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CHIRP! it's a birdie mobile!

awhile back i was involved in a swap over at amusing muses for bird shaped chunkies. chunky books, also known as fat books, are typically 4x4 pieces of art with lots of fiber and doodads added to them that are bound together with books rings (or a binding machine if you are lucky enough to have one). i have about 15 books on various themes. what was cool about this project was the shape lent itself to be something other than a book. sure, you could bind them with one ring at the top, but wouldn't something like a mobile be more fun? i thought so!

using an embroidery hoop, vintage seam binding and a hot glue gun i fashioned myself a mobile! the thing is so darn cute. right now it is hanging over my bed, we'll see how long it lasts there!

here is a look at the birds i received in the swap:




and here they are in their new mobile:



roc nicholas was the woman behind this brilliant idea and i asked her if she would mind if i hosted the same kind of swap over at atcsforall.com. the sweet lady said no problem! so come join me in making yummy birds! it's free to join the site and the swap, all i ask is you do your best work. there is a link to the template provided.

carnivals and brothers and fireworks oh my!

my older brother mac headed south from the heat of portland, or to visit me this 4th of july holiday. mac is a psytrance dj and graphic designer--dudes, he was the first person to ever get me high! not that i do that anymore, and neither does he, but it does create a bond, lol. my goal, since mac introduced me to lots of cool shit, was to introduce him to some cool shit. and what's cooler than art, right? actually, mac was even into art before me but he doesnt't do it for pleasure any more--just money. when he got here and after we'd had some eats and taken fun carnie pics i asked him to carve me a stamp. it was love at first sight. our mom was a printmaking major in college and he'd always wanted to try it. i ended the weekend with 4 kickass stamps, one of my online name katilady, and none of which i have taken a pic of. oops. but look for them in my art!

carnie pic:


after a bit mac suggested making a collaborative piece together. he wanted more decorations for some of the parties he throws in portland. we decided on a piece that would incorporate my collage skills with his zany skills, add sparkles and day-glo paint! basically i collaged a big particle board, and then he went jackson pollack over my collage with glow in the dark paint. when that dried we added a layer of gel medium and went impasto with it--carving in designs and imprinting stuff. while wet we added mica flakes. because this project was so involved he had to take it home to be finished. he was going to add charcoal and acrylic washes to it. here is a look at it in progress:



one of the best things about eureka, ca is their 4th of july celebration. a big festival takes over old town with lots of crafty goodness, yummy food and live music. this year i could def see some signs of our economic depression as the number of booths had gone way down. neverthless, it was a fun filled day full of people watching and yummy wares to ogle. here our a couple of my fave finds:

derby girl!


goddess!


and lastly the mug of mac!


i hope everyone has a beautiful week! share with me how you celebrated the 4th!