My Favorite Supplies

Note: I wrote this entire post in 2013 but never published it. I am going to share it in its unedited state now, and then hopefully post an updated version soon. I still like a lot of these supplies, but I have a lot of new things to add now, and a few comments on the below as well.

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Since I am no longer on any creative teams, I have had some time to play around, just for me, and I also have some time to create some blog posts with more content than just my project shares.

I always think it is interesting to see what supplies other people like/dislike, and why, so I thought I would share my thoughts (I don't know if anyone cares though!)

My favorite mists:
1) Heidi Swapp Color Shine: I love the sheen they have--they are the most vibrant, shiny mists I have.
2) Perfect Pearls: These are great for when I need just a bit of color. I use Heirloom Gold all the time on projects to add just a bit of gold sparkle. I have had no clogging issues at all.
3) Dylusions?: These get a question mark because I honestly had a bad first experience with one of mine (brown). I don't know if it is defective or what, but it often leaves a weird blue cast when on my mixed media pages. I don't seem to have had problems with any other shades. I love the vibrant colors.
4) SEI Tumble Dye: I discovered these from the very talented Roben-Marie. The biggest pro: They are permanent and will not react with water after drying.

My favorite stencils:
1) Harlequin (Crafters workshop)
2) Punchinella (Gauche Alchemey)
My "alternative" textures:
1) Joint tape: I discovered this through Donna Downey. I bought a big roll at Lowe's-definitely worth the "investment" since I use it all the time now. It's a cheaper alternative to using punchinella (I save the punchinella to use as a stencil/mask)
2) LACE: Any kind will do! Cotton crocheted lace picks up color really well though. If you can find a good deal on a roll or two, pick some up!
My favorite "brand name" embellishments:
1) Heidi Swapp hearts, arrows, etc
2) Vintage Vanity collection
My favorite stamps:
1) Kaisercraft notepad/ledger
2) Stampin' Up texture roller
3) a silicone hexagon pot holder I found at Walmart that works great as a stamp
4) Tim Holtz tiny text
5) Hero Arts script
If I had to pick just 5 stamps to use for the rest of my life, I think I could make do with just these, honestly (maybe an alpha set of some sort too, though :P )

My favorite media:
1) Super Heavy Gel Medium: good for adhering stuff and also for using through a stencil to create texture
2) Luminarte Silks Acrylic Glaze - these things are amazing. They are vibrant but also translucent, they add shimmer, and they come in lots of shades. They are expensive, but worth it! You only need to use a little at a time, too. If you mix them with water or gel medium, you can make them last longer. I have even mixed them with some of the mists from above, and they seem to work fine.
Other tools:
1) Scarlet lime pen: permanent. Just be sure to not run it through too wet of mod podge or medium..and then let it dry...when you go to scrape off the dried bits, the ball part might come out and you will have messy hands and a dead pen :( not that I know from personal experience or anything....
2) Glue gun: I resisted buying one for awhile, thinking I had all sorts of other glue I could use instead...but nothing beats how fast it adheres with relatively little mess to clean up. It can also be used to create texture!

An Art Journal Page

Well, I have actually completed two challenges in a row! Go me :)

I could not get a good photo of this spread--it just looks like puke in every photo I took, but I do like it much better in person. But, I did it for a challenge so I wanted to make sure I posted it (even if I hate the photos).

(If you are curious what the cover of this book looks like, check here!)

Here's the color inspiration, looks like I took some creative liberties on the shade of brown I used, oops!

Be sure to visit the Mixed Media Color Challenge blog!

Project Shares

Today I have a few more projects I have been working on.

First up, an art journal page! I just love how it turned out. The colors are mostly from Ranger Color Wash, and some Dylusions spray.

And next is something I have been meaning to do for a long time. I have several art journals (like the one above) that are actually old altered books. But until now, I have left their covers blank. But I got bored with that, and am working on altering all of them now. I may end up not liking it (because it means I won't be working on a flat surface), but I just couldn't handle those ugly covers any more.  Here's a look at the first one:

I absolutely love how it turned out! Recently I bought some Cobalt Blue Luminarte Silks Glaze, and it is now my favorite shade, I think. I also used some Vavoom Red, Pumpkin Spice, Sunflower, and Teal on there too.  The stencil I used (Prima/Vintage Vanity) turned out really well too.

Well, that's it for today! I have another altered book in the works, so hopefully I will be back with that soon.

ColourQ Layout - just under the wire!

I made this last Wednesday, but didn't have time to photograph it and post it until tonight! Here's my layout:

At first, it was looking a bit too Halloween-y with the orange and green, so I added the pink heart and emphasized pink and green more.

And here's the inspiration image from the ColourQ Challenge #211.

If you hurry, there's still time to enter!

October Projects and a challenge entry

Hi everyone, time for a few more project shares. Sorry for all the photos...apparently I like to save up a bunch of projects to share all at once :)

1. Two crosses:
I made these as possible decorations for a new church that I am helping to "plant." I had a lot of fun mixing random junk pieces and bought items (like Finnabair's Mechanicals and Vintage Vanity, etc).

I used Luminarte Silks to color them.

The first one is a small 6x8 (?) canvas:

 and then a much larger 16x20in one in the same style:

2. Next, I wanted to use the Finnabair style for a canvas with one of my photos. I don't love the result, but I guess it turned out ok. That's me at the Colosseum in Rome.

 

3. The other day, I ran across this site: Scrapbook Diaries. I absolutely love the mixed media-style layouts that are featured there, and I am definitely planning on buying a kit at some point. In the meantime, I checked out the Live with Prima section, and this canvas stood out to me: Treasure Canvas with Kasia Krzyminska.

I have a new blog and artist to inspire me now! I have already pinned a lot of Kasia's art journal pages, but never spent a long time perusing her blog until this week. She is one of those artists where every single project of hers, I just LOVE and it makes me want to start creating my own versions right away.

I love her work so much that I signed up for this workshop: Pop and Colours (where she is one of the featured designers). I am excited for it to start next week!

So, I watched the canvas video through once, and then again while creating my own version. Here's my take on it:

 4. Finally, I created an art journal spread for Challenge #9 at A Mixed Media Color Challenge.

I have wanted to enter one of their challenges (since entering the first one) but have always gotten too busy and missed the deadline! Finally I was able to finish one in time:

 Whew, I guess that is it for now! Thanks for stopping by.