10 ways to know if you are a craft/mixed media junkie

There are some addictions we just have to acknowledge, and decide whether or not there is a real downside.  Here are some ways to know whether you are addicted to the habit of crafting:

• 1.  You see a bottle or jar someone is getting ready to throw away and your heart beats a little faster.
• 2.  A package comes in the mail; inside is corrugated cardboard or tissue and you grab it to save for someday.
• 3.  You see a new paint additive in the hardware store and you immediately think of ways to use it.
• 4.  The neighbors put something on the lawn for the weekly heavy pick-up and you really want to go examine it before the truck comes.  Sometimes you do, and you bring it inside.
• 5.  You go to Scrapbook.com regularly to see what new products there are this week, even if you don't order anything.  Mostly you realize you already have that.
• 6.  When you go to Amazon just to order something simple, like coffee or a book, you end up clicking on all the recommended items that relate to making stuff.
• 7.  Your craft room is full of things you cannot use in a lifetime.  You obsess over organization.
• 8.  You spend entirely too much time on Pinterest in the DIY sections, and hours on YouTube watching tutorials.
• 9.  You want to order every new die cutting machine that comes on the market.
• 10. You pore over every craft store mailer just in case there's something they have at 40% off this week that you don't have yet.

And there are lots more signs, like when shopping you drift over to the craft supplies area just because.

Well, these things certainly apply to me, and to a few of my acquaintances.  I think that's one of the reasons there are so many exchanges and swaps online for cards and handmade gifts.  And the groups!  There are so many exciting things to learn from other people.

But here is the downside:

There is only so much time in a day, not to mention a lifetime.  In my case, I figure I have maybe a decade left, and assuming I can still create things during the remainder of my years, I still won't be able to use everything I have accumulated in the many ways I can imagine.  I have been working on de-stashing for several years now, yet it seems that each new fascination or project requires maybe one more product... so for that reason, I have lots and lots of supplies, every type of adhesive that exists on the planet (except silicone glue.  What is that anyway?  I keep meaning to do a search on Amazon and get some.) and every type of paper made.  I have even learned to make paper, so I have the screen and supplies for that too.


And painting substrates: I have canvases, cardboard, mat board, board-board, and watercolor paper. I have fabric paint of all types.

Oh, and speaking of fabric, last year I learned to hook rugs, so I have those supplies, and then I saw a video about rag rugs so I am building a frame for that.  I'm done making quilts.

I have supplies for making art journals, scrapbooks, binding machines, brads and I LOVE making little books.  I have clay and clay molds.  I have the oven for that.  I have woodworking supplies and carving knives.  And I'm not even talking yet about the Dremels.

Recently I discovered parchment craft, so I set up an online store for that since I found supplies hard to get in the USA. That's taking time (and another addiction) too.

I have never had much success with Etsy, but I am about to start making little craft packs, and various die cut shapes and putting them up for sale somewhere.  I recently sent a lot of my hand-made greeting cards to a nursing home I know about, so the staff can give residents birthday cards when they need one.  I like that idea.  An acquaintance of mine is doing paper crafting on a volunteer basis in another senior center, so I sent a big pack of "stuff" to her,  I don't mind sharing because my stock of that sort of thing is boundless.  On my "to-do" list this week is to contact local activity directors of nursing homes to see if they could use things like this.

There are so many things I want to make.  Each time I go into the studio I see something I have been planning to do, but since I'm in the middle of whatever I'm doing right now, of course I can't get to it. I have photo albums and scrapbooks of my own that need finishing.  I recently found some sketches I did of my granddaughters when they were babies and I thought saving those all together in one scrapbook would be a great idea.  I went to a used bookstore and found a big hard-back childrens' book and gessoed it to use for that purpose.  I started it.  It remains unfinished.

So to me, this is the downside.  I see other people quite happy to relax once in awhile, to just read or watch TV and sometimes I envy them,  But my addiction compels me to keep trying to finish all these fun projects.  I think my fantasy is that if I keep at it, I will finally use up all of my supplies and then I can relax and do nothing.

By the way, I just ordered a new super-duper does-everything cutter! I can't wait til it gets here!  Just think,.. then I can make stencils, more wood ornaments and frames, templates, engrave more materials....

Now I have to go find that silicone glue.

Now you can buy prints of my work...

Fine Art America has now set up widgets (see to the right) where visitors can order prints of my work directly from here. If you are interested there are lots of options for greeting cards all the way up to canvas prints.

I have completed about a dozen new paintings so far this year, in addition to working on art journals. I am beginning to participate in what is called "Project Life" starting next week, which involves posting something -- an Instagram photo, or detritus from the day, in addition to journaling about EVERY DAY of your life, no matter how short the note. I will see if I can keep it up. Heck, my 94-year-old father writes in his "diary" a sentence or two every night, so if he can, surely I can.

I continue to participate in swaps whenever I can, and continually learn from YouTube, which has to be the greatest invention since the Internet itself. How to use papier mache? It's there. How to use expandable paint? It's there. (You have to heat the back side. I just thought it would expand by itself and waited and waited and waited.....)

And all my new paintings have the new glaze techniques I learned from Chris Comer's wonderful book. It really has given my paintings the finished look I have been seeking. There's no such thing as a self-taught artist. We learn from others. My first teacher was my neighbor, Laurie Svec, and I have learned from Joseph Melancon and Bob Burridge and Cheryl McClure and Nita Leland... monkey see, monkey do. That's it.

I cut my own stencils on my Pazzles with the MakeTheCut software that I am always touting, then I am free to stamp or spray patterns willy-nilly.

It would have been so nice to have known when I was a child that I was a "visual" learner. Better late than never, I say!

It is H-E-L-L to have ADD!!

I have been painting up a storm in the past week, using glaze techniques and new skills developed recently, through the wonderful book I found by Chris Cozen, Acrylic Solutions. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear, or something like that.







Anyway, today I had planned to have a studio cleanup and reorganization, which HAS to happen after each marathon painting session. But I keep picking up something and remembering what I meant to do with it, and wanting to do that right now! So I have about ten projects right in front of me that I really want to work on NOW! I definitely need an assistant.

I made some bowls with newspaper strips (learned it on YouTube) that I would like to paint. I have more newspaper strips that I want to collage as a background for a grungy painting with corrugated cardboard and some great metal pieces I have. And rusty paint effects.

And on top of that, my favorite software, Make-The-Cut keeps sending free updates... it's now up to Version 4.6, so each time that happens I want to stop and try that out with my Pazzles, where I cut stencils and masks for my paintings from drawings I have done.

AND some supplies I ordered some time ago showed up yesterday, so I am itching to try them out. But I don't want to stop my organizing and like dessert, I am trying to save the fun stuff for after the work is done. But boy, I'm losing track of all the neat things I really want to do, so maybe I'll pile them all in a box. Which I won't be able to find later. (Seems like I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for stuff.) So I guess I'll make a list at the same time.

I was sure I had some self-leveling gel and got all set up to use that, then discovered there isn't any. That I can find, I should say. I am in dire need of an inventory, ergo, needing an assistant.

And yesterday I got the catalog from Discount School Supply, and really got jazzed over some products that are so much cheaper than buying similar items elsewhere. Should I buy a bunch and put them on my website for sale? Uh... no. I really am trying to get away from retail and concentrate on painting. But I have to remind myself of that. Maybe I should make a sign for myself and hang it above the computer. No more inventory until we get a chance to assess what's here.

So, back to work.

Busy busy busy

This month I have been working on paintings. There are so many festivals coming up, but I have decided to lay out for a year, maybe, and work on painting skills. This is not set in stone however. But this week I am working with glazes. I have all the Golden mediums and airbrush colors to work with, but am mixing colors and creating more glazes as I work out difficulties I have with colors and design principles. I am a "learn by doing" person, so no matter how many books I read on the subject, it matters not until I try it for myself. I am still doing art journaling with the Meetup group, but with my jillions of stencils that I have either purchased or made myself with various cutters and cardstock or plastic, I tend to just get lost doing that instead of what I REALLY want to do, which is paint paintings. (It's hell to have ADD!) Other new products I have yet to try are some metal for embossing, and some instant mold stuff to create yet more things for collage (that I don't need.) My website has a couple of de-stash sections for collage elements because I have created boxes and boxes of stuff that I have set prices for, depending on the size of the Priority Mail box. I work now with two creativity categories: painting and cutting projects are done in the studio, then at night, around 8 pm I go to my room, where the art journal is, or my sewing machine and crochet projects. I am going to make a new neck pillow for myself because the old one is worn out, and since I plan to spend a couple hours in oral surgery this week, I want my OWN pillow. So that's on my to-do list. My daughter and her girls have been out of town this weekend, so I assumed I would get tons of things done this weekend but for some reason, I get less done than I would like before I just poop out! But for this afternoon, I am going back to my painting. Right after I put another load of laundry in.