The Documented Life Project

I've been in a bit of a slump as far as my art goes. I couldn't seem to get myself to the art table to play with paint. I don't know why I because as soon as I started getting painty I felt ever so much better.




I signed up for The Documented Life Project.  Click the link to learn more about it. This is the cover of my journal that I plan to use for the project.

I started with a Strathmore Mixed Media Journal.  I'm using it because the paper is thicker than plain planner paper.  It will take gesso and paint a bit better than light weight paper.  I used old book pages* to cover the front. I used gesso and matte medium to glue it down.  A watered down light purple paint is the next layer. 

The flowers are a Donna Downey stamp and I used Ranger Archival ink to stamp them so they would be permanent for my next wet layer.  The quote was found on Raw for Beauty facebook page.  I copied it into MS Publisher and changed the color so that it would go better with page.

The 2014 are The Angel Company stamps.  The green leaves are a Crafter's Workshop Stencil.  I used bubble wrap,  a piece of rubber rug backing and a medicine bottle lid to make the other decorative marks in orange, pink and yellow.  All the paint was inexpensive craft paint except for a bit of Golden's pink High Flow Acrylic.

* Part of the book paper is from an old book I found at the library for 50 cents. It's an old construction manual that is full of page after page of numbers.  I think it's formulas for mixing concrete and other building materials.  These days all of that figuring would be done on the computer.  I smile every time I use one of those pages because I know it must have been very important of some engineer years ago.

Link to: The Documented Life Project, Creative Every Day, Paint Party Friday, Artist's Play Room

Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet?  I don't know how many times my dad heard me ask that question.  I probably asked it before we were off our street.  :). This page is for my Dad, who now calls himself, The Old Guy.  He will celebrate his 90th birthday in August.

The page was done in stages on different days.  The houses were doodles I did on the back of something I didn't love a while back.  The background is a Gelli print from last week.  The bird and car are both Tim Holtz sizzix dies cut from book pages.

I drew the tree trunk and limbs with my finger.  The leaves are done with three colors of green and a piece of bubble wrap. 

Link to: APR, July Gelli Party, Creative Everyday

Peace is a State of Mind

I thought peace involved being with a certain person or being at a particular place. I have learned that peace comes from within.  If I am comfortable with who I am; if I love myself then I am going to feel at peace.  It is a deep inner feeling that has more to do with me and less to do with others or what is going on around me.

I still feel stress, anger, sadness and frustration because I'm a human being.  These days, I can feel any or all of those things and realize they really are temporary feelings.They can rock my boat but they can no longer tip me over.  Depression no longer consumes me when things in my life are not going as I want them to.  

How did I get to this place?  Lots of hard work on myself. God, Therapy, Alanon and good friends who listened when I was at my lowest. It was the hardest and bravest thing I ever did. I didn't have much hope for a while, but I do now.  I don't have pie in the sky, wild romance or great riches.  What I have is ENOUGH.  I have a roof over my head, food to eat, kibble for my dog, the ability to take care of myself and a contentment I never expected to have.  

The icing on the cake for me is the joy I experience every time I work on my art. My art is the time when I am totally in the moment. There is no worry, no hungry, no fear.  There is just this place of peace and joy.  I am so blessed to have found this place.  

How this page was done: Gesso with blue paint for the sky. The sea is crumpled deil paper glued with gel medium and painted.  The boat and sun are Accu cut dies.  The shimmer on the sun is Ranger Radiant Pearls Mist.  The decorations on the boat are gelli print tape.

The crackles on the boat were made by painting white school glue on the paper.  Let it dry to the sticky stage and then paint with top coat of colored paint.  It will crack as it dries.

Link to:  July Gelli Party,  BOD, Creative Everyday, APR, Outside the Box: Art & Recycling Ideas

Art and the Hardware Store

Homemade Acrylic Spray Paint - Mix acrylic paint and a little water in a spray bottle..  Easy peasy.  I used Yellow and Green homemade spray paint for the background with a couple of hits of hot pink.  My bottle was empty so that's all I got of the pink.  White circles were made with gesso and a medicine bottle.

Paper Dry Wall Tape with round holes.... wooo hooo.  I had to order it online from Lowes because they don't have it in the store here.  This tape is self adhesive.  I used the liner as a stencil to get extra dots

Spackle Compound for the stenciled flowers. I've had that stuff for at least 7 years.  It was totally dried out so I thought what the heck..& I added water to it. It was a bit runny at first but it finally absorbed the liquid. I mixed it with acrylic paint and used it with my stencil.  I let it dry over night before I tried to paint it.

I've always had a fondness for the hardware store... finally I have a use for some of the cool stuff they have.  The Lowe's guy did not even laugh at me when I told him I wanted the Dry Wall tape for my art. Points for him!!

Link to:  Creative everyday, Party Party Friday, APR

Sweet Red Clover Street

I recently received some very cool paper from Sweet Red Clover.  I used her paper to make this page. I thought it was only right to name the street after her.  

This page begins my journey into using my stickers that I've been hording for years. The numbers and letters are from several different sets.  The trees are a gelli print that was cut using the Tim Holtz Bird Branch die. Two of the window on the left house open. That was fun to do.  You might be asking  why some of the letters are crooked.  You'd have to know Sweet Red to understand they go perfectly with her delightful sense of humor.

Link to APR, Carolyn Dube Gelli Party, Creative Everyday, Paint Party Friday

Thank You, Marc Charles

The internet is an amazing place. Where else could I learn to paint this wonderful silhouette for free in the comfort of my own home?

Thank you, Marc Charles, for making this beginner YouTube video!!!  If you want to learn to paint... check out Marc's videos. He is a wonderful teacher.  He was so confident that anyone could learn to do this that I just had to try it.  I am amazed that I created this painting.  Simply amazed.

It is done on a 4x6 inch piece of cardboard.  I gessoed the cardboard so it would not absorb so much paint. The entire painting is done with only black and white paint.   Then I followed Marc's steps for making the background.  The little tips Marc gave for the limbs were very helpful.  

I will confess... I was too chicken to paint the bird directly on the "canvas".  I painted the bird on a book page and then cut him out.  Good thing I did because the first one was way too large.  

If you had asked me yesterday if I thought I could do this painting.... I would have said, "Probably not."  I am thinking I may have to change the name of my blog to The Little Engine that Could.  I am finding that if I am willing to try, if I am willing to make an ooops, I can do all kinds of cool things. My Tag line may have to be...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....

Link to:  Artist Play Room,  Creative Everyday, Anything But A Card

You have to plant a flower if you want it to bloom

I'm not know for my ability to doodle.  You would think anyone could doodle, wouldn't you?  What I've found is that some people put marks on paper and some people DOODLE.  My friends, Jana and Denise are very talented in the Doodle department.  

My flowers are my latest doodle attempt.  I used a page from a book to give them some added texture. I   spritzed some paint on the page first and then added the doodle.  I tore around each flower instead of cutting this time.  

The grass was done by running the edge a credit card through green paint and then dragging the credit card down the journal page. This is my favorite way to make grass because it doesn't look so neat. 

This page was done for the Colors of Summer Challenge: Orange & Hot Pink.  My pink now looks purple.  Not sure what happened with that.

I added the word bloom because I'm wanting my muse to bloom.  I was away over the weekend and I don't have much of an urge to paint since I returned.  I know that the only way to get over that is to paint anyway.  This is not my favorite piece but it is my effort on a day when I would rather have taken a nap.  If your muse is not whispering in your ear today, put some paint or ink on paper anyway.  It will get the juices flowing.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.

Link: Colors of Summer, Mandarin Orange Monday, Creative Everyday, Artist Play Room, Glue It Tuesday

Three Birds and the The Summer of Color 3

I was thinking of my friend, Linda Lou, as I made this page.  She loves birds.  The time I helped her make birthday invitations for her mom, she wanted birds on them. 

 I'm also participating the The Summer of Color 3 and this week's colors were Citron Green & Turquoise. I used a couple of greens trying to get the right shade. This is as close as I could get with what I had. Click on link for more information about this challenge.

The birds were made with the Stampin Up bird punch. The branch is a stencil I bought at Michaels or JoAnn's.   I would like to thank whoever did the video using the color box stylus for stencils.  It worked better than anything I've tried.  I wish I could remember which video I saw it in so I could give them a big hug and credit here.

Links:  The Summer of Color 3, APR, Creative Everyday,

Art Doll Swap

This art doll template was in the Tempting Templates file on the Stampington website.  I'm not a huge doll fan but she just looked like I could have some fun with her so I'm hosting a swap on Mixed Media Madness facebook group.  

She is cut from card stock and painted blue.  Her torso & head are embossed with Hidden Satin embossing powder. It gives this wonderful pearl look.  Her arm and boot are embossed with Poly sparkle EP.  Her arm is attached with a silver mini brad so it can move.

Her wings are covered with a bit of dry wall tape.  I repeated the drywall tape on her skirt and boots.

Her hair, skirt and belt are a piece of shimmery fabric I've had forever.  The fabric is a loose weave so it was easy to get the bottom of her skirt to ravel to get the under skirt look.  I used the pieces I pulled off her skirt to make her wild hair.  

I'm going to link this to a few sites, the first one being Artist Play Room.  Jenn's theme this week is something bizarre or unusual. Creative Everyday's theme is childhood and she's painted so I think she qualities for Paint Party Friday as well.  

Link to: APR, Creative Everyday, Paint Party Friday 

I so enjoy your comments.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.

What the heck is a Cereal Box Canvas?

"What the heck is a Cereal Box Canvas?" you ask.  I cut a Cheerios box to the size I wanted and then primed it with gesso like it was a real canvas.  I used it to get over my canvas fear. This drip background has been sitting here for two weeks waiting for a focal point.  

I am so excited because my Donna Downey Unity Stamps arrived today.  I knew these large poppies were what I've been waiting for all this time. I stamped them with Versa Mark and embossed with Yellow Commotion Embossing Powder. 

I wanted some large happy words to go with the flowers.  I used an embossing pen and hand wrote the word rather large.  Then embossed them in the same yellow.

Over all, this piece represents happy for me.  Bright colors and big bold flowers and words.  Just looking at it brings a smile to my face.

Link to: Creative Everyday, APR, Art journal Every Day, Anything But a Card

Celebrate

Do you ever watch the show Sunday Morning? They show photos, painting, sculptures and every other kind of art of the sun every week. It is amazing how many different ways there are to decorate the sun.  That tv show inspired me to try my hand at the sun. 

I've been practicing faces and I'm getting better at the eyes but when I get to hair and cheeks... they go down hill fast.  I was practicing today and every time I looked at the face I had drawn it reminded me of a sun painting.... so I went with it.  

The sun is a gelli print using yellow and orange.  I free handed a ray and then just traced it around the face.   Then I stamp the script with pumpkin Stazon. I also stamped the rays with a swirl from Clear Snap.  I wanted it to be shiny so I got out my Perfect Pearls which have been in a drawer for at least 5 years. It fun to use things I've had forever.  

The blue background is also a gelli print.  Jet's Pizza puts plastic coated corrugated cardboard under their pizza.  I have no shame.... I asked for a clean piece and they gladly gave it to me.  I love it... It makes wonderful stripes.  The word Celebrate is a Hero Arts stamps and the other words are again from Clear Snap. The dancing person is an ERA stamp.   

Link to Glue it Tuesday, APR, Creative Everyday, June Gelli Party

Art and Friends Equal a Wonderful Day

I spent a few hours with my friend, Theresa today.  I took my Gelli Plate to her house and we had a fine time playing with Slick Paint or Fabric Paint and the Gelli Plate.  We are both huge fans of Carolyn Dube and I saw Carolyn do this cool technique using fabric paint to make star bursts. I called T and said, "Get that fabric paint out of the cabinet... we need it!  Carolyn Dube's got another great idea."  Click on Carolyn's name to see the technique we used to make that cool star burst at the bottom right.   

I had a great day.  I spent time with Theresa and we had so much fun with the gelli plate.  Most of the prints we did together.  I'm work from one end of the plate and she's work from the other.  It was cool to work that way.  We both love art journaling and altered books and yet our work is so different.  It was good for me to see how she mixes colors.  I usually go for brighter primary colors and she goes for shades of purple and pink.  We pulled at least 20 prints with lots of colors and designs.  Our friend, Dot, arrived just in time to see our negotiation of who got which print.  With the slick paint you get two excellent prints and then at least one of the fun unexpected variety.  You would think we were trading gold. :).  All and all, it was a great day that ended with Mike, T's DH, bringing us pizza!!   Life is good.

June's Gelli Party, Creative Everyday Mandarin Orange Monday

Just Do It. Don't let fear rule you.

SOLD - June 8, 2013

Just Do It.  Don't let fear rule you.  That was my thought as I began my very first canvas.  It's very similar to an art journal page I did a few weeks ago.  I was comfortable with the design so I thought I'd give it a try.   

What changed in a few weeks?  My friends encouraged me and a person I do not know commented on my blog.  Robin Mead left me this comment... 

It is really fantastic...Thanks for stopping by y blog too...Thanks so much for your encouraging words...we all thrive from that....about the canvas..instead of trying to do an image, or drawing on the canvas...just use it for backgrounds...play around with drippng...spraying..scraping...stamping...etc to get a nice bunch of color and texture...dont worry yourself with getting a perfect composition or image..just play with color and texture...for sure that will free you up to experiment on canvas..believe me we have all had those fears...but this is what helped me to over come that obstacle..maybe you too..!

I went to Robin's blog and her work is fantastic.  I really like her use of color and her style.  Her work speaks to me.  I've been mulling her words over in my head for days now.  So I did what she suggested.... well kind of.... I started with a "cereal box canvas".  I look a cereal box, cut it to canvas size, gessoed it, made some homemade spray acrylic paints and started spraying colors on it.  I sprayed water on them and let them drip.  Then the "canvas" sat there for several days.  Every time I looked at it, I had a happy feeling.  I don't know if I'll do anything else to it or not.  I just know that Robin's words and that "canvas" gave me courage to move on to a real canvas.  

This is a safe piece.  I'd done one similar so it felt safe. I had a friend who told me she would buy my art journal one if it was on canvas so I did a similar one and maybe she will like it too.  I added a few things & changed the colors a bit because I just can't do the same one twice.  Each has to be an original.  I learned things from the first one and added my knowledge to this one.  They could be companion pieces.   

The flowers are cut from chipboard using sizzix dies and it was painted with craft acrylic paints.  

I want to thank Robin Mead and my M3 buddies for all your encouragement.  We never know how a few words of support will affect someone else.  I grow daily, in part, from your comments and gentle support.

Link to:  APR, Creative Everyday, Glue It Tuesday, A Year in the Life of An Art Journal, Paint Party Friday

I'm An Artist

I'm fairly new to believing I'm an artist.  I made a commitment to myself several months ago do something creative everyday.  Most of the time I work in my art journal or my altered book.  I'm very comfortable doing that.  I've worked consistently for several months now and that work is paying off for me.

I've wanted to do a canvas for a while but I'm afraid. I don't know why a canvas is scary.  It just a flat surface and I can gesso over it if I really screw it up.  Today, I decided I wanted to do something a little larger than a book page.  I really wanted to work on canvas but chickened out in the end.  This is done in a "book" I recycled from a job years ago. I worked on it  "as if"  it was a canvas.  

I began by painted the page with gesso.  Then I used a light purple paint over the gesso  leaving some white peaking through.  I cut the vase from a page I'd taken out of my altered book.  I folded the paper in half so that I could get my vase to be the same on both sides.  I lightly painted the vase with a shade darker purple than my background.  I gave it a couple coats.  Finally I finger painted the stripes with a darker purple.

The flowers are cut from two Sizzix dies using chipboard.  I gessoed them and then painted them with craft paints.  After they were dry I peeled one of the chip board layers off the back of the flowers so they would not be too bulky in my book.   I used a round brush to paint the greenery and stems and then arranged the flowers.  Scotch Quick Dry Glue was used to attach the flowers.  I used a Hero Arts background stamp for the text background in a purple and then in white.  I used a black Stabilo Pencil around one side of the vase for a tiny shadow.  The final touch was to outline the flowers with a white water based Sharpie Paint Marker.

I am amazed that I did this piece. I'm so pleased with my progress.  I now believe that I can do a canvas.  Thanks to all of you who visit my blog and encourage me. I treasure your comments.  I appreciate your encouragement so much.

Link :  Artist Play Room, A Year in the Life of An Art Journal , Creative Everyday

Three Birds

I started this page with a paper napkin for the background.  I thought I wanted the flowers to really show but they were too bright so I started adding layers.  I added watered down green paint, then watered down gesso.  Next I added a swirl background using a Clearsnap stamp. It was a little too dark so I added some tiny white lines and dots.  Then I added the white circles using one of my favorite new toy... the toilet paper roll.  

I can tell how I'm growing as an artist because it was evident that the circle were not part of the background but on top of the background.  I've heard other people say that and now I see it in my own work.  The circles were too white so I added a little green paint to the white gesso and finger painted over the white circles.  It sent them to the back a bit.  Last of all I added a Hero Arts script stamp for a bit more texture. The birds are from a stamp set by Fiskars stamped with Stazon and Archival Inks.

Link to: Artist Play Room , Orange You Glad It's Friday, Creative Everyday

Geller? Is that What You Call a Person Who Makes Gelli Print?

Like any Gelli Plate owner, I have a lot of Gelli Prints.  I have been wanting to do some fun girls and these Gelli prints gave me the perfect opportunity.  The back ground on the left is a Gelli Print.  I added a little stamping to added texture.  The background on the right is paint.  Two shades of purple and some hot pink. I used my new stamp to get that cool texture on the back ground.  The inclusion is also covered with a Gelli Print.

Two of the girls started out as a print of crown.  I bought a kid's crown made of craft foam at the $Tree and when printed they reminded me of people.  I cut and trimmed them until I liked their shape.  I continue to work on faces.  Someday mine will look like real people.  Until then.. characters will have to do.

So, the question is: What do you call a person who makes Gelli Prints?  A Geller?  Gartist? Grinter?   One of the odd questions running around in my head.  LOL.

Link to:  Gelli Arts , A Colorful Journey May Gelli Party, Creative Everyday, Glue It Tuesday, Artist Play Room

Purple, Aqua, Orange and Teal

                       
Amber and Lynn requested Owl Tags, also.  Aqua and purple for Amber and Orange and Teal for Lynn.  I'm disappointed that the Orange and Teal one didn't scan true to color.  This was the best I could get the scan to do.  In person or tagson the owls are a nice rich teal.  My Stampin Up owl punch has been very popular this week.  The orange tag is made from a paint sample.

Link to:  Creative Everyday and APR (lots of eyes and toes in this one.), Orange You Glad It's Friday

Calendar Journal

My friend, Sweet Red Clover made a journal out of a pocket calendar.  She used scraps to decorate the pages and plans to toss it in her purse so she'll have something to draw on when she's away from home.

I decided to try my hand at one.  I used an old Met Life calendar.  I am a huge Snoopy fan and this calendar has a picture of Snoopy on every other page.  My plan is to leave Snoopy on the pages. 

This journal will be mainly a quote journal.  I see so many wonderful quotes on Facebook and I'm going to start printing the ones I really like.

This is the cover of my Calendar Journal.  I very seldom do the cover first because I'm messy.  You will notice, I've already gotten gesso on the cover.  Oh well, it will add to the charm.  I don't know where I found the two little girls. Their words are perfect for my journal.   The Creative People on I found on Donna Downey's FB page.  

Below:  I had to begin with an original quote by me.  It needed a music background and Amazing Grace is one of my favorite hymns.  I thought it fitting.  Any talent I have is a gift from God.  The quote and picture on the right came from Raising Ecstasy FB page.  You'll see Snoopy flying a plane in the corner.  Snoopy is the king of believing he's amazing and can do anything he sets his mind to do.


Link to: APR,  Creative Every Day,  A Year in the Life of an Art Journal, Balzer Designs 

Free Bird

The challenge this week in The Mail Artist Corner is your favorite song.  I don't know that I have a favorite song.  Truth is I don't listen to music much these days.  I really like the quiet.  There seems to be a lot of noise in the rest of my life so when I'm home... I love the quiet.

I wanted to use this bird and the two blue backgrounds so I made the page and then googled bird songs until I found one I liked.  I'm not a big fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd but I do like this song.

This blue backgrounds are both Gelli prints. I'm not sure what stencils were     used for the blue background on the right. Probably more than one.  The left one is a saw blade that I cut myself using a picture from the internet.  I'll never, ever cut another stencil like that one.  The bird is also a gelli print.  The background of the left page was done with another stencil I cut myself.  I did the lettering elf with a black marker and then outlines the letters with my favorite White Signo Gel Pen.  I added some Washi tape for interest.

Link to:  The Mail Art Corner,  The Sketchbook Challenge, Creative Everyday, Glue It Tuesday

Split Personality

Sometimes I feel like I may have a split personality.  I make these grungy art journal pages and then I make a "cute" owl card.  Cute dog cards always call me.  So do birthday cards that have balloons.  The thing about cards is that sometimes I make a card with someone in mind.  I made a cool card a while back with an old Vet on it.  It was the perfect card for my friend, Mink.  

Not Quite so Cute

Cute

I bought this Sizzix owl die back in November and then I never used it. Recently, I finally used him on an AB page and I grunged him up a bit. These two are my latest owls.  One is cute and one leans toward artsy. It's amazing how a bit of paper will change the look of something so much.

The words background in both is by Stampendous.

Link to Creative Everyday