CREATING COLLAGES...A VERY SATISFYING HOBBY

 

I've always been a avid crafter...of a large variety of crafts...from sewing, spinning, weaving to painting and many other crafts that I see on Facebook. If I see it and like it...chances are, I can make it.  I have a talent for recreating most any craft that I see...usually with no pattern or direction.  I just have a knack for studying the craft, dissecting it in my mind...and then create either a drawing or a prototype before making the final item. I have created some original items...but I'm much better at seeing the finished item and then breaking it down and recreating.  My finished craft item is generally similar to the one that I saw, but with my own personal artistic touches.  

Currently my craft of choice is creating paper/picture collage, many people create digital collages and that is fine.  I personally like the long process of finding pictures that I really like, detail trimming around the picture and then experimenting with positioning of all of the images. I do tend to create very busy, layered, intertwined collages. This method takes quite a bit of time.  After selecting all of the pictures that I think I want included in the college, I temporarily place them on the canvas, eliminating some, keeping some. Then the harder, more intense process begins, knowing where to glue down and where to leave open to then mesh other pictures under, over or intertwined.   

 I am also starting to gather quite a pile of my fabric scrapes and parts and pieces of past projects to begin creating a fabric collage. I've seen fabric collages made by other artists and they are always interesting and unique.  I can't wait to give it a try.

Anyone can collage.  You can use magazines, old books, greeting cards, really anything.  Because I have a really great printer, I tend to look for pictures on the internet that I like, print them off and use them in a collage. Before I began collaging, I used to create Junk Journals for several years.  They are all currently sitting in a big wooden box.  They could sit there for eternity or, they could be disassembled and used in my collages.  So, I thought I could take some of the parts and pieces out of those journals...to repurpose for the 2nd time. The junk journals were generally created out of used materials...bags, ripped paper, damaged books, bits of lace, fabric, buttons...really anything that appealed to me.  

Most all of my Junk Journals are based on a nature theme. I used a lot of tea staining to make the journal papers look older.  I also distress the edges of all with dark stain.  I like to make them look like they had been up in an attic in an old dusty chest for many years.   So, I do take apart my Junk Journals to use bits, parts and pieces for my collages.  After all, the fun part was creating...not just storing and keeping forever.  

I have made a variety of collages.   I tend to create based on my color mood which is usually more along a natural color line.  I also love anything Fairie Realm - whimsical - somewhere one would like to escape into...so, lots of woodland, magical type collages...but they really can be anything. Something kicks off a theme in my mind - usually a particular picture. And then, I develop around that special picture.  It can be a theme of characters or colors or mood.  It can be funny, serious or anything that you want to put together in one group of pictures.  

So, basically there isn't much more to say about collages...except show you a few that I have made... 

  

  

Start collaging...it's a great winter or anytime, hobby. So fun to create your own picture out of beautiful artwork...

TIME TO MAKE PLANS FOR 2025

 Now that I am retired...my 'what to do' during the winter months and New Year's Resolutions, tend to be about finishing unfinished projects first, before I start new ones...sometimes it happens...most of the time it does not...

There is always a special excitement about starting something new...planning, shopping and then arriving home with all of the new stuff.  So, you begin but maybe don't finish because of many factors/excuses...and so, it becomes another item added to the list of unfinished projects.   

It is inspiring for me to have a long list of projects to finish...always something to look forward to and work on if I choose. I do wake up each day with new energy, vowing to finish an ongoing project...and, I usually make some progress on the decided unfinished project, before wandering off to do something else.  

If I have deadlines...I will finish.  When I worked, owned businesses and even after retiring, I worked a part time job and sold crafts that I made to sell at several different stores and on Etsy.  I have always done well with deadlines because I do tend to wander about with lots of new ideas...rather than getting back to the 'should be' tasks at hand.   With deadlines, I would get projects done on a timely basis - I had to.  But now that I have no real deadlines...I just kind of work at it. Not sure yet which way I enjoy the most.  Working on a project 'under fire' and then receiving a paycheck or money...does have its rewards.  I'm kind of waiting for the 'good feelings' of finishing a project with no big paycheck or cash coming my way...just praise from my hubby or friends or family members.  I love that. But it's different...going to have to take some getting used to. Not the same feeling of accomplishment - not yet anyway.

It is all probably a part of retiring that I need to get used to...and it's not bad...just different...I've got all day. So, what's the big hurry.  

New Incentive....One day I was looking around our big old Victorian house thinking...what are our kids going to think when they find all of these unfinished projects?  It won't be a complete surprise to them as we've always been collectors and project people.  We have always been able to get the necessities at our various homes, 'up and running'...maybe not totally completed though.  But, enough to serve their purpose and promising to get back to them - one day - someday. In our defense, we have purchased and remodeled about 20 homes/buildings, while we were also working our full-time jobs for the last 30+ years.   Some minor remodels...but mostly crazy major (large) renovations that probably 'no one else would do' type renovations.  One of our largest was an old lumberyard from the 1800's in Mineral Point, WI...with 11 buildings...big old lumber sheds and various other buildings.  We loved working on the buildings - they were all pretty much structurally sound.  They were all giant and wide open...lots of options.   We opened several businesses in these buildings, rented some of them out...added more buildings (restaurant/bakery/storage units) and then sold when we decided to move out to 40 acres in the country...to renovate another house, an old four-square farmhouse that had not been lived in for many years.  Also, we have always collected animals to love and enjoy...usually ones from the Humane Society and/or ones that wandered onto our hobby farm...or animals that were not wanted by others.  We wanted them, no matter...every living thing deserves food, love and a place to lay their head safely. 

We have successfully fully renovated and successfully sold all of the homes/buildings that we have purchased...we usually lived in them while renovating - pretty rough and adventurous, some would say. But we always had a mental picture of the end results...so, inconveniences were just temporary.  Together we always made it fun. When finished, we would sell them and eagerly move onto the next.   Some of them were never homes and we made them into apts. or into a large home.  Many were in Historic Districts.  I believe (but, you never know with us) we are currently living in our 'forever'...not going to sell - house...and so, the motivation is different. Not a constant every morning check list rolling through our heads.  ...yeah...that sounds like a good excuse for not getting at those projects everyday...I'm going with that... 

Usually having friends or family over will motivate me to finish up (or hide) some projects...BUT, my new motivation will be...how I want my kids to remember us. Their final walk through of their parents' house....They know us, but when the day comes that they have to go through all of our stuff...and, we have a lot, we are definitely collectors...what will they think?

I mentioned to my son the other day that he really should look through our stuff before disposing or donating...we have quite a few older collections from our childhoods that are worth something these days...that, he could make some money by selling on Ebay or somewhere online.  He said, why don't you sell it and make the money now.  I guess I could...But, I've been saving some of these things...from my childhood, from my mom, grandma, etc. for so long...I forgot and/or haven't really thought about selling them...but, maybe I should...Definitely keep the really personal items that have real meaning to me, that hopefully our children will cherish and keep...but a lot of the collectable items...they really could go to an interested collector, and I wouldn't mind.  Afterall...most of this stuff is sitting in storage containers...I know it's there...but I'm not doing anything with it...storing...  

I wonder, if now, as retirees that we start relaxing the whole 'stuff to get done' program.  We are no longer under the gun...so to speak - to constantly hit deadlines and finish every project so as to be paid and/or keep our career reputation in great standing.  My husband was a contractor for his entire career. And I worked in various Social Service fields and also worked in Human Resources for many years.  Always, other people/customers counting on you to do your job and successfully complete. But now that we can relax the whole project with no real negative feedback - cause we're the only ones that know that it's not finished...we really need to just be okay with the different pace. 

Whatever the reason...I'm going with...I want to make my home as organized and finished as possible...for my kids...I would do anything for them...so...my plan for pretty much every year, going forward will be to get us and our stuff organized. We have a lot of stuff...good stuff. But a lot less with every move (wish I still had some of the stuff...I just threw out, but anyway) ...we definitely have more than the average collector....

So, I'm going with...for the kids...to hopefully leave them with the last, best impression of their parents...and to do them a favor and have our things in order so that it's not such a big job for them...