"Hey, if I had somewhere to go, I certainly wouldn't be in Cleve-Land." -Howard the Duck

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

We now return to our regular programming...

I know I got off the art thing for a bit there...although there is something very creative to me about cooking & just imagining the sights & sounds of Mardi Gras.  But now for an art topic...thanks for your patience.

There are many common objects that are just begging to be little works of art.  Today we're talking dominoes.  I have LOTS of dominoes, yet I have no idea how to play the game.  Mine are simply little canvases to embellish. 

It all started with a domino swap back in 2004.  The domino above was the first altered domino I had ever created.  I soaked the dominoes in bleach for a couple days to eat away the slick finish on them.  Stamped the kitty image that I love so much with India Ink Black by Stewart Superior...my go-to black ink for stamping.  The chop part of the stamp was done in some red ink...can't remember which one any longer. I used a colored pencil to color in the background so the cats would stand out, used a Krylon gold marker to ink the edges & sprayed a matte fixative over the whole thing.  This was back when we still lived in CA & I could spray that stuff outside & leave the dominoes to dry.  Can't do that here in O-hell-O except in the summer months.  But I digress...and dream of BEFORE we moved here...sweet dreams.

I've since used dominoes as the base for so many things.  Charms, magnets, Christmas ornaments...and some dominoes even have holes already drilled into them, which is quite convenient.  They are available in many sizes...some are plastic, some are wood.  They all just need to be altered!!! 

One of my favorite sorces for pre-drilled dominoes & domino sized rubber stamps is Red Lead Paper Works in Webster Groves, MO...that's in the St. Louis area.  I can't get there to shop, but Chris & Sharon sell many of their wares on line.  Be sure to explore the site, check their blog & maybe even join in the fun in their Yahoo group.  Don't forget to sign up for their newsletter, too.
Here is a link to their domino sized images

And here are some of the magnets I made using them...


They also sell pre-drilled dominoes that are great for Christmas ornaments like these...


They were colored using the Ranger Alcohol Inks & the charms & collage images are also from Red Lead...go have fun exploring their website!

Another great source for dominoes & other game pieces to use for artwork...along with lots of other lovely little bits & bobs you'll find you can't live without is SkyBlue Pink...say hi to Queen Xina if you order!  She also has a wonderful newsletter & sometimes offers new items & special buys exclusively to her newsletter subscribers.

We'll chat about using other game pieces in art soon...but if you haven't tried altering dominoes, you should!  I'll leave you with one last domino image...it's a domino with a stamped domino image & a smaller domino glued to the front.  Stamped first & then painted with Lumiere Metallic paints.  Fun, huh???



5 comments:

  1. Debbie! Hi! This working full-time crap has sure taken a bite out of my "social" life - I miss communicating with you! Anyway, your post convinced me to join the redlead group...and I plan to participate! The hump ATC is my favorite, too, and I've been saving that old hook and eye package for a long time, just waiting for the right opportunity and the right image. I'm so glad you visited!

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  2. Hi Debbie - thanks for sharing some of your domino projects. I've created pins using dominoes, but my favorite is stacking them and gluing with E6000 and then using them for "feet" on altered cigar boxes.

    PS I probably shouldn't ask, but . . . how's the weather *inside and out* there in OH now?

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  3. Love the domino domino! Thanks for sharing your creations!

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  4. Debbie, thank you for your loving comment....I need lots of those thoughts! Something exceptional did happen to me yesterday, and it felt like a surge of hope for better times. Love these dominos and your thorough description of all you do with them!

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