Flower Power

Here is a "kaleidescope" of one of the flowers I painted with acrylics (remember the one that looked like it was from the 70's?). This is going to become an addiction. I was actually thinking about trying it on one of the pictures of my dog. I know, I'm warped. Just like this picture. Heh.

So remember "Gifts of Eostre", that collage I posted a few days ago? Well, today I was messing around with my Paint Shop Pro X and I imported that collage and used the kaleidescope effect on it. And well...WOW. It came out pretty cool if I don't say so myself. Some might say "trippy".

Now I'm going to go crazy and try this with all my collages. If any of them come out this good I'll post those too. They would make great posters, no?

P.S. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE click on the image for more detail. It's totally worth it.

Here are some of the (almost) finished products made by two of the ladies who took my class. I was thoroughly impressed. I like how the green vase matches the ring of the woman who made it. A woman after my own heart!

My First Class!!

So about three weeks ago, I taught my first class on how to decoupage. It was an adult program at the Westhampton Library. I was so nervous that the project (decoupaging tissue paper onto vases) would be too challenging for the class. But every single person did an excellent job and each of them went home with a lovely finished product.

Floral Shoes

OK, so here are a pair of the last shoes that I decoupaged. These were originally black leather shoes from a thrift store. The little flower embellishments are from a vintage necklace that I also purchased at the same thrift store. The paper I used is just regular paper from Paper Source. It was rather challenging using that paper because it is thicker than origami or tissue paper, and therefore harder to manipulate.

Blue Decoup'd Shoes

Remember those blue shoes that I decoupaged? Well I added some little embellishments. Have you ever seen those bags of multi-colored marbles, you know the ones that you're supposed to put in vases? That's what I used.

Magic Mushroom

So the other day I was in Michael's (they were having some awesome sales by the way), and I came across their section of blank boxes and saw this little round one (shown on top). An idea suddenly struck me; I could change this box into something really cool. A mushroom! So I did. It only took about a half an hour to paint and decoupage the little white circles onto the top. Of course I put a few layers of acrylic gel medium and sealer on it, which took some additional time. But I'm really happy with how it came out. I plan on buying a few more (I'm kicking myself for not buying more when I was there and they were on sale). I figure I can make some different mushrooms, maybe one with a green top, one with a blue, etc... Maybe I will run a short tutorial on how to make these little guys sometime soon. It's really a fun, quick project, and even if you're new to crafting, you would have no problem doing it.

Felt Collars

These are really pretty. Do you know what they are? They're called "felt collars" and they are made by Danielle Gori-Montanelli. They are meant to be worn around the neck, and well, um I don't really know if I'm into that... but I think that they would make beautiful wall-hangings, you know like wreath-style. However, at $500-$600 a pop, I don't think I'll be adorning either my neck or walls with them any time soon. Click on the link to see a slideshow of them all.

Pretty Prints

I love these gorgeous Japanese and Italian papers from Paper Source. Can you tell which ones are which? Unfortunately, I have never been to an actual brick-and-mortar Paper Source store (there isn't one in New York). But for now their online store is good enough. I seriously could drop thousands of dollars in this place...if only I were rich!

More prints from Paper Source. I would love to paper an entire wall with that feathered one!

You can find these and more at

http://www.paper-source.com/

Wish

Another collage. The background of this one took me a lot of time. I was doing a lot of experimenting with image transfers and glazing on top of ripped paper. In the end, I really liked how it came out. A lovely woman and her husband bought this one along with another (Mary Alyce, I haven't forgotten you!).

Lovely Lucite

So, I found this place called The Carrot Box, where there are all kinds of beautiful carved lucite rings for sale. Here are some of my favorites. I especially love the green "mint" zinnia one at the bottom. Alas, it's so hard to find any in my finger size...I have some tiny little digits. Every Monday the site is updated with new rings in new sizes. Hopefully one day I will find one that fits (please lord let it be the green one). Go ahead and visit them at www.thecarrotbox.com.

ELF Cosmetics

A while ago I discovered an excellent place. A place that I never knew could exist in a world where most quality products are over-priced and over-hyped. That place is ELF Cosmetics. ELF stands for Eyes Lips and Face, and offers a wide, wide variety of cosmetics for each of those body parts. Each product (at least every one I've tried) has met or exceeded my expectations of quality. And guess what? Every single thing on their website is $1. ONE DOLLAR!!! I swear to God it's true. My favorites include their Hypershine Lip Gloss and their Featherproof Moisturizing Lip Liner. The Tone Correcting Concealer is great too. Added Bonus: None of their products are tested on animals. I know it sounds like I'm advertising, but I just wanted to let everyone know about this great site. Even if you're not a woman, you can buy your woman a gift card if you want, and I guarantee she'll love it (hint-hint ;)

Gifts of Eostre

Ah, good old "Gifts of Eostre", another favorite of mine. I apologize for the skewed picture...this one was a bit hard to scan due to the 3-dimensional rosettes on the top and bottom left-hand side. When I found out that my collages were going to be put on display at the local library, I went into a whirlwind of creating. This is the first one I made specifically for that display. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Painting Flowers A-Z

Here is the book I've been working out of. It's a great way to start painting flowers with acrylics. The author even gives you templates of the different flower outlines which you can copy, enlarge and paint from. I highly recommend it.

Another acrylic flower! I have very mixed feelings towards this one...It's pretty and ugly at the same time. It's got a lot of character though, and it's really 70's which I always dig. These are so fun to make...I'm still trying to deal with the fact that I can't paint exactly like the woman who wrote the book that I'm practicing out of; but you know what, if she tried to replicate my flower to the tee, she probably couldn't either. That's just the way it is I guess. I kinda like that, ya dig?

A Thrifty Find

A couple of days ago, I was cleaning out my craft room and I found this. It's an old plate that I bought from the Salvation Army for $1.99. Isn't it pretty? I love it! It's hanging on my bedroom wall now and I'm thinking that one day I would like to design a whole room around the color scheme of this plate. Have you ever watched one of those interior design shows on HGTV where the designer bases his whole room design on one piece of art that is hanging in the room? That's what I have in mind. It would be nice for a bathroom or a bedroom, don't ya think?

P.S. On the black of the plate it says "Hand Painted in Greece by Pandora." If anyone knows anything about this company please let me know...I'm curious.

One of my favorites

This is one of my favorite collages from about 6 months ago. It was one of the first ones where I got REALLY bold with the colors and a little bit more dynamic with the style. Those things hanging down from the back of the dress are real beads and buttons that I strung up. Click on the image for more detail. I call it "Wiccan Couture."

More Collages

Two more collages from awhile ago: "Sweet Marie" and "Bathing Beuties"

Comments

So, I just realized that if you want to comment on one of my posts, you have to set up a Google account. This is just Blogger protocol I guess. Just click on "comments" below my post and you will be given the option to set one up. I know it's annoying, but it only takes seconds, so go ahead and create one! You can do it!

I'm Reading:

Right now I'm reading "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. This book gives you an in-depth view of what the lives of women during biblical times were like. Instead of the usual "oppressed women" theme that many writers use while writing historical fiction, Diamant portrays these women as powerful and necessary in the scheme of life during those times. I'm hooked, and I know it's going to be one of those books that I grieve over after I've finished it. Don't you hate that?

Collages

Here are 2 of my completed collages. I apologize for the fuzziness and dullness of the pictures. I'm still new to all this, and will try my hardest to make my pictures look better in the future. If you click on the images, you can really see the colors and details much better. "Ten Feathers" I made a few months ago, and "Magic Man", which is more of a painting than a collage, was made two nights ago.

"Ten Feathers" and "Magic Man"

Snazzy Shoes

Being that this is a very new blog, I would like everyone to get to know who I am by seeing my new and old completed projects. The shoes pictured below were made by me about 4 months ago. Well, I didn't make the actual shoes myself, they were bought from a thrift store. I did decoupage the heck out of them though, and had a fabulous time doing it! The rainbow colored ones were bought from the salvation army. They were originally just plain old white heels, and I decoupaged them with origami paper and painted the straps with red acrylic. I also included a before and after pic of another pair I made with blue tissue paper that I acquired at the 99 cent store. As you can see, the original shoe was boring old black leather, but now they are blue and beautiful! And yes, with enough varnish, you can wear them out in good weather.

Acrylic Flowers

So, my adventures with acrylics have begun! I took a book out from the library I work at called "Painting Flowers A-Z" by Sherry C. Nelson. I went to the craft store and spent a bunch of money on brushes, as my old brushes were cheap (bristles falling out, etc...). What a difference those new brushes made! I painted these two flowers last night. Yeah, I know I'm no Georgia O'Keefe yet, but I'm still pretty proud of them. I tried so hard to imitate the author's flowers, but then came to the realization that I have my own style and in every creation I complete, that style will show through. One of my favorite quotes by Robert Henri states "Don't worry about originality; you couldn't get rid of it even if you tried. It will stick with you and show up for better or for worse in spite of all you or anyone else can do."

Welcome!!!

I can't believe that I've finally sat down and created this blog. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Let me introduce myself and tell you why I'm here: My name is Jackie, I am 28 years old and presently reside in Long Island, NY. I am a self taught collage artist and right now I am trying to pursue other artistic interest such as drawing, painting, etc... This blog is meant to motivate, inspire and guide me through these new endeavors. I welcome any comments and questions and hope to communicate with as many people as possible through this blog. I welcome family, friends and strangers alike. Alright, heeeeere we go!