How to Make An Inexpensive Light Tent - DIY

I've been meaning to post this for a lonnng time.

So many times, beautiful art and crafts don't get the lighting they deserve in pictures and thus are not accurately represented. If you're a starving artist like me, you have no expendable income to supply a perfectly lighted photography studio, but here is an easy way to do it with common materials and it even involves one of MY PERSONAL FAVORITE actions: RECYCLING!



I found this awesome website, digital-photography-school.com and this article: How to Make An Inexpensive Light Tent - DIY by Darren Rowse

I am so excited about making my own. I actually cobbed a half of one together for a quick pic the other day, and it worked better than expected. Any creative person should not only be able to do this well, but might also enjoy it :)

Have fun with it :)

~V

Moonlight Sea Frolic Mermaids and Waves Mixed Media Collage Assemblage

I was needing some fun so I made this and had a blast. This is acrylic on recycled furniture panel. I affixed a really cute moon and beads with wire... the beads are stars or bubbles that seem to float!

The mermaids are both my creations, prints from art cards I made... There is a tiny seahorse catching a wave who might look familiar... he's from another recent painting I did.

This is coated with two coats of non-yellowing acrylic sealer. There is a ribbon attached on the back for easy even hanging.

This is sent via Priority Mail with a tracking number and insured because it's one of a kind.

Green Honesty featuring Snowbell Jewelry

It's not that easy being green...

I had to link you to this blog post by Snowbell Jewelry, a fellow Twitterer and Etsy Artisan, after reading her latest blog post. I am a person who tries her best to be "green" and hear people preaching to recycle, precycle, and upcycle all the time and that's all well and good in theory to most people but the truth of the matter is that it does take a modicum of discomfort and diligence to do the right thing.

Kudos for the honesty and *high five* for trying!

Suggestive Victorian Do Not Disturb doorhanger in chartreuse green

This is featured on Indiespotting!!

This wooden doorhanger warns "Do Not Disturb" in a delicious chartreuse green color scheme.

The picture is an actual page taken from an antique copy of "Little Women"... The book was destined for a landfill, I salvaged it for mache and the awesome illustrations it contained!

The look on the people's faces in the picture is very suggestive, as is the shocked look of the person in the portrait on the wall behind them!

I just HAD to play with this picture.

This is a one of a kind item and is shipped Insured via Priority Mail.

Elizabeth "Punk" :) featured me on her blog!

I met a really nice, creative lady from Mississippi named Elizabeth, nicknamed "Punk". I do believe we hit it off on Twitter, where she is PunkEBodin and it never ceases to amaze me that out of 500 people she caught my eye and we struck up a really fun friendship!
"Punk" is a wonderful, sensitive, caring person who always makes me think. Here is a post from her by a soldier who was miffed about the treatment Michael Jackson's death has gotten in contrast to the deaths of all our soldiers.

She lets me know someone's out there, like the day I tweeted my new bracelet a few times and no one seemed to notice. I also retweeted something fun for Elizabeth (something about #moist, lol). I got a tweet back from her thanking me for the retweet with "your blue eyed grass flower fiber bangle is beautiful!" How nice.. just a few words can make all the difference!

"Punk" has a great eye for color. She has a new blog...She came up with the name Circle T Ranch Designs for her business from her Great Grandfather’s ranch (and is in the process of moving her internet world to http://circletranchdesigns.blogspot.com/). He lived to be 100, just 4 months shy of 101. She decided to carry on the name for him. You can see her notecards, please go take a look. I don't know how she does it, but they make me hungry when I see them... It might be because they have all the juicy colors of a fruit salad or a triple-decker ice cream :), all I know is they make me happy. I really love the "recycle" ones!

Her previous but super-entertaining, never a dull minute blog was at http://loveme4me4.blogspot.com/. She is consolidating, but it's worth it to visit both places :)

The motivated and exuberant Ms. Punk also is a go-getter... she bought her own house at 24, something I have yet to accomplish at my ripe old age of 40!!

Elizabeth also has a (patient) Princess of a pup, who's also a fashion model, lol, and I had to make sure I included a pic of her in her splendor: I hope you have enjoyed this little bit o' verbage about someone really great! I am so happy to have had a few minutes to talk about somone so worthwhile!!

Be good to yourselves and nice to others!

Precycling: Proactive Recycling

Most of us (myself DEFINITELY included) fail to think before we act, ambling along on our pre-programmed itineraries, performing tasks by rote, the same way, over and over again.

Let's mix it up a little... How about the next time you buy something, take a sec to think of the full consequence of your action, the byproducts, and the value you get from the transaction...

PRECYCLE!!
Here's an awesome article I needed to share with you...

Precycling: Think Before You Buy - Ways2GoGreen.com

Vintage treasury (thanks, FreshVintageDesign!)

FreshVintageDesign has a great eye for form and color, and included me in their "V is for Vintage" treasury this week (Click on it)! Thanks so much!

Also, check out thier very nice shop on Etsy for even more cool items!

Vicki

Seahorse Original Painting

A beautiful seahorse cavorts with an ethereal jellyfish in this one-of-a-kind original painting on repurposed furniture panel. Click on the picture for the listing on Etsy.com with more detailed pics.

The seahorse's fin and "mane" are a metallic copper that perfectly complement his many soft green hues framed against the azure of the ocean. Being this is made from a side panel of a cast-off dresser drawer, the dovetail at the top was perfect to suggest some choppy little waves at the water's surface. This is done in acrylics and sealed with a clear finish for durability. It is ready to be hung by a pretty royal blue satin ribbon that is double-affixed to the back.

This measures a little over 7 1/2 inches wide by 14 inches high and the wood is 1/4 of an inch thick. This ships Insured via Priority Mail with a Tracking number free of charge in the United States, and for a small fee elsewhere.

Red Orange Orb recycled marble choker with adjustable Cord

Dusky Red Orange Orb reycled marble choker has an adjustable leather neutral or khaki colored cord and will coordinate or accent any outfit.

The knots slide to make the necklace larger or smaller. Pendant is accented with a salvaged vintage crystal clear bead and is wired securely.

Crowning it all and loosely orbiting the sunny, glowing red-orange glass is a pretty coin of iridescent seashell that further serves as a reminder that every salvaged or repurposed item is one less thing that is discarded into our oceans.

This arrives giftboxed, shipped via Priority Mail with a tracking number.

Recycling is Good, Reusing is Better

Take a minute to read this great little article and start rethinking what goes into the trash.

Fabric Bangle of 100% Recycled Materials

Ok, so I will be creating and publishing a tutorial on these this week... this was just too cool.

I made this out of a nice sturdy hair dye box, two plastic shopping bags, and old curtain, a dress shirt, and a ribbon :)

It's available on Etsy, click any of the pics to visit the listing.

I need to share one of my FAV sites with you!

Volition® Quote of the Minute
Where there is nothing to lose by trying and everything to
gain if successful, by all means try. Do it now.
W. Clement Stone

I am sick of the BS that a contest is "free" only to find out that to enter, I have to willingly acknowledge that in return my email address will be pimped to the 100 highest bidders in exchange for the fleeting hope I might win a t shirt.

No lie, I have REALLY won movie tickets from this site over four times (watch for the next promotion...) and also REALLY love the free stuff and contests section of their site.
http://www.volition.com/index.html

Of course with anything, you have to weed through the trash to find the treasure, but these guys are pretty good about what they represent.

For you foodies, go to the "Food and Recipes" tab to enter the "Food Court" and scroll down for a whole bunch of cooking resources; my favorites being the "Cool Food Sites" and "Packaged Goods Companies" links.

Give it a try... make sure you have a cup of tea or a snack nearby, it can take you awhile the first time you go to the site, there's SO much to see!

Thanks, Ray Sola, founder of Volition.com!

Daisy Chain Headband or Fabric Necklace with Peace Sign button

Daisy Chain Head band can also be a fabric necklace or even a pretty Flower belt for a medium to small person. With it's little pearly Peace Sign button, it conveys a serene message while keeping you in sweet style.

It is made from a vintage daisy trim affixed to an ethereal sheer white ribbon and is adorned with a vintage pearl button that I added a bit of decoupage to.

It measures 34 inches or 86.36 centimeters from one end of the ribbon to the other. The peace sign is glazed in iridescent pixie dust and tops a 5 inch dangle of pretty flowers.

Being that this is totally adjustable, this could also be used as a fabric necklace, a belt, a hatband, armband, or wrapped to form a cuff bracelet.

The ribbon makes it sturdy enough to be tied snugly without damage to your "Daisy Chain".

It comes prettily presented in a silver Ravena Relics gift box. :)

Cellphone Purgatory Handmade News Green Wise

So many people have cellphones. Just think about all of the people you know who upgrade their phone every time a new technology comes out. What do they do with the old one?

Now there's a way you can feel good about being a "greedy" or "materialistic" American and can prevent the adding the adjective "wasteful"... donate your old phone(s) for a good reason, here's how:

Cellphone Purgatory Handmade News Green Wise

Hard Plastics Recycling

PLEASE Read this VERY SHORT yet thought-provoking article:

Hard Plastics Recycling

Crystal Silk and Steel Brooch made of 90% recycled materials

~ Crystal Silk and Steel Brooch shines, shimmers, and lusters with fiery iridescent color in a soft pallette of prism and glow. ~

It is fashioned after a miltary award/bar type pin, wrapped in pale pink silk and adorned with two iridescent chandelier crystals and a few found beads. It is all woven together with crocheted stainless steel, the pliant strength surrounding and protecting the fragile beauty within.

This brooch measures a little over 3 inches wide and almost three from the top of the crystal to the bottom of the small hanging beads.It will arrive in a pretty silver Ravena Relics gift box.This item is shipped US Priority Mail with a tracking number.

* Crystal Silk and Steel Brooch is made of 90% recycled materials *
This brooch is made of recycled cardboard packing, curtain, blouse, brass wire, and chandelier with new stainless steel wire and a found safety pin backing.This is One Of A Kind and no one else will ever have one just like it!

If you like the hat you see here, it is listed :http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=22750327

Artfire Has a new Look and so does my studio!

Artfire has been doing alot of work lately. Artisans can now customize their studios, add widgets, and a whole lot more I'm sure I haven't gotten to play with yet :)

Check it out when you get a minute...

"Hey, you dropped this..."

So I had four teenagers in the car with Ray driving us and we had just pulled up to a Cumby's (small convenience store) and the kids and I were parked facing the store and a cute white car parked in front while Ray ran inside.

A nice looking lady was in the driver's seat, opening a pack of cigarettes, and threw the top half of the cellophane out the window. I promptly jumped out of the van, ran to her, grabbed her garbage, and politely said "oh, excuse me, you dropped this," in my nicest voice possible and she smiled embarrassingly and took the garbage and looked away. I bounced back bubbily to our van, be-sandled, be-skirted, and unfettered and sat in my seat. The kids were just kind of surprised, yet proud, and perhaps even mildly embarrassed. I was happy the lady didn't just throw it back out the window.

Here's the kicker...

as they drove off, I smiled and waved as if I had just made two new best friends and her teen-to-20 daughter waved back a graceful well-manicured middle finger.... I blew kisses as they drove off. I know the mom felt a degree of shame, or the paper would have returned to the landscape... but what made me sad was the *indignation* of her daughter... the very same person who will have children of her own within a decade, and when grandmother, may remember the day when you *could* play outside....

send them love, please...

(btw, the picture is one I took at Dean's Mill in Ravena NY, 1 mile from where the lady decided to throw garbage into our world.)

Tangled Up In Blue Bangle of recycled materials with ribbon Crochet

This blue-tiful bangle is made of 90% recycled materials. The inital base is a piece of recycled aluminum foil, washed, and then wrapped with unwanted photocopies and paper mache of old phone book and then finished with a pink piece of recycled copy paper.
I crocheted pretty blue variegated ribbon yarn around it.
It is lustrous, shiny, very lightweight, and above all, Eco-Chic :). This is a great accessory for summer; unlike heavy plastic accessories, this won't make you sweat.

"Heading out for the East Coast

Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin through,

Tangled up in blue"

Bob Dylan