Saturday Link List - Enjoying Mixed Media

Paper and sterling silver bead earrings

Have you started your artistic endeavors with one medium, only to switch to another?  It's not uncommon.  I call it growth.  Paper is usually a second medium that we all use, whether we started out with it first, or moved to it after trying something else, like me.  What about combining your mediums together and use up some materials, in a mixed media project?

If you're ready to use some of your scraps of fabrics, then you'll love Bona's blog called Keep On Scrappin.  Back in 2010, she participated in a blog swap and received a bunch of decorated tags.  Here's a video made by Bona, showing how she added these tags to her beautiful Fabric Journal.  You can use her idea of a themed fabric journal or make your own.  I know I just have to do this!  But first I need to get more scraps... 

Cloth Paper Scissors is one of the Stampington Company magazines that I haven't bought yet.  If you enjoy fabrics and paper, you'll enjoy it.  Here's the cover of the July/August 2012 issue.  Stampington also publishes Art Journaling, my favorite.  And Artful Blogging, which first came out exactly two years ago.  I'm sure it's something a bunch of us here would love to pass around.  Stampington is an expensive series of journals, but next time you go to the book store (or are surfing on the internet), you should try and buy (or order) just one.  You won't be disappointed.   

If you like making jewelry, then you've heard of Fire Mountain Gems.  I know I've bought loads of beads from them, before and during my bead buying sprees on Etsy.  But have you taken full advantage of their website?  I went over there this week and found an article on "The Art of Mixed Media Jewelry" written my Jamie Smedley.  Aside from this beautiful "Momentos of Life" necklace designed by Louise McClure, they also recommend polymer clay and art clay to use.

picture frames by Laura Winzeler

I was thinking about other types of material people have in their workrooms.  Glass came to mind.  There are lots of things you can create with glass: jewelry, stained glass, fused glass.  If you have some extra broken (or soon to be broken) pieces around the house, you can mix it with beads, buttons, metal, almost anything, and make a personalized picture frame.  Take a close look at some in Laura Winzeler's etsy shop and you'll see what I mean. What a fun way to use up extra "stuff"!