The Chat and The Cedar Bird

UPDATE: I have yet to list either THE CHAT or THE CEDAR BIRD, I have hopes to get them professionally photographed and listed soon so please keep checking, or e-mail me at crystal_opf@comcast.net if you are interested in purchasing.

This week in the studio I have been exploring the colors, textures, and aged patinas found in old book bindings and papers, and I find a series is unfolding.

I am fascinated at how I can combine these elements to emulate a moss covered tree trunk or impress an image of peering into a forest at dusk.
The Chat

An 1800s cloth covered book board combined with the binding tape pulled from the spine, the cloth from the spine of a second book, a vintage brass stencil and a bird image from a 1910 edition of Webster's Dictionary.

The board is mounted to a back frame which has been covered in the same dictionary page as the bird, no need for framing, it is ready to hang.

A second original image of The Chat and the definition are mounted to the back.

This next one is by far my favorite so far. It seems that it was common practice in earlier times to use old text along the spine of a book along with or in place of the seam tape. This one peeled back to reveal a green page with text that beautifully emulates a moss covered tree trunk!

It is hard to really show the depth and dimension to the piece with my basic little camera. I hope to have a friend photograph it before it is sold.

The Cedar Bird

I've revealed the interior spine and the leather that surrounded it and mounted both to the leather cover of the 1870s book. A 1910 dictionary image of The Cedar Bird sits looking out at the cottage across the lake. This lithograph image was lifted from a cover of a little postcard type book, also from the late 1800s. I have thinned the image to almost tissue transparency.

The leather book board has been mounted to a back frame covered in the 1910 dictionary page the Cedar Bird is found on. A second original image and the definition is mounted to the back of the board.

The last project I have to show was just a fun way to doll up a tiny leather book of poetry bought in an antique shop a few years back.

B...just Because

B is for bunny, and billy goat, and book...just because.

Brass letter stencils, book binding and bits of a children's book cover and game box. Only the cover and the title page have been altered. The Fifty Best Poems of England can still be read and enjoyed.

Each of these items will be listed at OPF Studio later today.

Nesting Instinct

This week, back at home full time, working in the studio as often as inspiration hit was such a blessing. I hadn't realized I was creating around a "theme" until I started to list the items for sale.

Everything I've finished is either bird or house themed, or both. I think it's my nesting instinct kicking in after being out in the workplace for so long.

The Woodpecker

Handcrafted collage created on an antique leather book cover from the 1870s, the collage is designed to give the impression of viewing the bird through a window as he works away at an old tree outside.

The collage is supported by a wooden back frame, which is covered in antique text. No need for framing, it is ready to hang!

The other elements used are an antique bird image from a 1919 Children's Encyclopedia, portion of an antique cabinet photo card, antique sheet music cover, cloth from the spine of an antique book, an antique sleeve from an old tintype photo, and mica.

For more information about this collage or to purchase be sure to visit my Etsy shop OPF Studio here.

The Teachings of Spring

A handcrafted topiary style house assemblage created from antique & vintage elements. Very shabby urban chic.

The focal point is this antique bird image salvaged from a 1910 dictionary and mounted on an antique brass doorknob.

Other elements include antique text, ads, cloth salvaged from an antique book, metal architectural element, and brass stamping from an antique drawer pull.

The title comes from an 1870s edition of the Sunday Magazine.

Antique lamp parts and bobbin with thread still wound serve as the base. For more information about this assemblage or to purchase visit my Etsy shop OPF Studio here.

Goodness and Love

Inspired by the verse "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psalm 23:6, this vintagy cottage style house topiary would make a great house warming gift for summer.

It is handcrafted from antique architectural salvage, antique text, beeswax, oil crayons and more. For more pictures and information or to purchase visit my shop OPF Studio here.

Now back to the studio for me and until next time, don't forget to send me an e-mail or leave me a comment to sign up for my newsletter for great discounts in both the store and the studio and a chance to win one of my collage ephemera packs!

Introducing OPF Studio! A Grand Opening Celebration!

After nearly two years of fun selling my art & curious found objects and vintage items together at my Etsy shop,Other Peoples Flowers, I am pleased to announce the Grand Opening of OPF Studio!

As I shift gears from working outside the home back to being full time in the studio, I will be offering more of my own collage, assemblage and jewelry art for sale and OPF Studio will be the place to find them!

But don't despair, you can still find the same great flea market finds and vintage curiousities to use in your own art at Other Peoples Flowers. With new items now being added many times a day, be sure to check in often!

Take a look below at some of what you'll find at OPF Studio today. Before you head over be sure to leave me a comment to let me know you'd like to sign up for my monthly newsletter. I have an awesome Grand Opening offer and a give-away exclusively for everyone on my mailing list!

Twilight

4" x 4" x 1.5" Dimensional collage featuring a wonderful antique crow image salvaged from the cover of a 1890s Children's book. More images and information about this piece are available here at OPF Studio.

Waltz of the Bluebirds

Dimensional collage created on the cover of an antique World Atlas. Bird images are salvaged from the cover of antique sheet music. Check out the listing for Waltz of the Bluebirds for more photos and details here at OPF Studio.

HE STOPPED LOVING ME TODAY

A poignant series of 16 collages inspired by a bundle of 1920s love letters hidden away in an alcove in the walls of mom's childhood home.

The letters chronograph the love story of sweethearts, Mary and Gerarld, as Gerald moves from city to city to find work, leaving Mary pining for him back home.

Each of the dimensional collages is created on a 4" x 4" x 1.5" canvas and is designed to have an impact individually, grouped in any combination of 2 or more canvases, or all together.

The letters vary in tone from upbeat & funny stories Mary tells of her family and friends, to intriguing romantic and sometimes racy and passionate teasing, to despondant longing for "Gerry" to return home or allow Mary to come visit him on the road.

Each collage is finished on the sides and looks equally at home on a shelf or table top as it does hanging on the wall. Each has a small picture "fragment" and is signed and dated on the back.

Photos and found objects add to the mystery and allure of the words and are authentic antiques, mostly from the same era.

Mary and Gerald were never married, but he must have continued to care for her in his heart as he carefully tucked these letters away.

Come on over to the studio here to see more pictures or to purchase any of the 16 collages in this series.

And don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to sign up for my monthly newsletter to take advantage of the Grand Opening special good in both OPF Studio and Other Peoples Flowers on Etsy and get your name in the drawing - a $25 value!

A Faith Walk

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

As mentioned in my last post - I am moving back into the studio full time after being out in the work force for over a year and a half. What an exciting and scary time this will be for me and for my business, Other Peoples Flowers.

The exciting part should be obvious - being in the studio doing what I love full time! After being away from this for so long I am looking forward to the opportunity with an entirely new appreciation for what a blessing it is.

But the flip side is the fear of the unknown. This move is not just a career change, it is a total walk of faith. I really do feel God leading me, but He is my sole source of security to do this. There is no back-up savings or other source of income to make up for what I will be losing from my full time job. I simply hear Him prompting me to take this step of faith and He will meet me in the process. Maybe this will be it, I will be able to bring in the necessary income through my art business, but maybe it will be another avenue that God has yet to show me. I have an idea of what the process will look like, but God has the big picture. So I have taken step one. I put my notice in and Friday will be my last day on the job. I will do my best to keep my eyes on Him and trust He is preparing the way. Stay tuned....

"Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps."

Pregnant! ~ Artsmiths One Word Challenge

This month the Artsmiths group challenged its members to create a piece of art based on one word to describe ourselves. Wow! Who would have thought this would have been such a. . . challenge?

This post is my entry. Be sure to head over to the Artsmiths blog to read the rest. And after that, dear reader, I present to you the same challenge. Create a piece of art using one word to describe yourself. Post it to your blog and come back here and leave me a comment and a link. I would love to get to know you more!



Before you get any ideas, just let me clarify, I am not with child.

But I am pregnant.

Pregnant with ideas, and life, and desire, and hope, and possibilities!

There were many words I thought of to describe myself for this art challenge. Serious words, funny words, words that describe my character, my faith, or my physical appearance. Words that would lift, words that put down even, depending on the moment, my mood, or my circumstances. And I did have one word picked out that I thought maybe summed up my life, but every time I sat down to create with that word in mind I couldn’t see beyond the blank canvas. The deadline for the challenge came and went and still I had nothing. It was a good word, an inspiring word, a word that gave me many ideas of what I wanted to say, but I finally resigned myself to the fact that it must not be the word. So I let it go and sat back down in front of that blank canvas and that’s when it hit me:

I am pregnant!

With pregnancy there is a time of development that is necessary for the baby, but uncomfortable for the mother. Morning sickness, weird cravings, expanding waistline, midnight anxiety, and false labor. This pregnancy of mine has been no different.

The past two years have been a few of the most difficult of my life. My husband lost his job two years ago marking the beginning of a season of difficulties and trials that turned my world upside down. Painful trials, difficult times that I begged God to remove me from. But I’ve come to realize that the pains, not unlike the pains of labor, have had a special purpose. Intentionally designed, as with the pushing necessary to give birth, to cause me to push past the stagnant place I was once content to graze and dare to give birth to my dreams.

Like a child growing in the womb, these dreams have been inside of me, growing, developing and waiting for their time to come. And as with any pregnancy the pain of labor had to be endured in order to give birth. The pain comes with the promise of a new life.

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” John 16:21

Last week I put my notice in at my job, a literal end to my labor? No. Giving birth to this dream will be hard. I will have to nurture it through its infancy in order for it to survive. But I can’t hold it back anymore, this dream I have of becoming an artist full time. I am pregnant.

Pregnant with ideas, and life, and desire, and hope, and possibilities!