No more putting it off...something new!

So I know I’ve been starting a lot of blog posts recently with “It’s been a while, so sorry…” but if you will bear with me just once more....

It’s been a while, so sorry I haven’t been updating and responding to comments recently! It seems like I always have a million excuses when it comes to my blog. Here are some recent favorites:

-It’s been really hot out, making me not want to sit down and write for fear my brain will melt

-My laptop lost its battle against its dying battery and fraying powercord.

-I expertly sliced my finger while cutting a pepper, and the stiches make it uncomfortable to type for long

-I can never think of anything to write!

Annnnnd shortly after I finally sat down to write this post the power went out and ate it!

Ok, no more excuses. I have been working on something that I’m pretty excited about and want
to share.

So, I have a lot of fun cutting up old sheet music (have you noticed?) and collaging it together to make new pieces of art. I like using the images and words in unexpected ways that the original artists never would have. But it can sometimes be a little limiting to only work with what has already been created; do you know what I mean? A little while ago I was staring a blank, wood plaque I bought trying to visualize what I would do with it.

Ok...have you ever seen Mystery Science Theater 3000? I know this is so random, but you know on the
show how they show the movie and then they have the character’s silhouettes sitting in the theater seats superimposed over it? Well that gave me an idea.

Ok…one more tangent! Last one, I promise! I have been getting really interested in the Vaudeville era and culture. I love the sheet music covers that show all the Vaudeville stars and the advertisements for the shows. So I put together those two things, my blank wood plaque, and a pinch of Regretsy (hopefully not really though?), and got this…



I’ve already yapped a lot so let me quickly explain what
you’re looking at.

I took this photograph of the Keith-Albee Theatre in Cincinnati and traced it in pencil on my
plaque. Then I filled it in with sheet music. Even the solid colors and white are from sheet music. I wanted to create something totally new. I wanted to give a new kind of life to every little piece of sheet music that’s been forgotten. Most of all I wanted to pay homage to a much forgotten art form/ form of entertainment and the beautiful architecture the Vaudeville era. So what do you think? I am working on another one right now of the beautiful, old Orpheum Theater in Boston. While I think my first attempt came out pretty well, it’s still very much a rough draft of what I would like to do with these in the future!

Cards, Heirloom Boxes, and Digital Downloads, Oh My!

I haven’t been in blogging mode lately, but I did want to drop a few lines letting you know that I’m still here! I’ve been busy drinking lemonade and throwing myself across the couch in front of the fan. Between some of the heat waves I have managed to come up with some new products for my shop!

One of my new products that I’m really excited for are these greeting cards. I was going to make greeting cards with photos of some of my pieces (I still might), but a friend suggested making mini collages on them instead. They are super fun to make and are like little pieces of original art. If you have any ideas you would like to see on a card, let me know, I’m sure I could make it work!




Another totally new totally awesome product that I now can offer are digital downloads! As you may know I love to collect old photographs and other 19^th century ephemera. I am always looking to do something with my collection, so now you can download high resolution scans of them for your own projects. Again, if there are any specific kinds of images you would like to see just let me know! Ok, last thing I'm going to show off from my shop, I promise. The last show I did I met an amazing woodworker, Paul Baines. Paul has been making some beautiful mahogany pieces for me, including this new box.


I am really excited to collaborate with Paul, he doesn't fool around when it comes to quality or design. Keep your eyes open for more heirloom pieces to come!

As always, I appreciate feedback, so don't hesitate to let me know what you think of these new things or what you would like to see!
Have you been working on anything new? Or have anything you feel like sharing? I want to know!

What my work sounds like

One of the awesome things about using the materials that I use, is that there is such a story each piece tells just beyond what it looks and feels like. If you read sheet music you can probably find snippets of music here and there that you can hum aloud and get a feel for what it sounded like.

While it is so fun to be able to look up a song on YouTube and hear what it used to sound like, sometimes I am hesitant to do so. A lot of times I make a piece listening to my iPod and have a certain “sound” or feeling in mind, and I want to take the artwork in another direction than the emotions it was originally meant to convey. Does that make sense?

But sometimes curiosity also gets the best of me. So today I want to share with you how a few of my pieces “sound”.

In my Etsy shop

This box I made using all material from the sheet music for a song called “On the ‘Gin ‘Gin ‘Ginny Shore” from 1922. I had to be pretty careful about what lyrics I showed on this piece as some of them were pretty racist (as was some of the cover art I omitted). Even though it is labeled as a foxtrot I thought it would be a bit melancholy and nostalgic. Take a listen to this old recording of it on YouTube and see what you think! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u71ITMsIE5I

In my Etsy shop

Remember this box? I did the little tutorial on how to decoupage with it? Well, I always thought this would be a fairly upbeat, fast song. I was pretty surprised when I heard this recording of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEqu1NUUFRg

In my Etsy shop

Ok, I never really knew what to make of this one. “The Old Oaken Bucket” cover illustration is bizarre to say the least. It depicts a family bundled up and staring down the deep, dark, well. Apparently mom and dad felt it was worth educating little Tommy there about the nature of wells and buckets. I really had no idea what this song would have sounded like. Luckily someone posted a very old recording of it on YouTube and I satisfied my curiosity! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI4ej8b1VeE

In my Etsy shop

I made this plaque from an advertisement for a song called “Ragging the Scale”. It pretty much looks like a devilishly fast, crazy song. I didn’t expect many surprises here, but it was really fun to hear how it used to sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF_EKCXVsV0

So I'm curious to hear what you think, were you surprised by any of these songs? And in your own work, do you design/create with certain music in mind? What would you describe the "sound" of your art as?

Making a One-of-a-kind keepsake box

So, there's not big secret on how to decoupage. If you've done it you know that it's a pretty straightforward, though time consuming, process. It can be a great beginner's project, but it can also take years to perfect (and I'm far from that end of the spectrum!). But I thought you might like to know the why's and how's of some of my work, so here's a semi-tutorial and explanation!
There are lots of different ways to decoupage, this is just what I've found works best for me:

Materials:
~Foam brushes
~Smoother
~Acrylic paint
~Mod Podge or other decoupage medium
~Scissors
~Varnish
~Wood box
~Screwdriver
~Paper, embellishments


I have a great big stack of vintage and antique sheet music and lithographs in varying conditions of decay. The first thing I do is pull out several pieces that I have been wanting to use and lay them out.

I think I'm going to use one of these:

The one on the right is in better condition, so I'm going to save that one for a bigger project where I can keep more of it together.


First I unscrew all the hardware from the box. You can leave it on, but it will look sloppier to try to paint around it, and decoupaging around it would definitely be a challenge. A little screwdriver from a kit works just fine.


Next it's time to paint the inside. Sometimes I cover the exterior completely in paper, but I think to show off the nice artwork from this piece I'm going to paint the top too.

I decided to use a nice, deep blue because it will really compliment the colors in the artwork.

While that dries, I start to take apart the different elements of the piece I'm going to use. It's very tattered at the edges and the paper is creased and thin, but most of the individual components can be saved and used. Once they're under varnish they'll be preserved for a long, long time.

Once the top is painted and dry, I can experiment with the placement of different elements. Nothing is getting glued down yet so I can play around with how things will look.

I have some nice Victorian style flower pieces I want to use, as well as a cool ad for a violin from some other sheet music. I like to go for an organic, almost naive look, like this is a collection of mementos and memories from someone long ago.

Now that the paint on top is dry and I know what I want to put on there, it's time to start gluing the pieces down. Use a foam brush to evenly and lightly coat the entire surface with Mod Podge (even if you're not covering the whole surface, you want it to be consistent in color and shine). While that dries to tackiness, coat the back of your pieces lightly and place them down on the surface. To help them lay perfectly smoothly, use something to smooth it down tightly as you place it down. I have a plastic smoother, but you can use anything, even your fingers if you're careful.
Once that dries COMPLETELY, cover the entire surface plus the paper again in Mod Podge. If there are any wrinkles they will generally go away on their own. This is the best step to keep them from happening though, so really make sure you smooth down all the way. While that dries I can start to work on the bottom of the box.

Using the same method I use torn up pieces of music (really old, crummy condition music only!) to cover the bottom. Same thing here, coat the wood surface, then individually coat the pieces and smooth them down. Coat with more Mod Podge as each side is completed. This gives it a really nice, smooth look. If the edges of the music stick up past the edges of the box you can either sand them down later or carefully trim with scissors. There's one more cool piece from the sheet I want to use, so once all the music is dry I can add it to the front.

Now while all that dries, I can varnish the top which is dry. The Mod Podge does a good job sealing and adding a little shine to the the box, but varnish is really going to give it a nice finish, plus protect the box. Use a different foam brush and carefully "paint" on a layer of varnish all over the surface and sides. Allow this to dry completely (at least a couple of hours usually). I usually apply at least 4 or 5 coats, but sometimes will do more. You really need at least 3 to get a nice gloss going. If at this point you still have wrinkles, a little trick is to poke a teeny hole or two (best in a dark spot) with an exacto knife and gently press out the air. Continue to layer varnish after that.
If using a non-gloss paint, then I like to give the interior a coat of varnish to seal it as well. Eventually as all the elements on the box dry you can apply varnish to everything.

Once everything is absolutely dry (and between all the different pieces drying at different rates, this can take a couple of days) you can reassemble the box.

This is what this one became:
Voila! http://www.etsy.com/listing/67136084/the-girl-i-loved-in-sunny-tennessee
It's really fun, and there are endless possibilities with different ephemera, colors, and boxes. It's also a great way to put to use old ephemera which is just rotting away or forgotten. These can be used to keep jewelry, love letters, photos, or anything you want to keep in a special place.