uphill...

this was kind of an uphill battle for me!  i loved what sandee from frosted designs did and thought i would try it out.  little did i know i actually had pipettes to work with!  the technique was a little frustrating for me but i did like the finished project.  it's fun experimenting (and a little aggravating!) with new techniques to see what you do and don't like! thanks for the push, again!!

uphill
supplies:  water colors, india ink, black pen, white pen

love v2.14...

happy valentine's day!!  

here is the valentine i made for my sweet. 

love v2.14
supplies:  water colors, crafter's workshop mini-punchinella template, charcoal pencil, mod podge, mixed media paper, french book text, date stamp

fly...

one of my mixed media monday night peeps has a tutorial every sunday over at frosted designs.  i needed a little jump start on my mojo and i'm a sucker for birds.  so i decided to try this one out.  i didn't do well with leaving the "white space", but i love it anyway!

fly again
stamps:  unity
ink:  jet black
embellishments:  tissue paper
other:  acrylic paint, sharpie paint pen, mod podge, glimmer mist

a challenge...

one little word.  the past few years, the kick has been picking one word at the beginning of the year and having it be your theme for the year.  i'm just not feeling the word this year.   i haven't done much in the way of crafting or especially mixed media lately.  no real reason...the holidays, work, life?  and i've realized how much i've missed it.  my friend andy has had a rough go of things the past few months and she hasn't been much up for creating either. and also wasn't feeling a word.  so she issued me a challenge.  to get both of us back in to the creating realm. and i'm so happy she did.  we both simply started a background.  and i think it both did us a world of good. got my fingers all covered with paint again and i'm not going to let it go too long again.  i simply grabbed some paint, bubble wrap and got to it. i don't know what i'll do with it, but it's a cool background.  i'm still not feeling a word, but i'm okay with that.  maybe it will hit me in july!

when i was done, i had some paint left over on some paper.  i thought it may look cool all smooshed together as a background.  here's how it turned out.

so thank, andy, for the little push i needed to get back to creating!!

our house...

our house, in the middle of the street.  just kidding...do you have that song stuck in your head?  i spent a little time doing a mixed media page in my art journal the other day.  inspiration came from monday's mixed media monday broadcast with tracy weinzapfel.  she created a page with  what she let's in her home.  i loved the idea, so here is our house.

our house
ink: midnight muse
other:  gesso, acrylic paint, decopage, bubble wrap, dictionary paper, charcoal pencil
stencils:  heidi swapp, crafter's workshop

fly again...

wow. it's august 8th. july was one of the worst months i've ever experienced.  it started out with  one surgery, two weeks later turned into an emergent surgery due to an infection followed by two weeks of terribleness. but it's all behind me now thanks to the amazing help of my family.  i don't know what i would have done without them.

and the creative dare  from tracy for the month of august could not have been more therapeutic for me.  the dare is to "let it go."  which is what i've done.  the past is done, and i'm moving forward!  the challenge was to use a favorite quote, make our creation in less than an hour and a half, and just "let it go" while we created.  i saw this quote from the brave girls club a week ago and it rang so true. there were days i wasn't so sure i would fly again.  but i am.  i branched out and used watercolors for this page, which was new and different.  brought me back to my grade school days.

thanks for another awesome creative dare, tracy!!

fly again
stamps: unity
ink: jet black, island indigo, basic gray, paris dusk
embellishments:  tissue paper
other:  watercolors, montana ink pen, mod podge, pitt pen

mistakes...

let's face it...mistakes happen.  but sometimes there are good mistakes.  i love this stamp by donna downey.  this page in my canvas journal is like texture-palooza!!  i used a ton of things to make texture.  and i love how it turned out.  it is also the last page in this journal, so now it is complete!!  thanks to tracy weinzapfel for the inspiration and idea of this book!  i went a little off the path for the last two pages, but i am so happy with the journal.

mistakes
stamps: donna downey
ink: jet black, peacock feathers, india ink
embellishments:  tag
other:  acrylic paint, gelatos, gesso, bubble wrap, masking tape, drywall tape, modeling paste, crafter's workshop stencil

beautiful...

i haven't spent any time playing with mixed media for a while.  over a month, in fact.  and it's made me sad.  but i knew i had a few projects to finish so last night after work, i made time to play.  and it was so good for my soul.

this project started out as entry for tracy's march creative dare.  i created it on my crafty trip in april, but didn't have the right sentiment with me to use.  so when i got home, it kind of got forgotten.  last night i was sorting through some stamps and the "beautiful" spoke to me.  so here is how it ended up.  we were supposed to use buttons and lyrics to our favorite song.  well, i got it half right.  i couldn't figure out what lyrics would fit, so i just added the words "be yourself."

beautiful
stamps: donna downey
ink: jet black
embellishments:  buttons
other:  acrylic paint, , gelatos, gesso, bubble wrap, charcoal pencil

kiss it...

the blarney stone, that is!!  as long as i can remember, i've always wanted to go to ireland.  my grandfather was born in donegal, so i thought it would be neat to see where he grew up.  about 15 years ago (i can't believe it's been that long!) me and my friend went to europe.  we spent a week in london, a week in darby, england and a week in ireland.  although i didn't get to go to donegal, i did go visit blarney castle.  somewhere i have a picture of me kissing the blarney stone (can't seem to find it at the moment).  it's crazy because you have to hang upside down and have someone hold you in order to kiss it.  and you are at the top of the castle!!

so for the mixed media monday february creative dare that tracy weinzapfel  threw down, i knew i wanted to do my page on somewhere i went on my trip.  the theme of the dare is dreams/something from your bucket list.  kissing the blarney stone was definitely something i wanted to do before i died.  it was such a cool experience!

kiss it
stamps: unity
ink: old olive, walnut stain
embellishments:  chipboard letters, cardstock stickers
other:  acrylic paint, gesso, bubble wrap, crackle paint, decopauge

sketchbook project 2013...

two years ago, i stumbled upon a cool project.  the sketchbook project 2012. simple concept.  you buy a blank sketchbook, put whatever your little heart desires in it, mail it back, and it joins a traveling exhibit across the u.s., then becomes part of the permanent collection at the brooklyn art library.  i signed up, had grand plans, then watched the due date come and go.  with my sketchbook remaining empty.  i was sad and disappointed that i didn't finish this cool project i had signed up (and paid!) for.  so when the sign ups came to do the sketchbook project 2013, i was initially all gung ho to sign up.  but then i waited.  as doubt crept in and i wondered if i would procrastinate and do the same thing...not finish.  then i decided i needed to buck up and do it.  just get it done.  so i signed up.  paid my money.  and vowed to start the moment my sketchbook arrived.

well...fast forward about 7 months.  good old procrastination creeped up again. and now i was looking at another blank sketchbook the WEEKEND(!) before the project had to be postmarked.  awesome crap. some say that you find inspiration when you most need it.  well, i think i did just that.  i was wandering around the internet after coming home from a visit to instacare (love bronchitis...NOT) and stumbled upon this cool art journal page and i loved the colors, the simplicity, everything.  and that was my inspiration for this year's sketchbook.  i busted it out in about 4 days.  i can't believe it.  i'll be posting the rest of it over the next few days, but here's the front and back cover, which is heavily inspired from mixed media mondays with tracy!!

january...

wow.  can't believe it's the eleventh of january already and i'm barely posting my calender!!  a bunch of us are making mixed media calendars for the year (at least, that's the goal...the whole year!) and this is mine for january! i've definitely filled in the boxes, just took this picture right after it was done so they were all blank at the time.  this is one of the creative challenges for myself for 2013.  i added my one little word for the year too.  i have so much to believe in.

january
stamps: unity (smak kit)
cardstock: my mind's eye pp, fancy pants pp
ink: faded jeans, broken china, midnight muse, island indigo
embellishments:  washi tape, grungeboard letters, rub ons
other: acrylic paint, gesso, bubble wrap, mixed media journal

and i figure i might as well throw it on to friends with flair by the unity peeps, right?  don't forget their awesome sale for angela's 40th birthday!!  shop, shop, shop!!

mixed media monday...

i think i may have mentioned once or twice (not sure!) about my love for monday nights.  the reason is an awesome group of peeps now named, mixed media mondays, that tracy weinzapfel  started (visit  her here).  we gather from all parts of the globe to watch her work some mixed media magic. in september, she threw us all another creative dare to fill up a canvas journal with all that we are grateful for.  here is my tribute to mixed media monday.  because without it, i don't know that i'd have discovered the love and passion i have for this new form of expression!

mixed media monday
stamps:  unity
material: canvas
paint: gesso, acrylic
  ink: jet black
embellishments:  label tape
tools:  pen

here are the other pages so far in my gratitude journal if you wanna take a look-see.

a life inspired...

it's been awhile since i've done any art journaling. but after the last mixed media monday night (catchy, isn't it?) with tracy, i was excited to get this page done.  and i even used the dreaded charcoal pencil.  a lot.  i'm not saying i like it any more, but i do love how it looks on this page.  so here's to stepping outside the comfort zone and using something you aren't comfortable!

a life inspired
material: mixed media paper
paint: gesso, acrylic
stamps:  donna downey, christy tomlinson
  ink: jet black
other:  bubble wrap, cardboard, dictionary pages

and i found a new tool to stamp with.  those little cardboard hand protectors around a cup of coffee??  well, the corrugated inside makes a cool set of lines!!  

today...

it's been too long since i've done a page in my gratitude journal. i did this page at my crafty retreat two weeks ago. i'm thankful for {today} everyday, but i loved that day because i was with my favorite peeps. and every time i see this page, i'll be reminded of that.  take a peek at the rest of the gratitude journals here.

today
stamps:  unity
cardstock: simple stories pp
material: canvas
paint: gesso, acrylic
  ink: ripe persimmon
embellishments:  wood shapes (american crafts), washi tape

listen...

another page from my canvas journal.  i hope to get the final two pages done tomorrow. this was from week 4 of the canvas journal project.

listen to your heart

material:  canvas

paint: gesso, acrylic

ink:  walnut stain

embellishments: muslin

other: bubble wrap, mod podge

font: mtf sweet cheeks

live inspired...

this is probably one of my favorite pages i've ever made.  at first, i wasn't digging the orange color.  but i wanted to try something i wasn't used to. after i added the yellow corners, i was ready to throw a layer of gesso over it and start over.  i had an idea for the flowers and as it evolved, i fell head over heels for it.  and i can't tell you how awesome it is to make stencils from cool words like this phrase from donna downey using my silhouette cameo.  i think i may have gotten a few of my peeps hooked on the silly machine!

live inspired

material:  canvas

paint: gesso, acrylic

cardstock:  project life pp

ink:  walnut ink

embellishments:  buttons

other: silhouette images (donna downey sentiment, flower), american crafts stencil

this page was part of week #3 of the canvas journal.

be true...

one thing that was great about last week's crafty retreat...i was able to catch up on my canvas journal. i was a few pages behind and now i'm caught up. well, that was until monday night's class. behind, but not for long! only two more pages and this is finished!  this is the first of three pages.

be true to you

material:  canvas

paint: gesso, acrylic

stamps:  unity

ink: india ink

embellishments: buttons

you can see all of the journals from the monday night peeps here. this page was part of week #3 of the canvas journal.

live in the moment...

yep.  another mixed media project.  but never fear...i've got some cards coming up in the next day or two.  this is another page in my september canvas art journal.  you can see the cover in this post.  you see, each monday night, tracy makes a page and we follow along via ustream.  or we just sit and chat while she creates.  this is my take on last week's page (week 2).

live in the moment
material:  canvas
paint: gesso, acrylic
stamps:  unity, american crafts
ink:  black staz on, india ink
embellishments: letter stickers, fabric flowers, buttons
other: pen

i am still having a love/hate relationship with the charcoal pencil.  i love to hate it.  maybe i'll see the light one day...but it's still dark now!

create...

another new art journal project has started.  this one is an 8.5 x 11 canvas journal. tracy got a bug in her ear to make some canvas journals.  so now the monday night crew is following along for the month of september creating our own journals. of course, i went in a completely different direction, since i'm not really the big flowery type.

create
material:  canvas, kraft cardstock
paint: gesso, acrylic
stamps:  susan weckesser/unity
other: glimmer mist, pen

i found an arrow template from crafter's workshop, but didn't get one ordered in time.  so i created my own using my silouhette.  as i was taking out some of the arrows, i loved how some didn't come off, so i left it that way.  the back cover was my "experiement" with the stencil.  it worked much better on the front cover.

i loved the leftover arrows, so i mixed some gloss multi-medium with some pink paint and painted them.  made them a little glossy.  then i thought it needed a little something more, so i outlined a few of the arrows randomly.  can't wait to get the inside pages done each week!!

i found some canvas the other day at the store.  i was going to try and make another journal.  now i'm super excited because my husband got me an awesome present for my birthday, a sewing machine.  whenever we have a gift giving occasion, we either tell the other what to get or just get our present our selves, then pretend the other got it for us. we aren't very good at surprises.  but he got this present all on his own  it was a complete surprise.  and i love it!!  so now i can make my own journal without borrowing my mom's sewing machine!  and i can try some sewing on cards that i think is so cute!!

balance...

last week, during the monday night crafty session, tracy challenged us to draw a bird.  i love crafty birds.  i've drawn a few and i have more bird stamps than i care to admit.  so i was excited to draw another one.  i started this background in my journal page last week, and loved the colors.  i've realized that i keep going to the same color palate.  blues and greens being the majority!  i wasn't planning on this being the page for my bird, but when i was looking at the page, it had the perfect spot for my little tweeter.  and i love how it fits together!!

balance

stamps:  christy tomlinson

paper:  art journal

ink: onyx black, island indigo, india ink

paint: gesso, acrylic

other: mini circle explosion template, paint can lid, plastic cup

the funny thing about this page is it started orange.  the cool think about mixed media is how the layers work and how you can start with something and in the end it looks completely different.