Making birthday award ribbons

I was in one of those dollar stores and someone had picked up a ribbon that said it's my birthday. I talked them out of buying it and I made one for them to wear on their birthday. I'll be making another and perhaps several others to send to female family members to wear. Although the ribbon was made from a large piece of ribbon, I decided to be creative. They are now making foam sheets and foam stick on shapes and decorations. I bought a pack of foam sheets, standard size, 6 sheets in the pack for one dollar. It's much more expensive at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. You can make your award any shape you desire. Once you have cut it, take a hold punch and about 1/4 inch from the top, punch your hold. This is where you'll run the ribbon through once you are finished. Take your foam design and decorate it as you see fit. Be creative, make the birthday person proud to wear your ribbon. There are markers made specifically for foam, but you can also buy transfer letters and stick on items. Now I know some of you are staying it would have been cheaper just to buy the one in the store. That's true, but this makes it more personal and you have material to make several. So, the next time your caught without a birthday gift you'll have them already made. There are stickers available with a birthday motif. The foam sheets come in several colors so you can make it with the birthday persons favorite color or mix it up. The creative process for this project is endless. You can also get smaller packets of foam sheets which can simply be cut in half or in threes depending on the size you wish to make. You can draw your own border or use the stick on type. When I am finished with my ribbon I'll post it here. I have to get started, it needs to be in the mail next week. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

A few visuals

Time for the visuals, a look back at New Orleans. 1)The lakefront airport. the airport used for mostly commuter planes doesn't have anyone in the tower. Funds are short and they sayit isn't necessary.  2) The cable guy, workers work diligently to install cable and landlines for telephones. 3) Clouds and a spec. I think a bug got inside of my camera. 4) A work of art from a friends garden  5) D artist  6)art deco Statues by Enrique Alvarez 7) Jumping for joy or just jumpin' 8) This is what my house looks like now 9) the skeletal remains  10) Luzianne coffee had a mammy  11) D X in NOLA  12) Close up  13) Trash was beginning to be picked up by the city 14) More of the skeletal remains

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is becoming very popular. It's sort of a combination of photo album and keeping a journal. I've been decoratiing my journals for years. Adding all sorts of things to help me remember some great times. I've posted everything from newspaper articles, drawings, napkins, wine bottle labels to photos of stars, family and friends. There are so many possibilities. Scrapbooking or journaling doesn't have to be expensive. You can use items that you have around the house instead of going out and spending money. Recently I took some old photo albums and removed all of the pictures. I'm scanning them into the computer so that I can create discs to give out to family members for the holidays since they lost most or all of their photographs to Katrina. Being the photographer in the family, I've inherited lots of photos from family members that have passed on. So, instead of throwing away the photo album I'm going to glue poems and magazine photos, and mini movie posters. You can do anything you want. Create borders with construction paper or fabric. Most of these items can be found around the house so you don't have to run out and spend money. All you need is some Elmer's glue, scissors, fabric, colored paper, photos or news paper articles, etc. and use your imagination. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

Art tip of the day

If you're not really a collector, then art doesn't have to cost a lot of money. You just have to know what you like, where to put it and how to mat and frame a picture. Let's start with an image. It can be a family photo, picture of flowers or something you saw in a magazine that caught your eye. It can even be images from an old calender. Once you have selected an image, look at the colors in the room and the colors in the photograph. Are there any similar colors. Is there a particular color that stands out more than another? If you see a color that stands out, then get your mat to match that color. First you have to measure your image. If the image is 8 x 10, then you want to get a mat that is 11 x 14 with an opening of 8 x 10. In fact you can make the picture appear larger as long as the opening is for an 8 x 10 image or the appropriate image selected. Next is selecting a frame. If you have wood furniture you may want to get the frame that matches the woodwork of the furniture. If the walls are white you may want to get a frame that won't blend in. Select a nice sturdy frame. You can find a nice wood frame at Big Lots, Michael's even Wal Mart to fit your budget. You can even check out garage sales and spend a few minutes enhancing the frame. You can even add your own hooks or wire to support the frame. It's all quite simple and only takes a few minutes once you have everything that you need. Start off with a small image, maybe a 3 x 5 photo and put it in a 5 x 7 frame with a 4 x 6 matting that has a 3 x 5 opening. The total price of the frame and mat can be anywhere from $2.00 to $10.00 or more depending on the frame. Create your project and enjoy. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. I'll display some images soon.

Creating art requires inspiration

Sometimes in order to create art we need some sort of inspiration. It can be anything depending on what type of art we are trying to create. The sound of birds chirping can be inspiration for a poem or a song. The rays of the sun can create a color scheme for a picture or pattern. Looking at other art can also inspire one to create something of their own. I look at my photographs often and get inspiration to take that photograph and create something new. Today I'm being inspired by new items that are available to create with and the images that I received through the mail today. A catalog from the Seattle film festival and my Versace Book, Rock and Roll Royalty. They are both great inspirations for me to create something colorful, artistic, fresh and personal. I hope you can find some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

Let's talk art

It takes time to think of new ways to create art. I always want to be innovative and give a different take on something that may or may not be new. Artists think alike and so they tend to do some of the same things. Of course I’m sure you see art and you ask yourself, how was it created? What was the technique or what was the artist thinking? These are all valid questions, but the answers sometimes take time. There are many people who feel they are not creative. They feel if they can’t draw a line or make a sketch then they can’t create art. Art comes in many forms. From decorating a home, to decorating a room or lawn. Decorating a box or creating a wall hanging. These are all forms of creative expression. That’s what art is. It’s expression. A way of communicating who you are without using words. So lets start with something simple. Decorating a photo box. You can buy these plain show box like boxes. They are acid free and will keep your photos looking just like they did when you first took them. If you should notice that your photographs are turning brown, it means they are not in acid free sheets. Now that most people are going digital, take and scan those old photographs that may or may not be in albums. Create discs and give them to family and friends. It’s a good way to relax and go down memory lane at the same time. You’ll feel so good about sharing these moments again with someone that may need a laugh or smile. Take the empty box, and take your photos that you won’t put into books. Cut them into different shapes and glue them to the box. If you don’t want to cut the photos, then copy them or scan and print and you can cut the copies creating various designs. Take your favorite photo and copy it several times and create a collage of the same image in 3 D or using part of the photo on one side and another on the other and the full photo in the center. It’s your creation so you can do whatever you like. That’s the beauty of art. You can also do the same thing buy purchasing a picture frame, new or used it doesn’t matter. Cut your pictures and lay them out and then put the frame together and you have a great collage of memories. How big or small depends on you and the photos that you wish to use. Being a photographer I have thousands of photographs. I use them in varying degrees to create art on many levels. There isn’t anything I don’t use to display my photos. When a wall clock goes out I use it as a frame. I believe in recycling. It’s unusual and it keeps people guessing. So get in that closet and pull out all those family photos and create something new. You can also make cards using photos of family members. People get a kick of things you create yourself. It’s all about presentation. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. I’ll try not to stay away so long. LOL.

Take a peek

Images, images, images.