As you've seen I like using lots of supplies. Sometimes things come together quickly, sometimes not. This one was a bit of a challenge, and it's a bit different, but that's a good thing! Less doodling in my usual ways, but sometimes a little different can be good.
I'm entering my ATC into the following challenge:
Do you struggle when creating? What roadblocks do you come across? Tell me in the comments below!
By now you might be enjoying yourself at a New Year's Eve party. Maybe you're relaxing in your jammies at home. Maybe the littles are trying to convince Mom and Dad to let them stay up until midnight (c'mon, it's only one night out of the year...). Or the bigger ones are up and you're playing game together while you await the ball drop. However you celebrate New Year's, I hope it's a wonderful, happy, healthy, and prosperous one for you and your whole family.
Have you even set out to clean or organize something and find something forgotten? I did. I was trying to clean out my supplies and discovered a huge pile of tags in all different stages of play. So I thought I'd share one with you tonight.
I know, it looks super busy. And it is, but if you look close you can identify all the layers. It started with a bunch of stamping with Archival Black Ink. Then I used a Sakura Moonlight pen with a stencil, and then a red paint marker to fill in the lines left by the stencil. And I used a blue paint marker and a Sharpie to make the border.
Is it done? I don't know. I'm still deciding. What would you do?
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!
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.
How is it the weekend already? Sometime the week goes by in a flash, and sometimes it drags, but the weekend always seems to go fast. I hope you're enjoying your weekend and doing something fun. A big part of life is filling your tank. I don't mean gas for your car, but kinda. I'm talking your emotional tank. Doing something fun, being with people you care about and who care about you, and maybe enjoying some outdoors. Breathing fresh air, there's just nothing like it.
Now I don't know about you, but I like to play. Paint, stamps, stencils, there's no end to the glory of art supplies. They're all so awesome! But sometimes I get stuck. I want to just put everything together, but I don't always have the patience. Sometimes I freeze up because it's not going the way I thought it should. And I have to remember there's no should. It's something I'm always practicing, because there's really no end to playing.
Case in point, this ATC. It did not go as planned, but I was inspired by a video I saw on YouTube, only in the video it was a tag. And while I didn't have everything in the video, I used what I had, including a stamp from a stamp set I had never used before this.
I have a bunch of ATCs and tags that have bits of paint and gesso and all kind of media on them. This ATC is one of them. I had put Liquitex Gesso through a TCW's Ledger stencil and it had some Liquitex Bright Aqua Green, neon yellow and neon orange paint. I added more paint in a couple other colors, then used a Sharpie to trace ABC down the side. After that I used Reeves Watercolor Crayons to add some color in the letters and used a waterbrush to spread the color around, going outside the outline on purpose. It's not all about coloring inside the lines. I have a few waterbrushes, all the same tip style. You can get all the same or assorted tips. Here's a set with different styles of tips, to allow for different effects. If you want to dip your toe in, here's a single, fine tip waterbrush to play with. I'm not sure if you can find Reeves crayons, but there are several other options, such as this set from Staedtler, a Faber-Castell set, and this set from Prang.
There's a couple different stamp sets at play here. I have a bunch of small ones in my stash, and I'll have to start using them, I guess, right? Most I used my Archival black ink, but the "NO LIMITS" was stamped in Distress Ink Peacock Feathers. I also used a dark purple marker to add dot doodles in a few spots, and a Uni Posca white paint marker to trace the triangles. The sentiments are from my stash. The feather I stamped on white cardstock with the same black ink pad as before. Then I used the Reeves watercolor crayons and waterbrush to spread the color, and added some bits of darker color with markers. I cut them out with Tonic scissors and used Alene's Tacky Glue to attach the feathers and thread that I bunched up for a little extra texture.
Welcome, welcome! This seems too surreal, huh? I'm really glad you're joining me. and I hope we have lots of fun together. This is amazing...I'm really excited to do this, but a little nervous. Can you tell? You know those jitters you get? The butterflies in your stomach, hoping you do a god job? Yeah, right there with you.
I wanted to give you a little taste of what I can do, and hope you love it as much as I had making it. I really hope you it helps brighten your day.
Please enjoy and I'll share the full project with you in the future. I'm so excited for new things happening! See you soon, crafty friends!
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!
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:
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.
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 18 - Tend
I'm also entering my page into these challenges:
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. You can use many different types of paper, including scrap or underpaper. A hole punch and some baker's twine later and a mini art journal for the challenge ready for art!
I've mostly posted individual pages, and I do plan to post them all. This challenge has been very interesting thus far, because it makes you think. Not that I mind thinking. Sometimes a good brain dump on your art journal page is just what you need. Whether it's actual writing that you incorporate, writing and your art covers it up, or the art itself represents the brain dump.
When I saw the prompt, a lot of ideas swirled in my head. What do you think of when you hear the word "tend." Granted, the word tend has different meanings. However my mind immediately went to the definition of caring for something. You can tend your child(ren), a garden, a relative, or even yourself. I've been doing a lot, in a sense trying to do everything, even though that's impossible. So tending to myself can fall by the wayside. And I think many people fall into that. Everyone gets busy with life: work, kids, friends, taking care of the home, and I'm sure you can come up with many more. Tending to yourself, caring for yourself, can get pushed the bottom of the priority list, which isn't good either. So I need to tend to myself more.
My background is actually two layers of gelli prints. One is on cardstock, the other is on deli paper.
I used a border stamp from Dylusions Inbetweenies stamp set, with Ranger Archival black ink, and heart stamp with Ranger Distress Ink in Salty Ocean. I know I've said it before, but I love my Ranger archival ink. I really want it in more colors. And there's lots! Sometimes I don't mind the ink not being crisp or maybe spreayed with water and a tag dragged through it for a nice effect. But the archival ink always give a crisp image and doesn't smear. You can add any wet medium over it and it will stay put.
All the die-cuts are from my stash. I used a Sharpie pen and my Uni Posca white paint marker for the doodles. I also used a red marker from my lovely Tombow markers to add some doodles to a die-cut.
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my art journal page. Bye for now!
I'm so glad you're continuing on this adventure with me! Hello, again, and I've got Day 10 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 10 - Quit
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.
It also got me thinking about rules. Art has some rules. Mix certain colors of paint, like red and green, you'll get mud. Bookbinding has certain rules and tools to make those gorgeous journals I've seen. However, the idea of making little cards and then adding those cards to an already existing journal, as Rae did, never occurred to me. And I love the chunky books, so it makes great sense. And gives me permission to do the same, which I intend to do at some point. For now, I'm still working in the journal I made, though I pulled it apart to help with photographing. I'll share a picture of it once it's actually done and put together again.
I'm going to be posting all my pages. For the most part it's been individual pages, but a couple have been groups and I may do a few more posts like that.
For the Day 10 prompt of Quit, I had to pause for a moment. We all know the phrase quitters never win and winners never quit. We also all know people in our lives that run the gamut from ready to quit at a drop of a hat to those that won't stop even when all the signs are saying to make a smart retreat and try a new angle. In both of those scenarios, and everything in between, there's the behind the scenes of leaving. What is wrong with the situation to make a person want to quit or decide it's not worth it and a different tactic is better. It's usually reasons or excuses. What the difference? Excuses gets you out of stuff without blame, while reasons are considerations to either stick with it or leave or come up with a plan that's in between.
I used some fun paper for the background. I've played with my gelli plate and I have my underpaper, but I've also played with the backside of patterned paper. Sometimes you get a patterned paper and then later on, you're asking yourself, why did I get this? Well I took those, flipped some over that were white on the back, and played with my supplies.
The background combines several of my stencils, including an alphabet and circles stencil from Dylusions and a stencil designed by Ronda Palazzari for The Crafter's Workshop called Subway. Looking through my stash, I found a stamped image of the ladybug woman's head from a Dylusions set I have that I had colored with my Tombow markers.
I added a banner die-cut from my stash and colored in the silver part with my Sharpie yellow paint marker. Sharpie makes oil-based and water-based paint markers. My paint marker is water-based, which seem difficult to find. There is this set, which includes yellow. And it has several colors to play around with, so it's a great find.
I added some letters stickers, and a phrase sticker from my stash, as well as stamped "excuses" with a mini alphabet stamp set using my Ranger Archival Ink in black. I also used my Sharpie pen to do some doodles.
Along the same vein as not quitting, I have a quick
question for you. You could use some
extra money, right? Who couldn't, of course. I'm certainly no
different, and I was in a real bind. I work a day job, like many of you, and I was struggling. Crafting takes money, and so does life. And I thought about and pursued a few different options. Then, I was having a conversation with a friend, about struggling financially, trying side jobs, and trying to find something that would stick long term. I wasn't looking to make millions, just a little something extra so I can breathe a little very month. One thing led to another and I want to share my good fortune with you!
So to help me continue my crafting and have a little wiggle room every month, I have a couple side hustles. One is very simple, no tech skills required, and takes about 10 minutes a day. It's an e-mail marketing system called Cliqly and it's a great! Perfect for those short on time, which is all of us. It's all set up, and you get your own referral link to up those commissions! You don't have to bug family and friends, and you also start with a list, so no starting from scratch. Don'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!
I'm also entering this in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge.
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my art journal page. Bye for now!
Hello there, my friends! I'm so glad you could join me today. It's been pretty busy around here, lots of things to do. I'm glad I have my little art journal to help me get that little bit of creativity in during the day.
I'm sharing Day 9 today in my little journal of the Art Marks Challenge from Rae Missigman and Sandi Keene.
Day 9 -Invest
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.
It also got me thinking about rules. Art has some rules. Mix certain colors of paint, like red and green, you'll get mud. Bookbinding has certain rules and tools to make those gorgeous journals I've seen. However, the idea of making little cards and then adding those cards to an already existing journal, as Rae did, never occurred to me. And I love the chunky books, so it makes great sense. And gives me permission to do the same, which I intend to do at some point. For now, I'm still working in the journal I made, though I pulled it apart to help with photographing. I'll share a picture of it once it's actually done and put together again.
I'm going to
be posting all my pages. For the most part it's been individual pages, but a couple have been groups and I may do a few more posts like that. I also took apart my journal to make it
easier to photograph, so you may see peeks from other pages.
For Day 9, the prompt is Invest.
What do you invest in? What's important to you to invest time, money, your attention into? Usually an investment means you want to focus on something. Invest in more time with family, investing in learning a new skill or taking the time to pursue a new hobby. In a general sense, I think investing in being happy is also important. And investing usually involves a plan or agenda, it doesn't just happen. So I'm investing in a happy life for myself and adding it to my agenda or to-do list to give it the priority it needs.
I used underpaper for the background. For those who are new to that concept, you're gonna love it. Basically, it's the paper you use as a work surface. I got a big pack, but I want to make sure I send you to the right one, so if you can be patient, I am going to work on that.
Most everything in the background is my underpaper. Different paints, stamps, and stencils from other projects I worked on. You can see one section of orange chevron made using the Crafter's Workshop Chevron stencil. I have to say that's one of my favorites. There's also some Balzer Designs and Dylusions stamps, and different paints. All yummy goodness.
On top of that I have some die-cuts from my stash. The star and heart are from an old stamp set from Studio Calico, I think. The star was colored with my Tombow markers. The heart was stamped with light purple dye ink.
The repeating x's and the "Boom Shakalaka" sentiment are from an acrylic stamp set by a Polish company called Badass Art. Very interesting art style and lots of nice attitude. I will warn you that some of the stamps have curse words, in case that's not your thing.
I also used my Sharpie pen to do some doodles. I also made some doodles with a purple paint marker from Craftsmart for some added fun. This set from Craftsmart gives you plenty of colors to experiment with. As you can see from my marks, it's a broader, round tip. I've used several colors in the past and loved the results.
I have a quick question for you, switching gears a little bit. You could use some extra money, right? Who couldn't, of course. I'm certainly no different.
To help me continue my crafting, I have some 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 and it's a great system. You can do it when you have the time, and it's got click and referral commissions, so the potential is there to grow. 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!
I'm also entering this in Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge.
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my art journal page. Bye for now!
I am so sorry I have been absent without a word. Life can definitely get busy and sometimes unexpected events lead to adjustments. I will b...
