new blog address

I am changing my online look a bit and re-organizing.

I have moved my blog to my hosting server, this is the new address:

http://laurabucci.com/blog/

If you subscribe by RSS, you’ll need to change your settings. Go to the new blog to get the new RSS link. Once you’re there, you can get it from the address bar.

I am working on updating the website too and hopefully I’ll have it done for August.

Happy Friday!

button monday: layering example from students’ work

With now 2 workshops under my belt, i can honestly say my Mini Art Button Making Workshops are going great! I am amazed by what participants are creating and I am inspired to play some more myself. Here’s some wonderful examples of participants work where they cut shapes and collaged several layers of paper.

Rubber stamp words seem to be very popular and have been really nicely used here. Look at the “life”, “visit”, “go” buttons. They use 3 layers of paper. I particularly like that the words were stamped on a separate piece of paper, cut and added on. This allows you:

• to add colour
• make your words stand out more
• add a new shape

Wonderful use of colour in the above pins/magnets. Button pins allow you to express your beliefs, like “support choice, support change.” Or “don’t hate” paired with a beautiful bird image.

We had a few adults and a couple of kids in the last workshop. The kids were 8 and 13 year old. This mix worked really well together, that we decided to have a mixed workshop for August.

Upcoming Adult & Kids Workshop: August 11, 6:30-9:00. We decided to extend the workshops by half hour as people really seemed to need the time. To register and more info here.

I’ve crated a Flickr Group Pool with class photos: Mini Art Button Making. Check it out for more inspiration and if you were a participant, i’d love it if you added your pics of your button pins or magnets. Perhaps with you wearing one, or one on the fridge?

Want more inspiration? Check out my other Button Monday posts.

list 7: a simple list of quite moments in a busy life

there’s always too much to do and something else you’ve got to get off your list and there’s always too many lists — well, look here, another list! but seriously,  how do you ensure ‘quiet moments’ on a day-to-day basis. i find i really need my mind to switch off a bit each day and i need to do it simply without complicated plans of going here and there and for so many days.

usually, right at home is were i find my peace. to switch off a bit, i need to step away from everything that says work and i need to focus my mind on only one thing, it’s only then that i start to feel restful, more balanced, and centred.

this is my simple list of favourite quiet moments:

1. sit in my lawn chair in this little corner of the balcony, eyes closed, absorbing the sun; it’s not a pretty corner but it works and when i’m sitting down it’s totally private, just me and the sky
2. sit in the same place with a fiction book, a design book, a great magazine
3. sit and sketch on my new sketchbook project — this project is not about work at all, it’s totally fun, so it works
4. sometimes i need a different environment to some of the above, grabbing an outside table at Little Nest works great

my corner, not pretty but it works, mug by dahlhaus design in Vancouver

that’s it really. doing one absorbing activity that allows me to get lost in it brings those much needed daily quiet moments.

i wonder what you do to seek out your quiet moments?

p.s. : this is a summer list which will need revision for the winter as it rains much here

p.p.s.:  i am currently working from home but moving to a studio in August, so the list will probably change with my move

button making workshop report

We had our first adults workshop last night. There were eight participants all busily and super involved in making their twenty buttons pins or magnets! As the participants found out, the actual making of the button is quick, it’s when you realize the possibilities of what you can create that time flies by without you realizing you’ve only made 10 pins and there’s twenty minutes left!! That’s practically what happened last night, so we extended the class by another half hour.

I did a quick poll and no one there came from an artsy or craftsy background, although some did knit. The point being you don’t need any artistic skills like drawing or painting. With collage and rubber stamping as your materials, you can make very creative and super nice pins or magnets. Here’s the class last night at The ArtWay Art Studio — a great place to do your creating. If you’re ready for more challenging art work, check out their mixed media classes.

Wanna join us for our next button making bonanza? It’s this Saturday, 1:30-3:30. Children’s workshops are next week, more info here.

Check out my Button Monday posts for more button making inspiration!

button monday: a button magnet with fabric on paper

this week’s button is a day late but here it is nonetheless. today i’ve made a button magnet using a neat little piece of screen printed fabric (a remnant piece) and used a glue stick to attach it to some paper. in this case the paper is a from an old bookkeeping ledger. the magnet is attached to a metal door frame – a good place to stick reminders or to look at something beautiful, like this nice note card.

what kind of button magnet would make you happy? what would you want to look at? think about that before you make your next button and tell me in the comments if you like. in this button i like the simple and charming little house.

I’m teaching a button making workshop tomorrow, July 14, 6:30 – 8:30 and July 17 1:30-3:30. more info.

the sketchbook project because i want to sketch more

i haven’t sketched in ages! and it’s a real pity because i think of getting back into it but running the business gets in the way. i find it always helps to have a deadline / a framework if you want to get things done. and that’s why i’ve decided to join the sketchbook project. plus i like the idea of belonging to a bigger something (even though i’m not typically a joiner of anything organized).

what is it:

We know how precious a sketchbook is. You carry it with you everywhere, spending months working on it. It becomes a part of you. When you’re finished, share your hard work with the world. We’ll make sure you stay connected with your sketchbook as it tours the country and after we catalog it in The Brooklyn Art Library.

Thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at galleries and museums as they make their way on tour across the country.

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view.

Anyone – from anywhere in the world – can be a part of the project. To participate and have us send you a sketchbook that will go on tour, start by choosing a theme to the right.

my paramenters (actually  theirs):

• theme – happy thoughts (very open isn’t it? selected from a list offered by the project)
• postmark by Jan 15 2011 (lots of time i think!)

So I’ll be thinking of how to frame the theme ‘happy thoughts’ and how to get started.

Are you part of the project? What is your theme?

making my wall art panels: the crative process & the business side

My wall art textile panels are my latest project. This series is currently comprised of 3 images – a fly, a spider, and a mouse. The images are vintage illustrations found in educational texts. The panels combine an illustration and educational text which also has a vintage feel. The final product measures 8 by 8 inches.

I had first blogged about this project here. Note the huge difference between my final product and what I started with. I think it’s also amazing to see how much work is involved. What you don’t see here, is the hours that went in the design process! It’s also interesting to realize how an idea requires so much work and testing. The marketing and business side of the project will require even more time.

Here’s my process:

Starting & designing

1. nourishing the idea meant flipping, looking and re-looking at a vintage book and sketching layouts in my sketchbook, then I continued the design process on the computer, printed working copies, put print outs on wall for a week to ponder, re-worked the design, printed again, looked again …
2. testing – sent out for a fabric test swatch with 2 colour options for each wall panel
3. final printing on fabric – received yardage with images layed out, cut yardage to size, prepared the fabric for stretching

Structure – making the wood stretcher frames & backs with my partner

1. selected the wood – selected local pine boards
2. cut down the wood – in the wood shop
3. made/assembled the stretchers
4. cut plywood backs

Putting it all together

1. stretched the fabric, stapled, attached the back

Documenting

1. photos – take my own product photos and will be doing a style shot with eikcam design
2. write the copy – to be done
3. list on website

Marketing – how shall I promote these

1. blog posts – share the process here, and the idea behind the work
2. social media – do tweets & facebook
3. contact blogs: handmade, mom’s blogs, animal blogs? (are there any?)
4. 4 x 6 post cards to interior designers, doctor’s offices, veterinary clinics

I see these wall panels in children’s rooms, in doctor’s offices especially paediatric ones, and in veterinary clinics.

I’d love to know where you picture these wall panels hanging.

This work should be available to purchase online during the week of July 12. I’ll be showcasing the panels at Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle on July 9 and 10.

Coming next time…style shots of the final product!

button monday – magnets of your child’s drawing for your fridge

What better way to preserve your child’s little drawings and doodles than a fridge magnet! You can have your child draw within a circle but probably better to let them draw on a regular size sheet of paper so that they don’t feel constrained. You can then either use their original or make a photocopy and make several magnets out of the most interesting parts of the drawings.

Here, we used coloured markers and coloured pencils.

I’ll be teaching Button Making Workshops for Children (8 to 12 years)  starting  Wednesday, July 21  and Saturday, July 24.

In August I’m also planning to introduce button making for parent & child! Younger children will be able to work with their parents and create many cool button pins and magnets!

Info & registration here.

Check out other Button Mondays posts.

button monday – astrology magnets

my button today is all about using collage. I started by cutting a piece of the yellowish background, pasted my astrology sign on the lower half and finished it with punched out polka dots — perhaps suggestive of planets? my materials were all taken from a newspaper or magazines.

i can easily see this as a series comprising of all the astrology signs. although I don’t know much about astrology, you could research colours associated with each sign and let that guide you in your colour selection. check out these blog posts on the zodiac written by textile artist Morgen of  inkyspider and kootsac. these would make great magnets for birthday gifts.

Want to make some? Let me inspire you and show you how.

My Button Making Workshops start July 14. I’ll be teaching workshops (in Vancouver) to adults & children. Five spots left for the evening adult class.

more info & registration here.

psst. there’s a giveaway going on at my facebook fan page until June 30.

Check out other Button Mondays posts.

button monday – vintage style

my button this week is made with paper from old bookkeeping ledgers, a vintage style fan, and a cut out of text found in a magazine. i like how everything works together to create a vintage look. like last monday’s button, this one was made ‘freestyle’ meaning i started with wanting to use the ledger and looked around to see what to add to suggest a vintage feel. this is a button magnet.

My Button Making Workshops start July 14. I’ll be teaching workshops to adults & children. more info & registration here.

psst. there’s a giveaway going on at my facebook fan page until June 30.