Valentines for Art Friends

I'm happy to be part of a group of five art friends who enjoy getting together to make mixed media art projects, to take road trips to artsy places, and to seek out yummy lunch places.   I made these Valentines for the other four.

I stamped onto deli paper, used liquid watercolor on dress, fussy cut image, glued onto chalkboard heart.  Then I wrote with chalk marker and white pen.
This was followed by layering more hearts underneath.

Materials:
Made for Retail Chalkboard Hearts
Marvy white Bistro Chalk Marker
Uni-ball Signo white pen
Lost Coast Designs rubber stamp
white deli paper
Archival Jet Black ink
Artist's Loft red Liquid Watercolor
Scotch Craft Stick
Red heart shaped doilies
White heart shaped cardstock for base

Entering:

All Sorts Challenge #454 Love is in the Air #135 x

Crazy4Challenges #421 Make a Valentine #29 no winners

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge #87  #29 x


Try It on Tuesdays:  Love is in the Air #74 x

The Crazy Challenge:  #268 Girl Power #9 x

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge:  February- Photo Inspiration #27X


We Love 2 Create:  Challenge 5:  Anything Creative/ Mixed Media Goes #34 x

OUTLAWZ site-wide #104 SITE WIDE WINNER
Sunday Clean and Simple Week of February 11Create a Valentine CAS02112018

Valentine

Here's a Valentine I made today.  

The cherub is from Heather A. Hudson on Etsy.  Washi tape and other bits from my collection of old papers complete the card.

The inside has a scored and taped edge to create a shadow box.  Prior to taping, a heart shaped cut-out is framed, and an insert is placed on the back card panel.

Entering this card: 

All Sorts Challenge #454 Love is in the Air #34 x

Crazy4Challenges #421 Make a Valentine #10

Cut It Up:  Layers of Love #35 x

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge #87  #15 x


OUTLAWZ  site-wide #89
Twisted Thursday:  Feb 8-14:  Anything Goes with Twist Tickled Pink

My Creative Path

I loved the idea of Cat Kerr's Be Authentic journal page on the Stampington blog (free How-To Project HERE).  

Although I own the mini triangle gelli plate, looking at Cat's composition immediately brought to mind Kasia Avery's set of color wheel stamps from Paper Artsy: Eclectica Everything Art EEO3.  

I used these stamps to create a path that indicates my creative journey--it is circular and never-ending, blending together.  This journal page is for our first Wanderlust 2018 class.  

Jamie Avery encouraged us to use watercolors and ink pens.  I used Stampin' Up watercolor pencils and a water brush to pull the colors toward the middle, choosing to create with all the colors of the rainbow to represent the color wheel.  I accented with a black Pitt pen. 

Because this is an art page, I chose to use my cyberspace bonnet photo and 2amscrapper blog name.

For this class, I'm using an old book.  I took it apart, added some art papers, and then spiraled it back together.  I'm discovering the book pages are fragile so I hope the book holds up while I used it the entire year.

Sharing this here:

Art Journal Journey: January  New Year, New Adventures

Entering this here:

Country View Challenge:  January Anything Goes #114 x

CLBH #4

The Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is on its final day HERE.  Just enough time for me to make a holiday bookmark which also serves as a gift tag. And it's tea themed for international tea day!

Materials:

STAMPlorations (blog hop super sponsor): 
digital stamp of books and cup; 
Literary Caffeine-ations clear stamp set: Lewis quote
Prima Coffee Break mini paper pack
Loew Cornell Simply Art Colored Pencils
Archival Ink: Coffee
Wilton doily from stash
baker's twine from stash
foam tape

Entering this card here:

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop #932

Tag Tuesday: Christmas Memories  Each year I give a book to my husband.  This year we're going to add to that memory by starting in our home the Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition of giving a book and chocolates and then spending the evening reading our books.  (Book Flood)

STAMPlorations 
Tagplorations challenge (random winner) #12


STAMPlorations Never Ending Challenge #1984

Tag You're It:  #79 Last Challenge--site closing #3 x

A Vintage Journey Guest Designer

As a result of my Pinworthy Mention in September, I'm thrilled to be a guest designer at A Vintage Journey for this month's theme, Winter Wonderland.

Sandy is our guide and has offered suggestions for the theme:

For the month of December let's think of the season as well as the holiday with Winter Wonderland.  As the song goes, sleigh bells ring, snow is glistening! Let's see some snow, snowmen, bare trees would be nice or some snow covered pines in the meadow.  Whatever Winter Wonderland means to you in your vintage, shabby, mixed media; art journaling; industrial or steampunk style.

Materials for the snow globe:
Stamps:
Artistic Outpost Snowy Woods
American Crafts Christmas

Die Cuts and Embossing Folders:
Tim Holtz SnowGlobe #2 thinlet die
Tim Holtz snowfall

Misc:
snow netting
wood grain embossed cardstock
Archival Ink:  jet black
Stampin' Up Whisper White cardstock
USArtQuest Crystal Effectz and PPA matte glue

I liked my substrate so much, I hated to cover it up!

Materials for the substrate:
corrugated cardboard peeled back
ProArt Canvas white Gesso
Tim Holtz Birch stencil
Prima Art Alchemy (Finnabair) old silver metallique wax

I finished with quite a few oldies but goodies from my stash including a Stampin' Up snowflake die and frosted finish embellishment.

Thanks to A Vintage Journey for including me in their travels as a Guest Creative Guide HERE.  



Also entering these challenges:

STAMPS and STENCILS:  Festive Theme until January 3 #9 x
An Inky Mess:  Challenge 16 Anything Goes #13 announced Feb 1
Frilly and Funky:  Most Memorable Gift:  I have a Santa Claus Collection--each one given as a gift to me over the years. #12 x
Country View Challenges:  December-Christmas #92 x
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge:  Christmas/Winter #245 x
We Love 2 Create Challenge #3 Anything Creative Mixed Media #20 x

CLBH #3

The Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is in full swing HERE.  Time for me to get in gear and make some gift card holders.  Here is one to hold a Starbucks tree gift card:

What I tucked inside: 

Materials:
Too Much Fun rubber stamps:  mailbox and sentiment
Prima Coffee Break paper pack
Graphic 45 holiday stamp

Entering this card here:

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop #647

Mix It Up Challenge #8 Anything Goes with optional twist:Fancy Fold #14 x

Little Red Wagon:  #422 Gift Tags and Gift Card Holders #23 x

Color Throwdown #473 Pink Green Kraft and White  #3 closes Monday Dec 18 x

CLBH #2

The Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is in full swing HERE.  

This time I'm using the Brentwood Owl freebie from super sponsor Jessica Lynn Originals.  Brentwood's jersey screamed football to me so I turned him into a Green Bay Packers fan. Coloring is digitally done on my computer. 

The inside says:  
Merry Christmas Cheeseheads!
May your season be full of good cheer

Other materials include:
Graphic 45 paper from my stash
Digital football is from Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper
Martha Stewart snowflake punch

Entering this card here:

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop #440

OUTLAWZ sitewide #79 x
Dec 8 Festive Friday: Winter Fun--football in the snow OR Winter Bird
Dec 9 Paper A La Mode: Make a Christmas Card

All Sorts Challenge 445 Snowflakes #54 x

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper December #142 random winner x

Mod Squad Challenge:  What a Flake #42 x

CLBH Post #1

The Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is in full swing HERE.  Time for me to get in gear and make some holiday cards to send out.

This one is for my sister-in-law and her husband.  They drink tea, not coffee.  Sorry for the photo quality--it's late and the artificial light is bright.

Thanks to super sponsor Limited Runs Stamps for the free digi winter coffee mug (which I colored in my computer software) and warm winter wishes sentiment.  Everything else is very old stuff from my stash.  I popped up the teabag tag (printed it twice) and the sentiment which I punched out with that cute tiny Stampin' Up label punch.

Entering this card here:

Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop #400



OUTLAWZ sitewide #76 x
Dec 8 Festive Friday: Winter Fun
Dec 9 Paper A La Mode: Make a Christmas Card

All Sorts Challenge 445 Snowflakes #44 x

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper December #130 x

Monochrome Magic:#7  Monochrome with Twist: Shades of Blue #24 site closed


4 Crafty Chicks:  #380 Monochrome #14



Mod Squad Challenge:  What a Flake #39 x

Thanksgiving Digital Journal Page

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because that is when my entire family comes home.  I'm so thankful that all of us are able to travel and be together.  As the grandchildren grow up and we all get older, I hope we always will find a time to celebrate together.

At Art Journal Journey, Chris' theme is to express ways to keep warm.  Our family keeps that coffee pot going while we visit.

Digital credits:
Gecko Galz: Autumn Colors mini-paper pack background paper and Thanksgiving card from Vintage Thanks Collage sheet
Vero Hello Autumn collection: branch, string, and cup

Entering:
Art Journal Journey:  101 Ways to Keep Warm #62
Digitally Made Challenges: #7 November:  Thankfulness #1  WINNER--sadly site is closing

Gecko Galz Papercrafting FaceBook Page: November Holiday Happiness: Showcase Your Favorite Winter Holiday.  WINNER!!!!

Happy Halloween

This is an adorable card that I made for my adorable grandbaby.  I can say "adorable" because the creativity comes from Imagine That! Digistamp.  At their store, they have both a regular Ellie's Pumpkin Costume and a 3-D version.  This is a combination--flower paper and sentiments from one and the striped paper and 3-D parts from the other.

Lots of fussy cutting involved--all of which I outlined with a black Sharpie.  Layering was created with foam tape and pop dots.  Everything was pre-colored!  I layered two papers in PSE and printed on cardstock, trimmed and scored.  Then I cut the oval, sentiments and all the tiny pieces and started layering them up.

I was at the post office mailing this off when I realized I forgot to take a photo.  Therefore, you can see only part of the dimension--- if you look closely on the right side of the elephant. I used a sparkle pen on the flower centers.

Entering this card here:

Imagine That! Creative Playground October Link-Up Anything Goes until Nov. 3  ITD #27x

Aud Sentiments:  Halloween and a Sentiment #57 x

City Crafter Challenge Blog: Challenge Week #385 Jungle Animals #7x

OUTLAWZ site-wide blog entry: #180 x
Thursday Twist:  Anything Goes October 26-Nov 1 TT102617
Festive Friday:  One of Four Themes, I chose Halloween FF102717

So Spooky Mixed Media Shadow Box

I'm thrilled to be guest designer at Fussy and Fancy Friday. I created a So Spooky shadow box.  Please visit their blog for the latest information on the new challenge So Spooky and all the great design team inspiration.

Although I started out thinking this would include totally creepy and ghoulish people, my muse took me in a totally different direction where I concentrated on a  spooky Halloween night scene for us regular folk.  I have to tell you it doesn't take much after nightfall to make it feel spooky for me--rustling leaves, prowling animals, unfamiliar noises, dim yellow street lights.  

Here's a close-up of the creepy cloth, twigs, and spider.   You can see the ghost peering from underneath.

Here's a close-up of the texture on the sky and moon and a better look at the fence.  I like how the different colored layers created a landscape for my scene.  The foreground row of buildings was cut from dark grey Halloween paper that had cobwebs on it--I love the effect.

Materials Used:
Artist's Loft 10"x10" Stretch canvas
Black chipboard haunted house, spider and black sparkle twigs from Michael's
orange/yellow paper from stash to put behind haunted house
Creepy Cloth from the dollar store
Dreamweavers Matte Black Embossing Paste
Plaid FolkArt Black chalkboard paint
circles stencil
Martha Stewart Halloween fence punch

Prima Finnabair: 
Prima black gesso; 
Heavy Black Gesso
Art Extravagance: Stone Effect Concrete Paste, Graphite Texture Paste
Art Alchemy Opal Magic Acrylic Paint: Violet Green, Pink Blue, Green Gold
Art Alchemy Metallique Wax: White Gold, Old Silver

Tim Holtz:
Sizzix Alterations Thinlets:   bats from Haunted House, Cityscape/Skyline
Sizzix Alterations Die: Ghosts (no longer available?)
Ideaology Chipboard: Chip Quotes;  and Paper Dolls Collection

I made a moon free-hand while using a stencil full of circles--creating a cratered moon.  The original is with graphite texture paste.  Then I added Metallique wax in old silver and decided to top it with white gold. I drew in the painted sky as if wisps of clouds were partially covering the moon on the edges.

I'd like to enter this mixed media project here:

TRY IT ON TUESDAY: Oct 24 Circles #18 x

A INKY MESS Challenge 15 Anything Mixed Media #2

A VINTAGE JOURNEY: Crazy for Autumn Color  I love purple as an autumn color complementing the usual Halloween colors. #58x

Cuttlebug Mania:  Spooky #12x

Frilly and Funkie: Trick or Treat  I'm feeling funkie with a trick:  unexpected element is the creepy cloth with a big jeweled spider and the added phrase:  be brave.  #4 Top Three!!!

Paper Play Sketches and Color Challenge:  #54 Sketch #1x


STAMPlorations October Mixed Media (must use stencil)   I used circle stencil to create a moon. #22 Top Pick!


We Love 2 Create:  Challenge #1 Anything Goes Creative/Mixed Media (2nd entry)  #67 x
winner announced Nov. 26

Dark Side

Journal Pages: I'm still working with Elke's prompt, Landscapes of the Soul.

If only I could draw, this is what it would look like.  
But since I can't (or haven't tried), I came across these amazing digital images which fit perfectly with the song lyrics (by Kelly Clarkson) chosen for my theme:

                        Everybody's got a dark side
                        Please remind me who I really am

Materials:

Gecko Galz Artsy Jewels Collage sheet.  I was looking for something that represented split personality (good vs evil, "our dark side") when I came across this amazing artwork on the collage sheet.  I'm using the jewels (sized for pendant slides) in an entirely different way.  I resized two of the images and printed them on tracing paper. 

Technique:  From lessons learned in Wanderlust 2017, I left a white space on my journal for placement of the face (left) and arm (right).  After gluing down the tissue images, I took artistic liberty to extend with paint and pencil the two rectangles into the painted pages.  I love the black bird on the dark side and the blue bird on the bright side.  Loving the bird feathers in her hair (left side), I continued the theme with a feather stencil.  (Sidebar:  It just so happened that when I photographed my journal on the deck, the left side was in brightness and the right side was in darkness.  A happy coincidence!)

Acrylic Paints: Dylusions blendable Fresh Lime; Dina Wakley Heavy Body Sky, Liquitex Basics Ultramarine Blue

Chalk Paint: American Decor Primitive; Plaid Black

Stencils:  STAMPlorations ARTplorations Feathers and Arrows Large, Dylusions Diamond in the Rough

Entering:

Simon Says Monday Challenge:  Not a Card #61

Gecko Galz Papercrafting FaceBook Group: October Ghosts and Goulsx

Gecko Galz Blog October Challenge:  Bump in the Night #2x

STAMPlorations:  Mixed Media October Challenge:  must use stencil, not a card #8x



Sharing at:

Art Journal Journey:  Landscapes of the the Soul (Elke's wonderful theme this month) 2nd share

Half An Hour of Art Facebook Group

Our Mixed Media Moods Facebook Group (October mood board:  human form and black birds)

October Wind

A digital journal page.  I used a Gecko Galz image from one of their collage sheets.  I deleted the background and put it on this amazing Gecko Galz digital paper which has so many beautiful layers, that I added absolutely nothing. Then I typed in these amazing words from a Dylan Thomas poem.

Entering:

Gecko Galz Papercrafting FaceBook Group: October Orange and Blackx

Digitally Made Challenge #6 Halloween until Nov 4 #2 Top 3!

Sharing at:

Art Journal Journey:  Landscapes of the the Soul (Elke's wonderful theme this month) #38

Half An Hour of Art Facebook Group

Getting Old and Rusty

Second post for this challenge: 
We're at the end of our second month of our Mixed Media Art Book Group on FaceBook. This group was started by Marjie Kemper.  This month we are absorbing Seth Apter's book, Mixed-Media Artist.  (I cannot say enough about this book!)

Purpose

This time inspiration comes from the author himself, Seth Apter.  On page 81, I find his words profound. I have not been able to stop thinking about this concept since I first read it.

There are as many layers of product on this rusty plate as there are in me.  I love this baby photo of me, safe in my mom's arms and within the boundaries of the car; yet I'm at the window with my arm out-stretched to the the rest of the world, ready to find my destiny. This work represents the process of building up and breaking down the many layers of my life since this photo was taken.

Process

My husband and I went to the Pickers Market where I rummaged through a bunch of automobile license plates until I found one that said Illinois (the geographic state in which I was born) and 1949 (the year I was born). Then I came home and dug through boxes of photos until I found the one of me in my parents' first car.  

I liked the license plate just fine the way it was naturally rusted up, but since this is an altered art project, I randomly added gesso followed by stenciling with Dreamweavers Embossing Paste in black. (The Crafters Workshop, Clarity Clockwork Stencil ) When dry, I carefully painted on top of the stenciled areas with Finnabair heavy black gesso.  I chose black products because the effect of the Finnabair opal magic paints are different on top of black.

I used Opal Magic Green-Gold, Violet-Green and Pink-Blue.  The Green-Gold turned a copper colore on top of the rust around the rim of the plate.  Love! I had worked minimally with these paints and just had fun experimenting, knowing this was just one of the layers

At this point I realized I needed to work on adding my embellishments. 

Next comes the trio of Finnabair rust pastes.

Something wasn't right so I sprayed the plate with Maya Road blue to bring back the original blue under the plate, wiping off the areas I didn't want covered. Layers, just like in real life.

Then I applied the same products to the chipboard frame. I used drywall mesh as another stencil with the rust paint.  I finished with a wash of ARTQuest Vintage Mica Water Color.

I scanned and converted to sepia my baby photo.  I stamped my subtitle: Attitude is the compass of my destiny.

Using Ranger Rusty Hinge distress ink, I colored some beige paper and then stamped my title.

Stamps:  
STAMPlorations Bold Sentiments: Explore  I used the words Go Beyond Boundaries
Paper Artsy: Eclectica (Everything Art) 02  I used only the phrase: attitude is the compass of my destiny

Adding wire, my altered art/mixed media license plate is complete.

Entering:
A Inky Mess Challenge 14 #2 ends Oct 24x

A Vintage Journey:  Altered Art #36 until Oct 4 PINWORTHY!!!

Frilly and Funky:  Show Us Your Stamps #5 x  I used my stamps in a different way in that I cut up and used only some of the words on one stamp and used only part of the other stamp until Oct 10x
Stamps and Stencils: September Metallics #19 until Oct 3 x
Mixed Media World #29 Anything Mixed Media Goes #88 x
Paper Artsy #13 Metallics #14 until Oct 1 random draw x
Try It On Tuesdays Time or Clocks (Clarity Clockwork Stencil and clock face, year, etc.)) #8 until Oct 8x
Simon Says Stamp Heavy Metal #73 until Oct 1 x
We Love to Create:  #1 Anything Creative Mixed Media Goes #16 until Oct 30
winner announced Sunday November 26

Sharing at:
Mixed Media Art Book Group on FaceBook
****Winner of Seth Apter's prize*******

Trio of Fall Warmth

Here's my third entry into the Coffee Lovers Fall Blog Hop.  

I found these great coffee cups for a dollar each at one of the famous stores by that name.  Each has a different colored corrugated band around the middle--green, brown, and orange. 

Topper sayings are from the Coffee Please digi set at a discounted price from hop super sponsor Verve Stamps.  The mug with pumpkin is a digi freebie from hop super sponsor Stamplorations.  I digitally colored the image.  It was tricky placing plaid digi paper on the mug, but I did it!  Leaves are Tim Holtz dies and embossing folder.  

I plan to give these out with treats inside the cups.

Entering:

Coffee Lovers Fall Blog Hop HERE.  I'm #978

STAMPLORATIONS Summer Theme and Sketch Challenge: Anything Goes (until end of September) #81



OUTLAWZ Festive Friday: Let's Have Coffee FF091517 
OUTLAWZ site-wide drawing:  #161