Durham Art Council Show and Sustainable Midlands work

 
 (Above:  Rings made from recycled dairy pull tabs, artificial flowers collected from cemetery dumpsters, and assorted beads.)

I adore using found objects and vintage materials in my work ... so naturally I wanted to be part of a one-evening-only, local holiday sales event sponsored by Sustainable Midlands.  I support their mission and have bought things at past sales.  Yet, I've never applied to be a vendor until this year!  Luckily, I was accepted.  It will be on Monday, December 1st at 701 Whaley from 4:30 - 8:30 PM.  (My work was also accepted for Crafty Feast!  This is a 100% handmade, juried, independent indie holiday craft fair on Sunday, Dec. 14th from noon - 6 at the Columbia Convention Center, Columbia, SC.  I'll blog more about it later!)

 
 (Above:  One of two photos sent to Sustainable Midlands ... showing fiber Christmas ornaments, wooden spool ornaments, fiber vessel with more wrapped-and-stitched wooden spools, book marks ... all on a beer cap embellished framed mirror.)

I could only submit my website and two images of my work.  Of course, this was problematic.  The work on my website isn't exactly the right merchandise for such an event ... nor is it all "recycled".  Sustainable Midlands is about reusing, repurposing, and recycling.  So ... I sent these two photos.

 
 (Above:  Framed, tagged keys.)

While I strive to create "serious" ART, I also really enjoy making small things ... especially using found materials.  Lately, I've been doing just that!  So ... be prepared for more photos of framed, tagged, recycled old keys ... more Christmas ornaments ... and a couple of other "new" items like these fun rings!  (Photo at top of blog post.)

 
 (Above:  One of the rings on the finger of a neighbor.  I wish my hands looked like hers but alas my hands look like those of a middle aged artist! LOL!)

All year Steve and I have been saving little, plastic dairy pull tabs.  I embellished them with the tiniest artificial flowers collected from cemetery dumpsters and assorted beads.  I'm thinking of charging $2 a piece.  It was fun to make them in front of the television ... until the TV "died" last week.  It was 20+ years old.  It was a hand-me-down from my parents.  We've been streaming things on the laptop since then.  A new, flat screen is supposed to arrive later today ... HD and "smart"!

 
 (Above:  Two beer cap embellished photo frames.)

I've also been playing with an amazing stash of beer and soda caps ... making assorted mirrors and several photo frames.  The photo frames have mats cut for 5" x 7" pictures.  The mirrors are all various sizes ... because the actual mirror have come from Bill Mishoe's auction. 

 
 (Above:  Corners of two of the larger, framed mirrors.)

Most of the frames have absolutely no repeated bottle caps!  It was a blast to design and nail them to these frames.  I am now turning my attention to earrings ... made using the plastic bread clips.  Should be fun!

 
 (Above:  Installing my solo show at the Durham Arts Council in Durham, NC.)

Last month I installed my solo show, Fiber Architecture: Buildings in Stitches, at the Durham Arts Council.  Steve drove me there and took some of these photos but I never got around to blogging about the experience.  Why?  Well, I was in the midst of my "thread installation" and I knew that the reception wasn't going to be held until last Friday night, during the "Third Friday" art crawl in their downtown.  So, I'm blogging it now!  We brought twenty-two pieces and hung them in the Allenton Gallery.

 
 (Above:  A large "In Box" piece flanked by two "Lancet Windows".)

These three were on a wall beside the elevator.  Below is the rest of the show.

 
 (Above:  View of the wall with the elevator and one of the two main exhibition walls.)

 
 (Above:  One of two main exhibition walls.)

 (Above:  The other exhibition wall ... directly across from the wall shown in the photo above.)

 (Above:  Sauda Zahra and me at the reception.)

The reception was very, very nice.  I was so pleased to talk with two other art quilters:  Sauda Zahra and Christine Hager-Braun!  They are both Facebook friends and members of PAQA-South! 

I am also linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber artwork.