Things I Make for Me: Glasses Wall

As a creative person, I often find myself falling into DIY projects for my own needs and for others. While I'm not on the level of doing things like electrical work, I can do a mean faux stone wall, make a lamp, or set up a decent home theater. 

Chaos > Stagnation

If you walk into my studio, you might wonder why I have SO many projects going at the same time. 

Almost everywhere you look in here, there is a work in progress. Some just begun and some just a few mere steps from completion.

How-To: Salvaged Paper Envelopes

Earlier today I posted a pic on Instagram of some fancy bubble mailers I made from salvaged mailers and calendars. I also mentioned having made regular letter and note card envelopes from magazine pages. Well, I wanted to share a quick (please be quick, please be quick!!!) how-to on those, for anyone who wants to make some for themselves. Here's the breakdown:

click to enlarge

You will need:

1. Templates. Find them online and print them out or pull open extra envelopes you have laying around and trace them. I like to trace them onto heavy old fiber board that I've saved from the backs of writing pads. They are a pain to cut out, but the heavier they are, the longer your templates will last.
2. Glue sticks. I've used the fancy "strong" ones made by the popular brands, but, to be totally honest, the cheap ones seem to allow for pulling off and repositioning, and seem to hold best once dry. I don't like to have to go back and glue edges and corners again.
3. Scissors that cut fancy edges. These are totally optional, just nice for a fancy finishing touch. 
4. Regular scissors.
5. Salvaged magazine, catalog, calendar or other pages with colors and images you like. 
6. Colored printer paper. 

Not shown: Ink pen.

Quick, easy steps:

a) Lay your envelope template onto a salvaged page and trace. It's best to trace onto the BACK of the page/image you want to use, so you don't have pen marks visible on your finished envelope.

b) Cut the envelope shape out of the salvaged page. 

c) Use the glue stick to attach the cut out to a piece of coordinating colored paper. This will be the lining for strength and, well, style. If you want to get extra fancy, use a printer to print things (quotes, initials) onto the colored paper BEFORE gluing it to envelope cut outs.

d) Cut the envelope out of the colored paper and fold together, with the colored paper inside and the salvaged paper outside.  Glue the folded in edges together. Use glue stick, tape or a seal to close the envelope.

The bubble mailers I mentioned are made similarly.

 Simply snip the top edge (including used adhesive flap) off clean. Coat sides and apply salvaged paper, one side at a time, folding over wherever possible. Leave enough excess salvaged paper at the top to create a fold over flap. Trim edges after gluing paper on, if necessary. Optional: trim flap with fancy edge scissors to create a zig zag, wave, or other edge. Seal with glue stick or tape to mail. Hope that's quick, easy, and clear! Feel free to hit the share buttons and pass it on, or add your own tips, ideas, or spin on this project in comments!

Updated to add: The USPS does accept these for mail (I've mailed them!), and they do call for either printed or handwritten address labels.  I recommend white paper you can tape on, or adhesive backed white labels.

Life Hack: Cheap Luxe

One bouquet = 3 arrangements

I love little things that come together to make a rich, happy existence, and I don't think having that kind of existence needs to be expensive. I'd like to share something I call a "life hack" that I enjoy doing from time to time. 

I love having fresh flowers around, but as a self employed artist, I don't devote much of my budget (or time) to rolling in blooms everyday. When I do treat myself to flowers (or receive some as a gift), I like to max them out. Here are some examples.

Grocery stores and markets are often looked upon with disdain when people think of buying fresh flowers. But I love finding pretty blooms to take home with my groceries. Places like this will often mark down bouquets to move out the older ones and make room for fresher buds. When I'm already stopping for groceries, I cruise by to see if any of the discounted bouquets appeal to me. Sometimes I find bunches of a single type of flower. Often, they are assorted bouquets like the one I used to make the arrangements pictured (right). To make the most of whatever I have, I divide them up into several small vases or other pretty vessels. Florists recommend cutting ends prior to putting them in vases anyway, so I go ahead and pick my containers, and trim my flowers down to fit the containers. I like to pick containers that are unexpected and compliment the flowers, so for these, I used a teacup that belonged to my grandmother, a little glass bowl, and a white ceramic bowl. I would have preferred to use a piece of silver from my other grandmother for the roses, but I didn't want to go searching for it, so I chose a white ceramic bowl. Here's another example of the same approach, different assortment, shown in steps:  

from left (click to enlarge): BEFORE, an assortment from a florist, various small containers, screw on jar top, helpful for arranging in mason jars, water additive, trimming stems underwater (cut at an angle)

AFTER: same flowers, sorted into mini arrangements

The trick is to use several small containers that will end up looking full and vibrant, rather than one big vase that might look lackluster and sparse. I trim them underwater in a sink, as recommended, then arrange them into pretty bursts of color.
I often group like flowers together for visual impact. I try to find ways to use most of the pieces in a bouquet, including the leaves, which helps each arrangement look lush and plentiful. Here's an arrangement I did in an old glass jar I saved after I used up the candle inside:

An empty candle jar, repurposed

The size and shape of the jar and its mouth make 5-6 grocery store blooms and their leaves look much grander than they did in the refrigerated case at the store. Use your imagination and what you have on hand!
If I'm using glass or crystal, I will sometimes use leaves, small fruit (like cumquats), or glass gems inside the container to hide the stems and make the arrangement look extra fancy. When I've finished arranging them, I add a little of the fertilizer packet that usually comes with the flowers, to the water in each arrangement. Finally, I put the arrangements in various spots around the house, so it feels like I have flowers and pretty pops of color everywhere.

That's one of my favorite cheap and [I think] easy life hacks. Hope you try it, and I hope to share more of these soon!

Makeover Monday: Long Necklaces

Click to view this necklace in my shop.

So I'm declaring this Makeover Monday, to address a pressing style issue. Underused adornment. Okay, how about "stuff we only wear in default mode, without adding our own flair".  Specifically, long single or multi-strand necklaces.

How do you wear a long, rope style necklace? Do you simply wear it as is, or do you experiment with different ways to adorn yourself?

I recently finished a new necklace for my shop on Etsy. It's a piece that's only been a picture in my mind, taunting me for months, until I finally found time to sit down and get it out of my head. I enjoyed creating this piece! It consists of five strands, with a lobster clasp and an extension chain, which allow adjustment of length and fit. 

As I was taking  pictures of the finished piece, I began finding more and more ways to drape, wrap, and knot it, to the point where I kept saying to myself "one more!". I was really inspired by the endless ways a long necklace can be worn, whether it's multi-strand like this one, several necklaces grouped, or a single strand. These are only some of the ways you can wear long pieces. I'm seriously still thinking of more! So I may have to add more pictures later, lol.

Click to enlarge image.

I had fun with this, and I will definitely be trying this with some of necklaces in my own closet! Hope you're inspired, too. Find more info on the necklace pictured here.

   

One Tip Tuesday

As promised in my last rant- er, post, here is the tip I wanted to share. It's a sort of craft hack that I think makes the basic step of applying paper mache to a balloon easier.

If you've ever attempted to apply wet paper strips to a balloon, you know the balloon doesn't exactly hold still while you work. It will roll around, possibly causing your handiwork to get shifted or even fall off. Here's a simple answer to that annoying scenario. Inflate a balloon and knot the opening. Next, weight the balloon by tying the mouth around the knotted opening of a bag of river stones (found at craft and garden stores). Now get a small bucket or large plastic tub. Mine is a large yogurt tub. Drop the bag of stones down into the tub. Now the balloon sits securely on the top, ready to be used.
Note: you may need to adjust and tighten the knot around the bag, depending on the size of your container, to get the balloon to sit firmly in the container.

Voilà! Now you can easily apply petroleum jelly (release agent) and the wet paper strips, without having to steady the balloon. I don't know if anyone else has shared something like this... I only came up with it the other day to make a project I had to do easier, lol. But I hope it helps someone out there!

that was easy!

Paper Beef

A recent order placed by a customer revealed an opportunity to set the record straight about the art of papier mache (aka paper mache). A parent placed an order for the paper mache body of a project with the plan to apply the finishing touches with her child. She sent me a link to detailed instructions to create the piece

Without revealing info about the link or its creator, I will say that it was the most convoluted set of plans, which included a number of messy, unnecessary steps... I shook my head at the idea that it was a project given to a child to complete at home. As someone who has worked in this medium for more years than I want to admit anymore, I wonder why people think it's such an enigma or tricky concept. When I see projects like this, I know. Please! Paper mache is NOT complicated! Don't make it. As much as I'm happy to create a custom request, I feel bad for the parents who have these things thrust onto them, without the interest or understanding of how simple they should be.

Bottom line, in my opinion, it was a project meant to be created in a classroom, guided by a teacher who is familiar with the technique (or at least okay with a mess). Not sent home for some harried parent to deal with. And if it is given as a take home project, or for any other reason tackled by a newbie, I'd like to set the record straight, to hopefully help parents, or anybody else faced with a project, if they're unfamiliar with paper mache. I'm sure there are lots of other great recipes to be found all over the internet. I've noticed, though, when I did a search that most were exceedingly involved, some with weird, complicated ingredients and steps. My personal preference is to create pieces using the simplest recipe, so I can reserve the finesse for the finishing (sanding, painting, embellishing).

There are two main types of paper mache, used over centuries by different cultures, to make many different (often functional) things. The pulp method is shredded paper, soaked in water, then mixed with a binder to create a clay-like situation that can be sculpted (more on this one later). The strip method involves paper torn into strips, dipped into a solution, layered onto a form, then allowed to dry. The strip method is the one I want to clarify (in case anyone is interested in my approach, after years of trial and error). Bottom line KEEP IT SIMPLE. When people start talking about boiling glue or boiling paper, I roll my eyes. That stuff is a waste of time to me, and doesn't make a difference in the finished piece. 

Here it is: Get newspaper (or whatever type of paper you prefer to use). Tear it into strips. Get plain white

glue. Add water to it until it reaches the consistency of milk. Dip the strips, (dripping excess glue off before applying) and apply 3-7 layers of strips to your form. Let your form dry. Add more, if necessary to achieve a hard, strong shape. Done. Well, at least the wet part, anyway. Now, there are other details, of course, so here's a quick breakdown:

• I prefer white glue over flour and water or wallpaper paste because a) flour and water pieces can mold! b) my skin does not like wallpaper paste- it makes me break out in hives.
• Salvage common household items to make forms. Use masking tape to tape together different shapes such as balloons, empty bottles, paper towel tubes, boxes, etc. to create a basic shape you can paper mache.
• If you'll need to remove items used to mold shapes (balloons, bowls, etc.), coat them with petroleum jelly, cooking spray, or talcum powder to make them easy to pry out of the dried paper form
• If you need to cover an item completely, when it has dried, carefully use a craft knife to cut your paper form. Pry the item out, then tape and mache the empty paper form back together.
• For heaven's sake, if you need to create a face/mask, please don't paper mache your face or a child's face (yes, I've seen this done). Do you wanna rock a paper facial until it's totally dry? No, I didn't think so. Get a styrofoam wig head thing, slap some Vaseline on it, and paper mache that.
• If you need a form that can't be found around the house, or want to make a unique shape, consider using non-hardening plasticine clay. It's super cheap, and you can get it at any craft store. There's the gray, artist grade type, or the colorful kind you can get in the kids section. Both do the job equally well. You can sculpt your piece, then dust it with talcum powder or cover with petroleum jelly/cooking spray, and paper mache it. Remove it from the clay when it has dried. This is a popular approach for mask making. You can reuse the clay over and over for different projects.
• Use sandpaper to smooth your piece.
• Allowing pieces to dry fully before attempting to smooth or paint them will prevent some warping, but be prepared, even the most carefully constructed pieces can warp occasionally. 

I think that's all of the basics. I may think of more to add later. If I've missed anything, or anyone has any questions, feel free to post them in the comments. I have another tip that I'll post later with pics on One Tip Tuesday.

Also, I mentioned pulp earlier. Find my recipe for pulp HERE.

An Artist's Tools

In this edition of An Artist's Tools, I am highlighting tools that fall on the opposite end of the spectrum from the very first edition of AAT. I guess this thing will be all over the map, depending on my moods and the tools handy for photographing. The first post featured my most basic drawing tools. Today I'd like to share the mini marketing and sales kit that fits right into whatever purse I happen to be carrying on a given day. Pared down over years of trial and error (and a few missed opportunities), here it is:

 1. Handy mini measuring tape, great for supply and part measuring when shopping for specific projects, also good for measuring a space for art installation. 2. Square card reader with custom QR code sticker, so customers can pay with a card or cash, receive a receipt via email, and then scan the code with their device to visit my website instantly.
3. Folding pocket stamp with my phone number. I don't include it on my cards because I loathe talking on the phone (and the lack of paper trail with phone conversations about projects!), so I only stamp it when absolutely necessary. 4. Mini pen 5. Business card case. 6. Smart phone with a mirrored screen cover, to make sure there's no spinach in my teeth. ;o) 7. Mini notebook.

"Be proactive!"

card swiper with sticker, close up

That's it. Ready for (almost) anything.

 

 

An Artist's Tools

New feature! If you're new to my blog, I'll just let you know that I'm a multimedia artist. What that basically means is that I'm a creative person with a short attention span. No, seriously, what it means is that I love working in many different materials and disciplines. It's a wonderful thing, because I never get bored. I'm always challenged as I discover new things in my work, many of which can be taken from one medium and applied to another. So there's a serendipitous fusion kinda thing that happens frequently in my workspace. I love it.

 

Anyway, in this new regular feature, "An Artist's Tools", I will share some of the fun, bizarre, and, I think, unexpected tools that I use to get the things I create. I'm excited, because I've got a LOT of tools that I use in my various pursuits, and I think they might tell you a lot about me. Anyway, here is the very first of this new feature, highlighting my most basic pursuit, drawing. Drawing is the seed for a lot of things in my work, and is often the conduit through which bigger, grander things can develop. Here are some of my tools:

 

1. sketchbooks in assorted sizes that can go everywhere easily

2. bull clips for clipping scraps from magazines, etc. into sketchbooks for inspiration

3. compact pencil sharpener 4. gum eraser 5. colored pencils 6. rubber eraser

7. pencils 8. pens

 

There you have it. I look forward to sharing more soon!

A Studio Secret

Yesterday as I was ending a conversation with a friend in Capetown, who is a fellow papier mache enthusiast, I mentioned that I had to go tend to some papier mache pieces that were getting backed up, waiting to be sanded. She wryly wished me "fun with that", voicing what I felt about the sanding phase sometimes being my least favorite, albeit, very necessary step in making my papier mache pieces.

 

I will admit that I do sometimes procrastinate when pieces arrive at the sanding stage, but I have an excuse. In order to get the smooth, modern look I like, I have to be prepared to invest some time and juice. Seriously. So I often opt to work on other things, including starting new pieces, while the existing pieces stack up, with the logic that I'm still being productive. Then I end up planning a major sanding day, when I know I won't be dragging from too many late studio nights, and I'll have the hunger to hit a number of pieces in one go. 

 

Happily, many years ago, an old beau made a suggestion that I (and anyone who likes my work) should be thanking him for to this day. Upon seeing some of my work and listening to me talk about my search for ways to streamline my process, he recommended something I'd heard of, but hadn't looked into for myself. That's when my Dremel hand tool entered my life. I slapped myself in the forehead for not thinking of it on my own, and I never looked back. And now here we are today, many projects and years later, and I'm sharing this lovely tool here.

my (now old school model) Dremel rotary sander

This is not a glamorous, girly tool, and it can get a little loud, but this, as Tony Montana said in Scarface, is my little friend. I use it to quickly knock bubbles and kinks out of surfaces prior to my standard hand sanding with coarse sand paper. It works great for papier mache. I don't really use it for major sanding over large surfaces, though. That's what the bigger sanders are for. But this guy has all types of attachments and doo dads that help me buff, cut, carve, and smooth, to achieve all kinds of awesome finishes. I've also used it on polymer clay, wood, metal, and plastic.

 

I'm really not trying to do a commercial for Dremel, lol. This is a tidbit for those who want to know some of my secrets for the surfaces I create. This does not eliminate the need to sand all over with sand paper. At least not for me, because I'm pretty picky. I want smooth! Here's a piece that I started with the Dremel, then finished with sandpaper:

 

sanded to prep for painting
 

Thankfully, the Dremel and I had a pretty productive day yesterday, which will net new pieces arriving in my online shops in the next week or so. Yay!

And there, my friends, is another secret from the studio of Renée.

Thank you, D.D., wherever you are. :o)



The Big Secret

A favorite medium of mine is papier mache. I create in both the strip method (layering glue soaked strips of paper onto a shape) and with pulp (a mash of paper broken down in water to function like clay). I use these simple, centuries-old techniques, and then I finish them off with my own modern visions for surface treatments, often taking a cue from ceramics, stone, wood, metal, and other materials. I think I take a sort of trompe l'oeil approach, because I like people to be surprised when they discover a piece is made of salvaged paper.

That being said, I sometimes get the impression that some people are skeptical about how simple and basic the mache aspect of my pieces is. I've read about and seen plenty of methods that incorporate emulsifiers, fillers, etc., and I have even tried some of those techniques. But I always gravitate back to the purest, simplest way to make papier mache (because the surfaces are where I get really complicated, not the forms!). So I wanted to share the steps to make the pulp I use to make many of the things you'll find in my online galleries and shops. Maybe you (yes you!) can give this a try yourself. It's not a state secret, and it's super simple!

You need: newspaper, water, white glue*

First thing's first. I start by hand tearing the newspaper into skinny strips, dropping them into a big paint pail. When I first started making pulp years ago, I followed someone else's instructions to tear into 1in squares. All that is really not necessary, lol.

I like to fill the pail up as full as possible, and if I'm short on newspaper, I will mix in white paper from the shredder, no biggie. I will note, however, that my preference is newspaper, because it's softer and easier to pound into a fine pulp. But shredded junk mail will do in a pinch.

Once I've torn enough paper to fill the pail, I start pouring water in over the paper. The temperature doesn't really matter, room temp. is fine. Some resources will tell you to boil the paper in water on the stove to break down the fibers better, but again, not really necessary, especially if you're okay with putting a lid on it and letting it soak for a couple days. Don't be in a hurry with this. If you're in a hurry, go to the store and buy mache mix or paperclay.

I make sure that there's enough water to cover all the paper, then slap the lid on and forget about it for a few days while I do other stuff. When I return, PRESTO!!!

Looks the same as before I put the lid on, lolol.

Now is the point where I would recommend you've had your Wheeties for breakfast and done some stretches, because this stage calls for some gusto. Now that the paper has soaked and softened, I sink my hands in and start tossing, kneading, pounding and mixing. You really have to put some muscle into it, like you're kneading dough, washing clothes the old fashioned way, or grinding corn. It's called pulp for a reason, lol, so beat it into one! The more time and energy you invest in this stage, the finer, softer, and more clay-like the end result will be. As you knead and pound, the mix will begin to look like this:

Notice the excess water in the pail. I've got two solutions for that. Either drain most of the excess water out, leaving enough to keep the pulp malleable, or do as I've started doing more recently: as I'm kneading, I will continue to sprinkle shredded office paper into the mix and kneading it in. This absorbs the extra water and makes an even bigger batch of pulp, which is great, because I always have a cue of assorted projects going at one time. Either way, the more water that is absorbed or removed, the less shrinkage your pieces with exhibit as they are drying. The water makes the paper puffy, then as it evaporates, the paper fibers shrink and harden. The lower the water content, the less correcting up in size you will have to do to your pieces to allow for shrinkage. 

The last step is to add glue. I don't add a specific, measured amount.

I just add a generous amount, then mix it in with my hands. I know I've added enough when the pulp feels smoother and begins to hold shapes, or hold together like clay. At this stage, it's like mixing up a meatloaf.

More energetic kneading (this is a great thing to make when you've had a bad day, need to blow off steam, or just burn calories, lol.), and I arrive at this:

I harp on spending plenty of time on kneading because the finer the texture of the pulp, the finer the details you can achieve when you sculpt with it.

paper fiber and glue: a fine texture can be achieved

And there you have it. That is my one and only papier mache pulp recipe. You can use pulp to make all kinds of awesome things, limited only by your imagination. Give it a try!

*The only way I ever deviate from this recipe is to sometimes add baking soda. Paper, after all, tends to take on a strong *ahem* "character" after soaking for a few days, so I sometimes toss some baking soda in to alleviate the smell. I don't think it really makes a difference to any other aspect of the pulp.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for video tutorials on topics like this. Subscribe to see more!

One Tip Tuesday

Today, in a rare One Tip Tuesday edition (because I haven't done one of these in like, forever), I wanted to share a tip on paint economy in the studio.

Paint. Is. Expensive. Well, sometimes. I personally know how to catch a good deal and ways to stretch the paint I already have.;o) This tip is so simple it's a no brainer, and it works for artist grade acrylics, oils, and craft acrylics. Whenever I mix up a special color, I try to make more than I think I'll need, so that I don't have to go back and mix again and try to match the first batch. So there's almost always leftover. Well, since it is near sacrilegious in my studio to throw out perfectly good paint, I seal up the excess in empty plastic containers. Whenever I need to create layers, thickness, or depth on a project, the excess comes out to play. It doesn't matter that it's not the color I intend to use in the end, because it will end up covered, and I won't have used up the intended color trying to create "body" on a painting or a sculpted piece. And I've avoided waste. So winner winner... well, you know.