Art will get you thru times of no money better than money will get you thru times of no art!

(To paraphrase Fat Freddy)

Aileen, on Aileen's musings, a member of the Altered Book Club Yahoo email group, put up some free images on her blog. Thought this was a terrific idea for gifts for friends who do altered art, so I'm putting some images here today that you can copy and use for your own work. (If you click on them, a larger version will display)


This is Hanuman, a god and hero in Thailand. This is part of a huge mural in the palace in Bangkok. It was 98 degrees that day, we nearly melted! The ice cream shop does a very good business...

This burnt Buddha from 500 years ago, in the old capital city of Thailand. It was overrun, and never restored. It's beautiful and magnificent, and reminded me of the poem "Ozymandius".

The recent cold weather had the hibiscus blooming like crazy. I like to cut these out with an Xacto knife for use in my journals. Hope you will find a use for it.


The red hibiscus are particular favorites of the local green iguanas, so I cut some to bring inside when they started blooming. My kitten, Uschi, ate one before I even had time to take a photo! She had the yellow pollen on her nose, so I know it was her! LOL!

ATCs for the Cyber Fyber Swap

Yesterday I stumbled across the Cyber Fyber International Random ATC swap. Cool! Here are the three I'm sending, no they aren't fiber ATCs, but this particular swap is open to all mediums. And the time is short, so...

Also, got the first sale on my etsy shop - some of my hand dyed vintage lace and appliques. Tres cool! Hope to see what they made, and if they send me pics, I will post!

Some cool swaps to join!

Just a couple lines today to tell you about a couple cool swaps to join! The Valentine Charm swap at the Tattered Rose. Here's where you sign up.

And an ATC swap at The Cyber Fyber International Random ATC Swap. Here
Sounds cool!

Fun!

Did you see this?

Did you see this? Click on the little picture to see it enlarged. The moon aligned with Jupiter and Venus - and it won't happen again until 2052. Very pretty night sky. Almost forgot to look, but I was taking out the garbage, and this is the view from my side yard. Guess that was my reward for taking out the garbage?

Here's a page from my journal that I just created using some of the handdyed vintage lace from last weeks dye pot adventure. The maps in the back ground are some of my husband's old aeronautical charts. They go out of use after 60 days (because things change that quickly, dear reader). So I get them for my art! I'll be putting a few up on my etsy site too.

Dear reader, it is tres cold here today, and going to stay cold for a few days. Don't you know I have to go north about 300 miles today too? Of course, it is even colder there. Ouch!

Guess what? I'm going to visit a pyschic on Friday. One of the guys working on my house told me about him and recommended him. I'll tell you what happened! Since the new house is near Cassadaga, there are lots of folks around here who go, it's not even a strange thing to do! Love it.

Nice day at the antique show

This lovely paperdoll, who btw, is fabric, not paper, came my way at an antique show yesterday. I paid WAY too much for it, but she really wanted to come home with me! Isn't she lovely? She has hand embroidery all over and the muslin material was handcolored with what might have been colored pencils. She might have been glued to something at one time, it looks like bits of old glue on the back.

What do you think I should name her? I'm thinking 50's. Would love to hear what you think, dear reader!

BTW, all the handdyed vintage lace pieces are up on my etsy site. www.bvandusen.etsy.com

Colors for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Aren't these lovely? Some flowers from our yard this morning. Uschi likes them too.



Here's a lonely hibiscus that our iguanas haven't yet noticed. Maybe it's because it is so cool today and they aren't active. We don't get to see all that many hibiscus flowers since they are quite the delicacy to the green iguanas that live here.



Some of the lace that I dyed on Tuesday. This is the same dye batch. Love how the different fibers take the same dye differently. Not only do I love vintage lace, and dyeing it, but it is fab to use in anything altered. My journals all have old lace and trim, sometimes for an edge, sometimes as a feature. You can use these pieces in crazy quilting, altered cloths. Put paverpol on them and make a sculpture.



I love how this old ric rac turned out. It was partially in one pot and partially in another. Then squeezed all together. Yummy!



This machine made trim took up three different colors and has nice variations. Isn't this a marvelous color? It would look great as a journal page edge trim.



How do you like that little hand crocheted piece? One color is great, but three is even better!



Turquoise is one of those colors that will always say South Florida and the Bahamas to me. A lovely swim in a pool on a hot afternoon. South Beach art deco. The ribbon on my Mom's straw hat from Guatamala. She wore it the day we picked her up at the airport - she flew home for our wedding. She looked so cute in her straw hat and cotton pants and sneakers.



More mauve and burgundy and pink laces and trims. So pretty!

Happy Thanksgiving! Big hugs to all of you!

A Perfect Day to Dye

One of these is not like the others!

Once, a long time ago, several of us held a ceremony to learn our totem animal. It was a girl evening, and so nice to be with friends. Even so, we all took it seriously and spent a lot of time seeking. We were to make sure that the animal that came to us appeared to us from all directions. My friend Stephanie found her totem animal to be a polar bear. Another woman whose name I've now forgotten found her animal to be a tiger. I don't remember the others. Mine was a small white heron or a cattle egret. Ever since when I feel somewhat disappointed not to have a strong totem animal, I remind myself that I get to see my toten animal frequently, whereas my friends have to dream them (or go to a zoo). So, isn't that luckier in some small way, dear reader?



Do you see what type of birds these are? They are ibis, a bird that seems wonderful because of its strangely shaped beak. Here is a small part of a flock in the side yard, where they ate for at least 20 minutes while I played in my pots! Do you see that one of them is actually a small white heron? I was graced by their presence, and when I saw that one was actually my totem animal, I felt doubly blessed.

I thank the universe for the lesson and the beauty of it.

Today was the perfect day to do something that seems magical to me each time I try it. The temperature was up again in the high 70s after a week of cool weather. And a more beautiful sunny day you couldn't ask for! So I filled up my dyepots with colors, no measurements, just whatever came to me. And threw in all the lace from one of the baskets in the kitchen.

Dyeing is so lovely. You throw in some plain colored stuff, and out comes a magical new piece. How old lace is transformed by dyeing, it's truly wonderful. Something different every time.

These are some of the turquoise pieces I'll be putting on my etsy shop.




These were dyed with cinnamon tea. They are so soft looking. I would use these in my altered art.

Desperately Seeking Input

Help me find the perfect teachers for The Fernery Art Studio! What would you like to learn? Who would you like to spend time creating with? What types of classes would entice you to come to Florida in the wintertime?

What do you most want to create? Learn? What would make your experience exquisite?

Help me, get 25% off your first visit, and get entered to win the free 3 day workshop/retreat. Six lucky people will get a free workshop and free room and board. Happening January 2010. Leave a comment with your email addy, or email me directly at barb@thefernery.com

Well, rust my tin!

Went to Connecticut a couple weeks ago for the "Art Is - You" 2008 retreat. It was a blast! Had the BEST classes. It was just chilly enough to give this South Florida gal a real taste of fall. (Fall? What's that? It's still in the 80's here!) And the leaves! Wow!

It was all so exciting and stimulating that I kinda forget to take photos, but I did get two pictures from the Tattered Threads class on Sunday. I sat next to Gwen, pictured below sewing. A funny lady and brilliant artist!

And below is Julia, who was wearing this great tunic. Doesn't she have a terrific smile? She was even smiling when I mistakenly used her sewing machine in the morning without realizing. But she was happy to share! Everyone at this retreat was someone you would want for a friend. Hope to see everyone again!


Took three classes, two of which my sister, Karen, also picked. I loved the altered board book with Lesley Venable. Since I can't find what I did with that photo right this minute, I'll just skip on to the Altered Tin class. Serious Fun!!


Here's my rusty tin from Lesley Venable's class. It seems I forgot all about the step to stop the rusting. Hmm. Wonder if it will stop. What will it look like in a few months. Inquiring minds!

Lesley is a fabulous teacher. She is patient and funny. Full of energy. Super organized. Very talented. Is interested in everything. Yes, we loved her and the class. We really really want her to come teach at the Fernery Art Studio.


We made these crazy little books (you know I love books!) using formica samples (rob your local big box hardware store!). I used some of my dh's expired aeronautical charts to cover the "pages" and some travel scenes and quotes. You can't see it anymore but I stamped the box with a big map stamp. Both my sister, Karen, and I love to travel. Hope we get to do that sometime in the future!



Lesley shared this wonderful German scrap that looked like black lace, where did you get that Lesley?

Dear Friends, The Fernery building is starting to get way more fun now. Talking to the cabinet makers and thinking about lighting fixtures and all that. Don't forget to check out the latest photos.

Four Kitty Night

Dear Reader, slept so well last night! And why? Because I had 4 kitties sleeping on me. Now a one or two kitty night is common. Ru, the little orange cat, almost always sleeps on my shoulder or side. She's light as a feather, just a warm little presence. And faithful Salem, my big black loverboy, sleeps always by my feet. Sometimes he will roll over and lie on my feet or legs, but not too often. And then, when my toes are a bit cold, I might tuck them under his warm belly. But that will only last a few minutes until he wakes up sufficiently to give me a warning nip! LOL! But long enough, dear reader, to get those toes warm!

Third most common is Pixie, who is her Daddy's girl. She'll only allow me to pet her if we are all lying in bed. But she does sleep on my arm and hand fairly frequently and has taught me to pet her in my sleep. I'll wake up petting her, or perhaps she is lying on my hand with one regal silver paw wrapped around a finger.


Next, there's Alice, who until Uschi came along was the kitten of the family for nearly four years. She likes to snuggle for 5 minutes or so as soon as I go to bed, but then must resume her duties at the highest spot in the room, where she carefully watches for any infraction of the rules.

When Uschi was a little kitten (she is now an 8 pound 8 month old teenager) she always slept with us. But as is the way, she is now asserting her independence. To our sorrow, she doesn't sleep with us all that much anymore.


So last night I woke up and upon returning to bed, I picked up Uschi and brought her back to bed with me. As you know, dear reader, cats are often more pliant when sleepy. She seemed happy to be there, and soon snuggled up with head on my leg and feet in my tummy. Ru resumed her place on my shoulder. Pixie snuggled down on my arm, curling paw around finger. And then, to my delight, Salem rolled over and put his head on my foot.

As I drifted off, I felt secure in the knowledge that no matter how far I might fly in my dreams, my body was safe and securely weighted down by my dear little friends.

Love is the only way, dear reader, that we will survive this mess. It is the best part of us, and that which resonates with the universe. Tell those you love, that you love them, and give them a hug. Today.

Busy Bee August!

Dear Reader, this has been such a busy month. First a trip to DeLand to see what's new on the house and workshop. Then a trip to Oakland where my friend, Laura Bowker, gave a presentation on a special kind of engraving that she learned in Murano. She told a great story, how she fell in love with the technique, built an amazing piece of equipment to do it, and intricacies of the technique. It was great fun to tell everyone that I was her roommate!





One of the days it was so clear that we could see from our window across the Bay to San Francisco. Reminder to self: Always check the weather when going to San Francisco, you will likely need a jacket!



Then I got a cold for a few days, followed by Tropical Storm Fay. Spent some time during all that working on a bunch of swaps. Made NINETEEN birthday RAKs for folks in the ClothPaperStudio yahoo email group. NINETEEN! That was the biggest month so far.

Next I started a bracelet for the bracelet RR in Adornmentz. Jeanne Brickman sent me her bracelet, which is a dainty little bracelet with no links, so have to put on my thinking cap for that one. Have some ideas, will post those next time.

Worked on the technique pages, boy did the bubble paint thing not work, have to try that again, good thing we have until October.

Then there's this Deco RR for the BookArtz group. This is my very first Deco RR! My theme is Bees, which I love. Bees are so important to our food supply, and most people don't even know that. Nor do many folks know that there is a very serious disease affecting colonies all around the world. We could be in some very serious trouble. Everyone should be planting bee friendly plants in their yards to encourage bees.

Couple of personal challenges have started too, so I'm very busy in the studio these days. More pics soon!

This afternoon I'm taking a bead crochet class at the Golden Bead Monkey in Tamarac. Should be fun!

Then back to DeLand, St. Augustine, Daytona and Melbourne to make the rounds of our future stomping grounds, and visit family and friends. Guess lots of stuff has happened this month, even though Fay kept the guys from doing much of anything last week. We sure got a lot of rain. But our property is very high and dry, so just a few branches were down. That's a blessing!

Take care!

Bandana technique production mode

Dear Reader, I've been in production mode now for several days on these pages for the BookArtz technique book page swap. Every time I check the database, someone else has added their name! Since the closing day for sign up isn't until the 15th, no telling how many will join. Oy!


But never mind, I do enjoy making these. First I paint, and while that's drying I stamp some already painted pages, and while that's drying I outline. Or doodle.

You can use a couple different types of pens. Since the Inksentials (from Ranger) pen wasn't readily available, I started with a paint pen by DecoColor. It has an extra fine point which I like very much. You definitely want an extra fine or fine point pen for this! And DO NOT get a Marvy pen, boy they can make a big mess. Here's a hint for paint pens - always start them on a separate sheet of paper. I mean every time you start using them, not just the first time! Nasty little surprises are just SO unwelcome!

The Inksentials pen is just a gel pen, and it's nice, although it doesn't smell as nice as the paint pen. Both make a nice line and dot though. So either. My personal preference is the extra fine point.

I did start getting a little bored just doing the white doodles, so then I started adding some color doodles too. Would this strictly still be bandana technique? Who cares? So then, maybe the image doesn't have to be black either. And I definitely think that one should try drawing an image in black and then using the white doodles with the drawn image.

While you are doing these over and over you can think of lots of ways to change up the technique. And maybe what to cook for supper and a few other things not completely related...

But watch out! If you mind wanders too much, sloppiness happens! And everyone knows "NEATNESS COUNTS!".

On these last two pics, you can see two sizes of pen point. The fine point in the color, and the white is extra fine. It's about twice the size. For some reason the A.C. Moore only had white in the extra fine.

If you aren't already signed up, go directly to the BookArtz yahoo group and sign up! This promises to be a really great reference for altered book techniques!

Love this technique!

This is so much fun to do! I was up late last night working on these for the Book Artz technique book page swap. As best I can tell, this technique was developed by Robin Beam. It shows up all over if you google it.

There are three parts to it. Background color or colors, a black image, and white doodling. Robin used Ranger inks for the background. Another artist used colored card stock. These pages started with acrylic paint thinned with glazing liquid. Thinning the acrylic colors makes them transparent so that you can layer them. The more glazing liquid, the more transparent. One of my favorite things to do in altered books and journal pages.

The images are cheapo foam stamps which had nice thick images, but not too cluttered. You could use any images you want, but you want to have space to doodle, cause that's the part that makes it really cool!

And then the mostest FUN part - doodling! Use a white pen. Everybody seems to have a different favorite white pen. There is a white pen from Ranger, but that wasn't in my local store so I got a white extra fine point paint pen. It works great! Smells good too? Am I getting high from that? hehehe

Hope y'all like 'em!

Script It! BookMooch Journal Project

Green ink and Buddhist wisdom for my spread in Script It. The whole collaborative art project thing, assisted by the internet, has got to be one of the best trends our this time. Did it start with Artist Trading Cards? Probably not, but that's where it first came to my attention. Since then I've tried to do as many as time permits. Love sharing my art. Love having other people's art. Recently I sent out a journal in the BookMooch Journal project. Will it return to me? When? You never know.

I've had this journal a little longer than you're supposed to, but it took some time to decide whether to use fonts in Word, or try to do some myself. Finally just used some of my favorite fonts. Attached a glassine envelope to put in one of my beeswax tags with my personal info on it. And a piece of hand painted cloth. Since colorful fibers and fabric are part of my vocabulary, they had to be included!

Hope you are having a colorful day, dear friends!

Picked up my tiles!!

Some tiles for the risers. Made at the Armory Art Center. Using Georgie's glazes. This are B-mix clay, bisque fired to 6. Gel medium was painted on, allowed to dry. While they're drying make some more tiles! When they're dry, wipe with wet sponge. Clay wipes off except where the gel medium dried.

It took 4 semesters to get here. I had given up because the last kilm full prior to these, EVERY ONE CRACKED! And then, these. Well, I'll be going back and trying some more.

These will probably be on the kitchen risers where I can see them frequently.

Book Mooch Journal Project

Do you belong to Book Mooch? Do you know about the journal project? It's a collaborative art project. You get a journal, write or create a page, and then pass it on. You can find out more here. I've participated in a couple journals so far. And now here are a couple new ones that I'm going to add.


The first one is "Juicy Women". It can be any woman that you think lives a JUICY life.

Doodles are so much fun, and nearly all my journal pages have doodles, so I thought it would be fun to collect lots of different doodles. So doodle away!