Art Projects: What's On My Desk And Around My Home

One of my favorite blogs, "The Cart Before the Horse", shows what's on their art desk.  They do this about once a week and I always like seeing their works in progress.  So I thought I'd try it and share what's on my art desk with you.

I've started creating some new papier-mache, sculpture containers.  They will be 3 wild, gentlemen animals.  They're still in the beginning phases, so they're pretty rough.  The yellowish parts are crumpled up newspaper stuck on with masking tape to an empty, cardboard, cylinder container of dried nectarines.  The white parts are the air drying clay, sculpted over the taped forms.  These rough forms are called armatures.  When they are finished, I'll papier-mache over them and paint them.

I've also been doing some crafts around my home.  These decoration balls at the window are just cut out card stock paper, slotted together.  I found the pattern and template at this cool craft blog.  The ones shown here are the large ones, but there are also medium and small ones you can create.  The large ones take 12 pieces of 8.5" x 11" card stock paper.  I created some smaller ones and tied them together as garlands for Christmas gifts.  

If you look at the photo of my living room, you'll notice a gift that I was given for Christmas.  It's a Kirigami calendar.  I had never heard of this before I received it.  Every day a new pattern is on the new day to fold and cut out into some pretty shapes.  I'm having fun making them.  I peeked ahead and saw in February there will be some heart shapes to cut out.  They will be fun to learn how to do.

Another Christmas gift came in the form of a gift certificate at Amazon.  You know I had a great time spending my wad there.  One of the things I bought was a how to make pop up cards book.  

I've been reading and studying it and hatching ideas in my head.  The books says that any cards engineered to move, including pull tabs and turning wheels are considered pop up cards.  So although, I haven't created anything that pops up and out at you yet, I've still been making some moving cards.  You'll have to check out my Etsy Shop to see how I've been using this new knowledge.  And stay tuned for more to come.