Ending the year creatively.....

Wow the 2012 year is nearly ending and it was a full year of recreating, workshops and art and shows.
Here a few photos of the last workshops in December and how I closed out the year. My friends Dorothy Yuki, Megumi Inouye and Aiko Cuneo were fellow teachers at some of the holiday workshops.

These are some of the projects the workshop participants at www.fabmo.org. The coffee filter bows and  2011 calendar gift bags were some of the projects we made. 

The tables are always overflowing with supplies at the workshops.

This was my sample display for the participants at ruthstable.org. We had samples for Hanukkah and Christmas  all made from repurposed, found, recycled and unusual materials.

These gift tags are made from fabric swatches by one of our creative participants at fabmo.org.

The coffee filter bow with a paper bag center were a hit to make at the  holiday workshops.

I volunteered to teach at the Arc Studio and Gallery where www.scrap-sf.org sponsored an afternoon of free make and takes for all.

Artist Aiko Cuneo taught the participants at Arc Studio and Gallery how to make wire sculptures and jewelry.

Dorothy Yuki show participants at the San Francisco Quilters Guild how to make ornaments from found paper.

The table was filled with all kinds of paper for the tag and ornament workshop  we gave.
Did we bring enough materials? Our friend Kenan Shapero asked up to participate. We had a great time.

Many of the participants at the workshop enjoyed using the Big Shot die cutter I brought
from www.sizzix.com. It cuts material, felt, card board and more. I love using it.

One of the last workshops of this year was  at the www.ohanloncenter.org. The title of the workshop was "Not your ordinary wreath". Look at all the beautiful wreaths made from coffee filters, discarded books, old maps and paper towel and toilet paper tubes!

Bulletin Board

Last week a group of us tackled the Ruth's Table ruthstable.orgruthstable.org bulletin board. Dorothy, Liz, Margie and Sue and Tomoko combined our efforts and came up with this idea....

The bulletin board is a tree branch repurposing a old dictionary. The book
pages were scrunched and twisted and the leaves are photographs of activities,
projects and people at our workshops at Ruth's Table.

We used the Sizzix sizzix.com bird and butterfly and cut birds and butterflies from wall paper.

We also added buttons and a few sprigs of green to our tree branches.

DIY Party Workshop at SCRAP in S.F.

Join me at SCRAP in S.F.  for a DIY party workshop. Get inspired to make your

own party decorations, center pieces, creative wrapping techniques for favors

or party bags, banners and invites. Of course all materials will be repurposed or

recycled to make a green party for all.

June 30,2012 

Saturday 12-5pm

$30.00 

These party hats were fun and easy to make. I searched in my studio and found a variety of paper to use.
Do you recognize the former atlas page, card board, wall paper and re-used wrapping paper. This is just one 
of the projects we can work on at the DIY party workshop next week!

Birthday banner

My "Happy 50 Birthday Tracy banner" at the party.

My sister Tracy turned 50 this week and there was a big party for her. I decided to make a birthday banner for her. I had only a little time to do it. I got out my Sizzix Big Kick machine and used the scallop die to make the base of the banner. The material I used was all discarded material and was in the free bin at SCRAP. That included some red paper and a lot of dark green legal file folders. I used my sizzix alphabet and started cutting away to say the greeting. I made some paper flowers by using a thin paper bag and cutting scallops.

Here is my Sizzix Big Kick that I use all the time. It is a great die cutter that will cut fabric,
paper and cardboard. It easily cut through the file folders.

I cut scallops out of a thin paper bag to make flowers. Cut about six and put a little glue in the center
and wait for it to dry and "fluff" the flower. Glue gun the flower to the scallop circle.

I cut out the Sizzix letters and used a glue stick to adhere the letters to the scallop circles. I didn't have a lot of time since it was already 10:00 pm and I was leaving at 7:00 am the next day so I used my stapler I bought at Swan and Shears on Etsy. It is a European stapler  that uses tiny brass staples.  I simple stapled the scallop circles to the long white cloth ribbon.