52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 8

This week, I did a collage on a tiny canvas. This size gives me a chance to use up some of my scraps. I stamped the background with one of my hand cut eraser stamps. Some scraps of hand made papers and a Japanese stamp finish it off.

Collage week 8

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 7

Totally forgot to post last night... My collage for week 7 is done on a wood panel. I used vintage Japanese paper as a base and layered on a letterpressed fan of my own design, hand made washi papers and an image of a geisha from an old postcard. I scanned and re-printed the geisha image onto rice paper so the calligraphy layer shows through for a nice background pattern.

Collage week 7

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 6

More butterflies this week. I used all different documents to collage a background and on top, layered a butterfly, hand made Japanese papers and some rubber stamping.

Collage week 6

Mouse Obsession

For some reason, I am (mildly) obsessed with felted mice. I find them completely adorable while my husband finds them totally creepy. Granted, we are having a slight mouse problem in the house right now...the pitter patter of little feet in the walls...so I can see his point. But the felted mice are soooo cute. I've purchased a few of them from various sellers on Etsy - they are so endearing in the photos that I have no control.

Here are a pair that I purchased from Mouse Stories. The maker, Ksenia, made sure I was happy with the little critters before she sent them (all the way from Russia). The attention to detail is amazing. I'm not sure which is my favorite - the cutie with the suitcase (you know I love vintage suitcases!) or the little guy wearing a kitty on his sweater.

Too cute!

Love the tiny suitcase!

Tiny knit sweater with a kitty on it

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 5

This week, I did another collage on a wood panel. This one features two butterflies, Japanese calligraphy and handmade papers, and some vintage music.

Collage Week 5

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 4

I missed posting a collage yesterday due to an appointment with my Sales and Use tax forms that did not go well. I do not know why they make those things so hard to figure out. Luckily, a nice person at the Board of Equalization helped me out and now, my taxes are all done.

My collage for this week was done on canvas using old French, Italian and Japanese documents along with tickets, postage stamps and music.

Collage week 4

52 weeks of Collage Part 2 - Week 3

When I create a collage, I always end up with lots of extra little pieces and they end up in a scrap box. My collage this week is made from those scraps.

52 weeks of Collage Part 2 - Week 2

Week 2 is another collage on a wood panel. This one uses vintage documents and postage stamps. I am LOVING the wood panels. They are nice and square and you can wrap around the edges evenly. Some of the canvases I have purchased in the past were lumpy and uneven which made it very hard to get the corners nice.

52 weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 2

52 weeks of Collage Part 2 - Week 1

One of my goals for 2017 is to do another 52 weeks of collage. I purchased some birch wood panels at my local art store to try as a base for collage. They worked great! It's hard to rubber stamp on canvas because the surface is uneven but the wood is nice and flat. The wood panels can get expensive but I got these on sale. I like that if you don't have a place to hang them, the panels easily sit on a shelf since they are 1.5 inches deep.

On my first collage, I used black and gold handmade and vintage papers letting the natural wood show. The wood grain just adds another element.

52 Weeks Part 2 - Week 1

Rubber stamps work really well on the wood

New in the Shop

A new card for my Etsy shop. This image was inspired by the cactus plants I have on my windowsill. I have them in ceramic pots and am trying not to kill them. The card is letterpress printed from my hand carved linoleum blocks in black and green ink.

New in the shop

New Year's Resolutions

Everyone has to have a few New Year's Resolutions, whether they are kept or not is another matter. Here are a few of mine in no particular order.

1. Try not to have all my stuff take over the guest room so that when guests actually come, I don't  have to spend weeks cleaning it out (this one will be hard to keep).

2. Create round 2 of a Collage A Week (Another 52 Collages).
2a. Self-publish a book of my collages so when they sell, I still have a record.
2b. Use up some of my collage materials before I buy new ones.

3. Re-photograph all the product in my Etsy shop.

4. Post to my blog - as well as Instagram -  a bit more often (I really was a slacker this year).

5. Find some new craft shows.

6. Organize Everything (not likely to happen).

7. Take a Shibori dying class.

8. Garden clean-up once a month, not once a year.

9. Plan a trip.

10. Finish the projects I have started before moving on to something new.

11. Keep my drafting table clean (really a horrendous mess right now).

12. Don't stress out if none of the above gets done.

It's almost Christmas!

L A Times Surprise

I clicked on an email blast from the Los Angeles Times tonight and lo and behold, there was gift wrap I designed years ago! How exciting!

Scenes from the Pop Up Shop

I had a wonderful day today at the Pottery Barn Pop Up Shop. It was a great location and I was surrounded by lovely Pottery Barn holiday items. It was a rainy day so lots of people were out and about the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, CA. I was set up on a buffet that I would have loved to take home if it had fit in my trunk.

New Reusable Snack Bags

I have a little obsession with pouches of all kinds and even have a small collection. I made these reusable snack bags because they come in so handy for all kinds of things. 

I'm not really a sew-er but I got out my trusty machine, looked up some patterns on the web, and went to work. These are lined with a food grade plastic, made from a heavy weight natural cotton and close with velcro (I have to practice putting in zippers!). I printed them from my hand cut linoleum blocks. They're not only great for snacks both wet and dry but are also handy for organizing all the little things in your bag,

I've just posted 2 of them in my Etsy shop and they'll be available for sale on Sunday at the Pottery Barn Pop Up shop.

Hello Sunshine Snack Bag

Perfect for makeup!

Pop Up Shop

I'm very excited because next Sunday - October 30 - I'll be doing a pop up shop at Pottery Barn (one of my favorite stores!) in The Oaks Mall, Thousand Oaks, CA. I'll be selling lots of my goods, including some new items for the holiday. See you there!

Pop up Shop at Pottery Barn, October 30

Hot Off the Press!

I finished my 2017 calendar just in time for the LA Printer's Fair last weekend. All of the images are from my hand cut linoleum blocks. This year's images include a a cowboy boot full of flowers, a set of Russian matryoshka and a bear in a turtleneck sweater.

Even though I carefully sketch and plan, things change as I start carving the lino blocks. One of my sketches started out as a dala horse and ended up as a unicorn, featured on the month of January. The bear started out in a scarf and was re-carved in a sweater. The calendar is letterpress printed in a limited edition of 30. It's for sale in my Etsy shop here.

2017 Calendar

January thru April

May thru August

September thru December

The linoleum block and printed page for January

New Collages

I've been in a collaging mood so here are two new Japanese inspired collages.

The first one is made from a vintage photo of a Geisha layered on a page from a vintage Japanese book, combined with handmade paper and an engraving of a moth.

Geisha and Moth

The second one is also layered on a page from a vintage Japanese book. In addition, I used  hand made papers, some old labels, and a tea pot letterpressed from my own illustration.

Japanese Tea

New On Vida

I did a new collage using vintage documents and some decorative papers. It's done on canvas and is in black, gold, and shades of brown and white. The design is called "Fragments".

Collage on canvas

I scanned the college and used the art for some new items on Vida. One is a scarf and one is a sleeveless top. The art wasn't really big enough for the top so I also used a vintage Italian document. You can purchase them here.

New Scarf

New top - the back is solid black

New in the Shop

Lavender sachets, new in the shop. These hand sewn sachets were printed from my linoleum blocks and are filled with organic lavender from a farm in San Diego county.

Daisy and Mod Bird

Bunny and florals

Birdie and Floral Arch