Michelle G Brown | Mixed Media Art

Use your crafting time effectively – Art Kit on-the-go

Trying to fit mixed media art into our everyday activities can be challenging – there will always be other things vying for our attention… but when we do finally get that scrap of time together – or even find ourselves with a few unexpected hours ahead of us – how do we use that time effectively? This series of articles will look at tips to help you hit the ground running when you have that crafting time.

Part 2 – Art Kit on-the-go

We aren’t all lucky enough to have a crafting space of our own. Or there may be times when we are away from home and would dearly like to take something creative to do.

A few years ago, Michelle Ward at GPP challenged us during one of the Crusades, to create a portable art kit, so we could be creative on the go. My kit is in an old plastic case that just fits my sketch book, coloured pencils, a few pens and, at a pinch the latest magazine I am reading or a small glue stick and scissors. These are enough supplies to allow me to be creative wherever I go. I can draw, make pretty coloured shapes, try some Zentangles or even do a bit of journalling or collage with things I find and have collected, if on holidays.

Having this art kit together really does free you up to take your creativity supplied along. You are free to sketch while the kids are playing at the local park or waiting for your partner or hanging around an airport; Paper and pencils (and glue) are always at hand.

I hope these few tips will help you use your crafting time well, wherever you are!

Happy Creating.
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Use Your Crafting Time Effectively – Keeping your area tidy

By MMA Team 2 Comments

Trying to fit mixed media art into our everyday activities can be challenging – there will always be other things vying for our attention.. but when we do finally get that scrap of time together – or even find ourselves with a few unexpected hours ahead of us – how do we use that time effectively? This series of articles will look at tips to help you hit the ground running when you have that crafting time.

Part 1 – Keeping your craft table clean
As simple as it sounds, not having your crafting area clean and ready to go is enough to lose any motivation that may have been there and it will certainly use up any time you have scrounged. If this is a problem for you then it is time for a cleanup.

I always find this a little daunting – there seems to be stuff everywhere and barely any space to put another thing.

Get started by putting things away that have a home. Stamps left out to dry back into their drawers, folders or boxes and back onto the shelf. Paints and dry brushes back into their box. Putting things that have a home is the easiest way to get started.

If it is unfinished projects or extra stamped or painted backgrounds that clutter your workspace, you may need a UFO (un finished objects) box to get the things out of the way that you want to keep but aren’t going to use right now. Small piece of paper can go into their colour boxes [we talked about these here]

Once the bigger items are away, it is time for the hard questions for the item remaining in your craft space – do I need to keep this? Will I use it? There may have to be some sacrifices for our art. And that may have to be a few small pieces of paper or the odd item that we may use “some day” but it is preventing us for getting started TODAY because it is in the way.

Now we have an areas that is clean enough to get started crafting for today. You never know – you may have even been inspired by some of this bits and pieces you unearthed during your clean up!

I hope these few tips will help you use your crafting time well.

Happy creating.

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Filed Under: Mixed Media Art General Tagged With: Organization

Mixed Media Material Storage – Other Stuff

By MMA Team 1 Comment

As we get further into Mixed Media Arts we find it harder to throw things away, starting to see the potential in everyday objects, beautiful papers, shiny embellishments and other things. So we need to think about how to store them so they are easy to find when we need them and stored safely so they don’t get ruined.

Part 4 – Other stuff
I love boxes and always keep lots of little ones, in case I even need them. These are stored in bigger boxes, labelled Stuff. It also has photo frames, mini canvases and larger sticks and other found objects.

These boxes are stored on a shelf high up, so they are easy enough to reach when I need them but out of the way for everyday crafting.

I would love to hear about how you store your unusually shaped and bulky “other stuff” ~ please leave a comment!
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Filed Under: Mixed Media Materials Tagged With: all types of boxes, mixed media found objects, photo frames

Mixed Media Material Storage – Embellishments

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Part 3 Embellishments
My small collection of embellishments started in a box along with the smaller pieces of paper and in two small tackle boxes; small plastic containers with dividers which are ideal for small shiny things. As my collection has grown, particular styles of embellishments have their own boxes (or 3).

For smaller shiny things, craft storage boxes or fishing tackle style boxes are good for separating different colours and shapes of beads and buttons. As I got into more grungy found metallic things, these got their own box.