'Make IT! Mark IT! Mask IT! Mixed Media Midwest - Chicago Retreat!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

These are the current SPONSORS of our August 2015 retreat.

Many thanks to our 2015 Sponsors of Make IT! Mark IT! Mask IT! Mixed Media Midwest Chicago Retreat for their generous support.

• Patron - Highest Praise Dance Fitness
• Friend - Creative Media Wizards
• Donor 1 - Aurora Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Donor 2 - GOLDEN Paints
• Donation - GELLI Arts
• Donation - Piles to Smiles 

Click here to register or for M6 mixed media retreat info. Hope to see you in August!


Thanks for stopping by. Please become a Follower and come back soon.
Peace,
LuLu

2015 mixed media retreat, Chicago, altered books, assemblage, collage, artist book, book binding, art journal, prizes, smash book, steampunk, washi, workshops, playtime, fabric, scrapbooking retreat, fusing, workshop

'Early Bird registration is now open for Mixed Media retreat!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes



Welcome,

Do you want to learn and play near Chicago this summer?

Come join us at this new mixed media retreat in the US!

Make IT! Mark IT! Mask IT! Mixed Media Midwest - Chicago Retreat!

Thanks for stopping by - please become a Follower - and come back soon.

Peace,
Mary Lou

WOYWW - 01/26/11 "Cut 'em, Stick 'em, Bind 'em, Test 'em, Rock 'em!"

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

I've been super busy - cutting, gluing, assembling, testing and experimenting. In addition to going to physical therapy for my sprained ankle - which is not healing as fast as would be expected. Darn it!

I also re-organized my workstation - again. Trying to get non-essentials off the table - it was getting too cluttered again...and my workspace was shrinking...Here's what is on my workstation for WOYWW.

1) Cutting and gluing fancy patterned scrap booking card stock and recycled cardboard. Sizes are 2.5" x 3", 4" x 4", 6" x 6" and more . The glued pieces of card stock and cardboard will be used as pages for some of my art journals. They will be very sturdy substrates with patterns in the bottom layer. I'm using a lot of glue sticks and do this step while watching a DVD movie!

2) Assembling fancy patterned scrap booking card stock pages interleaved with vellum pages and patterned transparencies. These pages are 3" x 6" and are almost ready for punching and binding. I really enjoy how the vellum and transparencies obscure the patterned card stock - just a tad... 


3) Testing how wax paper, deli paper and freezer paper behave when heated with a craft iron. Wondering if they will act as an adhesive when melted. Guess what? They don't really. Only the freezer paper adhered permanently when it was ironed to another piece of freezer paper. The wax paper and deli paper adhered temporarily.


4) Experimenting with my binding machine (ZUTTER Bind It All) to practice punching holes and attaching wire for my art journals. I've had a cute little Bind IT All machine for 2 years - and just now am learning how to use it! There was an instructional DVD in the box (I bought it used from a scrap booking buddy - thanks, Marisa!) It was pretty easy, I practiced on scraps first. The punching was foolproof. The first journal I bound had squished wires instead of circular. Operator error! After I tweaked the machine for the proper size of wire, the binding worked great on the next journal. It was nice and circular. Then I punched and bound a couple more before hitting the hay last night. #4 is displaying a length of wire that I cut to bind the pages assembled in #2 above.

5) Rocking - almost! My invitiation to the GRAMMY AWARDS in Los Angeles, California just arrived a few days ago! Wish I could afford to go next month. Almost made it to the GRAMMY AWARDS show in New York City at radio City Music Hall several years ago. It would be so exciting to go next month. Wouldn't it be fantastic to see all those musicians singing and dancing live onstage?! Maybe I'll get to go in 2012...

6) Cutting - finally bought a pair of T.H. Tonic scissors! They work great. I  used them to cut the binding wires, instead of wire cutters. Bought the scissors with my 40% off discount coupon at Michaels!

Well that's what's on my workstation for now for now. Click here to take a peak at other artists' digs.

Would love for you to be a Follower if you're not already. And comments are encouraged. What do you think of this post - or any of my other posts? Did you see the post about the Altered Book I made for my hubby's Christmas gift? Check it out - there's a link to photobucket.com with lots of photos of this Altered Book.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you can come back soon.

Peace,
LuLu