I have adored collage since, oh, middle school. Nothing gave me greater joy that destroying my parents' old magazines (Rolling Stones always had the best clippings due to their ginormous format). And for a girl who wanted desperately to be artsy but didn't have the ability to do anything life-like (good Lord, you should see my drawings), collage was a great way to feel creatively accomplished.
I liked to collage doors. They were a huge, flat, functional surface that was great for displaying things. In collage, my freshman year, my roommate (the sweetly awesome Catherine) brought me back some catalogs from a jaunt she took to Chicago. I think they were from Urban Outfitter, but they had beautiful western landscapes with lots of dusty reds and turquoise blues. I was in heaven. They were shred to pieces and collaged onto our dorm-room door immediately. (Bless you, Pangborn Hall)
So, when I bought some nicely-colored cardstock the other day, and had a brand-new bone tool in hand for perforating, I slowly dug out my old collage box, full of already-ripped out pages and pictures from years past. I cut and folded my notecards, and went to work.
I like quirk. I like things that are silly and nonsensical. I approached these cards as such, and came up with a set of 8 fun little notecards:
Then I tied them in a bow, and put them in my shop.
I'm also a huge fan of the handwritten letter. There's something magical about getting a card or note from a friend that they took the time to write out. The cards and mementos I treasure most are those from friends, where I can see their handwriting and see the time and thought they put into their words. It's just more personal somehow.
More cards to come! I found a sweet little deal at Michael's where they sell cards and envelopes in a little variety pack. I plan on adding to the card stock (Ha! Get it?) soon.
a dual-purpose comment! first, I wanted to say that I discovered your blog through facebook and have really enjoyed reading about your crafty/artsy pursuits. second, I totally agree about collage, as it was the form my artsy interests most often took in high school, too -- since it was about all I was capable of doing. (I've given plenty of collage-y presents over the years, and I just had an old friend tell me last week that I'd be proud because his yearly planner gets collaged, which I thought was awesome.)
ReplyDeleteoh, and a third thing -- I just learned to knit this past year, and it made me wish I'd learned earlier, that I'd asked you to teach me how to knit/crochet on the sophomore year bell tour. :-)
talk to you later!
~becky
Thanks for stopping by my site! I bet all the milk glass vases at your wedding were beautiful! You have some really great pieces you've made. I really think you're onto something with the reusable coffee sleeves!!
ReplyDelete