A New Twist on Collage: the Inspiration Deck

One of my favorite blogs to follow is this one by Loretta, a modern-day wonder woman whose day job as attorney could not be further afield than her artful avocations. A regular columnist for the magazine Cloth Paper Scissors, she also teaches workshops at Tinsel Trading in NYC. The online photos of this place look like a crafter’s heaven-on-earth and a prominent blurb on the home page declares it as “Martha Stewart’s favorite store”. So I can only imagine what fun one could have browsing through color and texture of all kinds there! Last week Loretta taught an “Inspiration Deck” class. Although I couldn’t attend, I thought I’d try making my own at home.

When Trudie, aka The Recess Lady, sets up for a Recess for Grownups session, she always includes a framed t-shirt from the Strong Museum of Play. On it you will find words like happiness, discovery, understanding and tolerance, just a handful of the results of play. Words from this list, plus a few of my own, seemed like a good place to start my Inspiration Deck. I imagine carrying a happy bundle of collaged 3×5 cards, wrapped with a rubber band or in a zip-lock plastic baggie, ready for contemplation in my tote bag, while waiting in line at a store or something. Bet they’ll be a fabulous conversation-starter, too! Loretta’s first recommendation, I’ve just learned, is to completely cover the white space. oops! Like anything and everything else, this, too, is a process. Bet the 20th one will look way different than these first three.

Here’s Trudie the Recess Lady demonstrating her hula-hooping skills, complete with birthday tiara! Pardon the blur – she moves fast! And would you believe the woman can walk across the room while doing this?! Yes, it’s true. Another inspiration!