lara

My third Pay It Forward gift goes to my friend Jeter.
A memory box to store his letters and postcards and things he picks up along his many travels.

I really like how this turned out - photos don't really show the texture or tactileness of it. The outer cover is matte board covered with sheet music, sewing pattern, Golden Soft Gel Matte and acrylic paint drips, splatters and stamps.



I also used different Golden Mediums mixed with Black Gesso to create additional texture like Coarse Pumice Gel and Heavy Molding Paste. This made it easier to nestle little pieces of things onto the piece. The Molding Paste holds the heavy stuff like a champ!



The cover i am pretty proud of. Its alot of things from my stash of garage sale finds, trash picked up from streets, junk drawers and, of course, Gauche Alchemy Mixed Media ephemera.



One of the most awesome things i've heard in awhile came from a co-worker i was showing this box too. She asked me about the glasses on it and if they were mine. I told her i had picked them up in the parking lot of a grocery store and had been saving them for the perfect arty use. She said "you're the only person i know who sees art in trash." Somehow... someday... that should be my autobiography title!



YAY for names that start with letters i still have tiles for ...
now to find a friend who's name starts with Z or X or Q ...



The cover opens to show the actual box which is made of handmade paper i picked up at the Scrapbox Creative Recycling in Ann Arbor for $1 - that place is AMAZING - if you live in Michigan and you like to craft you MUST go!



Some traditional scrapbook epherema mixed with trash - how awesome is that?! The film strip is from the Gauche Alchemy Black Out Mixed Media Kit.

My second "Pay it Forward" gifts goes to my bestest friend Sarah.

Spring is here and almost past in Georgia (I think it officially lasts 3 weeks between winter and summer), so this project is nature oriented and going to a friend who I believe will appreciate it in all its natural goodness.

It all started with this papermaking class I took with a local artist named Katy DeMent.
As the paper was being made we added a collage of things - this one has leaves and cotton and a little bit of punchinella in addition to the text I found in a book:



The matte is cardboard covered with sheet music, ink, Glimmer Mist, acrylic paint, net, a bit more punchinella and lace. The frame itself is a couple of pieces of bamboo from my backyard. That stuff grows WILD here in Georgia if you didnt know:



I finished the piece off with some cool antique buttons I've picked up along the way



It's very rare i use so much nature in my work so i'm particularly proud with how this turned out.