The Tribune

By Teri M. Bethel

For those who sit idly by just wishing you were born with the gift of art your time has come. The good news is you do not necessarily need a sewing machine or fancy equipment to express your rumblings of creativity. So put away the excuses and put on your imagination cap.

Being resourceful is probably one of the greatest design strengths to have. Some of our most interesting designs are from used items or things that were prefabricated. That takes a load off a person whose ability is not to create a product from scratch but to enhance it as it is seen from their creative perspective.

An old raggedy tee shirt toyed with, twisted and embellished could easily grace the walls of noted galleries with just the right amount of spunk added to it. Or how about that really inexpensive purse that was manufactured in a far off country; the one that has potential but is not really very interesting to look at, perhaps with your help it can be transformed into a magnificent piece of art.

Maybe it is your gift to embellish. To add that lacy trim with a dollop of paint smeared in all the right places and sprinkled with just enough gems to grab the attention of even the most fashion challenged individual. Well you and I both know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but when a design is completed with colour, quality materials and visually interesting form, you have probably created one that will definitely pop.

In this age of recycling, it should be an easy task to find items that would be tossed to the sidewalk simply because it was unwanted. Though it is sometimes frowned upon by persons who only purchase brand new items, there are treasure seekers in our midst who have taken what others have considered their trash and transformed it into treasure.

Now I am not advocating that you hit the dumpster or your neighbour’s garbage bin for a purse covered in old salami; but what I am suggesting is to take an article that seemingly has lost its usefulness and apply value to it.

The inexpensive purse in the photo was quite simple but laden with potential for one with a creative eye. By adding paint and jewels this purse was repurposed from ordinary to extraordinary. So my friend, the question is this, “What do you have in your closet?”

• Teri M. Bethel is a texture painting and handbag instructor. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags, a line of custom made art purses for ladies. For more insights visit us at: http://www.paintwithtexture.com Tel: 242-676-4474