DLP Week 18: The Fabric of Our Lives...

I seem to be falling a bit behind with my documented life project...life (and all new windows installed in our house) have side tracked me this week. The Documented Life Project prompt for week 18 was to use fabric and the quote was a phrase...'the fabric of your life'.

This is one of my favourite photos of my four older brothers and I, taken over fifty years ago (gasp!). I had tucked it into the front cover of my DLP journal a few months ago, knowing that I wanted to use it once the right prompt came up. Keeping to the old family photo idea, I printed out some other favourite shots and used the film strip washi tape to present them. I just love that washi tape!

DLP Week 11: I Can't Stop...

Do you ever find yourself in a mood to doodle...always being able to add a little more detail...a few more marks to the page?

This week's Documented Life Project challenge was to use a border, so that's where I started. I randomly drew a border using the inspiration of lines from a French curve. I traced that line using a parallel pen to get thicker and thinner parts to it.

I always start the page by using washi tape to create the journalling part of my page, so using the washi tape for colour inspiration, I painted the outside of the border line in the pink. The inner area  was then randomly painted in patches of the other colours represented on the washi tape.

Again using the parallel pen, I did some marks along the border edge line and then added a few circles within the larger space.

Using a combination of black pen, white pen and paint markers I continued doodling and adding text around the border...Help me...I started doodling and I can't stop!

DLP Week 9: Give Me A High Five

 This week's challenge for DLP was to use at least five layers...well, that's not really much of a challenge since I tend to build up many layers on each journal page.

I started by using some torn pieces of Gelli prints, collaged on the page. Theoretically I guess that's only one layer, yet the Gelli prints already have multiple layers of texture created with various found objects.

To give that wonderful pop of black and white that I love to include, I pulled out some washi tapes.

Then, using black and white Signo pens I added some doodles and drew a couple of silly characters.  In hindsight I should have drawn an odd number but, oh well ;o)

Finally I used some Copic markers to add some colour to the two 'ladies'.

DLP 2015...The Fun Has Begun!

As you know, I don't seem to be in the right mind set these days for my fibre art, but I have been looking forward to the New Year and the start of the Art to the 5th Academy's Documented Life Project 2015!

I have done various forms of art journalling and calendars over the years, and I really like the idea of journalling about the highlights of my day. Whether big or small, I find there is always something good on which to focus.  For example, although yesterday I was feeling terrible and spend the day on the couch due to a nasty cold and sore throat, Yoshi and Yona, my foster pup and her sister, kept coming to check on me and make sure I was okay. They knew something was off and stayed close all day!  

Since I keep my planner on my iPhone in the form of the calendar there which gives me reminders, etc. to keep me organized, this journal will be more of a diary of sorts.

It's not too late to join the fun, and best of all it's FREE!

This week's challenge was to use book paper, so after sectioning off my weekly calendar area with washi tape, on the right, I started gluing down book paper, paper bag bits, a piece of altered sheet music and even the yellow tissue hat out of a Christmas cracker.





Then I got carried away with acrylic paint, scraping it on with an old credit card, using netting and bubble wrap to print, making swirls with a paint pen and even using a small paint brush (I know...how crazy is that!).








I love that the book paper and sheet music still shows through the paint, adding to the wonderful layers.











Next, I pulled out my white pen and started doodling to add some detail to the big flower petals and other areas on the page.

I thought I was done, but after letting it sit for a day I decided to add a quote using more book paper and some rub on letters I had in my stash.  I did have to add a few letters with a black marker because some of the most often used letters were all gone from the sheet.









The best things
in life aren't things









And here's the finished page:

Doodling Your Way...

I'm really enjoying the online lessons in '21 Secrets'.  This journal spread was inspired by the lessons of Cathy Bluteau.  It involves using collage and doodle and it was a lot of fun to pull out some of the little stickers, homemade washi tape, etc. to add some extra layers.  Some of the flowers came from beautiful napkins I've collected over time, as well as a birthday card my Mom gave me this year.  I wish that you could buy those beautiful napkins individually instead of having to buy a whole pack.  They often have such pretty flowers on them and they're perfect for collage!  I've also started collecting interesting elements from flyers and magazines...so much easier than having to store the entire magazine!

Exploring New Materials...

On Friday, I was reminded of some Magic Stamp moldable foam stamps that I bought a very long time ago but had never yet tried.  I also managed to get my hands on some deli paper thanks to Sandra, a friend in Cambridge, so yesterday I was in the studio playing with some new techniques.  I especially liked the result I got when using buttons and some round/spiral paper clips with the moldable stamps.  I painted the deli paper with a thin layer of white gesso and then stamped onto it using various stencils and my newly molded stamps.

This image shows the deli paper stamped with sequin waste, the mesh from a grapefruit sack and the molded stamp.







On this other photo, you can see the button stamp.  I tore up the deli paper and used it as the background for a journal spread.

Although it doesn't show well in this photo, the black and white images show through the acrylic paint nicely to create some good texture to the page.

I used a white pen and wrote a bunch of journalling on the page, as I was thinking about something I'm currently reading and reflecting on the connections I'm making to some things in my past.  Thus the "Try to make sense of it" that I wrote in the circles.

Not my favourite art journal page, but it is probably one of my more productive ones in terms of actually doing some meaningful journalling.

Artists in Blogland Postcard Swap

I'm participating in a postcard swap with a group of wonderfully talented folks that are part of the Artists in Blogland community.  I have participated in postcard swaps before, and I had three postcards left from a swap back in 2011 that I wasn't very happy with.  You can see what they looked like here.  Being as I can't seem to throw too much out, I decided I'd make some 'green' postcards for this swap by reworking these old leftovers.

The first step was to rip and cut to remove the original fabric from the card.  (I had used some Texture Magic for the water part, so I couldn't just paint over it.)

Then I painted the outside 'frame' green and painted the remaining Fast 2 Fuse layer with blue acrylic paint.

Once that was dry I used a stencil and did the white spirals.  After a little more drying time I added the red using a scrap of corrugated cardboard.

A bit of yellow splatter was added as the next layer...

I wish I had taken a shot of my desk while all this was being done, because between these steps, while paint dried, I continued working through my on-line course where I'm learning how to use Lightroom 4.  At one point the cat was up here too... Let's just say that I'm amazed my laptop doesn't have paint footprints on the keyboard!
 Anyway, back to the postcards.  After again waiting for paint to dry (sounds exciting doesn't it!), I added a few bits of my homemade washi tape.

Then I stamped some Queen Anne's lace and a quote on to tissue paper and added that using matte medium.

The final step (for the front of the card) was to use some Golden Fibre Paste, which I tinted using black paint and a bird stencil I made last week to add the bird.  The fibre paste gives it a great bit of texture and allowed me to stick a bead into it (for the eye) so that it would be secure when the paste dried.

I'm please with the transformation and I like how the raised fabric and stitching on the edge creates a nice frame for the piece.

Because I make custom backs for my postcards, it was also necessary to paint over the original backing which had text about the original postcard and was dated 2011.  I added some stencil work and a bird and then used a Pitt pen to add my name and blog details for the recipients.  It's a bit busy, but what the h_ _ _! (...heck fits...what were you thinking?)

What I Was Up to Today...

Sadly some sort of a computer glitch has caused all of the images in this post to disappear, and I am unable to correct the problem.  Sorry!

Back in February, I posted a tutorial about making your own washi tape.  Well, I was running low so it was time to make some more, but having had some time to think about it, I have made a few changes to the process.

I started by cutting my tissue paper into smaller, more manageable pieces.  I made them about 6 inches long and the width of 4 strips of my double sided tape, plus a tiny bit more for wiggle room.  I then put the four strips of tape, side by side, on the tissue paper.

Last time, I stamped the tissue before taping it (with not protection on my ironing/work surface) and you can see I have a permanent record of that day's efforts! LOL

Today I put the tape on the tissue paper first, which I found made the process faster and easier (and less messy).

I also lined my work area with newspaper, just in case, but with the tape on the back, the ink doesn't come through.

Here they are before and after I cut them apart.  Aren't all those wonderful colours just the best!

The other 'studio' time today was spent doing some tidying and organizing.  A few years ago I found this wonderful old post office unit at a big outdoor antique market.  I thought it was perfect for housing fat quarters, and smaller pieces of my hand-dyed fabric.  There are 90 little cubbies in the unit, so I've found there's room for some little bins of various art supplies too.  The glass doors keep the dust out but still let me see what I have inside.

 Today I got busy reorganizing and labelling those bins.  Here's a close up of some of those wonderful little bins of 'stuff'.

And my nicely filled bin of washi tape!

Anniversary Greetings

This is just a quick post today to show you another greeting card I made.  This one combines some of the fun new skills I've been learning in Joanne Sharpe's classes on lettering.  I had a lot of fun creating a beautiful background paper, lettering and then adding my own handmade washi tape to add some accents.   

Preparing a New Journal to Go

 I've been preparing a new journal to take along with me on a bit of an 'escape'.  I started with 9" x 12" sheets of watercolour paper.  I folded them in half (one at a time to get the best crisp fold), nested them into one another and then sewed them together by stitching down the centre fold on my sewing machine (I used the longest stitch possible and a good strong thread).

The next step was to pull out some stencils and my watercolour paints and just start to play.

I love the tone on tone effect of these numbers overlapping one another in various shades of aquas and blues.




This page got a bit dark at one point so I used a dampened paper towel and brought it back to what you see here.  I also like that it resulted in softer lines and shapes.

 I started this page by stamping the stamp using a deep brick coloured stamp pad.  I inked the stamp once and then stamped it five times, letting it gradually fade out as it went up the page.  I then reversed it on the facing page so that the dark image is at the top fading down to light.

 This page was all about creating lines and streaks in those beautiful pink tones.  I can see using some of those lines for some beautiful lettering.

 I see some Van Gogh 'Starry Night' coming out of this page.  I went a little further with this page, already adding some more stamping to get more texture.

 Simple pale blue with a bit of brown stamping.  I love that stamp!

I'm craving a Tequila Sunrise...hmmm, I haven't had one of those since my misspent youth! LOL

 I was playing with colour mixing here, but the green really didn't come through as much as I might have expected.

Not sure what happened here, but this page might end of being a close-up of some weird face or something.  I feel some funky eyes looking at me...

More stamping and a fun bit of striped gaffer tape on the spine of the journal.  

The next step is to add more elements, texture, stamping, etc. to the pages before I actually start to journal.  Of course, it's been made to fit perfectly into my 'Journal on the Go' cover so I can take it with me while I'm travelling, pens, markers, homemade washi tape and all!