Sea Shell Folk Art

With the great weather we have been having, rated a 10 by my calculations, it is time to hit the shoreline to gather shells I will  use throughout the year to make a variety of folk art items.

In the world of antiques folk art has a special place.  Folk art is created by average folks, in earlier times such folks were sometimes called peasants. The items produced by peasants were decorative and utilitarian. The rules of fine art which led to creating masterpieces were ignored because the items were not created for purely artistic purpose.

Folk artists did not attend the great art schools, or follow the techniques of the great schools of art who produced the artists featured in art history books.  Folk artists learned from each other in the community in which they lived and created their art.

Folk art has also been called tramp art. Tramp art was made by the artist whittling wood from cigar boxes and packing crates. There is much variety to Tramp Art which has become greatly desired in recent times.

Folk art created from shells has included decorating mirrors, boxes,  picture frames.  The mirror that hangs in my side hallway is a piece of shell folk art made by a relative.  It is a treasure to me for several reasons.

Folk art dolls made of seashells have delighted children and adults for years.  Souvenir shops have commercialized the art form.  Still shells gathered by your family can become a family heirloom and family tradition as each summer a new shell doll is created for the collection.

Being a doll collector, shell dolls hold special meaning for me.


Another favorite of mine is make a miniature picture album using a clam shell.

 Drilling a tiny hole at the top of each shell allows you to connect the shells with ribbon, I prefer silk tied in a bow.  Trace and cut several pieces of decorative paper or fabric to use as the pages of the album.  I then glue photos of dolls taken from magazines onto the pages.  Decorate the shell covers and frame the pictures inside using ribbon, lace, or decorative paper. Adding tiny buttons and flowers are other special finishing touches you can add to your folk art picture albums.

Some folk artists create pictures made entirely of shells.

Links

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/seasonal/summer/seashell-crafts/

www.marthastewart.com/275561/shell-crafts

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

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Amazing Poem for Children

I was cruising the internet researching how to fix vintage and antique rattan furniture. Just as I wandered among the rows at Brimfield in amazement of the wonderful antiques pieces, I wandered into a virtual world that brought me to this poem.  I am sharing it with you.  I hope it produces the magic for you as it does for me each time I read it.

School Supplies and Internet Auctions

Enough of the buying of school supplies.  How much can a little child write in the first days of school.  Anyway there is always the internet to order from and have delivered to your door within a day.  We have already begun to select from the childrens' magazines of which ones to subscribe to. As for the weekend it was a glorious time for internet auctions that allow auctions to continue for days, months even if they auction items to a store!

Unlike live auctions you can take your time deciding whether to bid, how much to bid, and when to get in the bidding. Those types of internet auctions are not nearly as exciting or nearly as good as teaching quick decision making.  However, there are live internet auction sites that allow you to experience the excitement of a being at a real live auction and still enjoy the comfort of sitting in your home, having your favorite foods within arm reach, the telephone in another, and be able to keep up with what is going on at home as well as with the auction.  That's what I am looking forward to this week.  One of my favorite auction houses from the West is having a huge antique and collectible auction.  Sure there are some things I don't want or need right now, like a tractor but the listings  of household items hold a great deal of interest for me.

Before the auction I will look through the categories of items of interest. It's a good idea to write down the number of the item, called a lot number, and a title of the item, for example Mission Oak Chair. During the week I will look at the pics I am most interested in a few times, maybe even email the auction house with any questions I have.  Auctioneers would rather have you ask questions before time than to be unsatisfied with an item you won and then did not like I am comfortable with this auction house having done business with them before.  This time I am not looking for anything in particular, but that's the fun of auctions, one never knows the treasures that lurk in the next lot called.