ArtFiberFest Coffee Revisited

I just received an email from a very talented fiber artist named yarnpunk, who I met at ArtFiberFest 2007.  She sent me a link to her blog where she finished my AFF trade, the Carla Coffee wrap project.  Here is a refresher picture from 2007:

Inside each coffee cup was a fiber project to make their own coffee wrap.  Can you picture me walking around handing coffee cups to everyone?   LOL, I had fun doing it too.  Here are 2 more photos, before I show you yarnpunk’s way cool coffee wrap:

I made alot of kits, too:

Some readers might be wondering why I did this?  It is a tradition to bring items to give away to other artists when you go to AFF.

So now back to yarnpunk.  She made her coffee wrap and shows it on her blog and her flickr page.  With her permission, here are her photos:

and here it is being functional and keeping her coffee from burning her fingers:

To see more of yarnpunk’s art, including her spinning and fiber work, visit her Flickr gallery, and her Etsy shop, Go Knit Yourself. Her blog, aptly titled, “Spinning from the Edge,” is linked above.

ArtFiberFest is in June this year.  I need to start thinking about participating in swaps, exchanges and guilt free sharings- which is the new word instead of trades.  Trades indicate you want something in return,  sharing means just that, you are giving from your heart with no expectation you will get anything back.  I like that concept much more!

So go on, have fun, and create something today!!  Hugs, Carla

Back from Seattle!

Yesterday was a traveling day for most ArtFiberFest attendees- including me. I arrived home with lots of art to photograph and share. These include my work and other artist work, too.

The experience was exciting, exhilarating, and exhausting-all at the same time!! My favorite part is meeting and connecting to people I’ve met there. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Alma Stoller, an artist whose blog is on my “must-read” list. She has a lovely spirit about her, a gentle and kind soul. Her vendor booth sold out in a matter of minutes, but I was wise enough to head there first and buy some items.

I also met an Oklahoma gentleman named “Bird” that was lots of fun to hang out with. Turned out that Bird and I had lots of friends in common from the old rubbestamp/eraser carving days in the 1990’s, but our paths never crossed. He and I were in an eraser carving swap started in the mid 1990’s and is apparently still going strong- called Raplica. (Bird also gave me lots of info about metal art to get me going in this area. I plan to take a class on metal art jewelry next semester at a local college.)

Jana Newton, a FL educator and artist, was a breath of fresh air. We connected over buttons in the Art Asylum room one night. The Art Asylum room is a place where everybody cleans out their studios and pack up boxes of interesting stuff. We send it to Teesha (AFF organizer) who places it in the Art Asylum room. Then, if you need any art supplies, you head to this room and find what you need.

Of course, I must mention Lori and Teri, my travel mates. We stayed at an old Victorian Hotel in Port Townsend called The Bishop. We shared a 2 bedroom suite, and recommend this hotel for its cleanliness, service, proximity to restaurants, shopping and the shore. Be sure to check out Lori and Teri’s fabulous blog to see thier art.

I also met about 2-3 dozen more wonderful artists who I loved to hang out with and talk with… I think I will need to showcase some of their work and interview them for my blog so you can see what they do as well.

More later as I unpack, and finish my class projects and trades so I might share them with you. I also made a few “other” items to share including a very funny sock creature.

Hugs, Carla

Painted Fusible and Latte, Anyone?

This past weekend, I took a few moments to experiment with painting fusible, adhering it to fabric, then over stamping with some permanent ink. You all know I love to experiment, AND, I wanted some interesting fabric to bring along to use in one of my projects.

Here is the finished results, the outcome. By using copper metallic paint and black ink onto black fabric, I was able to obtain an “old world” distressed look. Be sure to click on the thumbnail for a larger look:

Next up- Before I packed my bags, I decided to take one more glance at my AFF trade in the finished condition. The final presentation will be as if I were handing out lattes like this:

and inside will be the kit. LOL! I’ve had fun getting these ready. My goal is to momentarily confuse the recipients! I know, I have a warped sense of humor!

Finally, a shout out to Kay’s blog for her posting of a yummy homemade chicken noodle soup. I made it last night, thoughI did substitute a few ingredients. The family loved it- and, best of all, we have extra for lunch today! Easy, tasty, just the way a recipe should be. Thanks, Kay!

Hugs, Carla

Carla’s Coffee Wraps

I’ve made progress on my trade for ArtFiberFest. I purchased all the materials needed, plus designed my fictitious company logo for this project. Every coffee company needs their own logo, right? LOL!

Thanks to Lori for her consult on the phone this afternoon! I found some cool disposable coffee cups, lids, and cardboard sleeves at Smart & Final. Found a terrific cocoa buttons, and a wide variety of beads and fibers to put into each kit.

Enjoy your weekend! Hugs, Carla