And now for something completely different….

I was really hoping to have a red painted chairs project to show today. I found a couple of cute chairs (similar to these) at an antique shop a few weeks ago, and the more I thought about them, the more I wanted them for our front porch. I’ve tried to go back by several times, but the store has been closed every time I go by, which is strange. I’m hoping the owner is just on vacation and will be back soon. If not, if the store is actually closing, it might be time to start stalking Craigslist again.

So, since I was already planning a home project instead of a clothing or jewelry project for today, I decided to find something to make for the house. I scrolled through my (art) projects board on Pinterest to get some ideas. Of course, it had to be red, so when I saw this collage from Randel Plowman, I decided to try it out for myself. (I first discovered Plowman’s work in his book, The Collage Workbook, which I found at the library. I have always enjoyed collage, and his pieces – and book – are very inspiring.)

I started by digging through my old magazines, looking for different kinds of type in red. It only took a few minutes to find enough letters to get started.

I began by arranging the letters on a sheet of paper, trying to puzzle-piece them togther into a rectangle shape before adhering them to the paper. When I used to do collage, I always used rubber cement, which is not the best medium since it often yellows the paper and doesn’t maintain its stickiness. (Speaking of yellow, yes, this is the actual color of the 1960s linoleum flooring in the den. Still haven’t decided on the perfect white yet – will keep you posted.)

As I was reaching for the double-stick tape, I thought of the mailing labels I had in the cabinet. I peeled it off, turned it sticky side up, and stuck the letters to the back.

Some letters stuck over the edge, and that was okay. (This is just one label, about 2″ X 4″.)

I scanned the image onto my computer. I initially just wanted to enlarge it, but then I played around a bit (in Picasa) with contrast and sharpening applications. Once I got something I liked, I saved it with the largest pixels allowable, resized it to fit a standard sheet of paper, and printed it out.

 

I had an extra NYTTJA frame from IKEA that worked perfectly.

 

 

It’s hanging in the den over my laptop. Such a fun little project, and I love how the red looks with the dark gray walls. (And while I’m not going to do a repeat of this tomorrow for orange, I’d definitely like to try it in that color – might be fun for BB’s room.)

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This post is part of a 31 day series. Find all the posts in this series here.

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