Day 29: Making Some Artistic Plans for 2013

My mind was racing in the middle of last night's sleep. Ideas were popping. Mostly, I was thinking about A Letter A Week 2013.

I found out about A Letter A Week last year. Click here for a link to last year's blog. The project started in 2010 and was meant to be a way to have fun experimenting and to keep the participants working on a small project each week of the year.

The goal is to create two complete alphabets by the end of the year. Each letter must be presented in a 7 cm x 7 cm format. There is always a theme for one of the alphabets and the other is up to the participant. This year's theme alphabet is about Peace. Fiona Dempster, who is a fabulous book and calligraphy artist, is the organizer and originator of the project.

I've had lots of ideas flowing. I've gone through a number of ideas for the Peace alphabet in my mind. In fact, I was trying to locate a small dove pin that I had growing up and found myself side-tracked going through my jewelry box (and no luck yet in finding the pin). I would like that alphabet to somehow memorialize the 26 shooting victims in Connecticut.

The other alphabet is a lot clearer in my mind and may end up being the first alphabet I tackle. After experimenting with cardboard this month in my Newsletter, I've decided to make an alphabet of cardboard print blocks. I'm excited about this concept as not only will I have the printed alphabet, but I think the print blocks could be put together to form an additional alphabet. On the Ikatbag blog, LiEr links to a blog with amazing signs and logos using cardboard by cardboard artist, Mark Langan...a great source of inspiration!

Day 18: Recycled Designs

This month's issue of Julie B Booth Surface Design News will focus on using all those corrugated cardboard boxes (most of mine from Amazon), packing materials and used gift wrap to create block designs.

Here are a few of the black and white samplers.

Issue #8 comes out this Saturday, December 22. If you would like to sign up for this free monthly newsletter, see the sign up in the right hand column.

Recycling

Back in the studio yesterday, enjoying my cleared off table.

I'm putting together a number of ideas for magazine articles. All center around surface design with materials from the kitchen.

I started playing with some of the recyclables again. This time it's cardboard and brown paper.

Enjoying the textures.

 

I did manage to get to Home Depot  yesterday and found a whole section with grids... burlap, deer fencing, even metal fencing for chickens! I also found rolls of the weed control fabric that I talked about in an earlier post.

I bought a selection of materials and will try experimenting with some of them this week.

And the winners are...

Winners of the Roy G Biv fabrics

My husband pulled these winners of the Searching for Roy G Biv Challenge fabrics out of his JMU baseball cap...

Congratulations!

Lisa, please comment here to let me know whether you would like the red cats piece or the oranges piece.

Kathy you will get whichever piece Lisa doesn' t pick.

Yesterday, I started work on samples for some magazine articles I'll be proposing. I had some fun with brown paper and cardboard. Slathered on the Mod Podge to hold it all together.

This morning I took a look and they are ready for printing and rubbings.

I have some other sample ideas in the works. Want to get these proposals off soon.

I also hope to get over to Home Depot today to finally get a look at some of the possibilities in the gardening department. I especially want to check out anything that looks like a grid or could be made into a grid. I'd like some grids to go with my weeds!