Even tho' Bohemian Valhalla is still quite a bit out of Order, I made a New Year's Resolution that I would set aside Time for Creativity and Artistic Expression as often as possible, to Feed my Soul doing something I have always Loved. We also decided that since I have a hefty Laundry List of Housekeeping and Caregiving duties that must be done, we'd keep the Champagne Pencil Tree up and just Re-Decorate it with Seasonal Ornaments for a while. Since it looks so Pretty as a Livingroom Focal Point and I don't really have Time or the inclination to take everything down and put all of it away.
So I had this bucket of Rusty Metal Hearts just begging for a Valentine's Day Project... and decided they would make Awesome Altered Art Valentine Tree Decorations! All I had to do was take anything Christmasy off of the Tree and replace them with Valentine's Day Inspired and Romantic objects. I had a couple dozen of these Wonderful Rusty Hearts, each with a great Patina... so I spent a couple of days punching holes in them... Dying Seam Binding and Velvet... attaching Findings, Embellishing with bits and bobs... and Haute Sari Fibers...
In fact, Haute Sari Fibers could be one of my newest Favorite Finds this Month! I'm a Fiber Fanatic so when I Discovered these Wonderful Dreadlocks of Yarn and Threads at Hobby Lobby I HAD to get one of each. Such Eye Candy just as it is in the packaging... a Color Explosion and the little Dreads of it was an Interesting Concept for Creating Unique Fibers too.
So many Possibilities to use it and when you untwist the braided Skein of them there is a lot so well worth the eight bucks a Skein... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Product! So Relaxing and Fun to delve into this Creative Vision I had... and took my Mind off of Heavy Issues. So the next few days Posts will Showcase the Results of the Rusty Hearts Valentine Tree now Gracing Bohemian Valhalla.
I have such a Penchant for Collecting Ephemera, Fibers, bits and bobs that it is always a Delight to Create Art Projects with my Tiny Treasures so they can be Displayed or Gifted and Enjoyed properly. Just wading thru my Stashes of them to choose what I want to use is such a Joy.
The nice thing about Collecting Small Treasures is that they don't take up a lot of space and so you can have an impressive Hoard of them and keep them organized in other Found Storage Treasures such as Old Canning Jars, Cigar Boxes and Vintage Tins.
Princess T was really Loving the End Result of keeping the Tree up and Re-Decorating it for the upcoming Holidays... the Ambiance of the Twinkling Lights is very Soothing and Lovely.
I wanted to keep the Rusty Heart Valentine Ornaments Simple and Organic... so I used some of my Stash of Tim Holtz Findings, mini Message Plaques and Clasps that would Compliment the Rusty and Crustiness rather than detract from it.
I didn't want to hide too much of the Wonderful Patina on each Heart or have it too busy. And it really was a Stress Reliever to punch holes into each one with a nail and sledgehammer lemme tell you! The Man was like, do you want me to help you do that Honey? And I'm like, are you kidding me, I NEED this Hole Punching Therapy to take out Frustration and Relieve Stress!!! *LOL*
Not to mention I'm not certain his motor skills are sufficiently healed enough yet to be weilding any tools that could potentially send us to the ER with an injury! *Yikes!* But it looked like a somewhat Destructive Project going on and you KNOW how Men Love to weild sledgehammers doing ANYTHING to make a hole in SOMETHING... so he hovered thru the whole Process... until I got to Dying Seam Binding... then he totally lost interest and wandered off to watch some more Football! *LOL*
The Kiddos only got interested when I broke out the Gorilla Glue... and NO, I don't need 'Help' with that Thank You very much... no telling what would have gotten permanently affixed with them weilding a strong adhesive!?! *Shudder!*
As it was, a few of my Rhinestones turned up Missing... Hey wait a Minute!!! A certain wee Princess had been clearly Admiring the Shiny Sparkle and Bling and probably picked them off before they were completely dry to attach to her Barbies as Earrings and Rings!?! So I had to replace some as I noticed they'd disappeared seemingly into thin air!?! *Smiles*
But by and large they all left me alone to lose myself in my Creative Pursuits and I was Grateful for that since I was in my own Bubble throughout the Process. And it wasn't about getting done in a hurry anyway or having any looming deadlines to get 'er done... Valentine's Day is still a ways off and they will very likely Grace the Tree for a while after that.
And besides, when you're awash in your Tiny Treasures, Rusty Crusty Fabulousness and freshly Dyed Seam Binding, Time stands still anyway, doesn't it? It was a Time Warp in fact and I only came out the other side when I ran out of Rusty Hearts to Embellish! *Winks*
So... since I was in The Zone Creatively... when I ran out of Rusty Hearts... I switched over to...
Embellishing some Altered Art Tags that were semi-pre-made, which saved some Time, and only needed me to put my own Spin and Stamp on how I wanted them to look for my Project. You don't have to start from Scratch if you don't want to, I'm always on the lookout for semi-pre-made items I like the look of and can further Embellish in my own Style to use and yet not spend quite so much Precious Time upon.
These particular Tags already had some Tea Staining, Dyed Seam Binding and Vintage Millinery Accents... so all I had to do was add some Haute Sari Fibers, Scrapbook Stamping and any other bits and bobs I wanted to like Vintage Buttons, Charms and Rhinestones.
Altered Art Tags are so much Fun and easy to Create, they are a Simple way to Decorate almost anything. And even if you don't have the Time or inclination to make your own, they are inexpensive to Purchase pre-made or semi-pre-made too. I pick them up anytime I see some I really like... and either leave them 'As Is' or as a Quickie Art Project to further Embellish... and if I have sufficient Time, to Create from Scratch.
It was nice to throw in some Art Tag Creating with the Rusty Valentine Hearts Creating for added Variety and to fill in the Tree more fully when I ran out of Rusty Hearts to Adorn it with. Altered Art Tags are great Fillers.
Hey my Friend Pamela... if you're coming for a Blog Visit Today, recognize this Tag from a Valentine's Day Goodie Bag in your Booth?! *Winks... yeah it was me who bought it... and you TOTALLY set me up to buy Red Seam Binding too you sly Vixen... since I realized that was the one Dye Hue I didn't possess! And what is Valentine's Day without some Vivid Blood Red, right?!? LOL*
I'm an absolute S-U-C-K-A for Ephemera and Smalls in Goodie Bags... like a Kid at a Party I HAVE TO HAVE one! *Smiles* Yes, I LOVE Creating my own Goodie Bags and Junque Jars too... and they are good solid Sellers... so apparently I'm not the only one Afflicted with the Urge to have them?!? *Smiles* Goodie Bag and Junque Jars Anonymous Junkies you KNOW who you are and you're in Good Company! *Smiles* And what you choose not to keep you can Create your own Bags and Jars to give the next person their 'Fix', so it's All Good.
The Lovely Altered Art Tag with the tiny Rusty Heart was a Creation by the Talented Terry Parvan that I bought at the last 'Sweet Salvage' Event, it goes so well with my Rusty Heart Ornaments don't you think?
And an early Valentine's Day Gift from The Man is this Gorgeous Vintage Salvage Stained Glass Window with Hearts and Roses in a Swag of Textured Glass that I got 65% off! *Whoop Whoop!* It now Graces our Boudoir... which is in dire need of dusting and Organization... but I'm in Creative and Decorating Mode right now... so I'd lose my Rhythm and risk not being 'On' Creatively if I switched to Housekeeping at the Moment. *Bwahahaha!* I'm glad I have a fairly high thresh-hold for the capacity to live in a mess right now and not have it bother me too much!
Anyway, thick layer of dust settled on everything around it aside, I decided to show it off anyway and just swallow my Pride... and not Stage the Shot 'cause then, Mylanta... I'd have to then clean everything in the whole damn room if I Stage Cleaned a Close-Up Shot wouldn't I? *Gasp!* And that ain't gonna happen... *LOL*
Besides, I was on a Creative Roll and Artistic Binge, having way too much Fun to resort to Household drudgery, lose my Mojo and reign in all the Positive Energy swirling around the house. I was a Rusty Hearts Valentine Creating Machine by then...
See... see what a busy Gal Dawn was! *Winks* So be sure to come back for at least a couple more Posts so I can Show it all Off in Excessive Detail. Cause tho' I managed to Keep it Simple with the Creations... I've GOTTA go Excessive somewhere for Heaven's Sakes or I'll Implode I tell ya... so might as well be here! *Smiles*
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian