Check out the Steampunk Calendar for 2012

Steampunk is one of my favourite genres. I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love the look of this whimsical style.

 

With that in mind, I made a steampunk calendar for 2012. The calendar is a stand alone desktop calendar with an easel stand made from paper.  Each of the six pages has a stamped calendar month with hand written dates.  The calendar is wire bound using the Zutter Bind it All.

 

 

If you want to see the complete calendar, there is a video demonstration at Scrapping by Design

Hells Kitchen Mini Album - a Halloween Craft Project

How about a Halloween craft project made from flattened toilet paper rolls? This Halloween themed mini album, made entirely from TP rolls, has a theme of “Trick or Treat at Hell’s Kitchen.

 

The five pages spoof Chef Demon Ramsay in a good hearted way, and introduce the various delights available at Hell’s Kitchen on Halloween.

 

The toilet paper rolls are flattened, painted black and then decorated with scrapbook papers and various embellishments.

 

The book is put together using paper hinges.

 

The front of the book is decorated with a flower cut from a beer can and with a decorated bottle cap.  Each roll contains a tag that is dripping with Halloween Creepy Cloth.

 

See additional pages and pictures at scrappingbydesign.com

Make a Cup and Saucer as a Halloween Craft Project

How about a cute cup, saucer and altered tea bag as a Halloween decoration or gift? It’s fun and easy to make using an online template, colored paper and a pizza box or cereal box.

 

You will find pictures, a link to the template and some instructions at this link: Scrapping by Design

Altered Gum Box

In this altered art project, a small gum box is transformed into a deck of Oracle Cards.

 

The theme, Ask the Oracle, suggests that the user ask the Oracle a question, them pull a card to get the answer.

 

The front of the box is decorated with blue foil, silver star-ribbon and a moon face made from polymer clay and a mould.

 

More pictures and additional information is at this link:

 

http://scrappingbydesign.com/blog/?p=1231

Parasol Mixed Media Art Project

This three-dimensional summer parasol is a mixed media art project completed for a swap in an art group to which I belong.

 

The parasol is made from decorator wire, mulberry paper, patterned acetate paper and various embellishments, including purchased ribbon roses, a gold brad, embroidery cotton and two feathers. The feathers were added later, and are attached to the top. They are fluffy feathers in reddish shades that match the project.

 

More details at www.scrappingbydesign.com

Hot Air Baloon a Mixed Media Art Project

This hot air balloon is a mixed media art project made for a swap. A Styrofoam ball is painted red, forming the balloon itself. The basket is made from red card stock.

 

Both balloon and basket are covered with a white, elastic fabric that was saved from a medical procedure because of its appearance and texture.

 

Inside the basket, there is a yellow quilled flower with red trim. The flower was made with the Cuttlebug Chrysanthemum Quilling kit.

 

Other elements include red ribbon, alphabet stickers and a red and silver crystal bead on top.

 

More info about this project can be found at Scrappingbydesign.com

How to make Crylstalline Paper Backgrounds

Crystalline paper (also known as Translucent paper) is a hand made background that is stunning in altered books. It works well as a background in a layout, or to cover the front or back of the book itself.

 

Crystalline paper is easy to make. All you need is tissue paper and an acrylic gloss gel medium.  Alternatively, you could use an acrylic paint.  Metallic hues are particularly nice.

 

Full instructions for making crystalline paper are at this link:  ScrappingbyDesign.com

Video Demonstration of Altered Envelope Book

Altered envelopes make an interesting hand made book when covered with papers, bound and decorated.

 

This book strives for a humorous theme, Things I Love to Hear.  I listed a few things that bring joy to my heart – and I suspect, bring joy to the hearts of quite a few women. I’m talking about remarks such as “Yes, that dress is still in style,” “Your new hairstyle is great,” “You rocked at the class reunion”, and more.

 

In the photo to the left, the remark is not visible in the photo, but it reads, ”No camping vacation this year.”  Okay, I realize that some woman may actually enjoy a camping vacation. I however, am not among their ranks. My idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn without room service.

 

The book contains eight, decorated and bound envelopes. Each envelope contains a tag with a picture and “thing I love to hear” remark. Each page also contains a similar picture and remark.

 

I have decorated the envelope book with an assortment of mixed media, including ribbon, a bottle cap, qulling, beads, crocheted flowers and glitter.

 

This envelope book was made for a swap. It’s currently in the mail heading to its recipient.

 

To see the video demonstration, please refer to this link: Video Demonstration of Envelope Book

 

.

Altered Hatpins: Great Embellishments for Altered Books

I

Decorated hatpin flowers are a currently popular trend in altered art and in other types of mixed media art. Hatpins are hard to come by, these days, however, so many of us use corsage pins instead.

The hatpins in the photo above are decorated with flowers made from shrink plastic (or Shrinky Dink). 

These flowers were made for a decorated hatpin swap in a mixed media group.

Want to see the process?  You will find a video demonstration at this link:  Decorated Hatpins with Shrinky Dink Flowers.

Video Demonstration of the Microwave Flower Press

Pressed flowers, leaves and other botanicals make great embellishments for altered books and other forms of altered art. However, if you're using the old fashioned approach to pressing botanicals, you will have to wait for six to eight weeks until your plants are ready to use.

Enter the Microwave Flower Press, or the Microfleur as it was known originally.

With this tool, your flowers and leaves will dry in the microwave in a matter of seconds.

There is a video demonstration of the Microwave Flower Press at this link.

The video and the blog post also discusses the pros and cons of using this tool as opposed to the telephone-book method.

Holiday Gift Idea: Give an Altered Coffee Tin Containing a Food Item

Who says that art can't be practical?  This holiday season, give a gift of an altered tin or jar in which you have tucked away a food surprise.  This altered coffee tin is described in full detail, including a  video demonstration, at the link given.  The page has a recipe for gingerbread pancake mix, which can be included in the tin.  Obviously, any food item will work well, and the tag contains cooking instructions or other sentiments you may wish to express.

New Site with Tons of Creative Commons Images

Altered book artists, as well as various other collage or mixed media artists are usually thrilled to find images that are in the public domain or that are licensed for our use under the creative commons.

The Altered Book web site has a list of web sites containing copyright free images

I have just added a new addition to the list This site has been up only since July, and already is has more than 48,000 images that can be used freely for commercial or non-commercial purposes. That site is called Ookaboo and the link is on the page mentioned above

Altered Tin Box with Scrapbook Inside

Sometimes the boundary blends between scrapbooking and altered art.

I made a scrapbook mini album, accordion style, and set it in a decorated tin box.  Scrapbook?  Or Altered Art?  Or Altered Scrapbooking, as some people would say.

Here is a video tutorial showing how the project came together.

For more details, my blog describes the two small accordion albums. You can see it here:  Mini Album in a Tin Box

Using Ephemera in your Altered Books

When making an altered book, many A artists favor ephemera for embellishment.

Ephemera is a term referring to found objects, or what some may call junk.  If an object is flat enough to be attached to a layout in some way, or small enough to fit in a niche that you have cut, or capable of being dangled from a string or cord, then it is fair game to use in an altered art project.

You find emphera everywhere. Its in your junk drawer, your garage, your recycle bin and in the junk mail that arrives only too frequently.

Friends are good sources of emphemera, once they know you are interested.  You can also pick up items found on the streets, or sold at garage sales and the link.

In this video, an artist describes the various ways she finds emphemera.

Aside from the artistic scope for creativity with using found objects, you are also saving money, since these things are usually free. Not to mention, it is recycling so you are doing a good thing for the environment while you create art works.

Halloween Clipart for your Altered Book

Anyone looking for Halloween Clipart  might want to check out this link.  Halloween is coming and many altered book artists as well as other paper crafters will be making craft projects and art projects with that particular theme.

Clip art is a good addition to altered books. Obviously, it can be used as an embellishment on layouts and spreads.  It can also be converted into a sticker using a Xyron or by printing out on an Avery label.

If you have some good image editing software and know how to use it, you can edit your clipart to customize it to your design needs.

Your clipart witches, vampires, ghosts, goblins, skeletons, spider webs, black cats and pumpkins can become something truly your own when you tinker with them in a program like Photoshop Elements.

When using Halloween clipart or any other image, you will need to consider the copyright, of course.  The following web page has links to copyright free images.

Lamp Made from Altered Books

If you think making an altered book is not true art, then you have to check this out.

I just found this amazing sculpture at a blog. Its a lamp made from one or more altered books.   I love creative, amazing work like this. Apparently the artists are making a number of projects using old books and this is just one of them.

Here's the link to this piece of altered art.

The Altered Book Round Robin

Altered book artists sometimes create an altered book via an activity called a round robin.

While round robins may differ, depending upon the terms stipulated by the organizer and the members,  the activity involves passing a book along to a number of people, each of whom alters one layout or one page.

Each member usually contributes a book, which gets passed along, eventually to return to its original owner -- decorated and worked on by each artist in the group.

It's a fun concept. When a round robin works well, you end up with a group of happy people, each who have contributed to everyone else's book, and each who have received their original book back containing artwork from all members.

When things do not go well, books can get lost or misplaced, members can fail to meet their obligations, members can complain about one another or the quality of the art work, etc.

You will find more information about round robins at this altered book web site.

Host a Shoe-Box Party

If you fancy making an altered book, or some other type of altered art, why not host a shoe-box party?

Shoe box parties are parties in which every guest brings a shoe box full of supplies.  The boxes are traded at the party, and each participant spends the class time working on a project based on the contents of the box.

Although I have never attended one, it sounds like a lot of fun. First of all, you get to socialize with other people who share your interest in altered art. You would be likely to learn from them, and they would be likely to learn from you.

Secondly, your creativity is stirred, since you must quickly come up with an idea for using the supplies that you have not seen before.

As for the shoe box of contents, I would think you would include a book to be altered (or other item), some colored papers, tissue paper, ribbon, feathers, ephemera, found objects, beads or jewels, lace, etc.

Each member would be asked to bring their own adhesives, cutting tools and paints or colors.

A shoe box party could be adapted to fit any occasion or event -- such as Halloween theme, Thanksgiving theme, birthday theme, etc.

Altered Books Made into Wearable Art and Other Musings

I've been finding some wonderful works pertaining to altered books at various blogs and web sites lately. Here are a few favorites.

This link goes to a great photo on Flickr. It shows a Halloween themed tag that someone has made for an altered book.

This page has a number of truly exceptional book sculptures and other works of paper arts.
http://bronsgrove.blogspot.com/2010/09/paper-craft-and-book-sculpture-art-is.html

On the link directly above, one particularly stunning example is a piece of wearable art made from a book.  I confess that this is the first time I have heard of an altered book that could be worn.  I've seen pictures of purses made from old books, but that's as far as it goes.Has anyone else made wearable art using an altered book?  Please leave a comment about it if you have.

Wonderful Mermaid Dominoes Mini Book

Altered art involves more than an altered book.  Many artists who pursue this art form alter a wide array of objects to create artwork.  Personally, I have altered wedding favors, tins, dominoes, packaging materials, optical lenses, Formica chips, paint samples, envelopes and various other things as well as books.

I've just found a wonderful example of this. Blogger K. Andrews of the Hive has a post and a picture showing her Mermaid Mini Book which she has made by altering dominoes. These little mini books are so delightful. Their tiny shape requires careful attention to detail but the end result is so worth it.

The post about the mermaid mini book is at this link.