Flotsam and Jetsam

MailArt 101 Class-Woo Hoo!

2012-01-24T10:00:00.004-05:00

Finally! I am taking the plunge and teaching a mailart class on February 4 at 1:00pm at The Crop Shop/Creation Destination in Rockland, MA. Of course, I haven't called to see if anyone has signed up yet...I could end up playing by myself...

I have been busy making class samples, putting together goodie packages, and writing a Mailart Zine to use as my handout.

The pictures below are some samples of my "Layers of Flavor" technique that I will be teaching along with a ton of basic mailart info. I am so excited to get more people doing mailart!

First layer of paint wash on random paper background.

Adding another paint wash, more paper bits, found stamps, and a vintage print block.

A different piece after many many layers...

Come join me!!! It's a bargain at only $15.00 for 2 hours of fun and inspiration! Visit their site at http://www.thecropshop.net/?cat=7 . My class is the second one in the list.

Note to Self

2011-01-13T19:52:00.002-05:00

As I was going through some of my 15,000 pictures on my computer tonight I again thought that I really should be using my photos in my journals, etc. It also crossed my mind that I really really really need to back them up to the terabyte of external hard drive that I bought over a year ago...yes, it is still in the box. And yes, I do feel like I'm living on the edge by not having back-ups.

Both of these pictures were taken during our trip to the White Mountains of New Hampshire this summer. The problem I find with taking digital photos is that I take them, upload them to the computer, and leave them there without looking at them again.

Mailbox Labels

2010-11-28T08:18:00.002-05:00

mailbox labels 3
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

I love mailart, vintage stuff, and photography. I finally found a way to combine them all!

This is the first set of mailbox mailing labels and envelope seals that I made from a photo of a little tin mailbox. Now I'm working on a set of mailing labels made from some of my vintage ephemera. I can't wait to share those with you too!
These are available in my Etsy shop.

My Round Robin Mailart Zine Front

2010-10-24T09:55:00.001-04:00

My Round Robin Mailart Zine Front
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

The Round Robin Mailart Zine Project is in full swing. Seven of the ten players have sent their booklets out into the world. This is the "postcard" side of mine that is traveling to TN.

I created the page with a 1920's teacher worksheet, magazine fish, deco tape, stamp selvedges, vintage stamps, inktense pencils, and Caran D'ache watercolor pencils.

Mail Art Round Robin Zine

2010-09-19T08:15:00.006-04:00

Hi All, Thanks for coming. I decided to use my blog to host the ZMACS Round Robin Mailart Zine Project so everyone could actually see what my intentions are for the swap. The examples below are the two test pieces that I mailed from Massachusetts to California and The UK. They both made it with no problems so I definitely think this swap is doable. I'm sorry, I loaded the pictures in backwards order (one of these days I'll do it right the first time). :)

I did a collage on one side and used the other side for a note and the address.

To mail the fat postcard I put a piece of packing tape on each of the three open sides.

I took five pages of 110 lb. 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, folded them in half and sewed them together down the middle.

Supersecret Mailart Zine Project

2010-09-18T09:34:00.001-04:00

Supersecret Mailart Zine Project
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

I am putting together a round robin mailart zine project on www.swap-bot.com in the "Zines, Mailart, and Other Cool Stuff" (ZMACS) group and this was the first prototype.

The idea is to sew pages together down the middle, fold them in half, tape the booklet shut, and treat it like a fat postcard. The next person cuts the book open, flips open your page and does the same process on a new page.

At the end of the swap, each person will have their own zine of mailart.

This one went from MA to CA with no problems. It is now going to make a stop in MD before coming home to MA.

Creating Fabric with SuperSolvy

2010-04-20T17:24:00.007-04:00

I had promised some Flickr friends that I would post a tutorial for making fabric with SuperSolvy ages ago...I finally did it!

Step one is to cut 2 sheets of SuperSolvy (the dissolvable interfacing available at places like Joann's). I found that about 12" by 12" is a nice manageable size.

Step Two: Cover one sheet of SS with lots of fabric bits, yarn, lint, wool roving, silk cocoons, and any other little fabricy bits you might have.

Step Three: Once you have covered your first piece of SS with fabric bits, cover it with the second piece of SS and pin it well.

I'm not sure how this picture got out of order...oh well!

Step Four: Take your sewing machine for a drive!! Sew all over the sandwich making sure to catch all the bits in your stitching.

Step Five: Following the directions on the SuperSolvy package dissolve away the stabilizer. I like to do this in a seperate container so I can dump the water outside. It isn't good to dump your gooey water down the drain.

Keep swishing it around in your warm water until all the sticky stuff is gone.

Step Six: Lay your new fabulous handmade fabric out on a kitchen towel to dry.

Voila! Once it dries it is ready to be used in any of your wonderful projects. I have used my own fabric to make postcards, ATC's, and a purse.

Have fun!

Art Journaling

2009-01-15T19:40:00.004-05:00

There are a few moments on a slightly cloudy morning in the frigid winter when we get awesome red color through the trees. Okay, the color wasn't this bright, but it was beautiful and it became this after I played with it. This is looking east from my front porch. The ocean is about a quarter mile as the crow flies.

I bought myself a copy of Somerset Studios latest Art Journaling magazine and I love it.

http://stampington.com/html/art_journaling_w09.html

The one thing I have taken from it already is to use my own pictures. I get lazy and never print out my pictures, but I'm making a concerted effort. The picture above is my fish, colorized and otherwise futzed with with Photo Impact Pro. When I went to print it out on my favorite matte photo paper from Sam's I ran out of some ink so I threw it back through the printer the other way. Then for kicks I printed another pond bottom image over the whole thing. Running out of ink made a neat effect. I pasted that picture in the journal and will add that photo later.

I'm trying to commit to some art every day. So far, so good.

Hmmm..maybe if I committed to more blogging more people than just Sam would read it. :)

Subway Pinball

2008-12-04T19:54:00.005-05:00

Pinball
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

This was tucked in the basement of the second antique store in NH. It wasn't in love with it at first, but now that it is cleaned up and works..pretty cool!

Very early in the history of pinball, just after legs were added. The coin slot was missing, but the others we've had from this era were nickel games.

Belding Bros.

2008-12-04T19:51:00.002-05:00

Belding Bros.
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

What do you mean? Buy presents for other people on black friday?? We had intended to do Christmas shopping and half the stores we usually go to in NH were closed. Oh well, had to buy prizes for ourselves..hee hee.

We had a small square of floor space left in the living romm and Andy had just mentioned that we needed somewhere to put the slot machine (when he fixes it). There it was, in the first antique store we checked...a perfect multi-drawered spool cabinet. see? and it's functional too!

Clean for Thanksgiving! Success..kinda

2008-12-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

We actually got the dining and living rooms clean enough to have company on Thanksgiving! Of course I can't locate most of my art stuff as it is now in piles in the sewing room and new guest room...good thing no one wanted to stay over! There are still a few piles in the dining room, but just along the edges..hee hee...
Elaine came through again with her awesome smoked turkey and duck! We had tons of leftovers with only 9 people for dinner, but that's okay. Andy has had turkey sandwiches and piles of mashed potatoes every day since.

The living room...clean for a brief moment. Since then we've brought down all the Christmas boxes and put up our tree. Ugh, I know that chair is ugly, but I haven't gotten around to slip covering it.

Andy and I took our usual black Friday trip to NH. Most of the stores we used to frequent are gone. There are only 2 out of the 7 or so antique stores we used to go to that are still open. I'm glad I'm not trying to buy and sell antiques in this market. We did make a couple of dealers happy though. Since the other stores we frequent were closed we ended up just buying a couple of prizes for ourselves and coming home early. I'll put up the pictures of our prizes next time.

Red Fish ATC-Heads

2008-11-09T18:25:00.001-05:00

Red Fish ATC-Heads
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

My first try at blogging from Flickr doubleposted. Let's see if I can get just one post on with this picture..

I started the red ATC's by simply fishing (hee hee) through the scraps and pulling out all fabrics that read as red. Then I remembered that I had printed out the fish from Dover on fabric ( miracle of miracles, I was able to find it)...a marriage made in heaven.

I love this one and really don't want to give it away, but it was for a swap-bot swap. I hope teh recipient loves it as much as I do!

Red Fish ATC-Tails

2008-11-09T18:17:00.001-05:00

Red Fish ATC-Tails
Originally uploaded by FarStarr

Busy day today. I was able to get some art done. I love sitting in front of the sewing machine with my buckets of little bits. A little of this, a little of that, voila! ART. Unfortunately I make a HUGE mess when I'm doing it..hee hee

Only 21 more days until Thanksgiving...Hmmmm..

Progress!!.. and only 32 more days until Thanksgiving!

2008-10-27T18:45:00.005-04:00

This was the ugly little guest room before we started fixing it up. Well actually this was after Andy removed it's contents. The room really is tiny at only 8 1/2 by 11 1/2, but we haven't had an actual guest room for guests in forever. The first step was wallpaper and disgusting carpet removal. We had installed that wallpaper 16 years ago and I never got around to adding the chair rail border that I had planned. Did I mention that I am the queen of procrastination and half-finshed projects? Since Andy is the king of almost finished projects it's a wonder that this one has gotten done.

Look! New white paint! It looks better already. After the paint, Andy put hardwood floor in the hallway and closet to match the real hallway upstairs.

Yeah! Carpet! and the first of five, yes five! tall bookshelves. Hmm..did we just buy the same carpet color as before? Some things never change.

The picture below shows some of Andy's decorating. We have more advertising tins than shelves these days and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use up some wall space.

Next, the brass bed that I used as a kid got a brand new mattress (the last one went up in flames...long story). You really can't see it well, but the end table is an antique metal refrigerator complete with ice holder in the top. Like the ugly lamp?? That did not go back in the room but I am keeping it for assemblage...of course.

We have slowly been trucking all the books up from the dining room floor to the new shelves. I haven't filled them yet, but then again the dining room isn't clear yet either! Only 32 more days until my family will expect to eat turkey (and smoked duck) at the table.

The bureau was out in the garage in our Brimfield stuff that hasn't been looked at in 7 years. I guess if we're not going to sell it, we should be using it. It's actually kindof nice.

We went to two different HomeGoods stores this weekend for the boxes up on top. They still don't have anything in them, but they are pretty. We also got 2 underbed storage boxes for my rusty bits. Those are a little heavy to store in cardboard boxes over my head!

Christmas Tree Shops had these empty glass lamps. I realized that I do not like lamps at all, but these are okay. We thought for sure that it was going to explode as Andy added the marbles, but it was okay. Can you believe that I had almost enough scrabble prices to fill the other one?

So there it is-a little bit of organization. I probably should put the new sheets and comforter on the bed, huh? That will really make it look finished.

This time I will do it!

2008-09-08T10:01:00.008-04:00

Step one is admitting you have a problem...Yeah, okay, I have a problem. These first three pictures show my workspace where I create fabulous collages, postcards, ATC's and other fun stuff. It is also where my family is going to want to sit and eat turkey on Thanksgiving. There's the dilemma...even if I could clear off enough chairs, nobody will appreciate having to sit with the turkey on their laps because there is no table space. I am a packrat extraordinaire. The current supply of choice is books. Ever since I got in to the whole altered book, altered art, collage world (about three years ago) I have bought bag after bag of books at the thrift store. Someday I will go through all those books and magazines, cut out the images I want, and organize the all..HA HA HA I almost said that with a straight face!!
These next two pictures are the sewing room. The fabric obsession has been with me much longer than the paper obsession. When we put the addition on the house 7 years ago it was to help house the fabric. Well it did, for about a week. You didn't expect me to STOP buying more, did you??? Because of these obvious character flaws,(ok not flaws, how about foibles?) I keep getting stuck in a creative rut. I have so many ideas, but no space to work in. I also can almost never find what I want when I want it.
Andy started the process last night. Well actually he started a couple of weeks ago when he added the shelving to the sewing room. I filled up those shelves and it didn't even make a foot square space of carpet. Last night he emptied the guest room. The joke has always been that he was never going to redo the guest room so Mom could not come visit. Either he wants Mom to come and visit or he is sick of my stuff cluttering up the downstairs...HMMMMmmm which could it be??

Now that I have admitted to my problem and exposed myself to the world, I am actually going to go in to that sewing room and create something...promise! Although I could go for a nap.....

Waterfall, Pond, Fish, and Frogs

2008-09-07T11:25:00.003-04:00

I did manage to get out to the pond a get a couple of decent fish pictures yesterday. Since we had sooo much rain (almost 5 inches) the pond was really full and the fish were hanging out near the top nibbling on lettuce. Starting on the left you can see Armour first. He's the biggest. Then Sashimi and Halo are deeper in the water and Steve is on the right in the water lettuce. Steve has an awesome blue spot on top. Someday I'll get a better picture of him.

This is Armour up close. They have all gotten much bigger in just the past couple of months. I can't believe that it is almost time to start thinking about putting them to bed for the winter.
We now have four frogs and we're thinking that they might be terratorial as they all stay in certain spots in the pond. This one is the waterfall frog and he is the biggest.
We have the screens all out of the windows in anticipation of the painter coming so I took the opportunity to take a couple of aerial views from the bedroom window. We still need lots of plants to fill in the spaces.
Andy and I are starting to work on THE BIG CHALLENGE. My art things are currently all over the house. I have a huge sewing room and have still overtaken the dining room with my stuff. Watch for some before pictures as we try and get my stuff under control so we can host Thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2008-09-06T10:15:00.004-04:00

Today is my birthday and I have already been at the sewing machine playing! I just whipped up this postcard for a swap-bot swap. It is Snippets of my life cut into Scalloped Squares then Sewn with a Spiral. Now maybe I can get dressed..hee hee..maybe not!

More later....

Possible Quilt Ideas

2008-09-02T21:06:00.004-04:00

Steph took these pictures from the airplane. She always gets the window and I always get the middle..ugh. When I saw the pictures I immediately thought they would make neat quilts.

Just another thing to add to my endless list of ideas that don't get executed.. :)

I'm actually trying to get together a couple more things for my Etsy shop. I have 2 journals made from old books and recycled papers that are almost complete. Marie at The Stamp Act in Marshfield had asked for a couple of items for the art gallery in the store. I would like to have something to put there before the store has their anniversary sale in October. www.thestampactstore.com Check out the store. It's great!

I just sent my first item out for swap-bot since I went back. It was 3 marine themed ATC's for sewcrazy. Coming up with marine themed ATC's was definitely not a problem! www.swap-bot.com

I will put up pictures of my yellow postcards once they go in the mail.

Aquarium of the Bay

2008-08-31T10:54:00.002-04:00

The very first place we went in San Francisco was the aquarium down at pier 39. It is a amall aquarium, but still pretty neat. The main exhibit is 2 large tunnels that you walk through. One has assorted bay creatures and the other has sharks and rays. My favorite part was watching the schooling fish. This picture is of a fish tornado.

Busy Month!

2008-08-30T09:51:00.002-04:00

We have had so much fun this past month and I just haven't had time to document it all. The pond is coming along nicely. We just got home from a week in San Francisco. I didn't take my journal out of the luggage once, but wish I had. San Francisco pictures will be coming soon!

Whales in Boothbay and Fish at Home

2008-07-29T05:45:00.002-04:00

We went on our first whale watch ever last week on the Pink Lady 2 out of Boothbay Harbor. It was awesome! We saw mostly finbacks so I didn't get any of those fabulous whale tail pictures, oh well.

Our whole Boothbay trip was fun, as usual, but this time I was antsy to be home with the pond. Next year we need to take one of those vacations where you stay home. It was great to see Chris and Roxy. Chris owns Mr. C's restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, ME. If you want to have some great food with some fantastic people, Mr. C's is the place to go!

Now for the fish at home...We have named the 2 original fish Armor and Sashimi and they are getting huge!! Armor is finding it harder to hide beneath rocks and likes to hang out under the water lettuce. That's Armor in the picture. Sashimi is his bud so they are together a lot. We made another trip to Kingston Nursery on Saturday and came home with 2 butterfly koi and another regular one. Their names are Silver, Halo, and Steve. Steph insisted it was time to name the fish. We haven't seen Silver or Halo much, but Steve has been hanging out with the bigger guys. I can't wait until they are all too big to hide all the time!

On to more fish....We are going to go to New Tokyo in Plymouth for sushi tonight. Well, sushi and Teppanyaki. Their sushi isn't as good as it is at Sushi Joy, but I can get Andy to go there for the grill. And as a bonus, Mondays and Tuesdays are half price. Woo Hoo!!

Fish Sighting

2008-07-17T20:03:00.004-04:00

Finally we are getting a little clarity. We can now see to the bottom of the upper pond.

Yeah..Andy saw one of the fish yesterday. We needed a little confirmation that they're still alive.

We still do not have any frog friends, but some snails have appeared from nowhere...Build it and they will come??

Tug of War with Mother Nature

2008-07-13T09:27:00.002-04:00

Well we are having a wee bit of an algae issue in the pond. It turns out that we were missing one key ingredient in the aquaventure~the Bacteria! The pond was clear for 2 weeks and then with only 2 hot sunny days..Bam! Green water. Since then we have been adding bacteria to try and catch up. I think it might finally be working. We can see the 18" level now.

As for wildlife..no frogs and I haven't seen the fish in days. I'm sure the fish are still there, but between their excellent hiding skills and the green water they can't be seen. The cutest little sparrows are loving the waterfall! Even with us sitting right at the water's edge they come right over to have a drink. Of course, I have not had my camera out with me. I'll catch them soon though, I'm sure.

All the systems are finished so now it is up to me to do the plantings. I've put in a few things and we hit the clearance rack at Lowe's yesterday for some groundcover. I planted that all around the front edge this morning. Sorry, I don't remember the name, but I did save the tag.

It's Almost Done!

2008-07-01T06:29:00.004-04:00

The pond is almost complete except for plants. Andy spent 12 hours working on Satuday to finish the waterfall and all the planting space behind it. Then we went out plant shopping on Sunday. I'm kindof indecisive (hmm doesn't sound like me does it :) ??) about where to put what. I'm going to have to just start planting and move things later if they don't work.

I have actually seen our fish every day for at least a second. The little buggers are so small that they spend all their time hiding between rocks...Note to self...get BIGGER fish!

Andy and I went out to Blue Eyed Crab in Plymouth last night. It was our 18th wedding anniversary. Last year we both forgot. This year we celebrated with steamers, calamari and and awesome crab and lobster creole. All our food was fantastic! We sat outside and it felt just like being on vacation in Maine even though we were right there in Plymouth.

The Mosquito Farm is now Open!

2008-06-18T20:41:00.004-04:00

We got a little impatient and filled the pond before the river and waterfall were done. It is looking gorgeous and I can't wait to get fish and plants! We never expected it to be this far along already. Andy has done so much work!
Now the frogs can move in. C'mon guys....

Michael DeMeng worshop

2008-06-14T10:18:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was awesome! I spent the whole weekend making awesome art from discarded junk (and fabulous paints) . The top two pictures are altered Pez and the bottom one is my holder for my scroll. So much fun!!

Off to play with Michael DeMeng

2008-06-07T08:58:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited this morning! I have signed up for 2 workshops with Michael DeMeng at the Stamp Act in Marshfield. Today's workshop is the "Head Sea Scrolls". I found as I was gathering stuff I was creating a pretty clear picture of what I wanted my project to look like. Then I decided trhat it would be best to go with no preconceived notions and let Michael actually teach his workshop and go from there.. ;)

Gotta go print out more images...I'll have pictures later!

Andy's Birthday weekend

2008-05-26T17:45:00.003-04:00

Wow! What an awesome weekend! Andy is mostly done digging the pond. We went to Todd Farm yesterday for the flea market, followed by clams at The Clam Box, of course! I made art this morning and am working on my cool purse this afternoon.

Todd Farm is set-up totally different than it was last year, but it was still good. The first purchases were an ancient dictionary and an awesome typeset book for $7.00. Those had to go right back to the car..too heavy to carry. Next we bought a natural history book (a FISH volume) for $20.00. That side of the field didn't seem to have much going on and I was starting to get disappointed when we headed over to the other side. Right away Andy found a slot machine. He now has it in pieces on the coffee table. Next I found some vintage raincoat fabric. It is so cool and is begging to be made into a pocketbook or totebag..Etsy here we come. The last big purchase was another wheel of fortune that we like even more than the one we have over the bed.

I did manage to make to one collage this morning before the TV went on. I call it "Calculating".

2008-05-16T17:51:00.000-04:00

Hmm...just started this crazy blog thing. I have no idea what I'm doing..;) We'll see how it goes!