ATC 3 Star

Do you hoard supplies or half-finished projects, just waiting for the right finishing touches?  That was me with this.  I was trying so hard to find the right products to add to this ATC without covering up the background because I love it.

I think I solved my problem.  This ATC is one of several I prepped with a layer of gesso through a stencil.  Then I added some watered down paint to give a light background wash.  I was trying so hard to not cover up the color.  The red circles in the corner is red paint combined with texture paste and put through a TCW Punchinella stencil.  I added doodles, rub-ons, some stamping, a star pin, some thread, and Liquitex ink.

I'm entering my ATC into the following challenge:

Simons Says Stamp Monday Challenge

What are some of your favorite supplies?  Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

Noteworthy

So check out my newest ATC!  I added some paint because I wasn't a fan of the background.  Then I went to town with adding other details.

This ATC has chipboard, stamping, doodles, stenciling, a digi stamp, and maybe a little more

I'm entering my ATC into the following challenge:

Crafty Addicts Challenge

What are some of your favorite supplies?  Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

Ugh...Revisited

So I promised more information, and here we go....

I did a lot of stuff on this ATC.  Tried some new techniques and discovered something new about a stencil.  SO this ATC started out as gesso through a Dylusions stencil and then watered down paint colors added to it (the orange and yellow).

Then I added some darker teal, and then when I was playing with texture paste, I added what I was playing with to the ATC.  I'm going to post more about that soon.

I traced around a few of the numbers with a Sharpie pen as well as around the edge of the ATC.  I also had some ultramarine and purple paint mixed together and added to some projects with a sponge.  I decided to use a stencil that I call a pie chart stencil and only filled in two petal shaped sections with the paint.  I loved it, so I did it again on notebook paper and cut out the heart.

I stamped the star, added the paint bits, and sectioned off letters on another Dylusions stencil to create the word, before outlining the letters with my Uni Posca white paint marker.  I've seen that technique used several times.  I don't know if that's how it was done, but it worked for me.  I will say it took a looooong time.  I used washi tape to block off the letters, but between that and trying to add just the right amount paint to prevent bleed through, the whole process took time.  More time than I thought, though I like the effect.

Will I do it again?  Not sure.  Maybe finding a way to make the process faster.  The paint bits are that paint that spills out over the opening and dries.  You pull it off and save that part.  Those I really love.

I also entered the following challenge:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

I'd love to know what you think.  Have a great day (or night) and come back soon!

A Time to be Merry

The week between Christmas and New Year's can be a little strange.  Do you get that feeling?   It's still holiday time, but many of you are probably back to work.  Do you like it quiet during this time or do you prefer loud and lots to do?

I'm in a weird spot, though I don't mind the quiet.  Not as much rushing around and it can be a nice time to relax.  Not that I mind getting together with friends and family.  And parties in between can keep the winter blues away.

 

Are you looking for something to add some punch to your art?  I actually have two ideas: tags and frames.  I love using both in my artwork.  They're easy and have that something extra that can compliment your creation!

 

I'm entering my ATC into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Creative Fingers Challenge #268

 

I found a forgotten piece of patterned paper that I played around with and cut it up into a bunch of ATCs.  This one has some scribbles from markers and pens, then I added some paint through some stencils.  I added a little die-cut frame, a tag I cut from that same patterned paper experiment, a funky star that I die-cut from a gelli print, a piece of washi tape, and a plastic star from my stash.

I've include affiliated links for items I used for this project or similar products.  If you click the link I get a small commission while keeping the price the same for you.  Enjoy the links and thank you for your support!

• Archival Black Ink 
• Tombow Markers
• Artist's Loft Markers
• Apple Barrel Mint Paint
• Sizzix Thinlits Framed Tags Die Set
• Sizzix Thinlits Stacked Deckle Frame Die Set
  

See anything you like about this ATC?  Let me know in the comments!  Have an awesome day!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

I'm enjoying the holidays with my family, so I set this up beforehand.  I hope everyone enjoys the holidays with family and friends!

 

 

 

I include affiliate links for items I use or similar products.  If you click the link I get a small commission while keeping the price the same for you.  Enjoy the links and thank you for your support!

• Archival Black Ink 
• Tombow Markers
• Distress Ink Festive Berries
• Square Frame Die Set 
• Artist's Loft Markers
• Apple Barrel Mint Paint
• Liquitex Titanium White Paint
  

 

Enjoy!  Let me know what you think in the comments and have a great day!

One of Those Butterfly Days

Ever have one of those days?  You can't quite put your finger on it, maybe you can't put a name to it, but you just have this feeling.  Maybe it's an off day.  Maybe it's a good day where you forgot about everything for a little bit.  Maybe it's a day when something unexpected happened.  There's so many different aspects that can be covered.  And that's how life is at time.

I didn't love this ATC or the batch, and when you do batch work, that happens.  Even if you like the whole group or get a whole group done, one or two might not work out exactly how you like and you have to adjust them.  

In this case, I grabbed some kraft paper that I had used as underpaper for previous projects and ripped a section that I glued to the ATC and trimmed off the excess to give a new background.  This background has spots of paint as well as ghost images from stamps and leftover gesso from cleaning a stencil.  I don't clean my stencils when I use paint with them.  So many of my stencils are a riot of color from being used often with different shades of paint over the years.  Gesso, however, is artist's primer, and like other mediums, like clear gel or texture paste, gets cleaned off stencils right away so the stencil can continue to be used.

In this case I used a white water-based Sharpie paint marker for most of the doodling.  I also used a Uni Posca Paint Marker in Emerald Green and a Molotow One4All Shock Blue paint marker.  And for some fun, I added a piece of washi tape and a couple heart stickers made into a butterfly.

 

I'm entering my ATC into the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks Challenge

Creative Fingers Challenge

I've included affiliate links to many of the products I've used or similar products, which means if you use the links to make a purchase, I make a small commission with no price increase for you.  I really appreciate your support.

 

Do you ever have one of those days?  A day you just want to head off the rails and do something fun and different?  Please feel free to let me know in the comments!

Meh

Sometimes you just feel like you want to step back from everything.  I know I have that feeling at times.  To just take a break and not have to care about anything.  Or sometimes you're just having an off day.  We all have them.  Could be the weather, could be stress from life, could be just not wanting to worry about anything.

So I felt "Meh" summed up quite well the feeling.

There's quite a bit of doodling on this ATC, along with gelli prints.  I used a Uni Posca Paint Marker in Emerald Green and a white water-based Sharpie paint marker for most of the doodles.  I also used a blue watercolor crayon from a set I have to used around the circles cut from gelli prints, and outlining the details with a Sharpie pen.  I also used the pen and paint markers around the edges as well.

 

I'm entering my ATC into the following challenges:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends

The Crafty Addicts

 

I've included affiliate links to many of the products I've used or similar products, which means if you use the links to make a purchase, I make a small commission with no price increase for you.  I really appreciate your support.

 

When do you feel not so fantastic?  Do you take time out for yourself?  Please feel free to let me know in the comments!

Thank You

Hey everyone, I hope you're enjoying the rest of your weekend.  Weekends can be tough.  It's a terrific break from regular life, but they can also go by really quickly, right?

Simon Says Stamp has a new challenge, with is Thankful.  I do my best to be thankful, for all the things in my life.  Even the challenges are good because those are opportunities to discover new ways of thinking or come up with new ideas.  And of course, Thanksgiving is coming up, which reminds us all to be thankful for not only the good things, but the challenges.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

I made an art journal page for this theme, and it's kinda funny.  My art journal has a lot of mop up pages.  Sometimes that helps me, sometimes it can block me.  Other times it can inspire me, but I add back in detail I really like.  In this case, I was going to keep part of it, then changed my mind and covered it up, but added back in details.  I had stenciled some red stars from a Dylusions stencil, but covered it up with more paint to make my spread.  I added it back in after composing my page and I think I really like the results.

 

The numbers in the purple are leftovers from the mop up, but I covered everything else, though I hadn't planned to.  I combined Liquitex Titanium White with Liquitex Bright Aqua Green, and covered the left area with just the white.  Then I added Artist's Loft Neon Green and some Artist's Loft Orange mixed with white to add some more interest.

 

I added a strip of washi tape, spots of Heidi Swapp Number Rub-ons, and traced a Viewfinder stencil with a red Tombow marker.  The TO is Heidi Swapp Alpha Stickers with Dylusions Calypso Teal Color Spray.  I used a journaling card from my stash, swiped some orange paint on the edges, then used Archival black ink with a small stamp set from my stash for WEEK.  I used an alphabet stamp set with Distress Ink Festive Berries for SAY and the "thank you" is from an American Crafts Thickers set called Wild.  The star is from a gelli printing session complete with doodles from both a Sharpie pen and a water-based white Sharpie paint marker.

 

 

 

I've included affiliate links to many of the products I've used or similar products, which means if you use the links to make a purchase, I make a small commission with no price increase for you.  I really appreciate your support.

I hope you enjoyed my art journal page as much as I did making it.  Are there any challenges you're thankful for this year?  What else are you grateful for this year?

Grunge it Up!

I've gone through phases in my crafting.  I've played with vintage, color, industrial, mixed media, feels like a lot more.  I don't know if I can say grunge was ever a technique I loves, but I don't mind it in small doses or if it has some good color along with the grunge.  I also will say I have a sailor's mouth, so I don't shy away from cursing, including in my art supplies.

The 12 x 12 patterned paper that I flipped over and just went to town with mixed media I then cut into a bunch of ATCs to continue playing with.  I took one for a new challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

I did a lot with this ATC, before it was actually an ATC.  I had stamped a pattern stamp from Dylusions with my tinted Ranger Embossing ink pad and Ranger Clear Embossing powder.  Then I added some paint and some Dylusions ink spray in London Blue, Lime Green, and Postbox Red.  I also took a stencil from a Polish company that's now defunct called 3rd Eye.  The stencil is block letters in all caps, that says "Foolishness and Fuckery."  I used black gesso on the stencil, but didn't try to make a completely clear impression with the stencil.  I thought adding the black and keeping the stencil a little cloudy, so to speak, would add to the grunge factor in that area.

 

After I cut it into ATC size, I added some stamped images from Badass Art, also a Polish company.  The "Blah, Blah, Blah" was stamped onto a ghost gelli print and cut out.  The "wtf" is a digi image that I added a little color to with my Tombow markers.  I used an orange paint marker from Uni Posca to fill in some of the stars I stamped, some doodle markings with both my water-based white Sharpie paint marker and my Fude Ball pen.  I absolutely adore my Fude Ball pen.  It writes on just about any surface.  I also added some dot stickers from Fancy Pants and some paint spatters using the same white Sharpie paint marker.

I really hope you enjoyed my attempt at grunge with my ATC.  I think it came out really well and I think I managed to keep the color vibe while going grunge.

You can find the challenge link below and see what everyone else has to offer as well.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

I have included affiliate links to many of the products I used to make this card.  If you use the link and make a purchase, I make a small commission, with no price increase for you.  I really appreciate your support and thank you for taking a look. 

Join Me for Day 30!

Well hello!  It's time for the last page of my little Art Marks Challenge journal!  I also have some news, but we'll get to that later.  For now, I hope you enjoy this last page of my journal.  I feels like forever, but I'm glad.  Even art projects shouldn't go on forever.  You can make a few layers, leave it, come back, all that kinda stuff.  But it's good for projects to come to an end to move in to something new and exciting.

Today I'm sharing the next page in my mini art journal for the September Art Marks Challenge from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.

Day 30 -Joy

I'm also entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  It was hosted by Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.  Rae's Instagram account here shows what she made for each prompt.  My art journal was made from envelopes and baker's twine.  Art journals can be simple or elaborate.  Rae's journal, which she taped her pages into, is small and chunky and has a fabric cover.  It looks so gorgeous!

Joy is something really wonderful.  Everyone needs joy in their lives.  Without it, you're going through the motions.  Everyone find joy in different ways.  Some in a quiet night reading, some spending time with friends and/or family.  Some like going out.  And some would love all of those.  It can be hard to find joy, especially every day.  Sometimes you have to work at it.  It can be a struggle for sure, but so worth it in the end. 

I used a gelli print for my background, but definitely added to it.  I mixed some purple paint, and a touch of blue with gesso to lighten the paint color before putting it through a stencil by Traci Bautista.  Then I pounced black paint through two different stencils, both the words and half a heart from a Dina Wakley stencil.  I also added details using a Sharpie pen and a paint marker.  I grabbed a tag from my stash, used my palette knife to add some leftover paint to the tag, then added a word sticker and some punchinella.   finally added some phrase stamping.

Some people can be very particular about where they get certain supplies.  I try to keep my options open, and one option that works well for me is here, from Dick Blick.  Even the store brand is good quality.  Sometime you have to do a couple layers to get a good coat, but it all depends on how solid you want the paint layer.  I find that sometimes I like the thinner layer so the underneath layers peek through.  That gives my art texture and dimension, which I love.

I really liked making this page, and I hope you enjoyed me sharing it with you.  And now onto the news.  I'm not new to crafting, but I am new to this blogging thing.  I also have other respnsbilities, hubby, kids, regular 9-5, and my short foray into blogging has shown that while I really love the craft, keeping up the blogging as well is becoming more difficult than I anticipated.  But have no fear!  The blog will continue, just under new management.  A wonderful crafty friend of mine, Tracy, has graciously agreed to take things over.  Our styles are quite similar, we've been arting it up together for years.  We even have a lot of the same supplies because we loved them so much.  I'm also getting her into the affiliate side of things, so she can share with you all of her amazing talent and you can enjoy making art along with her!  I will say she can be a bit snarkier than me, but I love that about her.  And I know she'll take great care of this blog.  And who knows, I may make a guest appearance sometimes.

Please know I hate to give this up, but I also want you to have the best experience possible, and I cannot give that at this point.  So instead of ending this, I want it to continue.  I do want to say thank you for joining me on my short journey, and I so appreciate you coming along for the journey.  I really hope you continue to visit, and I know Tracy will do an amazing job, and create some seriously awesome art.

Thank you, Georgie, for that fantastic introduction, and I'm going to do my level best to live up to that high praise!  As she said, our style are quite similar, and yes, I think we can be accused of loving the same supplies so much that we both got one of different stencils, stamps, stickers...the sky was the limit! :)  Great minds think alike, right?  I do a lot of art journaling, mixed media, tags, ATCs, and I do like to experiment.  Gelli printing, embossing, die-cutting, oh yeah, I like to play.  I love texture!  And layers, and color.  I will be the first to admit I'm not a huge fan of brown, however, I have been known to art up some kraft paper like crazy.  I hope you enjoy the art as much as I love making it.  Thank you, truly, for coming along on this journey.  I can wait to play and show you what I make

Join me for Day 29!

Hello and welcome!  I'm so glad you decided to join me!  Today I'm sharing the next page in my mini art journal for the Art Marks Challenge by Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.

 

Day 29 - Uplift

I'm also entering the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows what she made for each prompt. I made a little art journal out of envelopes and baker's twine; simple but effective.  Though what Rae did with her pages was simple but very interesting.  She just used tape to add her pages to this chunky journal with a fabric cover.  Really amazing.  It reminds me to not stick to doing things only one way.  That there are always options when it comes to art.

How do you uplift yourself?  Or someone else?  Do you give a kind word, a hug, or are you the kind to bake cookies?  What does it mean to uplift someone?  And can you uplift yourself or just someone else?  And what does it even mean to uplift someone?  At the very least it means to lift someone up that would otherwise have stayed down.

The background is a gelli print that I actually didn't do a lot with.  I added some more color and some details with a Sharpie pen.   Then I stamped and colored an image with Tombow markers and added some die-cuts and sticker words.

Thank you so much for coming by and I hope you enjoyed this art journal page.  Bye for now

Time for Day 28!

Greetings everybody!  Welcome back and thank you so much for visiting.  I'm sharing the next page in my mini art journal for the Art Marks Challenge by Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.

Day 28 - Believe

I'm also entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows what she made for each prompt. My journal is very simple.  A bunch of envelopes held together with some baker's twine.  Rae actually taped her pages into an already existing super chunky journal, which I think it an awesome idea.  It helps me to remember to think outside the box.  And to remember that there are always options when it comes to art.

For Day 28, the prompt is believe.  Beliving in yourself is a powerful thing.  It's not always easy, and I don't know about you, but I struggle with it on a daily basis.  Belief in general is a powerful emotion.  It's capable of allowing you to do amazing things.  I'm not talking arrogance, but knowing you can do something.  Not exactly hope, but belief is also very powerful.  Belief can also be snarky, which is why I used a Dylusions stamp set for my sentiment on this page.

I started with a gelli print and used a white paint marker to outline a bunch of details.  I also smeared the page with a Sakura solid paint marker in fluorescent orange and used the end of a paintbrush to do some scribbles in the paint.  I used my Cuttlebug and a die-cut set to cut some flags from some scraps of patterned paper and grabbed the leftover scrap from a heart I had cut freehand.  I also added a skull digi stamp from Oddball Art that I colored with colored pencils and  Tombow markers and colored pencils.   I also added doodles with a sharpie pen and some lovely drips with some Liquitex Ink in carbon black.

Thank you so much for coming by and I hope you enjoyed this art journal page.  Bye for now!

Sneak peek time...

 Please enjoy another sneak peek of my next journal page...

Fun in My Art Journal on Day 25

Have you ever lost track of time?  Or lost track of days on the calendar?  Yup, I have so been there!  With all that we have going on in life, between marriage, kids, work, life in general?  Sometimes it's a wonder I get anything done, know what I mean?  I try to keep track of everything.  Reminders, lists, notes.  It can certainly be a lot.  And so it was that I discovered I had I completely overlooked this page from my previous sneak peek.  Whoops!

I'm backtracking and showing off Day 25 in my mini art journal that I made for the September Art Marks Challenge from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.  I'm in the home stretch and I think you'll really like the rest.

Day 25 - Root

I'm also entering the following challenges:

A Place to Start Challenge

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows what she made for each prompt. I made a little art journal out of envelopes and baker's twine.  Simple but effective.  Though what Rae did with her pages was amazing, while also being simple.  She has this chunky journal with a fabric cover and she used tape to add her challenge pages to the existing journal.  Really amazing.  It reminds me to not stick to doing things only one way.  That there are always options when it comes to art.

Root can mean a lot of things.  Putting down roots usually means one's life is becoming more stable, like buying a house or perhaps someone getting married, even having a child.  It's usually a cause for celebration in some respect.  Putting down roots is something to feel good about, if not a bit nervous.  You can also root for something.  Maybe you're cheering someone on in a new endeavor.  Or patting yourself on the back for a positive change in your life.  Everyone needs a cheerleader.  It can help calm your nerves from a big event.  Sometimes even something that is not huge in the grand scheme, but big for you or someone you know, such as a big test or a personal milestone.  I find myself rooting for myself because as I said, everyone needs a cheerleader to help accomplish goals and celebrate when those goals are accomplished.

I started this page with underpaper and pretty much kept the background as is.  Using several different colors of paint and a few stencils, including Dylusions Stars stencil, I kept the white space already existing on this page.  Now I'll be the first to say I love layers, different colors, and getting texture going.  But I do try to experiment and step outside the box every so often.  Though funny enough I also have a box on this page, compliments of a rubber and wood stamp I have from Amy Tangerine.  I don't even remember where I got it.  I believe it was a set.  The wood is a big thick block with good old-fashioned rubber attached to give the image.  In this case, the frame.

Using a digi stamp from Oddball Art, I colored it with colored pencils and pulled a die-cut from my stash.  And used my Sharpie pen and Uni Posca white paint marker for doodles.  I really like my white pant marker.  Its solid and has a fine point tip, which allows for different types of markings, both thick and thin.  It can be hard to find nice white markers, especially because the tips can end up absorbing some of the color you writing or doodling over.  This marker creates lots of possibilities for using them in your art.

A lot of my paint comes from here.  There's so many luscious varieties to choose from and allow for layering without making mud.

Thank you so much for coming by and I hope you enjoyed this art journal page.  Bye for now!

Join Me for Day 23

I'm so glad you're back!  I'm sharing Day 23 of my mini art journal for the Art Marks Challenge that was hosted by Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.  The challenge already ended, but I'm still catching up.  So today I'm sharing my page for the prompt Invent.

Day 23 - Invent

 

I'm also entering Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge.

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows Rae's interpretation of the prompts.  Rae made tiny cards and put them into this gorgeous little pocket journal, which is super thick.  I think it has fabric covers as well.  Swoon!  I love chunky journals and textures

 So for the prompt Invent, I remembered when I had been playing with gelli prints, I had used a small stencil from Balzer Designs that's a light bulb.  It's blurry, but I like how it turned out.  And I knew it was perfect for this prompt.  I was also thinking about the process of inventing.  When you're inventing,you're usually writing and drawing.  So I used some patterned paper with words all over it and ran it through my Cuttlebug using Altenew's Flat and Fold Alphabet Dies.  I did some of the letters backwards, whoops!  Then I thought, when you're inventing, things happen.  So I kept the backwards letters.

 

I added a few die-cuts from my stash. I also used two paint markers, both Uni Posca, in white and emerald green.  Then I used my Liquitex Liquid Ink in Naphthol Crimson to make some lovely, funky drips!

 

 

 Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my art journal page.  Bye for now!

Mini Art Journal Day 21

Oh hello!!  I'm so glad you chose to stop by today.  How are you, my friends?  I'm sharing the next page in my little art journal for the Art Marks Challenge from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.

Day 21 - Grace

 

I'm also entering my page into these challenges:

Crazy is our fame - October Challenge

To learn some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows what's she made for each prompt.  If you're just starting to read my blog, first of all, welcome!  For this challenge I made a little art journal out of envelopes and some baker's twine.  You can be as simple or as fancy as you like.   If you use paper that's from other projects, it just means those pages will already have leftover painting, stamping, or stamping.  That's makes a great jumping off point, for those who have difficulty with a blank page.  That's a difficulty I run into, staring at a blank page and wondering where to start.  It can be fun, but also a chance to overthink instead of getting something down and just playing.  

Some days about this challenge have been, dare I say, a challenge.  I've thought about all of them, but a few have given me real pause.  A good brain dump can be helpful, though whether it becomes part of your page or covered up.  There's no wrong answer

In thinking about grace, I thought about all the different meanings, and there's actually a lot.  I looked this one up in the dictionary, because I was curious.  One of several definitions speaks to showing kindness.  And I would love more kindness in the world.  I think we all need to show ourselves a little more kindness.  Not a blank check for excuses, but understanding that one person can only do so much.

My background is another section of gelli print and I went to town on this pages with the doodling, mostly, if not completely, with my amazing Uni Posca white paint marker.  I seriously love this paint marker.  Finding a good white paint marker can be difficult, but my Uni Posca stays opaque and looks just wonderful.

You can see I used my Dylusions Stars stencil, as well as another Dylusions stencil with large numbers.  There's also spots of other colors, including orange and green.  I really like getting my paint from here because there are several brands available including bargain brands.  And I've found that bargain brands work quite well when creating all my tags, cards, art journal pages, etc.  And even the brand name products are well-priced, so it's a great deal all around.

I used several different stencils, which is the fun of gelli printing!  You grab some paint, grab your stencils or stamps, and just play.  Twist the paper at weird angles for different designs.  Use colors together that would normally make mud.  The possibilities are endless!  I added a star digi stamp from Oddball Art colored with colored pencils.  The arrow is a die-cut from my stash that I altered with supplies from my stash, including Sakura Gelly Roll pens.  These pens, oh my gosh, can I tell you?  I love them!  The coverage is opaque and the colors are delicious.

 

I did also stamp a border stamp from my Dylusions Inbetweenies stamp set and Archival black ink.  Have I mentioned how much I love Dylusions?  They're just so snarky and fun!  Yes, I love a bunch of my supplies.  I can't help it.

Thank you so much for coming by and I hope you enjoyed this art journal page.  Bye for now!

Mini Art Journal Day 14

 

Hi there my crafty friends!

I'm so glad you're visiting!  I have another page in my mini art journal for the Art Marks Challenge from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.

Day 14 - Connect

 

How do you connect?  What do you want to connect to?  I think we all seek some sort of connection.  It can be a struggle for some.  I'm trying to reconnect.  And to deepen my connection to certain parts of my life.  One part that I think many of us adults neglect is our inner child.  I don't think it's planned, but we get caught up in life and lose track of having fun.  So my page for this prompt is about connecting with your inner child, and learning to love that part of yourself.

I'm also entering my page into this challenge:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Simply Create Too #194

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows what's she's making for each prompt.  For those who haven't seen my previous posts yet, I'm working in a mini art journal I made out of envelopes, but you can use many different things, including scrap or underpaper, so some pages already had stuff on them.  A hole punch and some baker's twine later and a mini art journal for the challenge ready for art!

I've posted either groups or individual.  We'll see how I'm feeling for the rest.

I really like blue, but I kinda wanted to be more subtle with using it on this spread.  I started with underpaper as a foundation.  I've come to love underpaper.  It's basically the paper your surface (desk, table, work surface of your choice) is covered with, and it gets covered with whatever you work with.  Ghost prints of stamps, paint swatches, swipes, test doodles, just about anything art wise.  Eventually it gets covered enough and can be used as collage paper, die-cutting, so many possibilities.  And I was able to incorporate things from the background into my page.

 There's plenty of stamped images, including a border stamp set from Dylusions rubber stamp set, a large mini star stamp and a bigger stars acrylic stamp from my stash.  I chose balloons to represent my inner child.  What child doesn't love balloons?  Thinking about it, what adult doesn't love balloons?  Balloons are fantastic in their simplicity.  I used a chipboard heart, a die-cut from my stash, and two digital images from Oddball Art.

I swiped the bottom of my page with my purple Sakura solid paint marker.  My chipboard heart is covered in gesso and some ink and paint splatters.  I used colored pencils and Tombow markers to color in the blue and green heart.

 

I also used my Uni Posca white, orange, and black paint markers for filling in the stars, x's, and adding my doodles.  I filled in a couple corners with The Crafter's Workshop Well Rounded stencil and Artist Loft red paint.  I used a Moodclue blue chalk marker to make the balloon strings and a Balzer Designs rubber stamp set for the x's on the balloon strings.

 

I also added some ink drips with Liquitex Phthalocyanine Blue Green ink.  Lastly I added a sentiment from my stash.

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my art journal page.  Bye for now!

Join Me for Day 11!

I'm so glad you're continuing on this adventure with me!  Hello, again, and I've got Day 11 of my Art Marks Challenge journal to share with you today.  It's been pretty busy around here, but having a little creative time is just the ticket.  The Art Marks Challenge is from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.  It was technically last month, but I'm still catching up.

Day 11 - Change

 

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows Rae's interpretation of the prompts.  Rae made tiny cards and put them into this gorgeous little pocket journal, which is super thick.  I'm pretty jealous.

I'm going to be posting all my pages.  I've done a few groups, I'm still debating whether I'll do that again, but I'd like to.  

 

 

For the Day 11 prompt of Change, I was thinking of change in my life.  What changes have happened in your life?  Are these changes you wanted?  Or are they changes you needed?  I thought about all the different ways you can make changes and where you start.  You're living life, doing your thing, and sometimes you get caught up in the daily stuff and forget the big picture.  It happens to all of us.  You're on your road and it might take twists and turns, there might be bumps.  But in any road, there's signs.  For actual roads, there's actual signs.  I used road signs as a jumping off point for my page.

 

I used some gelli print paper for my background.  You might be able to see my Dylusions alphabet stencil as well as some green from a different stencil.  I grabbed a bunch of phrase die-cuts from my stash, and used my Badass Art Stamps with my Ranger Archival Ink in black.  I also used my Sharpie pen to do some doodles. 

 

 

 

I've been making a number of changes in my life.  One is an e-mail marketing system called Cliqly and it's great!  And I like toshare things that can help people that have helped me.  I can do it in about 10 minutes a day, I got a list of people to e-mail without having to scrimp and search, and anyone who signs up gets a referral link to help other while earning commissions.  Check it out if you're interested

I've also included affiliate links for the products I've used.  I earn a commission for any purchases you make, with no price increase for you.  I truly appreciate the support!

 

I'm also entering this in Crafting Happiness Challenge.

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my art journal page.  Bye for now!

Mini Art Journal Day 8

Hi there, friends!

I'm working to catch up with posting the pages from my mini art journal for the Art Marks Challenge from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.

Day 8 - Attention

For some Art Marks Challenge history, you can click here.  And Rae's Instagram account here shows Rae's interpretation of the prompts.  For those joining us, I'm working in a mini art journal I made out of envelopes, a hole punch, and some baker's twine.

I'm going to be posting all my pages.  Some may be in groups, or individual pages, but I will post them all.  I also took apart my journal to make it easier to photograph, so you may see peeks from other pages.

For Day 8, the prompt is Attention.  All of these prompts have been giving me a pause to think.  Attention is certainly one that calls to one, right?  What gets your attention?  What needs your attention?  Is there something in life you've been neglecting?  Your art, your health, your peace of mind?  I want to make sure I do things.  Not just give them attention in my mind, but actually do them.  Whether it's getting out more, giving attention to my art, my family, all the things that are important to me.

I made the background in several layers.  There was already some paint on it, so I used blue paint with a stencil from The Crafter's Workshop for the honeycomb pattern.  The stencil is 6x6 and has three side-by-side sections: stars, circles, and hexagons (honeycomb).  Then I grabbed a stencil I used on a previous page.  It's an alphabet stencil that reminds me of school art supplies.  It's made of that thick, transparent plastic that many school supplies seem to be made of so they can handle a lot of wear and tear.

  

First I used black paint, then offset the stencil a little and added white.  I adhered the large journal card and used some orange paint through the same pattern stencil and used little x or plus sign stamps from a Balzer Designs stamp set with some orange dye ink. 

 

The paint drips were made using a Moodclue chalk marker.  Here is a basic set.  Since these are chalk markers they have a matte finish, as opposed to glossy.  I pressed the tip to the spot I wanted until the paint pooled, then helped the paint drip down.

The tab at the top, two sparkly x's, and the heart are from my stash.  It's some packaging I had lying around that I cut a heart out of, and then did the same to some punchinella.

 

To help me continue my crafting, I have side hustles going.  One is a very simple, no tech skills required, and takes about 10 minutes a day.  It's an e-mail marketing system called Cliqly.  It's set up for you so all you have to do is send e-mail and watch the click and referral commissions come in.  It does take time, but you get your own referral link to use with all your e-mails.  You can also post it on social media.  As I said, very simple and takes very little time.  We could all use a little more of that.  I wouldn't waste another second if you're interested.  I've also included affiliate links for the products I've used.  I earn a commission for any purchases you make, with no price increase for you.  I truly appreciate the support! 

Thank you so much for coming and checking out my art journal page.  Bye for now!