Gelli Collage Stencil Play

This week my art journal got a twofer. The prompt for The Documented Life Project was Gelli Prints and Journal 52 was Collage.  Ta Da..... my twofer.

I think I'm finally getting toward the end of the many, many gelli prints I made when I first got my gelli plate. That means it's will soon be time to start a whole new batch. This page is a combination of three different prints that I tore horizontally and collaged on watercolor paper. 

I've said before that tearing and gluing is a very meditative experience for me. It is so relaxing to loose myself in the process. The original prints were made on recycled copy machine paper with inexpensive craft paint.


The flowers are a Donna Downey I-Stencil stencil and craft paint. The bottom two flowers were stenciled, then I painted them and then stenciled again to get the crisp lines. I let all the glue and paint dry overnight and then I stenciled the dots and zig zag lines using Artist Loft embossing paste.  

Link to: Journal 52, The Documented Life Project, Party Party Friday, Gelli Print Party

Be Yourself - Be in the Moment

This page stated as part of a challenge in A Year in the Life of an Art Journal. The challenge was to pick a favorite quote.  I didn't even have to think twice.  Be Yourself Everyone else is Taken is a quote I first saw on the internet under a picture of Snoopy and Charlie Brown sitting on the end of a dock. The next time I saw it was as the tag line on my friend, Theresa's email.  I started looking for a different image to go in my journal.  I found this man on the The Graphic Fairy blog.  He was perfect!

The background is a padded envelope I received from Denise at Nessie Natters with a wonderful hand drawn tangle calendar in it.  No way I'd cut up the calendar but the envelope was fair game.  Let me just say... I now know what makes a padded envelope padded.  My deck looks like we had a grey recycled paper snow storm. Take my advice... if you want to use one of these in your journal.. just leave it fat... don't attempt to take it apart.  I'll be sneezing for days.

This page feels like a visit to old friends.  I pulled out many stamps I haven't used in at least 6 years.  The images are from Stamper Anonymous, Stampabilities, Just for Fun, Tin Can Mail and the stamped quotes are by Club Stamp. I borrowed them from Theresa.  I WANT this set of stamps but I don't think she is going to give them to me.  

I used Archival Sepia, Distressed Vintage Photo and Versa Mark Inks.  The watch was embossed with Ranger's Moss EP.   The die cut was from Paperbilities.  Part of the plan was to use things from my stash.  I used only one die cut but I did pull from a lot of my stamps so that will have to do for now.

I was reading Carolyn Dube's blog today and she was talking about being in the moment. Art does that for me like nothing else I do.  Almost two hours went by and I was clueless to the passage of time.  I was in this page. I enjoyed it every so much.  I hope you are creating something this evening and that you enjoy being in the moment as much as I did.