Challenge #14
Jen June 2nd, 2008
MONTHLY CHALLENGE #2
Stephanie Lee’s Semiprecious SalvageI’ve talked about it enough so you KNEW it was coming. Sometime. Well this month is the month, folks. Grab that lucious How-to book you’ve been meaning to work through and join me in June! My book of choice? Pictured above, Stephanie Lee’s phenomenal new book called Semiprecious Salvage - Creating Found-Art Jewelry. I am STOKED!
The Challenge: Work from one end of a How-to book to the other, project by project.
Try to use one you already own rather than running out and buying one. You’d be surprised how enlightening this process will be. Adapting each project to YOUR style, YOUR sensibility is part of the task. The fun part to my mind. Prepare to do the entire book within the month but please don’t beat yourself up if you don’t complete the entire thing. Some projects will take more time than others. Enjoy the process!
Post’em: You can post links to each individual project OR wait and post at the end of the month. Either is fine by me. I’ll be posting multiple times. Use our Flickr group if you don’t have a place to post photos.
Due: You have the whole month of June. And remember ENJOY THE PROCESS!!
Let the games begin!
- Art Challenge
- Comments(39)
Whoa! This one will be a challenge for sure! First off, picking just one book out of the many I’ve accumulated - and second, sticking with it. Take a deep breath - now I’ll go pick one.
OMG, Jen!!! I can’t WAIT to see what you (and others) conjure up!!! THere are SO many wonderful How-to’s out there, I can imagine it will be hard for some to choose!
BTW, most of the techniques in Semiprecious Salvage can be adapted to lots of other projects besides jewelry!
I can just see you soldering up a big brass box for a shrine! 
You’re stuff is awesome. I’m a lurker on your blog - always loving what you have to say and share and show. Thanks for the challenges!!
I haven’t got my hands on that book yest, but i can’t wait! This is a really great challenge. I might do Sally Jean Alexander’s ‘Pretty Little Things’…. or maybe i will splurge…. we’ll see
Thanks for the great challenge this month 
OOOOO think i’ll use my new copy of Mixed Media Explorations by Beryl Taylor—great idea to work through a book this way! Thanks :}
CHange of plan. I am definately in on this, but i will use Angela Cartwright’s book ‘Mixed Emulsions’. All about photo altering (not digital). I’ve listed the 43 things from the book i am doing :). Lets hope the month is enough… This is a huge challenge this month, but a fun one too!
well I just got “wreck this journal” in the mail yesterday and I FOR SURE can do that one…. but I think you have in mind a different kind of project book. (didn’t you/we do this last year? or try to at least..) My goal right now it to get together a specific themed body of work in fabric and steer away from random mixed media experimentation… but I will see what I can work up.
Purchased Jane Wynn’s “Altered Curiosities” a month ago, so I will have a go at some of those projects. I have already tried one of her techniques with my dolls and loved the results!
awesome idea. I’ve never challenged myself to “do” a project. I just glean from books. Great push, thanks!
[...] Lab 555 from last year, Jen is again challenging her brave friends to pick one of those dusty art books and do EVERY PROJECT! in it this month. June [...]
I’m leaning towards Artist Trading Cards by Bernie Berlin or Collage Unleashed by Traci Bautista.
The challenge has begun!
http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/challenge-exercise-1/
That was yesterday’s - here is today’s
http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/challenge-exercise-2/
just come and check out it often, otherwise I may fill up the comments with my “Oh, look!”s (laughter)
[...] from “Exploring Textile Arts” that I am working on for the month of June 2008 for Jen’s Challenge. It uses Decorative Bobbin Sewing. (pg 88) The point behind this style of sewing is to use thicker [...]
[...] here I am finally trying the “correct” way to fabric weave. Another project from my challenge book “Exploring Textile Arts” It is actually both easy and hard. An easy concept, hard to [...]
Ok, on to the next exercise, posted June 7…http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/
Oops, I didn’t put the right link - let me try that again -
http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/challenge-exercise/
[...] 77 go over the methods of pleating using a “perfect pleater” (Another project from my challenge book “Exploring Textile Arts“) I looked around a bit for said “perfect pleater” [...]
[...] are several Applique techniques in my challenge book “Exploring Textile Arts“ This is called Raw-Edge because the parts that are appliqued are not [...]
Check it out, exercise 4, ah no 5. I love this one and it has been quite a learning experience.
http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/challenge-exercise-4-or-is-it-5/
Here’s my first batch of projects:
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/finally-some-art.html
I just got word of this really neat website! I was told that this challenge would really be fun to try. I might just have to give this a whirl, but since the month is already almost half gone, I don’t know exactly how much I can get done. Please forgive me if I only get a few done. I have a 7 year old to keep entertained over the summer! If I had to throw out a title of a book tonight, I think that I would have to say Sally J. Alexander’s Pretty Little Things. I already have one or two of those projects done. I’m really curious myself on how things will turn out!!! Thanks for an awesome challenge!!!
here’s my next set of ATC’s
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/2nd-set-of-techniques.html
Finished the next one! I’ve even branched out and am working on my own idea. I do find that once you begin being creative - you become more creative - the more you do, the more you do.
http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/challenge-exercise-6/
Finished a my egg shrine project!
I finished a project that wasn’t in the book - however it was inspired by the book. Take a look, can’t copy the specific location for some reason but I just posted it today.
More ATC techniques!!
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-atcs-for-june-jen-worden-challenge.html
Finished a 2nd project from Jane Wynn’s “Altered Curiosities”. Hopefully I’ll have time to do one more before the end of the month!
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-atcs-for-june-jen-worden-challenge.html
More ATC techniques!
Switched gears and worked with a different book that caught my interest.
Ok, I finished an art piece, but it wasn’t exactly in the book, well I did a couple of pieces now that weren’t exactly in the book. I loose focus so quickly. I do have another exercise in the book I’m going to try. And I do have an art piece planned that uses techniques in the book, plus some other ideas. But i’m learning and having fun.
A variation on the twine bag!
I’m almost ready to reveal my piece, though it has turned out nothing like any of the piece in Taylor’s book! I think it was a great springboard though :}
Done, and revealed!
http://arleebarr.squarespace.com/designjournal/2008/6/25/untitled.html
Put a watercolor out there and am working on the next. I’m struggling….so many ideas only so much I can do.
Next Batch of ATC’s for me!
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-and-more-atcs-jen-worden-challenge.html
My last one for the month! Thanks for the challenge Jen!Look forward to next month!
More ATC’s
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-and-more-atcs-jen-worden-challenge.html
http://adrienneberry.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-and-more-atcs-jen-worden-challenge.html
Here is my last one for the month, I might be able to squeeze out another one we’ll see.
http://differenceayearmakes.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/modified-art-challenge-7/