Artist Date: St. Francis Thrift Shop

I've long held that anything, really, can be turned into an Artist Date, as long as I use the experience to re-energize and "fill the well" of ideas and images that feed my creativity.

"God sees you even if we don't"--
one of the best deterrents to shoplifting in a Catholic
 thrift shop that I can imagine!

A trip to a thrift shop, then, is as good an Artist Date as any!  Thrift shops offer such a variety of objects, each one with its own history to imagine, new uses to consider, and colors and textures to explore.  Most recently I visited the White Elephant, a thrift shop attached to St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic community in Springfield, PA, where I live.

I took some photos during my visit, even though I felt a little conspicuous doing it.

Even a table full of ugly lamps can get me thinking:  What fingers have turned these switches?  In what rooms have these lamps lived?  What sights have these bulbs shed light on? 

I played with very few dolls as a child, and my children appear to have inherited my aversion.  And yet I find them aesthetically appealing...as long as they aren't in my own home!

Some thrift shop items lead me to marvel:  A partially-used bottle of scented bubbles?  Really?

Some thrift shop finds tempt me:  I really wanted this stack of four coffee cups for $2, but I knew in my heart that I did not need them in my home.

I enjoyed the care that someone took to create thematic displays:  a collection of red in the glass, apples, watermelon, strawberries, cherries, and ladybugs, above.

I have to admit these little piggies look awfully cute--more so in a photo than anywhere in my house, though.

Clowns seriously creep me out, but this cash register sent me straight down memory lane, to such an extent that I've ended up with an entire Pinterest board commemorating the toys, TV shows, movies, games, and styles of my childhood.

At the end of the day, my thrift shop foray led me to these new acquisitions:  a Rolodex file, complete with blank cards, for a dollar; two books for my kids; two lunchboxes that I'd like as organizing tools for my craft room; and a set of wooden blocks that I envision painting, decoupaging, and otherwise altering for upcoming art projects.

All for under $10.  White Elephant Thrift Shop, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship!

Tying Up Loose Ends

Things are a little quiet in Blogland these days.  I hope that you will share a quick comment if you come by, just to let me know that you've been here!

I have some loose ends to tie up--a couple projects that I've finished up but have yet to share the results with you.

When I came home from the CREATE Mixed Media Art Retreat, I had an unfinished page from my drawing and watercolor with Jane LaFazio, and I didn't want to just leave it in its half-completed state.

We used our pages as learning tools, rather than with the intention of becoming finished pieces, and since we didn't know exactly where we were headed during the class, we didn't have the option to plan out the balance of color or design on our pages.  I tried to improve those two aspects of the piece with the addition of some colored borders, decorative tape, and small colored circles.  It's not perfect, but let me know what you think!

I also participated in Tammy's Index-Card-a-Day (ICAD) challenge, but was't very diligent about sharing my final cards on the blog.  You can see cards from the first weeks of the challenge here:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5

And here are some additional cards from this year's collection:

My daughter participated in ICAD with me, and donated one of her cards to my group:

I like using index cards to practice tangle patterns, old and new:

I also love stitching paper for my cards.  I found a discounted bag of scraps at the craft store, some of which I used for these two cards:

And these two cards were truly scraps I just pulled from my art table, left over from other projects, and then indulged in some crazy stitching just for the fun of it:

I played around with paints and markers for these four cards:

I commemorated a dinner out with girlfriends on this card:

I used paints to create a little "On the Road Again" card (whose background is an orange that contrasts strongly with the sun's yellow, but you would never know it from my camera!):

And, finally, I "had at it" with paints and brushes and stencils for my final week's worth of cards:

I only missed maybe a week in the middle of the challenge, but I still have quite a satisfying stack of index card art to enjoy, and to add to my work from last year.

This year's stack of ICADs

Last year's stack of ICADs

I hope you are having a relaxed and happy August!

Getting Crafty at VBS

Each evening this week I've been heading to my church to work with three friends in the craft room of our Vacation Bible School. 

We've made mezuzahs, sandal necklaces, and tambourines, and we'll add key chains and scratch art to our creations before the week is over.

Almost 100 children have been cycling through our room each evening, from kindergarten-aged to fifth grade.  What a treat it has been to work with these kids, along with their crew leaders and junior helpers!

My fellow station leaders and I were a little taken aback at the prospect of the kids working from the floor, with no chairs.  But sitting on the floor has added to the relaxed atmosphere, and not having chairs has removed a host of potential discipline issues (things kids like to do, like lean back dangerously or scuff their chairs around while someone is trying to give directions!).

We have twenty minutes with each group, and when there is extra time left at the end of the craft, we have coloring pages, or we just sing and dance to the VBS music CD.  I am loving the opportunity to get crafty with my church family at Vacation Bible School this year!

We've been confronting some tough problems in our midst recently, in the aftermath of our pastor resigning and our congregation dividing itself according to their responses to his actions.  Seeing this faithful remnant committing themselves to doing God's work among the children in spite of the havoc we adults always seem to manage to wreak on our communities does my heart good!