Artist Books and Other Cool Stuff!

How many times have you wanted really bad to make something, but it seemed like you had already "Done it all"??? I find myself feeling that way pretty often...and when I do, I hit the Googler Machine, and start looking for something different...I go to the google search and put in what i DO have in stock, and then do a search and see what projects come up... I have found many a wonderful project to work on by doing this practice, and it takes the guesswork out of trying to come up with something on your own! Try it sometime!! Besides..one good project can spawn many other side projects that you never even thought about..,give it a try and let me know how it works out for you!

"Laura's Uniques" - etsy shop news:

I am pleased to tell you that I got some awesome things in my etsy shop the last few days...come by "laura's uniques" and you will be able to see all of the new goodies listed, along with several things that haven't been listed yet...Here is a sampling of what is new in the shop:

angel skin coral, red coral and turquoise

red and yellow faceted stones, prong set

silver chain bib necklace with beautiful stones-like new

pink ice pendant on yellow gold chain - exc. condition

Faux pearl and rhinestone pendant - signed on reverse

silver tone lisner clip earrings

sterling silver and deep blue color stone ring

awesome silver tone bracelet, lightweight

beautiful, vintage bracelet, faux pearls, gold chains, starfish clasp

Okay! i hope you have seen something you might want to check out....hope to see you soon!

Book Review: Creative Embellishments by Sherrill Kahn

I know I don't do this as often as I should, but here is a book review that I am truly excited about...Creative Embellishments by Sherrill Kahn is in a single word - indispensable.  Now, I am the one that loves to order books, loves to look at the pretty pictures for a few minutes, and then puts the book up on the shelf, never to be seen again by human eyes... This is NOT that book.

Although certainly not a new book, it was new to me and it completely changed the way I look at embellishments and what they are made of, as well as what can be done with them, what you can use to make one, and how to use what you have made. I keep this book on my work table, right within reach because the pretty pictures in this book have actually taught me something, and more importantly, opened my mind to the complete world of embellishments. I had always just thought of embellishments as a way to add to my total art piece, but this book taught me that each embellishment is also a work of art within itself. I really love making and using my very own embellies that are unique, that are never going to look like cookie cutter, mass produced embellishments that anyone can go buy. This whole idea is so awesome to me for some reason, probably much more than most people because I get excited about silly things that others take for granted. Anyway, this book has instructions for making the various and widespread types of embellishments, and encourages us to look beyond the page, beyond the pre-cut, and helps us say, "Why not make my own and make them suit me?" Below, you can see what I did in my first endeavors to make my own embellishments using clay, fibers, old jewelry, beads, papers, and a little imagination...I love the way these turned out!

oven baked clay figure and heart, yarn fibers

old earring, fibers, oven baked clay disc with engravings and textural pieces, pearls and beads

clay heart, beads, key, papers, round yellow clay disc

clay "love" element, round clay heart design piece, two metal earrings

stamped out clay disc with heart shape in the center, plastic bead

round clay disc with face

All of the atc's above have handmade clay embellishments, and they really went fast in the open swap I was entered in on "The Art Colony", the only NING site just about, that I am still active at...but these atc's are just the beginning stages of what is probably going to happen....I will be excited and overdo myself, making myself sick, and then, I will suddenly not want to ever make anything like it again! Hopefully, you will love this book as much as I have and still do. I bought my copy at Amazon. I am pretty certain that there are more copies to be found on there. I hope you purchase one, and get as much enjoyment out of it as I have. I literally had an epiphany (lol) about these embellishments, this book, and all of the ideas that came flooding in concerning this style! Enjoy, and Happy Creating!!

Laura

"Laura's Uniques" on Etsy.com

http://laurasuniques.blogspot.com

my other blog at 

My other Blog-Laura Uniques 2

Mini Albums and Mixed Media/Collage Collections

I was aimlessly hanging out in cyberspace the other day, and found myself at one of my fav NING spots, "The Art Colony" (it's where all of the cool kids hang out...) and I was discussing sizes with a couple of my female friends, and we decided that size certainly does make a difference...we all agreed to try making some smaller art than what we were accustomed to making, most notably the 3x3 inch size (known as threebies) and the 4x4 inch size (known as fourbies). This idea between us happened just a couple of weeks ago, and now, we are all hooked on making the smaller size art. It seems to help us grow in our craft, and make use of space that we weren't used to doing in the larger sizes....so, I want to challenge you to try the smaller sized art yourself...email it to me at sheltonlaura28@yahoo.com, and I will add it to my blog and you will become famous overnight...well, maybe not, but some people will enjoy looking at it, I do know that! Besides, I would love to see it myself! So, it is only fair that if you are going to show me yours, I need to show you mine..so without further ado....

 here is a sampling of the supplies that I used in making mine. I used rhinestones of various colors, washi tape, sequins and markers of all types...these had to be permanent markers because if not, they would run and mess up when it came time to varnish and seal them. So-please use permanent markers, dyes and inks when you can or it will become a mess...

 I also used all kinds of tiny embellishments of all types, plastic, fabric laces, die cuts, stencils

 and-YES that is hairspray...it works beautifully as a fixative to keep pastel chalks and other smearable things from smearing too much...On  side note...use your own art in your projects like this...go through your old art books, sketchbooks, etc and recycle your own beautiful mess into a new and more beautiful mess! It is amazing what you can come up with from something you thought was horrible to even look at...Now..about adhesives...lightweight paper to paper-Elmers Glue-All or something equal to it, and for heavier pieces and things-E6000...nothing beats E6000 in my books...I have tried so many others, and just keep coming back to it. It's cheap, and easy...who can turn that down??

ok, we have all of that down...next I had my pieces cut up to the size I needed, then out came the stencils and the dyes, acrylic paints, stencils, Extreme Glitter, and black and white permanent markers. I use the UNI Posca brand markers and just love them, after a rocky start to the relationship, I can say that we are becoming almost inseparable...

 

OK without any more talking..here is what I did..

All held together with binder rings, it is a 3x3 inch book of mixed media/collage on corrugated cardstock. I used cardstock, embellishments made of paper, metal and plastic, laces and fibers, brads and a leather strap for the closure. and I LOVE the front with the colorful bird! This would make a great gift for your BFF or someone like that!

Also, I made a larger one...4x4 inches or a fourbie book..Here is how it turned out.:

this is the back cover

The front reads "Sunshine, Rain, Everything"

__________________________________________________________________________________

I think it turned out gorgeous, especially after adding some of the laces that I have gotten from Pamela Joy and the scraps of things I have around here. I had several colors of the paper ribbon which I turned into "curliques" using scissors...There is also a "bead tail" attached, along with a silver tone, metal butterfly charm to top it all off!

back page of the 4x4 inch "Fourbie" album

I know this has been a long blog post, but I wanted to show you all of the pretty pages that have become a part of these books...If you have any questions about the process or techniques, please contact me through the comments section, and I will be with you asap! In the meantime, "Happy Creating"!

Happy Creating,

Laura Shelton

Visit and Shop at

Laura's Uniques

Easy Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Hello and Happy Holidays to you all...I am just about ready for Christmas, which is a good thing, since it is going to happen whether I am ready or not! I have 4 beautiful grandchildren, 2 boys and 2 girls, and they are at the age where they all like MONEY ($$$) as much or more than if I had searched for months for that perfect gift!! So this year, I am leaning toward just a dollar amount and I am NOT going to fall for any gift cards..just cold hard CASH!!

But-if you have someone to buy for, either young or old, here are a few last minute gifts that the recipient will love and possibly cherish that don't take a lot or time or money...all you will need for this first one is some coordinating scraps of cardstock and scrapbook paper..plus go to the local Dollar Store for a few more items...

This is a paperback Bible from the local dollar store that I have recovered using scrapbook paper, cardstock, washi tape, lots of glue, chipboard embellishments and other odds and ends...the Bible cost a dollar, and I already had all of the other things in my stash...took me maybe an hour and change to make this, from start to finish...Behold:

Bible Front

Bible Back

I really like how this turned out...It is a nice sized book, and with the new covering on it, it should last the recipient for a long time...not to mention the memories and warm feelings it will invoke when they think of who made it for them! Handmade gifts are always a big hit, and the fact that they are a "one of a kind" makes them even mire special...Next up...the Bible and Scripture Journal that is an altered composition notebook, again from the dollar store, and using bits and pieces, scraps and whatnots from your stash...Great for studying scriptures and journaling about how they make you feel, or your thoughts on them...

Bible and Scripture Journal Front

Bible and Scripture Journal Back

Altered hardback blank Journal for Bible Study
FRONT

Altered hardback blank Journal for Bible Study
BACK

These two were super easy to make, it helps that they each have rather hard covers, because when you are recovering these, it seems to go a bit faster...I use hot glue on mine, and E6000 glue on the outside embellishments to make them really hang on there...the hardback blank journal came from Walmart in the art section and cost less than $10.00 (I think that's right)...they just started carrying these books about maybe a year ago...Anyway, covering these two journals took me maybe an hour and a half, or two hours each at the most...still using scraps and embellishments from my stash...You can also make a Bible and a Journal to match or coordinate. You can give someone both and they are set up for "Bible Journaling"!!  Okay...next on my list...

Blank Journal recovered and embellished

 Last of all, I bought one of the blank, lined journals at the dollar store, and as you can see, recovered and embellished using scrapbook and cardstock pieces, lace, rhinestones, and black squishy letters spelling out JOURNAL...The journal cost way less than $5.00, and all of the rest is of course, pieces and scraps from my stash...I have a granddaughter who loves the color pink...This may end up being a little part of her Christmas...along with the cash they are going to get!!!

I hope that this has inspired you to make up a couple of these, even after the holidays...I just love the altering part of the process, and I almost always have something on hand for a gift when something pops up... takes a lot of the pressure off, and helps you get in some artsy time for therapy reasons, lol!!!

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!!

Happy Creating!!

Laura

Laura's Uniques on Etsy