Find Your Happy

Hello crafty friends! Today, I am sharing an art journal page that is sure to bring some sunshine and smiles with its fresh greens, sunny yellow flowers and a sparkly butterfly. Makes me feel like spring is just around the corner.

I made this one on Strathmore 8 x 6" mixed media paper for a page in my loose page art journal. I used a variety of different techniques from emboss resist, watercolour stamping, heat embossing and fussy cutting. Full step-by-step instructions can be found on my post on the Magenta Blog here.

Supplies: Un Simple Regard, Petal Trio, Tranquil Buds, Doodle Flower, Find Your Happy Place, Happy Birthday Stamps, patterned paper & Grass Green Nuance (Magenta), Mixed Media Paper (Strathmore), White, Clear & Black emboss powder (Simon Says Stamp), Cadium Yyellow, Dark Chrome Yellow, Light Green, Permanent Green Olive Big Brush Markers (Faber- Castell), VersaMark ink pad & pen, Black StazOn ink (Tsukineko), white cardstock (Staples), Tim Holtz Black Soot Archival ink, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn & Peeled Paint Distress Ink, Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), pencil crayons (Staedtler), 03 Black Pigma Micron Marker (Sakura), Black Sharpie

It has been a while since I have participate in a Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and I was inspired to make an art journal page when I saw this week's challenge. Click on the Simon Badge below to see their DT's gorgeous creations and for the challenge details.

TTFN,

Just Breathe - Art Journal Page

Like many, this year is proving to be an ongoing challenge and I am just trying to make it through to the other side of what is to come. I was in need of a crafty fix and happened across Marta Lapkowska's (Maremi SmallArt) live session YouTube video as I was turning on the TV on a late Saturday afternoon. As I continued to watch while making dinner, a journal page idea formed in my head based on the digi files that Marta had created for the class. So after dinner and a walk, I was determined to carve out some crafting time and created this page.

I enlarged the music sheet page when I printed it and did so two times to get the sheet music parts that I wanted to use. Working in my Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Visual journal, I tore and glued them down with matte gel. After they were dry, I brushed on a clear coat of gesso and then paint spatula scraped on a some white gesso. Next, I added Opaque Crackle Paste to three areas with a Martha designed stencil that I love. I fussy cut out the images that I wanted to use while it was drying. For the hydrangea, I enlarged the page for the second printing so that I would have different sizes and I altered the smaller one by cutting out different sections when I was fussy cutting it.

Once the paste had done its crackle thing, I adhered the fussy cut washi sections and then used a Brown Stabilo All pencil and a water brush to shading definition and grudge. Once I was happy with that, I splattered the background with white and black acrylic paint. I adhered the flowers and the butterfly and popped up the Just Breathe with some cereal board. For the flowers, I extended the flower branches with a black fine Sharpie, added some highlights to the flower petals in some sections with a White Gelato, and adhered a bow tied with a piece of hemp string. Lastly, I added shimmery details to the butterfly with a Stardust Gelly Roll pen.

Supplies: 9x12 400 Series Mixed Media Visual Journal (Strathmore), digital pattern papers (Maremis SmallArt), gel medium and opaque crackle paste (Ranger), clear gesso (Liqutex), white gesso (Golden), brown All pencil (Stabilo), Tacky glue (Aleene's), black and white acrylic paint (DecoArt), hemp cord (Darice), Coconut Gelato (Faber-Castell), Black Fine marker (Sharpie), Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)

I am very pleased with how this worked out. I do so like this colour combo and find it calming which is really not all that surprising as it has been my blog's colours for years. The sentiment title just speaks to me and where I am at right now. Getting creative is so what I needed. It does the soul good.

Thanks to Marta for the inspiration and push to get making. Check out the hashtag #MaremiFreeDigiPapers on IG and/or FB to see what others have come up with.

TTFN,

Spring is... Art Journal Page

Today, I am sharing some spring seasonal celebrating with an art journal page inspired by the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Spring Mood Board and Kathy Raccosin's The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge. 

Often, if I have an excess of a medium when crafting, I use it up on a blank page in an art journal or on an index card. For today's art journal, I started with just such a page where I had deposited the remaining modeling paste on a pre-gessoed page after applying it over the smallest Duo Flowers mask on this card. Because the Pebeo modeling paste that I had used was rather fluid (owing to its more plaster like texture), I had used the Duo Flower mask as a stamp pressing it down to transfer the paste getting multiple impressions with which I had created a design for future use. Thus, my starting point was to use the outside stencil piece of the mask, aligning it with my previously created impressions and using a Fuschia Inktense watercolour pencil crayon to outline each one.

Then, I activated the crayon by watercolouring each flower with Hot Pink Nuance. Once that was dry, I used the Flowers and Leaves stencil and a Teal Green Inktense watercolour pencil to add in the foliage around the flowers. I activated that crayon by watercolouring with Cerulean Blue Nuance and added a touch of Grass Green Nuance to each one. Next, I used an Apple Green Inktense watercolour pencil and free hand drew in leaves. I then activated those by watercolouring those with Grass Green Nuance. As they were drying, I dipped the watercolour pencil crayon into water and added the now activated Apple Green to the flower centres and darkened the leaves outlines and centre lines. Once all that was dry, I added a really watered down Bright Yellow Nuance to the background and dabbed it up with a paper towel to leave a subtle yellow.

To finish the page off, I added some splatters of Grass Green Nuance and used Copic Opaque White ink to add some further details to the flower centres and the leaves as well as to add splatters to the whole page. I ended up white heat embossing the edges after attempting to paint them with white acrylic paint that didn't really define them enough. Then, I muted the gloss of the emboss by painting over it with Matte Multi Medium Gel.

Lastly, I stamped the quote stamp on a strip of white cardstock with Black Soot Archival ink, trimmed it to size, distressed the edges, and adhered it to the page.

Here is the beautiful mood board put together by Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge blog's Design Team member, Macarena.

You can check out the challenge details, see the inspirational seasonal creations from their design team, and see other participant entries here.

TTFN,

*****

Magenta products used:

MC41 Flower Duo - set of two Masks

Hot Pink Nuance MNU005

TM216 Flowers and Leaves

Cerulean Blue Nuance MNU011

Grass Green Nuance MNU009

Bright Yellow Nuance MNU002

Robin Williams Quote 2 - 07.921.G

Thinking of You

Today, I am up on the Magenta Blog sharing a card that I had created this month using a watercolour pencil crayon stencil trace and Nuance watercolour technique on watercolour paper to make its leaves background.

This card features a little Nuance watercolouring with emboss resist stamped coffee filter flowers. To learn how I created this card, head on over to the Magenta blog here. 

TTFN,

*****

Magenta products used:

MC41 Flower Duo - set of two Masks

Hot Pink Nuance MNU005

TM216 Flowers and Leaves

Cerulean Blue Nuance MNU011

Bright Yellow Nuance MNU002

Robin Williams Quote 2 - 07.921.G

Flower 40.183.K

Aquamarine Nuance MNU20

Small Holly Stencil TM128

Grass Green Nuance MNU009

Thinking of You Small 07.982.E

Music

Hi crafty friends! I have wanted to join in Finnabair's Art Daily Cafe monthly challenge the last couple of months but I was swamped at work and not able to at that point. Now with much time on hand, I used the February moodboard/prompt to create this Music art journal page. The theme was Haiga- visual poetry and the colour was Deep Red.

I started out by collaging cream colour tissue paper onto a double page spread in my Moleskin art journal. I added musical notation pieces from the Finnabair Musica decorative tissue. Once that was dry, I used Finnabair white gesso to blend and push that layer back. When that was dry, I stamped with the Finnabair Script stamp and black archival ink. Then, I covered the entire page with Finnabair clear gesso so that it would give it some tooth for the watercolours to stick.

Next, I applied texture paste through the Finnabair Tapestry stencil. While that was drying, I picked through my Prima patterned paper stash to decide what papers would work for what I had in mind. Then, I used a mix of Prima Red Parrot 19 and Cacao 24 watercolours from the Tropicals Confections set to get the desired red colour. I used a brown Stabilo All pencil to add a brown boarder before adding splatters in both the red and black acrylic once set. While that was drying, I cut a journal card from the Printery Collection Page Four patterned paper, distressing the edges and fussy cut out a bunch of roses from the Tales of You & Me A4 Collection Kit patterned paper. I found the perfect Prima felt sticker from my stash to create a ground strip area on which I created the focal point with the journal card for the haiku and the fussy cut florals.

I cut out to butterflies and added them along with the Prima fabric letter stickers to complete the page.

You can check out what others have created on Finnabair's blog here or use the hashtag #dailyartcafe on Instagram or Facebook. Now I look forward to tackling January's- Maps and March's - Moonlight moodboards too.

TTFN,

Love to Create

Hi crafty friends! 

Today, I have an art journal page to share with you. The theme was inspired by this month's Dina Wakley Media Tribe's All About Love challenge and the product technique use by Simon Says Stamp Monday Crack it Up Challenge.

After using emboss ink through a Donna Downey script stencil and heat embossing with Tim Holtz Faded Jeans and Broken China Distress emboss powders, I coloured the Strathmore 400 Series mix media paper with both Picked Raspberry Distress Stain and Dina Wakley Blackberry Violet Acrylic paint. Once dry, I added the Distress Clear Rock Candy Crackle paint to some areas of my background and set it aside to do its crackle thing. While that was setting up, I covered a rectangular piece of cardstock with Dina Wakley washi tape and then freehand cut out a heart. Next, I adhered the fabric trim and then ran it through the sewing machine to give it a messy stitched look. When the crackle paint was dry, I used a black Stabilo All pencil along the edge and activated it with a waterbrush adding more All pencil to the crackle areas to make them stand out. 

Once that was dry, I glued down the heart, stapled the transparent Tim Holtz letters and adhered the computer generated "to create" cardstock strips.

Head on over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog here to check out the DT's inspirational pieces along with other participant's takes on this week's challenge. 

TTFN,

Art Journaling with Soul Journey - Inspired by Vicki

I have another art journal page today that I made with inspiration from Soul Journey 2018. If you are interested, you can find the art journaling group on Facebook and it is an extension of Art and Soul Studio. The year long event has an amazing line up of exceptional mixed media artists.

This page was inspired by Vicki Boutin. I started journaling in my 9" x 12" Strathmore 400 series Mixed Media Visual Journal using Vicki's script stencil and light green art crayon. Then, I used the two greens and the blue-green with the solid circle stamps to stamp my design. Next I used the burst stamp and rings with Cloudy Sky StazOn. I added some dots and line doodles before stenciling with the awesome Gold Glaze CreativFX. I watered some down and added some splatters. While that was drying, I coloured the watercolour stick butterflies and title. Once I added them to the page, I called it done.

Supplies: 400 Series Mixed Media Journal (Strathmore), Vicki Boutin Cool Art Crayons, circle stamps, stencils, watercolour stickers and CreativeFX Gold Glaze (American Crafts), Cloudy Sky StazOn (Tsukineko)

You can check out Vicki's video here and be inspired to create your own take on it.


TTFN,

Art Journaling with Soul Journey - Inspired by Aga

I am finally getting around to posting some of the art journal pages that I made from inspiration derived from the Soul Journey 2018. You can find the art journaling group on Facebook and it is an extension of Art and Soul Studio. The year long event has an amazing line up of exceptional mixed media artists, many of whom I am admire.

This page was inspired by Aga Baraniak. I started journaling in my 9" x 12" Strathmore 400 series Mixed Media Visual Journal using the Carabelle Studio Journal du Jour stamp, gesso and the butterfly/moths from Tim Holtz Melange Tissue Wrap coloured with Dina Wakley Peacock acrylic paint.

I masked off the butterflies before stamping with the KaiserCraft Flutter stamp. Then, I added a layer of Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. 

Once that was dry and crackled, I put the butterfly masks back on to add the Eggplant and Black Dina Wakley acrylic paints and Peacock splatters. Once all was dry, I used a Quickie Glue pen to go over the chevrons and added gold Deco foil as well as using a lid and glue with foil to add the rings.

Lastly, I adhered the quote created on my computer with a typerwriter font printed on cardstock and added some doodling on the butterflies.

You can check out Aga's wonderfully video here and be inspired to create your own take on it. If you do, be sure to share it with the Soul Journey group.

TTFN,

Supplies: 400 Series Mixed Media Journal (Strathmore), Journal du Jour stamp (Carabelle Studio), Jet Black Archival ink, Matte Multi Media, Tim Holtz Rocky Candy Distress Crackle paint, Peacock, Eggplant and Black Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic Paint (Ranger), gesso (Liquitex), Tim Holtz Idea-ology Melange Tissue Wrap (Advantus), Flutter stamp (KaiserCraft), Quickie glue pen (Sakura), Gold iCraft Deco Foil (Therm-o-web), Visions Fine Black pen (Uniball), misc. typerwriter font and cardstock