Love Words

It is time for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Suzz is the hostess for this one and calls it Positively Pensive.  Here is how she describes it:

Today is Ballpoint Pen day! The challenge is to thoughtfully use a ballpoint pen on your project. You can doodle, journal, sketch or trace an outline using any color ballpoint pen on your art. Create a vintage or shabby chic project with some form of ink from a ballpoint pen and if it isn't obvious how it was used make sure to tell us in your post!

I thought it would be fun for a change to do an art journal page and since it is June, which is traditionally wedding month (except in the middle of a pandemic) I chose wedding as the theme for this very neutral, vintage page.

I apologize for the lack of process photos but after close to 3 months in lock down, my mind has gone to mush and I simply forgot but here is how you can create a page like mine:

• Coat page with White Gesso (Dina Wakley)
• Cover page with Sand Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley)
• Use a palette knife to add  Crackled Texture Paste (Wendy Vecchi) through the Flourish stencil (Tim Holtz) in random areas
• Using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and a Harlequin stencil (Tim Holtz) add some stenciling
• Brush White Gesso over the page using a ratty old brush so you can see brush strokes
• Spray Gathered Twigs Distress Spray Stain over the page and blot some off with a paper towel
• Spray White Linen Ink Spray (Dylusions) on page
• Splatter White Gesso over page
• Cut leaves and branches from scraps of Kraft Core Shattered card stock (Tim Holtz) using the Garden Greens die set (Tim Holtz)
• Punch some flowers from the Printery and Vintage Emporium paper pads (Prima) and add flowers to the centres from the Wild & Free Collection (Prima)
• Hand cut a heart from white corrugated cardboard, coat with Sand Acrylic Paint and rub with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
• Adhere a piece of lace to the page followed by the wedding couple Paper Doll (Tim Holtz), the heart, a piece of ephemera (Tim Holtz), the leaves, flowers and buttons
• Hand print the text using a black ball point pen

Please join us for the challenge, which runs until 11:55 pm EDT on Tuesday, June 23rd. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to go shopping at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their 4 top picks with the overall winner receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list with links to The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Dina Wakley Media Mediums - White Gesso MDM41689
Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Sand - 1oz Bottle
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain Spray - Gathered Twigs TSS42310
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Gathered Twigs TIM32823
Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Ink Spray - White Linen DYC37873
Ranger Archival Ink Pad - Jet Black AIP31468
Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Texture Paste - Crackled WVPASTECRA
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Flourish THS032
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Harlequin THS016
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera Pack, Keepsakes TH93958
Scor Tape
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls
White Corrugated Cardboard
Tim Holtz Garden Greens Die
Prima Marketing Printery Paper
Peima Marketing Vintage Emporium Paper
Prima Marketing Flowers
Tim Holtz Kraft Core Shattered Paper
EK Success Flower Punch
Venise Lace & Buttons

Saturday Showcase at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog

I am presenting the Saturday Showcase this week at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  I have made a bright art journal page using Dina Wakley Acrylic Paints.

Pop on over to the blog to see how it came together.

The Beginning

Today is the beginning of a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils and Sue is our hostess.  She calls this challenge It's Been A While and here is what she has to say about it:

Being creative often leads you in different directions and sometimes it isn't until you start that you know where you are heading. For this challenge I thought that as we've not done it for a while it would be good to let your creative spirit wander and have a theme of Anything Goes. Your project must be mixed media and include stamping and/or stencilling but apart from that it's up to you !

I decided to break the first page in the altered book I made to use as an art journal.  Breaking the page was not stressful nor was creating a background even though I realized as I kept going that I was covering things up - oops.  Then my mojo ground to a halt and I could not get anything else on the page that I was happy with.  Finally, after a few days of adding and removing elements I came up with this plan and decided it was time to accept it and move on.  I abandoned photographing my creative process but if you click on the photo it will bring up a large version so you can zero in on the details.  Here are the steps to create this project:

1.  Glue the first two pages of the book together to add strength.
2.  Add a piece of washi tape down the fold to prevent ink and paint from seeping into the spine.
3.  Coat inside of the front cover and the first page with white Gesso .
4.  Use texture paste through stencils to add some texture in random spots.
5.  Use a variety of pastel watercolour paints to add a wash over pages.
6.  Glue pieces of drywall tape in random areas to add texture.
7.  Add more stenciling and stamping with archival inks.
8.  Use a brayer to add translucent acrylic paints to build up the layers of paint.  Tip:  If you have an opaque paint you want to use, just mix it with some glazing medium to make it translucent.
9.  Use a black pen to hand draw a border around the pages.
10.  Add ink sprays next for spots of colour.
11.  Stencil some big flowers on the page.
12.  Ink butterflies with distress inks, over spray with spray stains and stamp or stencil with archival inks to add markings.
13.  Spray butterflies with watered down white Gesso.
14.  Add pearls to bodies of butterflies.
15.  Create sentiment on computer, ink with distress ink and distress edges.

Supplies:

Stencils - Bubbles (Tim Holtz), Mini Harlequin (TCW), Tasty Textures (IndigoBlu), ZigZag (Prima), Chevron and Gepmetric Circles (Teresa Collins), Cross Hatch (Cut on Cameo), Flowers (Plaid)
Stamp Sets - Faded Fragments (Seth Apter), Circles (IndigoBlu), Ultimate Grunge and xx (Tim Holtz), Wall to Wall Textures (Bo Bunny), Numbers (7 Gypsies), Script (Recollections)
Archival Inks - Jet Black (Ranger), Sky Blue, Tea Rose, Dandelion, Peat Moss, Orange Blossom, Pink Peony and Watering Can (Wendy Vecchi)
Paint - Hey Pesto, Blush, Pumpkin Soup and Smoked Paprika Fresco Finish (Paper Artsy) and French Blue Acrylic (Folk Art) and Watercolours (Artist's Loft)
Distress Inks - Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed, Stormy Sky (Tim Holtz)
Spray Inks - Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin and Chipped Sapphire Distress Spray Stains (Tim Holtz) and Frozen Jack Frost and Ramblin Rose Pink Starburst (Lindy's)
Mediums - White Gesso and Glazing Medium (Liquitex), Light Molding Paste (Golden)
Miscellaneous - Pearls (Dollarama, Recollections and Kaisercraft), Butterflies (My Husband), Scor Tape, Drywall Tape (Home Depot), Washi Tape (Tim Holtz)

Can you believe the list of stuff I used?  Now I understand why my husband keeps rolling his eyes when I come home with something new.  It is a crafter's thing!!!!!

Now let's hope my next art journal page goes a little more smoothly.  I always read that art journaling is meant to put your thoughts to paper in a creative way but it looks like I might have a really empty brain. 😂😂😂

I hope you will dig out your stamps and stencils and join us for this Anything Goes challenge.

Altered Book Cover

Today is the start of the June challenge at Stamps and Stencils and Lula, our hostess calls the challenge Do Judge A Book By Its Cover!  Here is how she describes the challenge:

Reading books has been my favourite activity ever since. I am also addicted to altering ordinary items surrounding us. For this challenge I I'd like you to alter any book cover. Creating altered cover is something anyone can do because your only limitation is your own imagination. You can use any type of books from children's books or user manuals to art journals. Don't forget to use stamping or stenciling and join us in the fun!

I was happy when I saw this challenge because I knew it would give me an opportunity to transform something I had at home into an art journal.

I went to my craft book library and selected this book to transform.  I bought it when it first came out in 1972 with the intention of teaching myself how to recover a chair.  I read it and realized that it was something that required classes if I was ever going to be successful and there was no time for that so it has been sitting on the shelf ever since.  Good thing it was only $2.50.

I started altering the cover by giving it a coat of white Gesso (Liquitex) and then using a small brayer, I added Smoked Paprika, Candy Floss and Zesty Zing Fresco Finish paint (Paper Artsy).

Next I added some stenciling with a Harlequin stencil (TCW) and Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) but it did not show up the way I hoped so stay tuned for a later photo that will show you how I fixed that.  You can see a bit on the bottom of the following photo but only because the light hit it.

I added a whole bunch of bits and pieces - lace, metal, wood, buttons, etc. using Soft Gel Medium (Golden).  Then I covered all my bits and pieces with more white Gesso.

After the Gesso was dry I sprayed the cover with Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest and Squeezed Orange ink sprays (Dylusions).

Next I added some stamping with Watering Can Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and stamps from Faded Fragments (Seth Apter) and a mixed set THMM101 (Tim Holtz).

Here is a photo of the embossing paste and stencil I used but make the stenciling more visible I lid the stencil back down and using a sponge and some white Gesso, I pounced some colour on.  Because I had to work around the bits and pieces, I missed a few spots but all in all it still looks much better.

So there is my new art journal ready for creating inside.  I hope you will find a book and alter it to create something new and fun.  If you do, please join us for the challenge - it runs until July 4th at 20:00 UK Time.

Lying In the Meadow

It is time for a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  Rachel is our hostess for this one and is calling it In the Meadow.  She describes it this way:

Meadows are such amazing places - lots of different grasses, wild flowers and wonderful wildlife. Let your imagination run wild ...and use stamps or stencils too! Enjoy!

I decided to make a page for my art journal this time and wanted it to depict what I would be feeling if I was lying in a meadow - and taking time to do nothing.

The first step was to stamp some grasses on the page using a set called Victorian Garden (IndigoBlu) and Olive Archival Ink (Ranger) and Fern Green Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi).  Sorry about the glare on the photos but it was miserable out when I took the photos and I had to turn the overhead light on in my studio to get anything half decent.

Next I stenciled some wildflowers by putting Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) through a stencil called Mini Wildflowers (TCW).

The next step was to ink the whole page using Twisted Citron and Peeled Paint Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz).  The embossing paste acts as a resist so I just took some paper towel and rubbed over the wildflowers to bring them to life again.

I stenciled some butterflies (Heidi Swapp) with Fern Green Archival Ink and then I left the stencil in place and stamped over the butterflies with a set called Ultimate Grunge (Tim Holtz) and Olive Archival Ink (Ranger).

I decided there would be lots of bees in the meadow, especially if there are wildflowers so I added some using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and bees from the Victorian Garden set (IndigoBlu) and a set called Random Thoughts (Tim Holtz).

I added some Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) randomly over the page.

Finally I created some text on the computer, distressed it and inked it with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink (Tim Holtz).

I hope you will join us for this challenge - you have until May 2nd to create.

Flower Page

I saw that the August challenge over at A Vintage Journey was called Watercolour and thought that I might enter it and try my hand at some watercolouring since it isn't something I have ever done.  I came up with this page for my art journal.

I am currently using a Canson Mixed Media journal and don't find that the pages stand up well to lots of wet media so I glued two pages together with Mod Podge.  I put the glue on using an old rewards card, joined the pages, spritzed the back and front with a fine mist of water and then put them between two pieces of waxed paper under a heavy book to dry and that kept the page fairly flat.

Once it was dry I added some texture with a stencil (Teresa Collins) and some Molding Paste (Golden).  Once the paste was dry I covered the page with a coat of White Gesso (Liquitex).

I painted the page with a coat of Blush Fresco Finish (Paper Artsy) followed by a coat of Candy Floss Resco Finish that I wiped back in spots with a baby wipe.

I added some stamping with Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and a script stamp called Haunted (Recollections).  Then I added stenciling with a Harlequin Stencil (Tim Holtz) and Watering Can Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi for Ranger).

Next came some spray colour.  I used Twisted Citron and Worn Lipstick Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) and some watered down Zesty Zing Fresco Finish (Paper Artsy).

I added a few circles and lines using White Gesso (Liquitex) and a cap from a spray bottle and an old rewards card.

I stamped one of the flowers and stem with leaves from a set called Flower Garden (Tim Holtz) using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger).  The stamping was done on Watercolour Card (Canson).

I coloured the image using watercolour pencils (Artist's Loft since that was all I had.  It was fun so a trip to the art supply store is in the works so I can buy something better and get practicing.

I tore around the image and inked the edges with Spun Sugar Distress Ink (Tim Holtz).  The sentiment was a freebie from Create with TLC and was computer generated.  The edges were torn and inked in the same manner as the flower image.

My Granddaughter taught me a bit more about using watercolours today.  These were techniques she learned at one of her art camps this summer.  I am impressed with her abilities and her love of art - she is just 11 (going on 20 but that is another story - lol).

Elegance

It is time for the first challenge of 2017 at Stamps and Stencils and this time Ruth is our hostess and is calling it Swirls, Whirls and Flourishes. She describes it this way:

"It may be January but this months challenge is nothing to do with winter, this month I'd like you to usher in the New Year by creating any mixed media piece you like as long as somewhere you include a swirl or a whirl or a flourish and some stamping or stenciling, of course!"

I thought I would make an art journal page in a new Spiral Water Colour Pad that I got a couple months ago. When I got going on it though it turned out looking more like a layout but I am pleased with it.

I started by giving the page a coat of Liquitex Gesso.  Next I added strips of torn paper but after the project was done and I had covered it all up I was questioning why I bothered.  Then I used Golden Light Molding Paste and the Tim Holtz Flourish Layering Stencil to add my flourishes.  I dabbed more of the paste on between the flourishes for added texture.

Next I added lots of colour by spraying Shaded Violet, Tumbled Glass and Worn Lipstick Distress Spray Stain on randomly.  I painted over everything with some white shimmer eye shadow from the dollar store that I mixed with water - a little difficult to see in the photo but looks great in real life.

I used Jet Black Archival ink to add some stamping with the crisscross stamp from IndigoBlu's Rugged Edge set and IndigoBlu's Script stamp.

Next I added lace from my stash that I dyed with some Shaded Violet Distress Ink.  Then I mounted the image of the elegant lady that I found online on a couple scraps of Graphic 45 paper that I distressed.  I added flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, some die cut leaves and a heart and key that were created from Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay and all coloured with Shaded Violet Distress Ink.  I also added some large seed beads from the dollar store and a couple buttons from my stash.

Finally I made the sentiment on my computer, distressed the edges and inked them with more Shaded Violet DI.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenge:

Mixed Media Monthly - Put A Stencil On It

Falling Leaves

It is the first Thursday in September and that means a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  It also means autumn is fast approaching.  Rachel is our hostess this month and wants you to create with the colours of autumn - reds, oranges, golds and browns; use these in a mixed media creation.

I decided to finish a page for my art journal that I had started ages ago and set aside.

I added some random strips of masking tape and used a TCW harlequin stencil and some Golden Light Molding Paste to add some texture along with some thread.  Next I gave the page a coat of Liquitex Gesso.

Once the Gesso was dry I covered everything with Haystack Fresco Finish paint and then added some Pumpin Soup Fresco Finish paint and wiped it back in spots.  I added some Tim Holtz Twisted Citron and Gathered Twigs Distress Spray Stain and then some FW acrylic inks in Birdwing Copper Pearlescent and Crimson.

Now it was time to add a little more stamping with Jet Black Archival Ink and Tim Holtz Bubble and Numbers stamps along with a vintage leaf stamp from Just Right's Autumn Leaves set.

 

I made a bunch of fall leaves by taking Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine, crumbling it up and then cutting some from Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and some by tracing a maple leaf clip art pattern.  Once all the leaves were cut I coloured them using Sunset Orange, Meadow, Rust and Red Pepper Alcohol Ink along with some blending solution.  Once dry I rubbed them with a little Rose Quartz wax paste from Treasure Gold.

The sentiment is computer generated and inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Even though the days are getting shorter here, the weather is still definitely summer weather - hot and humid - so we won't be seeing leaves like the ones shown here for a little while yet and I am OK with that because once fall is here, it means winter is close behind.

Pot of Posies

The new March challenge starts today at Anything But Cute and this time Branka is our hostess and she is calling it Crazy For Colour.

Branka describes the challenge this way:

"To celebrate the springtime, we would like you to create a mixed media project using vibrant colours! It can be a tag, a card, an art journal page or anything else! Just be sure it's vibrant! It's time to go 'crazy' with colours!"

 
I decided to make an art journal page that I am calling a Pot of Posies.  I spritzed a piece of watercolour paper with water and then I sprayed Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise and Dirty Martini ink onto my craft mat and dragged the watercolour paper through it to create the base for the background.

Next I did a bunch of stenciling as follows:

• Wendy Vecchi Lovely Leaves with Fern Green Archival Ink and Dots and Stripes Borders with Orange Blossom Archival Ink
• TCW Tiny Circles with Magenta Hue Archival Ink
• Dylusions Dotted Flowers with Bleach
• Circles Mask (Manufacturer Unknown) with Magenta Hue Archival Ink
• Swirls (Manufacturer Unknown) with Dandelion Archival Ink

The next step was to make the paper for the pot.  I used a piece of heavy card stock and painted it with the following acrylic paints in random areas:

• Folk Art Medium Yellow
• Deco Art Pumpkin, Wild Orchid and Electric Pink
• Apple Laguna

Before they could dry I loaded a paint brush with water and covered the sheet with strokes to blend the colours a bit.  Once the sheet was dry I used an old DVD as a template to cut a circle making sure to leave a flat bottom and I also cut a strip for the pot rim.  I decided it was brighter than I wanted so I inked the pieces with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The next step was to take a .05 Micron Pigma Pen and draw all the lines freehand.

Next I worked on the flowers.  I made different kinds of paper for the loopy doodle flowers.  The first was done by swiping some old Tombow markers on a plastic bag, spritzing it with water and then smooshing it around a piece of watercolour paper.  The second paper was made by rubbing Orange Blossom and Dandelion Archival Ink on some Specialty Stamping Paper.  Once the paper was made I stamped the flowers using Jet Black Archival Ink and the smallest flower from Dylusions Fancy Florals set and then fussy cut them.

I decided I didn't have enough flowers and really wanted some different ones but since that was the only stamp I had I went looking online and came up with some freebie doodle flowers.  They were printed onto card stock and then coloured with Forget-Me-Not, Red Geranium and Deep Purple Archival Ink before I fussy cut them.

To make the butterfly I coloured a scrap of card stock with some Artist's Loft watercolour pencils, blended them with water and then stamped the butterfly with a Hero Arts stamp.  The butterfly was fussy cut and some black wire from Artistic Wire was added for antennae.  The sentiment was computer generated and then coloured with some Forget-Me-Not Archival Ink.

Oh So Blue

It is time for the next monthly challenge at Stamps and Stencils and I am the hostess this time.  I decided to call it Oh So Blue and here is how I described the challenge:

This time of year it is easy to start feeling blue now that the festivities surrounding Christmas are over and winter is making its presence known with less sun and more miserable weather so instead of giving in to it let's celebrate blue. Create a primarily blue mixed media project that includes some stamping and/or stenciling. You may add one other colour to your creation but it must be mostly blue. 

For a split second I regretted the theme of this challenge because blue isn't my favourite colour but it was my Mother's favourite colour so I thought she would have loved this, especially since she was very creative/artistic.  She liked blue so much that in addition to her blue clothes and her blue dishes, she had an 800 piece collection of blue glass that I inherited when she passed away.  Since it wasn't something that excited me and I sure didn't want to dust all that blue glass, I chose a few special pieces to keep for myself and give to my siblings and then I sold the rest.  Sadly, many of the pieces were reproductions and not worth as much as she thought but she had fun collecting them all and it made her happy so that was a good thing.

On to my project and I decided to make an art journal page.  There are no process photos because I did this during the holidays and quite frankly did not think of it - oops.

I have been using a Canson Mixed Media wire-bound book as my art journal but have found that I need to glue two pages together because they have a micro perforation and they are not particularly heavy.  So I did that again and it was looking quite fine until I added a coat of Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso.  When it dried, I saw vertical strips of bubbling in random spots.  I debated starting over but then decided to leave some as is and split some open on the top layer to provide a little interest and dimension.  It is also rather warped and while I am going to add it back into my book as it is I would welcome any and all suggestions on how to prevent that.

Next I used some Golden Light Molding Paste through a Dylusions Dotted Flowers Stencil and a TCW Mini Geometric Art Layers Stencil to create some texture.  I also added some drips with Golden Clear Tar Gel.

Then I gave the page a coat of Lake Wanaka Fresco Finish paint.  On top of that I added a coat of Space Cadet Fresco Finish paint, removing some of it with a baby wipe after a few seconds.

Once the paint was dry I spritzed it in random spots with Tumbled Glass Distress Spray Stain.  Then I added some Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise Ink Spray and followed that with some Sun Up Blue Pearlescent Acrylic Ink from Daler Rowney (the camera really picked up the shimmer from this ink).

Next I used some Jet Black Archival Ink from Ranger to do some stamping with a Recollections script stamp called Haunted and a butterfly set from Hampton Arts called Vintologie.

The next step was to fussy cut a couple of large butterflies from some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap called Melange that I have had in my stash for ages.  I glued them on the page and coloured them with Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink using a water brush.

The word "fly" was stamped using Jet Black Archival Ink and an alphabet set from Studio G that I found in the clearance bin at Michaels.  The remaining words for the sentiment was made on my computer.  All the text pieces were inked with Blueprint Sketch.

I thought the ink on the text and the butterflies looked a little lot purple and when I cleaned the water brush tip on a piece of paper towel, it split and I could see the pink in it so I knew I was right - drat.  Shaded Lilac DI does the same thing I discovered a while ago.  Anyway, since I really wanted blue and everything was glued down at this point, I just carefully went over the Blueprint Sketch with Weathered Wood Distress Ink to try to tone it down a bit.  It is definitely better than it was but still not as blue as I hoped.  I think Tim should have called this one Blueberry and we would have all known it was purple.

Finally I drew around the edges of the butterflies with a white Prismacolor pencil and then used some Wendy Vecchi Cornflower Blue Archival Ink and the top from my little water spray bottle to create some circles.

This page looks better in real life and I am happy with the texture on the page while still keeping it flat enough to put in my book.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash - Color Me Monochromatic (or Pink)
We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Altered Art or Mixed Media

Groovy

I was asked to be a Guest Designer for the challenge starting today at Try It On Tuesday.  The challenge is 1960's Retro and they want to see projects that depict the pop art/fashion/colours of the era.

During the 1960's I was in my late teens and early twenties, living on my own in a big city so I remember that time very well.  I look back at photos of me and wondered what I was thinking when I wore certain clothes so I decided not to go the fashion route with my project.  I decided to make an art journal page that combined the pop art and colour aspects.  I also decided to try my hand at Zentangle. 

I started by gluing two pages together and then painted it completely with Zesty Zing Fresco Finish paint.  Then I took a baby wipe and added some Smoked Paprika Fresco Finish paint in random areas.

I added some stenciling with Wendy Vecchi Orange Blossom Archival Ink and a stencil from The Crafters Workshop called Mini Flower Frenzy.  Then I added a bit of second generation stamping with Wendy Vecchi Red Geranium Archival Ink and some sections from her Large Collage Background Stamp (I have cut my stamp into sections so it is easy to pick and choose which design I want to use).

Next I cut out all sorts of shapes and began to do the Zentangle using a Pigma Micron 01 pen from Sakura.  Confession - the peace sign was printed on the computer and already had some designs on it but I added a background of my own.  I tried doing my own but couldn't get a pattern in the narrow shape that looked decent.  I also printed the blank hand shape from the computer because I can't draw and then I added the Zentangle.  All the colouring was done with Bic markers or Copic markers.

I have to admit that I am a picky person so I destroyed quite a few shapes because the doodling wasn't as precise as I would have liked it.  It was time consuming and I don't know if I will tackle it again any time soon but I did like doing the colouring and considering how much I do in vintage tones, the bright colours were fun to work with.

Next I stamped some flowers with Jet Black Archival Ink using a couple of stamps from a Studio G set that I found in the clearance bin at Michaels, fussy cut them and coloured them with markers.  Finally I created some 1960's themed words on the computer using a font called Hippie Movement.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenge:

Stamps and Stencils - Anything Goes (must stamp and stencil)
 

Spring Blooms

A couple years ago, in a moment of sheer madness,  I offered to make a nightgown for an elderly friend.  She gave me the money for the fabric and I immediately went out and bought it and then I panicked that I wouldn't be able to make it fit her since she is almost 6 feet tall, so it sat in my sewing room - out of sight, out of mind.

Last week, the overwhelming guilt got to me and I finally made the nightgown and took it to her.  Since she is 80 years old, I had to make sure she was sitting down when she opened the package because I didn't want her to faint from the shock.  She loved it and if it doesn't fit, she hasn't told me. 

The scraps of fabric have been sitting on my desk and gave me some inspiration for this art journal page, which was completed a whole lot faster than the nightgown.

I started by gluing two pages from my journal together and then added some Golden Light Molding Paste through a stencil from TCW called Mini Hexagons.

Next I gave it a couple coats of Fresco Finish paint, first Lake Wanaka and when that was dry a coat of Antarctic, which I wiped back a bit with a baby wipe.  Then I added a coat of Robins Egg Blue acrylic paint from Craftsmart and wiped it back too.

Next I used some of Wendy Vecchi's Cornflower Archival Ink through her Checkmate stencil and some Tumbled Glass Distress Ink from Ranger through her Polka Dotty stencil in random areas.  I followed that with her Watering Can Archival Ink through a Dylusions stencil called Letter Jumble.  Finally I used a natural sea sponge and pounced some Deco Art Americana Peacock Pearl acrylic paint all over.

Next I cut a stencil of sun rays on my Cameo and used it with some Wendy Vecchi Metallic Gold Embossing Paste.  It looks like butterscotch pudding in the jar but just wait until it dries and you get gorgeous shine.

My friend Pamellia gave me a stamp that mimicked some of the flowers on the fabric and I found some other small ones in a bucket of little used stamps so I decided to use them for this project.

I pounced some of Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium, Dandelion and Orange Blossom Archival Ink on my craft sheet, spritzed it with rubbing alcohol and dragged some Specialty Stamping Paper through it.  Then I stamped a bunch of flowers using Jet Black Archival Ink and fussy cut them.

I then created another sheet in the same manner using some Wendy Vecchi Fern Green and Ranger Olive Archival Ink. Then I used a Pigma Micron Pen from Sakura to draw stems and leaves and fussy cut them as well.

I also stamped a couple of butterflies from a Hampton Art set onto the Specialty Stamping using Dandelion and Red Geranium Archival Ink and fussy cut them as well.

The sentiment is computer generated and then inked with Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress Ink.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

Artist Trading Post Exchange - Springtime
Make Art Challenge - Stencils
Fashionable Stamping - Springtime
Mixed Media World - Anything Goes
Craft Stamper - Anything Goes (must have stamping)
Country View Challenges - Anything Goes
Inspiration Journal - Spring Blooms
Stamplorations - Stamps and Stencils
Dream It Up - Marching Into Spring

Colouring Outside The Lines

A dear friend of mine, Sue Carrington, is involved in a wonderful new challenge blog called Artist Trading Post Exchange.  This is a mixed media challenge and it launched at the beginning of October so I thought I would play in their first challenge - Anything Goes.

I decided to make another page for my art journal and focus on the warm changing colours surrounding me.  I also decided to give it a pile of texture and that was fun.

I started by gluing two blank pages together to give it more strength but it still buckled a bit with all the texture which started with gluing some drywall tape, crumpled tissue paper, netting and gauze in random spots along with a strip of lace.  The next step was to add Golden Light Molding Paste in random spots through a Heidi Swap stencil and through the netting.

After the paste was dry I start wiping Smoked Paprika, Blood Orange, Pumpkin Soup and Hey Pesto Fresco Finish paints on touching up some of the missed spots with a paintbrush.

Next I pulled out some Prima and Recollections flowers, changed the colour of a few with paint and gave them a light spray with Tattered Angels Pearl Glimmer Mist before I added buttons for centres.  Some of the leaves were stamped with Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger using the Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves set from Just Right and then inked with Scattered Straw, Old Paper, Crushed Olive, Aged Mahogany, Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink from Ranger before they were fussy cut.

The rest of the leaves were cut from scrap card stock and embossed with a lace embossing folder and then inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The butterfly is a wood piece that I picked up at the dollar store and it was already coloured so I just inked the edges with some Vintage Photo DI.

The letters for the word "fall" are chipboard and I painted them with some Haystack Fresco Finish paint and then stamped some script with Coffee Archival Ink using a stamp from Recollections.  I gave them a coat of Mod Podge to seal everything.

Finally I made the rest of the text on the computer, inked the edges with Vintage Photo DI and then added them along with a few beads for some bling.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

Artist Trading Post Exchange - Anything Goes (mixed media)
All Crafts Challenge - Anything but a Card
Artistic Inspirations  - Anything Goes/Make Your Own Background
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Fall Leaves
Timbro Scrap Mania Stamping Challenge - Fall is in the Air
Stamping Sensations  - Autumn
So Artful Challenges - Leaves
Crafty Catz  - Autumn