ARt JouRNaL- I cracked

I cracked! I bought an art journal I have been fighting this for years.  I liked the idea of the art journal but i HATE (strong word- one i don't let my son use) how the art journal never lays flat once you use. But i wanted to play on a bigger surface than my tags so here it goes.  This is the second page i did my favorite from the weekend.

So happy with this, i think what i like the most is the white, its really hard to have white space on a tag

I know this is hard to see, but i started with strips of paper in various widths and lengths then i glued onto page in clusters.  I added some manilla tags in each cluster

 I added color with Lindy's Glitter Spitz- Catcus Gold, and Moon shadow Mist- Buccaneer Bay Blue.  I applied the color with an eye dropper and added water to get puddle of color.  I moved the color around the the eye dropper and rotating the page.  Heat set, the color settles in the paper strip clusters and the puddles create edges with dry.

Start the lightest color first then the darker color on top.

Next i applied Lindy's Moon shadow Mist- Tawny Turquoise again with an eye dropper but just along paper strip edges.

Repeat steps on right side

The pages together
So happy right now!

To highlight the paper strips i outlined them with black gel pen.  I extended the lines past the strips, it kind of gives it an architecture drawing effect.

Now i added some  black acrylic paint accents, applied with a palette knife.  Then i used an old trick you learn in grade school- closed the book and pressed, some the paint then transfers to the other page.

I used the side of the palette knife to get the black acrylic grid lines.
Around the outside i drew with red and blue marker postal edge then doddled around with a fine black marker.

I painted filmstrip with primary elements- burnt umber pigment, and glued a photo behind. Added some rub ons along top of paper cluster, then distressed with a sanding tool.

I fuzzy cut found relatives- occasions, and add some large chit chat words and fish.



So far loving the art journal.
Stay tune for page 1

Follower count- 31 Boozybear is growing.

Coffee anyone?

Mixed Media Place monthly challenge is COFFEE!  Now i am not a coffee drinker but a tea drinker nothing like that jolt of caffeine first thing in the morning.

So I knew i wanted a bee and hexagons on the tag but not much else.  Here is my take

I started with mixing earth elements (which looks just like coffee grounds should of used coffee) and mica flakes mixed with gel medium and applied to tag with a palette knife.  I added bumble bee chipboard and hexagons i created with chipboard they are 0.5" and 0.25" thick.
Next paint the whole tag with white gesso.

Next paint the whole tag with primary elements burnt umber mixed with water and polymer, applied to the whole tag.  I puddled the color on and let it dry overnight.

Added some mini cogs to the bumble bee then painted the bumble bee and hexagons with teal paint.

I used deco art antiquing creams to add dimensions and highlight the texture.  Layering all the colors adds tones and highlights and makes all that texture take on dimension and brings it to life.  Looking at this picture makes me wish i had stopped here.  Sometimes it easier to see how it looks in a picture.

Now for the coffee- i mixed gel medium with coffee grounds and layered in between the hexagons.  My tag smells wonderful now!  Finishing touches are a few rub ons, added flowers images inside the hexagons (it needed some color), I painted some more gears with gold and teal acrylic paint glued onto the hexagons.  I think it needs some chit chat words maybe later.

Think PINK!

Does anyone remember Grease 2 and the back to school song the pink ladies part was
"It's the pink ladies pledge to act to cool, too look cool, to be cool.  Til death do us part THINK PINK"  I have been singing this song in my head since i saw the challenge over at 13 arts .  Horrible movie no where near the as good as the first but i don't seem to every forget a song.

So I THINK PINK

 Lots of Texture!!

I started with a blank tag that i layered on with lace, twine, washi tape,
modeling paste with a brick stencil, then some chipboard pieces.  Right now i only have the mini cogs up on my etsy the others are a work in process.  Paint the whole tag with gesso.

Next i sprayed with a combination of Lindy's spray South Shope Sand, Moonlit Mulberry, Kissin Kenickie Coral.  For the dark, purpley pink I mixed water with magical autumn maple crimson and used an eyedropper to apply.

To add more depth i dry brushed all the wonderful texture with black acrylic paint first, then highlight with white acrylic paint.  Really makes the brick pop.  The gears were painted with pink and purple Dana Wakely heavy body paints.  I added some rust mica ingredients along chipboard cluster, and lace.

I layered together butterfly chipboard and mini cogs  sprayed with Lindy's jazzy livin purple, while it was still wet i sprinkled with embossing enamel and heat set.

On top of chipboard cluster added corrugated cardboard, newprint, gauze then butterfly.  I inked all layers with distress ink and painted corrugated cardboard with white acrylic paint.

LOVE tHE BRICK!  You can really see the rust mica by the brick.

Shimmer shimmer shimmer.

NEW kit

I have finally finished my encyclopedia kit, the album it's self has been done for quite awhile but i needed to finish instructions.  I love making the album but detest instructions, I also worry i am not making any sense.  I am not great at explaining myself especially when it comes to step by step but sometimes things don't go as plan so you just keep going to you get where you want to, that is hard to get across in instructions.

So the album is a encyclopedia with mini booklets, tags and pull outs with flips and flaps.  The whole look is very vintage and grungy.  This kit will be at Treasured Memories in Edmonton at the beginning of March.  My mom is coming to visit at the end of month so we can scrapbook at a local crop that is held in Cold Lake each month, she will be taking it back with her to drop off at Treasured Memories.  If you are interested in ordering encyclopedia kit directly from me, please contact via email.  This kit includes pattern paper, chicken wire chipboard, ribbon, page protectors, embellishments, rubons, tickets, envelopes, tags, file folders, clear pockets and encyclopedia, it does not include gel medium, paint, mica powder, distress ink, washi tape, brads, found relative, chit chat or glossy accents. $115.00 for kit

 Front

 Page 1 and 2

 Page 3 and 4

 Page 5 and 6

 Page 7 and 8

 Page 9 and 10

 Page 11 and 12

Lindy's Color Challenge

Super bright color challenge over at Lindy's  here is the color board

LOVE the elephant!

 I started with a tag covered with encyclopedia paper and glued on steampunk cameo chipboard.

Next i glued on chipboard and flowers.  I used gears and cogs, wings 2, winders and clock face chipboard.  I wanted it to look like it was one big hair piece like women would wear during Marie Antoinette time. In the top and bottom corners is the flourish cut in half, once it had dried I cut off the overhang.  Doesn't look like much right now.

 Next i painted the whole tag with white gesso, once the gesso was dry i painted a top coat of white acrylic paint.  I didn't paint the background print just around it.

 Now the magic or should i say the magicals.  Product used were Jazzy Livin Purple, Delphinium Turquoise, magical rusty lantern lime,autumn maple crimson, red hot poker orange magicals.  First i mixed the magicals with water, the starburst were already mixed, then apply color with an eye dropper and paint brush.  I would mist with a water to blend.  I allowed to dry overnight it was super saturated at this point and i could do much.

 The flourish and cameo were painted with black acrylic ink, then stamped with a texture stamp with white acrylic ink.  The gears, clock face, and wings were highlighted with gold acrylic paint.  Next i dry brushed the collage with black acrylic paint.

 Final details were inking the edges of tag, adding a line of brads and some random puddles of embossing enamel.


Finally Friday and it is a long weekend, Alex is having a sleep over let the crafting begin.

Anything but Cute- Grungy Love

February challenge over at anything but cute is grungy love.  So i was at the dollar store (nothing is a dollar at the dollar store FYI) and they had foam heart for Valentine's day and an idea took route.

Lots going on here products used were, chipboard, deco art antiquing creams, foam heart, twine, gesso, lindy's color spray, stampendous embossing enamel, Dina Wakley heavy body acrylic paint, Tim holtz rub ons and brads, earth elements, ranger perfect pearls and Colour Arte primary elements.

SO many layers to get it where i liked it.

I started with the foam heart, cut it flat on the back so it would sit nicer, then cut out a section on the top about half the heart.

I added brads along left side that hasn't been cut out.  Next layered gears along cut out portion, wings on the back and a winders along the bottom.  Use good glue all the paint layers put it through hell.

Started with a base coat of distress paint, iced spruce.  I always have a old yucky paint brush for getting into nooks and crannies, then it doesn't matter if it gets wreck more.  Next layer is deco art antiquing cream- carbon black.  Allow to dry a bit then wipe some off, head to their website to view the tutorial Deco Art. Next layer antiquing cream English red oxide, then titanium white, then i dusted with perfect pearls biscotti.  At this point i set aside for a bit.

I started with a tag i covered with encyclopedia paper, flourish 3- large added some twine and texture with modelling paste and stencil.  On top of the flourish i added earth elements in center.  Once everything had dried painted with gesso.  Originally i was going to have print visible but nope that plan didn't pan out.

I mixed primary mica powder opal green with water and painted the entire flourish. To achieve the ombre effect, mix primary elements mint with water and polymer and paint in center blending out to the edges.  Spraying with water will help blending effect.  I tried painted the twine with brown but nope- ended up painting the entire tag black expect for the flourish.

Next paint layer just on tag  deco art layering antiquing cream, started with patina green, then english red oxide then titanium white.  Then i stared for a long time something wasn't quite right.

The flourish was colored with antiquing cream, carbon black, english red oxide and white. (just in the center on top of all that lovely texture)  Layer and wipe layer and wipe until i had the coloring i wanted.

Here i just started layering more and more paint.  I sprayed the tag with Lindy's moon shadow mist treasure island aqua, i wanted some shimmer but then it was too much shimmer so dry brushed with carbon black antiquing cream but just around the flourish.  I added more english red oxide to the heart.

At this point i decided everything was too much the same and nothing stood out. but what to do.  This is why this tag took me like 6 hours isn't that riduclous.

I added some embossing enamel along flourish, bright color to gears and highlighted the heart with white.

Added some rub ons along top and bottom edges.  I really like how the colored gears turned out, they pop more.

The addition of black around flourish really made it pop more, then the highlights with white and color gears on the heart make the heart the focal point.

So moral of the story- sometimes adding more and more layers works, but remember sometimes it doesn't  you don't really know whats going to happen til the end.

Happy Sunday, enjoy it, got to go to work tomorrow.  My job keeps intervening with my crafting time.