OMG! I Scrapbooked!

I'm amazed myself. I never scrapbook at all.  My head tells me there are too many rules in scrapbooking. I know there aren't any rules but when I start I freeze. When when my daughter was little I didn't have a digital camera. I don't even remember if they were that popular or around. We used disposable cameras and I am terrible at getting them developed. Well, I found a box full of undeveloped film. I know the film is old and some of the pictures may not even come out but I need to get it developed. You can tell by the pictures they are old and if we waited any longer I might not even have them. 

We didn't have a pool and my daughter wanted to be in the water. Looking in the basement I found this big red bucket. We used it for ice and drinks at picnics. She was tall and skinny so she was able to squeeze in.

We are not sure how old she is in this picture. We are guessing she's 8 years old but not sure! This is what happens when you don't develop pictures right away. She's 23 now!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I would love to hear your comments on my page.

I don't scrapbook but I love the inks on the page.

What do you think?

Art Journal Every Day

I love when a journal page comes together when you don't think about it. This was the last thing I created this weekend. Even though I had lots to do I was able to spend a few productive hours in my art room each day.  This is for Julie's Art Journal Every Day. and for Just Journals Link Party.  I used acrylic paint, scraps of paper and tissue tape.

I love this page. Like the words state, original, imperfection, different, me....It is me!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Art Journal Every Day

Hi. Sorry I haven't posted in a few days.  Working full time and added extra hours on each day has kept me from my art room.  I have a journal page for you for Julie's Art Journal Every Day.

FEAR - Can take over your world. Conquer It!

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Vintage and Timeless - Thats hard for me to create.

I love vintage stuff.  Pictures, ribbon, paper, etc. but I have a hard time putting it all together. I love Tim Holtz and would love to take a class from him in person but his style is easier for me.  Vintage with lace, pearls, and soft colors is harder.  BUT for today's project I had inspiration in a vintage wedding photo.  I believe I found this picture on Valerie B's blog, The Sum of All Crafts. If you have never been there GO! She has amazing vintage pictures along with some digital downloads that she has designed. Another blog who gives me lots of vintage inspiration is The Funkie Junkie.  Linda's cards and tags are beautiful. You must go over to her blog and check it out.  She sells the supplies she uses in her shop. I have ordered from Linda and she has amazing customer service. Linda also a challenge blog called Frilly and Funkie if you want to join in on their challenges.

Okay on with my project.  This was made on 8x8 Claybord, CW template, matte gel medium, acrylic paints, lace, pearls, feathers, Prima flowers, vintage fabric pieces and a 3x3 canvas panel. I attached the photo to a 3x3 canvas panel to give the project more layers and depth.

Here a close up of the background I made with matte gel medium and a Crafters Workshop (CW) template.

The pearls around the photo was some old cheap costume jewelry my mother had that I kept to use for the special project.  The vintage dictionary paper in the background is a Stampin Up Sizzix doily die.

Now I mentioned I used a feather do you know where it is?  It's the butterfly.  I have had these feather butterflies for years and years so I don't know where I bought them. 

Thats it! Do you love it? I do!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Dylusions Time!

I bought some Dylusions stamps and the order came in. I had to play with these little houses. I didn't have much time but but they are easy to color and cut out.  The background on the tag was created by cleaning up spray inks on my craft sheet. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I have a thing for clouds!

I've been buying dies for clouds. Every time I see one I gravitate towards it. This one I bought from Stampin Up. It's a little Sizzix die. It only cuts thin paper but I use it all the time.

The little black birds are made out of wood and I used black acrylic ink to color them. I wanted to droop the string the birds are sitting on but the gel medium dried too fast. I was busy picking up the mess I dropped all over the floor. It's time to tidy up my art room.

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You are where you should be.

As a mom it's so hard to see your kids struggle. When they are little you can help them but as young adults all you can do is stand by, listen when they call and not say a word (i'm still working on this one) and watch to see what happens.  She has amazing days and bad days. I wish they all could be amazing! Like I have said before when she was little and in diapers I had the control. It was so much easier.

These tags are for my daughter.

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Art Journal Every Day!

Today I have a journal page for Julie's Art Journal Every Day. My mojo has been running in and out the door lately and I just let go and made the page. 

I found the little green butterfly on my desk and the old papers in the background are actually something I found in Michaels in their $1 bins. The clocks in the background was made with a CW template and ditress inks. The picture I have had for a long time. I don't remember where it came from but I love it. I love old buildings especially when they are falling apart. It makes for some great shots.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Thank Goodness for Tags

I've been working a little late and by the time I get home all I want to do is sit in front of the TV. Usually I fall asleep but this time I decided to grab some tags, markers, templates, stamps, etc. and sit in front of the TV and design a few backgrounds for future projects.  Manila tags are a wonderful size to play with and the paper is so lovely.  I don't know what I'm going to do with these yet but an idea will present itself sooner or later.

Well, if you are tired but need a little art therapy grab your tags and markers!

I think all the art supplies cost more than therapy but this was a lot more fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Art Journal Every Day with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Hi Everyone. Sorry I've been MIA. Life just gets in the way sometimes and it's hard to get in my art room. I'm really busy at work with installing a new server and getting all the programs installed which mean I may not have much for my blog this week. 

I have a journal page to show you for Julie's Art Journal Every Day.  I just made it with two days to spare. This was an easy page to do. I used up some Cricut die cuts I had, distress inks, and lots of bats.

The way blotchy stuff in the background is Goosebumps Texture Spray by Tsukineko.  It was already there when I started this page. I must have had an idea for something and walked away. It was a fun journal page.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Love Color

My favorite color is purple and thats one color I have a had time using in any project. I do try to use it on Halloween pieces but it doesn't always work out.  This journal page I decided to use purple and whatever shade worked. 

I love templates/stencils and own quite a few of them. I keep any that are 8x8 and smaller in the individual sleeves of a scrapbook album.  Its so easy to flip through the scrapbook papes and pick one. The scrapbook album full of templates/stencils travels well too.  Any that are larger than 8x8 I have hanging on one wall in my art room.   See my art room wall below. You can see up towards the top in a blue font where the templates/stencils are hanging.

The one thing that I love to do is keep certain items to use as templates/stencils. All those who use grungeboard and buy the sets for letters, numbers or seasons, etc., keep the board once you punch out them all  out. I use what is left as a template/stencil. Thats how I made the background on this journal page.

The background was made with the grungeboard set with letters in two different sizes and spray inks. I was going to do something over the page with music and dictionary paper but changed my mind and tore it off. I love what stayed on the page.

Remember anything can be a template/stencil!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe

Hello! Today I feel really bad but while I was making this 4x6 canvas panel I was so focused on it that I forgot to take step by step photos. I'm so sorry.  First, I will show it to you then I will explain how I made it. 

My step by step process as I remember it. I may leave out a few things but ask questions if something doesn't make sense.

1. The background was made by using paper scraps and acrylic paint to decorate the canvas panel.
2. Then with Golden's gel matte medium and a stencil I added more texture to the panel. I waited for the gel medium to completely dry before I completed the next step.
3. Once the gel medium is dry I painted the whole panel with black acrylic paint and let it dry.
4. Then with a damp towel I wiped the black paint off the gel medium to see the paper and paint underneath.  You can take off as much as you want. As you can see I left more black paint on the bottom end of the panel.
5. The small poster of The Black Cat I distressed it with black soot distress ink and added some rock candy crackle paint.
6. The tree is from the October 31 Cricut cartridge - I distressed that with gray paint and rock candy crackle paint.
7. The wooden fence I found at Joann's in the $1 bin.  It's actually a very long fence but with wire cutters its easy to cut apart. I distressed that with cobalt blue, grey and black acrylic paint and rock candy crackle paint - i love this stuff!
8. The cat was in my Halloween box of scraps that I added a piece of paper to and made the cat's eyes.
9. The bat is made out of grunge board, black acrylic paint and red stickles for his eyes.
10. Once everything was distressed and dry I attached it to the panel.

So what do you think? I will definately do the gel medium background again. It was a lot of fun. I can imagine using so many colors now.  Like I said previously if you have any questions just ask!

Thanks so much for stopping by!