Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Mélange of Arty Inspiration

  First I want to thank Carolyn Dube and Jessica Sporn, along with Artists in Blogland and the fabulous guest artists for hosting the Fall Fearless and Fly Challenge. It was such an inspiring experience. There were also prizes given out at the end of each challenge and I am thrilled to have won challenge # 7's prize which is a $35 gift certificate to LuminArte ! Their products are new to me so it will be great fun to get some new goodies to play with. Anyone have any of their products? What are the "must haves"?

  Here are the final challenge prompts:

Headline prompt:  Radical to Mundane and to Radical Again:  What once seemed new that now feels old and boring?  How can you see it as new again?  How do you "jump charge" creativity when you're feeling stuck?
Color:  black & neons - bold contrasts
Quote:  Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.  Bill Moyers

  I went with all three prompts. When I'm feeling stuck I jump charge my creativity by just playing, taking a blank page or tag and painting and/or spraying backgrounds. Eventually they become a finished product another time. Sometimes it's nice to have a somewhat prepared piece to add to.

Here's my journal page:


  A thin coat of gesso was applied to the page. The center area was sprayed with some Dylusions spray inks, then I did some mark making with bright green and yellow acrylic paints. I sponged Jet Black Staz-On ink around the edges and then overstamped with the same ink and a crackle pattern stamp. The quote was stamped on tissue paper and glued to the page after arranging the words where I wanted them. Lastly I adhered two feathers and a glittery chipboard bird on the side. Generally I don't like working with so much black, but with the added bright colors and that neon pink feather I was pleased with the result.


This week's challenge at Inspiration Avenue is all about valentines and love. Ok, they got me again. Valentine's Day has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember and it will always be since my son coincidentally was born on that holiday. (NO, I did not expedite or hold back the giving birth just for this day - Todd was already two weeks late and a BIG baby so I was more than ready anytime from the beg. of the month!) But how apropos, huh?


  Here's something I did last year (before blog) but I thought I'd share because it's a fun way to repurpose old calendar pages.




  For the hearts I cut heart shapes from cardstock, glued calendar pages to the fronts and trimmed them. I then sewed around them with either red or silver thread. Heart shaped Victorian scraps from ARTchix Studio were glued to the centers and fine silver tinsel hangers were glued in place. The little paper flowers were made from calendar pages also. I used two different sized punches, sponged on some Vintage Photo Distress ink, glued them together and added a chocolate metallic rose to the centers (also ARTchix Studio).
I've also glued torn pieces of calendar pages onto a journal page before painting over it as  in the background of this spread: (sorry you can't really tell in this shot):




  And for one more piece of Valentine inspiration I made a banner.


  I cut 5 flags from white cardstock. Glued French dictionary pages to the fronts and trimmed excess. Gesso was dry brushed on top. I printed out digi sheets DP49 and DP275 which you can find at  Retro Cafe Art .
Once I chose my images I cut them out and sponged Distress Vintage Photo ink along the edges. I also inked the edges of the flags. Images were glued on, bottom corners trimmed away. Stitched around the flags with red thread. Crocheted lace was glued along the tops and Stickles Icicle glitter glue was applied. I stamped and outlined the letters A M O U R (from Hampton Art alpha. set. The flags were embellished with a few flowers and vintage buttons. They were then glued to a length of cream rayon ribbon and to finish it off I tied little red and pink ribbons in between them.

  Here's a close up of one of the flags:

  Are you inspired to make something  for Valentine's Day? Please share if you do-I'd love to see.

  I'm linking up to Art Journal Everyday, Fall Fearless and Fly, Inspiration Avenue and Paint Party Friday.
See you soon :)

  " Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."
                                                                                             Mary Anne Hershey

54 comments:

  1. That's a great quote Linda. You have such a variety of skills.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love that banner, Linda!! Your projects are always such happy ones!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love that crackle pattern in the black border or your FFF piece. The bright colours really reach through. The feathers really work, too :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love that crackle pattern in the black surround. The feathers and the bright colours really burst forth in tune with the quote.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stopping by from IA...all of your work is lovely--I especially liked the banner. Thanks for sharing your process for everything, too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. All this creativity in one place.....great projects!

    ReplyDelete
  7. WOW, the black background just so gorgeous with the hot pinks!!. LOVE your page, Linda. And the happy buntings are so chic :).

    ReplyDelete
  8. All this creativity is wonderful! Love it all ~ Wow!

    (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  9. I LOVE your VALENTINE Banner,it's gorgeous! Have a good weekend Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am inspired to make something for Valentine's Day after visiting YOU!

    I especially love the beautiful bunting.

    The contrast on your journal page for FF & F works brilliantly.... I do love that quote and the sweet bird!

    Karen x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Loving all your makes Linda and congratulations on your prize. Happy PPF and enjoy the weekend, Annette x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love your page, your ornaments, your banner - everything is beautiful, creative and wonderfully done! <3

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wonderful artwork here, Linda

    have a nice weekend

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the gorgeous colors and textures in your first journal page. The quote is great, too. So fun to see all of your Valentine's creativity going on, too!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wonderful journal page!
    I do love that combination of black and white and neon colors!
    Fabulous!
    ♥♥♥
    Happy PPF!!
    Mary
    Mixed-Media Map Art

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow! Love all your creativity. The banners really stand out for me. Love them and am now inspired to start on more banners. Great journal pages as well. Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dear Linda. It is amazing and charming how you are inspired by Valentine's Day. Beautiful. Have a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wonderful ... Fantastic compositions, I really like. Beautiful feathers. Greetings.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You have been creating away! Lovely to share your lovely creations.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, Linda, when you get going, you really get going! That's a lot of beautiful creativity. Love the journal page with the neon colors and the black. Very impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful bunting/banner & cute hearts but I especially love the journal page!! The quote is fab and the effects are really great - thanks for sharing the technique behind creating them too.

    Kat :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. LOVE your Fall Fearless and Fly journal page!.. And your Valentine Banners are beautiful!.. Have a great weekend! ~tina

    ReplyDelete
  23. You've been busy! I love the pages and Valentine's. Valentine's Day is always so much fun. I love having a holiday in the middle of winter. We need all that color and the sweets help as well. The flags are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love the little bird, but those flags totally make me swoon!
    Happy PPF!
    Rinda

    ReplyDelete
  25. you've been so productive! Beautiful work with all these wonderful challenges!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I like the bright colors contrasted with the black on your journal page. The feathers are a nice touch.

    I have some of the LuminArte products. I use the vibrantly colored Twinkling H2Os mainly for accents. I only have a few colors, but more are on my wishlist. I recently ordered a jar of Silks, a fairly new product I wanted to try. It is very translucent, but because it is acrylic, it is easy to build up layers. I definitely will buy more colors...after I recover from buying new stencils. ;-) Radiant Rain is okay. I have other sparkly sprays and it is not that different.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I agree with Christine! You've been busy! I love your work in the post below - and these pieces are gorgeous. I LOVE your Valentine's flags as well - does it say Happy Birthday on the back? :) I think it's a perfect day to have a baby, xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  28. You have been so prolific! Love the recycled calendar idea.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful plethora of art this week...love the pink and black together always have...so pretty. I too love Valentines day...all about love. My daughter got married on Valentines five years ago.... Her husband wrote a song called Valentine wife, for her!

    Really wonderful art this week!! I love Sparkling H20s and have many but have misplaced them. Must search for them once again!

    Hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  30. Fabulous art.
    I love your journal page, moving from the dark to the colourful centre. I like the quote too.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Love your journal page! The feathers are a perfect touch! So glad you shared this with Fall Fearless and Fly!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow, you have been busy! Some great ideas in this post, and wonderful work!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Love the banner Linda. The background texture and the feathers on your page look awesome.
    Susan

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hello Linda, I really enjoyed reading your post here. I am loving all the art you have been creating! Wow! I am inspired by your creative energy!!! I love that you say when you are stuck you just play. I need to do the same. I often feel stuck (truly) and I just walk away, but really I should just stop and play with some paint! Thank you for your wise advice!
    I really do love all your pieces here, the banner is really romantic!
    Hugs,
    Terri

    ReplyDelete
  35. Goodness girlie you have been busy and what gorgeous projects you have created! I love seeing your journal pages - makes me want to get out and play. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thank you for your sweet comment. I just love this banner!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Wonderful! I especially love your journal page. Lovely texture and gorgeous feather. :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. congratulations on winning the challenge! your pieces are lovely today!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love your journal page and the hearts are so cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I like all your projects, but my favorite are the banners. Congratulations on yor win on the Fall Fearless and Fly challenge. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love your art. Thanks so much fir inspiring me!
    Hugs,
    Gigi

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thank you for sharing the art you've been working on. I especially like the journal page you made about creativity. I'm so glad you joined our IA challenge this week.

    ReplyDelete
  43. My goodness you have been busy busy busy.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Lovely work! Much to learn from your post and creativity! Great quote!

    ReplyDelete
  45. I love Valentine's day and I love all of your pretty hearts! I especially love the trio made from calendar paper...stitched paper makes me smile. Your journal page turned out great. Black and neons are a challenge for me but I really like what you put together. Lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  46. You are such a talent! Those hearts are precious!


    ;-> Felicia
    The Journal Junkie
    Blog: http://feliciathejournaljunkie.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  47. Ahhh you are so creativ and I am in love with your first kontrast piece..it soo drag the eyes in...wonderful colors against the black :)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Playing certainly helps make the world go round...doesn't it!
    Your black pages with the bursts of color are really brilliant Linda.
    Your banner is precious and so lovely...that delicate tinsel trim is perfect too!
    Your creativity is so inspiring, thanks so much for sharing!
    oxo

    ReplyDelete
  49. so much wonderful creativity, I love it all!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Wow you have really been busy. such talented work!

    ReplyDelete
  51. What an amazing array of eye candy! I love your FF & F page. What a beautiful way to illustrate that quote, and I really appreciate that you shared your steps. It's been so great to have you participate in our challenges. Stay tuned because fun things are on the horizon at AIB!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for your comments; it's a pleasure to connect with you!