NOW AVAILABLE on Etsy!

Hello Everyone!

About a year and a half ago, I assembled some mail artists together (via the US Postal Service!) to create a few pieces of art to donate to Robin Whittemore to help with her medical expenses as she battled Myelodysplastic Syndrome. You can learn more about Robin Whittemore's courageous fight here. Unfortunately, most of these various works of art were not completed before Robin passed away, but, we still want to donate these pieces to a charity organization that worked with Robin to help her in her fight.

The first of these works of art that I have listed in my etsy store is this fabulous Travel Destinations Puzzle. This is an altered art puzzle -- it started life as a blank puzzle like this. I divided the 12 pieces into sections of 2 pieces each -- creating 6 blank canvases ready for the artists to alter.

*The frame was altered by Teresa Stebbins. She created an awesome, well-traveled suitcase look for the frame, and it's complete with a handle that can be used to hang the puzzle on the wall.

*The upper left corner section of the puzzle celebrates the destination "Asia/China" and was altered by Crystal Calhoun.

*The upper middle section of the puzzle celebrates the destination "Paris/France" and was altered by me, Anne Downen.

*The upper right corner section of the puzzle celebrates the destination "Italy" and was altered by Carol DuBois.

*The lower left corner section of the puzzle celebrates the destination "London" and was altered by Nancy Tasker.

*The lower middle section of the puzzle celebrates the destination "Hawaii" and was altered by Janice Lopez.

*The lower right corner section of the puzzle celebrates the destination "Ireland" and was altered by Tamara Comerford.

There are many various materials used to alter this puzzle, including (but not limited to) cancelled postage stamps, ephemera, paper, ink, paint, charms, ribbons, and beads. The proceeds of this sale will be donated to a charity that was actively involved with helping Robin, The Pickens County Bone Marrow Drive, in care of the United Way of Pickens County, SC. The funds will be donated in Robin's name, on behalf of the artists who contributed, and of course on behalf of the lucky buyer of the puzzle! Hey, maybe that will be you!

~Anne

My new Gingher Scissors

I have known for a long time now that I really needed to buy a new pair of scissors that were designated only for my fiber arts -- I have several pairs of scissors that are for paper cutting, my favorite are the short blade Kai scissors, these work fabulously for detailed cutting.

But, as any fabric/fiber artist can tell you, when you use a pair of scissors for cutting paper, it dulls the blade and you really need a separate pair of scissors for fabric/fiber use.

However, I've held out buying a new pair of scissors that would be designated for fiber/fabric, mostly because I know myself well enough to know that unless I bought a pair that was a 'true investment' (read: expensive enough) that I would end up using those scissors for paper eventually, thinking "oh, it will be alright to use them for paper this once." Then, I'd need a new pair of scissors... and I'd continue that cycle until I made that true investiment.

So, last week, I had a 50% coupon for Michaels, and decided it was finally time to make that true investment... mostly because I've been dabbling more in fiber arts, and I was tired of trying to use my Kai scissors for fabric cutting. So, I did it... I invested in a gorgeous pair of Ginger Knife Edge Dressmaker shears. This pair reminded me of Gramma, these are the same kind of shears she used in her sewing nook -- one of my first "safe places" I could remember... one of my most cherished memories would be to have Gramma at work at her sewing machine while I sat next to her and stitched some pictures by hand on some of her scraps. I felt so safe and warm right there next to Gramma.

So, warm, toasty memory aside... these scissors were SO WORTH the investment. They are so amazing. And enough of an investment that I'll keep them safely in their special tin when they're not in use -- on FABRIC only!

~Anne

PS: thank you to GAIL for telling me about Gingher a few years ago -- yeah... it took me this long to finally break down and buy a pair!

Domino Workshop 2

OK... now let's play with some techniques using the sharpies ink and alcohol ink blending solution.

To Create an "impressionistic" brushstroke effect: This is a very simple way to add interest to your background but it *does* take some practice and a certain willingness to make mistakes.

Remember, if you *do* make a mistake and smudge off too much color, you can always start over again by simply using the alcohol ink blending solution to whisk off all the color off of your domino. The blending solution acts as an "eraser" of sorts by adding a squirt of the solution directly onto the domino and then using a rag to wipe off the ink and solution. Be careful though, as the solution can also dissolve the color on the "back" side of the domino (the side with the dots!) and if you want to keep the back side clean (for a more polished look to your finished domino) you don't want those inks to be lifted off and smudged.

Using a small, inexpensive paintbrush, squirt some of the blending solution onto the bristles. You want the bristles wet with the solution, but not dripping wet. If the brush is too wet, simply run the bristles across a dry rag once or twice. Next, swish the brush lightly over the top of the domino in a soft, circular motion, until you have acheived the desired effect.

To intensify your color, add a little bit more ink from your pen, and continue to swirl the paintbrush over the top of your domino.

Now, you can see some of the varigation of the color, but, it's become more blended and the colors appear to be painted on.

Using just a few simple tools: Sharpie Pens, Alcohol Ink Blending Solution, Q-tips and a paintbrush you can create some really unique and interesting backgrounds on your dominos.

~Anne