A Day of Art and Play

Saturday's Mini Retreat was so much fun.  Bonnie had run away home by the time someone suggested a group photo, so my apologies Bonnie. 

Six ladies came to play with inks and paints and so much more I can't begin to make a list.  But I can show you what the table looked like throughout the day.

Everyone was having fun no matter how they look in my photos.  Contemplative in this shot perhaps?

Our paper arts project kicked off the day, stopping briefly for pizza and then kicked back in for a while longer.  But those papers would be used in the assemblage project, the wearable art project and in the book art project at the end of the day, so it required much attention.

We played with so many colorants and tools you can't even imagine.  Clearsnap's Magic Stamp (Penscore) was a huge hit, just as it always is in my classes.  The Viva Inka Gold was popular on metal, wood, and even aluminum flashing tape.

Stencils were another favorite, as were masks.  Sometimes new products hit the market and we play with them relentlessly, then put them aside.  But in my classes we continue to use the much-loved items.

Remember Junkitz and their foam stamps?  I pulled out my stash so everyone could play with Ranger's Dabbers.  A huge hit at this little party!

Now let's talk about stamps.  How could I possibly decide on which images to set out?  By the time we began working on our journals I knew we'd need to stamp, so I tried to select images that would work well on 4x4 pages.  But of course the IKEA cabinets lining the room held thousands more and since they're labeled, everyone had the opportunity to look for that certain stamp that would complete their page.

Our book covers were canvas that we painted using Claudine Hellmuth's Studio line of Acrylic paints by Ranger.  We had solids, polka dots, stripes, as well as patterns.  Just fabulous!

Nothing gets a woman up on her feet faster than stamping.  Whether they were up to select an image or use an image, there was lots of activity going into the 7th and 8th hours of play.  At one point Bonnie got a call and asked what time this event was supposed to end.  The answer:  6-6:30, followed by laughter, because of course we didn't finish as planned.

Come back later to see the assemblage projects.  Please.