Using Historical Images in Mixed Media Class at the Jacob Edwards Library - reposted 2022

 

community, layers, mixed media, Teaching

Using Historical Images in Mixed Media Class at the Jacob Edwards Library

by lshoupupdated on May 21, 2022

Wednesday's class at the Jacob Edwards Library, Using Historical Images in Mixed Media, combined learning about online resources available through the Digital Commonwealth. The Jacob Edwards Library has a significant collection of historic photos complete with descriptions and background information.

After perusing the resource, we talked about the different ways historical images can be used in mixed media.

The participants choose preprinted selections from the collection which were used as collage fodder.

Paired with tea-dyed paper and other collage elements these images came to life under the hands of participants.

Plenty of my tea-stained paper was available to create a vintage-style background.

A wide range of materials is presented for use.

My handmade tea ink made a splash. Packaged in individual bottles with eye droppers, they gave the participants a wide choice of techniques with which to experiment.

 

 

 

Once the initial materials were selected we got down to work. Auditioning elements and different layouts.

Pasting down the papers with gel medium.

 

Experimenting with ink...

 

markers...

and stamps made especially for this class featuring images gleaned from the Southbridge collection of the Digital Commonwealth.

 

The finished works were all unique.

 

We enjoyed seeing the variety of works, giving and getting ideas from each other and having fun.

 

 

Many thanks to the Southbridge Cultural Council and MASS Cultural Council for funding this project.

To download the brochure with the outline of this class click on the link below. It will be a shared Dropbox document.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wsigxizd74vgh06/Using%20Historical%20Images%20in%20Mixed%20Media.pdf?dl=0

Mending a Worn-out Coin Purse - reposted 2021

 

mending, upcycle

Mending a Worn-out Coin Purse

by lshoupupdated on June 21, 2021

The Mending Movement has grown a great deal in the past few years. With the environmental impact of fast fashion becoming better known, people are reevaluating their relationship with clothes, the people who make them, and the earth to which they will ultimately return. Return they will, but not without a cost to the world they inhabited for a short while.

Some people have always been menders. They buy carefully, judiciously and they maintain their belongings with care so that they may last a long time while being in good condition.

Some people become menders.

And while there are a wide variety of things to mend and maintain, mending clothing or upcycling is undeniably trending. From adding embroidery to cover a stain to reweaving an area that has frayed, there are many skills, choices, and levels of commitment.

There are plenty of online communities for mending. The one that stood out to me is an event called #MendMarch held on Instagram. Each year there is a list of prompts for each day of March. Beginners and professionals alike participate and there is a lot of knowledge passed along. I've learned a lot from participating. My Instagram feed shows some of the items I mended in that month.

Worn out coin purse

This brings me to this coin purse. It was my mother's. She loved it to pieces, literally. The fabric had practically melted away and the stuffing tried to escape. She intended on throwing it away, but I asked if I could mend it. Though it was started in March, I just picked it back up this week and finished it up.

Here are a couple of shots of the coin purse as it was before I worked on it.

Frayed fabric on coin purse

First I selected several fabrics which I thought would work well together.

The mended coin purse.

I pinned one piece of fabric to each side, turning the edges under as I did so. Then each piece was sewn down using an invisible stitch. Once front and back were in place, a contrasting fabric was chosen for the strip on the bottom of the bag. Again, this piece was carefully applied to the bottom section, turning the edges under in the appropriate places. Then it was stitched down with the same invisible stitch. I was delighted with the result.

Until I opened the purse and saw the fabrics used there. They were appropriate for the former pattern, but would not do.

With the leftover fabric from the fronts and sides, a small drawstring bag was made. It fits easily in one of the pockets and adds some whimsy to the look.

Mended Coin Purse with coordinating drawstring bag

I didn't want to line the inside of the coin purse. Adding a drawstring bag means I can add items that I want to keep together or add it to the pocket flat folded to add some connection between the outside and the lining.

Sometimes things go in our coin purses that aren't coins. Rather than lose a ring or earring when out and about, popping it into this little drawstring bag and securing it in my coin purse is a great way to make sure you do not misplace such items.

Last, but not least, is this beautiful charm created by Madeleine Ooka. It is the perfect finishing touch. You can find Madeleine on Instagram at @chasingtheroserabbit .

If you enjoyed seeing this transformation some of my other mends can be found on my Facebook page or my Instagram. If you would like to see more detailed posts like this one leave a comment below.

Mono-printing Using Embroidered Texture Sheets - reposted 2021

 

embroidery, monoprints, printing, recycle

Mono-printing Using Embroidered Texture Sheets

by lshoupupdated on February 27, 2021

As National Embroidery MonthAs National Embroidery Month is comes to a close I have decided to deactivate my Patreon account and add some of the content to my blog. I found that having my content and video available publicly was important to me. It will take a while to choose what to include and space between current projects. I hope you will check back from time to time.

My process for using embroidered texture sheets for mono-printing on the Gelli plate was by far the most inquired about. So that is the first YouTube video that has been switched to public view. Feel free to come on over and check out this new video as well as the others.

EditMono-printing Using Embroidered Texture Sheets

My Sewing Area Purge and Rearrange - 2020

My Sewing Area Purge and Rearrange

by lshoupupdated on December 20, 2020

Edit

My Sewing Area Purge and Rearrange 

Red: A Colorways Journal and She Had Things to Do Journal flip throughsv - reposted 2020

 

ArtJournaling, bookmaking, books, journaling, mixed media, mood book, recycle, upcycle

Red: A Colorways Journal and She Had Things to Do Journal flip throughs

by lshoupupdated on October 6, 2022 Commentson Red: A Colorways Journal and She Had Things to Do Journal flip throughs

A couple of flip throughs of journals recently posted to YouTube. The first is a journal called "Red: A Colorways Journal." In the process of making this journal I chose pages that were predominantly red and bound them together using the Coptic Stitch binding. Then I filled them with more red. Hope you will enjoy the flip through.

The more recent journal is entitled "She Had Things to Do." People appeared in this journal unbidden. While it may be tempting to think it gave me a chance to vent my feelings, it was more a matter of imagining what these unfamiliar people might be thinking. In truth, some of the thoughts might overlap. I enjoyed getting to know these new friends with big ideas and plans.

artArtJournalingbookmakingjournalingmixed mediamood bookreuseEditRed: A Colorways Journal and She Had Things to Do Journal flip throughs

Scepter of Healing Vibes - reposted 2019

 

Scepter of Healing Vibes

by lshoupupdated on June 3, 20192 Commentson Scepter of Healing Vibes

I need healing. Don’t know about you, but I suspect that you feel this too. There are so many reasons to need healing. Bodily healing, relationship healing, social healing, emotional healing, and spiritual healing are just a few needs that come to mind. I don’t believe we are meant to bear our burdens alone, but also begin to understand how difficult it is to accept help. So I wanted to make a tangible object that would stand as a reminder of the power of community to heal. A scepter of healing vibes was born as an idea.

Along came the new products from Emerald Creek by Gwen Lafleur: Boho Blends embossing powder and Boho Bits embellishments! I knew I had found my materials.

Materials used in this project:

Boho Blends – Embossing Powder from Gwen Lafleur & Emerald Creek

Burmese Jade and Turkish Bronze were used in this project.

Boho Bits – Embellishments from Gwen Lafleur & Emerald Creek

Mexican Fire Opals, Apatite Geode Chips and African Amethyst were used in this project.

Irresistible India – Embellished Sari Scraps

Gwen’s Essentials – Sari Ribbon from Darn Good Yarn

Gwen’s StencilGirl Stencils – Decorative Collection

Gwen’s StencilGirl Stencils – Ornamental Collection

wooden dowel

variety of wooden shapes

gel medium

Tacky glue

a variety of acrylic paint

sequins

glass beads

1 decorative headpin

gel pens

The journey:

It’s kind of embarrassing to admit that I have a stash of wooden pieces since you rarely see me use them. It came in handy for this project. With the exception of the dowel, the pieces were all painted with a variety of colors of acrylic paint before a top coat of gold paint to pull them together and make them look a bit more regal. The dowel served as my notepad. A heartfelt wish for the healing of anyone who holds this scepter was penned on with a sharpie fine point pen. Recently I have been adding secret messages into all of my work. This note was not meant to be read by anyone, but serve as a permanent mark of my sincere hope for spreading healing.

The sari piece that I selected for this project has a rather large section of mesh. The mesh was used as translucent screen for the writing. It adds some mystery to what is written. Before attaching it Gwen Lafleur’s stencil (shown in picture) was used to add a couple of flowers to the mesh. Gel medium applied through the stencil was then sprinkled with Burmese Jade embossing powder and heated.

Embossing powder was added to the edge of the wheel and the detail of the base. The wooden pieces were attached using tacky glue. This photo shows a variety of Gwen’s Boho Bits by Emerald Creek.

More of stencils applied to mesh, sprinkled with Burmese Jade embossing powder and heated created this piece. It was affixed with gel medium.

To get a clear image of the stencil on the surface of the wooden ball is tricky. I applied gel medium through the stencil onto my gelli plate, laid some netting from the sari fabric on top and pressed down with waxed paper. After peeling it off carefully, the embossing powder was tossed over, the excess shaken off and heat applied. Take care not to get it too hot or the mesh will melt

The stencil has been added to the mesh and embossing powder sprinkled over the top.

This mesh is much easier to apply to the wooden ball. Brush gel medium onto the ball and press the mesh down smoothing the edges as you go. More gel medium and tinkering may be needed to get the edges to lay flat.

Here on the finished product you can see how I attached this motif to the wooden ball. There is one on the front and one on the back. The ribbon kind of hides it, but it’s also rather magical to know that it is hiding back there.

A wooden egg was covered with bits of the sari piece carefully trimmed into small pieces and applied with gel medium. Embossing powder was added to some of the areas between floral motifs.

A small spangle was painted black and sprinkled with Turkish Bronze embossing powder. When heated the edges curled inward, a surprise that added to the piece. A larger spangle was treated with the Burmese Jade before adding a layer of glue and beads A decorative head pin from my jewelry stash pulled the spangles together. All were glued to the top of the egg.

Another view of the egg.

Next Boho Bits were glued to the egg in the spaces between motifs. This part was tricky because of the shape of the egg. The bits had to be applied a section at a time and let to dry before moving on to another section. When this was not followed, bits fell over the side and the process had to be repeated.

The wooden pieces were glued together using tacky glue. There is a secret – a random sampling of glass beads were added to the hollow center before sealing making it a noisemaking object as well.

The largest African amethyst bit was perfect for the end of the scepter. As it was a little bigger than the size of the dowel, a link of a chain from my jewelry making collection was glued down first and the amethyst bit applied to that. It was a perfect fit.

A detail from the dowel wrapped in sari scrap lace.

Sari scrap ribbon was tied into a Chinese knot and secured between several of the wooden elements.

Plenty of details and repeating color scheme makes my heart soar.

The colors of the ribbon complement the bits. Gel pen was used to ad some definition to the embossed pieces.

I’m already feeling the healing vibes.
The process of making this scepter was a healing experience. Playing with beautiful materials, both old and especially new, brings energy and peace to me. Seems like there will be more embossing projects in the offing.