Playing With Pattern

Following on from my previous post about texture plates, I decided to make a little video about different (mostly recycled/free) stuff that you can use for creating patterns on your gelli plate. I like commercial stencils and stamps but I have to say it's usually much for satisfying to come up with my own 'tools' for pattern making. Have a look and see what you think.

Have you got a favourite tool for printmaking? Do share, I'd love to know!

Studio Makeover The Upcycling Way - Part the Second

Here it is, finished at last! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have my studio finally sorted and also how much I love it, and the wonderful Vincent for finding the materials and creating it for me. If you want to makeover your work space for practically nothing it can be done. Almost everything in here was repurposed from other parts of the house - like the old G-Plan sideboard for instance, or the sewing table which came originally from my mother's house and was languishing under our stairs. Most of the wood for the shelving came from a local yard which salvages old timber and sells it on for a charitable trust. The black kitchen counter top was rescued from a skip, as was the wood for the battens holding up the shelf ends.

My room has gone from hideous, cluttered mess with virtually zero organisation to being somewhere I can't wait to get into each day and, as a fantastic bonus, I unearthed all sorts of treasures I didn't know I had whilst sorting and organising everything. I even 'discovered' this old cabinet which came from Ikea about 20 years ago and gave it a makeover too! It'll be perfect for storing sewing related bits and bobs.

I ♥ my studio!

Everything Old Is New Again

One of the things I love about making assemblage art is that it allows me to indulge a childlike delight in found and discarded objects. I am often truly amazed at the things people throw out in skips and just dump in the back alleys. Frequently I see perfectly good sofas, dining room furniture, bookcases - oh the list goes on and on. Obviously these have been discarded for something newer and 'shinier' and clearly it's none of my business how people choose to spend their money. And yet...

I am of a generation which, brought up by parents who had lived through the austerity of war and post-war years, had impressed upon us the value of taking care of possessions, of making do and mending, and of the beauty of well-worn and cherished objects. I still feel that way and live by those principles as much as possible. In current times it seems to me to be an even wiser course of action and has taken on the added incentive of stepping more lightly on the earth.

Anyway, when V brought home these pieces of a junked dolls' house I immediately started seeing all sorts of possibilities in them. The two little doors slide back and forth and would make a great way to reveal some treasure within, and there are windows for framing other finds or perhaps some collage. Can't wait to have a go!