Thursday, June 13, 2019

Second Thursday Tutorial: Freebies and throw-aways


This might as well be Friday the 13th after all the trouble I've had with this tutorial.  I started it last month and finished just in time to meet the deadline.

From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to use these "freebies" and "throw-aways."

The red lids and the upside down very used take-home cup were supposed to be for making circles on the page.  The "thing" in the middle was left over after I deconstructed a roll of double sided tape.  The oval came from the top of a deodorant container that had to be removed to get to the deodorant.

The light bulb holder is corrugated cardboard.  Now light bulbs are encased in that horrible hard shell plastic that no one can figure how to recycle.  The brown container came from a peanut butter cup.  Such dedication to my craft!  The circle is left over No. 1 plastic I used in my Chihuly inspired art I made last month.  It got sprayed with shimmering mists, along with lots of other things on my table when I failed to contain the sprays.  The whirlygigs are seed pods from trees in my neighborhood.

Just because I decided to use these, doesn't mean I did.   I have NO idea where the soft roller came from, but I want to use it one of these days.  I used the clothes pin at both ends to make marks on the pages, but of course, I  covered the marks and didn't think to take a photo.  The only thing above I used was the ticket.

I had intended to add paint, then realized the peanut butter lids were larger than the circle in the paint holder.  That's when I decided to use a lid from ice cream to hold my paint.  Of course, I ended up not using it or the paint I had on the table.

More freebies and "throw-aways" I planned to use, included 

these formica type freebies a company sent me years ago.  Who would use that orange and silver for a counter top?  Can you imagine trying to clean it?  However, it is going to make awesome art and both these freebies will be the inspiration for the colors I planned to use.

Who doesn't like a friend who gives you her old eye shadow that you can use in art?

Even more freebies and trash I planned to use, but didn't.  Like when I go to a buffet, sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach.

Originally, I was going to run a ribbon through the back of this "remove" piece that was ultimately destined for the trash, but once I got started, I forgot my original plan.

This reads "Micropak" and "recyclable."  Now that I had all my elements, I was ready to put the items together.

I started by stamping my whirlygig "wings" with VersaMark, then covering them with Seth Apter's Rust embossing powder.  Everyone knows I don't often give free advertising by announcing specific products I use.  However, this was gifted me by Seth, so I'll gladly give him and his incredible embossing powder credit, which is richly deserved.

I used it on the metal can lids, too.  You can see the "rusted" whirlygig wings in the background already heat embossed.

Now it was time to lay down my first layer of the pages.  I used one of my favorite stamps and VersaMark.  It's amazing how quickly this pad got dirty.

I used the old eye shadow to color these butterflies.  Then I realized my colors were oranges and browns, not pink and blue.  I considered covering them, but gave up on that idea and went with plan B. 

To keep in the color family I had chosen, I stamped the paint chip samples using my handmade texture paste.  To think I thought I had made exactly enough before, and I'm STILL trying to use it before it hardens.

As a side note, be sure you wash the "stamps," whether freebies, trash, or your finest, as soon as you have finished stamping and before the texture paste can dry on the stamp. 

Now it was time to put it all together.  Everything here was a freebie, or something destined for the trash or the recycle bin with the exception of the E-6000, my adhesive of choice, and the variegated thread I used to sew one paint chip.  I also used glue stick on the word that truly fits this tutorial and monthly challenge perfectly.  As a result, I'm sharing this with Halle at Halle's Hobbies, our host this month at Art Journal Journey and her theme Words to live by.

I was so caught up on the linear aspect, I forgot I had planned to run ribbon through the back of the "remove" tag.  It's probably for the best, since the ribbon would not have been recycled or trash.

"Perseverance," persistence, steadfastness, or, as Webster defines it:
continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.
That couldn't have been more true, even though it was a found word in a magazine destined for the recycle bin.  Many of you who are T Tuesday participants will recognize the lid from the Kahlua bottle of non-alcoholic coffee I drank when my electricity was off for over a day.




 
Now that you've seen step-out photos of the left side, let's look at the right side.

As much as I had planned to use so many more items on this side, there was simply no room.  However, before I laid down the paint chip samples, I dry brushed both book pages with copper acrylic paint.  The clip came from a batch of potatoes I bought.  I have no idea what the word means (although I suspect it stands for North Dakota), but I've had this clip for a very long time, and finally found a use for it.

The leaf was cut from one of my recyclables.  I tried to sew "veins," but I have no way to drop my feed dogs, so it was quite hit and miss (emphasis on miss).




I got a HUGE surprise when I tried to color compensate these two paint chip samples.





One final look and this Second Thursday Tutorial is complete.  Everything here was either a freebie, destined for the trash, or destined for the recycle bin.  My little part helping the planet, one small puzzle piece, label from a banana, and paint chip sample at a time.

Once this goes live, you will find it on my Tutorials page.  Thanks for visiting and thanks for joining me in this tribute to freebies and cast offs.  I also hope to see you at Art Journal Journey.

17 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

Good morning Elizabeth! That's a great spread, and it was interesting to see what went into it and what didn't. It must have taken you hours and hours! Perseverance is the word! Have a great day, Valerie
And thanks for both visits to my blog yesterday.

My name is Erika. said...

This might have taken time to create but it is amazing. I love it. What a cool way to use those left over bits and make something beautiful from them. Glad you shared this! And funny, not that I have made anything quite like this but I have been making some pages with small bits laid out in similar ways. I guess there is a little brainwave power going back and forth between us lately. (hee-hee). Hope life has dried out and all is well. Hugs-Erika

Anne (cornucopia) said...

The end result is wonderful Elizabeth. And I enjoyed reading your commentary along the way.

CJ Kennedy said...

i wasn't sure how you planned to use all your stuff or how it would work together. Brilliant. I love all the layers and textures.

Divers and Sundry said...

It's interesting to hear how you use all those things that would otherwise go into the recycling or trash bins. Inspiring! Thank you :)

Mia said...

Hi Elizabeth. I simply ENJOYED your tutorial. Thank you so much for sharing with us all the steps for this great journal spread. You are a real inspiration for an amateur like me. I send you a big hug, my dear friend.

Nancy said...

You made great use of your assortment of "raw materials"! I really love how the texture paste stamped elements look. And I'm with you- that orange piece is lovely here, but for a counter top??

Sandra Cox said...

Wonderful! This took some work didn't it?

froebelsternchen said...

This is amazing! Recycling art at its best Elizabeth! Gorgeous! A wonderful entry for Halle's collection and a wonderful tutorial in a fantastic sustained manner!
Susi xxx

da tabbies o trout towne said...

Elizabeth; the planet thanx you; this turned out really nice
and I'm sure a great deal of time and effort was put into the creating of this....984 paws up as da tabbies would say !! ~~~~~~ :) ♥♥

sheila 77 said...

Gosh, Elizabeth, I am going to have to lie down after this collage marathon.
I knew when it started that I was going to enjoy it and I did, every word and every photo, every thing that you didn't use and every thing that you did.
I hope you had as much fun making these pages as I had reading about it.
Perseverance is absolutely the right word.

Meggymay said...

Its a fantastic page using items that normally would be discarded. I did like seeing all the photos and reading your comments on the stages.
I keep many lids and bottle tops for stamping backgrounds then forget about them, especially when I come across torn bits of papers that haven't seen the top of the pile in months.
Yvonne xx

Halle said...

Perseverance! Perfect! I love that you saved all these items from the trash to create a journal page reminding all of us that perseverance pays off. Don't get sloppy and figure....oh its not a big deal...just throw it away. Nicely done! And thanks for the kick in the pants...I've gotten a bit lax lately.

Barbara said...

Wow, I’m tired just reading what went into this inventive piece. I can only imagine how tiring it would have been to actually create it. The inspiration to use and reuse is important! A great spread!

Himawan Sant said...

I am amazed by your ideas and skills using unused items to be a beautiful work, Elizabeth.

Keep up the spirit, friend

aussie aNNie said...

A LOT of work in this and so impressed to see all the gorgeous elements, goodies you did use...love the impressive way you make things and I just wish I had the time/patience to do the same..

YOU are the lucky winner of my candy too.....I will put up a google contact thingy on my blog so you can give me your personal address....I will advertise your win on my next post..
x

Cindy McMath said...

Wonderful pages Elizabeth. I love all of your upcycled pieces in these pages.