Handcrafted cards make hearts flutter
When nature is your muse, inspiration is right outside the front door.
That's the case for Tracie Lyn Huskamp, whose suburban home skirts the edge of farmland in Wichita, Kan. This 42-year-old artist and author writes about her art projects on a blog, The Red Door Studio, and in a book, "Nature Inspired: Mixed-media Techniques for Gathering, Sketching, Painting, Journaling and Assemblage" (Quarry, 2009).
From blooming flowers to a starry night, Huskamp tries to capture memorable moments in nature in her art.
She agreed to create a Valentine's Day craft for The Associated Press: a vintage-looking Valentine that incorporates recycled paper, fabric and paint with a minimal amount of hand sewing.
"Nature Inspired" is full of similar projects at both beginner and intermediate levels. There are quite a few journals here, some that are fabric-based, but also two painted fabric pendants and ideas for shadowbox collages Huskamp calls "assemblages."
The book is geared toward creative types who also have a hankering to collect random objects, as she does.
"I don't know anybody who doesn't keep a shell or rock from where they go," Huskamp said. "Then they don't know what to do with it."
She collects vintage paper, such as old ledgers, postcards and maps, and vintage fabric, lace and ribbon. She incorporates these, and found objects such as birds' nests and dried flowers, into her artwork.
Huskamp gave up a career in computer science a decade ago to focus full time on her artwork. She teaches at art retreats around the country and launched her blog three years ago. More recently, she picked up a licensing deal to design fabrics for Baum Textile Mills, which creates a line of cotton quilting fabric.
Below are instructions for Huskamp's retro Valentines, which combine vintage and salvaged materials — and just enough artistic prowess — to say "I love you" with personal panache.
This handmade card is three-dimensional. The heart and butterfly lift off the card.<b>SUPPLIES:</b>Vintage postcard (substitutes: cream-colored card stock or manila folder cut to a postcard-size rectangle)Acrylic craft paint in white and other colorsWhite muslin fabric (scrap)Silk fabric (scrap)Lace (scrap)White copier paperGold-colored craft paper or wrapping paperCraft glueFabric stiffener (available at fabric and craft stores)PhotocopierPencilPaintbrushScissorsNeedleThread<b>ASSEMBLY:</b>1. If using a vintage postcard, make sure it has some good-quality handwriting on it. If making your own card, write a poem or love letter in pencil on one side (with the card placed vertically).2. Whitewash over the writing using a paintbrush and white acrylic craft paint diluted with water. Once dry, create your collage on the top half of the card: Overlap scraps of silk or other fabric and lace. Glue these pieces to the card.3. Cut out a small heart from gold-colored paper and fold in half.4. Copy a photo of a butterfly onto copier paper. The image should be small (about 2-by-1Z\x inches). Lay muslin fabric over this image, and trace the image onto the fabric with a pencil. Use acrylic paint to paint the butterfly onto the fabric. After this has dried, cut out the butterfly and apply the fabric stiffener to the back of the butterfly.5. Place the gold heart on the collage, followed by the stiffened butterfly. With needle and thread, stitch the butterfly and heart into place.6. Write a personal message or love poem on the bottom half of the card. Alternately, print the sentiments in a romantic typeface and glue to the card (a combination of the two — handwritten and printed — also looks good).Tips: For the butterfly, you can substitute watercolor paints and paper; heavy card stock might work, too.
