Relax, unwind: a new art journal page

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  ~Ovid

Have an amazing weekend everyone!

Don't hide in the shadows... an art journal page

Today I thought I'd show you an art journal page I did using some of the papers found in the June kit I received from Scrap'n with Flair, available here.

This art journal page was created using old book paper pasted into a hardcover book that I repurposed as an art journal. I put a layer of acrylic paint on, and some texture paste. Then I layered on some of the paper I had from the beautiful FabScraps kit. Then I stamped a chevron stamp over some areas, and onto the Prima flowers I had, and layered on some more paper, cardboard, inked up canvas and tags. I finished it up with some dew drops, scribbles and splashes of black ink.

Here's a close up of each of the page's clusters:

You can see some of the beautiful FabScrap papers here that add a vintage look to the page.

I distressed the journal spot, and added some of the beautiful crocheted lace that comes with the kit. Notice the beautiful damask paper at the bottom too.

I just love how these papers have their own distressed texture to them.

Make sure that you pick up the June FabScraps kit before they are sold out. They come with beautiful embellishments, like antique brass butterflies, flat back pearls and gems, lace and bling ribbon, and tons of gorgeous papers that have their own distressed, shabby texture to them. The kit is an a fabulous deal, so don't miss out.

Wallack's Warehouse Sale haul!!

I love a deal as much as the next gal! Really I do, but sometimes I am just not sure whether a morning in bed outweighs a really good deal. Fortunately, today was not a day where I had that kind of thinking. A friend of mine had posted about Wallack's Warehouse Sale, which happens one day a year, and said she was going. I looked at the poster. Hmmm... easels, stretched canvas, paints, books, scrapbook materials. I'm in. All in. 

So I got up this morning with hubby, at 6 a.m. (I hate that he likes long slow mornings to get ready for work) and went downstairs ready to drive him to work and tackle the day.

Boy am I glad I did. I got there before the doors opened and there were only about twenty of us there. But after the doors opened and people started pouring in, there were well over a hundred in the warehouse. Space was cramped but I didn't stay long, so I didn't mind. I knew what I was going for, so it's not like I really was checking every single product out. I ruled out the canvases because I wanted to be able to walk the stuff back to my car. So I went for the art journals, books, and paints, even inks would be a great find.

Here's a picture of what I came back with, minus one item:

Artist Brush Pens, sketchbook similar to Moleskine (80 gsm), book on drawing
palette sheets and a large 8.5 X 11 inch sketchbook (100 gsm paper)

Royal Langnickel acrylic brushes, 2 sharpie pens, 3 packages of scrapbook trim
1 tube of Liquitex Acrylic Basics, 3 bottles Liquitex soft body acrylic,
and various inks, along with two large plastic jars for my craftroom

The kicker was what I picked up right as we came into the warehouse. I got my easel. It's a nice professional desktop easel in wood (not sure what kind). Now that I had my craft room set up, I could use the other table I had in the other room for the easel and painting!

I'm sorry....does that really say $12???

 Here's the easel I got. Gorgeous and no flaws in it. Just discounted!

Now then....how much did I get all this stuff for? That's what you are really asking, right? Less than the original price of the easel. I got all of it, taxes included for less than $55!! The inks, paints were $1 a piece, and the books and brushes, markers were all crazy discounts! I should have stayed to look longer, but now I know what to expect for next year, and I'm not going alone next time!

It's the start of a great weekend!!!

Fab Scraps Mini Album

Hi everyone. It's been a busy weekend in my house. I've been working with my kit from Scrap'n with Flair for the month of June. What a great kit. I'm not hardly done with it yet, but believe me when I say that it will be perfect for those romantic summer projects.

Scrap'n with Flair - June kit

They packed so much into this kit to play with! There are so many papers, a chipboard book, stickers, and lots of bling.

I tackled my very first completed mini album using this kit. How could I not, with the chipboard book begging to be used. It has all these fantastic cutouts! It challenged me for sure, thinking about how to match up the papers, and use those cutouts well.

Here's the completed album. I'll walk you through it, and give you closeups along the way.

The cover - well the whole book actually!

The trick with this book was to figure out how to use the cutouts in the best way, allowing someone to insert wedding photos or family photos and at the same time, show off the detail. The cover has four cutouts and a uniquely cut out side as well.

The kit comes with beautiful flowers from I am Roses. I used these on the cover of the mini album. They are white when they arrive, so I used various sprays, like Lindy Stamp Gang's Golden Lump o'Coal shimmer spray, and Firebrick Red Distress Ink Stamper by Ranger.

I am Roses flowers close up

I sprayed the top one with the Lindy's spray in Gold Lump of Coal I think it's called. Then I dipped the tips of the petals in Firebrick Red distress ink. The bottom flower I used the champaign coloured Magicals to paint the leaves, then dipped in the Lindy's spray.

Beautiful gardenia from I am Roses. You can see the pretty butterfly element that comes with the kit,
as well as a peek of a sticker on the next page through a cutout.

This is page two of the mini album. I kept it fairly simple because there's not a lot that can happen here, but I created a folded journal spot, tied down with a button and some fiber I had in my stash, along with one of the pretty rosettes that comes in the kit. So easy to make. I topped it with a flatback gem, which the kit has plenty of.

Page 3 is fairly simple as well. You can see a peek of the following pages here as well. I used some paper from the cover's cutout sections, and used it for a photo matte. I lined it with Sakura Gelly Roll pen to give it some punch. Then I created a side pocket using some of the paper in the kit (the black polkadot), and I used some of the Prima flowers I had in my stash (painted them and sprayed with inks and sprays), and I lined that paper up to the top of the page with some bling. I then put a sticker where it could be seen through a cutout, and added another flower.

The tag is a simple manilla tag, distressed and stamped with a stamp from my stash. The sewn ric rac I had in my stash.

On page 4 I created a top opening pocket for a photo matte and journal spot. Then I put a journal spot down on the page, and embellished with another rosette and a cut out from the small window. The final touch - some flatback pearls from the kit.

Page 5 was fun to do! More room to play, due to only one cutout. I used a giant rosette in the top right corner, topped with a metal embellishment and flatback gem. Then I created a double pocket. Well actually it's a frame pocket. The damask frame sits on top of a pocket that holds two photo mattes. I edged the pocket with more bling from the kit.

Close up of the photo mattes/tags that fit in the pouch. I used ribbons I had in my stash.

Page 6 was a joy as well. I created a double pocket (one top opening and one side) using some paper from the kit. I used a circle punch to cut out the side pocket part for the tag. I created two tags using the manilla tags from the kit. One I sprayed with Lindy Stamp Gang's Golden Lump o'Coal, and the other I distressed with Rangers' Firebrick Red Distress Ink Dauber. I used a bit of bling and finished the page with some left over lace from the cover (included in the kit) and a rosette from the kit.

Closeup of the tag (using a pretty sticker from the kit)

And last but not least, page 6. This page was fun to make. I used an idea from Jessie's mini album that she showed off on her blog. I lined mine with crochet from the kit, and some fringe ribbon I had in my stash. I made two photo mattes with journaling room on the back (or room for more photos) and another manilla tag, using a sticker from the kit. I used the gorgeous jumbo rosette from the kit in red, and topped it with another flatback gem. Then I sprayed some of my Prima flowers from my stash, and used another little rose from I am Roses. Finished the page off with some bling on the bottom and some flatback pearls on the side.

This kit was a dream to work with, and so worth the money. I didn't have to use anything from my stash. I just wanted to add a few little things.

You definitely should check it out at Scrap'n with Flair, and pick it up to try out your own mini album using the kit. You can also find many of the other products I used at that same store.

Have a great week, and link me up to any projects you'd like to show off!

It's time to get journaling about my health

I'm excited to show you my latest art journal work. Well actually, it's not so much a page as it is the journal itself. I've been meaning to alter a composition notebook that I got at the dollar store for a while now. I didn't know what I wanted to journal in it, but I wanted to make it pretty. Then Samie Kira Harding gave me something to journal. 

She's offering a mini-course called Art Journal Diary, and I'm really excited about it. For a while now, I've been trying to figure out how to journal my food, sleep, pain, and daily activities in one journal. It's become very important to me to track these things, to get a better handle on my fibromyalgia. Her course is all about how to journal your health, or daily activities. So far I love it. It comes with a PDF with examples of simple journal pages, tags, etc that you can use. So I decided that it was time to get to that composition notebook and get started on my art journal diary.

Additionally, Paula Phillips has started a Facebook group about arting your weight loss, so I figured that this would go hand in hand.

I used the Prima Song Bird collection, which was a Scrap'n with Flair kit, and it is so gorgeous and easy to work with! Of course it's hard to go wrong with Prima. So I covered the front and back covers with a pretty page, that already had some text on washi tape in the corner. I covered the seam with washi tape that I got at Desserres. Then I went for my stamps. I used the stamps that are part of the collection, and a Tim Holtz text stamp that I thought was appropriate. It says "Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."

Altered composition notebook

That's what I want to do, live in the moment, to handle my stress better, and also enjoy the days when I am feeling good.

Cluster closeup

I used some of the chipboard pieces - this one says "Be free", and I clustered some Prima flowers around it, with a swallow charm, and some bling - also from Prima.

Corner flowers - don't you love Prima's flowers?

I clustered some more flowers in the upper corner to balance the page. I thought it was kind of cool how the peach leaves look like they belong to the flowers.

Long-suffering - this is what this journal is about

And then down in the corner, I placed another chipboard piece - this time a bird with the word "long-suffering" on it - and some flowers, with a bit of bling as well.

I love how it came together, and I'm really looking forward to working in it now. Since this notebook is going to be used almost like a Smash Book, I'm not too worried about smashing the flowers or anything, because most of my journaling will be put onto tags, journal spots, photos, etc. and then pasted into the book afterwards. I want it to be a real diary, and with it being a pretty one, it will be a pleasure to pick up every night before heading to bed.

I hope you get a chance to take Samie's course and try altering a book or composition notebook so that you get excited about journaling your day. Link me up to your altered book so that I can admire your work. And have a great weekend!

What a great week...and a flower swap!

Well, it's been quite the week... I've received lots of happy mail, including prizes I won on National Scrapbooking Day, books I've ordered, a book that I've been published in, ephemera (amazing stuff) from a friend, and much more. It's been very exciting!

Almost every day I've had a package, or two, to open and oooh and ahhh over. My hubby is actually starting to get a bit jealous about it. 

These past few days I've been learning and making my very first fabric flowers for a flower swap with the gals who signed up for this month's handmade flower swap on Mrschievous Crafts' blog.

Now, admittedly I haven't played with paper in the traditional scrapbook kind of way much. But I am learning a lot, and having a heck of a lot of fun playing with paper. But I had a blast making flowers for this swap. I decided to make flowers that were sort of representative of my style. Organic, eclectic, and grungy. So I used tshirt material, denim, paper, glitter brads, jewels, cardboard and ribbons. I really hope my swapping partner enjoys them. 

paper flower with glitter brad

rolled tshirt flower

rolled fabric flower on denim

flannel ribbon flower

jean and paper flower

paper flower with jewel brad

denim and tshirt flower

rolled flannel flower

tshirt ribbon flower

paper flower

paper, tshirt and denim flower

ribbon and cardboard flower

All the flowers were fun to make, and some were a definite challenge, but they are definitely reflective of my eclectic grungy glittery style. I'm throwing in some extra goodies and I'm keeping those a secret!

See you back here soon with my first You Tube video of an art journaling page using some amazing products from Scrap'n with Flair!

He melted my heart

It was one of those weeks. I had been teaching in the classroom, something that usually leaves me weary and exhausted at the end of the week. I had received some good news though that kept my spirits high and kept me going, feeling like I had a purpose and had achieved something I never would have dreamed about. That email kept me going, feeling like I was on an absolute high. But I still doubted myself when it came to my art. It was a hobby, an outlet for me to pour out my stresses and my joys all onto a page, with paint, ink, stamps, flowers, you name it. To me I wasn't doing anything extraordinary, I was just playing with paint and paper.

Sitting on the couch feeling tired and weary from the teaching, my hubby came over to sit beside me, and I threw my legs over his to relieve the pain I felt in them. We looked at each other and he told me he was proud of me. The conversation continued something like this:

"Because I made it through the week of teaching without crashing?"

"No."

"Oh, you mean because of my art journals. It's just fun, no big deal."

"It is a big deal. You are an artist."

My heart melted.

I've been on cloud nine, ever since.

Mixed media journal page, using Neocolor II crayons, Glimmer mist, Prima flowers, tags, cardboard, ephemera

Closeup of the flowers and tags

Prima flowers are so lovely

Glimmer mist frame

I hope to be able to come back and tell you more about my happy news, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy my layout. And coming soon will be my first You Tube tutorial video. I'm looking forward to doing that.

Have a great week everyone!

Don't you just love warm spring mornings on weekends. The kind that makes you jump out of bed and go straight to the craft room? Oh, come on now, I'm sure that's not just me. Okay, well it's true that most of us will put on the coffee, and then have a cup of that dark liquid gold and suddenly mojo flows through the veins. It was that kind of weekend. I was on top of the world this weekend. For good reason. I had a long weekend to enjoy with my husband, sunshine, for the first time in many days, and warm sunshine. Not to mention happy emails and messages. Life was good. And it still is.

Prove to yourself that you can accomplish anything

Details of the layers

You can't tell very well from the picture above but the blue is metallic, which I painted some time ago and left undone. I have several pages like that in this journal, which makes it so much easier to get started with a quick page. This page took about half an hour. Art journaling need not be a long endeavour. Putting paint to paper is a great way to begin. You never know how things will end when you come back to the page later.

Enjoy your week everyone, and see what you can accomplish with small steps this week.

National Scrapbooking Day Art Journal

Hi everyone! I had so much fun on Cynthia Gagen's Creative Edventures Live broadcast today. What fun! I had technical difficulties which took quite a few minutes to be sorted through, but I managed to get online, with a camera and got it working. I did my usual style of art journal page, incorporating scrapbook elements, textures using texture paste, cardboard, canvas, lace, etc. Take a look below:

This is the full-sized page, in my 9X12 mixed media journal. I like the quote with the butterfly because it implies that if we learn from today's life lessons, we can transform ourselves. Here are some close ups of the textures:

Texture paste covers the strings from the canvas for added movement

Additional cardboard texture and lace tuck out from under the cluster

I really enjoyed the show. I hope you all did too. Congrats to Carol who won a hand-made mixed media journal from me. Stay tuned for more projects to come later this week!

Have a great weekend, and a great remainder of National Scrapbook Day!

Tomorrow's main event

Tomorrow's main event for me is celebrating National Scrapbook Day as, of all things...a scrapbooker! Well sort of. Join me at 5:15 p.m. EST as I demonstrate how to do art journaling with a scrapbook twist, using things like texture paste, watercolour crayons, inked up fabric and more.

Just log into this link to join all the fun!

Hope to see you there tomorrow!

Drum roll please...

Hi everyone. I promised that I would be back with my latest news, about one door that is closing and another that is opening. I'm so excited about this news, and you'll soon see why.

As you know, I've recently been playing with paint and paper, and scrapbook elements, and glitter, and the list goes on. It's been an amazing learning experience, and one that's brought me a lot of enjoyment, self examination and clarity about where I want to be creative in my life. I've been taking online classes, experimenting with different products and media, and loving every minute of it. But no matter what, I always seem to drift back to the scrapbooking aisle of the craft store, or the art store. Which brings me to my announcement...

I'm one of the newest members of the Scrap'n with Flair Design Team! I'll be designing for the Canadian-based store, and creating new projects and sharing tutorials and ideas on my blog here, and on their blog as well. I'll also be uploading some video projects that you can watch and art journal or scrap along with. They carry a great variety of products for the scrapbooker and art journalis alike, so you definitely have to check them out. I just received my first products, and I'm chompin' at the bit to get working with it and show it all to you!

I'm really excited about this new direction, and I hope that you'll continue to enjoy my blog posts, ideas, projects and tutorials in the future. So now that I've revealed the opportunity that opened to me, I hope you'll join me in trying out various projects, and linking me up to your online gallery so that I can admire your work!