Japanese Bound Journals

 I started making these hand made journals after researching projects to teach the teens at the Boys & Girls Club. I came across a project for fabric paper making and decided to use recycled burlap coffee  bags instead of fabric. The books are Japanese bound and can be customized by color and size.

Below are some examples of different color combination's. The tissue squares can be checkered or layered. 

Catnip Fortune Cookies

A couple months ago I started making soft sculpture felt fortune cookies.  That idea quickly progressed into catnip filled fortune cookies! I used 100% organic catnip for the cookies and the fabrics are all either found or recycled. I'm steadily making progress to opening my Etsy store called 'A Collection of Hand Made Oddities.'  Until then you can message me or e-mail ashley.e.gustafson@gmail.com if you're interested in buying a take - out carton full of these little delights for your animal friend!

 

Here are fabric swatches for the cookies. Right now I'm working with yellow and black plaid and bright multicolored floral printed fabric.

 

  All cookies have been tested and approved by my cat Creek!

Dog Days Are Over

This week I heard the song  'Dog Days Are Over' by Florence and the Machine. The song is amazing and something about the lyrics and the instrumentals struck a nerve.  Here is the link to the music video:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid24273272001?bclid=42820502001&bctid=7028361100

John Rees

 Today I came across work by the Texas based photographer, John Rees. This group of works is called 'Dia De Los Muertos.' 

I became drawn to these images because of their powerful aptitude for solemness.  The woman possess a dead stare in each image as her body is stiffly postured into a decorated porcelain doll.  Yet I feel a strong sense of celebration, especially with the outdoor images as the sun light casts down. I am not as fond of the last photo with the two figures feels  like a clothing advertisement because the woman on the right has her hip popped out, while the other stands rigid. As a body of work though I felt very connected the images as a whole.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/dia-de-los-muertos/274749
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These images brought me back to a dream I actually had this morning. I was sitting next to my grandmother in a room filled with people who had once known my grandfather. We were celebrating his passing, which was over five years ago. Many of the details are blurry but the climax of the dream was the moment when the noisy room of people became silent. From across the front to the back of the room where my grandmother and I were sitting, a yellow moth flew gracefully towards us.  Everyone watched the moth as he danced around my grandmother and I, gracing our faces across our cheeks and past our ears. Then he disappeared after softly dancing past us. My grandmother and I knew that my grandfather was the yellow moth. In my a strange way that dream was our Dia De Los Muertos for my grandfather, Hilary Gustafson.

Harvest Season!

Produce from my very first garden!

The time has come to harvest all of my delicious fruits and veggies from the garden. And with that  much of my artistic talents have moved to the kitchen where I've been experimenting with recipes and searching through foodie websites.  I recommend http://smittenkitchen.com/ and http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html for some inspiration.  Here are some of my creations from the summer...

Yes an American Flag Fruit Pizza for the 4th of July! My parents provided organic berries from their garden in Northern Wisconsin!

Yummy Zucchini Bread cooling in the window sill. 

Soaking fresh basil leaves for pesto.

Pesto ingredients.

Zucchini Brownies. Adam and I were having lots of fun photographing this one!

A long long time ago during printmaking Wednesday!!!

I just came across some old photos from the spring.  The Boys & Girls Club AmeriCorps Arts crew united to try our hand at print making. The day long work shop was a success and every one left with newly printed t-shirts, hankerchiefs, bags, patches, and more!

Outlining the transparency.

Prints of my logo for the 'Upside Down Ferris Wheel'

Really cool T-shirt design!

Whistles!

I was looking for a fun lesson to do with kids at the Boys & Girls Club so I started making whistles. I made this batch from oven bake clay, gesso, and acrylic paints. I later took my whistles to a Craft Fair at 10th Street Gallery in Milwaukee, WI to show with Guildess: A Contemporary Womens Art Collective.