This is my latest collage. Some of you have asked how I learned to do it. The answer is I do not know.It was just inspiration kicking in I guess. My dear friend Camille who lives in California has been encouraging me a lot in this. One afternoon I just grabbed some paper, glue and paper scraps. I just started cutting and gluing. Now I am venturing out and looking for anything I can use in a collage. Here are some items you may have around your house already if you want to try making a collage.

Old magazines
Newspaper and sale ads
yarn and ribbon scraps
sequins
lace
silk flower scraps (I bought a bag of these at Walmart for 50 cents in the craft department)
buttons
feathers
beads and chains from old and broken jewelry
any printed item such as a map, music pages, pages from torn up books
photographs and even blurry images in photos you would not frame or keep
tissue paper
wrapping paper
old cards
brown paper bags (I used pieces of brown bags in the collage above)
coffee filters
different textures of scrap material


The possibilities are endless and it does not cost anything to start. Just use paper, glue, and things you have around the house. Find a large box or container. Start collecting any little scraps you come across in the box to do collages. As for the glue, I like using just regular school glue. I also use craft glue but it is a little thicker and harder to work with.

I have not used paints yet but hope to experiment with them at some point. Usually I start looking though my scraps and combine colors I would like for a background. I either tear or cut the paper into different shapes and then overlap them onto the page.

You can build your collage around a theme. Or you can just be more spontaneous and start combining things randomly.

I am planning to make a collage containing each of my children. The family tree above would be great to have printed to hang along side the family collage.If you are interested in having any prints of the collages you see here, you can email me through the blog. Just go to "view my complete profile", click on it and there is a link where you can email me.

The collages are a lot of fun. I have a little bit of extra space in my closet where I work on them. Some afternoons when the little ones are resting I will go into my closet and create! I feel like a little girl again! I read somewhere that art is play and we must find the inner child within us and allow her to play again!!