A Busy Weekend Planned

So it is almost the weekend . . .what do you have planned?

For me - I will be very busy with . . .

Cleaning the house

 Doing some art . . .

Laughing and spending time with family . . . 

Maybe taking a nap . . . 

Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

Seriously though . . .there will definitely be art happening this weekend.

These are just a few samples of the prep work that my handy mr. man is getting ready for me. Lots of priming going on at our house.

The summer shows are all but over and it is time to prepare for the fall and holiday events.

I try to get as much inventory prepped ahead of time as possible.

Every year - my intentions are really good, and then something gets in the way and I am painting like a mad woman right up to the last minute.

I am hoping to handle that a bit differently this year.

I'll keep my fingers crossed!



Bacs of picture frames getting the "once over" . . .



 

 

Chunky mini-canvases getting primed and ready for some color magic.

 A few weeks ago when my friend was here, we made a trek to a cool store in the Portland area called "Scrap".

It's located on MLK Blvd., for those of you who are familiar with the area.

Scrap is a totally unique store - a thrift store of all things that can be reused for art projects.

I have heard about this place for years, but never went until recently.

And oh what fun it was!

When you first walk in, it just looks like lots of junk.

But as you peruse and let the creative mind wander, all sorts of possibilities start coming up.

The place is brimming with a enough paraphenalia to make a collager drool, a textile artist's head spin . . .well you get the idea.

We had a great time coming up with projects.

We bought a few things and then two days later went back and bought more.

This is a table "runner" that I created with some of the fabric I grabbed. Shelves and shelves of upholstery sample books were there for the taking. I snatched up three or four of them. All the samples are perfectly cut and shapped. And they are color-coordinated too!

I cut up and stitched and sewed and created something a little out of the ordinary for my table.

I got a sewing machine for Christmas and have never been a fan of sewing - but as I have surfed around different blogs, I am drawn to some of the textile art that is being created out there.

I know I still have a long way to go . . .but this was a start.

And more importantly - it was so much fun to spend some time creating something out of my normal comfort zone.

And the best part . . .this little table piece cost about 75 cents to make!

Vicki started with this . . .

Piles of thick 100% wool felt.

Leftovers from some type of idustrial project, these are from . . .who knows what???

But it was thick and soft and pliable.

We could tell that circles had been cut out of these, but that was as far as we could solve the mystery.

Vicki cut and manipulated and created these. . .

Are these adorable or what???

I can just see these as lapel or hat pins, clumped together on the corner of throw pillow, on the flap of a great messenger bag.

Endless possibilites.

Total cost?

About 5 cents per flower.

Scrap may have become one of my new best friends!