Coffee Filter Art

These coffee filters sat on my kitchen counter for months after I played inks with them until finally one of my two postcard groups initiated a Cloth/Paper/Scissors exchange. I added flowers, butterflies, cats, beads- and then couldn't bear to send them out because I liked them too much! (I'll get over it eventually...) After posting pictures on our group websites, I received many compliments and much attention, which pleased me immensely. I am such a solitary artist that I rarely anticipate others' responses to what I make. My only intention was to share so that others might be inspired to play. What fun! My process:

COFFEE FILTERS:
I pressed some round coffee filters to make them lie flat. Placed them 4 or 5 to a stack of 3-4 paper plates (to catch excess ink). Dripped colored inks in different patterns onto the filters. Let them dry. Ironed each one between paper towels to blot and set colors. Cut to size, bonded to interfacing. Added thermal-bond backed flowers, butterflies, etc. and beads. That's it!

Humble Background

I've been away from my blog for so long I have to re-learn the how-to's of posting! Here are some postcards I made for a Cloth/Paper/Scissors exchange. Four started with paper towel backgrounds, one was part of a piece of cloth that I wiped my paint brush on while painting the different colors in my sewing room cubby hole wall. This is a description of the process:

PAPER TOWELS:
I fold 2-ply paper towels with shallow pleats, roll the pleated paper towel into a spiral, then dip into a bowl of rubber stamp ink. (The light pink was diluted with water, I think.) After these dry, you could fold them into pleats the other way and dip in different colors. I'm not sure if fabric paint would work in the same way. Or you could drip ink onto the towels. I dried them between other paper towels, then used a thermal bond product to iron them to interfacing. I cut them to postcard shape, ironed on flower/butterfly cut-outs from fabric which I backed with thermal bonding material. Added beads, netting to some, voila- one-of-a-kind art!