January

I hope you're having a great start to the new year!   

I've been having lots of fun making piles of rusty papers and coming up with projects for a class I've been wanting to teach for some time now. I did a rust printing for fabric class on Skillshare two years ago but I'm a collage artist so my true love will always be paper.

The first time I got the chance to experiment with rusty metal and paper was kind of by accident or I should say after an accident. I broke my right hand and couldn't write, type, stitch or glue anything so all the projects I had going at the time had to be put aside for about 6 weeks. What I could do though was arrange washers, nails, and other odd bits of rusty metal on paper with my left hand. I took over the basement and tried everything I could think of or had read about on the process of rusting. ​

I'm excited to share my new workshop Rust Printing on Paper. It's the result of all that research and experimenting. So if you are a collector of rusty metal like I am (or would like to be), have I got some ideas for you!

Rust Printing on Paper Workshop
In this live Zoom workshop, you'll explore different techniques for making prints with rusty metal on a wide variety of papers. I'll show you how to use the rust marks as inspiration as you create an accordion book with a cover, added pages, collage elements, windows, weaving, and stitching.

You'll learn how to bring shades of gray out of the rusty metal for different color variations and rust up some thread and string that can be used to stitch in the accordion book as well as on the collection of mixed-media collages you'll make on the last day. ​

You can find the supply list, a video showing the accordion book,
and additional class information on my website.
Show me all the details!
Early registration is open to my StudioNews subscribers today and tomorrow
and will open to the public on Friday.

What's winter without a mug of good hot chocolate? 

A pretty dull winter, especially if there are no marshmallows involved!

I shared this recipe for green tea hot chocolate 3 years ago but thought I'd share it again because I think it's so good. This is a lighter version where you get the benefits of green tea and cocoa as you enjoy a treat that's not overly sweet. Most times I quadruple the recipe and store what’s left in the fridge for another time. Click below to get a printable copy with the instructions for both a single serving and 4 servings. I won't tell anyone if you add some marshmallows too!
Hot Chocolate Recipe

Is Valentine's Day sneaking up on you? 
Just a reminder, it's only a couple of weeks away!
In my online Skillshare class, I show you how to take shiny foil candy wrappers and turn them into a unique Valentine for that special someone. It's a fun way to repurpose a material that would normally just be thrown away.

Watch the class introduction video and receive 14 days of access to this class and all other classes that Skillshare has to offer for free. 
Sweet Valentine Class

The snow is sparkling like a million little suns.
- Lama Willa