Old News

A victory

This past Sunday, I picked up the very last Sunday print edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The AJC was a tradition for many of us in the metro Atlanta area for many years. A cultural icon on newsprint for 157 years at the time of its final edition.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Stick to It

I recently sat down with my young niece to show her how to make her own stickers. We grabbed some old magazines, scissors, clear packing tape, and a bowl of water for this easy project. First I had her find and tear out some images she liked. The magazines had lots of animals, including a favorite of hers, the axolotl. So we cut out the tiny pink animal. I helped her make a smooth, close cut around the image.              

              

                                 

Once we had a nice cut-out, I had her press the image (facing the sticky part) onto a piece of the packing tape, allowing enough room for a border of tape around the image. Next, she dipped the piece of tape with the image attached into water. Once it was submerged, she rubbed the tape until all of the paper rubbed off.   

        

Once the paper was completely rubbed off, we were left with what appeared to be a faint, transparent image. I cut the tape to conform neatly to the image, leaving her with a sticker she could stick wherever she chose. 

           

She was skeptical, because looking at the transparent tape, she couldn't see the image clearly. But she promptly placed her new sticker onto her plastic cup. It was perfect!

        

She was then convinced, and we went on to make several more stickers, both small and large. If you try this, you will need to place several pieces of tape adjacent to each other to create a larger image. 

  

             

If you'd like to see this technique in action, I have a video on my YouTube channel where I demonstrate it. It's a great, easy way to create your own stickers. Just a note: it's only ever worked on glossy magazine or catalog pages for me. Cut out images of food, animals, flowers, letters, words, and more to turn into stickable art. 

Happy creating♡

 

Throwback Thursday: Family Fibers

 As a multimedia artist, a natural side quest of mine is, well, to do a little, well, collecting. 

Wordless Wednesday

credit: Renée Parker 

 

Nosy Neighbor

 It's me. I'm the nosy neighbor. Ever since I spotted this doorway, I've had my little telescope (and now my phone camera) poised to capture possible movement. 

Sew Many Moments

 Recently, I had the opportunity to plant a seed and pay forward something that was given to me many years ago. I had an idea to pass on some knowledge my grandmothers shared with me when I was a child. 

Wordless Wednesday

credit: Renée Parker

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Wordless Wednesday

credit: Renée Parker

Weird Wednesday

I've had my eye on it for months. Today it just fell off! 

Bead Buddies

Creativity is a vein that runs through my entire existence, whether I like it or not. In my free time, when I'm not doing paid creative work, I'm usually still engaged in some form of creative activity. Like, I can't escape it. So for me, the lines between work and play are often blurred. 

Pocket Passion

In my opinion, people should [as a rule] carry tiny notebooks or sketchbooks everywhere. It should be a common practice. And I don't just mean artists. Yep, it's an analog concept in a digital age. But hear me out...

Stick to It

a paper mache bowl and bead pass the moisture test

I am almost out of instruction stickers. In my micro business, before shipping, I often slap little info stickers onto my pieces. Some to indicate materials used, some to help people find me, and some to recommend how to use (or not use) my work. 

Hidden Talents: A la Carte

 As an artist, commissioned work has served as both a learning opportunity and a proving ground. In my business, where I offer both original creations envisioned by me and custom commissioned pieces, I sometimes provide "off the menu" options.

For Keep's Sake

If you've ever encountered my work, you may know that recycling, reworking and reusing things is kinda my thing. Recently I took a gift given to a loved one and turned it into something else they'll hopefully continue to enjoy. 

Aspirational Auntie

My name is Renée, and I'm blessed to be an aunt to a number of young people. Three of which I have within my immediate grasp and influence.

I sometimes like to think of myself as a junior or "bonus" mom. And I do my best to show and teach my nieces and nephew (5, 14, and 15) things I think could be useful and pertinent for them in life. That includes how to have fun.

Balancing Act

I'm taking a moment to reflect today. It is now late July and therefore more than halfway through the year. We have yet to reach the dog days of summer, but I'm looking out on a muggy, cloudy afternoon, watching for the latest round of storms to hit and thinking about how quickly fall will descend on us.

Tuesday: Things I Make for Me

 This one is a little different. Because this TIMFM post is about something different I make for me: space.

Tuesday [Things I Make for Me]

It happened. I'm surprised that I evaded it this long. Time and time again, I have been regaled with others' horror stories. And my own experience lived up to the grave descriptions.