Finding Joy in Using Words

  For those of us lucky enough to have the day off for Presidents Day here in the US I hope you have been enjoying a long weekend.

  Obviously our new ISP (Verizon) is now in place and in good working order. That wasn't the case a few days ago. I was determined to figure out the set up myself and thought it was coming along until the modem shut down. Ugh! So my son came the next day-no power whatsoever. After being on the phone with Verizon a good half hour while being prompted to check other outlets etc. it was determined we had a defective modem. A new one arrived the very next day-AND I managed to set it all up myself-oh these things make me so happy!!

 I've two small pprojects to share today. I have been following Carolyn Dube's free online workshop called "Use Your Words". Carolyn has a such a free, colorful (YES!) and creative way to use words on a journal page and I had to play along.

 
  I chose to make my page very much as Carolyn did hers. She made a "grateful" list. It was about using stencil lettering along with your own handwriting, and using tape to mask areas. I used a stencil chipboard alphabet set I got at JoAnne's for $2 and used some of my fave colors-Golden's Cobalt Teal, Liquitex Quinacridone Magenta, and Artist's Touch Olive Green. I cut pieces of blue Painters tape to mask offf where I wanted my words to go below then lightly sprayed Inkadinkado Sunny Yellow and Dylusions Squeezed Orange over it. Peeled off the tape and wrote my list varying my handwriting.This was done in my 8 1/2" x 11" journal.

  I've watched several of Carolyn's videos and on this one I did my own take on using words in the background and partially obscuring them. I started this in my 5 1/2" x 8" Strathmore Visual Journal with 140 lb. watercolor pages and chose to use it horizontally. The quote (by Vincent Van Gogh) was painted on with black acylic paint and a very small paintbrush.

 

 

    I then painted over the words with red acrylic and a bit of Golden's Irridescent Bright Gold (Fine) liquid acrylic. White acrylic was lightly painted over top to soften and just partially obscure the words. "I am a" was done with foam stamps  and red acrylic then outlined with a grey marker to give some depth. Typed word added on the right and outlined with a crayon and a red marker. A circle was painted using black India ink which I then blew outward with a straw. Just some fun journal play with words.Thanks Carolyn!

  Linking to Carolyn's Use Your Words Flickr group and to Mandarin Orange Monday.

  Oh, I had a comment in my last post from Arnoldo ( please do check his blog filled with faith and beauty!) asking what projects I'd do with my gelli plate prints. Yes, you're right Arnoldo-I must do something with them :) I'm working on some groups of ATCS that I plan on GIVING AWAY so stay tuned!

           "People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." John C. Maxwell