Catch a Star…creating an art journal page

A while back I taught a series of classes called

Creating an Art Journal Page.

Every class took you through the creation of an art journal page.

Step by step with all products used.

It's been quite a while since I taught the classes and have decided to start releasing them to everyone.

Let you in on my own little bit of creative process.

Use what you see,

get inspired,

and try to put your own spin on it as well.

and just a few closeups:

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Art Journal page with another background tutorial :)

Hey everyone,

It's Thursday (which means it's almost the weekend)

and I wanted to share another background tutorial with you.

One of my art journals had 1 blank page left in it, taunting me with it's sheer whiteness,

I had to fill it up.

Here is my finished page:

And here is how it started:

First I randomly covered the page with masking tape.

Not completely though, the paint with react differently to the paper and tape and I love the variations you get.

Some random stamping with my favorite Kaisercraft script stamp and Solvent ink.

(you need to use solvent ink or else your images will bleed and run as you add layers)

Very light layer of Gesso over everything.

See, you can still see the stamping, but now have a smooth surface for the rest of the layers.

Using my finger I colored the page with 2 colors of Golden Fluid acrylics.

Keeping my finger wet I was able to smooth and blend the paint quickly covering the page with color.

I still had the hole reinforcers on my desk from using them for the latest Craft Hoarders Anonymous challenge.

They kept sliding off the background paper they came on, so why not use them up on this project.

Just glued them down across the page.

Using some Claudine Hellmuth paint and my finger again I colored the white circles.

More stamping, this time with a Bobunny stamp and Solvent ink.

Washii tape…

I love using this on my projects. It's semi transparent so the background shows through, is lightweight so you can layer and not get too bulky,

and of course it brings more pattern to the piece.

Washii tape= Love

Last but not least on the background creation is a bit of Modeling paste through a hole stencil.

A real thin layer just to add some dimension. 

You can color the paste with paint if you wish but I wanted the white to contrast the other colors here.

And the finished piece.

With an image cut from an old magazine,

some Rub Ons (which I swear multiply in the night and I will never be able to use them all) and a little bit of handwriting.

My page, and book, is now complete.

                                           
                                                              Some closeups of the page...

I hope I've inspired you to get out and play.

Thanks for joining me and have a great day!

Mojo Monday at Flying Unicorn

Every Monday on the 

Flying Unicorn forum a new sketch is revealed.

The Mojo Monday sketches are without a doubt gorgeous on their own.

You have a week to create a layout and enter in for a random prize drawing.

I always want to play but time seems to get away from me and before I know it the week has come and gone.

Not this time!

This is the sketch that was provided...

and this is what I created.

I used paper, flowers and several die cuts from a 

Flying Unicorn mixed media kit.

Can you say versatile?

The paper is from FabScraps.

Some dry brushed Gesso and stamping with a BoBunny stamp.

A piece of Glitz Design paper is layered with a doily, gauze,

Prima wood pieces, 7Dots Studio Die Cuts and some very old Melissa Frances stickers.

The flowers are from Prima.

My flourishes were created with Perfect Pearls on a transparency, trimmed and adhered with Glossy Accents.

This frame…Melissa Frances from 2007.

Love using up old product with new.

Make sure you check out the Flying Unicorn forum and see all the other takes on the sketch.

Even better, why don't you try your hand at it as well.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge 16 : All about the office supplies!

It's time for another challenge at 

Craft Hoarders Anonymous!

School is back in session and this challenge celebrates all that you need to buy for the occasion:

Challenge 16

                                               Who Loves School and Office Supplies?
Most paper crafters also love school and office supplies. We love crayons, markers, shaped paperclips, notepads, folders, and more! If you hoard school and office products, get them out! Use them up! Use at least one item that is really a school or office supply on your project.

I created my piece on a large shipping tag found at the chain office supply store.

The background was created using a combination of tissue paper, Modeling paste, Lindy's Stamp Gang mists and Modeling Paste with a stencil.

The image is another Crafty Secrets collage image, layered over a piece of burlap from Canvas Corp.

The flowers were stamped on some gelli printed deli paper, 

stamped with the Posy Patch Flowers set from Heartfelt Creations and then fussy cut out.

I added some circle hole reinforcers which I also colored with Lindy's and stamped on.

My final school supply is a paper clip with the number charm on it.

Supplies:

Tag

Crafty Secrets collage image

Heartfelt Creations stamp set

Burlap

Lindy's Stamp Gang mist

Modeling Paste

stencil

There are 3 sponsors for this challenge

Heartfelt Creations® is a leading Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook manufacturer for the craft industry. Heartfelt Creations was established in 1997 as Golden Rule Supply manufacturing Rubber Stamps. In January 2006 Golden Rule Supply became Heartfelt Creations.

Heartfelt Creations provides a unique line of artistic stamps, detailed dies and designer papers. Many of our stamps coordinate with our exclusive Spellbinders™ dies. The innovation of our stamps paired with matching dies offers a whole new dimension of possibilities and quickly adds eye-popping 3D depth to any project. Our designer papers are designed to coordinate with our product collections adding the perfect complement to any Heartfelt Creations stamp or die.

Website: http://www.heartfeltcreations.us/

Online store: http://www.heartfeltcreations.us/product-home

Blog: http://www.heartfeltcreations.us/blog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HeartfeltCreations

                                                         

Crafty Secrets/Heartwarming Vintage Company is owned and operated since 1993 by Sandy Redburn, who started out publishing supplier resource and marketing books for professional crafters and small businesses.

Over the years the business evolved to focus on Sandy's passion for antiques, vintage images, paper, ephemera and old books which became the basis for the Heartwarming Vintage Collection of paper arts products and Clear Art Stamps. Sandy has a blog and writes an online newsletter which has over 12,000 subscribers as well as an e-newsletter for retailers of their products. Be sure to join in the fun with our monthly Blog Linky Party, the first Monday of each month when we invite you to upload your Crafty Secrets creations for a chance to win a $50 shopping spree in our online store, and every participant receives a $6 shopping credit.

Website: http://craftyvintagegirl.com/index.php/

Blog: http://www.heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.ca/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafty-Secrets/129235430422442

 Lindy’s Stamp Gang

Lindy's luscious luster is all uniquely two-toned! With vibrant shimmery sprays, flat sprays, vintage sprays, embossing powder and lots more!

Lindy’s Stamp Gang is the creative” baby” of Lindy Plakinger. She passed away in 2008 after bravely battling illness. She was a self-made cartoonist, loved drawing, crafting, designing new products, and creating her funny cartoon characters! One of her greatest joys was traveling to stamping and scrapbooking conventions across the US, demo-ing to her heart’s content with her sister, and giggle partner, Vicki!

Lindy’s Stamp Gang will continue, as was her hope, and dream. Her husband and daughter have taken over the company keeping her creativity alive. Tracey, (her daughter), has always been a “jar filler” in the background of Lindy’s Stamp Gang, but is now trying to fill some incredible shoes!

For more Lindy’s Stamp Gang please visit!

Website: http://www.lindystampgang.com

Blog: http://www.lindystampgang.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lindystampgang

      Make sure to stop by the other team embers blogs to see what they have created:

Amber Milone
Christy Butters---You are HERE
Debbie Seyer
Donna Idlet
Ginny Nemchak

Glenda Brooks
Gloria Stengel 
Jan Marie Ennenga
Karen Zueger

Kathy Clement

Pam Bray

        Then head on over to Craft Hoarders Anonymous and link up your Office Supply Creation.

                                Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Art Journal page playing with Bister

The other day a friend shared some works she had created using

Bister.

I was in awe of what she had done and at the same time decided I 

NEEDED them now.

Bister is wood stain imported from the Netherlands.

It's water soluble and on glossy or stamping paper can created absolutely beautiful backgrounds.

Doing a Youtube video search I found a few tutorials,

most in another language, and most on how to create cards and such by combining the Bister background with stamped images.

I am all about backgrounds, and I am all about stamping (but usually as part of my background making)

so I decided to share my spin on combining the 2.

The following is a step by step tutorial on creating this Art Journal page.

This is Bister.

It comes in 8 colors in these little containers.

Don't panic about the size, it truly is an example of a little goes a looooonnnggg

way.

See, it has fine grains, almost along the lines of an embossing powder.

I used a dry paint brush to flick a small amour across my page.

I wound up using 3 colors here.

Mist it with water.

The more you mist the more it bleeds and runs.

I'm in heaven.

Excess water can be blotted up along the edges with a paper towel

and you can dry with a heat gun to speed things up.

I added a second layer of color just because I wanted more veins of color in my piece.

Then some simple stamping with a Kaisercraft stamp and Solvent (StazOn) ink.

I put a tiny bit of the stain in a container, added some water and made a watercolor paint.

Using a cosmetic sponge and stencil I added some circles to the page.

In hindsight I'd use a different applicator,

the sponge soaked up more of the water than I wanted

(I know, who'd have thought a sponge would soak up water…duh moment)

My circles...

I outlined the circles with a white acrylic paint pen.

Added some torn pieces of a sewing pattern.

More stamping,

this time with a Tim Holtz stamp and Solvent ink.

Little bit of Washii tape,

cause tape makes me happy.

For my embellishment I took a piece of canvas and misted it with Olive Vine & Bronze 

Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels, 

and Buccaneer Bronze Moonshadow Mist by Lindy's Stamp Gang.

Once it dried a little bit of stamping with a Club Scrap stamp and Solvent Ink.

I cut a heart out freehand, adhered it to the page and did a bit of machine stitching around it.

Here is the finished piece.

I added some words using Tim Holtz stickers.

Outlined the heart with a Distress Marker and smudged it with my finger,

and inked the edges of the page with black ink.

A few closeups….

Love my heart

Some of the Bister background with stamping over.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my newest tutorial.

Have a fantastic weekend!

1 Beautiful Girl

I'm in the middle of a major clean out of my studio.

Every box, bag, drawer and pile is being slowly gone through, weeded out and reorganized.

When I started I didn't think as to how much time it would take 

(I have A LOT of stuff)

and how it was going to put a crimp on creating.

Today though I ignored the piles and half sorted stuff.

I NEEDED to play, and play I did.

I used the August kit from Swirlydoos and a photo snapped on July 4th of my daughter

in the middle of a block party.

She looks so happy, it makes me smile whenever I look at it.

(those who have teenagers know getting a happy look on their face is often rare)

The paper is Kaisercraft as are the DieCuts used.

The background was created first with Modeling Paste through a Prima stencil, then misted with Glimmer Mist in Trunk Bay and Plain Jane Baseboard in Plain Daffodil

both by Tattered Angels.

Stamping using a Tim Holtz stamp & a Kaisercraft stamp added a bit of a pattern.

The pink pearl strand came in the kit and while I tend to shy away from anything pink it worked for me today.

The large chipboard Beautiful is from Blue Fern Studios

and is misted with Turquoise Metallic from Maya Mists.

There was some final splattering of Liquitex Acrylic Ink across the page with an old brush.

Love me some splatters.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.