I've sewn almost all my life, but I've never dipped my toe into the designing merch waters until now. “Cooler by the Lake” is a phrase you hear often in my Chicago neighborhood, but most of the shirts with the slogan either don't have the neckline...
Thanks once again to Nancy Akerly of Liberty Grove Paper Arts I was able to start AND finish another clever handmade box. It was fun to finally work with her in person at the Handmade Book Club retreat in the Berkshires known as Books in the...
Last month I traveled to Paducah for some artsy-craftsy fun. Kristin Williams of Ephemera Paducah resurfaced with a great new workshop in collaboration with Mary Beth Shaw. Junk journaling, mixed media journaling, just general playing with paper,...
Maybe it was the trip to Ireland several months ago. Maybe it's the fact that it appears I am now the designated family source that the nieces and nephews are being sent to for ancestry information. In any case, I'm not swabbing any cheeks but I...
Another crafty rabbit hole. With many thanks to @larkandbower for the inspiration and instruction in off-loom weaving. This is the first mini-grouping of woven Travel Stones, representing the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland - no cliffs harmed in...
Once a year starting in mid-February, there is an Instagram challenge many artists participate in called the #100dayproject. I’ve done it myself more that once, and the habit of daily creativity and accountability has been really fun. I was going...
Those of you who are artists on Instagram, or follow artists on Instagram may be familiar with the #100 day challenge. A big part of the challenge is to make a long-ish term commitment to an artistic project of your own design and to regularly...
February has been another travel month, so another month that art has to be made in the cracks of available time and with whatever materials made it into the art supply cull or ephemera from daily life. Collage is one of the "multi"s in my...
Do I love getting bills and insurance statements? No. Does it help when once in a while there is a collage fodder treat waiting for me on the inside of the envelope? Yes, it certainly does. I don't know what is happening in the envelope business,...
If you're like me and you sometimes have a little bit of trouble getting out of your head and into play mode, I've got an idea for you. When you are trying to play like a kid, use a kid's toys. These multi-colored twistable crayons featured...