Wax Resist Technique:
While I was revisiting my library of art books for last month's zine, I re-discovered the book: Creative Embroidery by: Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn. In this book I found a quick technique to use wax to help you create patterns from painted backgrounds. We all have background papers that we have created and accumulated. Mine have been piling up for quite some time and I decided to give this wax resist a try. You don't need many supplies: painted background papers * melting pot *wax *sponge *scissors *water based black ink (I used Sumi Ink) *brush. (Make sure your ink is water-based or you will have a terrible mess!)


Simply cut your sponge into a variety of shapes, melt your wax, dip the sponge into the wax and stamp your painted background papers with it. You can get quite a few stampings done, as the sponge really holds the melted wax and it takes a little while for it to cool on the sponge.


Just continue dipping the sponge into the hot wax and stamp until you have your paper covered in a random fashion. You don't want to completely cover the paper with the wax or you won't get the fabulous results this technique provides. Once the wax has cooled, mix ink with a little water. (The book recommends 3 parts water to 1 part ink, but I found this to be too thin and didn't like the final result. I used a ration of about 1:1). Coat the entire paper with the ink and let it dry. You can wipe the ink off of the waxed areas with a wet paper towel, but I liked the veiny look the ink on top of the wax provided. Interesting textures! Did you notice that the metallic paint also acted as a resist? What a neat surprise! Have fun experimenting with this fun technique!
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Vintage Images:
We have a fun challenge for our readers this month, courtesy of Sherre. She has provided us with a set of 3 cabinet cards. The challenge for you is to create an altered cabinet card, using one or all three of the images provided. You can send me your creation(s) and we will publish them in our July Zine! I would like to further challenge you all, by suggesting you use a "Patriotic" theme. I love the
4th of July and it will also allow us to honor our servicemen and women who are fighting today and tomorrow for the freedoms we are enjoying today. You can use whatever software you have access to, you can use whatever materials or supplies you have on hand and you may use whatever media you are comfortable with, i.e. fabric, collage, paper, paint, digital, etc. The only thing I ask is that you do not use nudity. (I'm not a prude, but we have a wide audience and we do not want to offend anyone.) You can send me your creations, along with your name and blog address, which will also be published in our next zine. To send me your creations, click the contact us button in the sidebar. Please send me your artwork as an e-mail attachment. Deadline for me to receive your artwork is June 15th. Thanks and have fun!
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March Zine 2009

Daylight Savings Time is coming! Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour on March 8th!

Our featured project this month is courtesy of Lesley Venable: "Fabric Gift Bag". A quick and easy project with very few supplies other than a sewing machine, you would need: 2 fabric scraps *thin decorative yarn * sewing thread * a needle with a large eye * scissors. Pretty basic supplies!


The first step is to determine what size you would like your gift bag to be. Cut your fabric 1" larger than your finished size to allow for the seams. Place your fabric scraps together, with right sides facing each other and using either a needle & thread, or a sewing machine, stitch 3 sides of the bag together, leaving the top open. Turn right side out and using the eraser side of a pencil or your scissors, gently push the corners out. Thread the large eyed needle with your decorative yarn and with a basic blanket stitch, sew around the top edge of the gift bag, leaving enough yarn to create a handle. You can further embellish your gift bag in several different ways, add decorative beading, rosettes, ribbon embroidery, chenile yarns, etc. Have fun!
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Book Reviews:

Sherre chose to write her review on this wonderful book, published by Watson-Guptill Publications/New York 2008.


Collage Journeys explores collage in many forms, from ATC's and journals to large-scale pieces. This book is a good primer for collage with chapters titled: "Gathering Materials", "The Collage Artist's Tool Box", "Painting With Paper", "Working in Layers", "Using Text in Collage", "Meanings and Personal Expression" and "Journals & Journeys". There are lots of project samples and some clear step by step tutorials on the basics. This book is good for all levels of collage artists. The projects are interesting for the more advanced artist and the step by step projects give clear directions for those just starting their own art journey. It is a good book for inspiration and to learn techniques that you may not have tried before. The samples express the spontaneity and joy found in collage-making. The author shows that collage can be soul-searching, make a statement, or just be pure joy in creation. Ms. Davies shares her knowledge freely throughout the pages. "Collage Journeys" delivers exactly what it's sub title says: "A Practical Guide to Creating Personal Artwork". This book makes you want to go to your art room and make a collage!
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Book Review:

Elizabeth beat me to the punch when she selected this book for her review this month. It is a fabulous, well written book by: Sharilyn Miller and published by: North Light Books.


This book features full color pictures and is 128 pages full of information and inspiration. Sharilyn combines the two worlds of wirework and beaded jewelry to make 25 projects and variations. The book begins with an introduction and what you will need in your jewelry tool kit to follow along with the techniques and projects featured. She walks the reader through basic wirework techniques, from working with pliers, to preparing the wire for use and then onto making several basic components that will later be combined to make jewelry in the project section of the book. Even though I have some prior jewelry making experience, I found this section extremely helpful as a refresher and also to learn a few new components that I hadn't made before. The instructions are step by step and the close up pictures make it easy to follow along and make the same components as those shown. In the second half of the book, Sharilyn illustrates how to make 25 different bead and wire jewelry projects, beginning with basic earring hoops and ending with a very intricate twin-spiral bracelet. One of the things I like best aboout this book is that the projects graduate from easy to more difficult as you acquire more experience and skill by working your way through the book. Each project is outlined with the basic skills that you learned in the first half of the book. I would recommend beginning with the skill building section before proceeding with the projects. The projects are specific enough to teach a particular technique, but also allows you to put your own personal spin on them to create jewelry to fit your own style. Overall, this is an excellent book and I would recommend it to beginners who are just starting out, as well as intermediate jewelery makers, who are looking to acquire new skills and stretch their creativity with some of the more advanced projects.
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Book Review by: Cynthia (Cindy) Powell


I chose this new release, written by: Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, published by North Light Books, 2009

If you enjoy working with wax in your art projects, this is a great book to help you explore the many possibilities for incorporating various other elements to create textures, use images, tools for carving, adding color, charcoal and the list goes on. The book is divided up into mini-workshops for each of these techniques and more. There are lots of wonderful examples for each lesson and a gallery of finished works in the back. Easy to follow, step by step instructions with plenty of room for you to experiment with your own combinations of various materials. This book is a must have for the wax artist's personal library. A terrific reference book that you will visit often.

I will be using this book as a reference in an upcoming wax workshop on the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Yahoo group (link is in the sidebar). I hope you will join us for some fun experimenting with various tools, paints and of course, wax!
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What else are we up to over on the Yahoo group? We have several things going on each month, beginning with our Monthly Designer Paper techniques. This month I will be sharing with you a technique using cheesecloth for texture. Come join the fun! Meet some new art friends!
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February Zine 2009

This month brings with it the promise of spring, new life and love. It is a great time to finish up projects that have been sitting around all winter or begin something new and exciting. Want to see what other artists have been creating using easy to follow instructions and techniques from "Exploring the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Art"? Check out the awesome book review.
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Here is a fun project just in time for Valentine's Day, called: "Serendipty Hearts" by: Sherre Hulbert

Supplies Needed: *Cardstock *Paper Scraps *Security Envelopes *Fibers *Ribbons *Lace *Glue *Rubber Stamps *Permanent Ink *Embossing Powder * Glossy Accents *Colored Craft Wire * Assorted Beads & Charms *Xyron Machine *Brayer and *Jewelry Findings.


Here are some basic instructions to create the base papers.

1. Arrange your scrap papers and other bits onto your cardstock. Glue in a random fashion. You can start with larger pieces and add smaller ones on top. Let dry completely.
2. I like to add some stamping in black using a large text stamp or a scroll design stamp. I also use permanent ink, such as: Stazon.
3. Add some more pizzazz to your hearts, by adding a metallic embossing powder and another decorative stamp or you could forego the embossing powders and use Perfect Pearls mixed into your glaze during that step.
4. Cut your background papers into heart shapes either with a hand punch, a die-cut machine or a pair of scissors.
5. Attach the cut out hearts to a lightweight cardboard backing. (I used a recycled cracker box). First run the front of the box through a large Xyron machine and stick the hearts to the cardboard. Brayer them down and cut them out.
6. Add a layer of Glossy Accents or Diamond Glaze. Add Perfect Pearls at this step. Set aside to dry overnight. If the hearts curled while drying, place them under a heavy book for a night to make them lay flat again.
7. Wrap wire around the hearts, add beads as you go. I started with a piece of wire approximately 15" long. Curl the ends around a pencil or a dowel.

You can add other embellishments at this time also, ribbons, lace, whatever you have on hand. Use these heart cut-outs as an element to a greeting card, attach a hanger and wear them as a pendant, hang them as small ornaments from a Valentine tree or add a pin back and wear them as a brooch.
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We selected these three books to review this month from several fantastic books that are either currently on the market or "Golden Oldies" from the past.


Sherre selected "Vintage Collage Works" by: Mary Jo & Sunny Koch.
Published by Quarry Books, 2007.

If you love vintage collage and vintage ephemera, this book is filled with delightful pictures and projects. It contains a few step by step techniques and a variety of projects. This book also includes some full color clip art for you to use in your own designs. There are even a few pages in the back of the book for you to jot down notes. Lovely photographs feature project vignettes and even the photograph of supplies are nicely composed. Projects incorporate vintage postcards, cabinet cards, old maps, letters and postage stamps; wall-paper scraps, assorted boxes for assemblages (cigar boxes & matchboxes), old glass & tins. Even the dried flowers, seaweed and lichen is used. Each project has at least one unique element to inspire your own ideas. The one "con" to this book is, the very small font used for the general text. When text is hard to read even with my glasses, I find it easier to skim the pages rather than read the information word for word. I would tend to use this book like "eye candy" to fuel my own ideas. It would also be useful for a novice mixed media artist, who would like to have some step by step project ideas.
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Cindy Selected "Mixed Emulsions" by: Angela Cartwright
Published by Quarry Books, 2007


To me, this is a "Must Have" book for anyone interested in altering photographs. My copy is so dog-earred and used that the pages are starting to fall out! I chose this book to conduct a workshop last June ('08) for the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Art, Yahoo group (link is in the sidebar). It is chock full of wonderful artistic effects! Techniques such as: adding a variety of textures with various mediums, washes, paint, antiquing, fading, stamping, adding fibers, different elements, etc. etc. etc. I spent months experimenting with these techniques and still haven't explored them all! If you love to experiment with different products to achieve a variety of effects, this is the book for you! It allows you plenty of room to play with the effects as well as create your own. An excellent book to get you started! Wonderful photographs of each technique, great projects, fabulous "eye candy". If you have a drawer full or boxes full of photos, drag them out and start playing!
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Sherre also selected "Mixed Mania-Recipes for Delicious Mixed Media Creations" by: Debbi Crane & Cheryl Prater. Interweave Books, 2008


The book cover is so bright that it really draws your eye. Using an orange-red with aqua, gold and green makes for a colorful cover! I love the play on words using "Recipes" as their tie-in for all of the chapter headings. The conversation between the two authors, sprinkled throughout the pages makes for a fun read. The projects aren't "New" in idea or materials and for the most part are very simplistic. Debbi's "Reliquary Girls" shows innovation. Although "inches" aren't a new idea, I like how Cheryl incorporated them into a multi-photo frame using the same image yet changing each background. This book is a colorful, enjoyable read and would be ideal for someone just beginning to explore the mixed media arts arena. More advanced artists will enjoy the beautifully photographed projects to help stir up their own creative ideas.
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