Tag Archive | mixed media

Leap Year, 2024: To Many Frogs!

Feb29
too many frogs!
too many frogs!

To Many Frogs! is a story about a gift gone awry. One year for Valentines Day I gave my husband a stuffed frog holding a heart that said “I love you”, he keeps it on the dash board in his car to this day. My husband’s interests are playing tennis and watching sports, but other than that no hobbies or other quirks. He was so delighted with the frog that I decided to give him a hobby, “collecting frogs”. “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” is his favorite ride at Disneyland after all and besides I thought that it would be fun and would make gift giving less of a challenge for my daughter and I.

Well….. our family on a larger scale got in on the act (his mother and my mother to name a few culprits)! Now we have over 200 frogs and a few toads!!!! We have a table shaped as a frog , a frog ocarina, several leaping frogs, a couple of frog boxes, quite a few small frog beads (he-he cause I could use them for something), a counter full of stuffed frogs, a rattan letter holder shaped as a frog, and of course no collection would be complete without a “prince charming” or two.

We have frogs sitting sweetly on lily pads, swimming in leaf bowls, and leaping off the counters. We have lounging frogs, cooking frogs, serious frogs, and happy frogs. But I have to say that the most annoying frog we have is the frog that “ribbits and croaks” Jingle Bells on command when you clap your hands. I promptly removed the batteries and hid it in the closet until I could “gift” it to the thrift store!

The moral of the story is to choose hobbies wisely and don’t include your relatives in on the secret, or you too may receive a singing frog!

Enjoy, create, live, be happy…. ribbit. ~Christen

A Heart a Day: 15

Feb15

Heart Felt Wishes to you all! I love hearts, I love the shape, I love to decorate the house at Valentine’s Day, and I have a lot of hearts… so I decided to post A Heart a Day for the entire month of February. Just because the 14th is over, doesn’t mean that we can’t look at hearts until next year.

mixed media heart
Romance
mixed media
Pink Warrior
YOU GO GIRL

I will be filling your heart with hearts until the end of the month!

Happiest of heartfelt wishes for a wondrous day! ~Christen

Friday’s Favorites: Numbers and Measures

Dec30
Measuring Up
Measuring Up Montage

The montage has a collection of a few of my favorite things. The jewelry pieces are just fun, with both new and old typewriter keys, and charms. The dog tags belonged to my mom’s dog when she was growing up, my dad won the medal in a model airplane contest for one of his own designs. Other images are my dad’s actual dog tags from WWII, coins (from my grandpa), a wooden nickel I got a Knot’s Berry Farm as a kid and more buttons.

Shown here is the bracelet close-up. I started with a very well loved, tape measure that belonged to my Grandmother. I paired it with grosgrain ribbon and a few buttons that I found at the thrift store. The small button at the right has my mom’s initials on it. When I found it I thought must save this for just the right project, I think that I did!

The first bracelet was found on eBay, it was made with vintage typewriter keys. The necklace is made from new two-hole beads, with typewriter symbols, that have been strung on a rayon cord. The last bracelet, is made from new charms, that are attached to a vintage chain bracelet.

Favorite collection of measuring devices

Numbers can be viewed differently by the way you present them, such as “I HAVE 5 weeds!”, or “I only have five weeds…”; vice versa: “I only have five roses…” or “I HAVE 5 roses!”… you get the point. Numbers can also relate to how much money you have, or how wide you are by the inches on the tape measure, or the accumulation of years that equal your life.

Measuring up can mean quite a few things as well. With New Year’s Eve looming, and resolution lists waiting to be written, for me it means gauging my accomplishments, successes and triumphs. Did I spend my time wisely, did I make a difference, did I contribute?

Whatever your answers are to these questions, I hope that you enjoy the days, hours, and minutes to come! Be happy creating or be happy creatively! Enjoy- Christen

Day 29 of FLOWERS GALORE!

May29

Day 29 of FLOWERS GALORE!

Country Cottage Tussy Mussy

May your day be filled with everything and everyone that you love!

This is a class that I taught for Joggles. I loved working with all of the different materials, and textures which include cotton fabric, lace, grosgrain ribbon, satin ribbon, felt, crochet streamers, and vintage buttons. The vessel that the flowers are displayed in is made from a cardboard cone that has been covered with mixed media techniques.

One of the flowers that I think is the prettiest is the shabby rose. If you would like to make this flower click here.

Happy Stitching, enjoy~ Christen!

Day 26 of HEARTS! Lizbeth and Rose Marie

Feb26

mixed media

art doll

Day 26 of HEARTS!

Many of you know that I love hearts! I love the shapes and all of the possibilities. Pictured here are two friends of mine that share my work space. Lizbeth is a doll that I created using a felt body and wire arms and legs, her clothing is attached almost like a paper doll. She was part of a blog challenge series called Dress-UP, check out the details of her dress for the month of February here. Rose Marie is a mixed media doll that I made from an old paint brush, cardboard packaging, plastic roses, paper mache lady bugs, vine trim, ribbonwork leaves, paper leaves, and crocheted roses that my mom made.

Happy February to you!

~Christen

Melange a Trois: class/tutorial

Dec8

Melange a Trois: 3 lessons/$32.00

melange1Do you love mixed media, decorative paper, ribbon, lace, ephemera and collage? Well this is the perfect class for you then. You will learn how to combine all of these bits of gathered treasure and create them into gift envelopes, bags, and small boxes. Simple easy techniques, your sewing machine and a bit of imagination is all you need! There are two different envelopes to choose from; two sizes of the small gift bags; and two sizes of the mini matchboxes; with a bonus pattern for a gift tag.

Skill Level Beginning: sewing machine knowledge

Lesson 1: In this lesson I will discuss themes, gathering, storing and choosing your components. Then the fun begins with paper collage including copying, cutting and stitching techniques.

Lesson 2: In this lesson I will show you how to assemble the collaged gift envelope; how to collage and assemble a gift bag; and assemble the mini matchbox.

Lesson 3: In this lesson you will learn how to make the small envelope, gift tag and treasure keeper. Then the decoration begins for the envelopes, bags and boxes. These will be embellished with paints, pens, stamps, trims, ribbons, lace, buttons and more!

Class Information

These classes can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule. The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.

Once the class is paid for, the supply list will be sent out. The lessons will begin one week after the purchase of the class, unless otherwise stated. You will receive an email with the lesson attached. The following lesson/s will arrive one week after the previous lesson.

A high speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it and print out a copy.

You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.

Class fees will not be refunded.

Happy Stitching,

~Christen

Newsies

Mar9

mixed media

Newsies

This piece started with a lovely stamp of a cherubic child’s face. I stamped the face several times on an article in the LA Times on health care, (fitting). I then cut and glued the faces onto a heavy stock paper, then this to cardboard. I painted the papers with acrylic paints, and matte Mod Podge. I added in the text and doodles with ink pens.

Monday’s Child is fair of face.
Tuesday’s Child is full of grace.
Wednesday’s Child is full of woe.
Thursday’s Child has far to go.
Friday’s Child is loving and giving.
Saturday’s Child has to work for its living.
Sunday’s Child is fair and wise and good and gay.
(I paraphrased the last line so that it would fit onto the paper!)

Have fun with what you do, make it count! Enjoy ~Christen

And Bingo was his Name-O

Mar3

mixed media collage

Billy AKA “Yukon Jack” and his trusty steed “Bingo were the BMOTB (Big Men on the Block), 100 proof, all boy and all horse!

My collage started with this lovely image of a happy little boy on a pony, I added in bingo paper, image of a ruler, image of text, art papers, acrylic paints, and some bits of paper from a bottle of whiskey.

This one is for my Hubby, cause he is 100 proof, OH My Man! Love ~C

Romance

Feb8

mixed media heart

Romance

Maria had just left the fortune teller’s shop when a dashing young man stopped her on the street.
With the words of Madame Travina ringing in her ears”Romance and passion are waiting for you just outside the door!”, Maria boldly grabbed the stranger and kissed him. As he grabbed her waist, and kissed her back she thought Madame Travina was right, she was romantically swept off her feet with passion!
Originally Joseph (the dashing young stranger) had stopped Maria just to ask her for directions, oddly enough to Madame Travina’s shop. As he found himself kissing Maria, he thought he wasn’t in that much of a hurry, and kissing was always a good thing!

This is a collage of greeting cards, art paper, painted paper, gold and black ink pen, vintage velvet flowers, vintage lace, vintage beaded strands and tin hearts.

Enjoy what you do! ~Christen

Through the Fairie’s Window

Sep22

Through the Fairies Window

Through the Fairie’s Window

I started with a cardboard box from my face lotion which I had taken out the clear cellophane window. I gathered three greeting cards and cut, painted and cropped until I got the right length for each image. I glued these onto the box along with bits of vintage lace. I then added a clear glaze which crazed wonderfully (but I don’t think that it was supposed to!). The box is 6-1/2″ tall x 3-1/2″ wide x 1-3/8″ deep.

I added a vine of fabric leaves along the edges; a vintage celluloid pin of pink roses; vintage paper roses which are peaking out of the inside of the box and the top of the box; vintage painted glass leaves; mother of pearl butterfly charms; gold dragonfly charms; plastic fairy charms; a glass lady bug; and handmade flowers made from vintage ruffled ribbon.

Through the Fairie’s Window

Peering through the garden’s window
Amongst the roses and the garden vine,

I see you are already waiting there for me
Fairy fare dear friend of mine.

Who is looking through your window and asking you to play? Enjoy your day! Christen