I tried two different backgrounds over the past couple of days and thought I would share how they turned out.

The first was using distress inks and altering them with water, then spraying your stamp with water which draws the colour off the page to leave a white mark where you stamped. It was interesting to do. On that background I decided to stencil some butterflies and flowers with modelling paste and then put the word “Wish” because I wish I was as free as a butterfly somedays.

The second background technique was using mists and salt. My daughter and I both like the effects of this background. I was not so happy about what I put on top of the beautiful background, LOL.. Stamp was Suzi Blu, and I finally got out my watercolour pencils and added water. Wow, I didn’t realise what fun watercolour pencils could be, even though I hate the big writing at the top of the page. Oh well it is all experimental. The background, basically is spray mists over your page then drop salt all over the page before it dries. Once dry, brush the salt off. I have posted my AJ page using this method. Also posted just the background that my daughter made. The backgrounds all turn out differently because of the effect of the salt and of course using different colours.

and my daughter’s background….

Full details and great instructions can be found at Balzer Designs

http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2011/11/art-journal-every-day-art-journal-backgrounds.html

I’ve been art journalling again, but this time I thought I would do it about something that I start my day with, everyday of every week, of every month. I love my coffee!!

I used a lot of things from an old club scrap kit I had, painted lots of acrylic paints and basically just had fun. The coffee cup was from Unity. I love Unity stamps because they give such good impressions first stamp. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and look

Thanks for putting up with my posts, LOL.

Stamp courtesy of Suzi Blu. I love her stamps and have all her girl stamps! click for a bigger, scarier view of this picture.. LOL

Tired of my art journalling “very much beginner” pages yet??

Last night before I went to bed I thought I would give the new Art Journal (the A5 one) a test run and threw down some yellow and burgunday paint and rolled it all out with a brayer. Oh and I did some glimmer mist too, but that was a lost cause on wet paint, LOL. I let it all dry overnight, then today I have been playing around with it. Really I had no clue what to do with a very reddish background with some yellow through it.

Anyway, long story short, I wiped some Gesso over the top part of the page (to tone it down a bit) with my finger, did some stencilling, oh no sure if you can see up the very top right hand corner I sprizted with glimmer mist a cut out of umm like a dandelion (thanks Mary W again for sending me some cuts of your dies). I stamped the heart on a dictionary page in Ranger Plum (my fave), glimmer misted the dragonfly to death, LOL, with Turquoise then maybe went a little bit overboard with the glossy accents on the heart, leaves, stem etc… but oh well.

Then added the words – Yes they are rubons. You know what? I thought those rubons were dead and buried in my stash, but seems they work well for art journalling pages!

Anyway I tend to ramble, so will stop now.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look. I hope I can improve over time LOL. Just click on the pic for a better view.

First up the background and then my attempt at drawing.

Next painting a little

Next painting in his body..

And finally a little journalling…. Yeah I know I can’t draw for crap but my 8 year old thinks I can LOL

Ok.. here you go. I would love some comments and feedback. Remember, this is all new, but I am having fun and that is what it is all about. Actually, sheesh, I am on a roll, I keep typing, LOL.. Art Journalling is all about YOUR Journal, what you want it to be, what you make it. There are no right or wrongs. Art Journalling is personal, so go with what you want and how you want it to look . Guess what? I’m rolling with what I want right now and who knows, in the future it may change.

One more thing, because I am on a roll, yeah yeah, I’ll shut up in in a minute…. I am finding by doing some work inspired by Dyan Reavely that I am feeling that I can let go of that OMG it is not perfect thing that I have LOL. Mind you, I still look at this page, same as the other one and grimace a little thinking I have never slapped anything down like that. Well it is free-ing in a way and my daughter who is 8 also did some art journalling and yes you guessed it, she had no probs slapping it down, feeling great about it all. I need to find my inner child again and then maybe my art and craft will be more relaxed!! Food for thought!

Dylusions inspired

Well I finally got enthused to do an art journal page. I watched a Dyan Reaveley video from CHA, using her new Dylusion Ink Sprays, stencils and stamps and she certainly got my attention. So, I played along with her on the video. Mind you I don’t have Dyan’s fantastic products yet, but I have today just ordered them!! So I made do with what I had and here is the outcome. It’s not bad for my first try at this sort of thing, if I say so myself. I just wish I had of had more different colour sprays on hand to play with!

I made this card yesterday for a Masking technique challenge on OWSE. I stamped the butterfly (Unity Stamp), then stamped it again on scrap paper and placed it over the original stamped butterfly  to allow me to then stamp the word background (SU stamp) without it getting on the butterfly. I used distress ink (wild honey) all over the white cardstock.

Thanks for looking!

Anyway, here are the two cards I made. Both the same except different colours. I hope you like them.
Oh the Happy Birthday stamp is not part of the Unity Stamp set. It was from another set that I got, that was attached to a Magazine I bought.

Anyway go and check out the tutorial and let me know if you make any! I’d love to see them.

I made some very basic coasters yesterday with the Graphic 45 Wizard of OZ Paper. I bought the coasters (MDF) from ETC – Kaiser Craft Shop the other day – 12 for $2.

Anyway I was playing around, and probably not new to anyone, but anyway, I wanted to use distress inks on a project but now know that adding gel medium over the top, even when heat set, it smears/runs.

So I thought, now how can I get a distress ink look without using distress inks LOL

So I got out one of the distress pads that you use with the ink tool. I dabbed that in acrylic paint and sort of swished it around (trying to pretend it was ink!), then I dabbed the other end of the foam pad in water and went over that in the same way and it came out looking like it had been distressed with ink.

I’m thinking of connecting them with wire and just using them as a wall hanging in my craft room, just to brighten the place up a bit.