WOYWW: The Envelope Project

My family and I spent the
three day weekend in Baguio City,
summer capital of the Philippines.
I didn't do much except eat a lot,
shop in the ukay-ukay (vintage shops),
and visit the Bencab Museum.
Ben Cabrera is a national artist of the Philippines
and it was an interesting visit.
There were a lot of variations of
Sabel
on canvas, on tile, etc.
I asked one of the attendants there
who Sabel was and she told me
she was his muse back in his college days.
She was a "taong-grasa",
meaning someone who lived in the streets.
This is one of his paintings of Sabel-


On Tuesday, I prepared
what I would send to the
Envelope Project,
and gathered bits and pieces from
what my sister Peggy calls my "magic book".
Then I prepared the envelope using
wall putty,
transparencies from tape, and doodles.

So this was what my table
looked like this morning,
and the almost finished envelope:

If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what other people
have on their work desk, head over to Julia.
I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday: Playtime

I managed to visit almost everyone on WOYWW last week

and comment (except for a few Blogger didn't permit me to!).
It was
amazing
what some made for the anniversary project!
Congratulations to Julia for such a successful blog party!
I seem to have a hangover and have been very lazy this past week.
Yesterday I found some flat glass stones at the mall
and decided to make some magnets using magazine pages.
This is my desk as I was working.
On the right is an old dictionary page I was doodling on.
Below is a magazine illustration of an Irving Penn photograph
that I've kept for several years.
I drew on it, dried the ink, then cut up
the drawings to fit the base of the glass stones.
Somehow this required very little thinking
and I just happily enjoyed myself drawing what would fit the design.
It was sort of like the joy you get out of recognizing objects in the clouds!

The picture below didn't come out right because I used a flash
but I am too lazy (still) to fix it!
Hopefully I'll have a higher energy level these coming days!
I have to start on some stuff I got myself into
like the envelope project, and bloggerette sorority,
and a tutorial for Metro Home magazine (Philippines)
and swaps to do!
If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what other people
have on their work desk, head over to Julia.
I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

Recycled Projects

I was not pleased at all with my project and was quite relieved when the TV guesting did not push through. They wanted me to make 5 organizers from recycled materials. For the first project, I used a graham cracker plastic container which I filled with toilet paper rolls and some cardboard to make divisions. Double sided tape was very useful to attach all the rolls together, to the sides of the container, and to the cardboard divisions.
I then covered the container with papemelroti paper and craft cuts.
I made other organizers out of cereal boxes and soup cans, etc. but didn't take pictures of it as I was rushed for for time, only to discover that the shoot was rescheduled!

But look what I found on the web! I looked around for things we usually throw away and how they can be repurposed, recycled, or just made prettier so you DON'T throw them away!

Aren't these resealable plastic bags wonderful? Babalisme used markers to make designs on them. I was thinking that they would be used again and again because they were so pretty!
And how about these toothbrush bracelets below?
Click on the picture to go to the instructions for bending toothbrushes. I wouldn't like to make them to use as bracelets, but wouldn't they go with some fused plastic bags as a handle?
Here's a guide to making those cereal boxes into magazine organizers. If you make several, add a label to identify the magazines and the year, I think they'd be quite useful.

And my personal favorite, crocheting plastic bag strips into a bag.
I tried this a couple of years ago in the hopes of starting a livelihood project for mothers of streetchildren but it hasn't gotten off the ground yet. There are lots of crochet patterns available like this one. Some women have been making sun hats out of these plastic bags!
So those are some of my finds. I'm always amazed at the variety of projects we can find on the web!

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday: Mrs. WOYWW

I decided on making a

mascot
for my desk for WOYWW's anniversary.
I use an ugly bottle for my white glue and decided to pretty it up.

I cut up some old Indian pants,
found a face I had made out of sculpey a long time ago,
made arms out of thin leather, wire and cotton, and voila!

Meet Mrs. WOYWW!!



She just covers up my glue bottle.
I lift her up when I need to use the glue.
Here she is guarding my desk.

Thank you
for all the lovely, enthusiastic comments last week-
10 votes for straight, 8 for crooked.
I chose to put them straight not only because there were more votes
but also because Deuteronomy 6 is about obeying God,
and keeping on the straight path!
I've been gluing torn bits of painted brown paper
(applied wall putty on old meditation book pages,
painted them in various shades of brown)
to make the tree.

Now I'm in a quandary where to put the verse-
on the tree trunk, the background, around the house?

If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what
other people have on their work desk, head over to Julia.
I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

WOYWW: Decisions, Decisions

Creating

is also about
making decisions.

What if I do this? Will it turn out Ok? If I put this here, will the colors clash? Won't this bold stroke destroy the whole thing?

I found my lost ladies. I was complaining to my husband about losing them and not being able to continue my Dt. 6 canvas, when suddenly a light bulb moment- I had put them under heavy books to straighten them as they were curving from the gluing! So I put them on the canvas and tried putting them on

straight

or crooked?

Have not decided so far which I like better! I'm also deciding whether to put a tree at the side of the house or my favorite flower collage. That's what's happening on my WorkFloor.

On my WorkDesk, I am cutting up an old sweater which I found at the ukay-ukay (that's filipino for a place where we buy old clothes).
The flowers are beautiful and I'm deciding whether to use them on a scrapbook page or an old bag that I painted with wall putty.

Here's a picture of my desk and the cabinet near me. I'm getting less ashamed to show my mess as you can see! If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what other people have on their work desk, head over to Julia. I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win my collage necklace giveaway!

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday: Scrapbooking with ATCs

I am soooo frustrated! I can't find the drawings of the ladies I was going to put on my Dt. 6 canvas (see my last WOYWW post) and so I stopped working on it and decided to continue my scrapbook of my Europe trip last year.

I had just joined ATCsforall.com and posted ATCs. When someone wanted to trade, I would ask if they could make an ATC specially for me- with any of these themes- travel, Paris, Mona Lisa, Rome, Assisi, Madonna and child, etc. They usually obliged and I was able to use these ATCs made specially for me, for my scrapbook!

Here's my desk and what I've been working on, and some of the pages I finished, and the ATCs I have yet to use!

ATC from Janis Elain

Using Janis Elain's ATC on my Mona Lisa layout

Another layout with an Eiffel Tower ATC

ATCs waiting to be put on a page

Bird's eye view of my desk

What are those things?! (Clockwise top left)
container of brushes and scissors,
dirty water that needs to be cleaned 100 times,
Gel Medium,
acrylic paint, my layout, the next set I'll be working on,
pile of pictures waiting to be used.

I find that when I'm using ATCs, I'm happy with a simple page. After all, I've got a miniature work of art already there on the page. With so many pictures to scrapbook, that's a big plus!

If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what other people have on their work desk, head over to Julia. I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

To join my giveaway, scroll down below. Have a nice week!

Miracles Come to those who Wait Necklace Giveaway

This is one of my early collages, but it is one of my favorites because of the message. I hadn't discovered wall putty yet or even distressing, and many other things I know now. I just pasted cut up magazine pages on a watercolor and stamped background.

My giveaway is a papemelroti ice glaze necklace with my collage design on it.




To get a chance to win the necklace answer this question: Miracles happen everyday- are you waiting for one?
All my followers automatically get a chance. I'll add your names after the comments.
For additional entries you can opt to:
1. Visit papemelroti and tell me which product you like.
2. Post it on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc.
Please add an additional comment if you did #1 or #2. I'll pick the winner at the end of May.
I believe in miracles, do you?

Congratulations to Samnene for winning my necklace!

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:

Result: 17

Anonymous said...

I'm always waiting for my miracles to come and I feel blessed that they do indeed come just when I need them the most. It's all about faith.

SamneneD@aol.com

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday: Work in Progress

A couple of WOYWWs ago, I showed my big canvas that I had started work on. It's still a work in progress.
Here are some ladies that I will collage on to the canvas. First I applied wall putty on book pages, then I pencilled in a design, and used watercolor to paint them. Below I am auditioning where I want to put these ladies on my Deuteronomy 6 canvas. It's a long time in the making, I know, but I've been discerning what to put in it and HOW!
And here is part of my work space. The canvas doesn't fit on my small, crowded table, so it is propped up on the floor. Most of the time, the cabinet is closed to hide the clutter. Inside is a hodge podge of unpainted paper, cut up fabric on paper, stamps, and on the cabinet doors, I hung some collages of bible verses.
I don't know why I can never keep my desk clean! If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what other people have on their work desk, head over to Julia. I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

I am My Father's Daughter

When God created the world,

he found joy in the act of creating.

In Genesis 1:31, it reads,

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

And because our Creator found joy in making things out of nothing,

He wanted to share it with us.

He created man in His image-

with the capacity to create,

with the aptitude to create with passion.

He gave man gifts and blessings, talents and love.

He didn’t give these gifts to the animals, only to man.

We are born to create.

We are born to use our imagination.

When we create, when we bring something that wasn’t there into being,

we share in our Creator’s gift and blessing.

God created many beautiful things out of nothing.

I look at how beautiful the animals are-

the different kinds of birds, butterflies,

even the strange creatures under the sea.

Look at the magnificent trees and mountains, the sunset.

God took so much care in forming these things for us and Him to enjoy.

Some of the things He created we will never even see!

He created them for His pleasure!

We too can create for our pleasure.

We need not be making art for others to appreciate,

unless that’s part of our pleasure as well.

There is no limit to God’s creativity and imagination.

And I believe God also gave us, each of us,

creativity and imagination with no limit.

The more we use these gifts, the more we will have!

God didn’t destroy what to us are strange or funny creations.

Sometimes we don’t want to draw or paint because we say we can’t draw.

Take a tip from God who appreciates His creations whatever it looks like!

And I realized that we would be

like father, like daughter,

if I enjoyed my creations as well!

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday: Fused Plastic

A couple of days ago a lady from a TV show called to ask me if I had a project to re-use the election banners after the elections. Here in the Philippines, we are going to elect a new president and senators, etc. on May 10, and you can't believe what a mess our politicians are making of our streets!
No that's not my desk! That is what our streets look like! If you want to have a positive mindset, it's really like a gigantic "fiesta"! But really, what are we going to do with all those banners afterwards?

I got some banners a few days ago and experimented- first I cleaned it up, then I put two printed sides together:
I then fused the two plastic banners together by ironing them, putting a layer of paper over it to protect my iron:

I folded some parts to make it thicker and ironed it again.

Amazingly, acrylic paint sticks! I had a fun time painting it! It had a sort of "coagulated" texture that made the paint on it interesting.



Then I sewed it up, putting buttons and to reinforce the sides, I piped it with leather.



Of course you can also do this with PLASTIC BAGS! There are too many plastic bags thrown into the garbage! They end up in our oceans and rivers and do so much damage!

What's on my desk? This. I'm going to make my second project with fused plastic- a journal.
If you'd like to take a sneak peak at what other people have on their work desk, head over to Julia. I guarantee you'll want to join in on the fun!

You may want to see other do it yourself projects at Market Yourself Monday at SumoSweetStuff, Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple, Just Something I Whipped Up Monday at Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter Monday, Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do.