Creative Freedom - Art Journaling

I am really enjoying the freedom of playing in my art journal.  I am starting to jot down ideas and techniques that I would like to try plus getting inspiration from challenges.

It was two challenges that inspired my most recent page.  First, by the MME July Challenge topic "Let Freedom Ring".  That determined the use of products from MME and boy, do I have a stash of their wonderful products to choose from. It is safe to say that I have loved their collections since I first discovered scrapbooking many moons ago. Secondly, I used the July colour board from Off the Rails Scrapbooking which fit so well with the MME topic.

Here's what I came up with...

Supplies: 400 Series Watercolor Hardbound 11" Art Journal (Strathmore), patterned papers, letter stickers and stamp (My Mind's Eye), gesso (Golden), gel medium, crackle accents medium, and Tim Holtz Distress ink (Ranger), gelatos and Stamper's Big Brushes (Faber-Castell), white paint (DecoArt), marker (Sharpie)

The textures on this in real life are awesome.  This was the first time that I have freely torn up paper and covered it with only parts showing.  I have to be honest... it was really hard tearing into it at first but once I started layering it, it got easier as my idea took shape.

I used pieces from The Sweetest Thing: Honey - One of a Kind, Bella Bella -Bellezo, and Frosted Signature Christmas collections for the base background.

Then after gessoing, I added turquoise and aqua blue colours with Faber-Castell gelatos (Snow Cone, Metallic Mint, Aqua Dolce, and Cotton Candy).  After sealing it in with gel medium, I hand drew and cut out the wings from a scrap section of script printed Lost and Found: Portobello Road- Family Collection paper and added crackle finish to them.  While they dried, I wove the heart from So Sophie Collection patterned papers (Savvy: In Love - petite red floral and Clever: Pretty Girls - heavenly houndstooth b-side) and adhered it to a hand drawn heart shape base. While the heart was drying, I went back to the wings and rubbed in distress ink into the cracks. 

I also stamped with a doubled up polka-dot MME border stamp from the Miss Caroline -Adventures stamp set with white acrylic paint. After all the sections were ready, I gel mediumed them onto the page, along with pre-distress inked and Sharpie colour-altered Lost and Found: Market Street - Happy Birthday glittered letter stickers, sealing them all.  Once the page was dry, I used Faber-Castell Stamper's Big Brushes (Deep Scarlett Red, Warm Grey 4, and Black) to add colour, shading and definition.  Lastly, I freehand drew my font quote to finish it off.

Some close up photos:

Here is the gorgeous mood palette from Off the Rails Scrapbooking:

Are those shoes outstanding or what?!?

TTFN,