The Art Center’s Studio School encourages students to be innovative when making art. Audrey Yankielun is a perfect example.  She had many stamps at home—about 1,400 by her estimation. So the Thursday morning student in Fran Wilner and Lois Shapiro’s Handmade Paper Basics & Beyond class decided to get creative. Her instructors showed how it’s possible to use paper in many different--and sometimes unexpected--ways to develop new projects.

So what did Audrey do with all her stamps? She designed a jacket, featuring stamps with many different images and dating from the 1920s through 2005. It took her about five months to complete the jacket.

Audrey views stamps as unique pieces of art—art that is sadly disappearing as electronic communication surpasses traditional post mail. She will soon display her ‘stamps jacket’ at a wearable arts exhibition in Deer Isle, Maine. Her next projects will include a quilt, vest and clutch also made from stamps.

Just think of the creative things you could create with materials lying around the house.