Art and Thrift Finds - The Reveal

It was so quiet in the house this morning.  Everyone slept late.  I put in a CD of She & She singing soft folksy blues and the puppies climbed up on their spots on the sofa and have been snoozing all morning.

Chucks is watching the British Open.  I attempted to bring some sort of order back to the house.  I gave up and worked on some ribbon packets.

All of you will be relieved I also took the time to visit Pic Monkey before starting this post so my photos won't be terrible - just ordinary bad!

This post reveals the art projects and some thrift finds from my niece Olivia's whirlwind visit. For the whole story of what we accomplished in three days read HERE.

I will start with the art first because art should always come first!

This canvas above is Olivia's collage entitled "Impromptu Piano Concerto in E - At Night".  It is a mixed media piece using acrylics, collage, and stamping.   I did not receive this one as a gift - it went home with her.

This is "Chick get Lucky" an homage to outsider art which is popular in this part of the country.  It is done with mostly craft paint with the stamped chicks across the bottom edge.  Even though she knows I love outsider art and chicks, I did not receive this one as a gift - it went home with her.

Another outsider piece on canvas board entitled "Chicks Out For Winter Stroll".  Olivia used craft acrylics to create this one.  I really love these two chick parents with the two baby chicks.  GUESS WHAT?  I did receive this one as a gift - it did not go home with her!

Grandma Jo received a painting "Landscape Occurreth". but I did not get a photo of the final product.

 

Fashion and Scarves

The next several photos show the shirt and scarves Olivia created. She was busy packing and was not able to model these so a hall tree and a wooden hanger stood in for her.

Olivia dyed two yards of cotton knit blue and tore it into three scarves.  This one has a poem written in bleach pen. The plaid shirt - she drew designs on the collar and cuffs.  She stamped the ink fairy (Cat's Life Press) and the word "lucky" on the pocket.

Cleverly she drew on the underneath of the collar to show when she wears it up and doesn't when she wears it down.

 The other two blue knit scarves she left plain for now, but they 

 are very versatile and can be tied in several different ways.

The next three were torn from tea-stained (at the factory) muslin in one foot widths and two foot lengths.

All of the scarves were put in the same dye bath.  I tend to keep putting in cloth until I use up all the dye from the water.  That accounts for the variations in color.

Olivia placed twist ties on this one and scrunched it in the dye with a paint stirrer.

After dying and drying, Olivia used Tumble Dye spray mist to create an ombre effect at each end.

The last scarf out of the vat was a pale blue-green.  One side is stamped all over with a curlicue pattern.  The opposite side features one of Olivia's poems.

What Did Aunt Distressed Donna Do?

First, I kept my sanity.  Second, I did manage to squeeze in some torn ribbon-dying while we had that big bowl of my favorite blue color.  I took an old chenille spread and tore it into two-yard lengths.  After washing and drying (HINT:  either do this outside or place in a pillow case in the dryer!),  I tied each bundle with white tulle with a caged bird card (thanks, Karen!).  These will make great basket fillers or just to use as, what else, ribbon!  

Thrift Finds

We did get to go to two thrift stores that have a ton of books.  Something that both Olivia and I need stacks of to alleviate our fear of running out of one to read!  She picked out an armload with a vintage tee shirt.  I was lucky, too.

In the background a purple pillow (aubergine), a funky striped western belt, a gold frame, a snowman collage, a small basket, several hankies (suitably distressed),  a bottle (am obsessed with them now), a milk glass compote and a elementary reading book.  Small enough haul to shove under a chair for now.  At least until I get the craft junk, er, supplies back into the bins and take down the card table, and...

I am overwhelmed!  Got to go eat lunch and start the cleaning.

What family gave away this adorable little snowman collage (made by Billy)? Little cotton ball snow, precious face, professionally framed, no less!  I love this and plan to use it at Christmas.

I hope you will come and read again.  I appreciate the several new readers since being showcased over on Danni Baird's blog Silo Hill Farm. Love to hear a comment or two!

See y'all!

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The All Art and Poetry Extravaganza

Olivia starting a painting

The last fifty-four hours in this house have been an all-out, non-stop art and poetry extravaganza!

It was a smack-down:  Could a fifty-eight year old crazy aunt stand up to the stamina of a sixteen- year-old poet, violinist, and artist?  It was going to get wild!

Leia, the last niece to visit, is 24, a businesswoman, and always well-organized with her creative side.  Her cousin Olivia is more like moi - scattered, moving from project to project, and blaring CD's filling the downstairs.  SQUIRREL!!!

Chucks wisely set up a card table and lamp for extra art space along with the kitchen counter and the dining room  table and moved upstairs with the animals and wished us well.

There are pictures galore and we will share some of them as we recount our adventures!

LUCKY chickens half done-Group Love playing

SUNDAY, 4 PM to 12 AM:

*Old Navy:  $12 for linen peasant top, Fanta Grape jersey, turquoise plaid men's shirt

*Kroger: From sushi to cucumber and melon water - a whole cart of nourishment

*Home: painting, Mod Podging, writing poetry, sharing stories, planning projects, eating, listening to music, watching Falling Skies

MONDAY, 9 AM to 2 AM

*Tore muslin into 12" wide strips (two feet long)

*Tore two yards of white cotton knit into three 18-inch wide strips

*Mixed Rit dye (Evening Blue) and dyed all this cloth plus some torn ribbons I had waiting to dye!

Stainless bowl + dye + torn fabric +  gloves + wooden paint stirrer =  Hours of dying pleasure and a mountain of blue cloth in various shades

(And blue fingers - I can never remember to put on the gloves when rinsing!)

Olivia decided to twist tie some of the muslin scarves.

The dye vat started this dark.

The last scarf was a blue-green with tie-dye lightening!

So far I am neck-and-neck with Olivia - maybe even a little ahead - I got up two hours before her!

We spent several hours outside lunching and swimming and, of course, napping on the pool noodles!

Back inside, Olivia finished up the LUCKY chickens painting and started a skyline collage.

We, also, went to the Greek restaurant for spanokopita and gyros (Treated by Uncle Chucks!), watched Black Swan (super creepy!) and In Time (with Justin Timberlake - really good!)

 Olivia worked with her scarves.  She printed some with a fabric ink pad and art stamps and added silver details with a Sharpie paint pen.

 It's late, but I am still hanging in there, and yes, I am actually working on some projects , but at the speed of a snail - there is no more space!  Every available surface is covered with some partially finished art.

Olivia takes the fine point fabric pen to her plaid shirt and decorates with delicate graphics in black on the collar, cuffs, and pocket.

At 12 AM, the bleach pen is unwrapped and Olivia begins combining her poetry with her newly-dyed cotton knit scarf.  We leave this drying in the living room away from the animals to dry.

Finally, bed and books.  Tomorrow is another day, right!?! Please tell me I have another tomorrow! NO, I refuse to allow a mere girl to outlast me.  I will survive.  (That is the fifty-somethings anthem!)

So-o-o-o, what in the world was I doing all this time besides locating the proper supplies for Olivia so she could finish her projects?

Playing with a collage using Frozen Charlottes (currently for sale on my eBay site zoeyfeb98).

Love these little dolls - will tell more about this when I have a clear mind. but it involves three headless torsos, one armless doll, some keys, and some raffle tickets.  There also might be a flashcard or two.  I am still working with it.

Oh, yeah, I now have added a door plate and dyed my canvas with the leftover dye.  Gave the doll a taupe tulle tutu (say that three times).

It's growing on me!

TUESDAY, 9 AM to 12 AM

*Wash bleached scarf and dried.

*Worked on collages.

*Took baths and got dressed for a day on the streets of Aiken

Olivia with the two old women who have sat here for years

We walked up and down Laurens Street visiting the art gallery, shops with farm girl clothes (cute little tees and muslin blouses, boots, boots, boots), shops with sweet voile tops and flirty skirts, shops with outsider art and hand-thrown pottery, shops with Carolina style (you know it when you see it -pink, green polka dotty sundresses).

Coffee for her, sweet tea for me

The last store was The Curiosity Shop which specializes in books, CD's, and grocery items from Great Britain and beyond.  We grabbed an armful of sale books, specialty papers of Paris, Rome, and London.

As we checked out, lemon scones came from the oven and the wafting scent drove us into purchasing two for home.  The clerk informed us that tonight was open microphone for musicians and poets.

Well, Olivia IS a spoken word poet with numerous performances under her belt.  We quickly agreed to return for the supper sandwich buffet and a night of words and music.

 Ready to rumble - Olivia in her newly decorated shirt and scarf on her way to the Open Microphone Night.  She slammed right into the place and knocked the audience off their feet.  She was both fierce and funny.

 Well, it is 12 AM.  Adele is rolling in the deep, Chucks is still sane, the cats and dogs a little confused but fine.  There is definitely a slowing down.  I am trying to get this post done while Olivia readies all her projects for tomorrow's journey back home.

And who won this smack down - the all art and poetry extravaganza? Let's just say Aunt Distressed Donna is finishing this post, planning the Frozen Charlotte collage, checking emails.  Olivia?  She wants her room back to go to bed!  Score one for the fifty-somethings! 

 A last note just because I thought this was such a sweet little detail that I totally take credit for - I used a vintage brooch to pleat the back of the shirt to give it more shape!

I plan to take more photos (I know you are cringing at the thought of that!) of the finished art and post it.  So come and visit again.

See y'all!

Big Thanks to Danni Baird at Silo Hill Farm!

Each week Danni features a blogger who inspires her.  I have been following her blog for a few months and this is a feature I really like.  I have found some very interesting bloggers through Danni's posts plus she usually has several quick decorating tips and projects.   This week for some reason she picked me to post about.  I am truly humbled by all the nice comments she wrote and for the love and support she provides for blogger friends  I lift a glass of iced sweet tea to salute you, Danni!  Also, pray for her pumpkins - they are getting parched!

If you want to read Danni's post go here:  http://silohillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/07/bloggers-i-admire-donna-at-distressed.html

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