work in progress-Groovy guitar case

GROOVY FLOWER POWER
GUITAR CASE
REMINISCENT OF THE MAKE
♥LOVE♥ NOT W A R
of the 1960'S

THE PROCESS~

painting in the papers takes allot of time but is essential to bring the work together, to make it cohesive and finished off.





The rusty hinges will be addressed with paint and glitter

I painted the bright lime green flower trim with a touch of pink , as I thought it was too much and wished to bring in more elements of pink.


Next comes after varnish the most fun part for me, adding the bedazzlement , beads, gems, jewels, trims , lace, patches, etc and lots of flowers for this hippy inspired guitar case. Cant you just hear the melodic cry's of Joan Biaz or my u all time favorite Joni Mitchell?

Adding the trim is the part that I enjoy the very most. After I have applied about three coats of water based varnish then the real fun begins.

Adding this plastic flower beaded trim with a center contrasting gem really gave it that flower power look I was searching for
A few more of the same trim only in yellow with other plastic gems are added to glitz it up


This is the top cover close up after beads , lace, flowers etc have been added with secure glue.

I have enjoyed working on guitar cases, most of mine have sold rather quickly, I recently purchase 2 used black cases and am working to make this one look as Hippy and groovy as I can. Granted it has a feminine touch to it. The images are from an old calendar that featured 1960s rock band covers. Hand made papers and optic art papers are what AI am primary using.

At present I have 3 days in this. It is far more time consuming than one would think. there is alot of square footage to cover. I paint in all my papers and in this case I choice to nearly paint entirely all the black and white papers that I used in bright multi color nearly psychedelic tones.

As you can see the inside clearly needed a revamping. It is quite worn. It is good to note that after my treatment of these used cases, they become much more durable and will last for a good amount of time, more so left untreated. Not only does the paper give the flimsy case more stability , so does the glue based mod podge and especially the water based varnish.

My friend Casper loves to look on when I am in my studio. Here I am doing the inside.



I will most likely use a whole bottle of MOD PODGE on this project. These are arcylic colors that I used

This is the side finished up , I added funky mulit color yarn around the handel


HERE SHE IS FINISHED OFF IN THE INSIDE I ADDED PAPERS AND spent allot of time hand coloring them with acrylic paints. The top inside cover I applied a vintage paisley burst that I copied from an 1960s silk scarf and added red fine glitter with a thin top coat of water based varnish.

The back which does not have any trim , gems or patches on it so it can be stored safely lying on its back.

Up date on REgresty PHONE

IS REGRESTY FRIEND OR FOE OF ETSY?

This is the phone that is featured on the controversial site Regresty.com


This is an up date on a post I wrote after on of my works of Art, a rotary phone was featured on Regretsy. Initially I was devastated, my checks burned with humiliation and shame. I am 50 plus years old, yet I felt like a little girl who just wet her pants in front of the class room.

My first impulse was to join the site and begin to rant away, when I quickly realized that those posts would never hit the press sort to speak. When I discovered that all the posts were about one upping the other in a tone of criticism. I could clearly see that the intent of the site, at least initially, was to be cleaver in ones remarks, but that many posted cruel and meaningless, not funny or smart at all. I pulled up my boot straps, and resigned to be thankful for the intense increase in views.

My views, in just two months went over 2000 with 8 hearts, the phone next to it, one that was mentioned in a regretsy post which shared its link ,a vintage phone made of CANDY WRAPPERS also showed increased views, which today is at over 700 with 8 hearts.

Before being featured I did not know about regretsy, My daughters and I had a blast looking at all the art. Admittedly some we found ghastly, but most we loved. We went and visited many stores and found that many of the items had already sold. In fact we seriously considered purchasing a couple items. It is true we love bold bright kitsch and unusual things and found the site all in all a great source to find these type of items.

We did not however, enjoy reading much of the criticism of the work featured, it held no charm what so ever, as many remarks were over the top mean spirited, and not cleaver roasts at all.

I posted my thoughts and feelings on this blog and on an etsy forum and frankly forgot about it. I played with the idea of making a phone for regresty, a hot-line punk.

Then the day that changed everything. I swear that this is how it happened. My phone sits next to me at my desk. I looked up at it, and thought
"this is crap, why don't I just give up... no one wants your stuff..." you get it, a whole swarm of self deprecating thoughts swam in my mind, boo hoo the poor misunderstood artist.

The next day out with my daughters for lunch I was compelled to grab my EVO phone from sprint ( the greatest thing since sliced bread) and check my etsy store and there it was my 186 th sale was my phone, completed transaction,pay pal and all!!! Boast to my temporary fragile ego just in the nick of time.

So is regresty friend or foe?
The site is my friend indeed. In fact I hope they pick up my bloody baby dolls that we (my daughters and I ) are presently making for Halloween for sale at FUNKY FINDZ ON LINE sister store CATHYS COSTUME FINDZ

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MY GIFT TO YOU♥

My blog is brand new and this is my gift to you. $5.oo off a purchase of $25.00 or more on ANY ITEM ! At check out you type in this code to receive your GIFT fiveoffsitepromo . If you purchase over $25.00 you will automatically receive 25 % off ! check out my vintage store where I have a very large collection of quality items at a fair price.
Purchase with confidence ,hundreds of satisfied buyers- View my feedback here

There you can also see and purchase my recycled art

MY STUDIO

Cats and Salvidor Dali, brushes, opera music and a fine bottle of wine, just a few of ingredients in my witches brew required to transform landfill junk into works of art.

STUFF

Here is an inside look at my working space which houses the necessary items for most of my creations.

FABRIC

VINTAGE FABRICS AND TRIMS

PAPERS

GEMS-BOBBLES-TASSELS

My cats love to visit me when Im working , here we see our beloved and oldest cat MOON.



I have a very large counter, seen here with a very old vintage violin case that is waiting to be prepped for art.

Military Madness collection

MILITARY MADNESS COLLECTION BY:

One of my camo jackets from the Military maddens collection made it to an etsy treasury , here are a few examples of my work from the collection.

Altered PEACE military US ARMY jacket with vintage 60's trim and fur OOAK

From funkyfindzonline

From the Military Mania Collection by Catherine Reinke. A mans army field jacket made from nylon, cotton, and sateen from Alpa industries. This is one of a kind in that it was reported to be from the Vietnam war, becoming increasingly rare, and has its stock tag present . It has a thick inner lining, it is warm and heavy and has a zipper hood. The back of the jacket has a vintage Batik from Bali of a women in prayer, lined with white cotton delicate lace. These batiks came from a Doctor who travels third world countries, buys their local art and brings it to the states to support them. I was lucky to have access to them for my creations. Thank you Krystal ! The left front button has a large stunning vintage button with gray rabbit fur, while the pocket opposite has pink trim and a sweet glass vintage button. Two large red frogs adorn the two lower pockets one with pink trim the other with the gray rabbit fur. down the front of the zipper jacket are three large vintage buttons sprinkled with crystal and glass buttons. Delicate lace and vintage pink hand made ruffle set off the design. Note the large cotton frog at the neck and large plastic vintage hand craved button. This is a very feminine jacket. It feels sturdy and soft at the same time. This jacket was featured in Funky Findz second annual fashion show (2008), the model wore high black lace boots with a full lace white ruffle skirt, she held a white lace umbrella with a black velvet top hat from the 1920S. It was my favorite design! Soon my web site will be finished and you will be able to look at photos or go to the photographers link. I realize this coat is expensive. The cost of materials are high and all the frogs and most of the work is hand done. The Bali Batik alone is worth $70.00. It is worth every penny. There will never be another like it. The inside tag notes that it is a medium short, chest from 37 10 41

Altered Elvis as Jesus kitsch military jacket with peace sign

feathers and jewels

From funkyfindzonline

This camouflage US ARMY jacket has been altered with vintage pink fabric in the back to back and fun and festive peace sign with lime green flower patch. Vintage hanky is used as a patch on the arm. Bright pink fringe and other fun and funky trims have been added to this OOAk coat. The fabric Elvis patch is made by Jim Spinx of Florida. A kitsch and humorous Elvis showing how he is worshiped. This is all in good fun folks, don't take it too seriously.
Note the two jewel and sequin embellished patches on the collar and the delightful pink and yellow feathers!!

From funkyfindzonline

A handmade batik from Bali of Buddha has been sewn on the back of this mens army raincoat. It is one of my favorite coats. Faux fur trim has been added to the cuffs and the bottom of the jacket. vintage trims are also added as accents. This coat is large. silver peace sign pin is included.

From funkyfindzonline

designed and hand signed by Catherine Reinke. Great glitter faux fur is used on the collar, shoulder and peace sign on the back. Several vintage trims and fringes including a large beige leaf plastic button from the 1940s (see shoulder view photo)

From funkyfindzonline

Handmade flower pin from wood and metal show-en on pocket is included. Johny cash patch made by Jim Spinx is on left above pocket. This photo was taken of him while playing in Folsom Prison. It is a jacket with attitude.

From funkyfindzonline

Bright orange faux fur, and buttons are added to this camouflage vintage US ARMY jacket which still has 4 of its original patches on , this is rare as most jackets have the patches removed.

From funkyfindzonline

scary clown patch with bright neon green lace trim designed by Catherine Reinke.Lots of vintage bright plastic fun and funky buttons are used on this jacket.Faux animal prints of cats, and giraffe with zebra trim, silver sequin trim gives you the feel of a CIRCUS. Fringe and frilly lace is everywhere on this jacket.

From funkyfindzonline

From funkyfindzonline

ALTERED German FUNKY MAKE LOVE NOT WAR HELMET

size large, helmet made in Pakistan German world war 11 mens helmet has been refashioned with handmade silkscreen and glitter papers, fabric sequin butterfly's and blue, green and yellow faux fur has been added around the base. happy faces and peace signs plus golden gems with lots of lace and glitter make this one of a kind novelty hat for fun or theater.

Hat stands 5 inches tall, outside measurement 27 inches, inside padded with secure lock claps, not safe for a motorcycle protection

From funkyfindzonline

Inspired by the English Gilbert and George two contemporary artists who work together as a duo this German war helmet was collage from museum brochure clippings, vintage floral fabrics and sequin trim. Finished off with water based varnish.

Did you Know?
The pair are perhaps best known for their large scale photo works, known as The Pictures. The early work in this style is in black and white, later with hand-painted red and yellow touches. They proceeded to use a range of bolder colours, sometimes backlit, and overlaid with black grids. The artists themselves frequently feature in these works, along with flowers, youths, friends, and Christian symbolism. (Wikipedia)