The Haul and a Personal Goal

I love the Re-Store! It's fun to just go in and look around at what's been brought in and to find things you can use to make into something else.  I found some cool stuff the last time I went. I've set a goal to make something with each of the items I bought on my last hall. Some things were for projects I've wanted to work on and some I just knew I could find a purpose for! Here is my haul...

I'll blog about my projects as I do them.  The first thing I've done with my haul is to use the gutter guard as a mask/stencil for some of my mixed media stuff.  I cut off a square and tried it out. Worked so well! Yay!

 

This will be fun to use and cost me next to nothing to make.  I saved the rest of it for a larger mask to use when I paint the linoleum I also bought on this trip to the Re-Store. I have more to share in my next post.  Until then, be creative everyday!



A Quick Project

A recent goal of mine has been to just do the things I keep saying I'll do. So this little ottoman was first on my list and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I grabbed one of the burlap coffee sacks I got at the Front Porch in Manteo, recently used as part of the set for our dinner theater. In thirty minutes with a pair of scissors and a staple gun I have a brand new ottoman for the armchair in my studio/sunroom. I love the way it turned out!

 

 

Robotics=Art

So we recently headed down to Raleigh NC for a First Robotics competition with Team 2363 (Go Triple Helix!) and found a great city full of arty experiences.  One of our stops was the NC Museum of Art.  Wow! Just the outside of the building was amazing. I fell in love with this life size silver tree as soon as I saw it.

The inside structure of the building was just beautiful and the art work amazing.  We took our time browsing. My favorite piece was this Mona Lisa done entirely from spools of thread. It was installed upside down and then you used this sphere to view it right side up. Meghan Garrity took this awesome picture. 

In downtown Raleigh we visited the City Market and hit the jackpot with ArtSpace and Amplified Art. The ArtSpace is a restored building with working artist studios. You can go into the individual studios and speak with the artists as well as view artwork displayed in various places throughout the building.  We really enjoyed Keith Norval's whimsical style and the very interesting paper art by Scott Hazard. Meghan and I each contributed a piece for an exhibit that was being put together out of coaster type cards with art from the visitors to the art studios.  Fun to think we left a little piece of our art in NC.

Amplified Art is an art gallery, concert hall, art poster selling, really cool store! We made friends with this funny store resident who was sound asleep and very comfortable.

We were competing in the Dorton Area located on the NC State Fairgrounds. And it just so happened that Saturday is Flea Market day! Heaven! I picked up a few things, but my favorite is this old wrought iron hand. I think it looks great in my studio/sunroom. I love the rusty patena. 

We had a great time in Raleigh and would definitely go there again if we had the chance.  I just love a city with nice people, beautiful scenery and fun art!