WHITE SPACES

ICAD - was JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR - last year when I joined the Facebook group over at Daisy Yellow. Last year doing art on a small 3 x 5 inch index card every day for 61 days made a huge difference to my enjoyment of life, to my mood, to my being present in the moment, to my happiness with myself and my life and my lot in life!

 It was the push I needed to be creative EVERY day - and explore the world of Art Journalling.

When Tammy Garcia invited me to design a card as a Guest contributor on Daisy Yellow  and the ICAD (Index Card a Day 2014). I felt very honoured and very apprehensive! What to do? How to do it? Has it been done before?

I use a lot of recycled and repurposed objects in my art practices so I decided to follow that path and have the theme - Reuse, Reduce, Recycle - and design an easy technique able to be quickly done by others. Then a quote I found among my text collection also inspired me!

 "White clarifies space and accentuates form".

 I set out to design a 3 x 5 card,  exploring the quote with index cards, thinly smearing acrylic paint with used plastic store/credit cards and stamping marks with black acrylic paint. I chose some interesting pieces of "junk" from my recycling box and stated experimenting. I made a few cards and added words from my text collection. It was fun to do, very easy and quick - but you need to wait for the paint to dry or use a heat gun.

The quote that started it all - deserved a card of its own! 

 Cards ready for words. 

 

One completed.

 One or two colours can be smeared with plastic
cards.

 Plastic biscuit tray packaging makes great
stamp marks with acrylic paint.

Text collection.

Choosing words that appeal.

Paper torn from corrugated cardboard exposes a

 rippled area. Can be use flat or on the edge for

stamping with acrylic paint.

Circles from bottle tops, pencil rubbers, tape rolls.

Dragging paint with home made "combs".

Stamping with corrugated cardboard inner layers.

Plastic cards for smearing paint.

Things that are normally designated "rubbish"

can be recycled into great stamps.

AND ...

My card collection - some text has been outlined

for definition, and smudged to 'age' it,

some left with the clear cut edge. I like both.

I love my collection of cards - the white spaces especially and I love doing ICAD! Thank you

Tammy for all you do to facilitate this challenge.

DIY POSTCARDS IN THE IHANNA SWAP.

DIY POSTCARD FUN

I participated in the recent 2014  Spring Postcard Swap (European) from my home in Melbourne, Australia where it's been Autumn! And in our Spring I'll participate in the Autumn swap!

The swap consists of each participant creating 10 postcards and posting them to 10 people as organised by Hanna of ihanna's blog.

I created my cards this time with silk papers collaged on the background and textured recycled paper for each leaf. I stitched a border around each and around the leaf.

 

I've just received my 10th postcard - yippee! -  and they're all very different and delightful.

 

Most of my cards came from the USA ...one from New Zealand and one from Norway.

Here they are:-

Lovely hand drawn doodles from Cynthia, USA.

Clever sewing themed collage from Claudia, USA.

Bright Gelli Plate printing from Lori, USA.

Beautiful painted and textured/collaged card from Tina, USA.

Fun card painted and printed from Liven, Norway.

Colourful acrylic paint and stitching from Wendy, New Zealand.

Thoughtful garden themed collage from Rosalie, USA

Cute and clever punched owl art from Carol, USA.

Shiny paper and serene photograph with braid from Urska.

Atmospheric acrylic painting from Kathie, USA.

 

 

My cards went to Canada, Sweden, UK and USA. Email "thank you"s have been received and I even received this gorgeous postcard as a thank you for the one I sent!

This collaged and painted card is from Wendee in USA to thank me for my card!

I love the surprise when I collect the mail from the letterbox and think about all the postal worker throughout the world who have seen this "Travelling Art". I hope it cheers up their days.
I love receiving the gift of hand made art and thank all the above ladies - or "sisters in creativity" as Urska said!
Many thanks to Hanna at http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap/ for her inspiration and organization!

CELEBRATE INDEX CARD 2013

This Index Card prompt was CELEBRATION - and I'm celebrating that I have completed 61 cards for the challenge.

Proudly.

I was: -
- challenged time wise and in planning my cards and supplies.
- inspired by other's art.
- encouraged by the comments of others.
- made aware of other techniques and supplies.
- made aware of artists and styles I didn't know.

I was brave enough to post my work daily on the FaceBook group and have learnt more IT tricks, photographic angles, uploading and downloading and how Dropbox works.

All in all - I've thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and project of Tammy Garcia at Daisy Yellow.

And I am so appreciative of the support given by other members of the group. Just wish we could all "play art" together in reality!
Thank you all.

I was so involved some days that I "HAD" to make extra cards just because things were on my desk or because something just "jumped out"! Haven't yet counted them - but I know that Index Cards will be a constant companion from now on!

 

Left over paint paper and doodling and chipboard elements.

 

                                                          Doodling inside painted ogee shapes.

 

                                                             Some of my extra cards

 

More extra cards done.

 

Text, paint, stitching for the topic "Crossword". (my cross words are under the pasted text!)

 

Two months worth of Index Cards completed.

 

 

One of my favourites - scrunched up paint wipe paper flowers and sharpie.

 

Like this one too.

Paint smudges, sharpie and Signo white lines.

 

Another favourite - fabric and stitching.

It was a great project for the Australian Winter and the benefits of creativity and being part of an arty community have resulted in a very calm and focused me.

New Zealand Impressions

My recent New Zealand Cruise is now over but I am a very relaxed person after 2 weeks cruising around the most beautiful country and scenery. I noticed many arty designs and here are a few photos of things that appealed to me.

Art Deco buildings in Napier, a city hit by an earthquake in 1931 and re-built in 1930's style, celebrated in colours, shapes and design

Wellington, the capital city, celebrates the fern design in sculpture.

In New Zealand, thongs are called Jandals because of a Japanese influence of sandals with one toe separations.
I was particularly interested in these following displays in the Wellington Museum, reminders of so many settlers from across the world arriving in New Zealand (and other countries too) in search of a better life for many reasons.

Reasons for migrating

Detail from a Maori hut roof.

This was the design on the outside of the terminal building - food for sketching there!

Superb floral displays in Dunedin Botanical Gardens - cool climate increases colours obviously, as we wouldn't have such intensity in Melbourne.

Akaroa, above, a small place near Christchurch, has a French settlement  history and celebrates the connection in various ways.

Beautifully coloured birds on the cabin TV screensaver (Takahe birds).