ArtFire

I created this blue and purple art charm for an Asian-themed swap earlier this year.

The charm base is a collage I made using bits and pieces of blue and purple papers, along with snippets of Japanese text pages decorated with Asian-themed stamps. Embellishments include bits of purpley fun fibers, dark blue sequin, and sweet little punched sakura and kikyou flowers with purple glittery centers.

The finishing touch for the charms was a comforting bit of text. I used three different bits of text for these charms: "don't panic," "be here now," and "may all be blessed." This charm has "don't panic" on it.

The charm measures about 1 inch in diameter, and comes with an adjustable waxed cotton cord. I seal my work to protect it, however, mixed media pieces such as this one should be treated with care - it should not be exposed to much moisture, so don't wear it in the pool or the shower.

What is an Art Charm?

An Art Charm is a tiny work of art with a jump ring on it for attaching to something - a bracelet, or used as a pendant, or incorporated into home decor. Art Charms may be made of almost any kind of material, using almost any kind of artistic technique. An Art Charm is the product of an individual artist or collaborative group, but not something that has been cranked out in a factory. Many contemporary artists worldwide are making and swapping Art Charms.

Want to learn more about art charms? Making Mixed Media Art Charms & Jewelry is a great resource, if I do say so myself (I wrote it with my dear friend Peg Krzyzewski). You can find the book here in my shop or on Amazon.

paper, metal