Archive for March, 2010
Welcome to blogland, Novachem
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Purging compound maker Novachem of Bridgeport, Conn., is the latest company to start a blog as a resource for its customers. The Novachem Blog started posting items in February, with topics including purging tips, plus a wide variety of general...
Video: Plastic Bag
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Yesterday the blog featured a simple video critical of plastic water bottles. Today I'll feature a similar message. This time, though, the topic is plastic bags, and the film by director Ramin Bahrani is much more polished. "Plastic Bag," an...
Let’s end National Craft Month with a giveaway!!! FREE FRIENDLY PLASTIC
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
What a way to end National Craft Month with a Friendly Plastic giveaway huh???
This one is easy peasy.....simply send me a photo of any of your Friendly Plastic artwork! I'll pick a winner and a runner up to receive a sample pack of Friendly Plastic! It's so easy!!! You don't have to run out and create anything - unless you want to...just send me a photo!
Hurry contest ends March 31st!
email: lindapetersondesigns@yahoo.com
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
This one is easy peasy.....simply send me a photo of any of your Friendly Plastic artwork! I'll pick a winner and a runner up to receive a sample pack of Friendly Plastic! It's so easy!!! You don't have to run out and create anything - unless you want to...just send me a photo!
Hurry contest ends March 31st!
email: lindapetersondesigns@yahoo.com
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Become our Fan on FACEBOOK!!
Video: The Story of Bottled Water
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Annie Leonard, a sustainability proponent known for The Story of Stuff project, has a new video that blasts the bottled water industry, called "The Story of Bottled Water." The 8-minute video, posted below, tackles a few plastics-related issues. It criticizes...
Upcoming Classes in Friendly Plastic by Liz Welch
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Passing along this information for those of you interested in classes by Liz Welch - a UK Friendly Plastic Artist.
This is such a simple card, I used some scraps of old lace and some card and hand-made paper offcuts and stitched the buttons on before mounting them on the card.
You have seen this image before, but this is the sort of thing I mean when I am talking moulds.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Life has been a bit hectic over the last few weeks and I apologise for not making the time to post sooner. However, I can bring to your attention some classes I am running in the next few months. The details are on the Classes Page (see the tab at the top of the blog).
The first is on April 7th at the Husqvara Studio in Nottingham when I will be running two introductory classes, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. First Impressions (in the morning) is a great way to get to know Friendly Plastic and how it works. In two hours we will explore a load of different ways of making buttons for your textile, jewellery and a papercrafting projects. Whether they are teeny tiny little embellishments for a scrapbook page or a card, or giant oversized buttons for making a statement on a bag or garment, we will have fun trying out some different techniques.
Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy, I think I shook the camera a tad. The button is about 2″ across and is made up from a lot of scraps. It finishes of my scrappy hand knitted bag perfectly.
Scraps and a needle tool created this button which adorns a photo album.
Buttons don’t have to be round, they could be any shape, they could have a shank, or they could be more like a bead, it is up to you
In the afternoon we will be looking at making moulds using Easy Mould (2 part moulding silicone putty), and then filling them with Friendly Plastic to make motifs for jewellery, cards an textiles. We will experiment with Friendly Plastic sticks and Pellets which we can colour using alcohol inks
You have seen this image before, but this is the sort of thing I mean when I am talking moulds.
On the 24th April we will spend a whole day Ooozing an Aaahhing! A day of exploration and experimentation, creating amazing textures and trying out loads of ideas. Warm Friendly Plastic can be pushed or Ooozed through all manner of things with holes in, and the effects are astounding. If you like to experiment and have some fun then this is a great day for you. Although the technique developed out of one of my mistakes (rolling thick lace into FP and getting it stuck), the serendipitous nature of the resulting effects is perfect for every application. I always find it exciting to try out a new Oooze medium, whether it is fabric, paper, metal, yarn or whatever I can lay my hands on with holes in, the end result is never quite what you expect, but always interesting and textured.
This is a whole day class at Husqvarna Studios in Nottingham, and you will need to book directly with the venue.
I have more classes for May and June, but I won’t rattle on about them now, you can see the details on the Classes Tab at the top of the page.
Now I mentioned “Shows†in the title of this post, and that is because I will be at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the NEC on Thur 25th March and Sunday 28th March on the Nolitex stand (ZM02) as we are bringing part of our touring exhibition A Question Of Identity to the NEC.
I have two pieces of work on show, and there are lots of lovely and stimulating things to see from the rest of the group. Come and say hello if you are at the show. We have some brilliant value CD catalgues with 90 images of work from the exhibition for £4 on the stand, plus post cards and cards for sale. There will always be a member of the group on the stand if you want to ask any questions, or indeed purchase one of the value packed CDs. I know they are excellent value as I have spent days sorting out the images to use, labelling them all and re-ordering them to make a coherent slide show, compiling the CD, designing and printing the disc an then copying them all. So if there are any mistake you can blame me!
This is likely to be the last time this body of work is exhibited as we will be launching our next exhibition into the world for two weeks from the 12th July 2010 at the Sam Scorer Gallery in Lincoln under the title “TideLineâ€. I will tell you more about that closer to the time, but I am very excited by what I have seen so far of the work for TideLine, it is incredibly varied in techniques, and really stimulating. I can’t tell you any more now, I have to go and paint some plinths in readiness for Fashion Embroidery and Stitch.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Become our Fan on FACEBOOK!!
Contest Winner – Karine Collignon
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
One of our featured artists Jen Lowe posted a challenge of her own to help cheer her husband up after his recent heart surgery.
The challenge was to create something that would make Kerry smile and laugh. Kerry was the judge. After a few setbacks in the hospital, I am happy to report that Kerry is now at home recovering and making good steady progress.
Kerry chose the design of Karine Collignon as his winning choice and no wonder why! It made me smile too!!!!
Karine made the fake rock with Kerry's name out of Friendly Plastic.
Visit her blog for more of her designs. Her blog can be easily translated from French to English using google translate.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
The challenge was to create something that would make Kerry smile and laugh. Kerry was the judge. After a few setbacks in the hospital, I am happy to report that Kerry is now at home recovering and making good steady progress.
Kerry chose the design of Karine Collignon as his winning choice and no wonder why! It made me smile too!!!!
Visit her blog for more of her designs. Her blog can be easily translated from French to English using google translate.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Become our Fan on FACEBOOK!!
Fine Art for a Cold Rainy Day! – Friendly Plastic by Suzette Hodnett
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
YUCKY YUCKY YUCKY! That's how I would describe the weather today. It's the first day of Spring and it's cold, wet, rainy, snowy, sleeting and just downright miserable! WHERE IS SPRING??? This is not at all how I envisioned the day. Regardless, what a great day for some great Friendly Plastic art inspiration huh?!
Suzette Hodnett of www.suzette.cc creatively designed this clock aptly named "BAD HAIR DAY!" and I can't help but think this is how my hair looked most of the day!
Thank you Suzette for the wonderful inspiration and the chance to laugh at life!
See more of Suzettes work on her website! You won't be disappointed!
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Become our Fan on FACEBOOK!!
Federal funds for potato-based plastics?
Friday, March 19th, 2010
Federal grants are always interesting -- Sen. William Proxmire made a reputation for himself lampooning them with his "Golden Fleece" awards, and newspaper humorist Dave Barry has enjoyed years of material thanks to federal pork projects. I can't help it,...
Politics, plastics and humor
Friday, March 19th, 2010
More than 200 people are seeking the Democratic party nomination for Illinois lieutenant governor, and one of them has a plastics industry background. According to the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago: "Stevan Kreger worked in at a plastic-coloring plant for...
A little vintage Friendly Plastic design by “Same as it ever was”
Friday, March 19th, 2010The vintage style is a very hot trend right now....in fact even thought the vintage trend fades a little...it never goes out of style.
I stumbled up on this design searching thru Etsy and thought you would enjoy.
The artists describes:
How many of you remember Friendly Plastic? You know those little plastic bars from the craft store that you warmed in water and then turned them in some funky designs and attached findings and made them into jewelry pieces. This was a medium that I (MaLinda) took to all new heights. Starting with winning local competitions in design to national attention and pattern design for the same.
These earrings are an example of the work that I did with this medium, incorporating Friendly Plastic with small silver beads to make an earring that is approximately 2 1/2" long, very lightweight, with surgical steel post. They are fun and attention getting!
Add these to your handmade and I suppose at this point vintage (made in the late 80's)jewelry collection for a fun upbeat difference.
These earrings are an example of the work that I did with this medium, incorporating Friendly Plastic with small silver beads to make an earring that is approximately 2 1/2" long, very lightweight, with surgical steel post. They are fun and attention getting!
Add these to your handmade and I suppose at this point vintage (made in the late 80's)jewelry collection for a fun upbeat difference.
Visit her etsy store by clicking here.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Become our Fan on FACEBOOK!!