Wild Caught - designed for Shimmerz Paints

I was attracted to the dark murky dusty colors with subtle hints of cream, and peachy/coral colors illuminated by the light. 

Desperately wanting to create with this photo,

I quickly took inventory of my Shimmerz Paints inventory, and “voila.”

  I had all the colors I needed to create an art journal entry entitled, “Wild Caught.”

Come on over to Shimmerz Paints Blog here,

and I'll share with you some of the details of my mermaid's swimming hole,

and how to add texture to your shell chipboard pieces.

You better come quick,

because she's such a pretty mermaid

and I may have to set her free.

22% Irish!

Hello Friends!

I am up on the Shimmerz Blog today

sharing my 22% Irish Art Journal entry.

Follow me here

and I'll share with you

the Shimmerz Paint products used

and some techniques too!

When it Hurts...Observe. Life if Trying to Teach You Something

Hello Friends! 

Here's a little sneak peak of my latest work

created as a Design Team Member

for Shimmerz Paints.

Join me here as I am up on the Shimmerz Paints Blog

sharing close-ups, some techniques, and Shimmerz Products used

to create this art journal entry.

See  you there.

Products used on this Project are found in the Shimmerz Paint Store: 

Vibes- Plum Tuckered Out

Vibes- Blushing Bride

Spritz- Plum Pudding

Spritz- Rocka-Fella Blue

Shimmerz- Berry-Licious

Inglingz – Ruby Lost Her Slipper

Inglingz –Precious Posey

Paste-eez –The “Cream” Team

For more inspiration from my fellow arty friends at Shimmerz, check them out here on Facebook.

More Than Words December Challege

"Traditions" is the word at More Than Words this month.

Do you have a holiday tradition that means a lot to you or your family? 

I hope so, and I hope you

share it with us this month at

More Than Words.

I did not realize how important the Tradition of

popping English Crackers was to my nephews and

nieces until I saw the look of disappointment

on their faces when they learned

that I had forgotten to purchase them for the holiday.

Who would have thought popping English Crackers,

reading corny jokes out loud, getting a silly prize,

and wearing a tissue paper-hat would mean so much.

My homemade feature for the challenge is the English Cracker.

Thank you for visiting.

Come here to find out more about the Challenge for December 2016.

Scented Pages: Adding another Scented Page to my Art Journal

I'm sharing another Scented Page entry in my Art Journal with you today.

The idea of Scented Pages came to me when I received a

Soft Surroundings Catalog in the Mail. 

I have saved scented pages from magazines and catalogs for quite sometime.

I liked how they would add the fragrance to a little printed section in the catalog/magazine that read:

"Rub Wrist Here"

Some the scented pages would include some poetic prose that resonated with me.

Here's my Toujour Scented Page Entry

A close-up of the art journal page background using gesso, and some heat embossing elements:

A close-up of the section of "Rub Wrist Here" feature that holds the perfumed scent:

The "Scented Page" Title:

 Close-up of some of the pretty elements on the page and another fave Masked photo:

The journaling reads:

I never knew his name, but he brought me comfort and hope

through that long cold night in the air raid underground.

If the timing had been different, we might have had a future.

As he slept in the early hours, I slipped a note into his lapel pocked

and tipped toed back to my life.

It read:

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Toujours, J"

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share this Scented Page entry with you too.

More Than Words November Main Challenge is Here!

Hello Friends!

It's a new month and More Than Words is hosting a fun Main Challenge.

Again, I found myself working in my Art Journal.

Recently, I have been craving a SPECIAL moment where I can just stop, breathe and think.

For the More Than Words November creative challenge I have chosen new stamps, inks, and watercolors products; blue watery background; and old elements.

My Quote reads:

“You know those things you always wanted to do, You should do them now.”

 Some Close ups:

Some Finnabair Crackle Paste and Rust Mica Powder gussied up this Blue Fern Studios Anchor Chipboard.

More Than Words November Main Challenge can be found here.

Steps

It’s raining here!!! Yes!!  

It feels great to have a little reprieve of some cooler weather.

I had a little me time this weekend and created this page in my art journal.

 I am enjoying the 6 x 6 Rossi Belle paper collection from Prima. 

Thanks for looking.

October at More Than Words Challenge Site

The changes in the colors of leaves from green, yellow, oranges and reds are spectacular during the autumn months. As a kid, and even now, I’d walk on dried leaves just to hear the crunchy sound they made under my shoes.  My Ombre take on the More Than Words challenge this month was used to emphasize the encased bejeweled leaf by cutting out various sized leaf shapes on several book pages and painting them in different hues of the color green. 

 

I carried over the Ombre effect on the large watercolor leaf by water coloring a very dark green color next to the leaf shape and adding water to my brush to extend the dark color out and lightening it with water on my brush during each layer.  Then I dragged my watercolor brush with the lightest  green color out onto the book page to add interest.

The leaves were made out of watercolor paper, stamps mists, mica powders and watercolors.  After the media was dried, I crumbled the paper leaves in the palm of my hand many times to break down the paper fibers until the leaves were soften.  I created veins on the leaves by folding the paper at the various points on the leaf pattern and crimping the folds with my thumb finger nails to add some dimension.  I took the sharp edge of the scissors and ran it down the vein to distress the leaf even more.

Here's close up of the first page of the bejeweled leaf:

Come on over to More Than Words here and find out all the specifics to create your "Change" and "Ombre" art, and submit it for chance to win a very generous prize.

More Than Words - September Challenge - The word, "Delight" and a "Recipe."

I took the More Than Words creative challenge literally and designed an art journal entry with Grandma’s Southern Potato Salad recipe.  As a kid, I’d watch Grandma, mom, and my aunts prepare the salad in the kitchen because I enjoyed eating it so much.  Adding a written recipe in my art journal will remind me of the fun and delight at past family reunions with people that are no longer here to share the salad with us.

I found the decorative cutlery on Pinterest, printed them on paper and set them with Mod Podge on my journal page. A quick and easy alternative to adding an embellishment to your art journal pages.



Join us at More Than Words this month and enter and win some awesome prizes.   You can find us here.


More Than Words - August Challenge: The word, "Friends", and the creative challenge, "Circles"

Reuniting with friends some time ago,

reminded me of how happy and unencumbered we were in our 20’s. 

We traveled together, supported each other,

and could depend on one another. 

 My circle elements are in the shape of the photos

 and a design element on my art journal page.

 

Come on over to More Than Words

to find out how you

can win a fabulous prize

and share your work

with us.

See you there!

 

 

More than Words - July Challenge: "Smile" and a "Sketch"

Hello everyone!

I'm excited to tell you that I'm on the More Than Words Design Team.

July, at More than Words,  challenges us with the word, "Smile" and an inspiring "Sketch."

With the new release of, “Alice through the Looking Glass,”

I can’t help but think of the Cheshire Cat.

When I was a kid,

his goofy smile would evoke a smile from me.

In the future, when I turn the pages in my art journal and find

this page, I’m sure he will make me smile then too.

July Challenge is here.

Have you thought of using fingernail charms in your art?  They're the perfect size for art journals, tags, and ATC work.  The fingernail charm chain was just the right size to add on the white rabbit's stop watch.

I'm breaking in my new art journal book with this challenge and the well-designed sketch. Some subtle stamping and diamond stencil work help me create a quasi-like Alice in Wonderland theme page in my style. 

Come on get your "Smile" on and join us this month at More Than Words.

"You'll Turn Out Ordinary If You're Not Careful."

“You’ll turn out ordinary if you’re not careful.”

 I found this quote on Pinterest and knew I wanted to use it on an art journal project one day.

Coincidently, I found a Klimt greeting card of Emilie Floge from the early 1900's at Cost Plus and immediately knew how I was going to alter it and use that Pinterest quote.  I just didn’t know when I would find the time to get the project done.  The inspiration to work the Klimt/quote came to me when I opened a package from my generous art muse to find a little jar of  Prima Metallique Dark Velvet paint in the package. Ah ha! The time is now! So here I am today sharing with you the final results. Every time, I view this page, it makes me smile. I love, love that quote and how the altered body of the card came out. I altered the Klimt card by inserting an old photo of my face. It took me what seems like an eternity to find a photo of my head with the right angle to make it work on the body.  J

I hope you find some amusement with this piece also. ;)

 Thanks for dropping by. I currently have another art page in the works to add to this book and hope to share it with you soon.

 

 

 

 

And the work contines on the Women of Substance Art Journal....

For my new friends and followers that are not familiar with my first art journal journey, I decided to journal and tell the stories of the women in my family with some old vintage photos to share with my niece and future women in the family.  I refer to this art journal book as, “Women of Substance.”

Today, I have two more entries to share with you.  I’m so giddy about the near completion of this project because I’m eagerly looking forward to starting another book.  I can’t tell you the number of times that I have wanted to start other books during this process because of all the subject ideas I have in my head.

The “J” page was created with Lindy’s Stamp Gang embossing powders of Angel Wings and Bronze applied with a petite branch and leaf stamp. The same colors were applied on the Blue Fern Studios perfume bottle chipboard. I once saw these colors incorporated in a luxurious printed floral fabric that I have kicked myself over for not purchasing years ago.  Those colors have stayed in my head and now I can release them. Lots of fussy cutting used on some Prima papers.  These last two pages in the book are more of a “flat” style because it’s becoming more difficult to close the book covers. This is something I will try and perfect on the next book.

 

 

The “Poppy” page:  A poppy printed napkin was printed on ink jet paper.  The matte gel worked really well in applying the paper to the page, and it also helped seal the colors to prevent them from bleeding too much.  A welcomed result. 

 

One more page to go, and then I will work on the cover of the book and be done!

It thrills me to know that a number of you have started your art journals too.  I  would like to stop by your blog to see what you have been doing, so let me know where I can find you in the comment section below.

 

Thank you for visiting.