Latest Carmex art project: '365 Days of Lip Service'

MILWAUKEE — Carma Labs earlier this year teamed with mixed media artist Lisa Pavelka to launch 365 Days of Lip Service, a collection of artwork created on the lids of 366 Carmex lip balm jars.

“We were thrilled to learn about the project and Lisa’s long-held preference for using the Carmex jar in her artistic creations,” stated Paul Woelbing, president of Carma Labs. “Carmex fans know that, in addition to being a great lip balm, we are dedicated to fun and inspiration. This is a great way to help us celebrate Carmex’s 75th anniversary.”

Pavelka will create an original Carmex lid for each day in 2012 (366 in all since 2012 is a leap year). The artist unveils the newest creation with daily posts at Lisapavelka.typepad.com. Each entry includes images of the lid, a brief explanation of the inspiration behind the design, along with information on the materials and techniques used.

The Carmex lid collection is Pavelka’s most ambitious project to date. The first of the 366 lids was unveiled on Jan. 1 and will continue through Dec. 31. The idea behind the collection began more than 10 years ago when Pavelka began making creative polymer clay lids for gifts. She later went on to feature the concept in one of her books.

“Carmex has long been the subject of my embellishing and gifting,” Pavelka said. “Friends and family who receive the embellished Carmex jars use the empty containers for pill boxes, mint keepers or treasure vessels. It was easy to decide to use the iconic product for this project because I have been using the jar lids as my canvas for years.” 

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