Stencilled Flower Garden

Recently Julie Balzer has been sharing some of her most used and favorite art supplies on her blog.  She's also featured art by other readers along with some of their favorite art supplies.  I decided to see if I could create an art journal spread using only 10 things.  I counted my three different colors of Archival Ink as just one.  And the three colors of acrylic paint as one.  So call me a cheater but in my head it's one product (even if it is in three different colors).

Here's a photo of the supplies I used:

These supplies include:

1. Luminarte Silks Acrylic Paints

2. Archival Ink stamp pads

3. Color Bloom Spray Mist

4. Golden Acrylic Paint

5. Derwent Inktense Pencils

6. Stabilo All Black Pencil

7. Rubber Stamps

8. Stencils

9. Waterbrush

10. StazOn stamp pad

I love seeing and hearing about other people's favorite art supplies.  Often I say to myself, "oh, I have those Neocolor crayons or Inktense pencils, I just need to remember to use them".  It's also fun to see how different artists combine products to get unique and different looks.  The Internet is like one big show and tell!

Thanks for reading!

Large Art Journal Paint Scraping Fun!

Lately I have felt a little intimidated to work in my larger Dylusions Art Journal.  Some days it just seems like a lot of space to fill.  Kind of like starting on a large blank canvas.  But on Sunday I decided it was time to stop using that as an excuse and just start applying some paint.

First I dribbled some Golden Acrylic paint and used an old credit card to spread it out.  I did this with four different colors.  Then I used a few light blue Neocolor crayons and went around the edges coloring.  I then took a wet paint brush and blended this color in.  Next I used a few of my newer Dina Wakley stamps with some black Archival Ink.  I also used my green Wink of Stella pen to color in a few of the large circles and did some stenciling with a Crafter's Workshop Stencil and some purple paint.  The last few things I did were to use a black pen to draw a wavy line around the border and then color this area in with my bubblegum pink Dylusions spray ink (that I have poured into a water brush).  Oh, and I drew a few circles in the border that I colored in with a blue Montana Acrylic paint pen and then outlined with a white uni-ball pen.  There are also a few pieces of washi tape placed randomly here and there.

One thing I like about this art journal spread is that I left some white space.  I often feel I have to cover everything in paint.  I really like the look of some white space peeking through.  It lightens things up!

Here's another look:

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Stenciled Card!

Doodlebugs, my local stamping and scrapbooking store in Sequim, Washington, is having a Creative Community Challenge this month.  The challenge is to create something using stencils.  Cathy has been posting all sorts of great ideas and examples using stenciling techniques.  (You can click here to visit Doodlebugs blog.)  As I was reading this post, I realized that I had forgotten about one very easy way to get lots of color using my stencils:  use my blending tools along with Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads.  I've recently invested in some of the Mini Ink Blending Tools and I love them!  This card was created using the Heartwood pattern designer stencil from Memory Box and 3 different colors of Distress Inks.  After mounting it on a card I took out my Stickles and added some small little dots.

It's amazing that we can so quickly and easily get such incredible detail by rubbing an inked foam blending tool over a stencil.  I love stencils!!

Here's a close-up of some of the detail and the Stickled dots.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Art Journal Fun With Color Bloom Spray Mist

I haven't had a chance to work in my art journal lately so last night I put it on my list of things to do today.  Ta da!   That almost always ensures I will get it done.  Sometimes I just have to make art a priority and put it on my to-do list.

As I opened my art journal today I knew that I wanted to give my new Color Bloom Spray Mist a try. The color is called Glistening Waves and it has a beautiful sultry shimmer to it!  It is a gorgeous aqua green!  I sprayed it into my art journal through two new Stencil Girl stencils.  I then outlined the stenciled areas with my Peeled Paint distress pen.  I also used some gelli printed deli paper, some tissue paper that I had previously painted, and some wide washi tape outside the stenciled areas.  One of the last things I did was to use some painters pens to add little dots in the stenciled areas.  I really like this added detail.

Color Bloom Spray Mist, wide washi tape, and Stencil Girl Stencils

Here is a close up of one of the stenciled areas.  I added an enamel dot to the middle.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Cards With Impress Stamps

I grew up in a suburb of Seattle called Woodinville (in Washington state).  The Seattle area has many rubber stamp and crafting related stores.  One of my favorites is called Impress.  There is an Impress store in Tukwila and University Village.  I don't get to shop at these stores very often since I live approximately 3 hours away but I have taken advantage of Impress's online store.  And, of course, I'm on their mailing list so I get an email every couple of weeks advertising classes, ideas and new products.

A few months ago I saw a card using these three flower stamps in an email I got from Impress.  I knew I had to have them!  The stamps are the mod wish flower, mod starburst, and mod cowslip.  One thing I love about Impress is their simple and quick card ideas.  I stamped the images, added some washi tape leaving room either at the top or bottom for a sentiment and mounted them on a background paper and then a card.  Pretty easy!

Here's a close up.

I'm always a sucker for something that is pretty and quick and easy!  Do you have any quick and easy card ideas??

Thanks for stopping by!

Elegant Lily Cards

It's always exciting to discover a blog where the artist posts often and showcases beautiful and inspirational art.  It's even more exciting when this artist puts together great tutorials and videos.  Recently I found just this when I discovered Jennifer McGuire's blog.  It's definitely worth checking out!  About a month ago I fell in love with her card using the My Favorite Things Lily die.  You can see her video tutorial here.  

Since we were invited to my Mom's cousin's house for Easter Sunday, I decided it would be nice to give her a card.  (I'm always looking for an excuse to do something crafty!)  Here is the card I made using the My Favorite Things Lily die and Jennifer McGuire's tutorial.   

I always feel a bit sad when I make a beautiful card and then give it away on the same day.  I guess I really enjoy having a few days to admire my work.  Fortunately my iPhone allowed me to take some pictures so I can look back and remember the beauty.

I like orange flowers . . . but I like pink flowers even more!  I decided to make another lily card (that I will probably hang onto until Mother's Day) using some pink Copic markers.  I'm happy with how it turned out!  The little pink dots really made me love it!

I definitely could use a lesson and some practice in shading and layering colors with the Copic markers.  I'll have to add that to my list of classes to take!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tall Birds on a Mixed Media Background

A week or so ago I found a tutorial for Stenciled Coffee Filter Art on the Crafters Workshop blog.  I had some old coffee filters in the pantry so I went to work collaging and stenciling.  You know how sometimes you end up with a bunch of leftover paint after a project?  Well, I had some left over aqua and green paint that I couldn't waste so I grabbed my small art journal and sponged away.  I decided to follow the whole stenciled coffee filter process in my art journal.   I absolutely love the results!  I'm  sure the fact that these are my favorite colors has nothing to do with it!  Then I used my new StencilGirl Tall Birds stencil for the birds.  I colored the birds' bodies in with a few of my Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush pens and stamped a swirly stamp through the stencil.

Here are the coffee filters I made.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gelli Printing With Green Pepper Press Masks

This past weekend I pulled out my Gelli Plate and did some gelli printing.  Oh my goodness!  Gelli printing is so much fun!  I think part of the fun is the surprise of not really knowing what you're going to get when you pull a print.  Then you can layer more and more paint onto the same print if you want.  The possibilities are endless!  And an endless source of fun it is!  

The stencils and masks that I used are from Green Pepper Press:  The Frond Collection.   I love them!  They are natural and organic and I think I will come up with many uses for them.

Do you have a Gelli plate?  Have you done any Gelli printing lately??

Thanks for stopping by!

Documented Life Project Planner Page and a Sweet 16 Birthday Card

Last week's Documented Life Project Planner challenge was to do something monochromatic - use shades, tints and hues of one color.  Here is what I came up with.  It's not green!  I decided that I would use different shades of blue.  I used my new Crafter's Workshop stencil called Retro Bursts.  I also used my new Tim Holtz Sizzix Frameworks Honeycomb die.  Along the left side I laid down
some deli paper cut into a scalloped pattern.  Around the rest of the edges I used blue washi tape with white stars.

All in all, I like the blue.   But I must confess . . . it's not near as much fun to create using just one color.   I really prefer to use lots of colors!

On Sunday my older daughter turned 16!  Wow!  This certainly felt like a big birthday.  Here is the card I made for her.  It was fast and fun!  I really like how the enamel dots coordinate well with the polka dot paper.

Thanks for stopping by!

Frilly and Funkie Challenge

I had so much fun entering a piece of my art into the Frilly and Funkie challenge last week that I decided I would participate again.  This week's challenge is called 'Flights of Fancy'.  You can read about it on the Frilly and Funkie blog here.  I was inspired to create some fun backgrounds using the techniques discussed in this Frilly and Funkie blog post.  After I applied some ink and paint and did some stamping on the background, I set out in search of all things pink that might fit in with the 'Flights of Fancy' theme.  Butterflies, birds, bees . . . anything with wings was fair game.  I was also trying to grab things that I felt fit in with this 'frilly' look and feel.  The tag below is what I created.  It's pretty busy and very pink!

A closer look.

Have you created anything frilly or funky lately?  

Thanks for reading!

A Birdcage in a Secret Garden

Here is an art journal spread in my large art journal that I completed almost a year ago.  In the back ground I used some self-adhesive drywall tape in the bottom corners.  I also used a piece of wide elastic lace across the top.  I painted it with gesso and then adhered it across the top before I laid down the background color.  I used a combination of die cut branches with leaves, stamps and a stencil to form the leaves/greenery hanging down from the top of the page.  I had fun adding the birdcage with the bird to this Secret Garden of sorts.

A close-up of the birdcage and bird.  The drywall tape and lace are also more visible in the background here.

I think it would be fun to create a Secret Garden themed journal page every couple of weeks.  It would also be fun to create a Pinterest board showcasing Secret Garden related art.  What would you include in your Secret Garden creation?

Thanks for reading!

A Mess of Greens and Blues

A close up of the stenciled feathers on canvas.

Last weekend I decided it had been too long since I'd used my Distress stains and Distress paints so I pulled them out.  Sometimes I really like to work in a messy but fun manner.  Other times I have more of a picture in my mind and I work in a more orderly fashion.  This was definitely a more messy day.

This spread in my small Dylusions art journal called for a lot of stenciling.  I used stencil after stencil after stencil and a few stamps.  I also used some washi tape around the edges and some small scraps of gelli printed deli paper.  In the end I decided I wanted to adhere these two stenciled feathers which I made using a Crafter's Workshop stencil called Fancy Feathers designed by Ronda Palazzari.  I stenciled them a few months ago onto some canvas material and hadn't yet incorporated them into a project . . . until now!  I also used some My Mind's Eye enamel dots that I've had sitting on my craft counter.  They add a fun bit of dimension.

As usual I adore this combination of aqua and lime green.  Nothing makes me smile more!

 Do you have a combination of colors that you like to go back to again and again??

The whole spread.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great weekend!

Experimenting With Something New!

About a month ago I discovered the work of Robin Mead.  Her work is bright and vibrant and full of color.  She draws and paints flowers galore!  She just offered her first online workshop which is called Make Your Mark!  I almost always love the look when an artist uses dark lines to emphasize various shapes. I think that is why I liked this class.  Black lines encourage colors to pop and stand out more.

This is a piece of art that I created while taking Robin's class.  I used Sharpie pens to draw the flowers and leaves and Copic markers to color them in.  I used some square stamps in the background along with my Portfolio Series water-soluble oil pastels.

Robin also creates beautiful digital art on an iPad.  It sounds like she will be offering some sort of digital art class in the near future.  I will definitely be signing up for that class as well.

Have you done any digital art on an iPad or other tablet??

Thanks for reading!

Last Week's Documented Life Project Planner Page

 Write your name and embellish it !  This was last week's Documented Life Challenge.  I know it sounds like an art assignment we all had in 5th or 6th grade.  But do you remember the freedom and opportunity for expression this provided?  (I don't actually remember doing this but I know my daughters did!)  Here is what I came up with.

As usual I used a lot of green.  I really like the green fern and the fun feathers!  I hadn't had a chance to use this new black washi tape, so I decided this was the time.  The washi tape went on the page, around the edges, early on so that helped me decide that the rest of the page needed some black.  I had fun with the polka dots and lines for the letters of my name.  I also used one of my new Stampers Anonymous Distress Damask stamps and stamped it in black.  The feathers are die cut from My Favorite Things Feathers and Arrows die set.  I stamped an Alisa Burke feather stamp over the die cut feathers.

This week's Documented Life Project Challenge is Monochromatic:  use shades, tints, and hues of one color.  I think I will use blue.   If you were going to create something monochromatic what color would you choose?

Thanks for reading!

Time After Time Challenge at Frilly and Funkie

I recently stumbled upon a blog called Frilly and Funkie.  Every couple of weeks they sponsor a challenge of some sort.  Right now their challenge is to create a project using clocks and time as your theme.  After pondering the idea of creating something for a challenge, and wondering how many time and clock related stamps and stencils I have, I decided to go for it.  I really enjoyed this challenge!   As my card came together I began to like it more and more.

I used a lot of Tim Holtz products:  his Clockwork stencil, a metal clock face from his Idea-ology Timepieces set, his detailed clock face stamp from his Visual Artistry Collection and his Idea-ology mini gears.  The flowers were die cut from Tim Holtz' Tattered Flower garland.

This card is what I will be submitting for the challenge.  Frilly and Funkie also have an online store with all sorts of great products.  It is called The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks for reading!

Using Gelli Printed Deli Paper in My Art Journal

I am constantly finding new ways to use Gelli printed deli paper in my art journals.  Last week I came  up with the idea that I wanted to try creating some really big flowers out of gelli printed deli paper and collage them onto a canvas or into my art journal.  I decided to do this in my journal.  You may recognize that the deli paper flowers in this art journal spread are out of the same paper that I made these flowers with.  I also cut up another piece of gelli printed deli paper into strips and created a border with it.  I went through a stage where I was making gelli printed deli paper envelopes with my BigShot and then incorporating the little envelopes into my art journal spreads.

For the background of this spread I used dictionary paper.  After applying some teal/mint green paint I used some of my new Dina Wakley Media stamps from her Textures set.

The colors in this art journal spread are definitely making me smile.  I will never grow tired of flowers!

Thanks for reading!

Flowers In Her Hair!

I finally found some time to try out this Prima Bloom Collection Instachick cling stamp.  I love the flowers and various things that are stuck in her hair! For the background I used one of my Stampers Anonymous Distress Damask stamps stamped in a light green.  Then I used Wendy Vecchi's translucent  embossing paste with a polka dot stencil.  After that dried overnight, I sprayed some Dylusions spray inks.  With a baby wipe I then wiped away the ink that was on the raised, clear embossing paste.  When the spray ink was dry I stamped the instachick stamp with a black Archival ink pad.  Next, I went to work coloring in the flowers, paintbrushes, buttons, spool of thread, etc. with Copic markers.  I ended by using my new Wink of Stella brush in Glitter Dark Pink to color in her lips.  If you're not familiar with these brushes they have a nice shimmery sparkle to them.  I also bought a clear one.  Oh, one more thing . . .  I used a white pen to whiten up the white of her eyes.

She definitely has blue specks all over her face but overall I really like how she turned out.  It looks like she's been having a heck of a lot of fun painting and working in her flower garden.

Speaking of gardening, the weeds in my planting beds are out of control!  I keep avoiding them!  I am trying to convince myself that just an hour a day for maybe three days would make it look dramatically better.  I'd much rather play with paint, stencils and spray ink any day!

Thanks for reading!

Make Art Everyday!

Bright Colors, Gelli Print Circles, Stencils, and Birdhouses

I try to do some form of art everyday.  Maybe it's just trying out a new stencil or stamping an image and then coloring it in.  I find that even if I don't complete something, but rather just dabble for a few minutes, I get the satisfaction of playing in a creative way.

This is an art journal spread that I tried to put together rather quickly.  My small Dylusions art journal is the place I seem to go to when I feel limited on time.  Rae Missigman taught me the trick of using an old credit card to spread paint onto a page.  I like this technique because it's quick and the paint needs almost no time to dry.  After applying the paint I added more paint through some new stencils and then added washi tape around the edges.  On a whim I decided to stamp the branch with the tree houses.  I've found lately that I like to punch out large circles and adhere them to my page.  In this case I punched some Gelli printed deli paper circles.  I then outlined the circles with a black pen.

Since I was trying to make time for art on a busy day I decided to stick letters on the page spelling out 'Make Art Everyday'.  I really like the bright colors on these pages.  I can see that I can work on blending colors and trying to lesson the harsh lines moving from one color to the next.  But, hey, that's what an art journal is for!   An art journal is a place to explore new mediums, try out new techniques, and see how colors work (or don't work) together.  It's a place to dive in and have fun . . . no pressure.  It's also a place where we can freely express ourselves, with or without words.  Even well known and accomplished artists don't create masterpieces everyday.

Thanks for reading!

How To Turn Newspaper Into a Perfect Mixed Media Surface

Hello!  Do you ever wonder how you can reuse newspaper in a crafty way?  A little over a year ago Julie Balzer posted this great technique video showing how to apply gesso to newspaper and then go to town stenciling with acrylic paints.  As you can see below, I had a ton of fun with this technique.  You simply brush gesso onto both sides of a piece of newspaper, let it dry, and then start adding paint with a cosmetic sponge and stencils.   The gesso makes the newspaper feel tough and thicker - less likely to tear.

I also did a piece with reds, pinks and purples (not shown) that I cut up and used for Valentine's Day cards last year.  

Below is a fun Spring card I put together using a piece of this gessoed and painted newspaper for the background.  

 And a close up of the cotton lace, burlap type fabric, and paper flowers across the bottom.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stenciling Fun on a Homemade Zippered Pouch

Today I have a hand-sewn little pouch to show you.  I started with some plain cotton muslin and just had fun using various stencils and acrylic paint to add color and design.  I stenciled the fuchsia flowers with a homemade stencil that I made using a flower die and my Big Shot die cutting machine.  When the paint was dry I used this tutorial from Pink Polka Dot Creations to help me sew and assemble the bag itself.  I always get nervous when a project involves a zipper.  But these directions were very easy to follow and now I think, 'a zipper . . . no problem!'  This little pouch measures 7.5" by 6.5" and is lined with a coordinating teal fabric. 

My next sewing project . . . well I'm not sure what I will sew, but I have this adorable owl fabric that I really want to use.  Any easy sewing patterns you might suggest for a backpack or bag of some sort??     Or maybe something that will help with organization??

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Help With Last Week's Documented Life Project Page

Last week's Documented Life Project planner challenge was to ask someone else to draw on your page and then finish it.  I asked my daughter (who's almost 16 - yikes!) to draw something for me.  She drew this face and treble clef.  I then had fun using some of my Deli Paper Flowers to embellish the page.  I layered some of the flowers on top of each other.  I also used my new Balzer Designs Mini Indian Leaves stencil to add some leaves around the flowers.  The music notes, butterfly and little mushroom are all from my new pack of Tim Holtz Ideology Botanical Remnant Rubs.  Around the edge of this page I used some Doodlebug Designs Baby Blooms washi tape that I absolutely love!     This week's Documented Life Project challenge is to write your name and embellish it.  Sounds like fun!  Time to get to work!  Do you have a weekly or monthly challenge that you participate in?

Thanks for reading!

Small Art Journal Page and Some New Stuff

Here's a small art journal spread that I completed a few weeks ago.  If you haven't noticed yet, I LOVE GREEN!!  I use many different shades of green and blue in my art.  On this particular page I decided to incorporate some red and pink as well.  I also felt the need to use one of my Dina Wakley Scribbly Birds stamps.  I love these birds!  I keep saying that I am going to practice and learn to draw birds, but then I remember I have bird stamps and stencils and, of course, I end up taking the easy route.

Do you have a stamping or scrapbooking store near you?  I live in a small town on the Olympic Peninsula.  We have a Joann Fabrics which I am grateful for.  But better yet, in the nearby city of Sequim, Washington we have a fantastic scrapbooking and card making supply store called Doodlebugs.  I love Doodlebugs!  They have almost everything for your stamping, card making, art journaling and collaging needs.  And what they don't have they are almost always willing to order.  They also have a great blog which you can check out here.  So, when I go to Sequim to go to Costco and run other errands I often cannot resist the very strong temptation to stop at Doodlebugs.  

Today was one of those days.  I had ordered a Julie Balzer stencil and it was in . . . so I had to stop.  Of course I came home with a lot more than that 6" x 6" stencil.  Take a look at what I came home with!

Tim Holtz Ideaology Botanical Remnant Rubs, Balzer Designs Mini Indian Leaves
stencil and Spice Market metal embellishments

Prima Bloom Collection Instachick cling stamp and Stampers Anonymous Distress
Damask stamps (Tim Holtz Collection)

It is amazing how getting a few new things really inspires my creative juices.  Let the creative fun begin!

Fun Deli Paper Flowers

One thing I love about the Internet is all of the opportunities to learn about creative and new techniques.  I love it even more when there is a video showing you just how you too can create what you've just observed as beautiful.  Sometimes it's an entire art journal spread that you get to see come together and other times it's just a small component or technique that you can use on a card, in a scrapbook or art journal.

Last week I stumbled across this Deli Paper Flower Tutorial posted by Sandi Keene on March 20th.  I couldn't wait to try it myself.  I used my Gelli plate and acrylic paints to pull some prints on deli paper, book pages and dictionary pages.

Then I went to work drawing flowers with a Sharpie and cutting them out.  I couldn't stop!  I just wanted to make more and more and more.  That must be a sign that I'm having fun.  Here are a few pictures of my cut out flowers.

I'm hoping to incorporate a few of these into my planner this week for the Documented Life Planner Project.  Thanks Sandi for the great tutorial and video. 

Thanks for reading!