Time Marches On and Textured Tag Play

  Wow, it's March already -YAY!! It's going to be a busy month with St. Patrick's Day, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, not to mention our clocks Spring ahead 1 hour for Sun. the 10th, and I'll be celebrating my birthday and one year of blogging on the 15th!

  So first up is my calendar spread for March. Here are the background pages:

 

 

  I used a fave technique-dots of Folk Art Patina, Americana Snow, Golden Cobalt Teal, and Masters Touch Olive Green around the pages. I scraped over the pages with an old credit card, moving the colors to cover. I then used the Mini Cubist stencil with Dylusions Bubblegum Pink Ink Spray.

 

 My pages ready:

 

 

   I'm not going to fill the space along the right side until later as I may want to add some pics from the festivities of the month. I'll be checking out what others have done this month over at The Kathryn Wheel - Kate Crane's blog.

 

  And now for some tag play! If you missed Carolyn Dube's "Use Your Words Workshop" you can still join this free series and be a part of the Flickr group too. It really was a fabulous series of videos and it's been fun creating from her inspirations!

 

  For this part Carolyn suggested using three tags and creating similar-but not the same-projects. We started by applying thick coats of gesso around the tags and allowing them to dry overnight.

 

 

    The gesso had been spread around with a palette knife. On the first tag I stamped into the wet gesso with a cork. For the center tag I mixed a bit of Golden Coarse Pumice Gel (think wet sand texture) into the wet gesso and on the third tag I just aded marks with the tip of the palette knife.

 

  Now for some color!

 

 

  For the first tag I colored with Caran D'Ache watercolor crayons and a waterbrush. For the second tag I used Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise and Bubblegum Pink Ink Sprays then added a bit of blue watercolor crayon on two corners for deeper color. On the third tag I again used watercolor crayons and a waterbrush.

 

  Here is a detail of the third tag before adding water. You can really see the texture and cork marks in the gesso:

 



 

  And here is a detail pic of the second tag:

 



 

 

  Isn't that texture with the Coarse Pumice gel just FAB??? Here's another where I used the gel:

 

 

 



 

 

     First I scraped the gel thru a words stencil and let dry. Then I sprayed with a few colors of ink sprays.

 

   Now, as the workshop is about using words I finished my three  tags with stencilled letters and a simple embellishment:

 

 

  

  

 

 





 

 

 Ready to add to journal pages!



 

  I'll be joining my friends at Art Journal Everyday, Kate Crane's Calendar project , Paint Party Friday and Inspiration Avenue.

 

  Have a great weekend!

 

" Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do."  Edgar Degas

 

What To Do With Gelli Print Papers

  Happy Friday! I kept a promise to myself to not make any more gelli prints until I used some from the pile I have already accumulated. So here is what I've come up with so far:

  These are obviously a WIP. I cut several printed papers into 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and stitched around the edges. I punched flowers, birds and leaves  and cut out hearts, also from gelli papers. I plan on making sets of ATCS for a giveaway so stay tuned.

  So, besides punching shapes out of your papers you can use them as backgrounds to stamp a bold stamp onto and make some notecards like these:

   You can also print photos etc.from your printer directly onto your papers:

  and then turn them into postcards:

 These are photos I took during my last trip to France. I changed them to B & W before printing and mounted them to black glossy cards.

  Another thing I did was take some of my B & W abstract play scanned paintings and printed them onto gelli prints for an artsy effect :

   And while you're at it have some fun with yourself too:

  Now what are you going to make with your stash of papers? I'd love to see! 

  Here's a random page I did in one of my journals the other day. It is the same technique I explained and used in this post and in this one.

 

    I've been following Carolyn Dube's "Use Your Words" Workshop which sadly ends this week. She created a fabulously colorful page around the word "rain" which became about the song "Singing in the Rain". I immediately wanted to do the word "Paris" around the song  "I love Paris in the Springtime" in my journal. However, I'm waiting for my stencil alphabet sheets to arrive but had to do something so I created this word frenzy using Springtime colors and words from the song. Thank you Carolyn for a fun and colorful workshop!!!

   Linking up to Paint Party Friday, Art Journal Everyday, Creative Everyday, and Show and Tell Saturday. There's tons of inspiration amongst the talented artists participating so go ahead, visit some of them and then get creative yourself!

    "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."  Corrie ten Boom

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

Artful Triple Play!

 Typically I post for a Friday, and once in awhile try to get another in during the week. However, on Thurs., besides being Todd's 25th birthday and Valentine's Day we will be setting up for a new ISP. Providing it all goes smoothly we'll have internet service only minimally disrupted-if you know what you're doing (which I don't.) . Todd is going to help and all I have to do is feed him :):). But just in case...here's my weekly post.

  I mentioned in my last post that my friend LuAnn and I got together again for another Gelli Plate/Stencil play day. You can see the results of our first play day here. LuAnn and I ordered some new stencils which had recently arrived and we just had to try them out!

  The stencils were purchased online at The Artist Cellar. Some of our fave new stencils we used are Sea Fan, Sea Foam, Mini Cubist, Mini Punchinella, the Cathedral Series and the Steampunk Series.LOVE them!!! We made a lot of papers-not all of them turning out the way we wanted -and tho it wasn't easy (right, other "L"?)-I convinced LuAnn to keep them and use them for more ghost printing or stencilling/stamping or even as a brayer mop off paper. They may end up transforming into something we love!

These are LuAnn's.Stamps and stencils were used on the first one.She used two of the steampunk stencils in the second one and two circle stencils(can't recall the exact names of these) and a BINGO stencil on the third.

  These are two of mine.The first was a ghost print and foam stamps. The second was new stencil play-at top left is Paris Cathedral and bottom right is Sea Fan. I really hope to take more time soon to explore further with these fabulous stencils!

  Jessica Sporn is hosting a new monthly challenge called "Color This Quote" over at Artists in Blogland. The first prompt is the quote " Good friends are like quilts-they age you yet never lose their warmth." I am truly blessed with the most wonderful friends and so in creating this page my thoughts were with them.

  This was done in my 8 1/2" x 11' journal.The page was covered with a decorative napkin I chose  because I felt it had a warm,vintage quilt-like feel to it. Images are from Paper Whimsy. I finished the page by drawing stitches around the words,images and edges of the page.

  I mentioned that I'm taking a year-long online class called 52 Weeks of creative Abundance and so I have a few journal pages to share.

  Week6:

  This is in a moleskine book so I'm keeping the art fairly flat and simple-it's more about the thoughts and discoveries. I used the direct-to-paper method using pigment ink pads. Lotus stencil is  Crafter's Workshop which I purchased online from Collage Stuff. Words were done with stamps and I added two chipboard birds from ARTchix Studio. On the left page I journaled about what my natural rhythms are and when I am definitely going in the flow. Are you aware of YOUR natural rhythms? When do YOU best go with the flow?

  Week 7:




  The focus for Feb. is the word "release". Our creative prompt this week was to make a tag reminding us to think about what "release" means to us and what we want to release, let go of. The background was done like Week 6 pages. Swirl pattern was stamped on with white acrylic paint. I repeatedly wrote the prompt word at the bottom right then added my stamped and decorated tag. On the left is a representation of me releasing situations or people no longer conducive to my well being or happiness.  How often do we hold on to things that we know in our heart of hearts aren't good for us-even toxic sometimes- and yet whether it's guilt or others' expectations we don't let go. Ask yourselfwho is benefiting by this. Is anyone?

  I am really enjoying this empowering class of mindful self exploration and understanding so much!
Linking up this week ( I hope) to Color This Quote, Gelli Print Party, Art Journal Everyday, Paint Party Friday, Creative Every Day.

  Thank you for your many kind comments and emails, and to my new followers-welcome!!

                                                               Happy Valentine's Day !!!!  

and  happy 25th valentine birthday Todd-LOVE YOU!!

                         "If at first you don't succeed, pretend you weren't really trying. "
 

                                                                 



More Valentine Inspiration and Gelli Plate Play

   My friend Nancy Maxwell James has been hosting a Valentine inspired tutorial each day on her blog at Sugar Lump Studios and it continues thru Feb. 14th. Besides the free tutorials Gale Blair-owner  of Paper Whimsy -  is offering a free collage sheet each day too!

  I was so enamored with her "Tender Tinnies" project that I got to it immediately after reading her post and seeing her gorgeous project pieces. I knew exactly what I wanted to do knowing it would be going to a dear friend of mine as a gift /container holding one of the Valentine tags I made.

  Here's my version:

  If you'd like to make your own and learn how to make it please visit Nancy's blog. It was difficult to capture the mica flakes, glitter and subtle pearlescence of the pink paint (my friend LuAnn LOVES pink!!!) I used, but you get the idea.

  For more inspiration here's a project I did last year:

 

  The wood hanging was a premade piece I picked up for about $1. I painted over it, glued on a transparency and German borders-small flowers- from ARTchix Studio , added the bead trim and a gold heart charm.

 

  My desk needed some cleaning up but before I was thru I just had to put together a few more cards using things leftover on the table:

 

 

  Leftover bits of ribbon, printed images, painted cut out hearts, torn recycled tea bags ,stitching. The stripey looking lines on the tea bag in the second one isn't nearly as pronounced as it looks in the photo.

 

  I needed to get some envies done to get Valentine tags and cards etc. out in time so today I pulled out the gelli plate for some fun envies!

 

 

  I simply played around with paints etc. and placed my envies right on the plate, usually after printing a first print on paper. The two on the very right aren't as dark as they look- the dark color is actually some Lumiere Sunset Pink but I wasn't able to get a good pic of it.

 

  These are two of the paper prints (which definitely need some finishing yet):

 

  

 

  And here's one last mop up paper I used several times-it's a sheet of light green mulberry paper:

 

 



 

  I really love how this turned out and will definitely play more with the mulberry papers!

 

  My friend LuAnn are going to get together for another gelli plate play day soon-using new stencils we got from the Artists Cellar -can't wait!! Do check out Carolyn Dube's A Colorful Gelli Print Party

for lots of ideas and great videos;  and share your art there too! And speaking of Carolyn, she is also hosting a FREE 2 week workshop- "Use Your Words" .  Carolyn will be posting a video and PDF each Mon., Wed., and Fri. beginning Feb 11th. All you need to do is sign up!

 

  Linking up to Art Journal Everyday, Creative Every Day, Paint Party Friday, A Colorful Gelli Print Party,  and Artists in Blogland's Show and Tell Saturday. Oh, I'm also linking to Inspiration Avenue for a valentine theme this week!

 

    " The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. " Anna Quindlen