Gifting! Giving and Receiving and working in a small space

Dear friends recently got married.  I wanted to give them something personal, so I made a little wedding box for them.  This project was special in another way too, as it was the first assemblage I did in my new space.

My old studio had tons of space and all my tools and supplies were out on the counters, hung on the wall, on every shelf.  My new space is much smaller and all my tools and supplies are tucked away in cabinets or drawers or in storage boxes in the garage.

Certain assemblage parts, paints, beads etc that I remembered as once having, no longer were evident, even in my well-labeled boxes, so this piece had several trips to the craft store..

The new space asks me to be more thorough in my planning of a piece and more focused in the doing of the piece.  I set up a couple trays on the work surface for the specific bits and pieces and tools I was directly working with. Otherwise, everything else stayed tucked away.  I have an additional work surface where I can place some bits for drying, while I work on my main work table. I have found it an interesting energy to have to work more 'concentratingly' [is that a word?].

I found an inexpensive solution to protecting my work surface - heavy but flexible plastic runners for hardwood floors!  I found it at Lowes in the rug section and at only a couple dollars a foot, it is perfect.  I also use a piece to protect the rug in front of my work space.

The box in this piece is a purchased hardboard & paper book box, 8"wide and 2" deep.  The inside is filled with pearls, crystals, flowers and hearts and the large glass ball.  The couple is an amped image, printed on high gloss photo paper and mounted on styrofoam, the back of which is collaged with hand-made paper

Wedding box for Morris & Liz

Recently I received a great gift that was certainly chosen just for me - shoes for art, a curly haired doll and a lovely book on personal altars and icons by Jean McMann

Thank you cards are a perfect opportunity for a collage.  The background is from the book, a car altar by Harrod Blank, amped a bit, of course.

Mimi Yellow Shoes Thank You collage

I'm a fortunate girl indeed.