New Year, New Product

I have some new product in my Etsy shop. This bird image was one of the images from my 2015 calendar. It's now printed on a linen pouch and comes with a set of matching note cards.

Pouch and Card

Linoleum Block and Card

Last But Not Least

My last collage of the year! Due to illness, I didn't quite make all of the 52 collages but I did manage to do 49 of them. Week 52 collage is another one done on a vintage Reader's Digest Condensed Book cover. These book covers were nice for collaging on - they were inexpensive at my local thrift shop, usually about 50 cents a book. One side is patterned and one side is a solid color so each book gives you two options. All of the books I purchased were falling apart so I didn't feel too bad about cutting them up. Maybe next year, I should do 52 collages just on book covers... now there's a thought.

This collage was done using my usual favorites - vintage type and music (from a marching band) Japanese rice cake and Chinese soap wrappers, vintage postage stamps, bus tickets and rubber stamps.

Collage week 52

Christmas Gift

A few years ago, I saw on Ebay a really cool vintage lamp made using wood letterpress type blocks. It was way too expensive for me to bid on but I've thought about this lamp for a long time.

As seen on Ebay

My husband like projects so I asked him to make me a base so that I could have my own letterpress lamp. And for Christmas this year, I received ...

a gorgeous lamp base for my type. What's really great about my lamp is that the wood type fits in the sides (it stays put thanks to some removable sticky squares) and doesn't need to be glued down so I can still use the blocks for printing. The base even rotates so I can admire it from all angles.

sides 1 & 2

sides 3 & 4

Maybe I'll get a matching one next year - hint, hint, hint...

Merry Merry

Holiday Card 2014

Nasturtiums

My collage for week 51 isn't very wintery but it will cheer you up on a blustery day. I've collaged a vintage nasturtium seed pack onto a Reader's Digest book cover. Orange decorative paper and rubber stamps are layered with the seed pack and a bit of an old gardening book. Apparently, not only are nasturtiums easy to grow but you can also pickle the seed pod! Who knew.

Collage week 51

Numbers Game

Week 50 collage is done on a vintage Bingo playing card. The background of type and numbers is interesting to layer on and I like the size (3.75" x 6.5"). I combined it with some type (from a House Industries type catalog), a vintage postage stamp, decorative paper, a rubber stamp and a ticket from the Yellow Cab Company. Wow, only 10 cents for the ride!

Collage week 50

Very Pink

My collage for week 49 is a cheery combination of pinks and lavender - perfect for a rainy week. I used an antique postcard from Belgium (post marked 1873), a bit of vintage wallpaper, Japanese decorative papers and rubber stamps.

Collage week 49

Tiny Little Bird

My collage for week 48 is a tiny little bird collage done on a tiny little canvas. The canvas measures 2.5" x 3.5". It's collaged with rubber stamps, a vintage letter, paper from an 19th century French ledger, star tissue paper, and a bit of handmade paper made in India. The bird is a rubber stamp from the set "Birds & Nests" by Cavallini Papers & Co.. They have lots of cool stationery items - check it out here.

Collage week 48

Collages Continue

I've finally been able to get back to my collages and this is week 47. I love doing type collages using my vintage documents so that's what I've used for this collage. It combines mostly French documents, rubber stamps and a vintage postage stamp. The calligraphy on the documents is so beautiful - I wish my handwriting was half as nice.

Collage week 47

2015 Calendar

Let me start by saying I got the flu which turned into pneumonia and I have been pretty much in bed for the last 3 weeks which is why I have missed my weekly collages. I hope to get a new one done this weekend - keep an eye out.

I did manage to finish my 2015 calendar before I got sick, so here it is. All of the images are printed from my hand cut linoleum blocks. The calendar is available in my Etsy shop here.

Cover

January thru April

May thru August

September thru December

Type Collage

I pulled out some of my vintage documents for this week's collage. 19th century French documents, a vintage ticket,  an Indian letter and a British postcard make up the background. A postage stamp, parts of a book plate and a Russian rubber stamp finish it off.

Collage week 43

Autumn Colors

Even though it was really hot today in southern California, my collage for week 42 uses some autumn colors of browns and gold. The Japanese calligraphy, from an old envelope, was put on decorative paper using my nifty new transfer paper. It was combined with various Japanese washi papers and a print from a Chinese Chop (seal). A chop, or seal, was used in Asia (and still is) to sign documents and art. They are usually carved in stone and sometimes in ivory or bamboo. I have one with my name carved in bamboo but the one on my collage is from a stone chop purchased in New York's Chinatown. I have no idea what it says but it looks really cool.

Collage week 42

Paris Perfume

My collage for week 41 started with a vintage Art Deco French perfume label in pink, black and gold. I added some Japanese papers, an old candy wrapper and a piece of vintage wallpaper. Voila!

Collage week 41

Geisha 2

I made another attempt at using the transfer paper. I used the same photo and here is the result. The image cracked a bit when I transferred it - I think I tried to remove the backing paper too soon. It does give it an aged appearance though. Before transferring, I tore the top edge of the photo and do like how it came out. This collage was done on an old Reader's Digest book cover. Some Japanese type, washi paper and gold star tissue complete the collage.

Collage week 40

Autumn Geisha

I went to the art store yesterday and spent lots of money on a ton of new handmade papers. I also purchased some transfer paper and did some experimenting. It definitely is a learning curve and I ruined a few images but in the end, my collage for this week came out pretty well. I used the transfer paper with a vintage Japanese photo and transferred it onto a Reader's Digest book cover. I also transferred the Japanese calligraphy but I put that on one of my new papers. The fan is a rubber stamp and I added a few more Japanese papers. Because I was experimenting, the nice pattern on the book cover got covered up but, win a few lose a few.

Collage week 39

The transfer paper I used is "Lesley Riley's TAP Transfer Paper". I like it because it doesn't leave a white background and you can use it with any inkjet printer. It tends to slide a bit while you're ironing so you have to be really careful.

LA Printer's Fair

Last year I did a post  about the LA Printers Fair at the International Printing Museum. This year, I'll be exhibiting instead of just shopping. If you're a letterpress lover or just a history buff, the museum is a must see. They've got working presses, some over 100 years old, and tons of letterpress equipment including wood type and presses for sale. The fair has not only vendors with finished printed items (I bought cards), but also sellers with supplies (I bought ink in tubes and a wood hammer for knocking my type in place) and misc cool stuff  (I purchased a vintage drawer handle from a Hamilton type cabinet). There are also demonstrations and you can try out some of the presses yourself. Who knows, you could walk away with a nice little table top press (or at least some of my cards).

You can check out the museum website here and info about the fair here. The museum is located in lovely Carson, California just south of LA. The fair is on October 4 from 9 until 4.

Week 38

I guess I like to work with red because my collage for this week too uses a lot of red elements combined with cream. Bits of vintage documents, handmade papers and a postage stamp all from my box of scraps and a few rubber stamped images finish off the design. I always forget to mention the size. This collage was done on paper and the image measures 6.5" x 4.5".

Collage Week 38

Three Red Flowers

I've been so busy that me head is ready to explode. And it's about 100 degrees outside and that doesn't help matters. But I do have a collage for week 37. Three Red Flowers is done on canvas and combines acrylic paint, handmade Japanese papers, vintage music and pen and ink.

collage week 37

Collage Cube 2

Way back in April, I signed on to do an art exchange. This blue cube for week 36 is the piece that I gave. I started with a coat of white acrylic and layered on patterned paper saved from the inside of business envelopes. On top went a rubber stamp and paint in blue. More patterned envelope paper,  handmade decorative papers and bits and pieces from old envelopes completed the cube.

Collage week 36

Collage Cube

This week, I did something a little different. A collage in-the-round. I got a wood cube from my local craft store and collaged each side. The theme became vintage type and butterflies and while each side could be it's own collage, they all work together when seen at an angle. I used a variety of vintage type, acrylic paint, rubber stamps, vintage wall paper, music and butterflies. The cube measures 3.5"  and is made from a really light wood (probably Balsa wood). This was so much fun to do (albeit time consuming)  that I will create more of them.

Collage week 35

Tickety Boo

This week's collage uses all sorts of tickets- bus tickets, a theater ticket, a ticket to the flea market, a Chinese ticket, even a vintage ticket for 10 pounds of ice.

Collage week 34

Type as Pattern

I like using type as pattern in my collages. It doesn't matter to me if the type is in a language I can read because what becomes more important than the words, is the pattern the letters make. My collage for week 33 uses a piece from a 19th century French ledger, a Chinese seal, a Russian stamp, a vintage letter and clothing ad, and a bit of music.

Collage week 33

Invasion

My house has been invaded by insurgents. They come at all hours of the day and night, on tiny feet, silently invading every room. They have been spotted in the toaster, in the coffee maker, in the recycling, in the dishwasher. They come from behind cupboards and out of the electrical outlets. I wipe out whole battalions with a squirt of Lysol but they regroup. Spiders sit vigil in the corners, stuffing themselves, a pile of bodies at their feet. But even the spiders can't keep up. The insurgents are willing to sacrifice a few as they continue on their quest for crumbs, water and cool. They have favorite spots - my laundry basket, the freezer, and even inside the microwave. When I turn the power on, they just laugh at me and scurry around doing a little victory dance. I am exhausted.

Artwork I did long ago for a picnic invitation

Feeling Blue

My collage for week 32 incorporates a few blue scraps and a rubber stamp. A piece of German money from 1917, Japanese hand made paper and a 1922 German postage stamp make up the elements.

Collage week 32

Collage Week 31

My collage for week 31 is done on a cover from a 1970's Reader's Digest Condensed Book. (I have a bunch for these books that were falling apart - a great find at my local Good Will) The pattern on the cover made a nice back ground and I layered it with a striped vintage wallpaper, some hand made papers and a 1937 postage stamp from Newfoundland.

Collage week 31

Prada Pink

While at the mall, I found a discarded Prada Candy perfume tester card. (You know, those little pieces of card that you spray perfume on so you don't have a million scents on your wrist.) This pink, gold and white patterned confection became the basis for my week 30 collage. I combined it with pink and gold handmade papers, rubber stamps and vintage type.

Collage week 30

Jugglin' Bear & Rockin' Croc

I had promised my sister-in-law that I would make some art for my nephew's room. I had previously given a picture to my niece so I had to make good on the promise. I'm not so great at doing boy stuff though. Luckily, my nephew is only 3 and not too critical. I HAD to have the pictures done by the time I drove to Oregon for the 4th of July. I had put it off for a year and the pressure was on.

I did a dancing, juggling bear. I used mostly acrylic paint, along with some hand stamped papers and scrap booking papers I had designed a long time ago. The canvas size was 18" x 24" - bigger than the collages I usually do. I thought it came out quite well.

Jugglin' Bear

Then I got to thinking. The bear might be a little too babyish and would certainly be outgrown in a few years. Three days before I left for Oregon I decided to do a second picture. This time, a rockin' crocodile. Since I was short on time, this one was done almost entirely in acrylic paint, except for the starbursts which were done with an eraser stamp. This too was done on an 18" x 24" canvas. I finished it the evening of July 3.

My nephew seemed to like both of them. Good taste that little boy has!

Rockin' Croc

I almost forgot to post my latest collage! The collage for this week started with a vintage postcard. I added a red rubber stamped wreath (my own design) and layered on Japanese washi papers, a scan of an old book cover, and a vintage bird illustration.

Collage week 29

Collage Update

Since last weekend was a road trip, I didn't get to post my weekly collage, and yesterday I was just lazy. So here are weeks 27 and 28.

The collage for week 27 has a rubber stamp of a fern, a large vintage butterfly, vintage wallpaper, Japanese washi paper and some gold accents.

Collage week 27

The collage for week 28 also has gold accents (Japanese papers and rubber stamps) but I also used vintage music and bits of vintage type. The black and white corners are from an old bookplate.

Collage week 28

Nature Walk

My family in Oregon lives near a bike path and along the path are lots of wildflowers. Everything from thistle to Queen Anne's Lace ( and a lot I don't know the name of). I took a walk and these photos.