Penny Raile

Imaginary Creatures Online Class

I love taking Carla Sonheim's online classes.  Right now she is teaching Imaginary Creatures.  This particular assignment was to draw one-liners - drawing one continous line until the drawing is complete.  She gave us a list of animals to draw.  I did a bunch of them, but I really liked this fish.  So I took him a step farther and added digital scrapbook paper.

Bird on a Wire

I am taking Carla Sonheim's online class, Imaginary Creatures 2012. Carla sent us a photo of a sidewalk with cracks. The assignment was to create an imginary creature using the cracks for inspiration.

I see so many that I may have to make some more. I drew the outline by hand and used digital scrapbook paper to enhance it.

Day 5 - A Collection a Day - Starbucks Photos From Foreign Countries

One of my newer collections is a set of Starbucks photos from around the world. I received one just yesterday from Ankara, Turkey. Feel free to send me one.

Day 4 - A Collection Day - Old Passports and Travel Documents

Old passports fascinate me especially the ones with photos. I was able to buy these rather inexpensively, but lately the prices have gone up.
Here are a few from my collection. I especially like the one with the two men from Spain.

Day 3 - A Collection a Day - Vintage Photos

I love vintage photos.  I have hundreds of them.  Here are a few of my favorites.  I like using them in my digital collages.

Day 2 - A Collection a Day - Flower Brooches

Vintage flower brooches from the 70's.  Even though this was my era, I don't remember these.  But I love them now.  I always get comments when I wear them.

Day 1 - A Collection a Day - Humpty Dumpty

I start my daily collection parade with my thirty Humpty Dumpty salt and pepper shakers from the late 40's, early 50's.  Each shaker has a tasseled hat humpty sitting on a wall.  They kind of remind me of the terra cotta warriors in China.

The two in the front are the "generals" and they are the hardest to find.  I really don't know much more about them.  Were they sold in dime stores?  Perhaps a premium give away with a box of laundry soap?  If you know, please tell me.

 

 

A Collection a Day

This summer I picked up  Lisa Congdon's book, A Collection Day at the Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles.  I was immediately inspired to take out "my collections" that were tucked in drawers and squirreled away in shoe boxes.  I have always admitted I was a "collector" but not until I read Lisa's book did I truly embrace my desire to "hunt and gather."

In my immediate family, I have the worst/best need to collect things (depending upon your point of view).  My mother saved a lot of things because she was a grade school teacher in the 40's, but she really never had the driving desire to collect things that I do. 

Probably my biggest collection is my genealogy database, but that is another story for another day.  Collecting names of long deceased ancestors is not quite the same as collecting Cracker Jack prizes.

I am not sure I can document 365 collections that Lisa did in her book, but I am going to see if I can do at least 31 - one collection for every day in January.  I will start posting on my blog and Facebook.  Stay tuned.