Paint Rags as Art -- the color of GREEN

I wish that I could give you a huge list of things that I am currently doing that would be considered "green." But, in reality, I am taking baby steps. A layout that you will see later this week was inspired by a moment of exasperation when yet ANOTHER yellow pages book showed up on my doorstep. It feels like these HUGE books get outdated faster than they can be printed -- and with competitive books -- it just means that the number you are likely to get is doubled. I hate the idea of throwing out pages and pages of paper into a landfill...so I looked at the book a little and decided there were at least TWO uses I could repurpose it for.

The first was as a leaf/flower press. I am going to try and do some mono prints with natural materials...and having them FLAT is a key part of that....so now that book is my official press. I took a few minutes and added some wax paper between several spaced out pages...and it is ready and waiting for spring and my mono-printing project. The fact that it has become a TOOL makes me feel better about it.

Secondly, (since in face TWO yellow pages books showed up on my porch simultaneously) and I never use them -- I hop on the internet when I need a phone number...that was just driving me BATTY seeing all that wasted paper -- probably headed to a land fill. So -- with the second one I started tearing out sheets of the white pages (number listings)....you will see what I made with those in a day or so. But an idea for you Moms would be to save the yellow pages books and do a paper mache project with the kiddos...you could make a pinata around a baloon using the paper and some flour paste as glue. Fun stuff...good messy fun -- and GREEN!

Ahhhh but I digress. Today's card was created from a paint rag. One of my things I have been trying to do in my studio is to not use so many paper towels or baby wipes. I have several old hand towels that I use...the same way I would use a paper towel...wiping up paint or glue or whatever (When these get dirty, I can just throw them in the washer with bleach and they are good as new)....and then I have torn some strips of muslin and have them in a tub for when I need to blend inks on a page....This background is the result of one of those strips of muslin being totally soaked with color. I don't wash these...I just set them aside to make flowers or something else out of....but this one just ended up as my background because I thought it was kind of interesting.

Just as a fun side note...the "artificially colored" stamp is one Royce found for me at the Nashville Flea market. Actually, he found about 50 old stamps from a meat packing house...they are AWESOME....and I am determined to use them....although it isn't just ANY layout that you need a stamp that says PORK SAUSAGE or "FRESH GROUND LAMB!" but I am sure that if I just think about it for a bit, I can find the perfect way to use them. I just LOVE them....worn almost to the nub from use...and the fact that he KNEW me well enough to know that I would adore having the stamps. Oh -- and he also got the huge lidded box that they came in (pictured above) -- ink stained...I just love it...clearly going to be a stamp storage solution for me when I get my studio a bit more organized. My other treasures seen here is a huge old family bible, a turkey cookie cutter and some Chandelier crystals. Am I blessed beyond measure or what!?!?!?!

Happy last day of February...hope you enjoy it -- and are ready for March to "come in like a lion."