May is going to be a powerhouse month. There will be lots going on and we have some great ideas. I am completely out of my comfort zone on the very theme, never mind trying to do a whole month on Steampunk and Grunge. I will be giving hints all through the month. There is making clay of different kinds and you can use up old clay or get new at WalMart. In fact, you can make your own paper clay, or even casting material/plaster wrap. You can use things you find in your garage, in your junk drawer. So for this blog post, I am going to be showing you ways to rust things, other than what I will be showing you to do within the blog posts themselves.
So, let’s rust some stuff:
Collect and prepare:
1. Find something rusty. I happen to have a couple of railway spikes and they are big so I raided The Bee Man's bottle of nails and screws and rings and rods and.. I found a great amount of rusty things. (He was not available...heheheheaa)
2. A ball of cordage or string, or something you can use for tying up bundles.
3. Collect some white or beige material strips (can be lightly coffee dyed). Preferably cotton fabrics.
4. Collect some cheesecloth (get at dollar store) and maybe some wide lace.
5. Collect some coffee filters, some tracing paper or any papers that is white or light. Maybe some Scott towel would work.
6. Fill a spray bottle half full of water and the top half of the bottle with vinegar.
7. Fill another spray bottle with water.
Grab a bowl of last night's coffee and stick a bundle in there for overnight.
Method:
1. Saturate your first thing to be rusted, be it material, or cheesecloth, or paper, etc. Saturate and roll it up, wetting as you go, and then tie it up with cord.
***I soaked one bundle in left over coffee, including grounds.
2. Continue making little bundles of whatever materials and rusted stuff that you can.
3. Leave for a few days until dry. Put on a plastic or glass tray or cake pan, etc. so it is not bunched up. I started mine in a bowl because it was so wet and then the next morning, I laid them out on a glass tray.
4. When dry, carefully unwrap it and voila, you have materials for grunge and steampunk.
Also, you should be gathering cardboard coasters. I have used beer coasters, but only four, because I am not a drinker and do not go where there are coasters. But I have friends who do and one collected them when she was much younger and still ahs a bunch. Yah for friends who enable me in my addiction of gathering ‘stuff’.
Watch for our two, surprise, mini-workshop leaders this month. This is new and we have chosen our first leaders because they have shared and amazed us with all they do.
Let’s have a fabulous art journaling month coming up. I hope you are following along and giving some of the ideas and hints a go.
Bless our new month, that our hands that express our soul, and that our sharing will inspire.
©Carol Desjarlais 4.30.21
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