Pulp Redux Update # 3 Lisa J's book.

I have been on a roll these last few days! Today's been especially great, not only did I get lots of time to work on Lisa Jurist's book I also got my nest paper made and attempted to turn my bark into some sort of useable pigment. I got it to dust stage but as with the nest dye and kowhai dye the resulting wash is very pale when dry even though the liquid is not! I need to do some further investigation and work out why this is, the colour will be fantastic if I can pull it off!
Thankfully the nest paper was quite successful, I havn't photographed it yet so that will have to be another post. I have however photographed the work I did on Lisa's book! Here it is below...

Above is the closse up of the embellishement below. I didn't make the embellishement today, it was made last week and was patiently waiting for me to work out where it was meant to go!

The embellishement is a bit like a small book. It has a pocket on the front which can hold a small item but dosn't just yet:)  I've used my own paper beads (the text one says 'see') as well as tea dyed fabric, a found roofing nail cap, ribbon and various bits of recycled fabric. I am really pleased with the difference the red makes to the page and have added it to the first page I did as well.I still need to trim the lace and fabric behind this piece but the embellishement is done. You can see the 'page' inside it below.

The fabric bundle the small book sits on is actually another fabric book! The book is able to be taken out of the spread completely. I love things that can move and be played with!

The cover of the book opens to reveal a lace pocket with a poetry quote..

...and the next page of the book reveals a fabric collage made from 'nest dye' fabric and cotton wool soaked in 'nest dye.' I baked the cotton wool in the oven .Sewn to the top layer are non-organic items found in the nest I took apart (technically known as rubbish to us humans!) to make the dye. It was sad to find this stuff inside the nest. There was actually a lot of it, including plastic and ciggerette butts. Poor bird! My inclusion of these items isn't meant to be a negative statement however, I have simply carried on the recycling process the bird started. He or she thought they were useful and pretty enough to put in their home so why not on the pages of a book? I didn't know it when I picked it up in the car park but finding this nest has resulted in a collaboration with a bird!

For anyone who missed it, Lisa's book theme is "Roots, beneath the Layers.' I wrote above that  I was carrying on a process but as it turns out I've quite literally followed that theme and I've only just realised!

Funny how things turn out!

Altered Puzzle

This is the first thing of this sort of craft work that I have done in while.
The theme was 'christmas' and there are 6 other players. They each get one of my puzzle pieces and I get one of theres. We all worked on the same wooden pieces, same size as this so they will fit nicely onto my puzzle board. I used my own photo's of Pohutakawa Flowers, Ribbon and I made gold dots from fancy wall paper samples and a hole punch.

I'm back!

Made for the international recycled art swap. Poem recycled from old book (re-written below) recycled magazine images, recycled bread tags, recycled plastic box tag (used to wire in the toy originally) and a recycled birthday candle- the base for the collage is a recycled Christmas card.


Victorian Love themed Tip in for a swap on Alternative Artists.
Op-Shop lace, Magazine images, paper doilies, paint, thread, recycled poem from an old book (words below)


This has probably been the longest time between posts I have had! Rest assured though that amongst school trips and birthdays I have been getting as much done as I have been able too. Admittedly there's been more thinking than action though. It is soooo good to be getting my hands dirty again! Since my last post I have made another CD page for a altered CD book as well as altered 2 postcards...somebody forgot to take photos though! I am in desperate need of more magazines to draw inspiration from at the moment in order to complete the remaining 6 collages for the international collage exchange. I am sticking with my 'society is a nest' theme and apparently none of 3 million magazine I already have, have any suitable images. Atleast none that are calling my name loud enough for me to hear! So until I get more I am working on some other projects.


Photo 1 shows my 1 of the 5 postcards I am doing for the 'International Recycled Swap' The poem says:

The flight of the arrow.

The life of man
is and arrow's flight
Out of darkness and into the light
And out of light,
into darkness again
Perhaps to pleasure
Perhaps to pain!
There must be Something
Above or below
Somewhere unseen
A mighty bow.
A hand that tires not.
A sleepless eye
That sees the arrows
Fly and fly
One who know's
why we live- and die.

Richard Henry Stoddard. 1825-1903

Photo 2 is of the Victorian Love themed page I did for a Tip in Swap on Althernative Artists, currently there's a Marie Antoinette page drying on the bench! I found this theme hard because I don't usually work with these colours but I am confident that the new owner will enjoy this.
The poem here reads:

The Unfading Beauty

He that loves a rosy cheek,
or coral lip admires,
or from star like eyes doth seek
fuel to maintain his fires:
As old Time makes these decay
so his flames must waste away.

But a smooth and steadfast mind,
gentle thoughts and calm desires,
hearts with equal love combined
Kindling never dying fires.
Where these are not I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes

Thomas Carew

Time to fly, swimming lesson's for my eldest in half an hour and I still have to collect her from school....