Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #1!

It's finally here, Challenge #1 for the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog! We hope to inspire you to create something each month, with only a handful of rules and hopefully a lot of room to play around and try new things.

For our first challenge, all we ask is for you to use some spray inks or mists. If you don't have any, you can buy a spray mister from the travel section of Walmart/Target/etc for a dollar, and then use watered down acrylic paint, liquid watercolor, or re-inkers (or if you want to go crazy, mix all 3--I've done it before!)

Here's my journal page:

Closeups:

Here's the step-by-step (no photos this time, sorry):
1. Start by gluing down thin strips of pattered paper horizontally along the bottom left and top right.
2. Add some washi tape and masking tape on top.
3. Scrape on some heavy gloss gel (modeling paste would work too) through punchinella.
4. Glue down some ephemera (tickets, flower, foil tape that was run through an embossing folder, butterfly die cut)
5. Use stamps in random places to add visual texture (I used Prima's small acrylic Vintage Vanity stamps--my absolute favorite for this type of project)
6. Use a bit of gesso over top in random places.
7. Now go crazy with spray inks! I used Dylusions Red, Bubblegum, and Sunshine. I also used some Luminarte Silks along the edges. Oh, and to finish it off, I used my brand-new Prima Bloom Spray (Gilded)
8. Add some words, glue the pages down into the journal, and that's it!


The journal I used is the Prima Sunrise Sunset Mixed Media Journal by Finnabair.

So, I hope you will play along, we would love to have you join us. I can't wait to see what you create! Visit the blog here for complete rules and prize information.

Lots of art journaling and an altered canvas

Time to show off some projects I've been working on.

First, my take on Kasia's Prima Live with Prima project from a few weeks ago:

It's the back of a canvas, which creates a nice shadowbox effect.


Next, I want to share a bunch of art journal pages that I have been making lately. I had an old planner from high school that I have been altering and I just finally finished all of the pages! I also decorated the cover, but I'll save that for another post :)

This first page is inspired by one of the tutorials in the Pop and Colours workshop:

And the next few are just my own creations:

this next one is inspired by one of Donna Downey's "mixed media Wednesdays" videos:

and the last page in my book:

Hope you like my pages, and I hope something here inspires you!

Art Journaling in 3 styles

Here are a few pages I've made recently. I have been trying to emulate some of my favorite artists, in hopes that I can become a better artist myself!


This one is a lift of a page by Georgia Heald. Here's my take:

This next one is a lift of a page by Kasia, though I don't think it turned out exactly how I wanted. I am just in awe of her ability to create such gorgeous pages, and have it be all random and messy but still look so amazing. She makes it look really easy, but it is a true talent!

 

And finally, here is a page in the style of Dina Wakely. She is another one who makes it look so easy...but after trying this style, I have learned that I still need some practice! This page might not be finished yet, but I am taking a break on it for now.

I am linking this up to this week's Art Journal Everyday post at Balzer Designs...my friend from my digi days, Melita Bloomer, is a guest blogger there this week!

More Project Shares

As is my style, I like to save up a bunch of projects and share them all at once, so here goes:

1) I loved my other altered book cover so much, I did it to another one:

  

Supplies of note: Tim Holtz Ideaology charms, Prima Wood Gears, Finnabair Vintage Vanity flowers, Roman Numerals, and mechanicals, Harlequin Stencil by Crafters Workshop, Luminarte Silks acrylic glazes for color

 

2) I participated in Christy Tomlinson's She Art 3 Workshop several months ago, and here are some results. I am still working on getting faces to look right. 

This last one below was an experiment--I tried making a more traditional face, and hated it, so I painted over it with some strange colors just to see what it would look like...I still might paint over it again, who knows :)

 3)  A few more art journal spreads:

(This layout was very inspired by this layout by by Kasia)
 Supplies of note: Stamps by Stampin' Up, Tim Holtz filmstrip border

 Supplies of note: Prima flower (black and white patterned), Pink Paislee Artisan Chipboard heart, Prima wood gear

I honestly don't have a list of all of the products I used for these, but if there is something specific that you are wondering about, please comment or contact me and I can let you know! I tried to list the manufacturer-specific ones above, but I also use a lot of random stash items and off-brand stuff.

Thanks for stopping by!

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.

Play Date Cafe Challenge #152

Purple is my favorite color, so I was really excited about The Play Date Cafe challenge this week! I had just seen a tutorial from Christy Tomlinson (who else?!) and she used something called Tar Gel to add glossy texture to some Halloween-themed pieces. I didn't really want to go out and buy another supply, but I did have a big bottle of Gloss Gel Medium that I rarely use.I covered the whole background with it.

The downside? It doesn't really photograph well, since it is so shiny and reflects a lot of light. I swear that this page looks much better in person! It even has a coat of purple Perfect Pearls mist that shimmers nicely in the light.

 

The quote is from The Spanish Gypsy by George Eliot.

Anyways, I had fun making this, but working with a black background is hard! I kept wanting to use some purple ink spray, but then I realized that it wouldn't show up.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out The Play Date Cafe for complete challenge and prize information! This week we our sponsor is Freckled Fawn. 

I really wish I could win, because I am ashamed to say that I don't own any Washi tape! I really, really want some though, I can just never find it in any stores :( I guess I will need to order some!

Oh, and one more thing, we want to welcome the VERY talented Rachel of RW Krafts to the Play Date Cafe Design Team!

Play Date Cafe Challenge #150

Hello! This week's colors at The Play Date Cafe are so bold and dramatic!

This week, our challenge is sponsored by The Alley Ways stamps, who generously gave us all stamps to play with!

I got this set, perfect for adding texture to my art journal background:

I thought the bright pink in the palette was very dramatic, so I made this art journal page:

I saw this quote on Pinterest, and I think that it's something a lot of us can agree on. Even though we all have our own ideas of what love is and how to show it, I think we can agree that hate, discrimination, incendiary remarks, etc, get us nowhere.

Supplies this week--in addition to The Alley Way stamps above, I used a few crafter's workshop stencils (flowers), a few game board stencils (big pink circles), my brand-new Big Shot and tattered flowers die (for the dimensional flower). I used Mister Huey's spray mist (the pink) and some Distress ink (for the brown edges). The chevrons were stamps with Staz-on inkpad.

Please check out The Play Date Cafe for challenge and prize information!

Play Date Cafe Challenge 148

It's time for a new Play Date Cafe challenge! I love the colors this week, and we have an amazing sponsor!

 

Here's our amazing sponsor...her stamps are so fun and versatile!

Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed and worn out by a number of "real life" things. As I was making this art journal page and wondering what text to add, these words just came to me. I have a Savior who has freed me from worry and anxiety.

 

Supplies used are basics...gesso, acrylic paint, masking tape, book paper, punchinella, paper flowers, and a few stamps, including a flower one from Inkadinkadoo, alpha from ImageTree, and a script one from LeBlanche. 

Thanks for looking! For more details, for prize information, and to participate in the challenge, visit The Play Date Cafe Blog!

Digital Art Journaling - Overwhelmed

There's still a little bit of time left to play along in this week's challenge at The Play Date Cafe!

 

 I wanted to share with you a digital layout/ art journal page that uses this gorgeous color scheme! I know that the journaling is hard to read, and I kinda did that on purpose...it basically talks about how I have been feeling overwhelmed lately with our recent move, and the start of the school year, etc. I am slowly beginning to recover and feel less stressed, though.