Repurposed Wine Bottle Gifts

     Every year I participate in a local Christmas Bazaar, Ladybugs...hosted by local artist Martha Howell. She clears out her studio and invites other local artists to bring in their wares. This year she celebrates her 39th year of the Ladybug Christmas Collection.

     Repurposed wine bottles is one of my contributions to the sale, I make wine chimes (wind chimes from wine bottles), photo holders and scoops. The scoops have turned out to be a real hit...I first discovered them when I was cutting bottles for other projects to go in my book on recycled bottles, 'Bottle Art',  and messed up on one of the bottles. It looked just like a scoop so I smoothed down the sharp edges and started brainstorming about how to cover them to make them more durable.

                                       Wine scoops ready for sale. It's a Scoop!!

     I normally paint with a paper towel on my table ... and use it to wipe off paint from my brushes. They have so much glorious color on them I save them all. These turned out to be the perfect solution for the scoops...very colorful and makes the glass more durable. I also discovered the color was more vibrant if I painted the bottle with gesso first. When gesso is dry I apply torn strips of paper towel with Modge Podge until I like the way it looks. When dry I apply two more coats of Modge Podge for extra protection.

                                                     Close-up of paper towel texture.

     Normally I have to cut down the cork a little to insert it back into the bottle, I then drill a hole through the cork and wrap wire for a handle. These are great for entertaining...scoop up nuts and other dry snacks. Don't put them in the dishwasher and wipe clean rather than wash.

                                             Wine bottle photo holder with added acrylic paint.

     I used the same technique on the photo holder and added additional acrylic paint. If you are making gifts this holiday season try this easy craft. Make your own paper towels by applying paint...possibly add water to run the colors together and let dry. Have fun!! 

House of Spirals

I admit it, I really don't enjoy talking on the phone. Never have...but sometimes you have to do it.  Thank goodness I usually have pen and paper in hand. I found myself drawing spiral after spiral ...decided it looked like the roof of a house so I kept going.

By the time I got off the phone, I had this little guy completed....House of Spirals.

Zentangle Alphabet

Zentangle® is such a wonderful practice. Tangle patterns seem to find their way into most of my art. I also use it as a warm up exercise when I get in the studio and feel a little stumped as to where to begin.

I look forward to each new Zentangle book that is published. I just received copies of 'Zentangle 8' and 'Joy of Zentangle', ...... fun and fabulous books. Both books also feature the work of some great Zentangle artists and CZT's.

 
One of my alphabet Zentangle tiles is in both books, 'S' for Shepard...notice the tiny eye in the top curve of the 'S'? 

Still Crazy after all These Years!

     Gotta talk about another artist whose style I love, Flora Bowley. Couldn't wait for her new book,  'Brave Intuitive Painting'. It got me in the studio working on a larger surface than I normally do. Instead of my usual journal page I opted for a 24 x 24 canvas. Using my Golden fluid acrylics I added a beginning couple of squirts just like Flora does. Then began mark making with practically all the colors I have.

                                                        Still crazy after all these years!

     Flora's style is intuitive painting. She suggests adding tons of color and various marks to your art - just "let go, be bold and unfold". It is a really fun way to paint. I am really drawn to whimsical work and love these crazy houses. After lots of mark making on my canvas I drew in my house shape with black paint, added more acrylic paint to the house, and determined where I wanted the eyes and mouth.  Zentangle® inspired embellishments were drawn in with a Sharpie paint marker. The eyebrows are pieces of scrap paper I cut to shape.

More Zentangle Mustache Love

     I have lots and lots of the Strathmore Visual Journals, my favorite is the 5 1/2" x 8" Mixed Media Journal. A perfect carry around size, works great for my Zentangle® art, Inktense pencils, colored pencils or simply sketching. The Strathmore Visual Journals are also available in 90lb and 140lb watercolor paper. Both papers are a little thicker and great for watercolors, I don't like them as much for Zentangle drawings because the Micron pens I use don't seem to hold up as well on the rougher paper.

 

Preliminary sketch with circles, mustaches, eyes and eyebrow. 

 

 This is a fun exercise I did in my Strathmore Mixed Media Journal using circle templates and hand-drawn Zentangle mustaches.

Painted Eyeglass Case

     Decided to get busy this weekend and begin work on projects for a few Christmas Bazaars I participate in every year. One of my artist friends recently brought some extra eyeglass cases to share with my local Mixed Media group...she had tons of them and wanted ideas for how to use them in art. My plan is to alter them to house wonderful little trinkets and gifts for the holidays. As I began working on one I ended up doodling eyes on the case (this happens to me a lot) I always gravitate to funky eyes of some sort.

      I painted them first with a couple of coats of gesso, added inexpensive acrylic paints and finished off with a couple of coats of gloss medium.....very simple.

      This particular case is going in my purse to hold my sunglasses. Jeepers Peepers...what fun!!

Mustache Love

Mustaches are popping up everywhere....cell phone cases, license plates even tattooed on fingers (personally I love this one). I have a mustache bottle opener, mustache stickers and a whole stack of fake mustaches...just cause I love 'em and you never know when you will need a good disguise.

Recently I was out in the studio finishing up a piece of art and happened to glance up at a package of mustache stickers...then it hit me, I should put a mustache on my art!  It was just the touch of whimsey the piece needed. Now I can't stop making mustaches. All shapes and sizes!

The  most fun I have had with them is drawing tangles on them. Simple cut-outs from white cardstock and a micron pen and now I have tons of Zentangle® mustaches to adorn my journal pages, my works on canvas and even my grandson.

Have fun with this trend, Halloween is right around the corner....tangle a few mustaches to get you in the spirit.