L is for Llama

baby blankets with fabric collage

I made this baby blanket out of organic cotton flannel for a baby gift. The collage part is the tree branch with owls perched.

This little onesie was made using fabric daisies for the eyes.

Fabric collage

I made these shirts for my students to wear on our field trip. I used my Cricut machine to cut the owl shape and then embroidered around the edges. Whimsical button eyes gave each shirt a personality.

O is for ostrich

M is for moose

It has to be a moose!

K is for koala

Koala clinging to a piece of bamboo.

I is for Iguana

I is for Iguana

H is for horse

Horse- of course!

J is for jellyfish

jellyfish created from a baggie placed on a sparkly ocean water background

S is for skunk

a sweet skunk with a white lacy stripe

S is for scorpion

A scorpion of marbleized paper.

G is for grasshopper

A lower case g becomes a crunching, munching grass eating insect!

The Treasure Box

My favorite thing about school was my treasure box. Each student brought a shoebox and collections of bits and pieces of stuff to be used for art projects. I think that the treasure box has been my greatest influence as an artist and as a teacher- more than any art class or formal instruction. As I recall the treasure boxes were stacked neatly on a shelf and were retrieved for art class- the last thing on Friday.
Mine was hot pink and decorated with crayon rainbows. In it were bits of rick rack, lace, fabric, knobs, nails, an earring that lost its mate. etc. Stuffed scrounged from my house! Oh, and jello boxes,! You can create countless sculptures from those perfect sized boxes.
My teacher was ahead of her time, I think. This was the late fifties, early sixties, before 21st century learning skills existed, computers and technology for that matter. And I was doing project learning and learning that it is good to think creatively!

N is for

newt... 'nuf said.

F is for flamingo

pretty in its pink feathers, I used a little sparkle paper and then some fun polka dots for its acrobatic legs.

E is for...

elephants, grey ones, pink ones, whatever you like!

D is for......

Dalmation, dog.... I used black and white polka dot paper to make the body. Add any details you like, or change the dog to make it a dog that you love.

C is for ...........

I grew up on a farm, so I love to draw chickens. Choose a subtle yellow or white on white print. I love the yellow on the blue and of course, the chicken needs to lay an egg.

B is for......

B is for bear. Use recycled brown paper bags, add a touch of pink for girls or blue for boys, black button eyes. If you used cloth, something soft and furry would be nice.

the ABC's of animals in applique

Here are some designs I've created so far integrating animals into the letters of the alphabet. My examples are done by using scrapbook paper, and other fun stuff, like ribbon, rick rack, wire, etc.

A is for alligator, I drew on the teeth, but I think white rick rack would be a fun touch to add some dimension. A could also be for anteater, using a lower case a.

Gluesticks, paper, scissors!

This blog is all about the art of collage. I will show you many methods to create collages with a variety of media. These projects can be adapted for use with kids or used by grown -ups who feel like being creative and want some inspiration1