Butterfly Mixed Media Collage

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is. - Julia Cameron

I love this quote by Julia Cameron!  How courageous are you?  My inner dream can scare me at times.  Why?  Well, if I actually admit what it is, it can unfold...and as it unfolds will it be all that I dreamed it could be or will it disappoint me?  Or will it be everything I believed it could be and more????  Maybe it's the Libra in me.  I can keep teetering back and forth between admitting it and not admitting it and as long as I remain sitting on the fence, I don't actually need to commit to my dream.  So what message do you think that sends out into the Universe?!  Maybe Julia is saying that by just admitting what the inner dream is that sends a powerful message both to ourselves and to the Universe.  And once that message is out there, the energy it creates actually stimulates the unfolding.  And we can be there, unfolding with the dream, and collaborating with it so that it is exactly what we need.  Okay, I admit it - my inner dream is to be an artist and to inspire others to express their creativity!!!!  Whew!  That was hard...or not so hard...actually quite easy to admit.  So there you have it...let the unfolding begin!!!!! :)

Today's collage incorporates the stamping on transparencies that I shared with you yesterday (as well as a number of other techniques!).  Here are a few pictures of the completed piece:

A part of me wishes I just recorded a video of the entire process I went through in making this collage since it is almost impossible for me to remember all the steps!  One thing I do want to point out is the flower on the collage.  I actually made that using used dryer sheets!  I think I may have to put together a video to share with you how I did that :)  I incorporated a lot of mixed media into the collage:  fibers, beads, cheesecloth, nails, transparencies, book pages, a computer printed quote, paint, rubber stamping (do you see the floral stamp in the background?  It is from the Elements of Style stamp set - the same stamp I used in yesterday's card).  This piece was a joy to make and it is now hanging on the wall beside me to remind me to continue to admit my inner dream and participate in its unfolding :)  I hope you like it!

I also wanted to share this picture of Willow with you :)  She has been climbing up onto my craft table lately since the sun is quite bright there.  She likes to curl up in the midst of the pile of supplies.  She seems to find the dimensionals particularly inviting :)

p.s. Yesterday I attended an all-day class in encaustic painting!!!!  It was AMAZING!!!!  I will try to take pictures of the pieces I completed during the class.  I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot more wax painting in the not-too-distant future! :)

Bird Mixed Media Collage

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Creativity Is Just Connecting Things.  -Steve Jobs

I had a wonderful day in the craft room yesterday!  The creativity actually started happening prior to entering the craft room.  I went for a morning walk with Buddy and my brain started to fill with connections between craft supplies and different techniques.  Combinations started filling my brain - combinations I had never tried before.  So yesterday I played with some of those combinations and had a great time).  Tomorrow I will share a finished piece I made since today I promised to show you the finished mixed media collage that incorporated my paper clay music notes bird.  I love Steve Jobs' quote that creativity is just connecting things.  The things exist - it's up to us to figure out how we might combine them and put them together to bring something new to life.  What can you connect????  (Sometimes I think it would just be fun to write down categories of supplies, or maybe techniques, on small pieces of paper and put them in a jar.  Then, when you need a little creative stimulation, just reach into the jar and pull out a few of the pieces and see what happens!  Hmmm, might have to begin a new series on this blog doing just that!  I'll keep you posted)!
The first picture in this post shows you the transformation my paper clay bird experienced :)  I used gold paint to cover the entire bird and then added wings that I die cut from metal and then embossed with an embossing folder (non SU!).  I then added some paint/distressing to the wings before adhering them to the bird.  The jewel eye was the final touch for the bird before I incorporated him into the larger collage.  If you have been following my blog lately, you know that I love the Chinese proverb:  A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.  This piece sat unfinished in my craft room until, one day, I came upon that quote and the piece decided it needed to be completed :)  Here is a picture of the completed piece...I hope you like it :)

Here are a few more close-ups so you can see things a bit more clearly:

The flowers were die cut from metal using the Daisies #2 die and the Flower Folds die.