My Last Day of Winter INspiration

For my next challenge, I have decided to make a piece in honor of local destination that had suffered a devastating loss rencently.  Here in Ellsworth, Maine we have a bird sanctuary that rescues, cares for and loves our local injured birds.  Birdsacre - Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary, in Ellsworth, Maine, has rescued, cared for and loved our local injured birds while providing an amazing network of walking trails for local use.  On March 2,2014 , Birdsacre suffered a devastating arson fire that destroyed the main house with many of its artifacts.  My family has many fond memories involving Birdsacre and the fascinating birds in their care, not to mention the network of walking trails we have enjoyed for many years.  It's an amazing facility that does incredible stuff, and should be enjoyed and supported by all!!!   Please check out their website at: http://www.birdsacre.com/ and help in any way you can!


So how do I help?  No question!  I have to make a frame in honor of Birdsacre and donate the proceeds in help restore the damage.  Every little bit helps and if I can help get the word out even better!

Now I needed a little inspiration to get me started.  It needs to have owls of course!!!  But what colors, size, a mirror?  So I was off to our local Goodwill store hoping to find a little spark on this sunny last day of winter.

And low and behold...I found my spark.  Check out this family of owls I found wrapped in scotch tape!

My spark! My inspiration for my next project!  Not sure how or if I will use them in the final project but they definitely have pointed me in the right direction! 

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Completion of Forever & ALways: Birch Bark is amazing!

After poking at this one for many weeks, Forever & Always is finally complete!  This was my first shot at working with birch bark and I have to say it's amazing.  The Native Americans knew what they were doing when they used birch bark to create their durable and beautiful homes, canoes and crafts.  After cleaning and drying the many pieces of birch bark I have gathered over the last couple of years, I started measuring and cutting to fit the frame.  And what a discovery!!  Birch bark is pliable, colorful, warm in color and absolutely beautiful.  Just what I needed for this frame.

My challenge was to create a warm, cozy and full of love frame to display an amazing engagement photo.  The photo captures all of the love, warmth and hope of young love.  I wanted to use a soft palette of colors that can be found in our local Maine birch bark.  Soft oranges, light greens, and browns!

I created a sturdy wide pine frame, created the patterns and wood pieces. With a lot of notching here, and a lot of painting and sanding there.  Some nails and glue. A piece tweaked here and there....  

 

 

Finished!  I'm thrilled with how it turned out.  Soft, warm, and romantic!  A little lace around the edge, warm colors, antiquing, copper tacks, and hearts of course! 

Thank you to Sarah and Ryan for allowing me to use your picture of your special day on my blog! 

My girls have decided that this frame is their favorite so far.  I too love the combination of Adirondack style with tramp art and will definitely be make more in the near future!

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Forever & Always: Back on TRack

I survived school vacation, basketball tournament season, a 14th birthday sleep over and 2013 tax preparation.  Now back to the project I have been walking by for the last 2 to 3 weeks.  It's been trying to wave me down, sitting front and center on my kitchen table.  I've been able to follow through on a few project steps but have not been able to fully concentrate on its creation.  Too busy - Life has been moving forward and has required more Mom time I guess.  Another reason why I love the flexibility of what I do - the ability to set work aside for those things that need my attention.  Family time!

Where did I leave off??  I've created the sturdy pine base, created my pattern pieces, and cut out the individual layers. I washed, dried and cut the white birch bark to fit around the inner surface of the frame pieces.   Here is the dry run and piece check  I did this morning.   I recreated about 10 pieces and trimmed up a few others.  The layout looks just right.  Lots of warmth and love radiating to the center of the frame!

Over the next couple of days, the sanding  and wood chipping will be finished up, and then the fun begins.  Color!!!  Check out the oranges, greens, grays and browns in this close up of the birch bark.  Amazingly soft  colors!

We'll see how it comes together once color is used but I'm hoping to do some hand painted details along the scalloped edge and maybe even some wood burning details.  It might even need some copper tacks for the final touch!

Happy Tramping,
Angie
  

Forever & Always: Birch BArk

My next challenge is to design and build a frame to display an amazing engagement picture.  It needs to be warm, comfortable but still have that pop of young love!

White birch bark is warm!  I had to use it in this project and work it into some Adirondack like inspired frame.  With hearts of course!

White birch bark has amazing, deep oranges, browns, grays and greens.  Among lots of other colors!  With some love and antiquing, I think the colors that I am working with will provide the warm and comfortable look that I'm shooting for. 

For it's palette, I've chosen cayenne, walnut, graphite, old ivy and an mixed creation of red.  But these could change as things move along!  I'm hoping to create it to be 5 - 8 layers deep with a lace like border that has hand painted details.  Two red hearts in each corner will provide a spark of color!

Off to next challenge: washing, flattening and cutting white birch bark!  Definitely a new media for me!

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Another thing that I love about what I do! Treasure HUnting!

I just wanted to show off some of the treasures that I have found recently. In time,  Each piece will eventually end up in one of my Tramp Art creations.  I frequent our local Goodwill store, local junk dealers (love these guys), and the occasional thrift store, looking for those sturdy flat faced frames, old wooden boxes, spindles and everything in between. The older, the rustier, the more worn the better!

Here's a pict of the assorted frames that I have found recently. It's much easier for me to buy the base frame than to make it myself.  It's not very easy getting those miter cuts exact and have everything fit correctly!  Still working on these skills! The square frames tend to end up in a star shaped tramp art frames. 

 

They have to be flat faced, made out of wood, and sturdy.  Glass is a plus but not necessary - I have great glass cutter when necessary.  I like the not so ordinary sizes, shapes and colors.  They must be sturdy!

 

 

Not sure how these will work their way into one of my pieces but I could not pass them up.  Old metal with patina, old paint and who of course doesn't need a giant wooden key?  It's not signed any where but does say Deer Isle Maine on it.  A great piece of folk art!

 

 

Bunches of mosaic tiles in very nautical shades of blue, grey and black.  I am thinking something very nautical, with a boat, water.....time will tell.

 

 

Couldn't pass up this amazing piece of white birch bark!  The colors, cracks and knots are just gorgeous!  This is definitely going to end up in one of my pieces after I figure out how to work with it.  A Maine-ish frame with maybe pinecones, thin branches, Native barks.....or maybe an Adirondack inspired piece.

 

I am so thankful for this part of the creation process.  It's so much fun while looking and so satisfying to see these treasures find their homes in my pieces!! 

 

 

Happy Tramping     Angie