Keep A Green Bough In Your Heart

Believe or not I actually made a card.

I haven't been making very many lately.

With the new stencil called Vineyard (TCW482s-6x6) it's easy to create simple backgrounds.

For this called all I did was take acrylic paint and a sponge and added the design to the front of the card.

But when I added my next color I just moved it over a little.

For a focal I used Dina Wakely's new stamps Scribbly Birds to the front.

I think I'm in love with this stencil and these bird stamps.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

New Mixed Media Canvas - Jumbled Thoughts

Today I'm excited to show you a new mixed media piece I call "Jumbled Thoughts".

I have a lot going on and when I created this piece my head was spinning.

My thoughts were all jumbled.

So I put my brain on canvas LOL!

If you click on the picture it should enlarge it.

Here is a close up of all the layers.

You can see here I used not only letters but little beads.

Do you have jumbled thoughts?

Have you ever put them in a painting?

Try it!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

What To Do With Old Scrapbook Inserts

Years ago I purchased an album and inserts (5x7) from Creative Memories (no longer in business) and never used them.

You would create your page and then you would put a clear sleeve over it to protect the pages.
These inserts are great support for your pages and it has wire loops to attach to the album.
BUT they are great for creating art journal pages.
They are heavy duty and take a beating.

I used these Fragments from The Crafter's Workshop:
 TCW2043 Poppy Fragment
and
TCW2024 Rubber Bands Fragment

I first used gesso on the page.
I took the Rubber Bands Fragment and added gray paint to it and sprayed it with water.
I flipped it over on the page and repeated the process several times.
I used gesso through the Poppy Fragment and while wet added acrylic ink.
Once everything was dry I added the scrap papers and the quote.
Love the pink and gray!

 

Here is a close up of the Poppy. I used Heavy Gesso so it gives it some texture and dimension.

 

Do have products from a company that is no longer in business?

Try using them for something completely different!

 

Thank so much for stopping by!

Pink Tag: Nope Don't Like It

A week ago my art room was clean and all I had on my table is what you see here on this tag.
In fact the tag already had the background.

One item was a fortune.
Love this fortune I had in my cookie.

  

Although I don't think I achieved any success with this tag.

I don't like.

It's missing something.

Looking at the tag I probably was going to add something to the lower half.

Hmmmm I may change it.

I thought I would show it to you anyway.

Not sure if I will add to it or chop it up for something else.

Decisions, decisions.

 Thanks so much for stopping by!



When My Brain in Blank .....

I try to create something to get my creativity going again.

Lately, I'm having issues with my creativity. 

I have a great idea. I even wright it down.

I sit down and start and half way it just not coming out like I thought it would.

I have many projects that I start and push to the side because it just wasn't working out.

Do you have that problem?

For me I just need to keep playing.

So I pulled out my bits and piece and scrap paper and created this piece.

I was going to keep it black and white but then decided to tint Gesso a little bit.

While it was still wet I added drops of India Ink and let it flow where ever it wanted to.

Once everything was dry I attached the stamped image.

What do you do when you lose your creativity?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

They Don't Look Happy

I have many old images that I have found free over the Internet. 

I love to use them on tags.

To start the background I used some book paper and attached it to the tag. 

Added gray paint with the Navaho stencil. 

 

Used the stencil and modeling paste to add more texture to the tag.

I used watered down acrylic inks and dragged the tag through it.

I love getting my hands inky!

I found this image in my pile of a brother and sister. 

I'm assuming it's a brother and sister and they do not look happy.

They probably didn't want their picture taken together.

I fussy cut them out of the picture and used distress inks for their clothes.

Then I found the butterfly, arrows and banner in my box of bits to add to the tag.

I started using more pink in projects again.

I'm in the process of trying other color combinations with it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Strength Doesn't Come From What You Can Do

Here is a small mixed media piece I created with bits and pieces of scrap paper, acrylic inks, heavy Gesso and a Dina Wakely stamp from the set called Face in the Crowd.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

My Traveling Art Supplies

I was in Chicago visiting my daughter last week.

I always travel with art supplies.

This time all I took was two small art journals, scraps of paper, Faber-Castell Gelatos, the new 6x6 stencils by The Crafter's Workshop, a few tags, and two stamps. What I also take with me is a piece of deli paper with stamped images and quotes plus a few other stamped images on other paper.

It sounds like a lot but it wasn't.

The best part of being in Chicago is Blick Art Materials is downtown! 

While there I bought a few canvases and extra paints so my daughter and I can paint.

Here is one canvas. It's the only one I took a picture of when it was finished.

This was created with layers of Gelatos, white acrylic paint and TCW472 Persian Gate stencil from The Crafter's Workshop, tags (already had color on them), and Dina Wakely stamps.

Here is a close up so you can see all the layers.

All I did was start with Gelatos on the canvas, spray it with water, used my finger to spread it and spray again.

Once that layer was dry I added the stencil with acrylic paints.

I just kept repeating it until I like the background.

I have never really used Gelatos except for accent color or coloring stamped images.

This was a lot of fun and I'm going to repeat the process again.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

It's A Koi Pond!

I love creating scenes with stencils.

Using two new stencils from The Crafter's Workshop:

TCW499 Koi Pond

TCW495 Sea Bubbles

and using Core'dinations Core Basics Heavyweight Paper (110lbs-Excellent Paper!!!!), I created a Koi Pond and I don't have to take care of it.

 

Here is a sneak peak. To see the whole project head on over to The Crafter's Workshop Blog!

 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

1 Stencil Four Ways Series with The Crafter's Workshop Design Team

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited for you to check out a new Design Team series called 1 Stencil 4 Ways.

We were given one stencil to create four different projects.

The stencil we had to use was TCW421 Navaho. 

I can't wait to see the other three Design Team Members' creations!

Here is a peek at what the stencil looks like.

This is also part of one of the four projects I created.

Head on over to TCW Blog and find what we created with ONE STENCIL!

 

 

 Thanks so much for stopping by here and The Crafter's Workshop Blog

 

See The Beauty! A New Canvas

Yes, I'm using the Poppy Fragment again from The Crafter's Workshop.

I had a canvas that I had previous used but didn't like the outcome.

I decided to use the Poppy to create a multi-layer background.

The colors are a different combination than I'm use to using but I think I like it.

What are your favorite color combinations?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Find Your Voice

I have a tag to show you today. 

The background was created with the Gesso resist technique with watercolors.

I used The Crafter's Workshop Fragments TCW2043 Poppy Fragment and TCW2050 Crosshatched Fragment for the Gesso background.

Once the Gesso dried I added the watercolors.

The floral die is from Memory Box called Delightful Peony Outline.

.

I hop you liked the tag.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

POPPIES! POPPIES will put them to sleep.......

Nope it's not the witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Today I wanted to show you one of the new Fragments from The Crafter's Workshop called Poppy Fragment (TCW2043 - Ronda Palazzari Designer). I think this might be my favorite. 

I added the Poppy Fragment to these cards with heavy body Gesso.

I brushed it on starting from the center. If you keep brushing the Gesso on it builds on around the edged and created a dimensional flower. I dried it with a heat gun but let it bubble up for more dimension on the flower.

I love the way it looks.

Here are my cards.

You can see lots of layers of dry wall tape and masking tape on the card.

I also used acrylic paints, stamps and spray inks.

The close up below shows that some of the tape is pulling up from the card and looks like the petal of the flower.

You will be seeing more of this Poppy Fragment. 

After I created these card I used it on everything I could!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Fortune Cookies and Art Journals

Do you keep your fortunes that you find in fortune cookies?

I keep most of them. They usually have something good to say.

If not, I still use them for backgrounds in art journal.

I found this one while cleaning my art room (still not clean yet!).

So instead of cleaning thought I would create a page in my small mixed media journal.

 

Lots of layers of inks, gesso, bits of paper and string.

 

This is my fortune. 

 

Hmmmm not sure what my "unexpected gains" will be but I'm excited to find out!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

  

New TCW Stencil: Nautilus

Nope! I did not create anything that would fit the name of the stencil.

You don't have to either.

Just because a stencil has a theme to it doesn't mean you have to use that way.

This is the TCW500 Nautilus Stencil.

 

 

 What I did is take a piece of watercolor paper and used distress inks though the stencil.

Then sprayed the paper with water for a watercolor look.

  

 

I added a stamped image (Face the Crowd by Dina Walkey) and a little bit of modeling paste to complete the tag.

If looks like swirls in the background not Nautilus shell.

 

You should see all the new stencils from The Crafter's Workshop!

You can see them all HERE!

You can check out TCW's blog HERE and while you're there see the Design Team and check out their blogs to see all their creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

New TCW Post: Find Joy In The Ordinary

What is it?

I have a new Design Team post up on The Crafter's Workshop Blog.
 

 

Check it out HERE

 

Wonder what it could be?????

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!