This Just In
Whether it’s a product, a tool, or a storage item, we have all used our things in imaginative ways to help make our art spaces or our art our own. A child’s lunchbox repurposed to corral ribbons, a vintage hutch storing paints, everyday items used as stamps—artists strive to use products in new and creative ways. By now you’ve probably seen the new section in Cloth Paper Scissors called This Just In. Started in May, this section introduces readers to products that are new on the market. Here are three of those products and some fresh ideas for how to use them.
Paper Bead Roller Kits
Like the idea of making your own beads but just couldn’t get them to look the way you wanted them to? This tool is what you’ve been waiting for.
6 places to use paper beads:
1. Add a tassel to a book mark.
2. Roll some beads out of old Christmas cards to make a tree garland.
3. Use newspaper to make beads, dip the beads in encaustic medium [also in the store], and add to an assemblage.
4. Make a funky eyeglass cord using junk mail.
5. Use elastic cord and create a handmade bracelet for a tween.
6. On a barrette or headband. This would be a fun project to do with the kids this summer.
Photo Display Stand
Designed to hang photos, this is a great way to keep things in sight as inspiration or to keep you organized.
6 things to hang:
1. Your handmade mixed-media jewelry.
2. A series of creative prompts on 5″ x 7″ index cards.
3. A journal page slipped into a sleeve. Add a new one every day.
4. Ribbon.
5. An artist book or a favorite poem.
6. Magazine clip-outs and other images, organize by type.
Fiber Paste creates a dry film that has the appearance of rough handmade paper.
6 ways to create texture:
1. Cover the inside of a shadow box to look like paper.
2. Try it on fabric with a stencil.
3. Blend it with fluid acrylics and use as a thick paint with a palette knife.
4. Spread it on an old book page, let it dry, and paint it with watercolors.
5. Cover a stretched canvas with it and press different implements into it before it dries.
6. Layer it on cardstock, randomly comb through it, and use it for a journal cover.
You can probably come up with even more ideas for using these products. Leave a comment below with your ideas!
I hope you are enjoying the summer and spending lots of time creating.
P.S. For more creative ideas, take a look at Studios, where you’ll not only see amazing art spaces, you’ll also get some new ideas for creating your own space, new ways to use everyday items, and you’ll meet some wonderful artists. Read about artists who make studio space under stairs, in garages, and in play houses their kids have outgrown. See how to use old lockers, card catalog cabinets, ladders, discarded suitcases, and much more as unique storage. Make the most of the available space in your studio and let Studios give you the inspiration and ideas to do it.