MY MOJO MONTHLY OCTOBER - UNDER COVER!

SEE THE NEW MY MOJO MONTHLY HERE!

Welcome to October's My Mojo Monthly! A place to think, enjoy and share ! An inspiration challenge about the WHY and the WHAT! It's really good to see you and I can't wait to share some more ideas. Make yourself at home and join me for a good read and some truly inspirational art. Whatever your artistic passion may be, you are welcome. There's lots to see and another great prize on offer. Remember you have all month, so indulge a little! This month it's an Under Cover theme...all will be revealed very soon. But let's go straight to My Featured Artist, none other than the uber-talented Tammy Tutterow!!!

FIVE QUESTIONS TO MY FEATURED ARTIST...

I very honoured and thrilled to introduce Tammy. She really is THE product savvy lady on the block! She can take any crafty product and transform it into a wonderful, heartfelt creation. Vintage, home-spun beauties that will keep you coming back for more. 
Who is Tammy Tutterow in five words?

shabby, passionate, dreamer, loyal, inky

Where are you right now as an artist?I am exploring. For a long time I thought of myself just as a stuff maker. I decided this last year that I wanted to branch out and try new things and explore creativity, to step outside of my "stuff" box a bit. I have explored art journalling a bit, become an art tag maker, made more scrapbook pages, and am actually think of myself as a stamper. In addition to trying new things, I have been making a point to remember and enjoy some of my first crafting loves like sewing and needlework.

Which of your creations is closest to your heart? I have several that I really love, a few that really impress me and make me feel think, "Wow! I made that!" think one that touches my heart though is a double frame that I created to feature a photo of my great-grandma and great-grandpa. It features a photo of them that without fail makes me smile every time I look at it...

  

 ...and remember someone who was so very special.

I think the frame really showcases the special photo and is a wonderful tribute to them.  

Where do you find inspiration when feeling Mojoless? 

Products. I am very inspired by products. When I feel stuck, I pull random products that I think I might like to work with or have been wanting to use. I pile them on my work table and pick through them until something sparks.

You are going back packing in the Himalayas for a year and may only take 3 crafting items. Which - and why? Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I seriously use it on nearly every single project.

 Manila Tags, a perfect surface for inking, drawing, stamping, etc. Therm O Web Super Stick. My favourite glue stick.  It will adhere anything to those tags. 

Yikes, I need a pen to journal or draw on those tags... I am totally going to cheat and sneak a pen into my bag too! 

Tammy many design credits include Tim Holtz, Basic Grey, Fiskars, Sketch Support, Glitz and Big Picture Classes. Tammy's blog can be found here. Do check out her fabulous Tuesday Tutorial and Sunday Stamping features!

Back at HQ...

A big, thank you to Tammy for sharing. I know you're all still gazing at her amazing art! As said, we're going Under Cover! and I've been getting busy with book covers. I've been using books for a while now, not just the pages but the covers too. They make fantastic bases for your artwork, and are of course cheap and cheerful, especially as we go digital. Charity shops and flea markets are heaving with them. I just love peeking under the dust covers in search of the right one and not just vintage ones. Newer books can also be hiding their pretty side. Don't be put off by a 1980's home brewery book! Take a closer look.

This book has lovely mustard canvas covers, just perfect for an Autumn feel and when flipped on their long side, they make a great album. I used a little Rusty Hinge Distress ink on the edges and then layered up some of my favourite patterns, papers and trimmings including a Wendy Vecchi butterfly and words.

I remove the cover in one piece, slice down the spine and fold over the raw edges for a neater finish. I've also lined the inside of the covers with stitched papers and added a selection of bright and cheery pages. I've used lots of different papers and textures mixing a bit of vintage with some modern papers...and a splash of Wendy Vecchi.

 Don't be afraid to play with elements from different styles... they can can work together really well!

 I made two holes with my Crop-a-dile and added two rings. They really are sturdy covers so you could also create an Art Journal knowing they'll stand up to some handling...

Can a girl have too many butterflies? This mint coloured 1970's cookbook is the perfect setting once edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I white-washed vintage adverts with gesso and stamped the Wendy Vecchi butterfly in various shades of Archival ink. I then glued them to card, curving them before they dried to prevent wrinkling, cut them out, and aged them with more Distress inks.

I love how random words show through, each one is unique! Simple repetition is the key. No sentiment needed...

 the story and detail is in each butterfly. I think it could suit many a room or wall with it's subtle undefined mood.

And here's a little one to end with. Blue and brown does it very time for me. I found an old vintage child's book with such a sweet cover. Although rather shabby, I was able to scan the image, reducing and cropping to get a better result. I punched out a circle, selecting the best composition along with two more circles punched from scrap papers. I glued them onto card, mounted them on Kraft base along with a simple stamped phrase. Just too cute!

Challenge, Nice Stuff and Info...

So there you go, just a few ideas to get you thinking about alternative substrates. Did I cover everything? Sorry! I'm sure you have many more ideas brewing and I'd lurve to see them. I mean who hasn't got a few old books kicking around? Upcycle and be merry I say...

SHOW ME YOUR CREATIVE SURFACES! 

Remember My Mojo Monthly is all about the why AND the what! Have you got a great take on this theme, or another creative gem to share? I'm looking forward to seeing and reading all about about your inspirational and art...GO ON, DO TELL!

I'll be checking in regularly to take a look at your work. Huge congratulations to September's winner Kissiana for her stunning Art Journal. Well done! This months Giveaway is great set of Tim stamps and a really fabulous book by Sheri Gaynor. You'll love it and...next month we'll be meeting Jo Capper-Sandon!!!

My Mojo Monthly welcomes all hand-made crafters and artists. A few guidelines on submitting your work:
- In the spirit of MMM please write a few lines in your post about your creativity and why you want to share your work.
- You are very welcome to share challenge pieces, just tell me a bit about your inspiration.
- Please link directly to your post and not your blog so I can find you.
- Please add a link in your post to My Mojo Monthly, thanks!
- Multiple challenge photos without description will be removed.
- Feel free to take the MMM button for your blog - please do!  

'Tis now the hour of sweet farewells...time for me to sign out and you to get creative. Thanks so much for calling by. Don't forget My Mojo Monthly is open all hours...feel free to drop in again soon. Just look at those girls...Three little maids from school are we...

Wishing you oodles of inspiration and arty love!

Sarah.