Revisiting Spring - Update

(Click on any picture to view a larger image. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the update.)

Original panels 2011

New panel 2016

Filigree butterflies adorn each corner.

One of several whimsical ladybugs.

About five years ago I created some simple floral panels as part of the spring decor for the Dorchester Senior Citizens Center. After years of use they were in need of some refurbishing so I decided to spruce them up. As usual, what started out as one thing turned into another and I didn't refurbish them at all. I decided to remake them. I kept all the same elements of the original panels -- a winding vine with flowers attached and butterflies flitting about -- but decided to make them really pop with color and texture. The updated version has larger flowers in clusters and leaves in vibrant colors. The butterflies are really fancy and are suspended off the face of the panel so they appear to be floating over it. I reused some of the flowers from the original panels and I even added little ladybugs for a touch of whimsy. I folded and manipulated the paper so the various elements had three dimensional depth and didn't lay flat against the background paper.
At 28 inches, the new panels are about two inches longer than the originals. This first prototype panel took me a long time to decide what I wanted to do. Now that it's completed, the other three should come together a lot more quickly.

As the days grow longer and the weather is turning slightly warmer, it won't be long before spring erupts in its annual display of color and sound. This year the Dorchester Senior Citizen Center will be ready to welcome her in style.


UPDATE (2.26.16)

Four Completed Panels

The new spring panels are complete! As you can see, they are much livelier than the original panels they were based on. It won't be long before they're mounted on the wall at the senior center. Spring soon come. Bring it!

Ballo ergo sum 
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

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My two year stint as the arts and crafts instructor at the Dorchester Senior Citizens' Center was a wonderful experience. Working with and getting to know those seniors was truly inspirational as well as educational. I learned much about the process of conceiving, creating and implementing a crafting session but I think I learned even more from the seniors themselves. This period was an investment of time and effort that rewarded me over and over again. I have been blessed me with many new friends and it is a time I will never forget.

There was one downside to this experience. The time and energy I expended on the senior crafting projects meant there was less time for me to create for myself and engage in the artistic comradeship I enjoyed with my fellow members of the Oriental Stamp Art Yahoo Group. Participating in swaps and weekly challenges was something I had truly enjoyed and sorely missed. Now that I am no longer crafting for the senior center, I have more time to spend in those pursuits that I enjoy and so I have stuck a creative toe back in the water and have begun participating in the weekly challenges again. So far I have done two challenges (see photos) and already I can feel that familiar feeling of creative electricity coursing through me. I am looking forward to participating in some swaps in the future and continuing my artistic journey to wherever it may take me.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

The Arrival of Spring

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Due to an unexpectedly warm winter, here in the northeast we are experiencing an unusually early spring. With temperatures at times reaching upwards of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, all manner of flora and fauna that would usually be out of sight until April has made a glorious appearance in mid-March as evidenced by the beautiful daffodils I photographed in my garden. There was actually a period during which daffodil shoots were actively growing with nary a crocus in sight when the reverse is usually the case. Eventually the crocuses got their act together and showed their faces before the arrival of the daffodils but it was a pretty tight race.

Although I announced in a previous post that I would no longer be conducting weekly craft classes at the senior citizens center, I agreed to continue putting up the seasonal decorations. I wanted to really celebrate the arrival of spring's colorful flowers in a way that all the members could enjoy so I created a large (12" x 34") sign to go over the entry door to the main activity/lunchroom, a place where it can't be missed by anyone who enters the center.  All the materials used to create this sign were either free or donated, including the electronic cutter I used to cut out the various elements of the sign. The paper and fabric flowers came from Materials for the Arts and the cutting files came from SVGCuts.com, a site that offers free cut files for electronic cutting machines. The butterflies were created with Memory Box dies I purchased for my personal use but once I cut and colored them, they were so beautiful I just couldn't keep them all to myself. Click on the photo and zoom in to see the details on those blue beauties. There is also an invisible detail that doesn't show up in the photo. The oval in the center of the sign has flowers stamped in watermarking (transparent) ink and dusted with gold pigment powder. The stamped flowers can't be seen until you pass underneath the sign. When the light catches it just the right way all the flowers appear to shine.

This is the first large scale project I've done with my eCraft and I still have much to learn but I'm very pleased with the way this first attempt came out. Ya know, I had so much fun making this sign, perhaps I'll make another one for summer.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

"The time has come", the walrus said...

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"...to talk of many things."  Even someone unfamiliar with Lewis Carroll's classic poem, "The Walrus and The Carpenter", has heard those words before. I will do exactly that...talk of many things.

It is with a heavy heart and a tinge of regret that I have made the decision to suspend my craft classes at the senior citizens center. My weekly craft projects have become extremely time consuming and I have other responsibilities that demand my attention. It has become increasingly difficult to come up with a project each week that is simple enough for even the most challenged seniors to complete, interesting enough to hold their attention and diverse enough so that they are not doing the same thing over and over again. Yet there is another, more intangible, reason. I'm feeling jaded and I no longer feel the same anticipation and joy I once did. These are but some of the reasons I must leave my beloved senior ladies.

Here you see a photo of the final project I will be doing with them. It is a card utilizing simple elements on a printed card front. The beautiful designs on these cards make simple die cut shapes and a decorated garment tag take on a more sophisticated look. This will be one of those projects where the ladies will get to choose their own pieces as opposed to having me create individual kits for them. The cards are double sided with an ornate design on one side and a more subtle and subdued pattern on the other side, giving them two options to choose for a card front. The embellishments will all be placed on the table for them to choose from and if I know my ladies they will all be choosing a different mix. With this, their final craft project with me, they will be allowed to demonstrate their own personal creativity and flair. I, for my part, will be photographing them as usual, capturing their moments of cooperation and their smiles.


Ballo ergo sum
 - Gitana, the Creative Diva

The Hurrieder I Run, The Behinder I Get

I've been living life on the fast lane for at least a week now since I returned from my daughter's graduation in North Carolina. No sooner did the plane's wheels hit the tarmac than I hit the ground running and I haven't stopped running since, so much so that my Thursday afternoon senior citizen's crafting class was looming large and I didn't have a project ready for them. I couldn't show up without anything for my ladies especially since I had been absent the week before but I was so tired that my mind literally shut down. I couldn't come up with anything until the wee hours of Thursday morning when I pulled this blue and green rabbit out of my hat. I actually cut and pulled all the pieces of this card together in a couple of hours before I had to be at the center. The card opens like a matchbook with the front flap tucking into the scalloped turned-up edge at the bottom. I added a small heart charm on the bottom edge that is inscribed with the sentiment "Hand Made from the Heart". Overall this is probably one of the least inspired of anything I've made but the ladies didn't seem to mind at all. The bright colors and the charming touches of trim and tassel were enough to appeal to them. They are a very forgiving group.

That's me instructing a member
on project assembly.

Two of my wonderful senior crafters.

At least I got a jump start on this week's project. It's relatively simple but I think they will enjoy it. It is a small treat box featuring a medallion front and a string wrap closure. (When they're finished making the boxes, I'm going to fill them with some treats!) The pattern on the card stock was formed with a small rubber stamped image stamped multiple times. This will mark the group's first foray into rubber stamping and I have fingers and toes crossed that it will be successful. Up until now I have stamped the images that were used in any of our projects because we simply didn't have stamps and ink enough for everyone. The combination of my constant solicitation of donations on Facebook coupled with the small grant I received from the Department of Cultural Affairs has produced enough stamps and ink pads to accommodate everyone in my small group.



Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Design team member for About Art Accents

An eCraft Project

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Craftwell recently released its updated software designed to correct many of the problems inherent in the original version. I'm happy to report that many of the problems I had with my machine have been addressed and corrected with version 2. It's still not not my dream machine but it is far from the nightmare it was when I first received it. As a result, I've been playing around with it quite a bit, putting it through its paces and seeing what it can do. My big interest in this machine is the ability to import and cut images that I design on my computer. Now that it is behaving in a more consistent manner I can begin to dream up projects for the senior citizens center that I can cut solely on the eCraft. Here is my first paper project cut solely on the eCraft. It is a layered flower mounted on a pin back badge.

The flower on the right was cut from standard cardstock using the eCraft Fundamentals 1 set of SD images that were included in the initial shipment of the machine. The poinsettia flower on the left was cut from discontinued fabric paper the center had on hand with .svg files that I adapted from royalty free clipart. The layers are stacked with a washer between the leaves and petals to create height. The individual leaves and petals are curled and manipulated to give them more dimension and depth. Each layer, including the base badge, has a small hole punched in the middle through which passes a small office variety paper fastener. The legs of the fastener are opened and pressed tightly to the pin-back, effectively holding the whole thing together. I'm particularly pleased that I was able to salvage and repurpose the badges from being tossed into the trash by the senior center director. I believe wholeheartedly in recycling.These versatile flowers can also be made without the pin back for use as decor or dressing up a gift package. Ooh, I see a flowery spring bulletin board in my future.


Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Design team member for About Art Accents

The crafts classes continue...

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Between the volunteering I do for the senior center and a decorating project I'm working on for my daughter's high school, I've been too frantically busy to write about what I'm doing. I'm going to try and condense things here in an effort to catch up.

For a change of pace, we switched from card making and began making other things from paper. Thanks to a very successful visit to Material for the Arts as well as some generous donations of craft materials from private donors, I had lots of new materials to work with. Here you'll see a pretty pink and black memo holder complete with cards for writing little notes. These have small round magnets on the backs that allow them to stick to a refrigerator or filing cabinet.

Then there are two different styles of gift bags. The one pictured here is in a blue floral pattern but the seniors were able to choose from a variety of floral colors including chartreuse, peach and gold. This bag came with a coordinating gift tag and a matching little gift holder crafted to look like a matchbook and perfectly sized to hold a single square of Ghirardelli chocolate.

The other gift bag was made to look like a pale green mini tote bag and features a matching gift tag and a velcro closure. Class participants even got some coordinating tissue paper to place in the bag so they could be ready to wrap that perfect little gift.

The card you see here will be this week's project, a generic birthday card that is suitable for both men and women. It's generally more difficult to choose colors and themes that are suitable for men so this is a welcome change. This will be my final project for this season until I return in September to continue the craft classes. I must dedicate myself to completing the project for the high school in time for the graduation ceremony at the end of June, then spend time preparing my graduating daughter for her transition to college. So many things to do, so few days in which to do them.

Oh yes, the remaining photo. The senior center will be conducting it's own version of American Idol called "Dorchester Senior Idol". The photo represents the scoring paddles the judges will be using to score the participants on a scale from one to four. I created the paddles from some old hand fans with wooden handles by removing the original cardboard fan and replacing it with one that I designed. I just thought I'd throw them into the mix here as well since I had some fun making them. Oh yes, one more thing. I not only got to make the paddles, I'll get to use them. I've been asked to be one of the judges for the talent contest. This should be fun!!

Okay, no more time for chatter. I'm off again to put nose firmly to grindstone. I've got flowers to create and floral arrangements to make and a prom to prepare for and a graduation coming up and...

Boy, I need a vacation.


Ballo ergo sum- Gitana, the Creative Diva

More than Just a Card

If you follow this blog, you know that I am volunteering at a local senior citizen's center. Once a week for an hour, I lead a group of seniors in assembling a card kit that I create at home. Many times I will build in an element of choice so that they don't feel that their cards look exactly alike. Just before Easter, I created a card that featured a verse on the front that said "Easter Greetings" but knowing that not everyone there celebrates Easter, I created alternate greetings that could easily be substituted instead. Those greetings were "Hope You're Feeling Better" and "Where Flowers Bloom, There is Hope".

My story today is about Yolanda, the beautiful lady you see in this picture. She is holding the card she made in my crafts class. Yolanda chose the "There is Hope" greeting for her card and set about to putting the pieces together. As she was crafting, she began to think about who she would send this card to and her thoughts turned to a dear friend of hers who had just undergone a very serious operation and for whom she was concerned. It was only then that she really noticed the verse she had chosen for her card and how appropriate it was for this particular situation. When she spoke about her friend and how perfectly the card would suit her, she became emotional and had to fight back the tears. If she seems a little misty-eyed in the photo, she was. To paraphrase her words, "I didn't even think about what I was choosing when I picked the verse, but I chose the perfect words for her. There is hope."

I highlight Yolanda because this experience is not all that uncommon. For the most part, when one is crafting as part of a group effort, attention is usually paid first to the instructor and then to the task at hand, but if you allow yourself NOT to think, NOT to get hung up on the details and just let your mind relax, a whole new realm of insight is possible. This is what Yolanda felt when she realized what she was actually doing. She wasn't just crafting a card, she was sending a message of hope, and the realization of that brought her to tears.

I regularly inhabit the world of alternate insight and my vehicle is my art. That someone else has been able to visit that world due to my influence is an awesome and humbling realization.


Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Spring is in the Air - A Sneak Peek

(Click on an image for a larger view.)

Here is a sneak peek at the card the seniors will be constructing this week. In order to accommodate individuals with limitations in dexterity and/or vision, I do all the cut work and stamping, assemble card kits and guide them in assembling the finished card. For those of you who would like to create this card or one like it, the instructions are below. Happy crafting!

Spring is in the Air

After the long, cold days of winter, the soft, warm colors of spring are a welcome sight. The bright pink of this card provides the perfect backdrop for a collection of fabric flowers in black, white and pastel pink. The pretty decorative edge of the card front is created with a die punch edger. The same edger is used on the white inner liner of the card, adding a bit of visual interest. Two pink butterflies flutter in the left bottom edge of the liner, echoing the dominant color and motif of the card. This layout is fast and simple and lends itself to different color schemes and themes. With a change of sentiments and embellishments, this can become a card for any occasion.

Materials List:

1. A2 size card in fuschia (A2 is 8 ½” x 5 ½” open, 4 ¼” x 5 ½” folded in half)

2. White paper cut into two pieces as follows:

a. One 2 ½” x 4” piece (for card front)

b. One 4 ¼” x 5-3/8” piece (for liner)

3. Black marker

4. Black pigment ink, pink dye ink

5. Black embossing powder (EP) – superfine detail powder preferred

6. Studio G clear acrylic stamps – VC0023 Series 45 – Spring is in the Air

7. Small butterfly stamp

8. Five fabric flowers for embellishing: 1large, 2 medium, 3 small (Flowers used here are Petite Petals by Michael Miller Memories – item discontinued. Any other flowers can be substituted.)

9. Edge punch of your choice (Fiskars edger used here.)

10. Strong glue, glue stick or tape.

Construction

1. With edge punch, punch long edge of card front and one long edge of the white liner paper.

2. Align the straight edge of the liner flush with the straight edge of the inside card. The punched edge should be pointing towards the fold. Glue or tape in place.

3. With pink ink, stamp butterfly twice on lower left corner, angling them slightly in opposite directions. (See photo.)

4. With black pigment ink, stamp sentiment in center of smaller piece of white paper. Stamp butterfly above and slightly to the right of the upper right corner of the sentiment. Angle butterfly slightly to the right. Emboss sentiment and butterfly with black EP.

5. Slowly drag black marker around the edges of white paper, allowing the ink to soak into the edge and feather slightly. Glue paper to the center of the card front.

6. Arrange flowers in upper left and lower right corners of card front, placing the large flower in the upper left to balance the composition. When you are satisfied with your arrangement, glue the flowers in place.

Your card is now complete.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva