of smoke detectors, I have a funny story to tell – of course, at the time this story happened (around 8 or so years ago), it wasn’t quite funny. Here’s what happened in the words of my husband Troy …

Ahh vacation. We were in California, bunking at our Aunt and Uncle’s newly built house in the fabulous Chino Hills area. I had gotten up at the crack of noon as my lovely and talented wife was preparing to bake a fresh batch of homemade cookies. She’s a fantastic baker and wanted to surprise everyone when they returned home from work later that day. There was a constant clattering in the kitchen as Johwey rifled through drawers and cabinets trying to find the necessary utensils and supplies. Suddenly there was a loud, high pitched squeal-like beeping that was so obnoxiously shrill that I nearly gouged out my own ears. I noticed Johwey’s scramble pattern in the kitchen change up a bit, apparently she noticed the beeping too. What a God-awful sound for an oven timer I thought. Were the cookies done? Not quite.

Cousin DJ came rushing down the stairs, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel, screaming something about the neighbors house being on fire and all the neighbors were already outside. This is when we realized that the beeping was a fire alarm and that the fire was inside the kitchen. Thick black smoke was rolling out of the sides of the oven door as flames snuck out from the bottom and licked the front of the oven. My 3rd grade fire safety training immediately kicked in and I stopped dropped and rolled my way off the couch and into the kitchen. I slipped my hands through the fire and flames and turned the gas knob of the oven to ‘Off’. Within seconds the flames subsided, but smoke continued to roll from the lower broiler area of the oven. Johwey came running with some oven mitts and opened the broiler, pulling out the smoldering mass of blackness. “You broiled the cookies!?!?”, I thought.

“Oh DAAAYYYYYUMMMMMMM!”, DJ exclaimed in his best LA Club Kid voice, which was how he sounded anyway at the time. “My mom keeps all of the kitchen towels in the oven, you didn’t take them out??”

In a kitchen with dozens of cabinets, the towels were stored in the broiler pan. Needless to say, Johwey never finished her cookies, and we spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the smoke stains off the never-before-used oven.

Friday Art: Zentangles

Posted on | June 18, 2010 | 5 Comments

Zentangles by Mica Redington (13 years old)

Zentangles by Rinoa Redington (5 years old)

Both Mica and Rinoa did a great job with their zentangles. Rinoa gave up coloring in the middle of her project, complaining that her hand was tired. I think it looks great just partly colored.

Inside the Nostalgia Art Journal

Posted on | June 9, 2010 | 28 Comments

Here’s a peek inside my Nostalgia Art Journal. The pages are made from old books and magazines, brown paper bags, recycled mail envelopes, maps, and other found paper. This journal is very close to my heart because it’s very representative of me – from the pages that I used to how I put them and the cover together.

The journal has an inside pocket and the first page includes a quote that reads “Savor the quiet moments and know how very much you matter in this world.” – a nice inspiration every time you open the journal.

Some pages feature handpainted backgrounds using mixed media.

Check out my previous post to see what the cover looks like. And this journal (made with so much love) is for sale on Etsy here. Sold!

Shabby Chic Art Journal – Nostalgia #1

Posted on | June 9, 2010 | 21 Comments

The past month or so, I’ve been working on creating more ‘junk’ journals in between my other projects. This week, I’ve gone full blast – working on the covers and taking over the dining table in the process. I grouped my signatures in themes and this one I just finished is the first of three in my Nostalgia series.

This journal has a magnetic enclosure and the cover is made of stiff, padded board enclosed in a satin-like fabric and burnt book pages under an embroidered organza. The satin-like fabric (which I’m not exactly sure what it is) is from a bedding collection I bought in Linens-n-Things when they were closing a few years ago. It’s very nice material but apparently not very comfortable for sleeping. So here I am repurposing it.

I chose to bind my signatures to the cover using long cross-stitches. And I’m really happy with how it turned out.

The journal has 60 pages and here’s a peek at what’s inside. Tomorrow I’ll be showing photos of some of the pages. Go here to see a sampling of the pages.

I made two of this journal – one to keep and one to be enjoyed by someone special. (Of course, the pages won’t be exactly the same.) It is for sale on Etsy here. Sold!

Guest Blogging

Posted on | June 8, 2010 | 2 Comments

Hop over to Heavenly Savings to check out my first guest blog post – a tutorial on how to alter switch plates. Let me know what you think.

The Artistic Mother: Nameplates

Posted on | June 3, 2010 | 7 Comments

So many things happening in my life right now that I would love to share here – good things. The best part is I’m meeting a lot of kindred spirits. But I’m so overwhelmed at the moment that I need to take time to organize my thoughts.

In the meanwhile, I want to share another art project that my girls did. For fun, I recently joined the Artistic Mother’s Art Group based on Shona Cole’s book The Artistic Mother and hosted by Trudy Callan. I was flipping through the book when Mica and Rinoa saw this project and got excited. And there you go! We went to the store to buy some canvases and went to work. They did everything themselves, including choosing what papers and beads to use, except that Troy drilled the holes and I printed the photos.

The M and R were painted with crackle paint which both girls thought was really cool! Although Rinoa said “How come Mica’s M is more cracked than my R?” And I said “Because she put more paint on hers.” “Ooooh!”

These will hang on the bedroom doors. They’re excited about the idea of seeing their faces every time they pass by the doors – lol!

Friday Art: Teesha Moore Inspired

Posted on | June 1, 2010 | 8 Comments

Artist Teesha Moore generously shared through YouTube her thought and work process in creating her distinctive art journals. After watching the videos (which are presented in order at the bottom of this post), I thought it would be a great Friday Art project for Mica and Rinoa to make their own ‘Teesha Moore Inspired’ art. Boy did they have fun – they definitely released their wacky sides!

“The Octopus-Racer Lady” by Mica Redington (13 years old)

“Lady Dog” by Rinoa Redington (5 years old)

Troy came home early from work, got envious, and decided to join us and make one for himself. He’s not done with his yet (just needs some journaling) but here’s what his work looks like:

“What Are You Looking At?” by Troy Redington

Here are Teesha Moore’s video tutorials, in chronological order from creating a 16-page journal to filling the journal with collage and journaling. Enjoy!

Teesha Moore’s Amazing 16-page Journal (Part 1 of 2)

Teesha Moore’s Amazing 16-page Journal (Part 2 of 2)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Paint

Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 1 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 2 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 3 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 4 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 1 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 2 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 3 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 4 of 4)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Lettering (Part 1 of 2)

Teesha Moore Journaling: Lettering (Part 2 of 2)

How to Create Your Own Stencil Masks

Posted on | May 27, 2010 | 4 Comments

A mask is the negative of a stencil. It blocks certain areas from being painted so that the paint or whatever medium you’re using creates an outline of the image.

Catalogs and magazines are great sources for creating your own masks. Here’s how to make one:

1. Leaf through your magazines and choose a photo/image that would make a great silhouette.
2. Cover the front and back of the image with clear packaging tape so that you can reuse your mask.
3. Carefully cut out the image from the page.

Voila! Your very own stencil mask!

Here are some masks that I made from a Victoria’s Secret catalog that I regularly get from the mail. When going for people silhouettes, remember that images with expressive arms and legs make the best masks. You can cut away parts of the image to create a better silhouette. For example, the first stencil mask above might work better if I cut out the part of her hair that’s showing on her left side so that I get the shape of her head.

Here’s an example of how I applied the mask. I used the third one from the samples above. You can use a stencil adhesive to temporarily tack the mask on the surface where you’re applying the mask to make sure it won’t lift or move. Here, though, I just held it in place with my fingers and rubbed distressing ink around it with a foam applicator to create an outline. Because the image is protected with packaging tape, I just wiped it clean after I used it so I can use it again next time.

This is actually the outside part of a security envelope from a bill I got in the mail. I’m using it in one of the junk journals I’m currently making. It was full of print so I decided to paint on it.

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Please don't steal my text or images, it's disrespectful and you'll be subjet to karma! If you want to use any of the images, please email me for a written permission. Thank you.